Waiting on Wednesday: Third Strike (The Slayer Chronicles #3) by Heather Brewer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting. I feel like there are a lot of books I'm waiting on, but that they don't have covers yet to show, so I'm having some trouble coming up with ideas.  But I saw the cover was showing up for one of the versions of this on Goodreads, so I remembered how much I can't wait to read, and I believe finish, this series! I chose the 3rd book in The Slayer Chronicles by Heather Brewer, so aptly titled Third Strike.  Last time I saw this author, I believe she said this was going to be the last book.  Which makes me sad, because I love this world, and so I hope that it will maybe not be?  But we'll see.  There still isn't much of a blurb about it on Goodreads, as  you can see:

Joss is given a mission to eradicate vampires in his home town of Santa Carla, where he will need to protect his family including cousin Henry, who still carries a grudge.
This series fills in the summers in between the books in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.  So really we will know what happens after this book if you've read that series.  And the author now has her Legacy of Tril series for us to look forward to.  Although I still have the first book on my TBR shelf, and need to get around to it soon!  And as always, I'll have to include my pictures from when I met this author, twice now that I've had my picture taken with her.  Mrs. Brewer, or Auntie Heather as her minions call her, is so nice.  Last year she even sent me a copy of the 2nd book in this series to help celebrate my Blogoversary!

So, what book or books are you anxiously awaiting this week?

Second Chance (The Slayer Chronicles #2) by Heather Brewer

I was so excited to get this ARC, and it came from the author herself!  When I emailed and asked if there was anything she'd be willing to do to help me celebrate my 3rd Blogoversary, she emailed back saying that she was sending me something in the mail, and this was what I got!!  The awesomeness of the author aside, I really enjoyed this book.  I think actually I'd give it a 4.5, if I was able to give half stars on Goodreads.  Not a perfect 5, because I did have one thing that bothered me a tiny bit.  As I got towards the end, it seemed almost kind of rushed, I felt that there could have been more time spent with Joss and the other Slayers in NYC.  Maybe it's just because I wanted more time with them, that their summer seemed really short to me.  And I just didn't want the book to end so soon!!!!

So, as this series goes, we are learning about where Joss was in the summers between when the Vlad Tod books took place.  At the end of last summer (spoiler alert if you haven't read the first one yet) Joss had to kill Sirus, someone he'd grown so close to and even had gotten to be really good friends with his daughter Kat.  But as far as everyone other than Kat knew, Sirus had died in an accident.  And Joss doesn't know for sure if the others knew, but he learned that Sirus was a vampire.  The Slayers' sworn enemies.  What Joss was brought to the camp to learn how to kill.  But Joss was also in trouble for another of the Slayers that died in his negligence at the camp.  We do start the book with Joss coming home for the summer from staying with his cousin Henry.  It was there that he met Vlad Tod, and found out that vampires might not all be horrible creatures, even after he tried to kill Vlad.  I mean, he still remembers how great Sirus was to him.  So Joss has confusion still about the whole right and wrong.  I mean, his family is still messed up from losing his sister.  His father is still mean to him, and his mother is still quite out of it.  So when he gets a call from his uncle Abraham to come spend the summer with him, according to his dad to whip him into shape, but Joss knows it is for the Slayer Society, he is ready to go.  To prove himself for the mistakes he made last summer.  Plus, he is getting cryptic texts from Kat, Sirus's daughter.  She intends revenge for her father's death.  Once in NYC, it turns out there is a vampire serial killer.  One who is killing with what seems to be no rhyme or reason.  As Joss and the other slayers begin to investigate, Joss is given lead on the situation.  And he does find information.  And they follow those leads.  But once again there is confusion, when they run into a family member of the one of the Slayers that is a vampire.  And then Morgan, one of the Slayers, knows Dorian, the man who sent Joss his grandfather's stake, and Joss doesn't know how there is a connection there.

Lots of suspense in this book.  Lots of action, and lots more vampires to learn about.  I'm enjoying reading from this point of view, and relating it back to the Vlad books to fit the pieces together, although some things open more questions!  Which is good, because it means I'm ready to read on in the series!  Once again, Heather Brewer has done a great job.  One reason why I was so excited when the community resources manager at the Barnes and Noble where I work told me she was going to be coming to our store in October!  I can't wait to meet her again!  You can see in the picture below when I met her in the Spring of 2011 at the Missouri Association of School Librarians' Spring Conference, when she accepted her award for winning the Truman award in 2010.

This was my 6th book in my September is for Sequels Challenge.  I was so sure I would be able to make my goal of 8 books, as I was almost finished with this when I went to bed Monday night.  But then, I only got to read a little at breakfast on Tuesday, and then I was sick, had to leave Parent Teacher conferences early, and so no reading yesterday.  Horrible day.  I'm starting a new book today, a shorter one as well.  If I could get it done by Friday, I could sure do my best to get an 8th book done by Sunday at midnight, but we'll see!

