Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives, Volume II

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Raven is back, along with her vampire boyfriend, Alexander, and trouble is still following them around town.

Alexander's cousin, Claude, along with his gang, is unfortunately continuing to grace them with their presence - and it is definitely not for good reasons. Raven is doing all she can to protect her family from these half-vampires, even resorting to the age old trick of garlic necklaces placed around the house.

But Raven knows that the only way Claude will leave and stop bothering her is if they finally find the vials that will aid them in turning into true vampires. So now Raven and Alexander must come up with a plan to find the vials before Claude can get to show more them.

Alexander then remembers a map when he was little that could possibly be the key to finding the vials; if only he could remember where that map is now. Not being able to work together during the day, Raven and Alexander must work quickly with the limited time they have, in order to prevent Claude and his gang from becoming the full vampires that they have yearned to be.

But can a team of two go up against a gang of four?

Quick and entertaining, the second in the VAMPIRE KISSES manga series is just as captivating as the first. The plot is gripping, the drawings are amazing, and each page will have readers at the edge of their seats. Fans of the novel series will want to sink their teeth into this manga installment - just be warned, it definitely isn't over yet. show less

Sometimes I have this weird habit of starting manga and graphic novels with the wrong volume. This time, I started with the second volume, but was quickly able to pick up what was going on in the story. While certainly interesting, the book didn't really grab my attention until about halfway through. Though not something I want to purchase, or re-read, I look forward to reading the rest of the story.

Second book in the manga version of Ellen Schreiber's Vampire Kisses series.

Raven and Alexander's love story translates exceptionally well to the manga format. I like that the manga books are a parallel series, rather than merely a retelling of the existing books. My only complaint is how short these books are in relation to the price.

Alexander's half-vampire cousin, Claude, is still in town. Claude and his naughty vampire gang are looking for the vials of blood that can turn them into pure vampires. Alexander and Claude's grandmother always refused to make Claude a full vampire because she felt that he would abuse the power. Ruthless Claude will do anything to possess that powerful blood--even if it means putting Raven and her human show more friends in danger.

Alexander and Raven come up with a plan to trick Claude into returning to Romania, but Raven might just find herself in more danger than ever. show less

It was a lot more interesting an pleasurable to read than I had thought it would be. The illustrations are edgy and modern, Raven in her goth gear and Claude with his lip ring, and it has a fun comedic quality to it. We laughed at several silly events… like a lot of Japanese-style animation, Vampire Kisses‘ characters become Chibi-looking caricatures of themselves until they regain their composure. The fact it was about vampires appealed to me.

Click for my full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/vampire-kisses-blood-relatives-vol...

I realized I had read volume 1 of this manga, but not volume 2. I couldn't remember why, so I checked it out from the library.

Now I remember why. I should have checked my Goodreads review first.

This vampire story is okay. It's a teenage story - high school goth chick dates a vampire. He's perfect and gorgeous. But - there's all of his creepy cousins who are out to do really bad things.

I see I likened this to Twilight. And I didn't like Twilight.

Okay, if I can remember, I will not read volume 3.

(I'll forget that, of course, and a few years from now I'll be picking up volume 3 at the library going - "Wow! Vampires!")

Raven is back for another adventure with the vampire love of her life, Alexander. Together they plot to keep Alexander’s cousin, Claude, from finding the blood vials he needs to turn into a full-blooded vampire.If you haven’t read the actual books you’ll be missing some of the backstory. It would be best to start at the beginning and then read the graphic novels in order to get the whole picture. While this volume is longer than the first, it’s still not long enough. It is too hard to wait for the next installment, which comes out Fall 2009.

More detail than the first one of the series. Much more interesting and captures the attention of the reader more.