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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Still not completely sold, but I've already started Vlad #3...more and more parallels to Harry Potter, including a Voldemort antagonist...but there's something so compelling about Vlad. His grief is still so close to the surface...his combination of grief and misplaced guilt cause him to carry a heavy heavy weight on his heart. And for that reason, I read on...hoping he'll be ok.
The blood issues (Vlad is, after all, a vampire, or at least a half-vampire!) are starting to 'ick' me out...frozen bags of donated blood in the freezer, eating chocolate chip cookies and dipping them into a mug of steaming out-of-date blood? ICK!
The blood issues (Vlad is, after all, a vampire, or at least a half-vampire!) are starting to 'ick' me out...frozen bags of donated blood in the freezer, eating chocolate chip cookies and dipping them into a mug of steaming out-of-date blood? ICK!
I bought this entire series on a whim because I found books 1-5 (all) of the series in brand new condition for 50 cents each. I figured if I ended up hating them I could just sell them on ebay later.
The first thing that got my attention was the writing style. I've read far too many YA books (especially one's that take place in middle school/high school) that were absolute garbage and felt like that were written by an actual middle schooler. The Vladimir Todd series does not treat the reader like an imbecile. The writing is clean and flows nicely.
Now for the actual story: I liked it. You get to delve deeper into the characters and are introduced to new characters as well. I won't spoil it, but the ending was intense. It made me cringe.
Even if vampires aren't your thing, I think teens will still like this series because Vladimir doesn't act like a vampire--well, not 24/7. He acts like a really shy teenager, victimized by unpopularity. He worries about his only surviving family. He worries that he'll never get to date the girl of his dreams. He gets nervous about public speaking in class. He's just an all-around likable character because he's relatable.
The first thing that got my attention was the writing style. I've read far too many YA books (especially one's that take place in middle school/high school) that were absolute garbage and felt like that were written by an actual middle schooler. The Vladimir Todd series does not treat the reader like an imbecile. The writing is clean and flows nicely.
Now for the actual story: I liked it. You get to delve deeper into the characters and are introduced to new characters as well. I won't spoil it, but the ending was intense. It made me cringe.
Even if vampires aren't your thing, I think teens will still like this series because Vladimir doesn't act like a vampire--well, not 24/7. He acts like a really shy teenager, victimized by unpopularity. He worries about his only surviving family. He worries that he'll never get to date the girl of his dreams. He gets nervous about public speaking in class. He's just an all-around likable character because he's relatable.
As the second book in the series, I can relate being a freshman to the hardships Vlad goes through. An amazing epilogue to Eigth Grade Bites.
Frankly, I don't know why I keep reading these when they're just so poorly-written, but I guess sometimes you just need something to turn off your brain.
The author kept using "bemused" despite clearly not understanding that it actually means confused, can't write humour to save her life, doesn't understand how to make a love interest appealing or interesting in the slightest (The main character's crush, Meredith, is "pretty" -- that's pretty much all there is to her), and I don't think she's spoken to an actual teenager in decades, judging by how off the voices of her main characters are.
And yet I find myself still slightly intrigued by the story, hence the 2 star rating rather than the 1 star it probably deserves. I'll likely end up reading the next book despite myself, damn it all.
The author kept using "bemused" despite clearly not understanding that it actually means confused, can't write humour to save her life, doesn't understand how to make a love interest appealing or interesting in the slightest (The main character's crush, Meredith, is "pretty" -- that's pretty much all there is to her), and I don't think she's spoken to an actual teenager in decades, judging by how off the voices of her main characters are.
And yet I find myself still slightly intrigued by the story, hence the 2 star rating rather than the 1 star it probably deserves. I'll likely end up reading the next book despite myself, damn it all.
Much like the first book, this book was a welcome relief from the norm of YA vampire novels. It focuses a lot on the plot and less on romances :) You continue to learn about Vlad and his life as a half-vampire, half-human freshman in high school. The story has plenty of young adult angst and humor as Vlad makes new friends and fends off bullies (both human and vampire). This book has some surprises in store for it's readers, one, sadly, I saw coming from a mile away :( but the other surprises may leave you slack-jawed. But if you are a fan of the vampire romances, there is a budding romance in the book :) I like the fact that the book explores typical high school problems, such as asking the girl you have had a crush on for years to the dance.
