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Vampire University #1
Vampire University
Constantly moving as she grew up, Taylor had learned the hard way how to blend in wherever she went. But when she moves to VanCamp University for her freshman year of college, she immediately finds herself at the center of attention of nearly everyone she encounters. From the charismatic and mysterious Evans twins, to her quirky, clingy roommate Hannah, it seems that the people in Taylor's new college life have no intention of letting her be the wallflower.
It's not just blending in that Taylor has to worry about, though. At VanCamp University, there is more to the staff and students than meets the eye. While trying to adjust to her new life on campus, she finds herself in a world where fairy tales and reality collide, where gargoyles and leprechauns mingle with humans and vampires, and where nothing is as it first appears.
And as she discovers the truth of her own unusual heritage, Taylor learns that fairy tales are just the beginning.
It's not just blending in that Taylor has to worry about, though. At VanCamp University, there is more to the staff and students than meets the eye. While trying to adjust to her new life on campus, she finds herself in a world where fairy tales and reality collide, where gargoyles and leprechauns mingle with humans and vampires, and where nothing is as it first appears.
And as she discovers the truth of her own unusual heritage, Taylor learns that fairy tales are just the beginning.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 7, 2012
222 people are currently reading
919 people want to read
About the author
V.J. Erickson
5 books33 followersA military brat as a child, VJ Erickson has lived across the country, from Washington state to South Carolina and many places between. He spent a number of his elementary and middle school years riding his bike and playing make-believe in the woods of a small village in Germany and now still feels the itch to travel abroad.
A city-lover at heart, he is drawn to bustling metropolises like Tokyo, Beijing, and Singapore and now lives in southern Connecticut just outside of New York City, his favorite place on the planet.
He loves hanging out with his dog Toby, watching the Food Network then trying (occasionally succeeding) to make up his own recipes, and tending to his modest container garden on his apartment balcony.
A city-lover at heart, he is drawn to bustling metropolises like Tokyo, Beijing, and Singapore and now lives in southern Connecticut just outside of New York City, his favorite place on the planet.
He loves hanging out with his dog Toby, watching the Food Network then trying (occasionally succeeding) to make up his own recipes, and tending to his modest container garden on his apartment balcony.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
April 28, 2018
Some events felt a bit forced , the idea of the story has been over used in the vampire genre, although I think it is one of the few good execution for it .
I had zero expectations for this book so I should have enjoyed it more but I really didn't, it was good but I don't care about it enough to finish it even though I actually think it would get better throughout the series if not in the end of this book.
I had zero expectations for this book so I should have enjoyed it more but I really didn't, it was good but I don't care about it enough to finish it even though I actually think it would get better throughout the series if not in the end of this book.
February 21, 2013
3.5 stars
This was a good book, though I did have a few problems with it. Some of the events seemed a bit forced, and some where a bit anticlimatic. You can definitely tell this book was meant as more of an intro into the series then a daring series beginner. It came across as being more like a glossary at times with a bit of action, giving you background and other important info that will be useful to remember for future books. Even the conflicts were set up to be fully resolved in later books and the ending was ambiguous, which did make me want to really read book 2. Also, the pacing was odd to me. There would be all this info and set-up and then BAM! All of a sudden there's a huge plot twist that I never saw coming and didn't fit into the story. It felt a bit like the author finished the book and then thought, "hmmm, not enough action, what can I throw in to make this more interesting? I know!" And while the writing isn't superb and at times it feels like an info dump that you want to skip, it still was a good story. With a bit more organization and more balanced dialogue and action instead of info dumps, this could have been a great book.
My dislikes aside, this was an interesting book and this series does show promise. I did enjoy this story, and while it isn't going down as one of my favorite vamp books, it still offers a different take on vampires (and no, they don't sparkle) as well as including other mythological creatures that I hope to see and learn more about in future books. I would recommend this story to others as the author definitely shows promise and for all of you tired of the Twilight craze, this is a refreshingly different take on teen vamps.
Also, I'd like to add a little shout-out that I'm sincerely rooting for my boys T and J to get together, I think they'd make a great couple. And if you want to know exactly who I'm talking about, read the book.
