Department 19

Starred review from February 7, 2011
Hill hits the ground running in this explosive debut, an action thriller inspired by a genre classic. Jamie Carpenter's father died as a traitor to his country, but two years later, 16-year-old Jamie discovers his father's secret life when vampires attack and he's saved by Frankenstein's notorious monster. Taken to the ultra-secretive Department 19, a government organization founded by Dracula's killers (and run by their descendants) to protect England from the supernatural, Jamie gets a crash course in a world he never knew existed. When his mother is kidnapped by vampires, Jamie sets out to rescue her, aided by the immortal Frank-enstein (who took his maker's name) and an untrustworthy vampire girl to whom he's attracted. As Jamie unravels hidden agendas, deals with assorted enemies, and faces the triumphs and tragedies of generations past, he's drawn deeper into a plot that could tip the scales between humans and vampires. Alternating between Jamie's desperate quest and episodes set in Department 19's storied past, this is a nonstop thrill ride right up to the cliffhanger ending. This cinematic adrenaline rush has the makings of a surefire hit. Ages 14–up.

March 15, 2011
If the elevator pitch for this book wasn't "Dracula meets James Bond," it was pretty close. Shortly after the events of the Gothic classic, the British government formed the supersecret Department 19, its founding members the good guys who staked the Count, plus Van Helsing's valet. In 2007, that valet's descendent (all the founders' descendents are automatically invited to join Department 19) is brutally gunned down in front of his wife and son. Two years later, 16-year-old Jamie Carpenter is prematurely inducted into Department 19—nicknamed Blacklight—after his mother is kidnapped by a vampire and the Department's Colonel Frankenstein rescues him (the monster, not the doctor; though his history is the novel's, he looks like Boris Karloff from the movies). What follows is plenty of high-octane action, groovy specialized vampire-fighting equipment, buckets of gore, intriguing historical side trips and even a little romance between Jamie and a sexy teen vampire. Jamie will do anything to rescue his mother, which leads to constant violations of the chain of command, angry outbursts and unauthorized missions—forget James Bond; Blacklight's a lot more like the fractious gang of 24. Readers will identify the inevitable double-crosser long before Jamie does, but they probably won't mind. They'll be so happy these vampires don't sparkle they'll forgive the novel's excesses and keep flipping the pages to the next splatter-fest—and then they'll demand the sequel. (Horror. 14 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Jaime Carpenter is a sulky, antisocial teen. Having moved several times in the past two years, he is the perpetual new kid and constant target of bullies. But what does he expect after his father is gunned down by the authorities for aiding terrorists? Now more sins of the father are being visited on the son. Jaime is attacked and his mother is kidnapped by a being of unbelievable power. The teen is only spared his mother's fate when Frankenstein's monster appears on the scene wielding strange weapons. It whisks Jaime away to a hidden government installation occupied by Department Nineteen, or Blacklight, the most secret of secret agencies. He soon discovers that vampires, like Frankenstein's monster, are real and are an actual threat to Britain and the rest of the world. He is told that Stoker's Dracula and Shelley's Frankenstein are accurate recordings of historical events. He also learns that his father was a slayer of vampires and other dangerous creatures. The director of Blacklight reluctantly agrees to let Jaime and Frankenstein search for Mrs. Carpenter with the help of a captured teen vampire to whom Jaime is unnervingly attracted. There is plenty of action and gore to hook even reluctant readers despite the 500-plus pages. The author skillfully blends history, classical fiction, and teen fantasy into a unique novel. There is some weak dialogue with characters abruptly switching emotional gears, but the plot more than makes up for it. Fans of Darren Shan and Marcus Sedgwick will eat this up.-Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2011
Grades 9-12 Two years ago, 16-year-old Jamie witnessed his fathers death in a shoot-out, after which his father was branded a traitor. Though Jamies memories of the shadowy figures he saw are hazy, they return when vampires kidnap his mother. Jamie is rescued by Frankensteins monster and hidden at Department 19, a secret agency designed to protect England from the supernatural. Intending to rescue his mother, Jamie single-mindedly speeds through training, but his fathers legacy at Department 19 proves to be something he must both live up toand live down. Relevant moments from Department 19s history, packed with familiar names like Van Helsing, Harker, and Dracula, are seamlessly integrated into Jamies mission, which is full of highly charged, gory, cinematic action sequences. Jamie is understandably angry and resentful, and though his recklessness is frustrating, moments of vulnerability ensure that he is never unsympathetic. The psychotically cruel vampires are intimidating villains, and Jamie, who turns his barely checked rage into superior fighting skills, is the perfect young action hero. This surprising, scary genre mash-up will have enormous series appeal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2011
Jamie Carpenter, descendant of one of six families that made a pact to rid the world of vampires, joins Department 19 the day his mother is kidnapped. Hill alternates between the creation of the Department and Jamie's premature submersion into the world of monsters--both supernatural and human. A fast-paced, Darren Shan-ish whirlwind of action and gore characterizes the story.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)