The Reluctant Vampire Queen Finds Her Fangs – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Light-hearted Vampires with humour.
YA book title: The Reluctant Vampire Queen Finds Her Fangs.
YA author: Jo Simmons.
Genre: Teen Fiction; Humour.
Published by: Hot Key Books.
ISBN: 9781471411847.
Recommended for children aged: 11-14 year olds.
First published: Paperback July 2024.
This children’s book is ideal for: an easy read for those who enjoy vampire stories tinged with humour and a touch of romance.
To see the latest price or order, click on the book cover image.
Our review:
The Reluctant Vampire Queen Finds Her Fangs is the third book in the Reluctant Vampire series, and Simmons does not disappoint with the continued trials and tribulations of Mo Merrydew. The novel finds Mo, the human leader of all vampires, struggling to come to terms with her duty to maintain amicable relations between humans and vampires, while fulfilling her royal responsibility to meet the needs of the vampire population and their increasing thirst for human blood.
If this wasn’t enough for Mo to manage, she is also faced with her own issues: romantic strife following the departure of her boyfriend Luca, the advances of ?, relationships with her family, and her newfound preference for pepperoni over mini Battenberg!
Mo embarks on another amusing adventure in search of an artificial blood prototype and meets characters both old and new, on Scottish isles and in runner bean patches. This simple but effective plot captures Mo’s evolution as a human, from her initial resistance to her social responsibilities as a leader to her willingness to sacrifice her own needs for those within her community.
n this easy-to-read novel, Simmons addresses the inevitable teenage issues with a highly effective mixture of sincerity and humour through Mo’s warm and relatable narrative voice. Her consistent self-doubt, conflicted emotions and authentic monologue enable any teenage reader to safely explore the inevitable turbulence of family, friendship and adolescent romance.
Despite its simplicity, The Reluctant Vampire Queen Finds Her Fangs is an edge-of-your-seat read, a poignant rollercoaster ride of laughter and tears, with a resounding desire for another Vampire Queen escapade
Our verdict:
The Reluctant Vampire Queen Finds her Fangs is ideal for less confident 12+ year-old readers who would benefit from an easy read laced with comedy, absurdity and occasional emotion. It’s great for a group read to explore issues common to many adolescents.
Many thanks to Hot Key Books for the review copy.
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If you like The Reluctant Vampire Queen Finds Her Fangs by Jo Simmons you might also like: our reviews of Work It, Lara Bloom by Dee Benson, Growing Up Powerful by Nona Willis Aronowitz, Best Friends Forever by Lisa Williamson and The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly-Mei by Christina Matula.
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