Author: Judith Berens
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Published on: May 13, 2019 by LMBPN Publishing
Would you adopt a 400-year-old teenager? How about one with fangs?
Vicki was put into a deep sleep and has no clue centuries have passed. That is, until she’s accidentally woken up by a father and daughter on a vacation.
Cars? Cell phones? What’s an Instagram? How can Craig and Alexis explain the world?
No one said educating a teenage vampire would be easy.
First they have to figure out how to get her back to the United States without anyone figuring out she’s not quite human. Public school should be interesting.
Cheerleading tryouts, driving lessons, unreal power and fangs?
You try telling her no. She’s a new kind of modern-day teenager. But for Alexis, she’s just a new sister… with bite.
Join Vicki, Craig, and Alexis on a journey that will change their lives - in The Girl Behind the Wall.
Vicki was put into a deep sleep and has no clue centuries have passed. That is, until she’s accidentally woken up by a father and daughter on a vacation.
Cars? Cell phones? What’s an Instagram? How can Craig and Alexis explain the world?
No one said educating a teenage vampire would be easy.
First they have to figure out how to get her back to the United States without anyone figuring out she’s not quite human. Public school should be interesting.
Cheerleading tryouts, driving lessons, unreal power and fangs?
You try telling her no. She’s a new kind of modern-day teenager. But for Alexis, she’s just a new sister… with bite.
Join Vicki, Craig, and Alexis on a journey that will change their lives - in The Girl Behind the Wall.
Vampire fantasy is among my favorite supernatural fiction. I find them (and fairies) intriguing. When I read the synopsis for this book, I looked forward to reading it. The premise is compelling to me: a girl who suddenly wakes up after four hundred years. That she’s a vampire made it more interesting. She’s Victoria, a fourteen-year-old living in Austria whose parents put her in a deep sleep. They sought to hide her from some unknown danger. It appears Victoria’s parents met their demise, so she got stuck in stasis in her castle for centuries. Finally, a pair of tourists stumble into Victoria by chance.
The other protagonists are Craig and Alexis. They went on an impromptu trip to Austria after Craig’s wife (Alexis’s mother) died of cancer. The two wanted to check out for a little while before facing the rest of their lives. Craig and Alexis are renting the castle where Victoria remains hidden. One day, Alexis finds a clue that leads her to a section of the castle no one knows exists. After much cajoling, Alexis convinces her father to see what’s inside that hidden section. To their dismay, they discover a coffin…and inside is Victoria, looking exactly the same as she did in the early sixteen hundreds.
Victoria has no idea that such a long time has passed. She proceeds to run around the castle searching for her parents. Victoria’s going at full vampire speed, fangs bared, which Craig and Alexis don’t fail to notice. They try to communicate with Victoria, but she only knows German. Victoria overcomes this hurdle a tad too easily, in my opinion. I mean, it would take the likes of Barry Allen to do what she does here. Victoria may be a vampire, but even that didn’t keep me from losing the suspense of disbelief a little. I took it in stride and continued on.
Craig and Alexis are apprehensive around Victoria at first. It takes them a little while to wrap their heads around the existence of vampires. Or vampire, as Victoria seems to be the last one who exists. She turns out to be more of a superhuman, though. Victoria has fangs, but doesn’t need blood to survive. It’s explained that there are vampires who do drink blood, but Victoria isn’t of that species. Personally, I’d have found it more interesting if Victoria did drink blood. It would have made the situation with Craig and Alexis even more tense. Would one of them have plucked up the courage to let Victoria bite them now and then? I think Alexis would; she becomes comfortable with Victoria quicker than her father does.
For someone who’s been unconscious for centuries, Victoria adjusts to her new reality admirably well. This made for some fun moments. The first time Victoria sees a TV, it totally blows her mind! One thing I found hard to believe is that Victoria had no abandonment issues. She’s only fourteen, after all. It should have taken Victoria longer to come to terms with her situation. Victoria has nothing left from her old life, and she barely even panics. I think the author probably focused on other issues a vampire might face. Victoria struggles with her self-preservation instincts and with controlling her strength. She startles at a pin drop and shoots (or punches) first and asks questions later.
The other protagonists are Craig and Alexis. They went on an impromptu trip to Austria after Craig’s wife (Alexis’s mother) died of cancer. The two wanted to check out for a little while before facing the rest of their lives. Craig and Alexis are renting the castle where Victoria remains hidden. One day, Alexis finds a clue that leads her to a section of the castle no one knows exists. After much cajoling, Alexis convinces her father to see what’s inside that hidden section. To their dismay, they discover a coffin…and inside is Victoria, looking exactly the same as she did in the early sixteen hundreds.
Victoria has no idea that such a long time has passed. She proceeds to run around the castle searching for her parents. Victoria’s going at full vampire speed, fangs bared, which Craig and Alexis don’t fail to notice. They try to communicate with Victoria, but she only knows German. Victoria overcomes this hurdle a tad too easily, in my opinion. I mean, it would take the likes of Barry Allen to do what she does here. Victoria may be a vampire, but even that didn’t keep me from losing the suspense of disbelief a little. I took it in stride and continued on.
Craig and Alexis are apprehensive around Victoria at first. It takes them a little while to wrap their heads around the existence of vampires. Or vampire, as Victoria seems to be the last one who exists. She turns out to be more of a superhuman, though. Victoria has fangs, but doesn’t need blood to survive. It’s explained that there are vampires who do drink blood, but Victoria isn’t of that species. Personally, I’d have found it more interesting if Victoria did drink blood. It would have made the situation with Craig and Alexis even more tense. Would one of them have plucked up the courage to let Victoria bite them now and then? I think Alexis would; she becomes comfortable with Victoria quicker than her father does.
For someone who’s been unconscious for centuries, Victoria adjusts to her new reality admirably well. This made for some fun moments. The first time Victoria sees a TV, it totally blows her mind! One thing I found hard to believe is that Victoria had no abandonment issues. She’s only fourteen, after all. It should have taken Victoria longer to come to terms with her situation. Victoria has nothing left from her old life, and she barely even panics. I think the author probably focused on other issues a vampire might face. Victoria struggles with her self-preservation instincts and with controlling her strength. She startles at a pin drop and shoots (or punches) first and asks questions later.
Another thing that bothers me happens near the end of the book. I’ll mention as few details as possible to avoid big spoilers. See, it soon becomes clear what Craig and Alexis must do. Victoria has no family or friends left. She also can’t stay in Austria for…certain reasons. This compels Craig and Alexis to take Victoria with them. Craig struggles over the logistics at first. Luckily, his job once put him in contact with just the guy who can help. All it takes is a couple of phone calls to arrange everything. My issue is how this was handled. The service Craig got is NOT cheap, and he doesn’t even ask how much he owes. The other guy also fails to demand payment, which I couldn’t believe. I may not dabble in the black market, but even I know no one renders a service like this for free, just because.
That aside, The Girl Behind the Wall was an entertaining novel. It also wasn't less fun for being a YA book. Victoria is a compelling character, and this book only touches on the beginning of her new life. She seems like she will adjust well to the change in her status quo. Alexis also appears to be a likable character. She warms up to Victoria once she sees there's nothing to be afraid of. Craig was well-written, too. He is so layered despite not being the main protagonist. For all its (mostly minor) faults, The Girl Behind the Wall ended up being good enough that I'm going to continue this series. I feel curious about where life is going to take Victoria next.
My rating: ★★★ 1/2
3.5 stars - It's pretty good!
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