Ninth Grade Slays

When it comes to vampire novels, I admit I am rather easy to please. Give me a plausible back story as well as a creative twist on the vampire myth, and I am happy. So, to say that I enjoyed a vampire story is not a surprise to anyone. Yet, when I can gush about a vampire story, now you know the story is special. I gushed about Eighth Grade Bites several days ago, and Ninth Grade Slays is just as deserving of any praise I may bestow.

Dark but fun, with enough Buffy references to make a Buffy fan like me happy, Ninth Grade Slays picks up where the other left off. This time, Vlad delves a little deeper into his vampire nature, understanding why others feel he is so special and why he is in danger all the time. As denotes most sequels, show more especially in middle grade novels, the story itself is rather formulaic, but it is still fun because of all the new information we get about Vlad's father, about his vampire family, and about his emerging powers. While more information is held back in the interest of the series, Ninth Grade Slays is the first book where the reader actually is made privy to this information. It definitely helps flesh out Vlad and Otis and the entire vampire society, making them more life-like and dangerous as only full disclosure can.

Any book that references Buffy, the TV show and NOT the movie, gets a special recommendation, and Ninth Grade Slays is full of references. There is something particularly hilarious about any story that references such a campy, but excellent cult hit because you know the author is not taking him/herself too seriously. I could spend an paragraph or two making comparisons between Buffy and Vlad, but then I would be doing a disservice to both because it means taking them both too seriously. Vlad is supposed to be fun, and it succeeds quite well.

Ninth Grade Slays leaves the reader wanting more, which is exactly what you want in a series. Vlad is vulnerable in his loneliness but shows remarkable growth as he learns more about his destiny. Otis, Nelly and Henry compliment Vlad's teenage angst. The end result is a novel that is a quick read but extremely charming and utterly addicting. show less

If Vlad thought eighth grade sucks, he’s in for a real treat as a freshman. Vlad is still hiding his vampire side from everyone except Henry and Nelly, he is still picked on by the bullies and he is still stuck on Meredith.Although there is a little silver lining, Vladimir finally has an opportunity and the guidance to learn more about his vampire nature. Otis and Vlad take a trip to Siberia, where Vlad is able increases his knowledge of his abilities, taught by a very old vampire, Vikas. It’s a shame he can’t use his abilities to improve his grades! He also learns to myth of the Pravus, could Vladimir possibly be the vampire from the prophecy?But Vlad has much more to worry about than a his prophetic existence, he is being show more hunted. It seems like a vampire slayer is in town, but he’s not the only one out for Vlad’s blood! Vlad might have thought that eight grade bites, but ninth grade slays!Okay, wow! I must say this book was even better than the first! The plot is more intense and I didn’t see the big twist coming, until it was right before my eyes! I also loved the Pravus myth, could our beloved Vlad be the one! If you are a fan of the first book you will not be disappointed with the second installment to the series. Brewer continues to impress me. I’m looking forward to her next book! I’m officially a minion of Auntie Heathers’!! show less

I definitely enjoyed NINTH GRADE SLAYS. The plot really picked up and the characters were more developed than in the first book.Heather Brewer’s writing is still just as intriguing in this second book as it is in the first, although I still don’t like the massive time jumps (maybe I’m just used to my books taking place in short periods of time). Heather manages to portray Vlad as a normal teenager – with some extra abilities and blood sucking thrown in. She lets us see a bit more into the secondary characters of the book, such as Henry and Otis, and the plot for this second novel was more suspenseful and introduces the overall plot of the series. Loose ends were wrapped up nicely, yet a sufficient amount of questions were left show more to address in the forthcoming books.Some of the surprises in the book I saw coming a mile away, but that may just be because of my age. A younger reader might be completely shocked with some of the revelations in the end (regarding the slayer hunting Vlad). Even though I had guessed, I still got that smug satisfaction when I was proved right; I love guessing plot points before they happen!Vlad is a great character, and these books are definitely entertaining – I’m hooked. I really like Heather’s vampire society and hope we get to see more of the Councils and how the vampire world works. There’s a great base set up for an epic plot. show less

Vladimir Tod is back in Heather Brewer’s follow-up to Eighth Grade Bites. Vlad may be starting high school, but he is still harassed by bullies and getting nowhere fast with his dream girl, Meredith. He and Henry are still tight, but a threat to their friendship is on the horizon – Henry’s cousin Joss is moving to town and Vlad is afraid they may not get along. Fortunately Joss turns out to be cool and (when he rescues Vlad from the bullies) a handy friend to have. But then Vlad learns from Uncle Otis that a vampire slayer has been hired to track him and, even worse, Joss and Meredith are beginning to like each other! When an old enemy reappears and Joss shares a dangerous secret with his new friend, Vlad discovers Ninth Grade show more Slays.

