'Twelfth Grade Kills' Vlad Tod #5 by Heather BREWER

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

It all comes down to this.

Vlad’s running out of time. The Elysian Council has given him weeks to live, and that’s if the Slayer Society doesn’t kill him – along with all the citizens of Bathory – first. Then there’s the issue of Vlad’s father, who may or may not still be alive after all these years, and oh yeah, that tiny little detail in the Pravus prophecy about Vlad enslaving Vampirekind and the human race. So much for college applications.

In this epic finale to Heather Brewer’s heart-stopping Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, dark secrets will be revealed, old friends will become enemies, and warm blood will run cold. Just be careful it isn’t yours.

‘Twelfth Grade Kills’ is the fifth and last book in Heather Brewer’s brilliant young adult urban fantasy series, ‘Vladimir Tod’.

So, this book is Vlad’s swan-song. The final curtain. The beginning of the end. I went into ‘Twelfth’ with giddy trepidation . . . caught between not wanting the series to end, but desperate to know Brewer’s finale. And I've got to say, I was not disappointed. Not at all.

The book hectically picks up where ‘Eleventh Grade Burns’ left off. Vlad is a senior now, but that doesn’t mean that his life has gotten any easier. In fact, many of Vlad’s troubles are just beginning. . .

He may or may not have murdered his friend (and vampire slayer) Joss. Vlad may also be vicariously insane after drinking Dorian’s blood. He’s also trapped between a rock and a hard place between his steady girlfriend, Meredith, and his blood donor (turned crush), Snow. Not to mention the fact that the vampiric Elysian Council want Vlad dead, as do the Slayer Society. And the Slayer’s have raised the stakes (so to speak) in the hunt for Vlad;

Vlad shook his head. It wasn’t possible. Couldn’t be possible. “Can they really do that?”

Joss nodded then, without hesitation. “It’s that they do, Vlad. Slayers are naturally skilled. Enough to take down vampires, and you know what skills vampires possess. Now imagine unsuspecting humans. It’s possible. Believe me.”

Vlad sank down until he was sitting on the porch step.

It had to be him. Him or everyone he’d ever loved.

His insides felt as if they’d been painted black.

And on top of all this, a ghost from Vlad’s past steps back into his life, turning everything upside down and inside out . . .

W-O-W! Heather Brewer has jam-packed this finale with twists, turns, red-herrings and jaw-dropping surprises. The novel really should come with a warning of ‘heavy turbulence ahead’. Never have I read so vicariously – from fist-pumping highs to soul-searing lows. Heather Brewer is really testing Vlad’s mettle in this final book, and putting readers through the ringer with him.

I really want to review this book, sans spoilers. Because, honestly, to give away any of the ‘whodunits’ would be a travesty of epic proportions. Heather Brewer has written a very tightly-packed story and a magnificent character-arc for our beloved Vlad. I will warn that many characters die (even some fan-favourites) and there will be tears at the end . . . and perhaps even tears of frustration for a somewhat precipice ending.

But I was thoroughly satisfied by Brewer’s send-off, mostly because Vlad really comes into his own in ‘Twelfth’. Yes, we’ve read him do some stupid stunts in previous books – but the Vlad of ‘Eighth Grade Bites’ is no more. In his place is a confident young man who is rapidly coming to understand and appreciate his place in the world – he knows the true worth of loyal friends and the price of honesty. For any fans who found themselves squirming in their seats during past books, when Vlad didn’t live up to his full potential, you’ll be happy to know that our boy makes good in his sayonara.

‘Twelfth Grade Kills’ is fangtastic. It’s an action-packed thrill-ride right until the very (jaw-dropping) end. But for all the twists, turns, ups and downs, the main reason I loved this finale so much was Vlad. He made the series for me, this ballsy little misfit who was just trying to find his place in the world. Well, I am happy to say that his swan-song is befittingly glorious.

5/5