The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer

Ninth Grade has started for Vladimir Tod, and it doesn't look like it's going to be any better than 8th grade was. Same bullies picking on him, same teachers riding his case. But no, wait, it looks like it's actually going to be worse.

For one thing, although he likes Melissa, and she seems to like him, he hasn't been able to get up the courage to talk to her, either in person or on the phone. Then, he hears that a vampire slayer has been sent to kill him, though by whom, he doesn't know, And when a man starts following him and one of his classmates, Eddie, takes of picture of him flying down from the church steeple where he likes to just hang out and read, he is sure that the town of Bathory is going to come after him with torches and pitchforks.

Luckily, that doesn't happen, as the picture is very indistinct, but it doesn't make Vlad very happy. At least he's still got Henry to hang out with, although Henry's cousin Joss will be visiting for a few months. Vlad is torn between wanting to make friends with Joss and being afraid that Henry will prefer hanging out with Joss to be him. But Joss is a stand-up guy and helps Vlad out with the bullies who make his life a misery, so they quickly become friends. Also, although Vlad killed the head of the Council, the Council has declared him human, which means nobody will kill him for it.

And Vlad is also overjoyed to get a letter from his uncle, Otis, inviting him to visit Russia with him for the purpose of Vlad being trained in how to control the minds of others, which Vlad is having problems with. Though the trip is long, the man who Otis is taking him to meet, Vikas, not only is going to train Vlad, but he also trained both Otis and Vlad's father, and the three men were great friends.

During the visit, Vlad finds out much more about his father, and is stunned to find out that his mind is much more powerful than he ever thought. But training with Vikas has its drawbacks, as when Vikas subtly implies that it is okay to use his powers to take revenge on those who wronged him. Otis warns him against such an attitude, and Vlad agrees. But Vikas also tells Vlad, finally, what a Pravus is.

Actually, it's singular. The Pravus is something like a messiah to the Vampires. Well, Messiah or Conqueror. The Pravus is destined to rise to the head of Vampire society and rule it. But at the same time, he will utterly enslave humanity. While controlling vampire society doesn't sound bad, Vlad feels disquieted by the second part of the prophecy. Henry and Joss are his friends, and Nelly raised him. He could never enslave them!

But back in the United States, Vlad still feels followed by the man he saw following him earlier, and then Joss drops a bombshell on him. He's the Vampire Slayer, and he kills them because vampires killed his little sister while he stood by and did nothing, paralyzed by fear. By killing vampires, he hopes to wipe out the people who killed his sister and assuage his sense of guilt. But he tells Vlad to ask for his help, as he's had no luck in finding the vampire. Does Vlad know anything?

Vlad is shocked and horrified and runs away. But when he finds out the identity of Joss's employer, he's even more shocked and horrified. It's the Vampire D'Ablo, who Vlad thought he killed last year! Can Vlad make him believe that he is being used by D'Ablo, and if he tells Joss the truth about himself, will Joss stand by him as a friend, or move to kill him? And when Vlad loses the Lucis, the only weapon capable of killing a Vampire as old and powerful as D'Ablo, is there any hope he can survive?

Another year with Vladimir Tod, and he's once again in trouble, with people showing up who want to kill him, out his secret, or just bring him to harm. I enjoyed this book, though, because it only deepened the mystery surrounding Vlad.

In the last book, Eighth Grade Bites, Vlad needed to find out who or what a Pravus was. But now he has a new question. Having learned what and who it is, is he the Pravus of the prophecy, and if he is, how will he end up there from where he is now? And how can he prevent himself from enslaving humans?

This book was easy to read, with the problems and solutions flowing easily and organically from the situations Vlad encounters in the pages of the book. But, of course, the situation is not wrapped up neatly by the end of the book and carries over into the next.

One of the things I like most is that Vlad, just like a real teenager, grows up during the course of the book, maturing slightly and growing in wisdom as he deals with the unique problems of being a half-vampire in a world where vampires live but are not generally known about or acknowledged. And in addition to dealing with the issues that come from requiring blood to live on, he also has to deal with the issues that every teen has to deal with: acceptance and finding a place for yourself in the adult world.

I enjoy this series very much, although my one niggle concerns the use of the President of the Council who is Vlad's foe, D'Ablo, which of course sounds like Diablo, which is a word meaning Devil. Figuring out that this guy is going to be Vlad's main antagonist is a no-brainer with a name like that. Other than that, though, the books are extremely enjoyable and are pure fun to read. Any teen and anyone who enjoys stories about Vampires or the Supernatural, will enjoy this book.