This was a good book, though I did have a few problems with it. Some of the events seemed a bit forced, and some where a bit anticlimatic. You can definitely tell this book was meant as more of an intro into the series then a daring series beginner. It came across as being more like a glossary at times with a bit of action, giving you background and other important info that will be useful to remember for future books. Even the conflicts were set up to be fully resolved in later books and the ending was ambiguous, which did make me want to really read book 2. Also, the pacing was odd to me. There would be all this info and set-up and then BAM! All of a sudden there's a huge plot twist that I never saw coming and didn't fit into the story. It felt a bit like the author finished the book and then thought, "hmmm, not enough action, what can I throw in to make this more interesting? I know!" And while the writing isn't superb and at times it feels like an info dump that you want to skip, it still was a good story. With a bit more organization and more balanced dialogue and action instead of info dumps, this could have been a great book.
My dislikes aside, this was an interesting book and this series does show promise. I did enjoy this story, and while it isn't going down as one of my favorite vamp books, it still offers a different take on vampires (and no, they don't sparkle) as well as including other mythological creatures that I hope to see and learn more about in future books. I would recommend this story to others as the author definitely shows promise and for all of you tired of the Twilight craze, this is a refreshingly different take on teen vamps.
Also, I'd like to add a little shout-out that I'm sincerely rooting for my boys T and J to get together, I think they'd make a great couple. And if you want to know exactly who I'm talking about, read the book.
July 22, 2012
I enjoyed this book. There is some really great dialogue relative to the usual kindle books I've picked up from new authors.
April 27, 2017
An interesting tale
February 16, 2019
The story started out interesting, but it very quickly became tedious to read. Taylor was a boring main character, she didn't seem to think for herself much at all. I got this book for free on Amazon, but it's not one I'd recommend nor do I see myself continuing with the series.
April 5, 2019
Book 23 complete.
November 4, 2014
I picked Vampire University up as a kindle freebie from amazon a long while ago but only recently got around to reading it. Taylor lost both her parents when she was a child so growing up was tough now she’s ready to start her freshman year of college at VanCamp University. Her roommate is super outgoing and a little on the weird side but not in a bad way. She also right off the bat encounters the Evans brothers one is desperate to get to know other the other wants her to stay away from his brother.
When Taylor accepts a date with Eric she is surprised when he takes her for sandwiches in a secluded place at school. What should be a chance to know each other quickly turns dangerous when Eric’s sinister motives come out. When he kidnaps the RA it’s up to Taylor to save her but she learns that there is more going on at VanCamp that just trying to pass school. She also learns that her roommate knows more than she’s letting on. Will Taylor survive her first year of school or not make it to her first class.
I liked Taylor she’s an ok character but not my favorite of them all. I found myself liking Hannah there was just something about her that made me smile. I also liked Tom and Joseph even though they aren’t as key of players but I would hope to see more of them in the series. In the first book Taylor hasn’t had a lot of time to grow as a character but I see lots of potential for growth as she learns more about who she is.
I picked this one up as a kindle freebie a while back. The synopsis captured my attention right away. The concept is interesting it's just the story is a not boring. It all happened so far over a few days I felt that I didn’t have time to connect with the characters or for them to grow like I would have liked. For as many pages as the book had not a lot happened, and I wanted more. The ending also fell short for me. I might just be on an action packed kick and it was missing something. That being said I think it has potential this is a debut book so maybe the next one will be better. I just really wanted to love it but I didn't. I don't think I would pay for the next one but if it was a freebie on kindle maybe.
When Taylor accepts a date with Eric she is surprised when he takes her for sandwiches in a secluded place at school. What should be a chance to know each other quickly turns dangerous when Eric’s sinister motives come out. When he kidnaps the RA it’s up to Taylor to save her but she learns that there is more going on at VanCamp that just trying to pass school. She also learns that her roommate knows more than she’s letting on. Will Taylor survive her first year of school or not make it to her first class.
I liked Taylor she’s an ok character but not my favorite of them all. I found myself liking Hannah there was just something about her that made me smile. I also liked Tom and Joseph even though they aren’t as key of players but I would hope to see more of them in the series. In the first book Taylor hasn’t had a lot of time to grow as a character but I see lots of potential for growth as she learns more about who she is.
I picked this one up as a kindle freebie a while back. The synopsis captured my attention right away. The concept is interesting it's just the story is a not boring. It all happened so far over a few days I felt that I didn’t have time to connect with the characters or for them to grow like I would have liked. For as many pages as the book had not a lot happened, and I wanted more. The ending also fell short for me. I might just be on an action packed kick and it was missing something. That being said I think it has potential this is a debut book so maybe the next one will be better. I just really wanted to love it but I didn't. I don't think I would pay for the next one but if it was a freebie on kindle maybe.
