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Paranormal Support Groups #1
The Reformed Vampire Support Group: A YA Mystery Comedy About Vampires Hunting a Killer
Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves.
Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren't useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the likes of themselves.
The perfect anecdote to slick vampire novels, this murder-mystery comedy of errors will thrill fans of Evil Genius.
Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren't useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the likes of themselves.
The perfect anecdote to slick vampire novels, this murder-mystery comedy of errors will thrill fans of Evil Genius.
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
144 people are currently reading
3890 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Jinks
62 books538 followersCatherine Jinks is the Australian author of more than thirty books for all ages. She has garnered many awards, including the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award(three times), the Victorian Premier’s Award, the Aurealis Award for Science Fiction, the Australian Ibby Award, and the Davitt Award for Crime Fiction. Her work has been published in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, the United States, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and Thailand.
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
Catherine was born in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her father worked as a patrol officer. Her high-school years were spent in Sydney, NSW; in 2006, her alma mater, Ku-ring-gai High School, named its library after her.
From 1982 to 1986, Catherine studied at the University of Sydney, graduating with an honours degree in medieval history. She then worked on Westpac Banking Corporation’s staff magazine for approximately seven years. In 1992 she married Peter Dockrill, a Canadian journalist; in 1993 she and her husband left Australia for a brief spell in Nova Scotia, where she began to write full time. They returned to Australia in 1994, and Catherine gave birth to her daughter Hannah in 1997. Since 1998, she and her family have been living in Leura, NSW.
She has two brothers, and two pet rats. Like most people in Leura, she has become a slave to her garden, but not to the extent that she’ll buy rooting powder.
Catherine has been writing books since she was eight years old. She doesn’t expect to stop writing them any time soon.
Author photo: Catherine Jinks in front of 'Conceptual Networks', by artist Paul du Moulin.
Photo by Paul du Moulin
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January 6, 2026
Nina Harrison, age 15 (on the outside) and age 50ish (on the inside) is a vampire. But, unfortunately, vampires in real life are far from Hollywood's vision.
"Contrary to popular opinion, vampires are not sexy, romantic, or powerful. In case you hadn't noticed, vampires are dead."
Nina lives with her (human) mother, who took to Nina's vampiric infection surprisingly well - which was a blessing.
"The plain fact is, I can't do anything much. That's part of the problem. Vampires are meant to be so glamorous..."
Because being a vampire is a lot like living with a chronic illness - one that leaves you tired, weak and perpetually cranky.
Nina's spare time is spent on writing vampire fiction - starring Zadia Bloodstone, a vampire who really is glamorous, strong and cunning - and at her support group.
"I'm not sick, Mum. I'm fine."
"That's what you always say, and you never are."
Nina attends the weekly meetings with all the other vampires in the neighborhood.
"If being a vampire were easy, there wouldn't have to be a Reformed Vampire Support Group."
And so the years went, with all the vampries complaining about their various aches, pains and nausea.
But then, the unthinkable happens.
One of her Support Group members fails to show up, and when Nina, Dave (a fellow vampire) and Father Ramon (a human priest who heads the Support Group) investigate - they discover that one of their own has been staked.
It's up to Nina, Dave and Father Ramon to investigate, but the further they look, the less they wish to find.
I really enjoyed this one!
I can see where everyone is going with their negative reviews but honestly, Nina's personality didn't bother me.
I found Nina to be a fresh and surprisingly relatable heroine. She did have a touch of whine in her voice but honestly, that would so totally be me (if I was in her situation).
The plot was fast-paced and completely unexpected. I could never predict where it was going and I loved that.
I remember checking my audiobook and being absolutely shocked that I was halfway through the book - I thought for sure that the book was winding towards a conclusion. But, much to my pleasure, there was much more "book" left!
I also am in love with the Jinks's concept of vampirism (being the equivalent of a chronic illness). I really hadn't thought of it like that before and that twist on vampires really made the book stand out.
It also made Nina and Dave's struggle all the more real as they pushed themselves past their limits to do what was right.
And, as the cherry-on-top, I just realized there's a book two! WOOHOO! I cannot wait to pick it up.
Audiobook Comments
I. loved. this. audio. The reader (Caroline Lee) really got into this book and provided excellent characterization and consistent personalities throughout. She really brought the words to life and I was completely drawn into this novel. Fabulous choice on readers!
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December 21, 2022
Vampires who stick to a non-human diet are sickly, anxiety-riddled, and tire easily.
This part reminded me of The Radleys. <--TRVSG was published 1st, btw.
The plots go in vastly different directions, as well. In other words, just because you like one doesn't mean you will like the other.
Also, this is YA? It doesn't read like a YA book at all, and I don't mean that it has sex in it or anything, just that the tone of the book didn't feel young adult. Beyond that, the story didn't revolve around teenagers. So I'm not sure...?
Someone help me with that.
This gist is that the vampires in the support group lose a (rather awful) member to a vampire hunter. This sets them on a course to find out who is hunting for them, and more importantly why this person is intent on hunting down a bunch of basically toothless vampires.
That question leads this normally introverted, bickering, homebound group of sickly vampires to pack up their guinea pig snacks and vitamin supplements and go on the adventure of a lifetime.
And while it isn't a road trip most of them want to take, it does get them out of the house.
They meet new people (who want to kill them), make friends with a werewolf, and some might even find a bit of romance along the way.
It's a cute story. It didn't blow my mind, but it was so much better than I thought it would be when I was reading the blurb. If you're looking for something slightly different from the vampire genre, this might be something for you to consider.
Recommendedish. <--depending on your taste!
This part reminded me of The Radleys. <--TRVSG was published 1st, btw.
The plots go in vastly different directions, as well. In other words, just because you like one doesn't mean you will like the other.
Also, this is YA? It doesn't read like a YA book at all, and I don't mean that it has sex in it or anything, just that the tone of the book didn't feel young adult. Beyond that, the story didn't revolve around teenagers. So I'm not sure...?
Someone help me with that.
This gist is that the vampires in the support group lose a (rather awful) member to a vampire hunter. This sets them on a course to find out who is hunting for them, and more importantly why this person is intent on hunting down a bunch of basically toothless vampires.
That question leads this normally introverted, bickering, homebound group of sickly vampires to pack up their guinea pig snacks and vitamin supplements and go on the adventure of a lifetime.
And while it isn't a road trip most of them want to take, it does get them out of the house.
They meet new people (who want to kill them), make friends with a werewolf, and some might even find a bit of romance along the way.
It's a cute story. It didn't blow my mind, but it was so much better than I thought it would be when I was reading the blurb. If you're looking for something slightly different from the vampire genre, this might be something for you to consider.
Recommendedish. <--depending on your taste!
January 24, 2011
Once upon a time, there lived a young, handsome vampire. This vampire, let's call him Eddie, was a beautiful specimen of manhood, glowing with health and vitality. He was blessed with several superpowers, not the least of which was an ability to attract ordinary-looking, pale-faced teenage vampire wanna-bes. And that was only the least of Eddie's talents. He could also... *gasp*... read minds! He sparkled like a diamond in the sun, he never needed any sleep and he was insanely physically powerful. In short, he was everything that the vampires of the Reformed Vampired Support Group are not.
Yes, welcome to the real world of the vampires. They're not god-like beings with superpowers. They're sad, pathetic immortals clinging to the remnants of their humanity. They have self-imposed rules that prevent them from drinking human blood, lest they infect other people with the vamp infection. They burn to ash in the sunlight, they can be staked, beheaded, and burnt to death, and the worst part is, they're too weak to fight off anyone who wants to attack them in any of the ways listed above. They spend their days raising guinea pigs (to provide their blood supply), being sick as a dog, and watching very many, many soap operas.
I've never met a bunch of vamps more pathetic than the ones from the Reformed Vampires Support Group. So it's strange that I found them kind of... endearing. It's like reading a book about a bunch of cranky, whiny old people, but at least they're cute, whiny, old people. I don't know if this book is listed as a YA book, but if it is, it's grossly misrepresented. Although the story is told from the POV of a fifteen year old vampire who died thrity-six years ago, neither the tone of the book, nor the style of writing is something that would appeal to the average YA reader.
The Reformed Vampires Support Group is a duh! support group for vampires who have decided (or been coerced into deciding) not to drink blood. Fifteen year old Nina, the youngest member of the group, hates being a vampire. So much so that she absolutely fails to see that Dave, a former musician and fellow vampire has been nursing a crush on her since forever. But when one of the group's vampires is staked in his coffin, the group is forced to get off its collective ass and find the 'slayer' in a desperate attempt to preserve their own existence. What follows is several crazy hijinks involving a werewolf, an orange truck, silver bullets and homicidal werewolf-kidnappers.
I don't think RVSG is the best vampire book out there. But I'm not willing to write it off completely, either. It does manage to be funny in parts, and I really like the characters, especially Dave and Nina. All the characters manage to be what the author intended them to be. Sanford is a pretentious, prosy bore. Nina is the still-rebellious teenager frustrated with her situation and itching to get out, without being TSTL. Dave is shy and somewhat sombre, but he is also brave when the situation calls for it. Nina's mother is adorably prickly. Father Ramon is the quietly helpful facilitator who's all priestly without being too preachy.
If you're expecting a flamboyant ride through the world of the vamps, this is not the book for you. None of the characters are flashy, or particularly heroic, or even all that memorable. The romance angle is no angle at all, since it only gets a token acknowledgement in the end. So why does this book still get three stars, you ask. Well, I thought it was cute. That's all. Not spectacular, or fantastic, or horrible, or annoying, or any of those adjectives I generally like to toss around. It's just, plain, cute. Adorable, in fact.
I would be scared of recommending this book to anyone for the simple reason that I can see that it's not a universal-appeal book. It takes some work to get through the book and the pacing is pretty slow. So if you have patience, and no old-people phobias, read this novel. If you want a thrilling, titillating ride, well, you ain't gonna find it here!
Yes, welcome to the real world of the vampires. They're not god-like beings with superpowers. They're sad, pathetic immortals clinging to the remnants of their humanity. They have self-imposed rules that prevent them from drinking human blood, lest they infect other people with the vamp infection. They burn to ash in the sunlight, they can be staked, beheaded, and burnt to death, and the worst part is, they're too weak to fight off anyone who wants to attack them in any of the ways listed above. They spend their days raising guinea pigs (to provide their blood supply), being sick as a dog, and watching very many, many soap operas.
I've never met a bunch of vamps more pathetic than the ones from the Reformed Vampires Support Group. So it's strange that I found them kind of... endearing. It's like reading a book about a bunch of cranky, whiny old people, but at least they're cute, whiny, old people. I don't know if this book is listed as a YA book, but if it is, it's grossly misrepresented. Although the story is told from the POV of a fifteen year old vampire who died thrity-six years ago, neither the tone of the book, nor the style of writing is something that would appeal to the average YA reader.
The Reformed Vampires Support Group is a duh! support group for vampires who have decided (or been coerced into deciding) not to drink blood. Fifteen year old Nina, the youngest member of the group, hates being a vampire. So much so that she absolutely fails to see that Dave, a former musician and fellow vampire has been nursing a crush on her since forever. But when one of the group's vampires is staked in his coffin, the group is forced to get off its collective ass and find the 'slayer' in a desperate attempt to preserve their own existence. What follows is several crazy hijinks involving a werewolf, an orange truck, silver bullets and homicidal werewolf-kidnappers.
I don't think RVSG is the best vampire book out there. But I'm not willing to write it off completely, either. It does manage to be funny in parts, and I really like the characters, especially Dave and Nina. All the characters manage to be what the author intended them to be. Sanford is a pretentious, prosy bore. Nina is the still-rebellious teenager frustrated with her situation and itching to get out, without being TSTL. Dave is shy and somewhat sombre, but he is also brave when the situation calls for it. Nina's mother is adorably prickly. Father Ramon is the quietly helpful facilitator who's all priestly without being too preachy.
If you're expecting a flamboyant ride through the world of the vamps, this is not the book for you. None of the characters are flashy, or particularly heroic, or even all that memorable. The romance angle is no angle at all, since it only gets a token acknowledgement in the end. So why does this book still get three stars, you ask. Well, I thought it was cute. That's all. Not spectacular, or fantastic, or horrible, or annoying, or any of those adjectives I generally like to toss around. It's just, plain, cute. Adorable, in fact.
I would be scared of recommending this book to anyone for the simple reason that I can see that it's not a universal-appeal book. It takes some work to get through the book and the pacing is pretty slow. So if you have patience, and no old-people phobias, read this novel. If you want a thrilling, titillating ride, well, you ain't gonna find it here!
May 25, 2024
I bought this book over a decade ago and lost it in my Mom's house. My local indie bookstore had a giant sales and everything about this book screamed different and weird, and I like that. My Mom found it recently as she was cleaning and so I happily picked it up. Maybe a decade too late for my preference, but I loved it just as much as I would have then.
This is such a different concept and man, does it go in wild directions. Reformed vampires create a support group but everything goes eerie when one of them is murdered. And somehow we're going to learn about werewolves and murderers too. This whole book is fun, wild, and unpredictable. I love it and I know I have the sequel hiding somewhere in my house... Catherine Jinks is great and I can't wait for more!
Four out of five stars.
This is such a different concept and man, does it go in wild directions. Reformed vampires create a support group but everything goes eerie when one of them is murdered. And somehow we're going to learn about werewolves and murderers too. This whole book is fun, wild, and unpredictable. I love it and I know I have the sequel hiding somewhere in my house... Catherine Jinks is great and I can't wait for more!
Four out of five stars.
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October 1, 2023
I can't even properly express what an incredible and original book this is.
Here's a TOTALLY new twist on vampires. The heroine, Nina, is technically 15 but she was infected as a vampire back in 1973, so she's actually 51. She's part of the Reformed Vampire Support Group which consists of all the vampires in Australia (there are only like seven of them) meeting weekly to discuss issues ad nauseam.
The thing is, being a vampire isn't great at all. It means you're constantly weak, tired, scared, and passive. You have to live off guinea blood. Nina hates it. It doesn't make you young, strong, or beautiful in any way. You just are.
Then suddenly someone stakes one of their fellow vampires, and their boring existences are disrupted as they're forced to search for the killer.
This book is bloody funny. It's all dark comedy, but it's absolutely spot-on, and Nina's mental voice is awesome. She's basically half perpertual teenager, half middle-aged moaner. Jinks gets the delivery totally right.
Of course, this review wouldn't be complete unless I talk about the romance. SWOON. It's one of my favourite types - Dave, a 17-year-old vampire, has never made a move in the last 40 years because he thought he hated her kind. But he's totally in love with her, she's totally oblivious to it, and everyone else totally knows. Delicious.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
Here's a TOTALLY new twist on vampires. The heroine, Nina, is technically 15 but she was infected as a vampire back in 1973, so she's actually 51. She's part of the Reformed Vampire Support Group which consists of all the vampires in Australia (there are only like seven of them) meeting weekly to discuss issues ad nauseam.
The thing is, being a vampire isn't great at all. It means you're constantly weak, tired, scared, and passive. You have to live off guinea blood. Nina hates it. It doesn't make you young, strong, or beautiful in any way. You just are.
Then suddenly someone stakes one of their fellow vampires, and their boring existences are disrupted as they're forced to search for the killer.
This book is bloody funny. It's all dark comedy, but it's absolutely spot-on, and Nina's mental voice is awesome. She's basically half perpertual teenager, half middle-aged moaner. Jinks gets the delivery totally right.
Of course, this review wouldn't be complete unless I talk about the romance. SWOON. It's one of my favourite types - Dave, a 17-year-old vampire, has never made a move in the last 40 years because he thought he hated her kind. But he's totally in love with her, she's totally oblivious to it, and everyone else totally knows. Delicious.
[Blog] - [Bookstagram]
October 2, 2017
I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I just...couldn't.
Let me start off by saying that Jinks's take on vampires is very original and a nice change of pace from the recent glamorous outlook the YA genre has given them.
But when you have a bunch of "supernatural" characters with no real special abilities or talents, (not to mention a whiny, depressed main character who doesn't seem to like anyone, and a bunch of annoying, angry side characters) it makes for pretty boring reading. Honestly, I couldn't even bring myself to care about the murder by the time it showed up. And it showed up fairly quickly.
Also, the writing was kind of...choppy. Jinks spent a lot of time describing places and objects that have no real relevance to the story in great detail. And other times there were sentences and things that I felt were just worded childishly. She also doesn't do a very good job of disinguishing characters from one another. Half the time when she mentioned a name I had no clue which person she was talking about. This is probably because she introduces too many characters at once.
So as fun as this book sounded, I had to put it down.
Let me start off by saying that Jinks's take on vampires is very original and a nice change of pace from the recent glamorous outlook the YA genre has given them.
But when you have a bunch of "supernatural" characters with no real special abilities or talents, (not to mention a whiny, depressed main character who doesn't seem to like anyone, and a bunch of annoying, angry side characters) it makes for pretty boring reading. Honestly, I couldn't even bring myself to care about the murder by the time it showed up. And it showed up fairly quickly.
Also, the writing was kind of...choppy. Jinks spent a lot of time describing places and objects that have no real relevance to the story in great detail. And other times there were sentences and things that I felt were just worded childishly. She also doesn't do a very good job of disinguishing characters from one another. Half the time when she mentioned a name I had no clue which person she was talking about. This is probably because she introduces too many characters at once.
So as fun as this book sounded, I had to put it down.
March 20, 2017
---
Another "Try something different" from Overdrive app... latter half or so finished via paperback.
I originally downloaded this to cheer up my friend Jessie while I stayed with her (long and personal story) but we never got to it. Instead, I listened to this for my whole two hour drive back from her place to keep me awake. It made the whole drive go by quicker and I found myself sucked in fairly quickly.
We all have the 'normal' image of vampires stuck in our heads... glamorous, evil, sometimes romanticized, drinking human blood etc.
Get that out of your head, otherwise you may not have a chance of enjoying(or maybe you will anyway, I could be wrong). These vampires are not your typical lot. It's all in the description so I won't bore you with it. It took a short while to get used to it but Nina's narration won me over and I looked forward to listening to this (some days I had to skip because I was too tired) on the way to and from work.
Caroline Lee is the narrator. she does a fantastic job of bringing everyone to life and making each voice distinct. I still heard her voice when I switched to the physical book as well.
LOVED everyone in here (with exception of one, we don't get to know him well), and was rooting for em all the way through. Sanford did get annoying at times, but you understand where he is coming from.
One character surprised me. Wasn't what I expected and what happened after was a pleasant surprise, and amusing in its own way.
This was just a fun book and just what I needed after a dud and a depressing one.
Wouldn't mind reading more of these characters, would recommend... off to purchase the sequel *runs off to amazon*
September 16, 2024
obsessed with the concept of a catholic priest who has nothing else to do except babysit a group of sickly vampires. parish duties WHOMST? daily Mass schedule WHICH
So this is a really fun take on the vampire archetype, which basically subverts the "powerful hot teenage immortal" stuff to make them weak and crotchety and elderly and subject to all kinds of bodily unpleasantness. Vampirism is a chronic illness, you see. So they gotta have a support group. And they need a pastor run it. Enter Father Ramon Alvarez, the most mysteriously leisured and available priest since GKC's Father Brown.
The ending fell a bit flat for me and had some troubling moral implications, otherwise I might have rated this five stars. Lovely premise, really lovely.
So this is a really fun take on the vampire archetype, which basically subverts the "powerful hot teenage immortal" stuff to make them weak and crotchety and elderly and subject to all kinds of bodily unpleasantness. Vampirism is a chronic illness, you see. So they gotta have a support group. And they need a pastor run it. Enter Father Ramon Alvarez, the most mysteriously leisured and available priest since GKC's Father Brown.
The ending fell a bit flat for me and had some troubling moral implications, otherwise I might have rated this five stars. Lovely premise, really lovely.
September 3, 2009
I really enjoyed this one. These vampires are NOT: sexy, powerful, mesmerizing, scary, or in any way sparkly. These vampires are sickly misfits who whine a lot, trying to get by without biting anyone, living off of guinea pigs (they breed fast) and attending their support group meetings every Tuesday.
Nina was bit as a teenager, and still lives at home with her mom. She writes vampire novels to earn her keep, but she doesn't like being a vampire, or vampires in general. They're all such losers! Well, okay, Sandford is a doctor, and he figured out an enzyme supplement so they don't have to bite people to live, but he's really pompous. Gladys was a streetwalker back at the turn of the century, and a huge complainer, and Horace is probably running some kind of embezzlement scheme, and dresses like a Lestat-wannabe. Dave seems okay, he helped install Nina's computer. But Casimir is the worst - he's the one that brought vampirism to Australia in the first place! And bit Nina, on her way home from a party, before Sandford could catch him. Jerk!
So when Casimir doesn't show up for the group meeting, and is found reduced to a pile of ashes, Nina is surprised to find herself inspired by her fictional heroine to be brave, and volunteer to help track down the slayer. And since Dave can drive, he agrees to come, too, and take turns driving the van with Father Ramon, the priest who leads the group meetings.
Their only clue is a silver bullet, found in the ashes, along with a stake. Clearly, their adversary believes in overkill. And doesn't realize silver bullets are for werewolves, not vampires. Whatever.
I liked having these underdog vampires as unlikely heroes, and Nina's snarky narration. A refreshing change of pace in teen vampire stories. Recommended for everyone sick of hearing about Twilight.
Nina was bit as a teenager, and still lives at home with her mom. She writes vampire novels to earn her keep, but she doesn't like being a vampire, or vampires in general. They're all such losers! Well, okay, Sandford is a doctor, and he figured out an enzyme supplement so they don't have to bite people to live, but he's really pompous. Gladys was a streetwalker back at the turn of the century, and a huge complainer, and Horace is probably running some kind of embezzlement scheme, and dresses like a Lestat-wannabe. Dave seems okay, he helped install Nina's computer. But Casimir is the worst - he's the one that brought vampirism to Australia in the first place! And bit Nina, on her way home from a party, before Sandford could catch him. Jerk!
So when Casimir doesn't show up for the group meeting, and is found reduced to a pile of ashes, Nina is surprised to find herself inspired by her fictional heroine to be brave, and volunteer to help track down the slayer. And since Dave can drive, he agrees to come, too, and take turns driving the van with Father Ramon, the priest who leads the group meetings.
Their only clue is a silver bullet, found in the ashes, along with a stake. Clearly, their adversary believes in overkill. And doesn't realize silver bullets are for werewolves, not vampires. Whatever.
I liked having these underdog vampires as unlikely heroes, and Nina's snarky narration. A refreshing change of pace in teen vampire stories. Recommended for everyone sick of hearing about Twilight.
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August 27, 2016I’m not swearing Catherine Jinks wrote The Reformed Vampire Support Group as a parody of the Twilight universe. I’m just calling it as I see it.
If you hate Twilight, chances are you’ll love this book. And if you’re Twi-obsessed, well, then, I’ll give you a 60% possibility of enjoyment. Consider it Twilight on a bad LSD trip.
What’s different? Hmm. Well . . . imagine your mom as a vampire. The mom you know and love and shudder at when she walks around at seven in the morning in curlers and a hair-net, smoking like a moldy hay-stack and ever-complaining about her over-sized goiter. Except rather than a bottle of gin in hand, she’s drinking blood.
Weird, right? That’s what I’m talking about. No Edwardian sparkles, no super-human strength, no poetic tangents professing the passionate need to resist the smell of the wine barrel, and definitely no Greek god-like physiques going on.
The vampires in this universe never age, but their physical bodies do (or more specificly--their physical ailments do). Toenails fall off and stay off, and one’s breath is always bad. Add to that the issue of their being terrified of driving, choking, being killed, or interacting with human society on any level and you begin to get the general idea. They hide out in their homes watching TV re-runs and drinking the blood of guinea pigs (which they breed, mind you), attending their once-a-week “I promise to be ashamed of what I am” support group. Thus it is that when one of the members of The Reformed Vampire Support Group gets staked and winds up as a “pile of cat litter” in the bottom of his coffin . . . well, uh . . . maybe you should read it.
If you hate Twilight, chances are you’ll love this book. And if you’re Twi-obsessed, well, then, I’ll give you a 60% possibility of enjoyment. Consider it Twilight on a bad LSD trip.
What’s different? Hmm. Well . . . imagine your mom as a vampire. The mom you know and love and shudder at when she walks around at seven in the morning in curlers and a hair-net, smoking like a moldy hay-stack and ever-complaining about her over-sized goiter. Except rather than a bottle of gin in hand, she’s drinking blood.
Weird, right? That’s what I’m talking about. No Edwardian sparkles, no super-human strength, no poetic tangents professing the passionate need to resist the smell of the wine barrel, and definitely no Greek god-like physiques going on.
The vampires in this universe never age, but their physical bodies do (or more specificly--their physical ailments do). Toenails fall off and stay off, and one’s breath is always bad. Add to that the issue of their being terrified of driving, choking, being killed, or interacting with human society on any level and you begin to get the general idea. They hide out in their homes watching TV re-runs and drinking the blood of guinea pigs (which they breed, mind you), attending their once-a-week “I promise to be ashamed of what I am” support group. Thus it is that when one of the members of The Reformed Vampire Support Group gets staked and winds up as a “pile of cat litter” in the bottom of his coffin . . . well, uh . . . maybe you should read it.
December 12, 2020
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1.5/5 Stars
This book follows a group of real life vampires in Australia who create a support group to stop themselves from biting humans and infecting them with the vampire virus. When one of their group members is staked and killed, they find a silver bullet on the scene. Now they must risk their safety to travel across country to find the killer before he strikes again.
This was an attempt to put a spin on the romanticizing of vampires in the sense that it does the complete opposite... honestly it was super duper boring, with extremely unlikable characters. I disliked every single one of them and couldn't care less about any of them. I was also not a fan of the use of the r-word and other offensive terms. The only redeeming quality, which is why I gave it another .5 star, is because there were funny moments... but overall, yeah, not a fan.
1.5/5 Stars
This book follows a group of real life vampires in Australia who create a support group to stop themselves from biting humans and infecting them with the vampire virus. When one of their group members is staked and killed, they find a silver bullet on the scene. Now they must risk their safety to travel across country to find the killer before he strikes again.
This was an attempt to put a spin on the romanticizing of vampires in the sense that it does the complete opposite... honestly it was super duper boring, with extremely unlikable characters. I disliked every single one of them and couldn't care less about any of them. I was also not a fan of the use of the r-word and other offensive terms. The only redeeming quality, which is why I gave it another .5 star, is because there were funny moments... but overall, yeah, not a fan.
March 11, 2009
This is a comedy of reformed vampires who become tangled in a mystery involving a slain vampire friend, two greedy gamblers, a werewolf, and an oddball vampire-obsessed murderer. Will they have enough guinea pigs to get them through the ordeal? Will vampire Nina's human Mom be able to handle the stress of a coven of vampires in her home? Will Nina see that Dave is more than a former band member now vampire? Will there be new members in the support group? This book is funny as anything! A few slow spots here and there, but well worth the read!
March 8, 2012
This book, like so many others, begins with the author proclaiming, "Everything you know about vampires is wrong!" and ends up leaving readers with the impression that nearly everything they knew about readers is, in fact, right.
Jinks's vampires do sleep during the day, drink blood, create other vampires when they feed on humans, and can be killed by being staked. In most ways, traditional vampires. They've also chosen to (or been coerced into) following a non-human diet, complete with the support group of the title. Guinea pigs, here, with supplements to add nutritional value. The only real difference is that, instead of having fabulous supernatural powers, Jinks's vampires are weak and spend most of their lives physically ill. Of course, it does make being a vampire sound less than appealing, but it doesn't really make for a compelling and interesting cast of characters, seeing as that they spend most of their time in the bathroom.
The book is mostly concerned with setting up this totally unappealing lifestyle, but there is something bigger going on. First, one of their group (the most unsympathetic, of course) is staked by a wannabe slayer. Then, in the course of their investigations, they come across a werewolf fighting operation, where they rescue the captive werewolf. Both would have been more interesting if Nina were a bit less self-absorbed, which she describes as being a symptom of vampirism.
It's an interesting take on vampires, but I think that Jinks went a little too far in de-glamming them, ending up with characters I'd rather put to bed than read about.
Jinks's vampires do sleep during the day, drink blood, create other vampires when they feed on humans, and can be killed by being staked. In most ways, traditional vampires. They've also chosen to (or been coerced into) following a non-human diet, complete with the support group of the title. Guinea pigs, here, with supplements to add nutritional value. The only real difference is that, instead of having fabulous supernatural powers, Jinks's vampires are weak and spend most of their lives physically ill. Of course, it does make being a vampire sound less than appealing, but it doesn't really make for a compelling and interesting cast of characters, seeing as that they spend most of their time in the bathroom.
The book is mostly concerned with setting up this totally unappealing lifestyle, but there is something bigger going on. First, one of their group (the most unsympathetic, of course) is staked by a wannabe slayer. Then, in the course of their investigations, they come across a werewolf fighting operation, where they rescue the captive werewolf. Both would have been more interesting if Nina were a bit less self-absorbed, which she describes as being a symptom of vampirism.
It's an interesting take on vampires, but I think that Jinks went a little too far in de-glamming them, ending up with characters I'd rather put to bed than read about.
