A fun, tween, supernatural story. I love vampire books, and this one brings in some classic characters but with a modern twist designed for middle schoolers. Viktor Valentine is learning his family secrets while his neighbor and crush, Alice, is trying to earn her own dad's love. A great start to a series that I can't wait to keep reading and share with others.

There are few things I love more than a middle grade horror novel. Something about scary stories for this age group left a lasting impression on me as a young reader, and I am always excited to hunt out and recommend them for kids now. I am not sure, however, I would pick out Viktor Valentine as one of those recommendations. The book’s premise is solid and recalls the Bailey School Kids format of there being something suspicious in this Normal Town occupied by Normal People. Our hero is assigned Dracula in his seventh grade English class, and suddenly vampires are all he sees or can talk about: with his cool goth substitute teacher, with the pretty redhead that moved in across the street, with his dad. But is it possible for vampires to walk among us? Short answer: yes. This book delivered on mystery, an endearing protagonist, a compelling early romance, and a fun cast of minor characters.

Now on to what wasn’t as successful for me. Pacing-wise, I think the book struggled as a result of the dedication to a climactic reveal. Viktor’s uncertainty on whether or not his dad is a vampire meant that for much of the book, he lacked agency or any sort of involvement in the epic goings-on of his town. Leaving a protagonist in the dark for 3/4 of the book can have a huge payoff, but in this instance, it simply robbed Viktor of his power. Additionally, the choice to have all the adults in Viktor’s life not just be some vampires, but THOSE vampires stretched credulity a bit, likely past the threshold an upper middle grade reader would tolerate in a book of this (relatively light) tone. If this was playing to an early middle audience, it might have been more successful, but 7th grade feels a tad old for this arc. I hate to end on this note, as I really wanted to love this book, but I don’t think it’s a recommend for me.