A continuation of the first book in the Vanquishers series, it's the hijinks of youth with a friend group led by Boog and her Vanquisher parents as they embark on lessons to become Vanquishers themselves all while maintaining a friendship with the new kid, Aaron, who after moving to their town, became a vampire, and who they are trying to reverse.

The friends are fun. There's humor and entertainment along with quips between each other and acceptance of their foibles. As more history is uncovered, they put more pieces together and now that the vampires are rising up, the stakes are high and not only are the vampires moving in, but some have been there all along.

It resolves things minimally while kicking another set of problems into high gear for the third book, so not many true endings, more of a connector book, but I love it and am enjoying the atmospheric vampire story the day before Halloween.

Picking up where THE VANQUISHIERS left off, Boog and her friends are still figuring out their new normal now that Aaron's a vampire. Bayron does a great job of capturing that conflicting middle ground of when kids start to get old enough to handle more adult situations yet the grownups in their lives are still trying to protect them. The Squad may THINK they're old enough to handle the truth behind the Reaping and the Vanquishers... but as they begin to learn some of the secrets, they might be biting off more than they can chew.

Readers learn more about Boog's favorite teacher, and their parents face a betrayal they didn't see coming. The plot twists were good, it was fun to learn more background in this world, and that ending... it'll leave you hanging and dying for the next book in the series to be published.

The Vanquishers is a great vampire series that spans the gap between middle grade and YA!

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars (read and reviewed post publishing)

Look, I binged this in like....less than 2 hours. While I didn't enjoy it as much as #1, this really sets up the plot for the next book with how it develops the crew, Aaron's powers, and the rise of vampires. I enjoyed the humor in this one again, along with the world building with the Vanquishers. I do think a lot of it was plot build up though, and it felt disconnected at some points with simply trying to get to the end for the big reveal that changes the plot of the series.

Also, I love how these kids are basically like "hey, let us fight and be grown ups" and finally their parents are like "hmmm, yeah, you should probably know what to do" ya know, after they get attacked.

This is a fun continuation of The Vanquishers story and a fun set up for a long standing series. This book definitely leaves the reader wanting more but I could see this being a long series with many offerings.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children's Books. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Middle Grade Horror, Middle Grade Mystery, Middle Grade Fantasy, Queer Fantasy
Representation: People from the LGBTQ community are represented as well as BIPOC.

I wanted to love this book...but it just didn't quite live up to my expectations. I found myself having a hard time to get into it and to stay connected.

The good:
1. The kids are working on solving the problems on their own.
2. Their parents actually care and have brains.
3. There are blood-sucking vampires that want to kill them. The *stakes* are great!
4. Realistic moments of bullying, friendship, and mistakes.

Things that didn't hit for me:
1. This one is my fault. I didn't realize it was book 2. So I wasn't familiar with the characters.
2. Between the four kids and all their parents and two teachers and a bonus person, I had a hard time keeping everyone distinct.
3. The ending. It's much more of a continuation and didn't feel satisfying because there were NO resolutions. NOT ONE! I'm okay with it going on, but I need something to close (just one tiny thing). But nope, not here. This is my biggest complaint in the book.

If you've started the series, I think you're going to want to read more. The kids are in peril and learning more about themselves and their parents.

Happy reading!

PS: I love the art!

Boog, Cedrick, Aaron & Jules are back in this amazing sequel to The Vanquishers. It literally picks up right where the first book ends and does not stop! Leaving you hanging at the last line of the story! I love how the author writes such an inclusive and diverse story, focusing not just on the danger but the family. Everyone is accepted, no matter their background. Taking place in San Antonio, keeping it true to the city itself. Some characters drive the reader mad, but Kaylynn writes in a way that helps the reader take a deeper look, that there’s more to the person than meets the eye. Cannot wait until the next book. My students are going to love this book! Thank you Bloomsbury for the arc!

What a perfect follow up to the first "Vanquishers" book!

"The Vanquishers: Secret of the Reaping" is full of action, adventure, and fantastic middle-grade vampire lore. Boog, Cedrick, Jules, and Aaron round out a cast of diverse characters who have built a strong community as those who protect San Antonio and its citizens from the undead. The rich culture and history of San Antonio is highlighted throughout the book, and is the perfect setting for Boog and her Vanquisher family and friends.

The ending will leave you on the edge of your seat! I can't wait for the next installment of "The Vanquishers" by Kalynn Bayron. Five stars!

Anyone who enjoyed The Vanquishers will definitely love this follow-up! It’s full of the same great characters, friendships, and family bonds. I love the diversity represented and the way the characters rally around each other. My main issue with this series so far is that it feels like one really large novel was randomly chopped into pieces, and each piece was turned into a book. So we’re once again left with lots of loose ends and there was no clear goal (that I could tell) for this particular section, other than for Boog and friends to survive to book three. Still very entertaining, though!

This was such a great vampire book! I absolutely devoured it and cannot wait for the sequel. This is just scary enough to keep your hands clenched and your heart in your throat, but not so scary to give nightmares. It was a good balance! I also really loved the community in this book.