Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Review: Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Title: Vampire Kisses

Author: Ellen Schreiber

Rating:

Who Should Read It? This book was very clearly aimed for a middle grade audience, and I think most people in its target audience (middle grade readers interested in vampires) will love it. Unfortunately, I don't think it has much reach outside of that.

What I Have to Say: While I did enjoy reading this cute, fun book, it also sort-of fell flat for me, mostly in terms of the characters. We never really got to know any of them, with the exception of Raven, our main protagonist, and she was just slightly annoying. At every point in her life, she seemed far too grown up for her age while at the same time coming across as exceedingly immature. Because of this, I found it exceedingly hard to relate to her at times, even when I tried to channel my old high school self.

I did enjoy the romance aspect of the book, but at the same time, we never actually got to know the love interest - aside from a small tidbit here and there. It was therefore hard to really care about their relationship. Still, seeing Raven in like/love felt very real to me.

My favorite aspect of the book, perhaps oddly, was the relationship between Raven and Trevor, the school bully. Their interactions were quirky, enjoyable, and spot on. I kept hoping that Trevor would show up random moments, and happily for me, he did!! Unfortunately, though, this aspect of the book didn't play out as I had hoped.

The last thing I have to say is that, as an adult, I felt like things fell into place way too easily, which made it very hard for me to believe (and I'm REALLY good at believing unbelievable things). After much thought, though, I've decided that this was not necessarily a negative thing, as it works well in a middle grade book, and I think, for the right age group, it will make the reading process run far more smoothly and enjoyably.

So, good, but not great! Cute and fun, but also very young and immature!

Summary: The mansion on top of Benson Hill has been empty and boarded up for years. But a new family has moved in. A family that never ventures out during the day. Who are these creepy people; especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town gossip actually be true? Are they vampires? Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth.

Cover Story: I think it's quite cute, with the thumb with the black nail polish holding the sign with the title. At the same time, I find the colors to be kind of dull. It could be more vibrant, I think! The mansion in the background is very appropriate!

Disclosure: I received this book as a gift.

9 comments:

Tales of Whimsy said...

Nice review :) I've been wondering about this one.

Eleni said...

Great review! I never really wanted to read this series and still don't lol :)

YA Book Queen said...

Good review! Hmm...not sure if I'd like this one....I hate it when characters don't always act the right age. It's weird.

:)

Mel (He Followed Me Home) said...

I think I saw this today when I was looking at book, too funny. Well characters are important for me, so this isn't for me. Thanks for the review!

Unknown said...

Cool review. I just finished this book last night and I mostly agree with you. It was just ok and I read it pretty quickly.

Kirthi said...

YES! I also think Vampire Kisses deserves 3 stars! IT was the worst vampire book everrr!

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

Sorry the book falling flat. I have to say I really, really like the cover. It sounds as it is geared for the younger group of readers.

Thanks for the review.

Charlotte said...

Oh, not as good as the packaging then ! Doesn't sound like my kind of thing, and thanks for the interesting review. I was curious to know what you thought of it. :)

Unknown said...

I know exactly what you mean. I often feel that middle grade books are a little too perfect. Having said that, I have so many students under 10 who want to read about vampires so this may be a good addition to the school library.

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