Vamps

by Nancy A. Collins

Book Overview

When the sun goes down, New York's true elite all head to one place: Bathory Academy, where the young ladies of the finest vampire families are trained in shapeshifting and luring their prey. Bathory's reigning queen, Lilith Todd, is the daughter of a powerful vampire businessman, and she knows exactly what she wants from life. She wants to look beautiful for eternity and party till the sun comes up with her gorgeous boyfriend, Jules. And she doesn't...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061349178
• ISBN13: 9780061349171
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Harperteen
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Enchanting Review: Vamps

VAMPS NANCY A. COLLINS Paranormal YA Rating: 4 Enchantments New Bloods, Old Bloods and Van Helsings populate this tale of privileged vampires in New York City. Lilith Todd is an Old Blood and reigns supreme amongst the privileged sect at Bathory Academy. When one night things go terribly wrong and one of her closest friends is killed by a Van Helsing, Lilith vows revenge on the vamp that she believes caused the situation to go badly in the first place. Cally Monture is a new blood, and thanks to the legacy of her father is forced to start at the Bathory Academy, a move that instantly makes her the outcast. Its not bad enough being new--not to mention a muchly despised New Blood--but being the reason Lilith lost her best friend instantly puts a target on her back as Lilith makes no bones about letting her know she wants revenge. I liked Cally a little more than Lilith in this one. Cally, being a New Blood is having tons of problems fitting in to the Bathory Academy, a private school specifically for Old Bloods. But that's not the only thing; she has to quickly catch up on what she doesn't know--transformation, pretty much everything. And its not only the students that aren't exactly welcoming, some of the teachers are more than happy to let her know she isn't wanted at her new digs. But we soon find out Cally may not be all that she seems, a surprise that has me wondering where the series goes from here. VAMPS is a fun paranormal read. A lot of vampire myths are twisted in this one, and I especially liked how they were explained away. I really liked Lilith's secret addiction to her compact mirror so she can look at her reflection while she still has one. The appearance of the Van Helsings and Peter's inexplicable attraction to Cally, which becomes clearer at a particular point in the book. I liked watching the unusual relationship between Peter and Cally play out. I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment of the series. Lisa Enchanting Reviews October 2008

Vampire Princesses!

I love this book! The vampires are totally different from the usual ones you read about. They're kind of dangerous and sexy, not just gothy emo types. I love Exo! He's sweet and scary at the same time. The vampires have all kinds of weird powers and the world seems real, like Harry Potter's. Lilith is a super-B**** and Cally is cool. Plus there's gargoyles!!! I love me some gargoyles!!!

Vamp-Tastic!

Vamps is a "bloody" excellent book that can hang with the rest of the vampire best. These bloodsuckers have style. Lilith Todd is rich, beautiful and fabulous. She comes from a very powerful and wealthy family, so she always gets what she wants, whether it's new shoes or the best looking guy. She is the envy of all the girls at Bathory Academy where only the most elite vampires of society are able to attend. That is, until Cally came along. Cally Monture is powerful and pretty, but let's just say that she's a little less Prada and a little more Payless. Her day to day dilemmas include mortgage payments and subway fare. She lives with her mother and has never met her father. Her good grades and mysterious connections grant her access to Bathory Academy, but she has no desire to be a part of that snobby world. The best she can do is grin and bear it. From day one at school, things can only be described as nightmarish and humiliating. She doesn't fit in here at all. Even though they all wear the same uniform, she knows the rest of the girls can sense that she is not like them, and they show it with their cruelty. She especially has problems with queen-bee Lilith Todd. Cally and Lilith had met once before when a night in the park turned tragic. It nearly ended with both of them getting staked by Van Helsings, a group of vampire hunters. It is because of this chance encounter that their animosity towards each other seems to escalate with each passing hour. It's bad enough that Cally feels like she has to hide her true heritage, but when she has to deal with Lilith's bad attitude and jealousy, it makes for a pretty rough semester. Then there's the fact that Cally's old school left her playing academic catch-up with the rest of the Bathory girls, making her an even bigger target for mocking. Things can't get any worse for Cally, right? Well, not unless possibly being in love with someone who may have tried to kill you is bad. It's going to be a long year. Vamps blends the glamour and scandal of high society with the gothic darkness of vampire legend. It's a deliciously vamp-tastic beginning to a series that is well worth keeping up with. Book two, Night Life, will be flying onto shelves in January of 2009. I can't wait to sink my teeth into it. And that's a compliment, coming from a vegetarian.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

What do you get when you take the Gossip Girls and cross them with vampires? You get VAMPS by Nancy A. Collins! Meet Lilith, Jules, Tanith, Melinda, and the rest of the Old Bloods. They're young, they're rich, and they're the hottest kids in New York. But you might never see them. They're vampires. They come out when the sun goes down. School starts at 9 pm for them, and once classes are done, they're hitting the local club scene. Lilith is the crème de la crème of her posse. Her father created the blood product to make their race self-reliant and no longer need to feed on humans for their existence. Her and her gal pals attend the exclusive Bathory Academy. Her male friends attend the associated school, Ruthven's. Being Old Bloods means they are respected by everyone and can do whatever they please. Because they've not reached maturity yet, they are able to move among humans during daylight hours, and they still cast reflections. After one night of slumming (the desire to tap a human of blood for fun) at a local park, they encounter a New Blood (think "nouveau riche") with special powers and some vampire hunters (Van Helsings). The night goes horribly wrong, and one of their own kind winds up killed. Lilith is distraught over the death of her best friend, and she starts withdrawing from things. Then, out of the blue, Cally, the New Blood that was witness to the death of her friend, arrives at Bathory. It is unheard of for a New Blood to be admitted, and Cally is snubbed by all but the outcasts of the school. Cally wants to start with a clean slate, but everything she does pushes Lilith's wrong buttons. Lilith threatens Cally and warns her to stay away from her betrothed, Jules. The lines are drawn, and it doesn't look like Lilith and Cally are going to warm up to each other. Ms. Collins writes a fun but dark novel of a different type of entitled New York teen. She takes the normal genre and gives it a twist with the vampire storyline. The characters are catty and fun, as many wealthy teens can be, but they have their own problems, being children of the night. And for those that enjoy this one, there's a sequel, NIGHT LIFE, due out January 27, 2009. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

AMAZING!!!

Its a mix of gossip girls meets vampires. Filled with fashion, friendship, dating, cliques, populars, and lastly vampires. It's a must-read!