Unless you've been living in a coffin, you have surely noticed that vampire books have made a resurgence in YA. The trend of a cute, but deadly vampire has been around since the days of Anne Rice's vampire novels in the 70's with Interview With A Vampire (even earlier back than that). It became popular in YA with Stephenie Meyer's sparkly vamps in Twilight. Back when I was a teen, this book was all the Twihard fans could talk about. Personally, I was Team Jacob, which now that I reflect back on it, maybe Bella would have just been better off being by herself. It got even worse when the movies came out because the whole thing was just cringe-worthy (worst acting ever). Yet we millennials still flock to the theaters each time a new one is released.
Now here we are, 14 years after the release of Twilight, and vampires have made a major comeback in YA.
This companion novel to the Twilight series is told from Edward Cullen's point of view. This internal monologue has promised to not be a repeat of Twilight, but to give us more insight into Edward's past, and I'm assuming to explain why he is the way that he is...just one sparkly, awkward vamp teen.
Maybe one day when I'm really bored or simply just curious I will read it. But for now, I just can't put myself through that torture again not when there are other cheesy vamp novels I can be reading.
This six-part series by Richelle Mead came out two years after the release of Twilight. It has recently been made into a TV series on Peacock due to be released sometime this year.
The story follows two friends, Lissa Dragomir and Rose Hathaway, on the run from the Strigoi, the immortal lethal vampires. The two are caught after years on the run and taken to St. Vladmir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians. They must fight to stay alive in the treacherous vampire academy set deep in the woods of Montana.
I started this series back when I was a teen and never finished it. Now, is the perfect time to finish it just in time for the release of the T.V. show.
This 2020 release by Tracy Wolff not only brought vampires out of the coffin, but other supernatural creatures (somehow, she made gargoyles a thing). The story follows Grace who, upon losing her parents, is forced to move to her Uncle's remote academy in Alaska. Once she arrives, she finds things are not quite as they appear, especially with the mysterious boy who has caught her attention.
I'll be honest with you all, I'm still on the fence about how I feel about this series. What was supposed to be a trilogy has now developed into a seven-book series. I'm currently about to start on the fourth book in the series, Court. I've already committed at this point, so I will keep pushing on.
I will say one of my favorite parts of the book is the chapter titles. It's rare to find an author that takes the time to do this anymore. Also, Wolff inserts a ton of pop culture references throughout the books that are fun additions to the narrative.
Side note: Film rights have been picked up by Universal to make Crave into a movie, but no more details have been released.
For all my Buffy the Vampire Slayer lovers, this 2022 release is set in the supernatural riddled Sunnydale.
This story follows sophomore Frankie Rosenburg, whose legacy from her mom, Willow, and aunt, Buffy, follows her as she becomes the newest slayer. Decked out in Buffy's 90's slayer gear, she sets out to once again rescue small town Sunnydale from an array of supernatural creatures.
As a fan of the television show since I was a teen, this new generation of slayers is sure to be just as enjoyable as the original.
I can't mention teenage vampires without mentioning one of my favorite teen romdramas, Vampire Diaries. While there is a book series that the show is based on, the producers took a loose interpretation of the original novels. I will always be a Team Damon and no one can change my mind.
Happy Reading,
Ashleigh