I continue to think this is a great series and can't wait to follow Vlad through the 10th grade in Bathory High School and see how his life continues to get complicated with his vampire life. I love the mystery aspect to the book that leaves you wondering, "what will happen next". Also, the humor in the book, mostly the sarcastic nature of Vlad, is "fang-tastic" :)
I continue to think this is a great series and can't wait to follow Vlad through the 10th grade in Bathory High School and see how his life continues to get complicated with his vampire life. I love the mystery aspect to the book that leaves you wondering, "what will happen next". Also, the humor in the book, mostly the sarcastic nature of Vlad, is "fang-tastic" :)
Vlad is starting Ninth grade with a new weapon that can kill vampires, finding out that he has an Uncle. So, what can make freshman year even better, to have a vampire slayer trying to hunt you down.
The writing was just as good in this one as the first one. The pacing was really good to keep me interested. While the story revolved around Vlad sometimes there would be a short chapter showing what the slayer was doing. It would keep you guessing as to when the slayer would find him and who had hired him.
I like the relationship that Otis and Vlad have built. He has been without a father figure for so long that it is good for him to have someone. He has Nelly but it is good for him to have someone that knew his father from before he had met his mother.
I like that the series goes through Vlad and the twelfth grade. It will be interesting to see how he grows into his powers. Also to see how things turn out from the prophecy that everyone thinks involves him.
The writing was just as good in this one as the first one. The pacing was really good to keep me interested. While the story revolved around Vlad sometimes there would be a short chapter showing what the slayer was doing. It would keep you guessing as to when the slayer would find him and who had hired him.
I like the relationship that Otis and Vlad have built. He has been without a father figure for so long that it is good for him to have someone. He has Nelly but it is good for him to have someone that knew his father from before he had met his mother.
I like that the series goes through Vlad and the twelfth grade. It will be interesting to see how he grows into his powers. Also to see how things turn out from the prophecy that everyone thinks involves him.
3.5 stars - good
This was a good book, but I didn't love it or even "really enjoy it." In fact, had I not been reading this story for Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge, I might have DNFed it. Though who am I kidding?! I'd probably have finished it just to see if maybe the story would redeem itself.
But it was kind of slow, and the early parts were sort of a chore to get through. (Too much time spent on school-related stuff for my taste.) I actually found myself wondering if I'd have enjoyed this story more if I was still in high school. But sadly, my freshman year of high school was almost 28 years ago. (And this book was released only around eight years ago.)
Also, Vlad was kind of a wimp in this book.Afraid to talk to Meredith - "the prettiest girl in school" - and getting beat up by bullies, without really trying to fight back. . . I just didn't enjoy him all that much for most of this story. :-(
And lastly, Vlad broke down into tears a number of times in this story. But I never once felt like crying with him. :-(
The latter portion of this story (the last 70 or so pages), which I read after taking a break to go to the bookstore (I bought six books!), were good. Probably because we moved away from school-related stuff and into Vlad figuring out the threats to his life.
Like Vlad,I was surprised to find D'Ablo still alive. Unlike Vlad, I was not surprised to learn that Joss was the slayer. After Jasik said he wasn't there to kill Vlad, I figured Joss was the only person it could be. I was surprised that Jasik turned out to be a vampire.
In the end,Joss stakes Vlad (!!!); Vlad survives (!!!); D'Ablo and Jasik escaped to fight another day; Otis returns and tells Vlad that he will stay around for the summer; and Vlad, once he's released from the hospital and back at school, makes plans to hook up with Meredith at Freedom Fest. . .
So the end was good, but it didn't entirely redeem the story. I am not sure if I want to continue this series. But Vlad has lots of room for growth, so I might.
This was a good book, but I didn't love it or even "really enjoy it." In fact, had I not been reading this story for Book Riot's 2017 Read Harder Challenge, I might have DNFed it. Though who am I kidding?! I'd probably have finished it just to see if maybe the story would redeem itself.
