The Reformed Vampire Support Group - by Catherine Jinks

This vampire book was different than any other vampire tale I'd read before. Instead of vampires being strong, powerful and menacing, vampirism is considered an infection that makes you sickly. Too much bright light makes you bleed from the eyes, you are often nauseous and throwing up blood, etc. Instead of becoming the strong version of whatever age you are, you stay in the exact same state. So if you are a 70 year old with a hunched back and feet problems, that's how you stay. The only time you might be stronger and menacing is if you drink human blood.

But that is where the Reformed Vampire Support Group comes in. Nina is a 15 year old (30-something vampire age) who weekly attends group therapy with a bunch of other vampires. The group is led by Father Ramon, and they focus on not succumbing to the desire to drink human blood, and on trying to be normal citizens without getting noticed. Despite that they are not really a threat to anyone, society still sees them as one, which probably isn't helped by the fictional vampire hero that Nina creates for the books she writes.

As they trudge through their weekly lives, Nina gets more and more annoyed with herself and the others and the state of their lives. But then someone in their group winds up staked, and everyone is immediately frightened that they might be next. Nina, Dave, Sanford and Father Ramon set off on a series of misadventures to try and figure out who the killer might be, and to prevent him from killing again.

They come across Nefly, an inept, super geeky vampire hunter, as well as the McKinnons, who are a father and son duo who exploit werewolves in fighting rings. They end up saving Reuben, the McKinnons' prize werewolf, as they try and stop Nefly, adding the McKinnons to their list of problems. Nina and a couple of the others find some strength in themselves they didn't know they had, and after a string of exciting turns, things things work out in the end.

This was a good read. It started a little slow, but once it got going was really very interesting and fun. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a vampire book that's a little different than all the rest.

Evernight - by Claudia Gray

Despite being a little tired of the recent vampire craze started by the over-popular Twilight series, I do still enjoy a good vampire tale. Evernight fit the bill for that periodic craving.

For the most part, Evernight is still your typical sort of vampire novel: moody setting, angsty teen characters, and an intense, forbidden love between vampire and human.

Bianca's teacher parents have moved the family to Evernight, a boarding school where her parents will teach and Bianca will attend. The place is old, fancy and dark, with rich, snobby teens and a deep sense of evil and foreboding lurking in the background. Bianca is mad at her parents for uprooting her from her home and friends, and feels as though she'll never fit in. Until she meets Lucas, a dark and mysterious guy, with whom she feels an instant connection. He warns her about the school and the people there, and, despite a rocky first date, begin falling in love...

But about a third of the way through, while at the Autumn Ball, a kiss and a bite change everything and turn the story on it's head with a twist that I just wasn't expecting. And then, two thirds of the way through, there's another secret revealed that changes everything again, and starts a chain of events leading quickly to the end.

Evernight had a fair amount of your typical teen angst, with lots of "we're destined to be together" and "you lied to me but I still love you" emotions, but the plot twists and writing style pull you along and make this a fun page-turner. I look forward to reading the sequel, Stargazer.

Stolen - by Vivian Vande Velde

As with most of Vande Velde's books I've read so far, this was a fun, quick read with a neat little twist at the end.

The same day that the local witch has had her cottage burned down for stealing another child, twelve-year-old Isabelle (is that really her name?) wakes up running through the forest and quickly finds herself chased up a tree by dogs. She doesn't remember anything before the running. Not her name, her family, where she's from, or why she was running. She is taken in by a kind family in the village of Thornstowe to help her recover, but is soon claimed by villagers Mady and Frayne as their daughter Isabelle, who was supposedly stolen by the local witch when she was six. Isabelle is not convinced, and neither is her supposed sister, Honey, who thinks Isabelle was sent by the witch to torment them. Will Isabelle ever remember who she truly is? Will she ever feel like she belongs again? Will she ever find out what happened to her?

Isabelle is an honest, likeable character who, while really wanting to belong and know who she is, is not ready to jump to any conclusions. While she doesn't like Honey, she doesn't disagree with her about the uncertainty of her origins.

As the events unfold and the truth starts to slowly seep in, both Isabelle and the reader feel the dread and anxiety building about how it will end. But it does end, and all wraps up well, and we know who Isabelle is and where she came from, and what happened to the stolen children.

I figured out who Isabelle was early on. But whether you figure it out or not, it is still a delicious little twist on the typical witch fairy tale. I highly recommend it!