Review: Secret of the Reaping by Kalynn Bayron

Secret of the Reaping (The Vanquishers #2)
Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published October 10, 2023

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About Secret of the Reaping

The Vanquishers are back and ready to defend their town against the undead in this spooky middle grade from New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron.

Boog and her best friends, Cedrick, Jules, and Aaron–aka the Squad–stick together, no matter what. Now that vampires are back, they’ll need to take their Vanquisher lessons more seriously than ever. But who is behind this return of the undead?

When strange disappearances keep happening across their community and the Department of Vampire Affairs not-so-subtly warns Boog’s mom to keep quiet about vampires returning, it looks like uncovering the truth won’t be so easy. The Squad is eager to kick some undead butt, but will they be able to convince their parents they are ready to fight alongside the Vanquishers?

My Review

I’m really enjoying this series. I love the way the story is centered around families and family history. The book feels like a version of The Incredibles but with an all-Black cast and the addition of vampires. It’s high-energy and fun, and a very quick read. I read this one in a couple of sittings.

The story picks up pretty nearly where the first book in the series, THE VANQUISHERS, ends, and there are several references back to things that happened in the first book. If you haven’t read the first book in the series, I would start with that one first.

I loved the close-knit community featured in the book and the deep friendships between Boog and her friends. I’ll be continuing with the series and looking forward to the next installment!

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are Black. One of Boog’s best friends in nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Vampires exist in the book.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. A young vampire drinks blood (from medical packets) and from small animals. A woman eats flies. Vampires and hostile people attack Boog and her family. Students at school bully Boog and her friends.

Drug Content
None.

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