The Society of S by Susan Hubbard

This is Ariella's coming-of-age story. She has been raised by her overprotective father, who homeschools her, keeps her on a vegetarian diet, and engages her in long conversations about philosophy. What they don't talk about is her mother, who left just after Ariella was born. At the cusp of teendom, Ariella begins making friends and pushing at the boundaries her father has set. As she learns more about the world outside her home she also discovers a deep desire to learn more about her mother. S...moreThis is Ariella's coming-of-age story. She has been raised by her overprotective father, who homeschools her, keeps her on a vegetarian diet, and engages her in long conversations about philosophy. What they don't talk about is her mother, who left just after Ariella was born. At the cusp of teendom, Ariella begins making friends and pushing at the boundaries her father has set. As she learns more about the world outside her home she also discovers a deep desire to learn more about her mother. So much so that Ariella leaves home at age 13 to search for her. As Ariella disconnects from the sheltered life she's always known, she begins to become the person her father always feared she would be. For Ariella's father is a vampire, and her mother was human.

This is a very atypical vampire story. In fact, the vampirism seems to be secondary and not very important to the plot. The story really revolves around Ariella's growth and development as a person. I recommend this one to fans of Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees.