Twelfth Grade Kills

I'm definitely not the target audience for this series, but I find it hard to believe it is so well liked by anyone. The idea has such great possibilities, but I felt Brewer spent too much time on mundane stuff and too little time on the parts that might have actually been interesting. Throughout the series, she'll present a conversation between Vlad and somebody that tells you very little (often is just repetitive of things we already know) and then she'll randomly skip four months and they will have an adventure that flies by too quickly that might have been quite interesting if she fleshed that part out.

Maybe her point was to dwell on the 'everyday' life of a teen half-vampire...but even for a series with titles by school year, the show more characters hardly spend any time in school in the last couple books. It's certainly not the focus so why lay them out that way? Marketing, I suppose.

Mostly, I was bored with the series and only finished all the books to see if she ever dealt with the one burning (pun totally intended) question I had that seemed it really should be answered. It was indeed mentioned in passing, with no answer - if Vlad is aging as a human through childhood, would he stop at some point or just continue to age? Is that the only way to kill him? He'll die of old age? That would be lame...at one point, Vlad wonders about his aging, but it is merely a paragraph and that's it.

There was possibility here for a really cool idea to be dealt with well. I don't think Brewer succeeded - the writing is OK, but not suspenseful and really, the whole series arc could have been told in two books or a trilogy, tops. It was dragged out and therefore too little was done in too many pages.

Sure, young male readers who don't want any kind of a challenge might like this series - although I would think many would be turned off by how much Vlad cries. show less

Twelfth Grade Kills is what I have come to expect from the Vlad Tod series - an enjoyable and easy read. While the darkest of the five novels, it isn't without its fun moments. As Vlad must face his future as the Pravus and what it means for humankind as well as vampirekind, he remains at heart a teenage boy who struggles to find the balance between asking for help and striking out on one's own. It is this conflict which continues to be a joy to read and what makes it immensely easy to relate to Vlad. He knows right from wrong and is just trying to stay on the right path, as set forth for him by his parents, Nelly and Otis and his best friend, Henry.

While somewhat predictable, there are enough interesting twists and misplaced clues to show more throw off detection of the final resolution. Simply put, it would be difficult to determine an alternative ending to Vlad's story, nor do I want to do so. He found a way to make everything work in his favor. Is there collateral damage? Yes, but it had to be that way to be even remotely true to form. This results in a satisfactory conclusion to Vlad's story, while hinting at possible future offshoots.

I've enjoyed my time with Vlad and Henry, Otis and Nelly and the entire cast of characters from Bathory. This is a series I will continue to recommend to others, especially fans of YA and vampires. Now, I am interested to see if anything comes of the mysterious final sentence of the novel! show less

I had fun reading these, since it was cheesy and reminded me of when I was a teen. I read the first one in middle school, then had a random urge to finish the series.

As an adult though, the series was overwritten. The first book was the best length, the others tended to drag and some chapters were solely dedicated to describing Vlad's minor problem and a little bit of dialogue and then on our way to the main story.

Vlad annoyed me because he let characters that should have been killed to live, and his reasons were very generic. I definitely wasn't happy that the author killed off Nelly, I thought that was unnecessary to get a reaction and surprised they didn't go with Otis or someone similar. I felt bad for Meredith too, I'm glad the show more author didn't get rid of her though once she no longer was Vlad's love interest. I did wish they stayed together though out of my own tastes, because I've always liked "opposite" couples (But I did get that with Henry and October).

All in all, I think young teens would enjoy the series, but it's very generic, nothing really new to the vampire genre, and it didn't have to be so long. show less

Lots of elements to wrap up here - and it happens. I really liked how everything came together. I liked how unexpected the Pravus prophecy was. I was very happy he finally got over Meredith and realized how great Snow was. I was happy with the way things wrapped up, though sad to see it ending.

Well, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Brewer is exceptionally predictable. Absolutely nothing came as a surprise in this for me (not even the "surprise" in the final chapter). It's still a good book, it just isn't "fine literature."

As a teenage vampire, Vlad has spent the last four years trying to handle the pressures of school while sidestepping a slayer out for his blood. Now he's a senior, and in this final, action-packed book in the series, Vlad must confront the secrets of the past, unravel the mystery of who he really is, make decisions about his future, and face his greatest enemy. It's a senior year that totally bites.

Not my favorite book about Vlad. I was a big fan of this series before this book. I still am a supporter of Vlad and Heather Brewer, but this book did not deliver the kind of entertainment that the other books did. I believe this book focused more on the sensitive side of Vlad, and his feelings, rather than the hardships of his situation like the others. The end action seen was great, but not great enough to revive the book. If you have read the others, I think you should read this as well, but be warned, there is not as much blood rushing, and blood sucking action like the other books, until the end.