Book Review: The Vampire Stalker, by Allison van Diepen

Book Review: The Vampire Stalker, by Allison van Diepen
Spoilers alert!

Synopsis:

What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?

Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.

 Book review:

    This is my first time reading a book by van Diepen, and I must say, I was, and am, very impressed. I found the main character, Amy, to be very relatable and well-written, and Alexander, the vampire-hunter love interest, to be engaging and funny.
    One scene in particular stood out to me- Amy is at a "teen club" for her friend's birthday, and Vigo shows up, with Alexander in hot pursuit. Amy throws herself in front of Alexander to save him from a bullet (I think it was a bullet- that part wasn't really clear.) 
     Anyway, I enjoy when, in books, the main character "sacrifices" him/herself for their friend/boyfriend/girlfriend, whatever. I think that it makes the character appear selfless and brave in the face of danger.
     Unfortunately, to write an honest review, I must point out that in several parts of this book, the author did not write with clarity, thus making these sections hard to understand. Like in the end, when Alexander decides to stay in the human world instead of returning home- van Diepen doesn't really say why he stays, apart from Amy. He's still a vampire hunter- and it's not like, with Vigo dead, there's a sudden shortage of vamps out there. However, the characters did say that bringing him back with them would be complicated, because of vamps that are out for revenge. To which I reply: He's a vampire hunter!  He'll probably survive it.
     Overall, though, this book was witty, engaging, and action-packed, making it a must-read for people 12 and up.
     Five out of five stars.