Allison van Diepen

You know the kinds of book series that you are thinking about constantly? The ones that you would not mind at all waiting in a line forever to be the first to get the new installment or to get your book signed? Series like The Twilight Saga, Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments, The Hunger Games (which I still have yet to read...). Now imagine Edward Cullen (because Jacob is a sorry excuse for a point on a love triangle), Harry Potter, Jace Wayland, or your favorite Hunger Games character show more appeared in the real world. The Vampire Stalker is the story of what happens.

Amy is utterly obsessed with the Otherworld trilogy and wouldn't mind marrying it's tortured protagonist, the vampire hunter Alexander Banks. When Amy comes face to face with Alexander, her whole world changes. Not only is the extremely good-looking Alexander Banks talking to her, but she also has to come to terms with either she's crazy, Alexander is a fake, or there is some weird science going into novel writing. Oh, and Alexander's existence also means that the villain, evil vampire Vigo is also in town. And that is bad. Really bad.

I really enjoyed this book. With the influx of fandoms surrounding book series, The Vampire Stalker is being released at prime time. So many people can relate to Amy, and it is actually kind of funny to see your own obsession from the outside, see how ridiculous you seem (but still wouldn't change a thing).

Another thing that I really appreciated was the science behind Alexander's existence in modern day Chicago. It isn't just explained as "magic", it is explained in a way that seems somewhat possible. No, I'm not expecting Edward to appear down the block any time soon, but Allison Van Diepen makes it seem less impossible.

This book is pretty straight forward, but I would recommend it. it is a really fun, quick read that any book obsessed person would enjoy. It is your secret dream come true - until your realize that is just might not be what you thought it was. The Vampire Stalker is a must read for anyone who's ever talked about a book series for hours, dreamed about the characters, stood in lines at midnight, and decorated their walls with posters upon posters movie adaption actors. show less

I see why my students wanted me to buy this -- it's a page-turner, it's full of drama and excitement, it feels "real." According to her website, Van Diepen didn't grow up around gangs herself, but she taught in Brooklyn and did her research.

That said, now that I've read it I don't feel comfortable keeping it in a middle school library. My students need to see the challenges of their urban lives reflected in books -- including gangs, drugs, and pressures to have sex -- and they need to have show more access to books that make them want to read. But a few scenes give me pause. For instance, at one point Julia learns that girls are inducted to the Crip girl gang by "fucking" a Crip. There's a whole discussion about who she'll pick, and then she's sent upstairs with her boyfriend to the dirty room the gang sets aside for this purpose. He's an absolute gentleman, proposing that they "mess up each other's hair" and pretend. The whole incident, and its implications, are so awful and so dark that I don't think I can in good conscience put that in front of 8th graders, even 8th graders who might already have this sort of story as part of their lives, without knowing we'll get to have a serious conversation about it later.

I need to find the books that deal with these issues, that feel edgy, but aren't quite this edgy. Already have all the [a:Sharon M. Draper|51942|Sharon M. Draper|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1236906847p2/51942.jpg], [a:Sharon G. Flake|69480|Sharon G. Flake|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1193783109p2/69480.jpg], and [a:Renée Watson|4381088|Renée Watson|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png], and while they're great, they aren't always cutting it with my students -- I think largely because the covers are packaged for literary credit rather than edgy teen appeal. show less

The book was addictive, compelling, and full of exciting and intriguing parts. I never thought that I’d get hooked on this book. I had read it for just one whole day, which is very seldom to happen to me.

“I don’t know what I would have done without my poetry. When you’re laid up and want to cry but don’t want to bust your stomach open, you have to find some way of venting your feelings” – Julia DiVino

The story revolves around this girl named Julia. She is studying in a school show more where gangs are everywhere. Joining one never occurred to her as she is too focused on her study. Being able to graduate and go to college is what she only thinks of. Even if her friends, Marie and Black Chuck, are members of those gangs, she never thinks of herself joining and becoming one of them. She is always on a neutral side. But, everything turned upside down when Eric came into the picture. She was able to make a decision that will change her stay in South Bay High School.

I liked Julia. She has this personality that you’ll find very amusing and very refreshing. She has this strong will and great determination. Aside from that, she is also smart. She always stands on her opinion as long as she knows she was right about it.

What I don’t really like about her is she seems not to care for her dad. She always talked back to him, and she even thought that he doesn’t care for her when it’s the opposite. She is lucky to have an understanding and loving father because, until the end, he was always there for her even when she got into a fight.

This book is amazing. Allison van Diepen did create a story that will keep you on turning the pages. The book talked about real life problems – father-daughter relationship, friendship, school gangs, etc. The characters were great. I felt that they were real and that I’m just reading someone’s life.

I suggest this book to everyone, especially if you liked stories that will keep your heart racing will make you feel different emotions and will make you want more. show less

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

There are a number of different factors that can cause a reader to buy a book: the cover, the author, the description, or maybe a good review. With THE VAMPIRE STALKER, it was a single sentence concept: A character from a popular vampire series steps out of the book and into heroines' reality. That’s it. I didn’t need to see the cover (which is perfect), I didn’t need to know who the author was (this was my first book by van Diepen), and I show more didn’t even need to read the full description (which just made me want it more).

The story is like TWILIGHT meets Kate & Leopold. There is an uber popular teen vampire series called Otherworld in the book that features two gorgeous guys who hunt vampires. Amy and her friends obsess about the books and characters. They camp out on new release days, write fan fiction, go to signings, and pine for a fictional love. Until one night Amy is attacked by a vampire and rescued by the hunter she loves: Alexander. It doesn’t take her long to accept what’s literally standing in front of her, and once she and Alexander figure out how he came to be in her world, they team up to get him home and track down the vampire who crossed over too.

While the concept couldn’t be more fun, the writing is unremarkable and a bit lacking when it comes to creating emotion. Like the main character Amy, I tend to obsess over my favorite characters, specifically in Paranormal YA, but these characters won’t be joining that list anytime soon. They are supposed to be older teens, but they came off more like tweens. It made it a little difficult to buy into the romance.

One other issue that presented itself very early on: I want to read the book within the book! It takes place in an alternate Chicago where vampires revealed themselves in the 1920’s essentially stalling all technological improvements as humanity struggled to survive. Two cousins lead lives as Hunters, one obsessed with avenging the death of his family, the other helplessly in love with the vampire who fights what she is. Honestly, I hope that the author considers writing it. I’d buy it in a second.

Overall, I don’t know that the characters in THE VAMPIRE STALKER will themselves become the next big obsession and the writing is pretty standard, but it was fun to see a fantasy that so many of us share brought to life in such a sweet and cute way. Younger teens will probably not notice my criticisms, and given that it’s such a quick read, I had fun with it too.

Sexual Content:
Kissing show less