June 2, 2019
Purely random impulse buy from the used-book shelf at the library.
You really can't go wrong for a dollar but this book turned out to be rather good. I enjoyed Jinks' deglamourization of vampires & Nina is a likable narrator.
You really can't go wrong for a dollar but this book turned out to be rather good. I enjoyed Jinks' deglamourization of vampires & Nina is a likable narrator.
April 29, 2013
This book was practically oozing with potential. I mean, it had a decent concept and it was done by Catherine Jinks, who happens to be one of my favorite authors because of her Evil Genius trilogy. But this book isn't Evil Genius.
Unfortunately.
The book never actually went anywhere, like I was expecting it to. The entire time I was practically bored out of my mind, and I had to force myself to finish it because I was hoping that it might eventually get good. At the time, I didn't know how wrong I would be.
The characters weren't exactly interesting and they felt like cardboard-cutout, clichéd characters with forced personalities that didn't feel natural at all. Most of them are introduced in the first few pages of the book, and so it got just a bit confusing at first. Granted, I did like the main character, Nina, as the book is told in her perspective from first-person view. She was an all around cool character, and her narration was really the only redeeming quality that this book has to offer.
The plot, like I said before, goes absolutely nowhere. Heck, the intro of the book is one of those "book within a book" scenarios, where Nina gives us an excerpt of a book she's written. If we were given THAT book, the one Nina wrote, I would have liked it. That was fun. But instead, we're given THIS book, The Reformed Vampire Support Group. It's as if Catherine Jinks is taunting us. She knew it was bad. She must've known. After all, how do you write something as amazing and intelligent as Evil Genius, and then downgrade to writing something as sloppy as this book?
Unfortunately.
The book never actually went anywhere, like I was expecting it to. The entire time I was practically bored out of my mind, and I had to force myself to finish it because I was hoping that it might eventually get good. At the time, I didn't know how wrong I would be.
The characters weren't exactly interesting and they felt like cardboard-cutout, clichéd characters with forced personalities that didn't feel natural at all. Most of them are introduced in the first few pages of the book, and so it got just a bit confusing at first. Granted, I did like the main character, Nina, as the book is told in her perspective from first-person view. She was an all around cool character, and her narration was really the only redeeming quality that this book has to offer.
The plot, like I said before, goes absolutely nowhere. Heck, the intro of the book is one of those "book within a book" scenarios, where Nina gives us an excerpt of a book she's written. If we were given THAT book, the one Nina wrote, I would have liked it. That was fun. But instead, we're given THIS book, The Reformed Vampire Support Group. It's as if Catherine Jinks is taunting us. She knew it was bad. She must've known. After all, how do you write something as amazing and intelligent as Evil Genius, and then downgrade to writing something as sloppy as this book?
January 3, 2015
This was a nice book, I enjoyed it a lot. The reformed vampires were a lot of fun and this wasn't the typical vampire story where they are so cool, can fly and sparkle (ok, that's lame). There are actually quite inconvenienced by the disadvantages of being a vampire. They were very relatable and I liked all the characters. Even the villains turned out to be very funny. The protagonist, Nina, learned a few thing about herself and being a vampire that made the character grow throughout the book and I really like it. There were a lot of funny moments: just seeing the vampires trying to deal with the mess around was. They aren't a particularly professional bunch.
Also, Nina's mom is just awesome. And it set in Sydney (I kind of have a fixation with liking everything Australian).
Give it a chance even if you're not a fan of vampire stories (I'm not, FYI.)
Also, Nina's mom is just awesome. And it set in Sydney (I kind of have a fixation with liking everything Australian).
Give it a chance even if you're not a fan of vampire stories (I'm not, FYI.)
July 15, 2022
This book gives a very unique look at what it really means to be a vampire. Catherine Jinks creates a vampire lore where Vampires see vampirism as a virus and don’t want to spread it. And like every illness vampirism comes with some side effects.
This was a fun and quick read, the story and characters are interesting and the humor was good. The story wasn’t super thrilling but seeing our protagonists trying to work around their weaknesses and saving their own world was really interesting.
This was a fun and quick read, the story and characters are interesting and the humor was good. The story wasn’t super thrilling but seeing our protagonists trying to work around their weaknesses and saving their own world was really interesting.
December 19, 2010
I don't know why I chose this. I walked into the teen room and stated, "I do not want to read any more books about anything even vaguely supernatural. No more fairies, no more werewolves and certainly no more vampires!"
And I walked out with this.
Let's hope it's funny, otherwise, I'm going to start staking people through the heart (not really).
This was a cute little story - I liked the idea that vampires have a blood disease and need a support group, a group that helps them learn how to cope with their limitations as well as to not spread the disease.
I am torn on the reader - while I liked her voice and her squeaky inflections amused me to no end, I felt she wasn't necessarily true to the voice of all the characters and her squeakiness got on my nerves in many cases.
I'm not sure this will be a story I remember for long, but I enjoyed listening to it during my daily drive.
And I walked out with this.
Let's hope it's funny, otherwise, I'm going to start staking people through the heart (not really).
This was a cute little story - I liked the idea that vampires have a blood disease and need a support group, a group that helps them learn how to cope with their limitations as well as to not spread the disease.
I am torn on the reader - while I liked her voice and her squeaky inflections amused me to no end, I felt she wasn't necessarily true to the voice of all the characters and her squeakiness got on my nerves in many cases.
I'm not sure this will be a story I remember for long, but I enjoyed listening to it during my daily drive.
May 27, 2011
I have been looking forward to reading this book for a while, especially so since I saw the cover for the companion novel, The Abandoned Werewolf Support Group. I expected Catherine Jinks to be really funny, and hoped that this would be a good readalike for S. G. Browne's Breathers (which deals with zombies). Very much to my disappointment, it was not.
The main problem is that Jinks goes too far in her attempt to deromanticize vampires. She wants to make them everything that's unlikable, pretty much. They're lazy, slow, stupid, boring and not attractive. Well, she succeeded in not making them Twilightish, but she also succeeded in making them not at all interesting. I didn't give a damn about any of the characters, except maybe Dave, because they were all of the things previously mentioned.
Plus, I did not much appreciate the constant references to guinea pig nomming. I mean, once, fine, but every time someone needs a little pick me up? And, here's some advice, Jinks: saying that you'll spare the audience a description of the gory happenings is the same as describing it. This is a perfect example of how something was supposed to be both funny and off-putting, but only managed the latter.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group fell completely flat. It was a struggle to read from the first pages to the last. I am not giving up on Jinks yet, but only because I already have copies of two more of her books to read. I hope, for my sake, that the others are better.
The main problem is that Jinks goes too far in her attempt to deromanticize vampires. She wants to make them everything that's unlikable, pretty much. They're lazy, slow, stupid, boring and not attractive. Well, she succeeded in not making them Twilightish, but she also succeeded in making them not at all interesting. I didn't give a damn about any of the characters, except maybe Dave, because they were all of the things previously mentioned.
Plus, I did not much appreciate the constant references to guinea pig nomming. I mean, once, fine, but every time someone needs a little pick me up? And, here's some advice, Jinks: saying that you'll spare the audience a description of the gory happenings is the same as describing it. This is a perfect example of how something was supposed to be both funny and off-putting, but only managed the latter.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group fell completely flat. It was a struggle to read from the first pages to the last. I am not giving up on Jinks yet, but only because I already have copies of two more of her books to read. I hope, for my sake, that the others are better.
February 13, 2015
This book should have had more humor. I mean, it was an interesting read and all, but it needed less drama and more funny. So much potential with a Australian reformed vampire support group.
