Helpful Score: 3
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
What do you get when you take the Gossip Girls and cross them with vampires? You get VAMPS by Nancy A. Collins!
Meet Lilith, Jules, Tanith, Melinda, and the rest of the Old Bloods. They're young, they're rich, and they're the hottest kids in New York. But you might never see them. They're vampires. They come out when the sun goes down. School starts at 9 pm for them, and once classes are done, they're hitting the local club scene.
Lilith is the creme de la creme of her posse. Her father created the blood product to make their race self-reliant and no longer need to feed on humans for their existence. Her and her gal pals attend the exclusive Bathory Academy. Her male friends attend the associated school, Ruthven's. Being Old Bloods means they are respected by everyone and can do whatever they please. Because they've not reached maturity yet, they are able to move among humans during daylight hours, and they still cast reflections.
After one night of slumming (the desire to tap a human of blood for fun) at a local park, they encounter a New Blood (think "nouveau riche") with special powers and some vampire hunters (Van Helsings). The night goes horribly wrong, and one of their own kind winds up killed. Lilith is distraught over the death of her best friend, and she starts withdrawing from things.
Then, out of the blue, Cally, the New Blood that was witness to the death of her friend, arrives at Bathory. It is unheard of for a New Blood to be admitted, and Cally is snubbed by all but the outcasts of the school. Cally wants to start with a clean slate, but everything she does pushes Lilith's wrong buttons. Lilith threatens Cally and warns her to stay away from her betrothed, Jules. The lines are drawn, and it doesn't look like Lilith and Cally are going to warm up to each other.
Ms. Collins writes a fun but dark novel of a different type of entitled New York teen. She takes the normal genre and gives it a twist with the vampire storyline. The characters are catty and fun, as many wealthy teens can be, but they have their own problems, being children of the night.
And for those that enjoy this one, there's a sequel, NIGHT LIFE, due out January 27, 2009.
What do you get when you take the Gossip Girls and cross them with vampires? You get VAMPS by Nancy A. Collins!
Meet Lilith, Jules, Tanith, Melinda, and the rest of the Old Bloods. They're young, they're rich, and they're the hottest kids in New York. But you might never see them. They're vampires. They come out when the sun goes down. School starts at 9 pm for them, and once classes are done, they're hitting the local club scene.
Lilith is the creme de la creme of her posse. Her father created the blood product to make their race self-reliant and no longer need to feed on humans for their existence. Her and her gal pals attend the exclusive Bathory Academy. Her male friends attend the associated school, Ruthven's. Being Old Bloods means they are respected by everyone and can do whatever they please. Because they've not reached maturity yet, they are able to move among humans during daylight hours, and they still cast reflections.
After one night of slumming (the desire to tap a human of blood for fun) at a local park, they encounter a New Blood (think "nouveau riche") with special powers and some vampire hunters (Van Helsings). The night goes horribly wrong, and one of their own kind winds up killed. Lilith is distraught over the death of her best friend, and she starts withdrawing from things.
Then, out of the blue, Cally, the New Blood that was witness to the death of her friend, arrives at Bathory. It is unheard of for a New Blood to be admitted, and Cally is snubbed by all but the outcasts of the school. Cally wants to start with a clean slate, but everything she does pushes Lilith's wrong buttons. Lilith threatens Cally and warns her to stay away from her betrothed, Jules. The lines are drawn, and it doesn't look like Lilith and Cally are going to warm up to each other.
Ms. Collins writes a fun but dark novel of a different type of entitled New York teen. She takes the normal genre and gives it a twist with the vampire storyline. The characters are catty and fun, as many wealthy teens can be, but they have their own problems, being children of the night.
And for those that enjoy this one, there's a sequel, NIGHT LIFE, due out January 27, 2009.
