MG Monday: Review: The Vampire Hunters by Pete Johnson

 

Title: The Vampire Hunters

Series: The Vampire Blog

Author: Pete Johnson

Publisher: Yearling

Publication Date: 2 Jun 2011

Synopsis: From Amazon

On my thirteenth birthday, my life changed for ever. That’s when I learned the shocking truth: I’m a half-vampire.

Think that sounds cool? Think again! I’ve been attacked by an evil vampire bat, had huge cravings for my best friend’s blood, and nearly died from eating a pizza (half-vampires aren’t great with garlic). Writing my secret blog is the only thing that’s kept me from going completely crazy.

As if life couldn’t get any more complicated, there have been some vicious attacks in the local woods. Vampire-mad Tallulah (definitely not my girlfriend) thinks a super-vampire is behind them – and she’s desperate to prove it, with a mysterious chain that’s supposed to glow red-hot when a vampire is close by.

And I have a horrible feeling that the chain’s going to turn red-hot any day now . . .

Review:

I couldn't help comparing this book to The Diary of a Wimpy Vampire, however Marcus is a far more charismatic half-vampire than Nigel Mullet. Although this is the second book in the series it does well as a stand alone. I haven't been able to read the first book The Vampire Blog I have to say that  it didn't affect my enjoyment of this one at all. There are nice recaps of events from the first book give all the required information to progress the current storyline smoothly.

I found the fact that Marcus had a blog that nobody could actually see slightly confusing why not just have a diary. The plot is entertaining and the characters well developed. The divide between full vampires and half vampires provide an additional element to the plot. There are enough twists and turns to make the story unpredictable and compelling.

I did find Tallulah exceptionally annoying and occasionally rude. Her misdirection regarding vampires and her determination to uncover the truth no matter the cost to other people made her selfish and self-centred in my eyes. However, as the story unfolded certain revelations provided insight into Tallulah's motivation and altered my opinion of her greatly.

The introduction of a female half-vampire the same age as Marcus (sorry I am unable to recall her name at  present) provided a nice balance to Tallulah and a much needed confidant for Marcus. Although concerns of a love triangle linger at the back of my mind.

The ending provided a nice conclusion to the book while leaving plenty of scope to develop the story further in future.

A really nice addition to the vampire genre geared to the Middle Grade age range. A perfect addition to the school library.