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A review by whatyoutolkienabout
The Reluctant Vampire Queen by Jo Simmons
3.0
I want to start by saying I am likely not the intended audience. Growing up with TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Charmed I thought this may be a sort of nostalgic trip down memory lane with some funny quirky characters and vampires.
Unfortunately even when I kept in mind this may be for someone younger than myself I was questioning just how young. A few reviews see this as Young Adult and normally I find these enjoyable with The Reluctant Vampire Queen I felt it sometimes changed it’s aim and intended audience. From young adult to very early teen. Personally I’d put it towards early teen rather than young adult. Or perhaps, as I say it was just not for me.
We follow Mo Merrydrew who is the stereotypical geek of the school but suddenly becomes The Chosen One. She is meant to become the Vampire Queen of Great Britain. Only Mo has The Plan she wants to follow and it doesn’t involve being turned into a Vampire or ruling over anyone unelected.
Beyond seeing bits of myself from my school days in Mo I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. There didn’t seem to be any development throughout which made me think this is more intended for younger teens. I appreciate it was partly meant to be funny but I also found the contradiction in Mo’s character as soon as the ‘handsome’ Luca appears to be rather frustrating.
That said it wasn’t all bad. There were some funny lines and parts that I will remember and stick with me, always a good sign. It was also an easy and quick read. So if you are looking for a bit of fun and fluff to bridge your reading or just something to unwind to with a supernatural and funny vibe this might be for you. I think my view was skewed with my expectations and the changing in style. I certainly have and do enjoy the occasional middle grade and younger teen story I found this one just missed the mark for me. I do think it may be a good stepping stone for teens looking to go into the more supernatural genre.
I’ve rounded this up to four stars though purely because of the Monty Python reference. At least I hoped it was one about the election of ruling officials. That did make me laugh. I also want to add there is a lot of ‘British’ Humour which may not be fully appreciated by an international audience. And Bogdan. I did like Bogdan. He deserves at least half a star on his own.
As always thank you to Netgalley and HotKey Books. I have left this review voluntarily.
Unfortunately even when I kept in mind this may be for someone younger than myself I was questioning just how young. A few reviews see this as Young Adult and normally I find these enjoyable with The Reluctant Vampire Queen I felt it sometimes changed it’s aim and intended audience. From young adult to very early teen. Personally I’d put it towards early teen rather than young adult. Or perhaps, as I say it was just not for me.
We follow Mo Merrydrew who is the stereotypical geek of the school but suddenly becomes The Chosen One. She is meant to become the Vampire Queen of Great Britain. Only Mo has The Plan she wants to follow and it doesn’t involve being turned into a Vampire or ruling over anyone unelected.
Beyond seeing bits of myself from my school days in Mo I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. There didn’t seem to be any development throughout which made me think this is more intended for younger teens. I appreciate it was partly meant to be funny but I also found the contradiction in Mo’s character as soon as the ‘handsome’ Luca appears to be rather frustrating.
That said it wasn’t all bad. There were some funny lines and parts that I will remember and stick with me, always a good sign. It was also an easy and quick read. So if you are looking for a bit of fun and fluff to bridge your reading or just something to unwind to with a supernatural and funny vibe this might be for you. I think my view was skewed with my expectations and the changing in style. I certainly have and do enjoy the occasional middle grade and younger teen story I found this one just missed the mark for me. I do think it may be a good stepping stone for teens looking to go into the more supernatural genre.
I’ve rounded this up to four stars though purely because of the Monty Python reference. At least I hoped it was one about the election of ruling officials. That did make me laugh. I also want to add there is a lot of ‘British’ Humour which may not be fully appreciated by an international audience. And Bogdan. I did like Bogdan. He deserves at least half a star on his own.
As always thank you to Netgalley and HotKey Books. I have left this review voluntarily.