September 4, 2012
Although I kept saying to myself, I'm tired of beings with fangs, pure white complexion and red eyes, I can't help it. I picked this book. And what did I get? - disappointment.
The plot/storyline should have been good. There's this girl named Taylor going to college all alone, no family with her. That makes the character mysterious. And then she met this girl, Hannah, her roommate. Wonderful Hannah, she's the only character I really like in this book. And they easily get along despite Taylor's self-protests of not getting too close to people. There were funny dialogues, thumbs up to the author. Anyway, everything went wrong when the author put an abrupt end to the mystery that was supposed to remain an enigma. It has to do with the supposedly gorgeous and endearing two vampire brothers - Eric and Joe and what we called Insta-love or Insta-hunger. And then to save the plot, the author tries to add other mythical beings which Hannah refuted, saying they do not exist. And then the reader finds/reads that they do exist as well as the characters. And all of us, should be in shocked right now. But hell no!
This is the problem about this book, its not well-written, some sub-plots I think should be explored more, such as why is the university housing vampires, and Taylor's half vampire state as well as her brother. If those things could have taken care of, it would make this much more better. And the ending was lackluster.
However, since its a series, I hope the author could make up for the mistakes made in this book in the next installment. (I think its already published - the 2nd book). Would I read the next one, let's say I will, but not today, not tomorrow, maybe in a few months time.
The plot/storyline should have been good. There's this girl named Taylor going to college all alone, no family with her. That makes the character mysterious. And then she met this girl, Hannah, her roommate. Wonderful Hannah, she's the only character I really like in this book. And they easily get along despite Taylor's self-protests of not getting too close to people. There were funny dialogues, thumbs up to the author. Anyway, everything went wrong when the author put an abrupt end to the mystery that was supposed to remain an enigma. It has to do with the supposedly gorgeous and endearing two vampire brothers - Eric and Joe and what we called Insta-love or Insta-hunger. And then to save the plot, the author tries to add other mythical beings which Hannah refuted, saying they do not exist. And then the reader finds/reads that they do exist as well as the characters. And all of us, should be in shocked right now. But hell no!
This is the problem about this book, its not well-written, some sub-plots I think should be explored more, such as why is the university housing vampires, and Taylor's half vampire state as well as her brother. If those things could have taken care of, it would make this much more better. And the ending was lackluster.
However, since its a series, I hope the author could make up for the mistakes made in this book in the next installment. (I think its already published - the 2nd book). Would I read the next one, let's say I will, but not today, not tomorrow, maybe in a few months time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2012
A fun, brisk read that's a little light on the world-building and plot. I found I liked it more than I should, maybe because the characters are pretty good.
Taylor has just arrived at VanCamp university. She's looking forwards to start college, and is assigned a dorm and a roommate, the pixie-ish Hannah. Hannah's friendly, if a little bossy. She also meets the clowning, charmer Eric and his gloomy twin Joe. Unfortunately neither Joe nor Eric are what they seem-both are vampires, and Eric is taking a particular interest in Taylor. Not that she would mind, but when Eric crosses the line one night, Taylor finds that maybe she isn't so normal herself.
There's some problems with worldbuilding in this. Vampires in VA break a lot of the rules of being normal ones, like being able to walk around in the day. Some abilities like that never get explained. Some changes are interesting though-vampires can heal the wounds they make as to avoid detection. There isn't much explanation why vampires need to go to college, or on the general supernatural world. The plot also is a little basic, and rushes a bit at the end to provide a real villain and set up the next book.
But the characters are fun, the book is short and not really full of angst, and it misses a lot of the usual pitfalls of insta-love, dangerous bad boys presented as hot (Eric even at the start is seen as pushy,) and several others. I liked it, in a quick comfort food sort of way.
Taylor has just arrived at VanCamp university. She's looking forwards to start college, and is assigned a dorm and a roommate, the pixie-ish Hannah. Hannah's friendly, if a little bossy. She also meets the clowning, charmer Eric and his gloomy twin Joe. Unfortunately neither Joe nor Eric are what they seem-both are vampires, and Eric is taking a particular interest in Taylor. Not that she would mind, but when Eric crosses the line one night, Taylor finds that maybe she isn't so normal herself.
There's some problems with worldbuilding in this. Vampires in VA break a lot of the rules of being normal ones, like being able to walk around in the day. Some abilities like that never get explained. Some changes are interesting though-vampires can heal the wounds they make as to avoid detection. There isn't much explanation why vampires need to go to college, or on the general supernatural world. The plot also is a little basic, and rushes a bit at the end to provide a real villain and set up the next book.
