Publication Date: 7th June 2012
By: Hachette Children's Books
ISBN: 1444903519
Source: Publisher
Target Audience: YA
My Rating 4.5 of 5 stars
This book was nothing like I expected. And while I can't say exactly what I was expecting, it certainly wasn't this. And I was most definitely not disappointed. I feel maybe I would describe this more as horror than paranormal, it was at times, scary and gruesome, but I was glued to it the whole time.
The vampires in The Vampire of Highgate are what I would describe as the old style vampires that I was used to (before I discovered Twilight and developed my paranormal addiction), not the romanticised version of today. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the romanticised guy, but this was a nice change. Real horror, real terror. These vampires are still affected by crosses and holy water.
Kathy goes to Highgate in London to search for her sister Amber. They didn't grow up together as their parents died when they were young, but since Amber disappeared, Kathy has been dreaming about her. Then she receives a package in the post from Amber and she knows what she needs to do.
Kathy is a really likeable character, very easy to connect with. She takes all of the revelations of horror and magic in her stride with courage and acceptance. Her character grows immensely while she's in England. She does things she never would have done in the States, where she was a shy, awkward girl who lacked confidence and suffered from panic attacks. She embraces her heritage and is definitely making headway towards becoming a kick ass character.
All of the characters in this book were well written with depth pertaining to their role in the book, be it a long or short appearance. My favourite character was Kathy, but Antwain would have been a close second. I'm really hoping to see a lot more of him in future books. There is no romance in this, which usually puts me off because I love some romance in the books I read, but it didn't take away from this one at all. I am hoping though that what we seen in this was the build up to something that may occur in future instalments. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. There are flashes back to the past which I enjoyed as it enhances the present story for the reader.
When I started The Vampire of Highgate, I believed it to be a stand alone novel and was disappointed in the ending. But after some research, and a quick chat with the author, I've discovered that it's part of a trilogy. Yay! This totally changed my mind about the ending because I knew loose ends were going to be tied up. There's no cliffhanger, but the ending was open and I was left with some questions. And apparently, there is also going to be three movies made of this series and some spin off's. This sounds like it is going to be big, so make sure you don't miss out.
Add it to your TBR on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon US/Amazon UK/The Book Depository
I have this on the way for review too, and I'm very relieved to know that you thought it was good. In a way, I'm happy that there is no romance... I usually enjoy it when there is, just to spice things up a little bit, but the absence of it means that this is really refreshing, and that's always a good sign. I'm not making much sense, am I? Sorry.
Great review, Suzanne.
You're making perfect sense Maja. I always enjoy the romance too, but I hadn't even missed it until I was at the end of the book. You'll know what I mean when you read it :) Hope you love it as much as I did.
I have to admit I completely overlooked this book. A part of me made the unfair assumption that it would be another paranormal read - something I have seen a thousand times before - so it's very interesting to see your thoughts. Like you, I prefer romance in books, but I'm glad to hear the lack of doesn't take anything away from the book. And the traditional vampire role isn't something I have read about in a looong time so it'll be nice to see that again! An amazing review, Suzanne. I'm really eager to read this now. :)
I'd never heard of this one so I had to look up the synopsis on Goodreads before checking out your review :) I figured this one would be more paranormal from the cover too but it's nice that it's more horror, a genre I avoid because I'm a scaredy-cat. This one doesn't look that scary though so I'll probably see if I can get a copy of it.
I like romance too but I don't mind it if a book doesn't have any. It's a refreshing change once in a while especially if you've been reading a ton of books with insta-love :)
I NEED THIS!! This sounds SO good and not "just another vampire book" like the blurb can make it sound. I've only seen good things about it too but the character development and super kick ass premise is definitely right up my alley!!
I don't feel the blurb does this book justice at all Giselle. I really felt it was different to what's out there at the moment.
Just happy monsters are monsters again. Gotta love that.
I've never heard of this Suzanne but it sounds really good and I like that you can connect with the MC easily. That is huge for me in a story. Great review. I'm going to check this out. :)
I love the real old style vamps... like Interview with the Vampire! I'm going to have to give this a go. I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought usually, I would have expected it to be the same ole thing! Great review Suzanne :D
Hi guys, thanks for the comments and the book review, I just stumbled across the blog and thought you may be interested to see the new HIGHGATE film facebook page at http://facebook.com/highgatemovie - this is where all the movie announcements and news will be out first.
Thanks again,
Asa.
I've never heard of this one, but it sounds really good! Great review!!!
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