Vampire Kisses
| Author | Ellen Schreiber |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, young adult fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Published | 2003 - May 15, 2012 |
| Media type | |
| No. of books | 9 |
Vampire Kisses is a series of books written by Ellen Schreiber. Vampire Kisses is about a 16-year-old girl named Raven Madison who is a goth misfit in her polo-wearing, ordinary, town. When an old abandoned mansion finally gets new residents, the rumors start to spread. Everyone in the small town, which Raven refers to as “Dullsville”, believes that the new neighbors are actually secret bloodthirsty vampires. Even Raven, who has always loved vampires since she was little, believes the rumors. But one day, she encounters the attractive yet mysterious Alexander Sterling that lives in the mansion, and feels like he is the only person that actually understands her. The two very quickly fall in love, but still the question remains; are the Sterlings really vampires?
The first book in the series, Vampire Kisses, was one of the American Library Association's young adult book picks for 2004.[1]
Books in series
- Vampire Kisses
- Kissing Coffins
- Vampireville
- Dance With a Vampire
- The Coffin Club
- Royal Blood
- Love Bites
- Cryptic Cravings
- Immortal Hearts
Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives series Vampire Kisses: Graveyard Games series
Reception
Critical reception for the Vampire Kisses series has been mixed to positive,[2][3] with Teenreads calling the first book a "wonderfully funny story".[4] Kirkus Reviews stated that the book was "cheesily written" but that it was "awkwardly endearing".[5] Publishers Weekly praised the first novel, stating that while the ending was "a bit rushed, elsewhere the comic timing is dead-on".[6] The Comic Book Bin reviewed Vampire Kisses, calling it a "breezy teen romance".[7] The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction praised Kissing Coffins, the second book in the series, writing "It’s not a deep, dark read, so it might be too light for a die-hard Goth, but it’s not dull by any means."[8] The Horn Book Guide panned the series' 8th volume, stating "purple prose and little real tension are strikes against this tale of goth-girl wish fulfillment".[9]
Anime News Network reviewed volume one of the manga adaptation Blood Relatives, criticizing the series' "irksome clichés" but praising artist Rem's artwork.[10]
Manga adaptation
In 2007 a manga adaptation of Schreiber's Vampire Kisses series was published by Tokyopop's English branch, with the series eventually being published in German as well.[11] Tokyopop chose artist Rem to illustrate the series, with the artist previously winning their 2003 Rising Stars of Manga contest.[12] Harper Collins picked up the North American rights to the series after the closure of TokyoPop, replacing the series' previous artist Rem with Xian Nu Studios.[13] The series was one of the 2009 New York Times bestselling manga for the week of September 26.[14]
A four Manga, "Vampire Kisses: Graveyard Games", listed on Amazon from September 27, 2011. Though not much else can be found about this volume. But apparently it takes place after the events of blood relatives. Three manga in the "Vampire Kisses:Blood Relatives" series have been published.
Volume list
| No. | North American release date | North American ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 25, 2007 | 978-0-06-134081-9 |
| 2 | September 9, 2008 | 978-0-06-134082-6 |
| 3 | September 8, 2009 | 978-0-06-134083-3 |
| 4 | September 27, 2011 | 978-0062026729 |
Characters of the Vampire Kisses Series
- Raven Madison - Main character
- Alexander Sterling - Raven's boyfriend
- Becky Miller - Raven's best friend
- Trevor Mitchell - Raven's childhood nemesis, who constantly flirts with Raven
- Jameson - The Sterlings' butler
- Jagger Maxwell - Alexander's nemesis
- Luna Maxwell - Jagger's twin sister
- Valentine Maxwell - Luna and Jagger's little brother
- William Madison (a.k.a. "Billy Boy") - Raven's little brother
- Sebastian Camden - Alexander's childhood friends
- Scarlet - Raven's friend from the club
- Onyx - Raven's friend from the club
- Paul Madison - Raven's and Billy's dad
- Sarah Madison - Raven's and Billy's mom
- Constantine Sterling - Alexander and Stormy's father
- Cassandra Sterling - Alexander and Stormy's mother
- Athena "Stormy" Sterling - Alexander's little sister
- Nightmare - Raven's Cat
- Phantom - Stormy's Cat
- Henry - Billy Boy's friend
- Romeo - Luna's boyfriend
- Ruby - Jameson's girlfriend
- Matt Wells - Becky's boyfriend
- Aunt Libby - Raven's aunt
- old man Jim - graveyard keeper
- Phoenix - Mystery Man in the club
- Mrs. Peevish
- Janice Armstrong
References
- ^ ALA Book Picks 2004 (Young Adult) School Library Journal
- ^ Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber Teen Ink
- ^ Vampire Kisses Booklist
- ^ Review: Vampire Kisses Teenreads
- ^ Review: Vampire Kisses Kirkus Reviews
- ^ Review: Vampire Kisses Publishers Weekly
- ^ Ellen Schreiber: Vampire Kisses Comic Book Bin
- ^ De Lint, Charles. The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Sept, 2006, Vol.111(3), p.36(2)
- ^ Bircher, Katie. The Horn Book Review. 22.2 (Fall 2011): p396.
- ^ Right Turn Only: Volume 1 Review Anime News Network
- ^ Ellen Schreiber Pens First Manga for TOKYOPOP and HarperCollins! Comic Book Bin
- ^ Tokyopop Artist Wins International Manga Contest Anime News Network
- ^ Amazon Lists Stargazing Dog, Yuichi Yokoyama Manga Anime News Network
- ^ NY Times Manga Bestsellers: Chibi Vampire Final Volume Debuts, FMA Tops Chart About.com
External links
- Official publisher page
- Official author site
- Vampire Kisses (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia