Ninth Grade Slays

 

Level: Teen

Genre: Urban Fantasy > Vampire

Obtained: Borrowed from room mate

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Cover

Hmm ... I'm not really sure what to say. My thoughts about this cover are pretty much the same for the Eighth Grade Bites cover. It sums up the material within quite well, and it's bound to bring in readers that would enjoy the work.

About the Book:

It's a new year for Vladimir Tod, and things haven't gotten any easier. Not only is he still being hassled by bullies and having troubles with Meridith, his crush, but Vlad has a slayer after him. To add to his troubles, a fellow student, Eddie Poe, is determined to out Vlad's biggest secret.

Rating: 6/10 (8/10)

Again, I have decided to give one of the Vladimir Tod books different ratings. In case you haven't read my review for Eighth Grade Bites, the first one is my rating for a general audience, and the second rating is the the book's intended audience. If you are going to be one of those people that complain about how I am judging this book on an overall level, shut up. I already explained why in my Eighth Grade Bites review.

I have to admit that I was leery about this series, especially after reading the first book. Personally, I still found the book okay (though on the higher end of okay), but I also found myself enjoying Ninth Grade Slays much more than its predecessor. The problems that I had with Ninth Grade Slays are pretty much the same ones I had with Eighth Grade Bites: the characters were still fairly two dimensional, and the twist were, once again, quite predictable. However, I did not find them to be as predictable as before. Hell, I could see a lot of teens not even seeing some of the twists coming. I'll admit I was even a little surprised at one of the twists. The only other issue I really had with  Ninth Grade Slays was the plot seemed a bit recycled. Again, we see Vlad being bullied by Tom, being shy around Meridith, and being hunted. Yes, we pretty much got the same plot as last time. I found it to be executed a little better this time around, but I still felt a bit cheated. Now, Heather Brewer did introduce the series arc in this book so it will be interesting to see where she takes that.

On a personal level, I didn't find much that I really liked about this book. It read at a fast pace, which was nice. Again, I really appreciated that Brewer's characters acted their age. There was also a nifty scene where we get to see a character's wound knit back together. Other than that, it was pretty on par with you typical teen novel. On a non-personal level, I think teens would probably enjoy this much more. The plot twists are less likely to be predictable, and they are bound to relate with Vlad more than I would. I still think there are better teen books out there, but many teens would, more than likely, enjoy this series. As for the parents, this series is showing Vlad as a good role model yet should still be relatable to a younger audience. To the general audience, the Vladimir Tod series is all right and enjoyable enough for a quick and very light read, but I wouldn't bother purchasing the books. 

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