The Slayer Chronicles: First Kill by Heather Brewer

First Kill by Heather Brewer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. I have to say that I loved the Vladimir Tod series by Heather Brewerand really enjoyed it! Loved the vampire theme from a different point of view. Loved this world that she created. So I entered into the Slayer Chronicles not quite sure how I'd like it, because I kind of liked the vampires better this time, unlike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where you do root mostly for the slayer. And, I didn't really like Joss that much, which this book was about, because of how he tried to slay Vlad in the other series. But, let me say, this book totally blew my preconceived thoughts on this. You knew from the original series that Joss had become a slayer because of his younger sister Cecile getting killed by a vampire. We learn in this book that Joss's uncle Abraham actually didn't want him to be the one in the family to carry on the slayer tradition, he actually thought Henry, Vlad's best friend/drudge, or Henry's older brother would be better. I guess that is funny to me because I know how they actually are with Vlad. But after reading about Joss's life, I did get to feel that I liked him. And learning that kids were mean to him because he had this almost magical strength and endurance. Then his parents almost treating him invisible after his sister died, you can see why he became the boy we know in the Vlad Tod series. And you really get on his side when you learn about how his uncle treats him when he goes to begin his slayer training, and what that training entails. Wow, although I don't agree with some of the things Joss does with the slayers and his uncle, I can see why he is that way, and the story is so good. You know there is possible a "mole" in the group of slayers, and while you want to suspect Uncle Abraham because of what a jerk he is, there are other possibilities, and each are given in a way that makes you think, and wonder. The twist at the end, I thought was sad, and was another way that I was disappointed in how Joss reacted to his situation. But, as I said, it leads right on to where the story is going to go. Such a great story. Heather Brewer is such a great author, I can't wait to read the next in the Slayer Chronicles.
Oh yeah, this is the first book read as part of my TBR pile reading challenge.  I know it's not that old of a book, but it's one I bought, and was so excited when it came out, but then because I was in the middle of something else, probably an e-galley from Netgalley, I put it aside.  So now it counts as my TBR pile.  Great one to start this challenge with!  And it also is going on my A-Z Book Challenge as my "F" title.

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Waiting On Wednesday - The Slayer Chronicles by Heather Brewer

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It is a way to highlight those books for which we can't wait for their publication date. This week I choose The Slayer Chronicles by Heather Brewer. Heather Brewer is the author of the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, which I just finished reading over the weekend. Vladimir Tod is a vampire. In the books we meet a slayer named Joss, as well as learning about the other slayers in this world. In this spin-off we will find out Joss's story, as well as what happened during the summers that were left out of the Vladimir Tod series. It says it will feature our favorite vampires, so I'm guessing that will include Vladimir Tod. I enjoyed my last week that I spent getting away to this world, so I'm waiting now for September 20, 2011 to start this next series. If you want my review of the series, scroll down to the blog before this one. Since I don't have a picture of the cover for this book yet, you'll just have to wait.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer

Well, I wanted to go back and read my review of Eighth Grade Bites, the first in this series, but I can't find it on my blog. So it's possible I read this back when I was still blogging on either Live Journal or My Space. Neither of which I really use anymore. I remember thinking the first book was good, but not just extremely sucked in by them. But when it won the Truman award last year in Missouri, and then I started following the author on Twitter, I have had it on my list to finish reading. And THEN, I found out that the author is supposed to be at the Missouri Association of School Librarians conference this spring, that I am going to, I KNEW I had to read the books. And boy, once I picked up the 2nd one, Ninth Grade Slays, I was hooked! The story really picked you up and got you involved.

I ended up just buying the boxed set of the first 4 books. And zoomed right through the 3 I hadn't read yet. In ninth grade, we get a trip to Siberia for Vlad to learn some vampire lessons. We also learn there are actually vampire slayers, and one of them is in Bathoria to hunt. And Vlad is who they're after. It's shocking when we find out who the actual slayer is.

In Tenth Grade Bleeds, again, we get sucked in again. This time we learn that Henry, Vlad's drudge and best friend, wants to be released. And Vlad must once again go up against D'Ablo. Again, a very good story, I couldn't put it down wanting to know what was going to happen with Henry. And Vlad is thinking it is not safe for him to be around Meredith, his "true love" anymore, because when he gets close to her, he thinks about feeding.

In Eleventh Grade Burns, Vlad's uncle Otis must go to trial. And there is a strange vampire named Dorian, who wants to drink Vlad's blood. In this story, the slayer from ninth grade is back, and he is intent on killing Vlad this time. At the end of the book, there is a huge cliffhanger, leaving us wondering if Vlad's parents are really dead or not.

And finally, Twelfth Grade Kills, I had to check this one out at the library, as it is only in hardcover and I don't have the money to buy it till next weekend. But again, sucked right in. It's Vlad's senior year. And now Otis may be cleared, but Vlad is now having to stand trial, and the only way to save himself is to prove that he really saw his dad, that his dad is really alive. But finding his dad may not be quite the wonderful end that Vlad hoped for. Not to mention that because the slayer has not killed Vlad, the whole Slayer Society now intends to come and completely wipe out the entire population, both human and vampire, of Bathory.

After a week or so of being involved in this world, it's kind of sad to now be out of it. I know the author is writing The Slayer Chronicles now to show the slayer's side and life. And I eagerly await this. I'm so excited to meet Heather Brewer as well, and tell her how much I loved her books. And while I did recommend them before, now that I've read the whole series, I will be recommending it left and right to teens at the bookstore.