Vampire Rising is a great supernatural adventure with the sort of protagonist that young adults can look up to and an extremely clever, breathlessly paced plot line that mines existing lore and literature in inventive, startling ways. The identity of the 'big bad' is an awesome reveal, as is his end-game for this volume. Horror geeks and literature buffs will be rewarded by the references and other tidbits that Henderson includes. Of course, as the first volume in a series, Vampire Rising doesn't delve as deeply into Alex and his friends as it could, but readers are given enough tantalizing hints at their complexities to make the prospect of exploring their personalities in future books a major selling point. I'm particularly interested in learning more about (and meeting) the Van Helsing family and discovering what Sangster's big secret might be. The only downside to the brisk pacing and shorter length is that the behavior of Minhi and Paul during the rescue scene occasionally strains credulity, but seeds have been laid earlier that help the reader swallow the idea that they'd keep their composure to that extent. And frankly this is a minor issue. Overall, this title is more respectful of lore, tradition and geekdom than most other YA vampire novels I've read, and my hat goes off to Henderson for a job well done.On to book 2! Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising by Jason HendersonWhen students at Glenarvan Academy near Lake Geneva begin their study of the Villa Diodati Group of writers they have no idea how much their studies will impact the future. Writers in this group included: Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Godwin,Claire Godwin, and a writer named Polidori, the famous group that made a bet which produced the epic novel, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. But what seems like just another English assignment turns out to be something far more valuable for Alex Van Helsing, who, by the way, is really, really tired of people telling him his name is the last name of a notorious vampire-killer. Vampires, don't exist, after all. Or do they? Fans of Riordan's the Last Olympian Series, and The Maze of Bones saga, may enjoy this mystery/sci-fi thriller. While not quite as addicting as Percy Jackson, Van Helsing's character is interesting, and the reader becomes quite curious as to what an old novel like Frankenstein has to do with the obvious and very real vampires that keep popping up all around him. And when two of his friends are kidnapped by vampires, Alex soon learns what that relationship is.
What do You think about Vampire Rising (2010)?
Excellent read! I see a fabulous series in the future!
—hannahjortega1
Okay, not a bad plot, but didn't like the writing style
—tumblrgurly
This book is absolutely awesome~ Go read it, now!~ :)
—email0013
