The Coffin Club (Vampire Kisses Series #5) »

Ellen Schreiber was an actress and a stand-up comedienne before becoming a writer and moving to her own Dullsville. She is the author of Teenage Mermaid, Comedy Girl, and all of the books in the Vampire Kisses series. Vampire Kisses is an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and an IRA/CBC Young Adults' Choice.

When Raven returns to Hipsterville's cryptic goth haunt, the Coffin Club, she discovers a secret door to another disco-"The Dungeon"-that is inhabited by vampires only. Raven learns that the nefarious Jagger Maxwell has welcomed the vampire clan into the club and has gained the popularity he missed in Romania. He is poised to take over Hipsterville, until a new vampire named Phoenix challenges him for control of the Coffin Club. Unbeknownst to Alexander, Raven becomes caught up in the clash, entranced by the hypnotic vampire culture of the Underworld. A surprising twist at the end reveals that Phoenix is really Alexander! Alexander frequented the club in disguise to try to thwart Jagger's plans to expose the club's vampire clientele to the town.

VOYA

Raven is even pluckier than usual in the fifth novel of Schreiber's Vampire Kisses series. Alexander, Raven's vampire boyfriend, is in Hipsterville on a mission and is staying far too long. Becoming impatient, Raven boards a bus to Hipsterville to visit her wacky Aunt Libby and to find Alexander. While visiting the Coffin Club, a Hipsterville nightspot for vampire wannabes, Raven stumbles upon the Dungeon, a secret hangout for real vampires. Between romantic interludes with Alexander, she poses as a vampire in order to infiltrate the Dungeon and gather information about a feud between Alexander's nemesis Jagger and a compelling vampire named Phoenix. The tension in the club explodes when Jagger exposes Raven as a mortal, and the Dungeon vampires threaten to turn her into one of them. At the last second she is rescued by Phoenix, who turns out to be Alexander in disguise. Now that their troubles have simmered down, Alexander is suddenly ready to fulfill Raven's dream and make her his mate for eternity - or is he? Fans will have to wait for the next book to find out. This book's story line is more disjointed than that of the series entry, Dance with a Vampire (HarperTeen, 2007/VOYA June 2007). There are no dull moments here, however, and female readers will continue to enjoy the frustrating but juicy romance between impulsive Raven and levelheaded Alexander. Raven's escapades get her into some truly frightening fixes this time, but Schreiber's sense of humor permeates the plot, cleverly easing the tension. Reviewer: Dotsy Harland