Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Book Review: Eighth Grade Bites by Zac Brewer

Being a vampire would be great, right? Magical powers, the ability to fly and turn into a bat. Or… maybe not. That's what Eighth Grade Bites by Zac Brewer explores.

Vladimir Tod is a half-vampire on his dad's side who, ever since his parents died in a fire, believes he is the last of his kind. Being a vampire does mean some cool powers for him like being able to float and read others' minds, but mostly it’s a lot of trouble. After all, it's difficult to hide your identity when your fangs seem to pop out at inopportune moments and you're already the much picked-on "goth kid" at school.

However things get worse with the mysterious disappearance of Vlad's English teacher and an unusual substitute with an avid interest in supernatural beings. Not to mention some new abilities that he can't explain. Before he knows it, Vlad has a new report to do on vampires of all subjects and a mysterious journal from his dad that hints at some new clues about his past.

Overall, this book was a pretty interesting change from the normal supernatural fiction. Vlad is an interesting main character and his problems- both vampire and junior high felt very realistic. I enjoyed the book's humor and am definitely intrigued by the rest of the series. Overall though, I've got to say my favorite part of Eighth Grade Bites was the world-building. It was fascinating and, at times, hilarious to hear about the different parts of being a vampire and how Vlad coped with them. For example: drinking blood- Vlad's aunt and guardian is a nurse who smuggles blood out of the hospital for him, not to mention that his lunch is basically a peanut-butter and blood sandwich with a blood-filled Hostess cake. And once Vlad gets into the secrets in his dad's journal…

Anyway my recommendation: read the book and definitely go see Zac Brewer at TBF this spring.

Happy reading!
Katie G.

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