But the writing was well done. This author uses great descriptive language. And I think some of the best descriptions I've ever heard of what it might be like to have a vampire's cravings.
But the writing was well done. This author uses great descriptive language. And I think some of the best descriptions I've ever heard of what it might be like to have a vampire's cravings.
July 6, 2020
This was a really fun read. I definitely felt bad for all of the vampires because it didn't seem to be fun for any of them. They had to live off of Guinea pigs and they seemed to be miserable all of the time. It was nice that her mom still supported her, even after all of this time and the fact that she was a vampire. The werewolf was a hilarious addition to the story, and created a love triangle. I liked the main character, she was snarky, sarcastic, and made it perfectly clear that she thinks everyone in her group is a loser. But, it was cute when she got together with her fellow vampire.
September 29, 2022
This was fun! This is how to write a vampire who doesn't like being a vampire without all the angst.
September 8, 2009
Catherine Jinks has always had a knack for creating quirky and bizarre characters, and she has done right that with her first attempt at vampire literature. In fact, she has completely rewritten the way people view vampires. Her hero is a Nina, who appears to be just 15, but has been a vampire in Australia for decades. Unfortunately, that means everyone around her, whether her senior citizen mother or the other vamps insist on treating her as a child.
Nina is also not on her own. She has a support group, and not in the more loose definition. It is actually a group of vampires that have come together with the hope of avoiding the darker side of their existence. They don't want to feed of others and infect them. The support group helps them talk through their urges. In fact, one of the members even breeds guinea pigs they can use as a food source.
All of the vampires suffer from weakness, a look of illness, and a general unpleasant feeling. They are fortunate enough to have the support of Nina's mother and a local priest who work to try and assist them in both survival and their fight to avoid their inner nature to feed. Overall, they are successful in these goals.
All of that changes when the darkest member of the group is found dead ... or at least the remnant ashes are found by his roommate. None of them are sorry to see him go since most of them owe their vampiric existence to him, but it does highlight the concern that a vampire hunters may have set his or her eyes on the support group.
Their only clue is a silver bullet. It proves to be just what they need to set them on a course for adventure that will help connect them not only to the bumbling vampire hunter, but also an underground fight club syndicate run by an unscrupulous father/son team that uses local werewolves as the basis for their betting scheme.
Nina and her group find themselves bringing a teen werewolf of questionable civility in to the group in the hopes of protecting all of their secrets and keep them safe. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned.
One of the funny things is that Nina is always complaining that her cohorts treat her like a child, but she is just getting the opportunity to explore romance now, when she is technically in her 50's. She ends up being torn between a new friend who may not be as stable as she needs and an old friend with a crush on her.
I have always found Jinks to have a very sophisticate humor. Her tales are always full of complex plot twists that keep the reader wanting to find out where things will end up. The humor is witty, particularly in light of how most people view vampires as having superhuman strengths and skills. Even Nina has fed this stereotype as she is an author of a very popular series of novels with a vampire heroine. It is very enjoyable to see a different take on the vampire mythos. Neither romance nor horror are the basis for this tale. It is a humorous mystery.
Nina is also not on her own. She has a support group, and not in the more loose definition. It is actually a group of vampires that have come together with the hope of avoiding the darker side of their existence. They don't want to feed of others and infect them. The support group helps them talk through their urges. In fact, one of the members even breeds guinea pigs they can use as a food source.
All of the vampires suffer from weakness, a look of illness, and a general unpleasant feeling. They are fortunate enough to have the support of Nina's mother and a local priest who work to try and assist them in both survival and their fight to avoid their inner nature to feed. Overall, they are successful in these goals.
All of that changes when the darkest member of the group is found dead ... or at least the remnant ashes are found by his roommate. None of them are sorry to see him go since most of them owe their vampiric existence to him, but it does highlight the concern that a vampire hunters may have set his or her eyes on the support group.
Their only clue is a silver bullet. It proves to be just what they need to set them on a course for adventure that will help connect them not only to the bumbling vampire hunter, but also an underground fight club syndicate run by an unscrupulous father/son team that uses local werewolves as the basis for their betting scheme.
Nina and her group find themselves bringing a teen werewolf of questionable civility in to the group in the hopes of protecting all of their secrets and keep them safe. Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned.
One of the funny things is that Nina is always complaining that her cohorts treat her like a child, but she is just getting the opportunity to explore romance now, when she is technically in her 50's. She ends up being torn between a new friend who may not be as stable as she needs and an old friend with a crush on her.
I have always found Jinks to have a very sophisticate humor. Her tales are always full of complex plot twists that keep the reader wanting to find out where things will end up. The humor is witty, particularly in light of how most people view vampires as having superhuman strengths and skills. Even Nina has fed this stereotype as she is an author of a very popular series of novels with a vampire heroine. It is very enjoyable to see a different take on the vampire mythos. Neither romance nor horror are the basis for this tale. It is a humorous mystery.
September 30, 2012
It might seem odd that my major issue with a YA vampire book is ableism, but... it really is.
This book uses the tired old "Vampirism=AIDS" metaphor. Not that you have to be very perceptive to figure this out, because the author comes right out and tells you "Vampirism is like having AIDS." (This is typical, by the way - Jinks doesn't trust her readers to figure out *anything*, so she spells out the perfectly obvious over and over.) So, what are these vampires like? Not just (hilariously, apparently) sick and deeply pathetic and helpless, but forced to live lives of complete isolation, because they are so absolutely desperate to attack - metaphorical rape, I assume - and infect normal people that they literally can't be left alone in a room with them. Yeah, okay. Even if she didn't really mean to portray people with AIDS as desperate rapists, I would expect an author to be more careful and more aware of the implications of what she writes.
It's only made better by the casual pejorative use of "retarded" and by the frequent use of "handicapped".
Right, that out of the way... I was puzzled by this book. It's packaged and blurbed as YA humorous horror, but the horror and the nastiness of it outweighs any actual humour. I'm not sure about the YA status, either. Despite her youthful body, we're repeatedly told the heroine is 51, and really, she thinks and acts like it.
It is also incredibly confusing that things like kidnapping, enslavement and murder seem to be brushed away as not really making people bad, while what seemes like a much more minor crime is horrendously punished. I don't know what she was going for there. The writing is lazy: it's first person perspective, but that format was obviously too limiting for the author, because she keeps inserting chapters about action the protagonist isn't present for, with a disingenous "I'm going to cheat a bit here." Not as annoying, though, as the device of the protagonist being a writer of detective novels and constantly (a couple of times a chapter) having bits comparing her to her heroine to her disadvantage. We get it already...
It's a shame, really, as there were elements in this book I really liked. The supernatural bloodsports, for example. As straight horror/fantasy, with the ableist issues resolved and more careful writing, this could have been a really interesting book.
I checked up on this book to make sure it wasn't self-published, as I tend to go a bit easier on self-edited work, but the author seems to have a solid publishing background behind her and be well respected. Perhaps she takes more care with works for an adult audience.
This book uses the tired old "Vampirism=AIDS" metaphor. Not that you have to be very perceptive to figure this out, because the author comes right out and tells you "Vampirism is like having AIDS." (This is typical, by the way - Jinks doesn't trust her readers to figure out *anything*, so she spells out the perfectly obvious over and over.) So, what are these vampires like? Not just (hilariously, apparently) sick and deeply pathetic and helpless, but forced to live lives of complete isolation, because they are so absolutely desperate to attack - metaphorical rape, I assume - and infect normal people that they literally can't be left alone in a room with them. Yeah, okay. Even if she didn't really mean to portray people with AIDS as desperate rapists, I would expect an author to be more careful and more aware of the implications of what she writes.
It's only made better by the casual pejorative use of "retarded" and by the frequent use of "handicapped".
Right, that out of the way... I was puzzled by this book. It's packaged and blurbed as YA humorous horror, but the horror and the nastiness of it outweighs any actual humour. I'm not sure about the YA status, either. Despite her youthful body, we're repeatedly told the heroine is 51, and really, she thinks and acts like it.
It is also incredibly confusing that things like kidnapping, enslavement and murder seem to be brushed away as not really making people bad, while what seemes like a much more minor crime is horrendously punished. I don't know what she was going for there. The writing is lazy: it's first person perspective, but that format was obviously too limiting for the author, because she keeps inserting chapters about action the protagonist isn't present for, with a disingenous "I'm going to cheat a bit here." Not as annoying, though, as the device of the protagonist being a writer of detective novels and constantly (a couple of times a chapter) having bits comparing her to her heroine to her disadvantage. We get it already...
It's a shame, really, as there were elements in this book I really liked. The supernatural bloodsports, for example. As straight horror/fantasy, with the ableist issues resolved and more careful writing, this could have been a really interesting book.
I checked up on this book to make sure it wasn't self-published, as I tend to go a bit easier on self-edited work, but the author seems to have a solid publishing background behind her and be well respected. Perhaps she takes more care with works for an adult audience.
June 14, 2010
What if a vampire was one of us? In a stark contrast to Stephenie Meyer's glam, sparkling crew of magazine-ready vamps, Jinks assembles a motley crew of regular-folk bloodsuckers. No superpowers here, no instant undead makeovers, this gang is stunted at wherever, whoever they were when they were transformed, warts and all. The situation would make for a refreshing (and funny)change of pace save for the one unfortunate catch: turns out a reading about a ragtag band of fairly run-of-the-mill sadsacks is exactly as (un)interesting as one might expect. Turns out that maybe there's such a thing as too much verisimilitude.
Nina and her reformed vampire cohorts spend most of their time bellyaching, attending their support group, and shielding themselves from the wide-range of threats to their well-being. This normally means their struggles with sunlight and improper nutrition, but when one of their own gets suddenly staked they have to do a little more than grudgingly humor each other--they have to actually pull together before they all end up poofed into a pile of ash or hauled in by the police. Unfortunately, the hijinks keep getting interrupted by irritating blackouts. Whenever Nina and her group fall into their daily vampire comas the narrative pulls up to an abrupt halt as well--each time followed by a hasty recap of what they missed. In other words, half the time there finally is action, we don't get the benefit of the action firsthand in real time and the quantity of information that gets hurriedly packed in these recaps makes it feel like Jinks had more story than time to tell it. That may partially explain why we barely get to know the characters beyond a neurotic tic and their chief physical complaint and why a romantic interest late in the book feels like a little bit of a stretch. Jinx (via Nina) slyly references Stephenie Meyer at a couple points in the book, but ultimately these little jabs only serve to remind us that the other vampire fare out there has a little more to offer in terms of both humor, drama and (for all the tweens and teens who eat it up) crushiness than we find here among Jinx's reformed vampires.
Nina and her reformed vampire cohorts spend most of their time bellyaching, attending their support group, and shielding themselves from the wide-range of threats to their well-being. This normally means their struggles with sunlight and improper nutrition, but when one of their own gets suddenly staked they have to do a little more than grudgingly humor each other--they have to actually pull together before they all end up poofed into a pile of ash or hauled in by the police. Unfortunately, the hijinks keep getting interrupted by irritating blackouts. Whenever Nina and her group fall into their daily vampire comas the narrative pulls up to an abrupt halt as well--each time followed by a hasty recap of what they missed. In other words, half the time there finally is action, we don't get the benefit of the action firsthand in real time and the quantity of information that gets hurriedly packed in these recaps makes it feel like Jinks had more story than time to tell it. That may partially explain why we barely get to know the characters beyond a neurotic tic and their chief physical complaint and why a romantic interest late in the book feels like a little bit of a stretch. Jinx (via Nina) slyly references Stephenie Meyer at a couple points in the book, but ultimately these little jabs only serve to remind us that the other vampire fare out there has a little more to offer in terms of both humor, drama and (for all the tweens and teens who eat it up) crushiness than we find here among Jinx's reformed vampires.
June 14, 2015
This book is very different from the usual vampire novel in that the vampires are neither beautiful, sexy supernatural beings or complete monsters. Instead they are pasty, skinny, sickly vampires with no supernatural powers and who have to feed off Guinea Pigs and wear sunglasses so their eyes don't hemorrhage, even in artificial light.
I wasn't sure if I liked this take on the vampire or not. I usually enjoy reading about the sexy vamp or the cruel vamp. However, as I read through the chapters I began to like the characters and this original vampire story. It's quirky, humorous and quite witty. The characters are a completely odd bunch and argue with each other like a normal family. Of course, they're not family, but members of a therapy group that they all attend every Tuesday night. But you get the sense that they are close, even if they are mightily grumpy and think they hate each other.
This is definitely a fun read. It especially picks up when Nina, Dave and Father Ramon travel to cobar to find the slayer that killed a member of their therapy group. When they get there they find a lot more than they bargained for - enter the sexy young werewolf and two nasty thugs with guns...
Verdict:
I did find the structure of the book a little odd. It opens up with Nina narrating in the third person only to switch to the first person after a couple of pages. At the end of the book it leaves you with the notion that the entire story was written by Nina as a memoir but there was no indication of this at the beginning of the book. In fact at the start we were hearing Nina's thoughts on her novel (as she writes vampires novels). It wasn't confusing, just unnecessary. It felt as though the author didn't know how to begin or end the book. However, the middle section was great and I enjoyed it a lot.
I gave this 7/10 on my blog but couldn't on Goodreads as doesn't offer half stars.
I wasn't sure if I liked this take on the vampire or not. I usually enjoy reading about the sexy vamp or the cruel vamp. However, as I read through the chapters I began to like the characters and this original vampire story. It's quirky, humorous and quite witty. The characters are a completely odd bunch and argue with each other like a normal family. Of course, they're not family, but members of a therapy group that they all attend every Tuesday night. But you get the sense that they are close, even if they are mightily grumpy and think they hate each other.
This is definitely a fun read. It especially picks up when Nina, Dave and Father Ramon travel to cobar to find the slayer that killed a member of their therapy group. When they get there they find a lot more than they bargained for - enter the sexy young werewolf and two nasty thugs with guns...
Verdict:
I did find the structure of the book a little odd. It opens up with Nina narrating in the third person only to switch to the first person after a couple of pages. At the end of the book it leaves you with the notion that the entire story was written by Nina as a memoir but there was no indication of this at the beginning of the book. In fact at the start we were hearing Nina's thoughts on her novel (as she writes vampires novels). It wasn't confusing, just unnecessary. It felt as though the author didn't know how to begin or end the book. However, the middle section was great and I enjoyed it a lot.
I gave this 7/10 on my blog but couldn't on Goodreads as doesn't offer half stars.
February 23, 2015
This book was fun. It wasn't a smashing good time, but absolutely fun. Jinks has a new take on Vampires. Not only are they not indestructibly beautiful, sexy and dangerous, they are positively pitiably weak and the absolute opposite of dangerous.
