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Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne, Bk 1)
Vampire's Photograph - Oliver Nocturne, Bk 1
Author: Kevin Emerson
Oliver Nocturne has a fairly typical childhood -- for a vampire. But Oliver is different from those around him - his gore-loving vampire schoolmates, his loving vampire parents, and his obnoxious older brother, Bane. That's because, unbeknownst to Oliver, he's a little more human than the rest of them. When Emalie, an artistic and defian...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780545058018
ISBN-10: 0545058015
Publication Date: 8/1/2008
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 5

4.1 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
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GeniusJen avatar reviewed Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne, Bk 1) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Oliver Nocturne is a normal 13-year-old vampire. At least that's what he always thought. THE VAMPIRE'S PHOTOGRAPH is the first book in the OLIVER NOCTURNE series.

Early one evening, Oliver is awakened from his slumber. He hears a sound upstairs. Sneaking out of his coffin because his parents and brother are still asleep, he sneaks upstairs into the decrepit human house that sits above his vampire home. There he encounters a human girl around his age. She is snooping around the house and taking photographs. Oliver should turn her in, but he's too fascinated watching her activities. Using his powers to stay hidden, he makes a noise that startles the girl and she runs off. Oliver thinks nothing of it.

At least not until a picture of his house turns up in the local school's newspaper.

In the article, it states that the follow-up article will show a photograph of a real vampire. This, of course, gets to Oliver and he's torn as to what to do. Instead of telling the grown-ups, he finds out where she lives. As he sneaks into the house, she can sense his presence.

At that point, a tentative friendship forms between Oliver and Emalie, as well as her cousin, Dean. It turns out that the photograph has a hidden blob in it, that Emalie can't get developed properly. Oliver is just as curious as the two humans, and they chance a venture into the vampire underworld to seek answers.

As the story quickly unfolds, answers lead to more questions, and, ultimately, an innocent person gets killed. Oliver is stuck in the middle of everything, and is more confused about himself and what is happening around him.

Mr. Emerson writes a novel perfect for younger readers with a fascination with vampires. Oliver is a curious boy that gets himself into some tight situations. The story flows quickly with typical teen angst and rebellion. The story leaves off with many unanswered questions.

To find out how everything plays out, the reader will have to pick up the second book in the series, THE SUNLIGHT SLAYINGS.
donkeycheese avatar reviewed Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne, Bk 1) on + 1255 more book reviews
The first in a five book series, Kevin Emerson takes us into a world unlike any other.

In a small town in Ohio, there is a sub-division that is deserted and neglected. The houses are falling apart and are unsafe. Anyone who ventures into that part of the town usually doesn't linger long. Beneath the rubble and filth, in the lower parts of the houses, live vampire families. In fact, a few are upstanding citizens in the human community to make sure their sub-division isn't razed to the ground.

In one particular house lives the Nocturnes. A normal looking family , mother, father, and two sons. However, normal families don't eat sugared blood cake for breakfast or sleep in a coffin using dirt as their blanket. But over the centuries, they've tried to bring forth their old world ways and adapt to today's society. Hence, the boys go to school. After the human school day is over, the vampire's secretly use it at night. Oliver, the youngest Nocturne, doesn't have many friends. He finds it hard to be menancing like so many other vampire children.

Oliver was having trouble sleeping lately. One morning, when everyone else was sleeping, he heard a noise coming from above. Being very careful and quiet, he slipped upstairs and was shocked to see a young girl sneaking into their home by crawling through a broken window. He watched her, curious about this human who did not seem scared. She snapped several pictures of the abandoned room, the flash from the camera disorienting him. Trying to get closer to her, but unseen, she senses something and whirls around and snaps a picture. Shocked, Oliver knows this is very bad.

The next day, he leaves for school early. Oliver hopes to see the human girl as she leaves school so he can follow her. He must get that photograph. His parents have always told him to never let his picture get taken. Before long, Oliver and Emalie are kind of friends and they embarq on a dangerous journey into the vampire world to acquire a potion to fix the photograph. Along the way, Oliver learns the truth about his origins and his more confused than ever.

Escalating to a shocking and fierce ending, Oliver, still drawn to the human world, must find his purpose in the vampire world. With well-developed characters, and a detail painted backdrop, Emerson takes us into a world of fun fantasy with a twist of reality. Highly recommended and I look forward to reading the next in this unique series.


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