In the heart-stopping conclusion to the Vanquishers series by New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron, it is time for the final stand against the undead.
San Antonio is on lockdown, taken over by the new hive. No one can deny that the undead are back now, but the Vanquishers found out the hard way: when they learned that an old friend is behind the latest string of attacks.
As the Squad hide out at an abandoned combat training facility, honing their vampire-butt-kicking skills, they begin to suspect that they're not alone. And when a vial of Dracula's blood--able to give unrivaled power to the vampire that consumes it--is stolen from the bunker, the Vanquishers race to recover it before it falls into the wrong hands.
The Vanquishers have always been Boog's family, the ones she trusts the most. But what does it mean when a former Vanquisher, one of her heroes, is now hunting the enemy?
Another fantastic instalment in this brilliantly written, action packed and addictive series. I would have absolutely adored this as a kid and loved it just as much as an adult. I hope we get to see more of this gang in the future but if not, this was a truly fantastic finale.
While still an overall enjoyable read, we definitely struggled a bit here. Rise of the Wrecking Crew felt a little rushed, a little sloppy, and maybe like Bayron wasn't sure how many books were going to be in the series when writing 1 & 2?
We're still heavily grappling with not sharing all the necessary information with the kids, and while Boog comments on it several times, it doesn't change how the adults approach things. We don't even get a "there's a different between a secret and not-age appropriate information" that would be a reasonable conversation to have with a preteen. Instead, it's kind of subtly communicated that anything not shared with Boog is a lie. It's a strange dance that I was really hoping we could have left in book 2.
New paradigm shifting information continues to be dropped well through book 3, including in the cliff hanger, and some of them did not feel consistent with how things played out in other books. I'm not sure if I just didn't pick up on things, or new back story was devised between books? I do appreciate the final turn of events - the details of which are huge spoilers, but I appreciated Bayron committing to it.
I doubt this would register with most younger audience, but some of the editing could have been stronger. There's a scene, for example, where Boog looks at the FangTime app and comments that there are several hours before Aaron will wake up, and then one simple conversation later Aaron is entering the room. There's also some lacking logic that really bothered me - going to the "secret" training camp location when what you are fleeing is a former member of your party is absolutely wild and, to be honest, moronic? I get swinging by to see if there was any equipment you could pick up, checking on the archive, etc. etc., but trying to actually stay there was a bonkers choice.
ANYWAY, I do really like this series - I love the modern vampire setting, and I love the emphasis on friends and family, and challenging societal norms. Definitely a big ole recommendation from me, despite my quibbles.
I’m a little tiny bit disappointed with this. The first two in the series were 4.75⭐️ and 4.5⭐️ each. I’ve loved the series! I just think this final instalment was a little rushed. I personally think there should have been a 4th book. This story had enough in it that could have been fleshed out into a training book and a fighting book, yet it was crammed into 200 pages! The series has been amazing and I’ve hugely enjoyed it. I would highly recommend to any kids for scary season! I’m sure the target audience of Middlegrade children wouldn’t feel the same as I do about the pacing
I could feel how if there would be a possible YA or NA of this series, it would be Jules and Cedrick, then Aaron and Malika, the foreshadowing was so strong, but I will ease my brain into believing it is just friendship and not think farther than that now that the series is done.
This was mainly brought by that ending because why did she have to be one as well? I didn't like that one bit.
The conclusion of a middle grade saga that fell a bit short for me. In my opinion, out of all 3 book, this is the one I liked the least and the one I expected the most out of. I think, by this point, I also got tired of some characters and how they didn't seem to be experiencing the growth I was hoping they would. Sill, as an adult maybe I'm too critical.
After their adventures in The Vanquishers and The Secret of the Reaping, Boog and the Wrecking Crew are back, faced with an even greater problem than before. Nathalia, aka Nightshade, is still intent on causing chaos, and the situation in San Antonio is so dire that the schools have pivoted to virtual learning because of vampire sightings. The Vanquishers head out of town, and Boog is surprised that her parents and their comrades in vampire fighting have a secret lair in the side of a mountain. It's been abandoned for years, so Miss Kim, Mr. Rupert, and the others have to check equipment and clean up a bit, but before long there are supplies and the group is trying to figure out their next step, especially since Mr. Alex and Aaron are vampires and add to the general sense of chaotic urgency. Boog confronts her mother when she finds out that there were samples in the lab, and that the holding cells look like they were designed for children, but her mother reassures her that the samples were donated, and she was trying to figure out how to help the children, who were sent to safety in a vampire hive. Mr. Rupert shows the group the historical archives, which include all manner of artifacts, including Dracula's teeth. A sample of Dracula's blood, however, is missing, and this is particularly bad. Because it is so powerful, if a vampire like Nathalia were to ingest it, it would give them super powers. Even though not all vampires are bad, they are all dangerous, so when an ancient vampire appears in the command center, the parents are very worried. After an attack by the Department of Vampire Affairs (DOVA) that also includes vampires, some of which the group kills, it's evident that the group really needs to go back to the city and find Nathalia and her hive. They're holed up in the kids middle school, and Boog in particular is determined to do her part to fight them. Will the Vanquishers, and the Wrecking Crew, be able to finally neutralize Nathalia and her particularly bad version of vampire-dom? Strengths: Even though this is billed as the conclusion to the series, it seems like there is room for another book, so we'll see! There's plenty of vampire lore, and even some new things, like the fact that vampires can be stopped in their tracks by rhymes! The Vanquishers' headquarters is a nice change from the family homes on the cul de sac, and is stocked with plenty of cool technology and history. This was a nice blend of planning and fighting, and I loved that Boog and the other Wrecking Crew kids finally stand up for themselves and tell the parents they want to fight. It is a little strange that this depicts a world where there are always different levels of vampires around, in the way that the characters in Weinberger's Zombie Season always have to deal with zombies; there are a lot of similarities in these two series, including the involvement of the parents! Weaknesses: Even though I love having parents involved with adventures, this means that there were a lot of people, and since it's been a while since I read the other books, I had some trouble remembering who was who. Also, there are a lot of shades of gray when it comes to how evil vampires are, which might confuse some younger readers. What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like more complex and nuanced vampire tales with more fighting and less romance, like Brown's Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting or Birchall's How Not to Be a Vampire Slayer.
I hate when a book has good characters, a fascinating world, an exciting plot, good writing and still manages to be meh.
This whole series suffered from Kitchen Sink Syndrome- it was trying to fit in everything and the kitchen sink, and it kept the pacing and tone uneven. This book was easily the strongest of the series. It was well-paced, great suspense, strong action scenes. The characters were still enjoyable, though they suffered a little from so many secrets. There were a lot of scenes where with sudden revelations, and it just got old (for TM fans, I started thinking "there's been another revelation in the lab").
The danger of a book with perpetual twists is that there isn't room to breathe and reinvest in the characters or suspense. I loved almost all the twists in the first half of the book. The second half was more hit-and-miss. I just couldn't invest in the Bad Guy. We hadn't really met this person, we knew nothing about them but that they were bad, and I just didn't have any emotional investment. There was also some choices that seemed to be just for plot effect, not actually continuity. For example, But these plot holes will probably be just fine for the intended audience (i.e., kids). I'm also not a fan of Magical UltraPower That Comes From Nowhere. It's a cheatcode that makes the plot irrelevant. Lesser complaint- why on earth was DOVA and the vampires working together? Theoretically they both bonded over their hatred for the Vanquishers, but that just makes no sense. And DOVA never actually gets beaten- they just kind of fade away while the Vanquishers get their big battle with the vamps. Again, plot holes that likely won't matter to kids, but just showed that the plot wasn't fully thought through.
My bigger qualm is why on earth this was a trilogy. The pacing throughout the whole thing was weird. The first book was purely for character development and the plot dragged on, whereas the third was all about plot. Surely some decent editing could have turned this into one balanced book?! Or even a duology- they could have put book 1 and 2 together, then spent more time in book 3 actually making me hate the bad guy. It's frustrating, because I loved Boog in the first book, loved the world building of the second book, loved the action of the third book, but there was no consistency to bring it all together. Put this with the plot holes you could drive a tank through and it kept a pretty good book from being a great book. Kalynn Bayron needs a better editor.
In Rise of the Wrecking Crew, Kalynn Bayron delivers a masterful and emotionally charged conclusion to The Vanquishers trilogy. With San Antonio under vampire lockdown and a devastating betrayal from within, Boog and her Squad face their greatest test yet: honing their skills in hiding while confronting the painful truth that a former hero is now their hunter.
Bayron expertly tightens the screws, balancing high-octane action and chilling suspense with profound themes of trust, legacy, and found family. The emotional core, what it means when the people you look up to become the threat, adds a layer of depth that makes this finale resonate long after the last page. The series’ signature blend of humor, heart, and genuine scares is at its peak here.
A perfect, satisfying end for fans and a testament to Bayron’s skill in crafting stories that are as thrilling as they are meaningful. Highly recommended for lovers of Goosebumps, Stranger Things, and stories about brave kids saving their town, and each other.
The way it ends can't be the final of the trilogy as the introductory part of the summary suggests-- if the last lines are anything, it's a cliffhanger for the next installment. We shall see.
I wanted to finish it on Halloween simply because it's an action-packed middle grade about vampires and the vampire hunting Vanquishers who are all learning their parts to play as information is revealed to the kids by their parents about their role in the history, present, and future of vampires and their vampire-fighting ways. When they enter the secret hideaway they learn about Dracula and Vlad and Van Helsing, and that evil is still afoot even in their location.
It's got a blend of funny, friends, and family but it as cohesive as the first two, though the setting grounds the story. They're an awesome set of characters.
Kalynn - that ending (both pre and post epilogue)!!!! I guessed/wondered if one of those things would be happening by the end but I did not see BOTH things coming.
Overall this is a satisfying conclusion to The Vanquishers series while still leaving more story to tell. In this book, Boog and her friends have a lot of growing to do - and the adults have a LOT of explaining to do. I feel like this book really ties the whole series together and I enjoyed the change of scenery and that the Wrecking Crew got to play more of a role in keeping San Antonio safe.
I love that Bayron has given middle grade readers a complex, romance-free vampire series!
Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, and Bloomsbury Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.
Overall this series was really freaking good! I thoroughly enjoyed each book
This book though did have one thing that bothered me... Aaron's mom, Kim, was basically not in the book at all. Certain times during the book I was like "where is Aaron's mom?" I know she wasn't a vanquisher so she couldn't play a huge role but I feel she was totally forgotten and then put in when the author remembered her like "oh yeah Aaron has a mom" so I had to take a point off for that because it was really noticeable to me
But I feel this is just me being nitpicky, this series is still such a fun time and I really hope there is a 4th book in the works with that ending
Highly recommend if you're looking for a quick vampire read and Buffy vibes
Ok, I don’t know who enjoyed this series more, me or my eleven year old daughter. Hahaha.
Rise of the wrecking crew was awesome. Action, comedy and vampires. What more can you ask for? I am a true fan of this series and am sad to see it end….. if, it’s the end…
I really think that anyone of any age will enjoy the vanquisher series. Kalynn did a great job…. It did help that I currently live in San Antonio Texas and could easily picture the story from start to finish. The look on my daughter’s face when certain spots were mentioned was priceless. 🤣
Cuteeee… really learned more about the Vanquishers/Wrecking Crew’s history, as well as the full capabilities of vampires. Overall, action packed & intriguing just like the first 2!
This one supposedly concludes the trilogy, but I truly hope that’s not the case because that cliffhanger deserves its own story!!
What a lovely conclusion to this adorable little trilogy. Some fun twists in this one! Including one that had me clapping and kicking my feet. Highly recommend to any fantasy-loving littles. (Or littles-at-heart!)
The Vanquishers patří k mé nejoblíbenější middle-grade sérii vůbec. Kniha spojuje mé oblíbené téma upírů a taky se zaměřuje na vykreslení důležitosti vztahů mezi rodiči a dětmi a přátelství. Tento třetí díl slibuje velký boj mezi Vanquishers a upíry, i když se už lidé domnívali, že upíři vyhynuly opak je pravdou a nyní jsou silnější než dříve a jejich počty se neustále zvyšují… Nechci úplně psát anotaci tohoto dílu, jelikož bych tím mohla vyspoilerovat události přechozích dílů. Přestože jsem si čtení moc užila a hlavní hrdinku Maliku s její partou přátel mám hrozně ráda, tak musím přiznat, že jsem trochu zklamaná. Ze začátku to bylo takové rozvleklé a závěrečný boj na který se celou knihu hrdinové připravují je odbyt na několika stranách. Na druhou stranu je pravda, že nejsem cílovka této knihy, takže mladší čtenáři to možná budou vnímat jinak. Ale za mě kniha opravdu mohla být delší než 200 stran, jelikož na mě působila uspěchané (hlavně ten konec). Zároveň bych uvítala, kdyby byl ještě čtvrtý díl, protože ten konec byl velmi otevřený a ráda bych chtěla vědět víc, protože ten svět, celkově to prostředí, které tu autorka vytvořila je neskutečný a hrozně ráda jsem se do něj vracela. 3.5/5*