I bought and read the third tome in this excellent series today. Each book is better than the one before it and this book makes author Heather Brewer three for three. The new book has my least favourite cover but it’s the best of the three, so I’ll forgive the irritatingly pouty cover.
We have the same cast of characters as before. Nelly falls into the background, and we focus primarily on Vlad, Otis, and Henry. Henry becomes, finally, a more complex person, Vlad grows a bit. Otis, well he’s just Otis, but that’s not a bad thing. Meredith still doesn’t develop as a character and the surprise ending with her and Vlad makes you feel only for Vlad and not Meredith.
I’ll also say I just kept waiting for Vlad to hug Henry. I’m not sure why, but it just felt like they were a little closer than the words on the page were ready to reveal. Eddie Poe appears but is reduced to a mere caricature, which is too bad because he’s potentially interesting. We’ve also got some Goth kids who, in spite of their Gothness, are likeable even though they really don’t play prominently in this book; I do suspect we’ll see more of them in Eleventh Grade. Vlad still cries more than any other male character I’ve ever met. I just don’t think fifteen-year-old guys cry so much. Then again, he’s a vampire, so maybe that’s what they do? I really like Vlad — if he were real, he’s the sort of person I’d get along with and be friends with. Not enough Vlads in the world.
Happily, my biggest complaints about the first two novels is resolved. Ms Brewer tells her story, and she doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to do so. The story gets where it’s going and doesn’t feel like large gobs of story are left out. It pleases me because a good story — and hers are good — shouldn’t be rushed.
Good book. Buy it. Read it.