But the characters are fun, the book is short and not really full of angst, and it misses a lot of the usual pitfalls of insta-love, dangerous bad boys presented as hot (Eric even at the start is seen as pushy,) and several others. I liked it, in a quick comfort food sort of way.
August 12, 2015
It wasn't bad...per say it just also wasn't very good. The writing is akin to something I would equate to the k-12 years in that it just was not very refined or polished. The dialogue was corny and often trite. The pacing was, well,wasn't really any pacing things just happened, and then happened, and then happened again. I might recommend this for someone still in middle school who was interested in the Twilight type vampires (that is to say not vampires at all).
The only real "exciting" parts were brought up randomly and resolved much too easily/quickly with little to no effort at all on the heroine. Her "friends" just barged their way into the friendship and the main character just sort of took it. There is randomly two super rare things at this school that just...show up? No real reasons or explanations for their being there.
Mainly, my problem with this book was that there really wasn't a plot and the characters don't feel "real". Everything just seemed as if someone was sitting there trying to tell you a story in a super excited voice, but they kept skipping over all the important parts, speaking way too fast, and you really only got the jist of it and not what was actually going on.
The only real "exciting" parts were brought up randomly and resolved much too easily/quickly with little to no effort at all on the heroine. Her "friends" just barged their way into the friendship and the main character just sort of took it. There is randomly two super rare things at this school that just...show up? No real reasons or explanations for their being there.
Mainly, my problem with this book was that there really wasn't a plot and the characters don't feel "real". Everything just seemed as if someone was sitting there trying to tell you a story in a super excited voice, but they kept skipping over all the important parts, speaking way too fast, and you really only got the jist of it and not what was actually going on.
August 16, 2012
It's a good storyline, but there were a few glaring mistakes that the author should have caught. Like, using one name for another in the story, that happened a couple of times, Hannah said, and it should have been Taylor said. The whole thing about the school being on an island wasn't mentioned until the end of the book--several times during the book it was mentioned that they were in a city... but nothing about an island. It was confusing that it was never mentioned before. I would have liked the world to have been built a little more thoroughly before the book ended, but oh well. It's a quick read, has potential.
March 7, 2014
Good but not great. I liked it enough that I want to read the next one, but it was all very strange.
Liked: I really like the plot. And the writing is good.
Disliked: it was waaayyy too fast and way too much information. She said she was in the dark but she knew a lot of stuff
Liked: I really like the plot. And the writing is good.
Disliked: it was waaayyy too fast and way too much information. She said she was in the dark but she knew a lot of stuff
January 4, 2016
I enjoyed this book. Always a surprise with what the characters actually were. Secrets!! I'll be looking forward to reading the next in the series
July 20, 2016
I had high hopes.
October 12, 2016
Great book
It was so good, can't wait to read the rest of it probably as good as the last one
It was so good, can't wait to read the rest of it probably as good as the last one
October 16, 2017
I obtain this book free of charges from Amazon and i have it for quite some time in my TBR list. It is a new to me author and i think i have already heard about this series but i'm not sure where or when.
So i decided to read it this month but i have to say i regret this decision.... The book has a easy to read language and a very simple writing that you can read without thinking to much about it, yet i think this is a very confusing book. Let me explain it a little bit better, in the first book of a new series i always expect some introduction to the world the author has created as well as the different creatures that inhabit it, in this book i do not get any explanation.
The plot is very fast paced and the situations happens out of thin air, which is very confusing for the reader. I fell like there is no background for the plot and i do not like it at all.
I have a small amount of curiosity about what will happen to the characters in future books but i do not think it is enough to read them.
I gave this book 1 out of 5*, it was really disappointing...
Review in the Link: https://goingtotheroomofrequirement.b...
So i decided to read it this month but i have to say i regret this decision.... The book has a easy to read language and a very simple writing that you can read without thinking to much about it, yet i think this is a very confusing book. Let me explain it a little bit better, in the first book of a new series i always expect some introduction to the world the author has created as well as the different creatures that inhabit it, in this book i do not get any explanation.
The plot is very fast paced and the situations happens out of thin air, which is very confusing for the reader. I fell like there is no background for the plot and i do not like it at all.
I have a small amount of curiosity about what will happen to the characters in future books but i do not think it is enough to read them.
I gave this book 1 out of 5*, it was really disappointing...
Review in the Link: https://goingtotheroomofrequirement.b...
