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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
ReviewPost: http://totallybookalicious.blogspot.com/2011/11/vampire-stalker-by-allison-van-diepen.html
I have been looking into buying this book for a while but I kept putting it off just because my TBR is kinda insane. However, out shopping I found it super cheap and decided to pick it up. Now I am wishing I just left it and got it from the library.
The Vampire Stalker is a a teenage girl, Amy who is obsessed with Alexander Banks, a boy from a book.She knows he is just a fantasy. However, one night her world is turned upside when she actually meets Alexander. And realising he is real she helps him out by track down Vigo, the bad vampire from the books, Otherworld series. Amy soon starts to fall in love with Alexander and is forced to accept that he may have to leave her soon.
The premise for this book has the potiental to be amazing. I mean, come on, who hasn’t been in love with a book from a book? And secretly wishes they were real? I know I have on many occassions lol. However, the book just seems to fall flat.
The characters, I jus couldn’t really connect with. Especially Amy, which is a shame because in therory I should I have like her, she is cute and fun and of course is a big reader. But at times I found her character quite immature. There was also no character development for Amy she was the same all the through. However, I did like Alexander and I think the book would have been better having his POV.
TVS was a very quick read though. I read it in a few hours. The plot itself isn’t fast paced, it’s actually quite boring. It does get a bit more exciting near the end of the book. However, it was predictable! I knew exactly what was going to happen. There was no twists or turns to the plot. No explosive action scene. Even the romance in the book isn’t really all that.
Although, I did like hearing about the world that Alexander lived in. It was interesting. I also really like that idea of parallel dimensions and how the author of the Otherworld Series had visions and that how she wrote the books. It would have been great to read more about her.
Overall though, The Vampire Stalker is a very light read if you want just a filler and give your brain a rest from heavier books. It’s a short and quick read. And I am sure many people will love this book. Sadly, I wasn’t one of them.
I have been looking into buying this book for a while but I kept putting it off just because my TBR is kinda insane. However, out shopping I found it super cheap and decided to pick it up. Now I am wishing I just left it and got it from the library.
The Vampire Stalker is a a teenage girl, Amy who is obsessed with Alexander Banks, a boy from a book.She knows he is just a fantasy. However, one night her world is turned upside when she actually meets Alexander. And realising he is real she helps him out by track down Vigo, the bad vampire from the books, Otherworld series. Amy soon starts to fall in love with Alexander and is forced to accept that he may have to leave her soon.
The premise for this book has the potiental to be amazing. I mean, come on, who hasn’t been in love with a book from a book? And secretly wishes they were real? I know I have on many occassions lol. However, the book just seems to fall flat.
The characters, I jus couldn’t really connect with. Especially Amy, which is a shame because in therory I should I have like her, she is cute and fun and of course is a big reader. But at times I found her character quite immature. There was also no character development for Amy she was the same all the through. However, I did like Alexander and I think the book would have been better having his POV.
TVS was a very quick read though. I read it in a few hours. The plot itself isn’t fast paced, it’s actually quite boring. It does get a bit more exciting near the end of the book. However, it was predictable! I knew exactly what was going to happen. There was no twists or turns to the plot. No explosive action scene. Even the romance in the book isn’t really all that.
Although, I did like hearing about the world that Alexander lived in. It was interesting. I also really like that idea of parallel dimensions and how the author of the Otherworld Series had visions and that how she wrote the books. It would have been great to read more about her.
Overall though, The Vampire Stalker is a very light read if you want just a filler and give your brain a rest from heavier books. It’s a short and quick read. And I am sure many people will love this book. Sadly, I wasn’t one of them.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The rest of this long review is in: Msg2theMing
What I liked the most about this book, was that author did her research. I know far too many authors and their works, written BEFORE research, and I always found that truly annoying. But Allison Van Diepen is not one of those, no. She made sense. She even included String Theory to explain what’s going on, rather than make it all up via means of magic and “it was meant to be” things. Therefor I’ll grant this book a very firm 3 out of 5. I also do intend to look into the author a little more, who knows what other wonders she has in store.
What I liked the most about this book, was that author did her research. I know far too many authors and their works, written BEFORE research, and I always found that truly annoying. But Allison Van Diepen is not one of those, no. She made sense. She even included String Theory to explain what’s going on, rather than make it all up via means of magic and “it was meant to be” things. Therefor I’ll grant this book a very firm 3 out of 5. I also do intend to look into the author a little more, who knows what other wonders she has in store.
fast-paced
Is this book technically good? No, probably not.
Did I read it in middle school and proceed to never stop thinking about it? Absolutely I did
Did I read it in middle school and proceed to never stop thinking about it? Absolutely I did
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is probably one of the shortest reviews I've done lately. And it's simply because this novel, while okay, wasn't that special. It had the potential, but it just didn't quite make it.
