Tag Archives: vampire

Review: The Last Vampire by Romina Garber

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,
The Last Vampire by Romina Garber

The Last Vampire
Romina Garber
Wednesday Books
Published December 2, 2025

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About The Last Vampire

Pride & Prejudice meets Crave when Austen-loving Lorena Navarro attends a new boarding school expecting to find her own Mr. Darcy, but accidentally finds the world’s last vampire instead!

Pride comes before the fall.

When a boarding school opens in a once-condemned Victorian manor buried in the woods of New Hampshire, Austen-loving Lorena Navarro enrolls in hopes of finding her own Mr. Darcy. Instead, she stumbles across a coffin and accidentally awakens the world’s last vampire.

After hibernating for nearly three centuries, William Pride is desperate to find his family—and clueless about the modern world. Relying on Lorena for more than just blood, he enrolls at the school to catch up on all he’s missed.

Soon, William uncovers a chilling truth: He is the last hope for his kind’s return to power. Torn between protecting the humans around him and fulfilling his fate, William must make a choice that could change everything. Will he sacrifice his species for love . . . or will he embrace his dark destiny at last?

My Review

I like a lot of things about this book. It draws on some of the vampire tropes found in other popular vampire novels and presents them in a fresh (more consent-conscious) way. William respects Lorena’s personal space and doesn’t show up in her room uninvited. Though at first he feeds on Lorena without her consent, he quickly realizes how wrong this is and changes his behavior.

The Pride and Prejudice references come up as Lorena shares her love of the novel. She makes side comments comparing the school to Pemberley and William to the character Mr. Darcy. Her literature class reads and discusses the story (along with several others). I think the strongest connection is Lorena’s initial disgust with William and his subsequent transformation. She doesn’t pester him about changing, and her romantic feelings don’t really develop until he proves himself a better person.

That said, I wouldn’t at all call this a reimagining of P&P or anything like that. The reference is there, and the story explores some themes about pride and prejudice, but those are more subtle. I didn’t really think of William and Lorena as Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet as I read the story. I don’t think you have to make those connections to enjoy the story, either.

I picked this book up primarily because I enjoyed the “Wolves of No World” series by this author. It’s a story about werewolves and witches and Argentinian folklore. The Last Vampire is set at an elite boarding school in New England, so it has a different feel to it. If you’re looking for a modern take on a vampire story, it’s worth checking out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used fairly infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. Touching over and under clothes. A couple of scenes show sexual contact.

Spiritual Content
Some characters are vampires and are immortal.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Scenes show a vampire biting and feeding from a human, sometimes with consent and sometimes without it. Murder and brief graphic violence.

Drug Content
References to alcohol use and smoking pot.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

Garlic and the Vampire
Bree Paulsen
Quill Tree Books
Published September 28, 2021

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About Garlic and the Vampire

A farm-fresh debut graphic novel starring a heroine who is braver than she realizes.

Garlic feels as though she’s always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is happy to just tend her garden, where it’s nice and safe.

But when her village of vegetable folk learns that a bloodthirsty vampire has moved into the nearby castle, they all agree that, in spite of her fear and self-doubt, Garlic is the obvious choice to confront him. And with everyone counting on her, Garlic reluctantly agrees to face the mysterious vampire, hoping she has what it takes.

After all, garlic drives away vampires…right?

My Review

I’ve heard other reviewers raving about how much they love this book, so it’s been on my reading list for a bit. I grabbed a few more graphic novels for our home library recently and added a copy of this one to the shelf.

Most of the main characters are vegetables, which is really cute and different. Garlic, the main character, has a lot of anxiety, and she depends on her friend Carrot to help steady her. I think all the vegetable characters were originally created by a witch whose garden they used to work in. Now, they plant and harvest what they choose, and the witch sees them as autonomous beings with free will.

I really liked the scene in which Garlic meets the vampire. She’s terrified but trying to put on a big, brave front, and the vampire’s reaction made me smile. I liked the way the story resolved, too.

On the whole, I’m glad I read this one. It’s super short and really different. I think readers with anxiety will find Garlic easy to identify with, and those looking for a warm, fall vibe with a little Halloween flavor will find lots to love in GARLIC AND THE VAMPIRE.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Most characters are vegetables. There’s also a witch and vampire who appear white or white-passing. Garlic has a lot of anxiety.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
There are witch and vampire characters. The witch made the vegetable characters alive to act as her helpers, but now she respects them as individuals with autonomy.

Violent Content
Garlic worries about facing the vampire. She brings a hammer and stake made of hawthorn wood.

Drug Content
The vampire character is shown holding a wine glass full of red liquid. It’s not alcohol, though.

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Review: Bunnicula: The Graphic Novel by James Howe, Andrew Donkin, and Stephen Gilpin

Book Review and Content, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

Bunnicula: The Graphic Novel
James How and Andrew Donkin
Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published August 30, 2022

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About Bunnicula: The Graphic Novel

Celebrate over forty years of the modern classic BUNNICULA with this graphic novelization!

Beware the hare!

Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household—a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits…and fangs! Could this innocent-seeming rabbit actually be a vampire?

My Review

I remember my teacher reading the Bunnicula series to us in elementary school. At the time, Chester was my favorite. I’m not sure if that was true of the first book or if it’s because of what happened later. I didn’t feel as connected to Chester’s character in this version of the story.

The fun antics, tension, and humor were all well-represented in the graphic novel version of the book, though. I enjoyed getting to see some of the scenes play out visually. There are definitely moments where the panels perfectly capture the absurdity or fun of the story.

A few of my daughter’s cousins are really into graphic novels, so when I saw that there was going to be a graphic novel version of Bunnicula, I knew I wanted to check it out with them in mind. I bought a paperback copy of the book and will see if it interests them to read. I enjoyed reading it myself. It was really fun to be back in a story centered around pets and peppered with silliness.

All in all, I’m happy that I read this one, and I look forward to sharing it with my nephew and niece.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Main characters are a dog, cat, and bunny owned by a white family with two sons.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Chester the cat is convinced that the family’s new pet bunny is a vampire. He reads about vampires and tries some vampire repellant tricks from famous stories, such as garlic. The family finds vegetables that have been completely drained of their juices and have gone completely white.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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