March 2, 2018
Cover :- 3 stars
Sex/steaminess :- N/A
Story line :- 3 stars
Characters :- 3 stars
Overall rating :- 3 stars
Personal rating :- 3 stars
Book Pairing:- N/A
Did it give me a book hangover :- No
Is this a review book or personal read :- Personal read
Why I chose this book?
I'm always looking for the next harry potter type book and I came across this on Amazon so gave it a try.
What I liked about this book.
The book was ok. The characters were set well and the story had promise.
What I didn't like about this book.
I just felt the book was better for a younger reader. (I know but I do still read na/ya and enjoy them)
Would I read more from this author?
I might one day.
Would I recommend this book?
Yes to my niece.
Sex/steaminess :- N/A
Story line :- 3 stars
Characters :- 3 stars
Overall rating :- 3 stars
Personal rating :- 3 stars
Book Pairing:- N/A
Did it give me a book hangover :- No
Is this a review book or personal read :- Personal read
Why I chose this book?
I'm always looking for the next harry potter type book and I came across this on Amazon so gave it a try.
What I liked about this book.
The book was ok. The characters were set well and the story had promise.
What I didn't like about this book.
I just felt the book was better for a younger reader. (I know but I do still read na/ya and enjoy them)
Would I read more from this author?
I might one day.
Would I recommend this book?
Yes to my niece.
July 8, 2022
This was a clean book which I like to read. I enjoy vampire books but I don't think I'm in them as much as I think anymore. This one didn't get my interest as I was thinking it should have. Half way through it I started getting bored and guessing who was who and pretty much nailed them all before the end of the book. Probably not going to the next book. I enjoyed reading Vampire Academy years ago. This one not so much.
Plus I didn't like reading about gay people on at least one page of the book. Then it hinted in the rest of the book with two of the characters.
Plus I didn't like reading about gay people on at least one page of the book. Then it hinted in the rest of the book with two of the characters.
August 18, 2023
This booked seemed like an authors first book. They just need more practice. It isn't terrible but it isn't great. Scenes were hard to follow as their was not enough description and left me a bit confused on what was happening. I enjoyed the idea and the story itself though. If you want a quick easy read this works.
July 11, 2017
a decent story with great potential, unfortunately the story gets lost on the over descriptive actions of the characters. its still with the read, & im hoping things improve with the rest of the series.
October 12, 2017
This was an okay read. I've read better but I've read worse. At first I wasn't sure how I would feel Taylor made me mad with how she was acting. Thankfully she got better. As the book along the plot got better too. I will at least read the next book to see where the author is going with this.
November 11, 2017
2.5 stars. It wasn’t too bad. A quick read. Some of the events felt forced and the dialogue stilted. I just kept waiting for more. Very anti-climatic at times. The characters, scene building and storyline had so much potential to be so much more.
May 7, 2018
Okay read
Not really a fan of this book. Way to confusing. Nothing was as it seemed. Taylor seemed a little childish. Also hated that it switched POV without any warning or page break. Won't be reading any of the other books.
Not really a fan of this book. Way to confusing. Nothing was as it seemed. Taylor seemed a little childish. Also hated that it switched POV without any warning or page break. Won't be reading any of the other books.
Read
November 22, 2019DNF
I read a few pages. The main character is just not for me, I’ve already seen the line that goes along the line of ‘plain brown hair.’ She’s already coming across as ‘I’m shy in a not like other girls’ stereotype.
I was hoping this could be some cheesy read, but it just wasn’t becoming that.
I read a few pages. The main character is just not for me, I’ve already seen the line that goes along the line of ‘plain brown hair.’ She’s already coming across as ‘I’m shy in a not like other girls’ stereotype.
I was hoping this could be some cheesy read, but it just wasn’t becoming that.
May 15, 2020
Sometimes charming, sometimes juvenile. I know this has become a big thing with the youth, but it just didn't catch me enough. It's funny, I love some children's book, but this seemed to teenage angst for me. Twilight was far better and that is saying a lot.
January 17, 2017
This book is absolutely phenomenal! I enjoyed reading every second of this book, I will love to read the others too!
September 6, 2019
Love
I love these books can't stop reading them great characters lots of excitement and some romance and some danger can't wait to see what happens next
I love these books can't stop reading them great characters lots of excitement and some romance and some danger can't wait to see what happens next
Read
August 18, 2020Supernatural action series
Exciting action adventure with many plots and awesome characters. Loved the storyline and the suspense. A must read start to an awesome series.
Exciting action adventure with many plots and awesome characters. Loved the storyline and the suspense. A must read start to an awesome series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews