The Homecoming Masquerade by Spencer Baum

Summary:(from goodreads) In a posh suburb of the nation’s capital, at the most exclusive high school in the world, the vampires who secretly run the government have created a game for America’s daughters of privilege. Show up to Homecoming in a black dress and you’ve entered yourself in a contest where the winner lives forever, and the loser becomes the winner’s first meal.
Only the wealthiest, most connected students can hope to win, so when new girl Nicky Bloom wears a black dress to Homecoming, everyone assumes she has a death wish. They don’t know that Nicky has her own agenda. As the dance continues into the night, they will find out that Nicky Bloom is far more than she seems.
Review: I had didn't have very many expectations going into this book but was pleasantly surprised. This entire 250 page books takes place over the course of one night. Which might have been a little boring if not for all backstory and world building interspersed throughout it. Now the vampires controlling a city full of humans plotline is nothing new but the one thing that makes this one stand out is homecoming and all the tradition surrounding it. The second half of the book was definitely more action packed and drama filled than the first, but that's usually the case when starting out with a new series. None of the characters really stood out to me that much. I thought Nicky was by far the most interesting one. She very quickly became the focus of the book which was unexpected but appreciated. There were a few surprises towards the end that made me curious to see where the next book will lead. I hope the next books can surprise me even more than this one did.