Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives, Volume 3 (Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives Series) »

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.

Raven's romance with her dreamy vampire boyfriend, Alexander, has been complicated once again by Alexander's menacing half-vamp cousin. Now that Claude and his fearless gang have been tricked out of the blood-filled vials that can turn them into full vampires, Claude will stop at nothing to find the real vials. Raven's family and friends could be in danger. When Claude teams up with Raven's longtime nemesis, Trevor, invitations soon go out for a vampire-themed masquerade party. Could Claude be scheming to turn all of the students at Dullsville High into vampires if he doesn't get what he wants? Raven and Alexander must try to stop Claude—but also ask themselves what really matters most in the end.

Children's Literature

With all of the vampire love stories out there—from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Twilight—do readers really want another story about a girl and her undead boyfriend? Well, if you're talking about the "Vampire Kisses" series that has enjoyed success as a collection of prose novels and several manga adaptations, then the answer is a definite "yes." In Blood Relatives, goth teen Raven Madison's romance with vampire Alexander Sterling is upset when Alexander's half-vampire cousin Claude comes to town searching for vials of pure vampire blood. To get rid of him, Raven and Alexander create a counterfeit map that will lead Claude to some fake blood vials. But when Claude offers to make Raven a vampire capable of spending an eternity with Alexander in exchange for the real vials, Raven wonders if she shouldn't help him find them after all. Curiously, while most such stories show off a vampire's powers, the vampires in this book do little more than flash their fangs, making them seem like vampires in name only. Instead, the manga focuses on romance, with Raven and Alexander kissing and professing their love for each other on every other page. This might annoy fans of action-oriented vampire tales, but for readers who like their vampires with artistic souls and attractive manga-style eyes, Blood Relatives will not disappoint. Reviewer: Michael Jung