The book starts out with Raven talking about her past, including the bold declaration in kindergarten that she wanted to become a vampire. The other kids thought she was weird for this, but she didn't care, really. She met her only real friend, Becky Miller, in third grade, and since Raven was the only one who didn't bully her and they were both outcasts of sorts, they got along well. She also made an enemy, Trevor Mitchell, and they fought constantly.
In the present, it's Raven's sixteenth birthday, but it begins no differently than any other day: her little brother Billy, a.k.a Nerd Boy, yelled at her to get up, and she put on her clothes and makeup, all black. She gets a pearl necklace from her family, but doesn't really like it. Becky arrives with two gifts, both of which Raven loves: a black leather choker with a pewter bat charm on it, and news of a new family, the Sterlings, moving into the mansion on Benson Hill.
At school, Trevor annoys Raven like he does every day, and they have the same old verbal swordfight, with no real winner. He asks what she'll do to make her sweet sixteen memorable, and she answers that she'll crash Matt Wells, Trevor's sidekick's, party that night. Becky whines, but Raven isn't too worried. Now she tells us about the mansion and flashes back to when she was twelve. She was around the mansion when she saw a boy named Jack having to go inside on a dare to win friends. She goes in with him and helps him with the dare, giving him her necklace, which looked very old. It was the only time, up to that point; she got to go inside because police started watching it after that dare.
At the party, Becky is clingy at first, but goes with Matt when he greets them. A lot of the kids there are glaring at Raven, but it doesn't bother her. A drunk Trevor finds her looking through CDs, kisses her full on the mouth, and takes her outside to a tree. Raven coax him somewhere more private and continue making out. She wondered if he actually liked her, but dispelled that thought quickly. She got him stripped naked, making him think they were going to do it, but steals all of his clothes and leaves the party with Becky.
Heading home now, Raven fills Becky in on what she did. They almost hit a boy with pale white skin and black clothes. When Raven goes for a look, all she finds is a dented paint can and spilled paint. The story of Naked Trevor spreads quickly, and many versions are created, but only 3 people know the real story. She gives his clothes back one by one, in a public and humiliating matter: putting them on her locker, ending with the undies hot glued to the locker door.
Halloween comes around, Raven chooses to be a tennis player, complete with an expensive racket loaned from her dad. At school, people think she's a new kid, not recognizing her, but Trevor loves her new look. When she goes out trick or treating, she goes to the mansion, like many other people. The butler, Creepy Man, ran out of candy, so she gives him some candy and a spider ring. Trevor comes, annoys her for a bit, and tries to vandalize the house, Gothic Guy, the boy Raven almost hit the night of the party, comes out. She gets scared and runs away, leaving the racket and Trevor behind...
Italiano
Raven Madison è una ragazza dark, fan di Anne Rice, che sin da piccola ha desiderato incontrare un vero vampiro. Il suo look e i suoi gusti ne fanno un’incompresa nella piccola città di Dullsville, eccetto per l’unica sua amica, Becky. Un compagno di scuola in particolare, il ricco e corteggiatissimo Trevor, la tormenta con continue battute e scherzi di dubbio gusto. Raven, però, sa come metterlo a posto, tanto da rifiutare le sue avances e lasciarlo completamente nudo nel bosco.
Intanto, dopo anni di abbandono, qualcuno è tornato ad abitare nel maniero vittoriano che piace tanto a Raven. Si dicono cose strane sulla famiglia Sterling, i nuovi proprietari della casa: si vocifera che siano dei vampiri. Dopo alcuni incontri rocamboleschi, Raven viene invitata a cena da Alexander, il figlio degli Sterling. I due ragazzi si piacciono ed iniziano a frequentarsi. Ma la cosa non va giù a tutti...
Español
La misteriosa mansión supuestamente encantada que se levanta en Benson Hill ha permanecido vacía y cerrada a cal y canto durante años. Hasta que unos nuevos y reservados habitantes se instalan en ella. ¿Quiénes son aquellas aterradoras personas, especialmente el atractivo, oscuro y esquivo Alexander Sterling? O mejor dicho, ¿qué son? ¿Acaso son ciertos los chismorreos que circulan por el pueblo? ¿Son vampiros?
Raven, la protagonista, desea recibir un beso de vampiro, se muere por descubrir la verdad a riesgo de perder su propia mortalidad y la confianza de su amado Alexander.