The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod-Eight Grade Bites is a YA vampire story. That is the only similarity that it has to Twilight. Which is a good thing.
It's about a junior high boy. It's funny. It's crammed full of action, conflict and mystery (182 pages compared to 498). The characters are all interesting. The dialogue is good. And I want to read more. Thank goodness there's still 9th-12th grade.
Reading these books leads me to another question, though: Where have all the real Vampires gone? The trend in writing seems to be in creating a new breed of vampire; one that has developed a conscience and chosen an alternate food source (In Twilight, they're even concerned about upsetting the ecological balance-sheesh). They seem more like superheroes with an acceptable dark side than villains. Why is that?
The answer probably lies somewhere in a deep social commentary about the demons in young kids lives today. Perhaps they do need a vampire or two on their side.
But I miss Dracula.
I miss the clear cut line between good and evil.
It is where the line is blurred between good and evil that the true danger lies. Especially for those that know nothing of righteousness or have little discernment.
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