THE VAMPIRE STALKER
By Allison Van Diepen
PUBLISHER: Scholastic
RELEASE DATE: 1st July 2011
FORMAT: Paperback, 250 pages
GENRE: Paranormal, Young Adult
What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world–and came into yours? Amy is in love with someone who doesn’t exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction. (Goodreads)
REVIEWER: Becs
I use reading to escape reality and live in a fantasy world for a few hours each time I pick up a book. Allison Van Diepen has combined the two in THE VAMPIRE STALKER, bringing fantasy into her character’s reality.
This is a short, simple but fun read about Amy, a teenage girl who loves reading and is obsessed with fictional character, Alexander Banks, a vampire hunter from her favourite series. THE VAMPIRE STALKER opens with Amy and her best friends, Luisa and Katie, queuing up to get their hands on their pre-ordered copy of the new book release in their favourite series, The Mists of Otherworld .
There were many things that made me laugh, as I recognized some of the obsessive behaviour that I sometimes show when it comes to my favourite series and authors, and how I feel about certain admirable characters who I would gladly swap my husband with 
It also helped me appreciate instant downloads to my kindle so no one else could witness my obsessive behaviour. 
I found it easy to relate to Amy because Allison Van Diepen uses characteristics that some book lovers display and by doing so I instantly connected with Amy, she felt like one of my book buddies.
After receiving her book, Amy settles down to read it cover to cover before she hears any spoilers, only to throw it across the room once she is done, unsatisfied with the ending. If there are any readers out there who have not done that I need to hear from you! So many book titles were popping into my head as I read these lines, especially Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.
At school Monday morning Amy discusses the book with the school librarian, Ms Parker, and the conversation is one I’ve had many times, resulting with the same feelings as Amy.
“But it made you eager for the last book in the series, didn’t it? I thought Elizabeth Howard did an excellent job of keeping her audience on the edge of their seats.”
“You’re right,” I admitted. “I just don’t enjoy being on the edge of my seat for an entire year.”
The initial part of THE VAMPIRE STALKER is to illustrate how much Amy is infatuated with the fictional character Alexander, which is written in a light-hearted, fun tone. It then picks up pace and the action increases when Amy is suddenly attacked on the way home after a school dance. Her saviour looks and talks like Alexander Banks, but when he introduces himself as the Alexander Banks Amy feels scared and asks Alexander to prove who he says he is. After Amy checks out all of Alexander’s described scars from the books she then decides to believe him.
“It’s OK. I – I believe you.” The world was shifting around me. What choice did I have but to believe his wild story? It could be that he was crazy enough to mutilate himself in order to be alexander. But the scars looked too old for him to have made them since the books came out.
Amy helps him by explaining the Chicago she lives in compared the otherworld Chicago, provides him with a place to stay and helps him to locate Vigo, a deadly vampire and Alexander’s biggest nemesis. Alexander, uncertain of a few things, turns up at Amy’s school to ask her some questions. Needing a safe place to talk, Amy takes Alexander into a private study room off the library where Ms Parker recognises him.
Unknown to Amy, Ms Parker used to study physics, she studied a phenomena called Literary physics. Ms Parker understanding what may have led Alexander and Vigo to cross over into our dimension helps Amy and Alexander to put things right.
The final segment of THE VAMPIRE STALKER is the games, chase and fight to try to get Vigo and Alexander back over into the otherworld Chicago, even though there may be a chance that Amy’s attraction to Alexander could be returned.
VERDICT:
THE VAMPIRE STALKER appealed to my sense of humour and made me laughed at myself, I recognised the behaviour in the book and could compare it to my own obsessive behaviour and impatience for the next book in a series, going to book signings and getting frustrated at the thought of a year’s wait for the next release, especially when a cliff-hanger drives you insane. I could completely relate to Amy, although my imagination has not yet produced an actual character to come to life, I did find myself thinking about which character/s I would pick.
THE VAMPIRE STALKER is a short, simple, fun and light-hearted read. For those of you who have fantasied about a character from a book and wanted him to be real it’s an amusing read that will make you laugh at yourself. Great for a reading slump. The plot is a little immature, so I can see the ratings on this book being very varied, definitely a young adult read.
RATING: 
ALLISON VAN DIEPEN ONLINE
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3 Comments
Oh, man this sounds a really fun book! It wasn’t just books with me, I did get a tad obcessive about a few TV shows aswell.
This sounds like a really good spin on the genre. I’m glad you liked it.
P.s. Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning had me almost throwing my book across the room. Almost, cos a) it was in hardback and b)I didn’t want to kill my dog or damage the wall
Great Review
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LOL it’s funny how emotional books, movies and TV can make you!
It was a fun book no more than than but sometimes that’s all you need.
I need to pick up Karen Marie Moning series and you’ve made me want it even more now.
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I take no responsibility if you get as frustrated as I did with the last book in that series. I was so close to giving up on the last book. It was a struggle
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