Archive for Vampire Books for Teens
Don’t you love the holiday season?
This year, because vampires are so darn popular, I’m getting my friends gifts that are vampire-themed. If you have friends that love the undead, check out these cool stocking stuffers:
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Amazon Kindle. Read your vampire books on the Kindle. Now ON SALE! |
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True Blood DVD: The Complete First Season (HBO Series). Give the True Blood DVD to friends who don’t have HBO! They’ll definitely get hooked! |
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Twilight (Twilight Saga Book #1). This is the first Twilight book that started it all. |
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Sookie Stackhouse Box Set (Books 1-8). Get your True Blood fix – the books and the TV show are VERY different! |
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Twilight The Movie DVD, 2-Disc Special. The Bella and Edward craze started with this movie. |
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J.R. Ward Box Set (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series) (Books 1-6). These books have smokin’ hot vampires and a great fantasy storyline! |
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New Moon (Twilight Saga Book #2). This is the book that the current movie is based on. Hot werewolves! |
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True Blood 2010 Wall Calendar . Each month showcases a scene from the show! |
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A Touch Of Dead by Charlaine Harris. This book is a compilation of Sookie Stackhouse short stories. |
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Vampire Diaries: The Awakening & The Struggle (Books 1-2 ). This is a great young adult vampire series. |
NOTE: most items on this list qualifies for free shipping. That means no tax, no shipping costs and it gets delivered right to your doorstep!
Author Julie Kenner has written the perfect teen novel or, I guess I should say, the sequel to it, since it is the second book in her “Ghouls” series. Good Ghouls Do has a main character, Beth Frasier, who is a cheerleader, valedictorian, popularity queen (although she keeps saying she is not), and a vampire. She has the cutest boyfriend in the high school and a hot college guy trying hard to win her love. But, you know what they say, if something is too good to be true . . .
Beth has some problems. She thinks her gorgeous boyfriend is trying to kill her, and suspects that the hot college guy is a vampire hunter. She has to try and solve the secret to the formula that will allow a vampire to become a daywalker. And, on top of everything else, she has to kill her maker so she can return to her human form. You see she really wants her humanity back; who can live without hamburgers and fries?
You’d think this list of problems would be overwhelming for your average teenager – even a teen vampire – but Beth is smart and she has her best friend Jenny to help her. Oh, and did I mention that Beth had to turn Clayton, her high school boyfriend, into a vampire to save his life?
This means that if Clayton wants to be human again he has to kill his maker, Beth; not a good scenario when arrows and stakes keep appearing to be aimed at Beth. Very troublesome. Problems keep piling on for Beth but the biggest one is perhaps the most challenging: she has two dates to the Winter Dance and no dress to wear to the special event!
Despite the many issues Beth is working through, she’s funny and sarcastic through it all. It’s clear from reading the book that there’s a whole lot more in store for her in upcoming books. Having not read The Good Ghouls’ Guide to Getting Even, the first book in Julie Kenner’s series, I was concerned that there would be a learning curve to understanding the characters. But this was absolutely not the case. You don’t need to read the first book to understand Good Ghouls Do because it gives plenty of information to help the reader understand what has happened before. Although, since I enjoyed this one so much, my plan now is to go back and get the first one in the series, while waiting for the 3rd one to show up in the book store!
Good Ghouls Do is completely appropriate for both teen and adult readers. It’s one of those great crossover fantasy books that’s funny, suspenseful, full of mystery, and thoroughly entertaining. As such it gets my full recommendation.
Thanks to everyone who entered the Night Runner book giveaway contest. Night Runner by Max Turner is a great book and I wish I had enough copies for everyone!
Here are the lucky winners of this contest:
-Dawn M.
-Bailey
-Ashley
-Jessica S.
-Shannah
Please check your inboxes for an email from me. You have until midnight (EST) Wednesday, September 2nd to respond!
And thanks to the great folks at St. Martin’s Press for providing the books for this contest!
The Vampire Librarian
We’re giving away a free copy of Night Runner to 5 LUCKY READERS!
Night Runners is a new young adult fantasy by Max Turner. I just started reading it and thus far it’s action-packed and very entertaining. The book centers around Zack Thomson, a teenager on the run from evil.
