The Vanquishers (The Vanquishers, #1)
Kalynn Bayron
In the world of the Vanquishers, vampires were history . . . until now.Malika “Boog” Wilson and her best friends have grown up idolizing The Vanquishers, a group of heroic vampire hunters who wiped out the last horde of the undead decades ago. Nowadays, most people don't take even the most basic vampire precautions--the days of garlic wreaths and early curfews long gone--but Boog's parents still follow the old rules, much to her embarrassment. When a friend goes missing, Boog isn't sure what to think. Could it be the school counselor, Mr. Rupert, who definitely seems to be hiding something? Or could it be something more dangerous? Boog is determined to save her friend, but is she ready to admit vampires might not be vanquished after all?No one ever expected the Vanquishers to return, but if their town needs protection from the undead, Boog knows who to call.Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Watchmen, this adventure launches readers into an exciting new series.
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Vampires for middle grade, hell yeah!
Malika (Boog as she's known to her friends) and her gang of friends like to cause a bit of mischief. They stick together without newcomers coming in due to their parents all being stuck in the old ways still - they all over prepare for vampires! 20 years ago the vampires were said to be vanquished by the masked team The Vanquishers, but Boog and her friends' parents all believe they're not all gone…
I really enjoyed this. A mix of masked superheroes in the past (akin to the incredibles sort of!) and classic vampire tales with some very light queer representation. I loved the humour and especially it's own take on vampires! A lot of the classic rules, but it did feel very fresh.
I liked most of the characters, the only one I disliked (even through the end) was the new school counselor Mr. Rupert, he was just a bit *too* creepy for my tastes and didn't really have any consequences at all.
The story did feel a tad all over the place, there is a mystery but it felt a bit too forced. I don't know if there was meant to be a lead that was supposed to get resolved and was forgotten about or what..
0I'm so disappointed :(
This is my fourth Kalynn Bayron book and by far my least favourite.
For the first 40% of the book there isn't a plot, simply a setting and some characters for us to get to know. Then the premise of the book kicks off; a new friend to the group goes missing. I get that we had to get to know someone new to the group in order for the emotional connection to develop and for the disappearance to have meaning, but it just feels like it narratively would've made more sense for a member of the existing friendship group to go missing. It would've had more of an impact and meant that the book would've flowed better and had better pacing.
I like vampire stories but this just felt a little bit lacking. The resolution just felt too fast and like it wasn't earned. With a second book announced I think a bigger cliffhanger would've made more sense but instead we have most of the conflict resolved. There is still a story there but for most of the book the narrative felt like it needed a bit more to it to be enjoyable.
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