Jinks' vamps are infected with the vamp virus. This results in their literally puking up their guts and becoming unable to digest anything but blood. They bleed from their bodily orifices if exposed to too bright an artificial light, and many other weakly "issues". These vamps are reformed so don't ingest human blood. Instead they take "supplements" so that the blood if guinea pigs is enough to sustain them. As a result they often feel nauseated, are pretty weak, and all in all a fairly unsatisfied bunch. They meet on Tuesday nights to "support each other" much in the way drunks meet at AA. Sorry, reformed drunks, or alcoholics.
The story is told from the POV of Nina. Nina was 15 when she was given the virus in 1971 and has been living under her mother's protection ever since. Included in the group is a ex-nun, an old biddy, a seedy old guy, a vamp who relishes his disease and so dresses and acts the part, and Dave. Dave is another "teen" who also happens to have been a rocker. There's a bit of a "love" angle there, but it very much takes the back seat to the plot.
The vamps are protected and helped by Father Ramon. He is not a vamp and so, like Nina's mother, can watch over them during the day when they become, literally, dead. These vamps don't just rest, sleep or hide from daylight. They are completely out of commission from dawn until dusk.
The story really begins with the slaying of one of the group and the other members searching for the slayer. Along the way they discover weres and other "bad guys", some of whom become good guys. Like I said, fun stuff!
Jinks' vamps are infected with the vamp virus. This results in their literally puking up their guts and becoming unable to digest anything but blood. They bleed from their bodily orifices if exposed to too bright an artificial light, and many other weakly "issues". These vamps are reformed so don't ingest human blood. Instead they take "supplements" so that the blood if guinea pigs is enough to sustain them. As a result they often feel nauseated, are pretty weak, and all in all a fairly unsatisfied bunch. They meet on Tuesday nights to "support each other" much in the way drunks meet at AA. Sorry, reformed drunks, or alcoholics.
The story is told from the POV of Nina. Nina was 15 when she was given the virus in 1971 and has been living under her mother's protection ever since. Included in the group is a ex-nun, an old biddy, a seedy old guy, a vamp who relishes his disease and so dresses and acts the part, and Dave. Dave is another "teen" who also happens to have been a rocker. There's a bit of a "love" angle there, but it very much takes the back seat to the plot.
The vamps are protected and helped by Father Ramon. He is not a vamp and so, like Nina's mother, can watch over them during the day when they become, literally, dead. These vamps don't just rest, sleep or hide from daylight. They are completely out of commission from dawn until dusk.
The story really begins with the slaying of one of the group and the other members searching for the slayer. Along the way they discover weres and other "bad guys", some of whom become good guys. Like I said, fun stuff!
April 26, 2010
Oh finally someone decided to name the main character of a book Nina! I have been waiting for this FOREVER!!
Nina is a vampire (this just gets better and better . . . ) and she is part of the Reformed Vampire Support Group, where the poor, infected vampires get together to bemoan their fate. Nina is very annoyed with all of the vampires in her support group. They never:
• Go anywhere
• Do anything
• Change
• Treat her like an adult
In Nina’s world there is nothing glamorous about being a vampire. Sure Angel and Edward make it appear a big joy ride, but really being a vampire stinks. You are sick all the time, you have to “fang” guinea pigs to keep from passing on your curse, you never age – who would want to be fifteen FOREVER? – and you cannot go ANYWHERE. You must stay home. Between dawn and sunset you are clinically dead – it is not a fun existence. Not to mention the fact that you have to keep your eyes peeled for slayers. As Sanford constantly reminds all of the Reformed Vampires – no one likes vampires.
When a slayer finds one of the Reformed Vampires the others must band together and come up with a plan for hunting him down. This plan will lead to the strangest road trip ever and Nina will uncover a scheme bigger than anything she could have ever imagined.
This is different than any vampire fiction I have ever read. Sure there are werewolves, slayers and all that other jazz . . . but it is strange. A sweet book . . . though probably most of the credit for the four stars goes to the fact that the main character was named Nina – YES!!
Nina is a vampire (this just gets better and better . . . ) and she is part of the Reformed Vampire Support Group, where the poor, infected vampires get together to bemoan their fate. Nina is very annoyed with all of the vampires in her support group. They never:
• Go anywhere
• Do anything
• Change
• Treat her like an adult
In Nina’s world there is nothing glamorous about being a vampire. Sure Angel and Edward make it appear a big joy ride, but really being a vampire stinks. You are sick all the time, you have to “fang” guinea pigs to keep from passing on your curse, you never age – who would want to be fifteen FOREVER? – and you cannot go ANYWHERE. You must stay home. Between dawn and sunset you are clinically dead – it is not a fun existence. Not to mention the fact that you have to keep your eyes peeled for slayers. As Sanford constantly reminds all of the Reformed Vampires – no one likes vampires.
When a slayer finds one of the Reformed Vampires the others must band together and come up with a plan for hunting him down. This plan will lead to the strangest road trip ever and Nina will uncover a scheme bigger than anything she could have ever imagined.
This is different than any vampire fiction I have ever read. Sure there are werewolves, slayers and all that other jazz . . . but it is strange. A sweet book . . . though probably most of the credit for the four stars goes to the fact that the main character was named Nina – YES!!
August 6, 2009
Nina has been fifteen since 1973, when she was infected by a rogue vampire, but instead of the glamorous, superhuman life that television and Nina’s novels suggest, her life as a vampire has been boring and sickly so far.
Then Casimir, the vampire responsible for infecting half of the reformed vampire support group he’s a member of, is found dead in his coffin – staked and reduced to dust – and the boring life Nina loathes is suddenly threatened. With a vampire-slayer at large, the support group holes up at Nina’s house, in spite of her ageing mother’s protests, and the resulting quest to find and stop the killer (or at least convince him that they aren’t a menace to society), reveals the courage behind their reluctant, pallid exteriors.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group put an original spin on a familiar concept. I deeply enjoyed this novel; the fact that it’s set in Sydney and distinctly Australian was refreshing, and the quirky humour and dry wit sprinkled throughout the novel sparkled. Nina, Dave and the rest of the support group, as well as the villains, were characters with personality and quirks, each with their own motivations.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group was deeply involving, and impossible to put down. The plot was extraordinary, but deftly handled by the author. It was simplistically but beautifully written. Next to other recent vampire novels I’ve read, The Reformed Vampire Support Group stands out for its originality. A novel well worth reading, and reading again – my new favourite.
Then Casimir, the vampire responsible for infecting half of the reformed vampire support group he’s a member of, is found dead in his coffin – staked and reduced to dust – and the boring life Nina loathes is suddenly threatened. With a vampire-slayer at large, the support group holes up at Nina’s house, in spite of her ageing mother’s protests, and the resulting quest to find and stop the killer (or at least convince him that they aren’t a menace to society), reveals the courage behind their reluctant, pallid exteriors.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group put an original spin on a familiar concept. I deeply enjoyed this novel; the fact that it’s set in Sydney and distinctly Australian was refreshing, and the quirky humour and dry wit sprinkled throughout the novel sparkled. Nina, Dave and the rest of the support group, as well as the villains, were characters with personality and quirks, each with their own motivations.
The Reformed Vampire Support Group was deeply involving, and impossible to put down. The plot was extraordinary, but deftly handled by the author. It was simplistically but beautifully written. Next to other recent vampire novels I’ve read, The Reformed Vampire Support Group stands out for its originality. A novel well worth reading, and reading again – my new favourite.
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