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Here’s a description of the book: ”For Zack Thomson, living in the Nicholls Ward isn’t so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange and severe allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. He could watch as much television as he wanted; his best friend Charlie visited him often enough; and Nurse Ophelia–the prettiest no-nonsense nurse ever–sometimes took him bowling. It never once crossed Zack’s mind to leave…until the night someone crashed through the front doors and told him to run. Now he’s on a race for answers–about his past, his parents, and his strange sickness–even as every step takes him closer to the darkest of truths.” |
It’s Easy to Enter
1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post. That’s it, you’re in!
Only one comment entry per person please. Open to residents of U.S. and Canada. The contest ends next Sunday, August 30th at 12:00 midnight (EST). The 5 winners will be randomly chosen Monday, August 31st using the Random Integer Generator software program.
Good luck!
In Zoey’s world, humans and vampires co-exist. So it’s not completely out of the ordinary when Zoey is “marked” by a vampire tracker one day at school. You see, humans with special abilities are selected in their teens to become vampires. Once marked, the teen is removed from human society and taken to a special boarding school called The House of Night. When Zoey is marked she tries to avoid the inevitable, but the longer she puts off going to the new school, the sicker she becomes. Zoey’s home life (in particular, her relationship with her stepfather) isn’t great so she’s not too unhappy to be leaving her old life.
Zoey’s first day at the House of Night starts out fairly well. She meets Nefret, a beautiful and extremely kind teacher (and High Priestess) at the school who decides to be Zoey’s mentor. Nefret, although a vampire, also has special intuitive powers. She immediately recognizes that Zoey is a special vampire fledgling and decides to take her under her wing.
Zoey quickly makes friends with several students. However, she soon meets Aphrodite, another student at the school who’s part of the “in” crowd. Do you remember the movies “The Heathers” or “Jawbreaker”? Aphrodite is like the leader of those girl groups. She’s beautiful but extremely cruel to her fellow students. She’s also the president of The Dark Daughters, an elitist group of female vampire fledglings at the school who engage in acts that aren’t completely ethical. Aphrodite initially shows some interest in being Zoey’s friend but eventually turns against her when she thinks a former boyfriend is interested in Zoey. Zoey doesn’t let Aphrodite get to her but she makes it her mission to expose Aphrodite’s actions to the school.
Meanwhile, Zoey quickly adjusts to her new life, classes, and her teachers. She makes new friends, is “chosen” by a temperamental cat to be its new master, and meets a handsome young guy who seems genuinely interested in Zoey as a person. Sure, it seems odd sleeping during the day and attending classes at night but after awhile it becomes second nature.
It’s important to note that not every teen that’s Marked actually becomes a vampire. Some kids don’t survive The Change and die.
Or do they?
I really liked this fantasy book, which is the first installment in the House of Night series. The storyline as written by P.C. and Kristin Cast (mother and daughter respectively) is nicely paced and thoroughly engrossing. It’s clear early on that Zoey is developing unusual powers. We’re not entirely certain what they are, but that’s part of the attraction of this book. It makes us want to learn more about Zoey and what lies ahead for her.
This is very much a young adult, coming of age fantasy book but it written such that it works well for both young and older adults. Because of a graphic scene near the start of the book it’s probably not appropriate for teens younger than 16 but it’s a great read for the older crowd. While reading the book I couldn’t help but think of the Harry Potter series (which also centers around a strong character at a boarding school with special powers, whose fate isn’t entirely known during the first books) however that’s where the similarities end. The book stands alone as a solid new addition to the young adult vampire book category and is sure to appeal to fantasy book lovers at large. Check prices
Okay, I know this is the last day of the month, but I wanted to get this list together before tomorrow. There are some great titles here, including the new Bone Crossed book by Patricia Briggs and the last installment in the Vampire Huntress series by L.A. Banks.
Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4) by Patricia Briggs
Mercy is preparing to marry alpha werewolf Adam Hauptman when an old friend asks her to help fend off a nasty ghost. It’s a good time for Mercy to leave Portland, Oregon because vampire queen Marsilia is after her and her vampire friend Stefan for successfully hunting down a monster that should have killed them. Mercy leaves Adam to negotiate peace with Marsilia and heads to Spokane, Washington to investigate the ghost, an unexpectedly complicated task. Though action supersedes characterization, the preternatural culture of vampire seethes and wolf pack politics is deeply intriguing. Briggs provides plenty of detail about Mercy’s complex world without boring info dumps, satisfying both new and longtime readers.
The Thirteenth (Vampire Huntress Legends) by L.A. Banks
The final story in the now cult favorite Vampire Huntress series. The entire Neteru Guardian team is on the run, having now been labeled as America’s most-wanted terrorists following the gruesome demon battle that felled the Washington Monument and crashed the front doors of the White House. The powers of darkness have released the pale horse of the apocalypse and half the Neteru team is pregnant. Plagues from hell that ravage the country are being cited as stemming from bio-terrorism. The nation is under martial law. The Neterus and their team are underground. If things weren’t bad enough… the Dark Realm breaks the sixth Biblical seal, which plunges the world into perpetual darkness and irrevocably into the Armageddon.
Deader Still by Anton Strout, author of Dead to Me and contributor to The League of Reluctant Adults website.
It’s hard to defeat evil on a budget. Just ask Simon Canderous. It’s been 737 days since the Department of Extraordinary Affairs’ last vampire incursion, but that streak appears to have ended when a boat full of dead lawyers is found in the Hudson River. Using the power of psychometry (the ability to divine the history of an object by touching it) agent Simon Canderous discovers that the booze cruise was crashed by something that sucked all the blood out of the litigators. Now, his workday may never end - until his life does.
Darkling (Sisters of the Moon) by Yasmine Galenorn (Audiobook)
In this third entry in Yasmine Galenorn’s bestselling Sisters of the Moon series, the spotlight is on Menolly, who must face the demons haunting her memories when humans begin turning into vampires.
Many Bloody Returns Multiple Authors: Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, and others. Edited by Toni L. P. Kelner. Now available in paperback.
From cakes to stakes, a celebration of everyone’s favorite bloodsucking subculture by a baker’s dozen of favorite authors. Each of these thirteen original stories offers a fresh and unique take on what birthdays mean to the undead. From Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse attending a birthday party for Dracula to Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden battling bloodsucking party crashers, these suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous stories will ensure paranormal fans will never think of vampires or birthdays quite the same again.
Grave Sins (A Cin Craven Novel) by Jenna Maclaine
The latest in a bold, magical new series that spans the ages, from historical England to modern day America and beyond. Welcome to the legend of Cin Craven—witch, vampire and immortal warrior. In the arms of her lover Michael, Cin Craven has found satisfaction for her most primal longings, reaching heights of pleasure no mere human could ever imagine. She has also found a purpose for her unearthly powers. Cin is a member of The Righteous, a band of slayers that hunts down vampires who inflict evil upon the world. With Michael by her side, Cin’s latest mission brings her face-to-face with Marrakesh, a beautiful, half-mad vampire queen charged with slaughtering humans. If she’s found guilty, Marrakesh will pay with her life. But Cin is convinced that someone (or something) far more ruthless is trying to steal the queen’s throne. It’s a mission that will pit Michael and Cin against each other for the first time, awakening their darkest instincts and testing their love like never before.
Spell Games by T.A. Pratt
Mad sorcerers, psychic vampires, an army of vengeful demons, Marla Mason would rather face them all than a flesh-and-blood ghost from her dysfunctional family past: her con artist brother, Jason. As a chief sorcerer, Marla would ordinarily consider it her duty to protect her town from such an unscrupulous ne’er-do-well. As his sister, things are a lot . . . trickier. Now, as Marla attempts to train an apprentice oracle whose magical wires have gotten crossed, Jason is setting up an elaborate scheme and drawing her ever-so-corruptible partner Rondeau into the ruse. Their patsy is a filthy-rich wannabe mage and their bait is something so valuable, so dangerous, so sought after, it probably doesn’t exist. But now word’s gotten out that it does. It’ll be the mother of all bad trips unless Marla can pull off the ultimate magical switcheroo . . . and somehow live to tell about it.