Amy is in love with a fictional character from her favorite series Otherworld. (Who hasn't been there?) He's the less popular of the male characters, Alexander Banks. But one night, when she finds herself attacked extremely violently she looks into the face of her rescuer and it's Alexander Banks. She gives him a place to stay for a few days with her mother and sister and her and tries to believe what's before her eyes. It's like a dream come true! The nightmare though is that Alexander followed a vicious vampire named Vigo into Amy's world.
I like Amy. But that's all. I didn't feel her friendships. I didn't feel her sister's animosity. I didn't feel Amy's anger towards her father. And I really didn't feel the relationship between her and Alexander. However, I'm trying to keep in mind they she knew him already through the book. He however did not and is trying to "court" her as they did back in his time/world. Still, they felt shallow and the relationship happened too fast.
It was a great idea and the way Alexander's presence was explained made perfect sense. It just all felt flat to me. There was no spark, no tension, even where there should have been, no feeling from me while I read. Maybe the novel needed to be longer. That way, the characters could have been more developed, had more time together to show their relationships. I was really excited about reading this one. I had imagined a girl, late at night seeing a character step out of the pages of a book, maybe in a bookstore, and disappear into the night with her following discreetly. But, no such luck. And I was left disappointed in general with the book.
Amy is in love with a fictional character from her favorite series Otherworld. (Who hasn't been there?) He's the less popular of the male characters, Alexander Banks. But one night, when she finds herself attacked extremely violently she looks into the face of her rescuer and it's Alexander Banks. She gives him a place to stay for a few days with her mother and sister and her and tries to believe what's before her eyes. It's like a dream come true! The nightmare though is that Alexander followed a vicious vampire named Vigo into Amy's world.
I like Amy. But that's all. I didn't feel her friendships. I didn't feel her sister's animosity. I didn't feel Amy's anger towards her father. And I really didn't feel the relationship between her and Alexander. However, I'm trying to keep in mind they she knew him already through the book. He however did not and is trying to "court" her as they did back in his time/world. Still, they felt shallow and the relationship happened too fast.
It was a great idea and the way Alexander's presence was explained made perfect sense. It just all felt flat to me. There was no spark, no tension, even where there should have been, no feeling from me while I read. Maybe the novel needed to be longer. That way, the characters could have been more developed, had more time together to show their relationships. I was really excited about reading this one. I had imagined a girl, late at night seeing a character step out of the pages of a book, maybe in a bookstore, and disappear into the night with her following discreetly. But, no such luck. And I was left disappointed in general with the book.
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
Amy Hawthorne is an avid Chicago reader and die hard fan of the popular Otherworld book series by Elizabeth Howard. A junior in high school, she's never dated and only been kissed once by a boy she met at a friend's party who never called her. Compared to her favorite character, Alexander Banks, in the Otherworld series, no real life boy really measures up. When Amy is attacked on her way home from a school dance, she is saved by a handsome stranger who claims to be Alexander Banks himself. Sure at first that the boy is insane, when he manages to convince her that not only he, but the psychopathic vampire villain Vigo from the books have crossed over into her world she's not sure what she should do. She's had a crush on the character of Alexander Banks since her freshman year of high school, being confronted with the real life boy seems like a dream come true, until the terror of the books starts becoming regular news in the Chicago of her world. Together Amy and Alexander must stop Vigo and keep the secret of where the two men came from before her world becomes as violent and overrun by vampires as his. But while she's protecting Chicago will she be able to protect her heart?
This is a fast paced and enjoyable read. I hadn't actually intended on reading it tonight, I started glancing through the pages of my recent purchase and found myself quickly drawn in. Before I knew it I'd finished the book.
Both my favorite and least favorite thing about this book is that the writer has actually written to her target audience. It's my favorite thing because too many young adult novels seem to be written more for an adult reader but having a teenager or child for a main character so that they fall into the young adult genre. The source material and the just the way the characters think often seems a little beyond the maturity of many of the teens I personally have encountered. That's not to say I don't love the books, but then again I'm an adult reader, I can better relate to a more mature character. This book however really sounds like a sixteen year old is telling the story. While she has mature moments, her screen name is MrsAlexanderBanks8021 just to name an example of her teen-like behavior. She actually thinks like a teen without the maturity of having seen too much or the disappointments that make us jaded as adults. This type of fresh, immature character used to be common in young adult novels, but you don't see it as much anymore. I have to give the writer kudos for bringing it back. However on the flip side, while I did enjoy reading through the novel the first time, it's not something I'd read twice. If I were still sixteen I'd probably read this novel over and over until it was falling apart. I'd be able to really relate to the character in a way that it's harder to do as an adult because teen years now have that fuzzy haze of the past. It's just not geared to appeal to older readers of young adult novels as much as other books in the genre are.
Though there definitely are elements of darkness, danger, violence and adventure in this novel, it manages to still have a light feel to is as you quickly read through the pages of this well written and entertaining story. Other than the fact it was clearly not geared to me as a reader, the only real issue I had were this novel were a few scenes that were just hard to believe. For example I can't picture Chicago setting a city wide curfew despite any sort of violence going on and I can't picture police officers taking advice from a teenager girl no matter what she did.
The two main characters were definitely multifaceted and fleshed out, but overall Van Diepen didn't really go into a lot of depth with the characters their flaws and strong suits. Most of the minor characters did easily fit into stereotypes with some exceptions like the school librarian. I don't actually think this was a negative thing with this book though, it plays into the feel that it was written to actually fit with teen readers. I don't remember needing a lot of depth to the characters in the stories I read at 13 and I was happy to see them fall in love within a chapter or two even if I don't see that happening realistically now.
Overall it's a well written and engaging story, though I personally feel it will appeal more to a thirteen or fourteen year old than it would an adult. I'm not saying an adult won't enjoy reading this tale, I certainly did. However I doubt many adults will be adding the story to their best books of all time list simply because they won't be able to relate to the characters in the same way that a younger reader would.
Amy Hawthorne is an avid Chicago reader and die hard fan of the popular Otherworld book series by Elizabeth Howard. A junior in high school, she's never dated and only been kissed once by a boy she met at a friend's party who never called her. Compared to her favorite character, Alexander Banks, in the Otherworld series, no real life boy really measures up. When Amy is attacked on her way home from a school dance, she is saved by a handsome stranger who claims to be Alexander Banks himself. Sure at first that the boy is insane, when he manages to convince her that not only he, but the psychopathic vampire villain Vigo from the books have crossed over into her world she's not sure what she should do. She's had a crush on the character of Alexander Banks since her freshman year of high school, being confronted with the real life boy seems like a dream come true, until the terror of the books starts becoming regular news in the Chicago of her world. Together Amy and Alexander must stop Vigo and keep the secret of where the two men came from before her world becomes as violent and overrun by vampires as his. But while she's protecting Chicago will she be able to protect her heart?
This is a fast paced and enjoyable read. I hadn't actually intended on reading it tonight, I started glancing through the pages of my recent purchase and found myself quickly drawn in. Before I knew it I'd finished the book.
Both my favorite and least favorite thing about this book is that the writer has actually written to her target audience. It's my favorite thing because too many young adult novels seem to be written more for an adult reader but having a teenager or child for a main character so that they fall into the young adult genre. The source material and the just the way the characters think often seems a little beyond the maturity of many of the teens I personally have encountered. That's not to say I don't love the books, but then again I'm an adult reader, I can better relate to a more mature character. This book however really sounds like a sixteen year old is telling the story. While she has mature moments, her screen name is MrsAlexanderBanks8021 just to name an example of her teen-like behavior. She actually thinks like a teen without the maturity of having seen too much or the disappointments that make us jaded as adults. This type of fresh, immature character used to be common in young adult novels, but you don't see it as much anymore. I have to give the writer kudos for bringing it back. However on the flip side, while I did enjoy reading through the novel the first time, it's not something I'd read twice. If I were still sixteen I'd probably read this novel over and over until it was falling apart. I'd be able to really relate to the character in a way that it's harder to do as an adult because teen years now have that fuzzy haze of the past. It's just not geared to appeal to older readers of young adult novels as much as other books in the genre are.
Though there definitely are elements of darkness, danger, violence and adventure in this novel, it manages to still have a light feel to is as you quickly read through the pages of this well written and entertaining story. Other than the fact it was clearly not geared to me as a reader, the only real issue I had were this novel were a few scenes that were just hard to believe. For example I can't picture Chicago setting a city wide curfew despite any sort of violence going on and I can't picture police officers taking advice from a teenager girl no matter what she did.
The two main characters were definitely multifaceted and fleshed out, but overall Van Diepen didn't really go into a lot of depth with the characters their flaws and strong suits. Most of the minor characters did easily fit into stereotypes with some exceptions like the school librarian. I don't actually think this was a negative thing with this book though, it plays into the feel that it was written to actually fit with teen readers. I don't remember needing a lot of depth to the characters in the stories I read at 13 and I was happy to see them fall in love within a chapter or two even if I don't see that happening realistically now.
Overall it's a well written and engaging story, though I personally feel it will appeal more to a thirteen or fourteen year old than it would an adult. I'm not saying an adult won't enjoy reading this tale, I certainly did. However I doubt many adults will be adding the story to their best books of all time list simply because they won't be able to relate to the characters in the same way that a younger reader would.
I think that this book was okay. I lost interest a couple times but I could count on it to pull me right back into it's trap.