Heather Brewer continues to delight with the characters of Vlad, Henry and Aunt Nelly while adding in the unpredictable Joss. I really liked Joss and how his friendship with Vlad developed. It seemed natural for them to bond, since they were essentially outsiders with common interests in video games and pretty girls. It was unfortunate that they both had a liking for Meredith as well, and found out how easily a girl could come between them. I was totally surprised by the secret Joss was hiding and saddened that it endangered their friendship even more.

Vlad also begins to learn more about his powers as a vampire in Ninth Grade Slays, and a visit with an old friend of his father’s helps him strengthen his abilities. It was interesting to see how other vampires lived, and how their beliefs differed from the way Vlad was raised by Nelly. Vlad truly feels his human side, and is just as excited playing his “Race to Armageddon 2″ video game as learning how to control minds (mostly Henry’s). Unfortunately, his blood-sucking urges are beginning to strengthen as well, and there are hints that bagged blood may not be enough to satisfy them. However, Vlad is determined that a biter of humans is not the type of vampire he wants to be.

As he continues to research his father and to learn more about vampires, Vlad discovers the legend of a vampire who would be born not made and would eventually rule all vampire kind – The Pravus. And many believe Vlad just may be it. Brewer begins to add another level to the series with the introduction of this legend and Vlad’s possible part in it. It looks like this is going to be the thread tying the rest of the books together, and I look forward to seeing how it plays out. Between the slayer out to kill him and the legend of the Pravus, Vlad’s story is starting to take a darker, more serious turn.

I still enjoy the way Vlad, Nelly and Henry work to disguise Vlad’s vampiric nature but (as Vlad and Henry find out) something as simple as bringing lunch to school is not without peril. It is also fun to see what a teenage boy Vlad is, with raids on the kitchen for snacks and blood and sneaking off to movies such as “Psycho Slasher Chainsaw-Guy from Hell” (I love that title!) with Henry. These moments add humor to the story and emphasize Vlad’s human side.

Ninth Grade Slays is the entertaining second installment of Heather Brewer’s “Chronicles of Vladimir Tod” series. Our favorite characters return and are joined by a new favorite in the form of Joss. The author continues with her natural, breezy style in a book that is appropriate for younger teens to adults, but the story takes on a darker tone in the final chapters indicating Vlad’s life is about to become even more complicated. I can hardly wait to see how Tenth Grade Bleeds. show less

I finally finished this today. Vlad is back but he comes off as a little moodier this time which made it take me a little longer to finish. Other then that the story was pretty good. There are vampires after Vlad, Henry and Vlad's friendship is a little shaken but Vlad thinks he finds a new friend in Joss, Henry's cousin. There is also a side trip to Siberia to get Vlad some more vampire training and Vlad's relationship with Meredith is finally moving along.

You can definitely tell this is a part of a series but this volume at least has it's own story.

I thought this one was much better than the first. I think because there’s more to the story and plenty of background information provided. Although a little predictable, (especially when it came to who was the vampire slayer in the neighborhood) it was a fun read and interesting to go through.

What I found especially interesting is the slight cracks you see that will eventually come to the surface and quite possibly create problems for Vlad. For example; his friendship with Henry. It’s good, but you notice Henry’s changed a bit. He’s hanging out with the popular kids more and Vlad is just on the sidelines being the observer. I’m not entirely sure if I like this change in Henry. He’s such a great guy and provided the comic show more relief in the series. If he turns out to be a jerk I’d be sorely disappointed. Let’s not forget the other vampires that are hounding Vlad down, and the vampire slayer that’s out for him. It looks like Vlad is about to have a lot on his plate soon enough. This is what I liked about the story so far. There’s underlying problems which are bound to explode sooner or later and this is what makes me want to continue reading the series until its’ conclusion.

I had to admit I went all mushy with Vlad and Meredith. They do make a cute couple despite Meredith being a “Barbie” (ie; always described with the color pink) which I think is the total exact opposite of what Vlad would like. Then again, I suppose it’s interesting that they both like each other despite their high school “labels”.

I’m definitely looking forward to the next one in this series. The ending got me curious as to what’s in store for Vlad. show less

Now here's where things get tricky. I read the first book and then later re-read it when I binged the series, but now we're on book two: mid-binge. Okay, so a quick review of this book shows that it's setting up for a lot of things that will happen later: issues with Joss, Vlad's growing powers, other vampires trying to steal Vlad's abilities, Vlad's blood bags not being enough for him... It's interesting, but you definitely have to keep reading the next couple books to see any of that get resolved.