A Rush of Wings: Book One of The Maker’s Song by Adrian Phoenix
Set in the brooding New Orleans area long established as the best location for all things vampiric, Phoenix’s lively debut has it all: Rogue FBI agents, Bureau-ordered hits, mad-scientist experiments in psychopathology, vampires and fallen angels and a slicing-dicing serial killer. Smart, sexy FBI Special Agent Heather Wallace has been trying to catch the Cross-Country Killer for three years when the trail leads to New Orleans and Club Hell, where Dante Prejean performs with the Inferno, an industrial/goth rock band. Dante is a Cajun and a born vampire whose memories of his terrible past have been erased, leaving him vulnerable to the psychopathic killer, E, who knows all that Dante has forgotten. As E begins targeting Dante’s loved ones, Heather must swallow her skepticism and work with Dante’s vampiric friends and family to save him. Phoenix alternates romantic homages to gothdom and steamy blood-drinking threesomes with enough terse, fast-paced thriller scenes to satisfy even the most jaded fan.
See also: Best Vampire Books of 2008
As you can see we have a new look! I spent several hours over the last two weekends working to modify the theme into something more appealing and easy to navigate. The content is the same but I think it’s organized in a better way.
How do you like the new header graphic? Over time I’ll probably switch up the books that display but for now I’ve decided to showcase several popular fantasy book series:
- Blue Bloods
- The Morganville Vampires
- House of Night Series
Welcome to the NEW Vampire Librarian!
House of Night Series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast If you like the Stephenie Meyer books or are just looking for another vampire book series that’s appropriate for teens you should check out the House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast.
Marked (House of Night, Book 1)
Enter the dark, magical world of The House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampires have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a new vampire and is sent off to the House of Night, a school where she will train to become an adult vampire. It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average vampire-in-the-making. She has special powers. To add to her stress she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters (the school’s stuck-up elitist group), is misusing her powers. Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to challenge those that do harm to others.
Betrayed (House of Night, Book 2)
Young vampire Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night school. She’s come to terms with the vast powers that have been bestowed upon her finally feels like she belongs. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. In this installment Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world. Note: I just ordered Marked (House of Night, Book 1) the first book in the House of Night series. This is a young adult series that sounds really interesting.
Chosen (House of Night, Book 3)
Zoey Redbird is a teenage diva in every respect, well, almost. She doesn’t get along with her mom and she hates her stepdad. That’s normal. She adores her sweet grandmother. That’s normal. What makes her different from the average teenage girl is that she is a vampire. In fact, two of her three boyfriends are vampires, her best friend is one of the ghoulish undead creatures that walks the streets at night preying on homeless people, and all of the students at the private boarding school she attends (called the House of Night) are vampires-in-the-making. Plus, Zoey is the president of the student body, if you consider being in charge of the Dark Daughters a leadership position. Filled with secrets, Zoey’s life becomes harder and harder to handle as she tries to juggle what she has to do with what she is expected to do. Her main obstacle is the high priestess, who reigns over both the “vampire” community and the boarding school. In this third book of the “House of Night” series, Zoey finds strength to challenge the priestess, who she believes is not what she appears to be.
Untamed (House of Night, Book 4)
Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two friends Zoey has left are the undead and the unMarked. And a powerful goddess has declared war on humans. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey’s adventures at the House of Night School take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened.
Hunted (House of Night, Book 5)
The good news: Zoey’s friends are talking to her again. The bad news: an ancient evil with the face of an angel has been let loose, Grandma Redbird is in trouble, Heath is in trouble, and The House of Night is in trouble. Okay, let’s face it – Zoey’s whole world is in trouble! But when the trouble comes from a creature who looks like a male model will the world believe it? Especially when Zoey and a group of misfits are the only ones who really understand the danger he brings. Will Zoey have the strength and wisdom to reveal the truth? Especially when, in the House of Night, the truth is often hard to come by…
Check out the House of Night books. These books are great for adults as well as teens. I just started reading “Marked” and I can tell it’s going to be a good read. Stay tuned for more recommended books for teens and young adults!