But it was kind of slow, and the early parts were sort of a chore to get through. (Too much time spent on school-related stuff for my taste.) I actually found myself wondering if I'd have enjoyed this story more if I was still in high school. But sadly, my freshman year of high school was almost 28 years ago. (And this book was released only around eight years ago.)
Also, Vlad was kind of a wimp in this book.
And lastly, Vlad broke down into tears a number of times in this story. But I never once felt like crying with him. :-(
The latter portion of this story (the last 70 or so pages), which I read after taking a break to go to the bookstore (I bought six books!), were good. Probably because we moved away from school-related stuff and into Vlad figuring out the threats to his life.
Like Vlad,
In the end,
Meredith's voice was hushed in the nearly empty hallway. "Will I see you after class?"
Vlad beamed. "Count on it."
The door closed behind Meredith, and Vlad floated down the hall to first-period English. Tonight was Freedom Fest, and this time, he was going to make Meredith happy she went with him. [fin]
So the end was good, but it didn't entirely redeem the story. I am not sure if I want to continue this series. But Vlad has lots of room for growth, so I might.
When it comes to vampire novels, I admit I am rather easy to please. Give me a plausible back story as well as a creative twist on the vampire myth, and I am happy. So, to say that I enjoyed a vampire story is not a surprise to anyone. Yet, when I can gush about a vampire story, now you know the story is special. I gushed about Eighth Grade Bites several days ago, and Ninth Grade Slays is just as deserving of any praise I may bestow.
Dark but fun, with enough Buffy references to make a Buffy fan like me happy, Ninth Grade Slays picks up where the other left off. This time, Vlad delves a little deeper into his vampire nature, understanding why others feel he is so special and why he is in danger all the time. As denotes most sequels, especially in middle grade novels, the story itself is rather formulaic, but it is still fun because of all the new information we get about Vlad's father, about his vampire family, and about his emerging powers. While more information is held back in the interest of the series, Ninth Grade Slays is the first book where the reader actually is made privy to this information. It definitely helps flesh out Vlad and Otis and the entire vampire society, making them more life-like and dangerous as only full disclosure can.
Any book that references Buffy, the TV show and NOT the movie, gets a special recommendation, and Ninth Grade Slays is full of references. There is something particularly hilarious about any story that references such a campy, but excellent cult hit because you know the author is not taking him/herself too seriously. I could spend an paragraph or two making comparisons between Buffy and Vlad, but then I would be doing a disservice to both because it means taking them both too seriously. Vlad is supposed to be fun, and it succeeds quite well.
Ninth Grade Slays leaves the reader wanting more, which is exactly what you want in a series. Vlad is vulnerable in his loneliness but shows remarkable growth as he learns more about his destiny. Otis, Nelly and Henry compliment Vlad's teenage angst. The end result is a novel that is a quick read but extremely charming and utterly addicting.
Dark but fun, with enough Buffy references to make a Buffy fan like me happy, Ninth Grade Slays picks up where the other left off. This time, Vlad delves a little deeper into his vampire nature, understanding why others feel he is so special and why he is in danger all the time. As denotes most sequels, especially in middle grade novels, the story itself is rather formulaic, but it is still fun because of all the new information we get about Vlad's father, about his vampire family, and about his emerging powers. While more information is held back in the interest of the series, Ninth Grade Slays is the first book where the reader actually is made privy to this information. It definitely helps flesh out Vlad and Otis and the entire vampire society, making them more life-like and dangerous as only full disclosure can.
Any book that references Buffy, the TV show and NOT the movie, gets a special recommendation, and Ninth Grade Slays is full of references. There is something particularly hilarious about any story that references such a campy, but excellent cult hit because you know the author is not taking him/herself too seriously. I could spend an paragraph or two making comparisons between Buffy and Vlad, but then I would be doing a disservice to both because it means taking them both too seriously. Vlad is supposed to be fun, and it succeeds quite well.
Ninth Grade Slays leaves the reader wanting more, which is exactly what you want in a series. Vlad is vulnerable in his loneliness but shows remarkable growth as he learns more about his destiny. Otis, Nelly and Henry compliment Vlad's teenage angst. The end result is a novel that is a quick read but extremely charming and utterly addicting.