Publisher: Scholastic (UK)
First published: June 1st, 2011 (US)
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 250
Goodreads Summary:
What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?
Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.
My Rating: 2.5 / 5
First thoughts:
When I started reading this, I had very high expectations since The Vampire Stalker had been on my to-read list for a very long time until then. But sadly I was left a little bit disappointed since I found it difficult to connect with the characters and truly care about how their stories might end. While it was a fast and easy read, I had sadly expected more of it.
More detailed:
When I first read the summary of The Vampire Stalker I wanted to read this novel immediately. For book lovers like me (and probably many of you) the premise of this story sounds like a dream come true. Just imagine what you'd feel like if your favorite fictional character - your fictional crush - would stand in front of you all of sudden. This sounds like such a wonderful idea.
Sadly I had problems connecting with Amy, The Vampire Stalker's main character. While I had my love for books in common with her and loved reading about her obsessions and the moments when she wrote fan fiction, I couldn't really see anything really special about her. Even though she really about the people who are close to her and would do anything for them, I felt as though she lacked some more interesting character traits.
Another thing I couldn't really connect with is her relationship with Alexander Banks. When she thinks of him as a fictional character, I'm able to understand her infatuation. But once she meets him and realizes that he truly exists, her sudden "real" love isn't really understandable. I was missing a certain kind of chemistry that I usually feel between my favorite fictional couples. They just seemed like friends fighting against something evil - not lovers.
But of course not everything about this book is bad. I probably wouldn't even think og these things as really bad if I hadn't expected too much of this novel. Despite my problems with the characters I loved the plot and the explanation Allison van Diepen came up with for Alexander being a real person. It's very creative and has lots of potential.
All in all, I don't want to tell you to not read this book. Even though it's not one of my favorites and I disliked certain parts, I still enjoyed it. It's an easy and fast read and won't feel like you're wasting your time. If you put this onto your to-read list like I did, just adjust your expectations and give this a chance - maybe you'll like this a lot better than I did!
Another thing I couldn't really connect with is her relationship with Alexander Banks. When she thinks of him as a fictional character, I'm able to understand her infatuation. But once she meets him and realizes that he truly exists, her sudden "real" love isn't really understandable. I was missing a certain kind of chemistry that I usually feel between my favorite fictional couples. They just seemed like friends fighting against something evil - not lovers.
But of course not everything about this book is bad. I probably wouldn't even think og these things as really bad if I hadn't expected too much of this novel. Despite my problems with the characters I loved the plot and the explanation Allison van Diepen came up with for Alexander being a real person. It's very creative and has lots of potential.
All in all, I don't want to tell you to not read this book. Even though it's not one of my favorites and I disliked certain parts, I still enjoyed it. It's an easy and fast read and won't feel like you're wasting your time. If you put this onto your to-read list like I did, just adjust your expectations and give this a chance - maybe you'll like this a lot better than I did!
The Vampire Stalker online:
Trailer | First chapter
Have you read The Vampire Stalker? What did you think about it?
Do you plan to read it?
Do you plan to read it?
Carina
