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Just because vampire books are popular doesn’t mean they’re good. That’s what I learned from Blood Sinister by Celia Rees. This book was more like a modern-day Dracula than the girl-can’t-resist-the-mysterious-and-handsome-vampire type of books like Twilight and Vampire Diaries. It follows a teenager named Ellen who is fatally ill. Too pass the time, she reads her great-grandmother’s and learns that vampires exist. Soon, in her dreams, Ellen becomes her great-grandmother, living her life, fearing her fears. And the vampires quickly become all too real.

The second book I read this week was Raiders’ Ransom by Emily Diamond. I was shocked to discover that this was Emily Diamond’s first book; Raiders’ Ransom read like it was written by a seasoned author. It really is a fabulous adventure story,  not too mention the striking cover art. The story follows two characters: Lilly and Zeph. About 150 years in the future there has been a “Collapse” or some sort of apocolyptic disaster. And many lands have returned to the olden-days way of life — no technology, no cars, travel by boat. Even the old societal pressures, like marrying for money or status instead of love, have returned. When the only two important people in Lilly’s life are gone, she decides to take action. The Prime Minister’s daughter has been kidnapped by raiders, the same raiders that killed her granny. Disguised as a boy, Lilly sails to London in hopes of trading a treasure for the girls release. In London, she meets Zeph — son of the raider’s boss. As a war brews, the two sides become intertwined and true emotions and values are revealed.

Fans were disappointed when Stephenie Meyer put an indefinite hold on her plans to release her fifth book, Midnight Sun, in a book format. The book, if you managed to read the online draft, told the story of Twilight from Edward’s perspective.

But never fear. You don’t need to rely on Stephenie Meyer to combat your vampire withdrawal. There are tons (and I mean TONS!) of vampire books hitting the teen bookshelf every month. Of course, who has the time to sift through the masses at book stores, reading the back cover of every eerie-looking book? No one, that’s who! With school reaching its stress climax of the year, free time is few and far between. But that’s no problem because I’ve prepared a list of the latest and greatest vampire books for teens and tweens. Check it out!

New and Hot Vampire Books for Teens and Tweens

• The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinx
• Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Thirst Series by Christopher Pike

1. The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice (released August 2009)

Dark Guardian Series by Rachel Hawthorne

1. Moonlight
2. Full Moon (released June 2009)
3. Dark of the Moon (released August 2009)

Evernight Series by Claudia Gray

1. Evernight
2. Stargazer
3. Hourglass (not yet released)
4. Afterlife (not yet released)

Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

1. Twilight
2. New Moon
3. Eclipse
4. Breaking Dawn

The House of Night Series by Kristin and P.C. Cast

1. Marked
2. Betrayed
3. Chosen
4. Untamed
5. Hunted

The Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine

1. Glass Houses
2. Dead Girls Dance
3. Midnight Alley
4. Feast of Fools
5. Lord of Misrule

Night World Series by L.J. Smith

1. Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, Spellbinder
2. Dark Angel, Chosen, Soulmate
3. Huntress, Black Dawn, Witchlight

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

1. Vampire Academy
2. Frostbite
3. Shadow Kiss
4. Blood Promise (released August 2009)

Den of Shadows Series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

1. In the Forest of the Night
2. Demon in My View
3. Shattered Mirror
4. Midnight Predator

If you want to read some recent book reviews, check out the bookshelf at kidzworld.com. Kidzworld is a safe website for kids and teens that explores not just today’s top kids books and series’, but trading cards, new kids games and cheats, entertainment news and celebrities bios, advice for kids, free online contests and so much more!