Author: Judith Berens
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Published on: August 3, 2019 by LMBPN Publishing
No matter the century, being a teenage vampire is hard when there’s no one around to teach you how to be cool, date and lift a car out of the way without getting caught.
Vickie has grown into a rockstar vampire with her powers, but she can still cause harm. Not a good way to stay hidden when everyone has the number to TMZ and a camera in their pocket. Selfie with the teenage vampire anyone?
Social media can bite worse than a vampire’s fangs.
That’s not her only problem. The Circle may be gone, but a government agency is looking into supernatural activity and everything points at Vickie. Big brother is not happy.
To make matters worse, Alexis and Vickie clash over misunderstandings and Vickie’s desire for more independence. Can the girls get past their disagreements and work together as a family?
Vicki’s danger meter is going off and she can sense a threat to her new family.
Can Vicki right some wrongs and make up with Alexis before she finds herself in an even worse situation?
Find out in The Girl Unleashed.
Book five in the Last Vampire series marks a turning point. Protagonist Vickie Hewitt managed to take out a threat that loomed over her throughout four books. As a vampire, there was a group of people bent on killing her. That she is just fourteen and harmless did not stop them. The group, known as the Slayer Circle, caught up to Vickie at last. With the help of a surprising ally, Vickie managed to kill the Circle members. It was a thrilling fight, though it felt a little underwhelming to me. With how menacing the Circle sounded, their defeat felt a little too easy.
Now that the Circle is gone, Vickie can go back to leading as normal a life as she can. As the last vampire, she’s alone in the world. Luckily, Craig Watson and his daughter Alexis have been there for her since she woke up. Vickie has adjusted well to living as a high school student. She’s a star athlete now (competing in cross country) and has a boyfriend, Eric. He’s one of Alexis’s longtime friends who developed a crush on Vickie soon after they first met. Their relationship is going really well. Vickie’s clueless about dating in the twenty-first century, though. She comes from a time where parents married their children off at fourteen. I kid you not!
As the Circle’s been defeated, does that mean Vickie faces no more danger? Not quite. The end of the previous book set up a potential new villain. They are members of a secret government unit working under the CIA. This unit is charged with monitoring supernatural activity in the U.S. The Last Vampire series isn’t teeming with creatures of the night, so it’s a little weird an agency like this even exists. The guy in charge is apparently a big fan of the supernatural. He dreams of revolutionizing the U.S. armed forces by harnessing extranormal creatures or powers. Yes, he’s serious. His agency was able to detect supernatural activity in Milwaukee. This was due to the showdown between Vickie and the Circle.
While the agency investigates the supernatural activity, trouble hits Vickie right at home. For some reason, Alexis is starting to feel at odds toward her. The more time passes, the bigger the tension becomes. Vickie has no idea what she did to get such animosity from Alexis. This was a little surprising. Alexis warmed up to Vickie a lot faster than Craig did. It seems the novelty of adopting a vampire sister has worn off. Or maybe they have truly become sisters now. I mean, what siblings have never bickered with each other? It was perhaps time that Vickie and Alexis had a fight.
It doesn’t help that Craig leaves the girls alone for a few days. This is due to an unexpected business trip. Vickie and Alexis are as civil toward each other as they can be. They have jobs as well, which means they don’t have to stay at home too long and be bored. Alexis finds a few more things to complain about Vickie, though. One of them is something the latter can’t help. As the agency has no idea about Vickie yet, the struggle between her and Alexis is the only one in this book. Vickie still has a school bully for a rival, but that one’s just a side player. With no other conflict, The Girl Unleashed felt like it could use more excitement. I wouldn’t write it off, though. It’s both a quick read and a new start. I’m intrigued to see what the agency does next. They could prove themselves even more dangerous than the Circle. I can’t wait to see Vickie take on this new enemy.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it!
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