Vampire IslandLexie, Maddy, and Hudson aren't your average kids. Their parents are in a rock band called The Dead Ringers and walk dogs for a living. Hudson calls the oven the yewn and nags his classmates about saving the world to the point that no one wants to speak to him. Maddy spies on neighbors while eating ticks. And Lexie, well, she quotes dead poets - mostly the classics, but let us not forget Tupac and Kurt Cobain. Oh and they're not exactly human, but not exactly bats, but not exactly vampires either - they're fruit-bat hybrids and they're just learning to fit into the new world of New York. They're also just learning about aging, crushes, school age politics, embracing their uniqueness, hiding their uniqueness. The usual.
I really struggled with what to rate this. It is a quick, fun, fast read. Maybe too fast. Without spoilers: The main Maddy storyline, which the main storyline of the book really, it seems to just sort of end in a rushed cop out sort of way. Tied up neatly with a bow on it. In such a way that made it feel as though this whole book was nothing more than a set up to ensure further books would happen. Which is fine, it actually worked, as I said this book was fun, I've already purchased the next. But given how the main storyline went on seeming rather important and just ended, it did feel as though there was room for more here. Either more in that storyline. Or more of the other siblings. Or more of the parents. I'm not sure what exactly was missing. A little of all of the above maybe. For this "what was missing?" feeling alone, 4 stars. For fun factor it would have been 5.
The Knaveheart's Curse: A Vampire Island BookIt didn't hit me until after I wrote my review of the first book, Vampire Island, but the Livingstones are totally a 70s sitcom family like The Munsters or the Adaams Family. Yes, I know they're supposed to be fruit-bat vegetarian hybrid humans, but going into this series that's really what you need to know. They're like those kooky families, but while dealing with the tough enough issues of trying to fit in they also have to deal with real dangers connected to the nature of being who they are. In this book that danger happens to be a "curse" that could hit a bit too close to home. Along the way Maddy is up to her old tricks, well new ones really as there are no vampire neighbors left to stalk this time around. Lexie, she's managed to end up even more tragic than usual. Hudson, well he's here, but well he's just Hudson. Pete finally gets to show off his true self. And much like the first book it feels as though the major dramatic showdown scene is rushed through, still it sort of works as these crazy creatures would probably do things rather quickly even if it makes the book's big scene feel a little anticlimactic. That said, I liked it enough that I'm onto the next.
V Is for Vampire: A Vampire Island Story (Vampire Island Stories)The Livingstones are back for their third adventure. Where the first and second books (Vampire Island and The Knaveheart's Curse) focused primarily on Maddy and the dangers the family faces in being hybrids, this book deals more with Lexie and the challenges she faces in trying to regain her humanity. There's some old world house guests to deal with. A new world neighbor with a rep for being a witch - so do the Livingstones have enough vampy senses left to figure out her real story? And a high school class election that will test Lexie in ways that go way beyond high school politics. In some ways this book is better than the previous two. In not spending too much time focusing on bad guys and letting us see the real world challenges the family is facing, it's a much funner book, yet still the kids manage to get into a bit of danger (of course). But in this story, while there IS a bad guy, the real threats are the family themselves - can they really overcome their vampire nature and live as humans? And yes, there are unfinished story lines and so there is, of course, room for more books. And so assuming there are others, I'll be back for them. They're fun, fast reads, and the series just keeps getting better. Just don't go into them expecting the typical vampire story. As I said in my review of the last book - they're more like a kooky 70s sitcom family. So long as you know this and don't expect traditional vampires (not even by YA book standards), you'll probably find this series a lot of fun.
