Monday, July 27, 2009

The Ninja Reviews. . .The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

What you know about vampires is completely, absolutely, 100% wrong.

Vampires aren't repelled my garlic or crosses. They can't fly. You won't see one transform into a bat. And they definitely don't disappear in a veil of mist. In fact, vampires are just about the weakest, wimpiest beings on earth.

Nina, who lives in Sydney, Australia, was fanged (bitten and infected by another vampire) when she was 15. . .back in 1973. She's been a vampire - and teenager - for decades. And being a vampire is the least exciting thing in the world. Nina spends her days comatose and her nights sick, often nauseated, writing novels or watching soaps on TV. The only time she gets out of the house is for the Tuesday night Reformed Vampire Support Group that she is forced to attend with other grouchy, weak, miserable vampires.

But things change when one member of the group is found in his apartment, just a pile of ashes with a stake where his heart would be. Despite the fact that he wasn't exactly the most well-liked member of the group, the others are shocked, frightened, and determined to find out who killed a fellow vampire. In the process, Nina will prove that vampires aren't as weak and useless as they've always thoughts themselves to be.

I went back and forth between reading this when I was at home, and listening to the audio when I was in the car, and I loved both. If you love Australian accents, you should definitely listen to the audio!

The twist on what vampires are really like was great. I love that Nina eventually fought back against the stereotype that she and her fellow vampires had given themselves. Sure they spend most of their days fighting off sickness from the vampire infection, but that doesn't mean they can't find ways to somehow make a difference. The action scenes were especially well-written and there are lots of references to current vampire books and movies that made me snicker. The only problem I had was that I sometimes felt that some of the arguments between characters went on for longer than I'd like. I got a bit distracted from time to time. And, being a book about vampires, there is some talk about drinking blood that might make a few readers feel icky.

Overall, I would recommend this book to open-minded fans of vampire fiction, fans of humor fiction, and anyone who just wants something different to read.

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