Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
A well written young adult book in the paranormal genre. An ode to the classic vampire genre, and it could be a great inspiration to young readers to read Bram Stroker's Dracula and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I also love the fact that it is a young adult book that is completely age appropriate - no mentions of drugs, sex, or alcohol. There is some rebellious behavior - sneaking out after curfew and lying to parents, but it is in furtherance of hunting vampires. I already downloaded book 2 in the series. Alex Van Helsing has just been transferred from one boarding school in the states to another one in Switzerland because of a fight he had with another student. This school doesn't appear to be much better for him since his two roommates harass and bully him. To top that off, Alex begins to get suspicious of the area when he chases a pale person in a white robe into the woods one evening and, with mad skills, kills her. Soon after, he chases another pale person that he finds staring into his dorm room. There isn't anyway his last name is synonymous with vampires....right? Wrong, actually.This is a family trait that Alex's father has conveniently denied throughout Alex's whole upbringing.When one of Alex's friends, and Mihni, the girl who "saves" Alex from a fight initiated by his roommates, get kidnapped by Icemaker, head vampire of the underwater lair of Scholomance, Alex and his teacher Mr. Sangster jump into rescue mode. Sangster is an agent in secret group that hunts vampires and not just a teacher at the boarding school. And, to Alex's surprise, this is the organization that Alex's father is a former member of. This YA novel was full of action, whether it was Alex avoiding his roommates and their bullying ways, or trying to rescue his friends from the head Vamp, Icemaker. There were literary references to Bram Stoker's "Dracula," Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," and Lord Byron, a poet that gave the novel a unique twist on vampires; the undead man, the myth, the legend. The book flowed well through most parts and will definitely keep the interest of lovers of young adult novels about vampires. I enjoyed reading the book from start to finish.(Borrowed from the library)
What do You think about Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising (2011)?
Kind of dull. It just didn't capture my attention.
—QuietMusic
Loved it!! A total page turning vampire book!
—Ami1321
