THE CHRONICLES OF VIKTOR VALENTINE #2

A serious threat returns in this second series entry.

Seventh grade still isn’t going well for Viktor. He got suspended following an accident involving his longtime bully, his best friend is acting chummy with said bully, Alys (his Slayer friend) hasn’t talked to him since the night they confronted manipulative vampire Lilith (whom Viktor impaled), and he hasn’t really discussed with his mom and dad their revelation that they’re vampires (very famous ones, in fact). The only good things to happen recently are his winning a copy of his favorite band’s new vinyl album and making a new friend, a centuries-old vampire who lives in the mausoleum that sits in a park in their town of Nowhere. Then Viktor receives a suspicious invitation from Lilith to attend a dinner party that’s most likely a trap. Meanwhile, Alys is haunted by memories from the eventful night with Lilith and burdened by her father’s demanding expectations. It’s a lot. Viktor, who experiences social anxiety, is likeable and his struggles are sympathetic, but the characters at times make decisions that don’t seem logical or consistent with their emotional truths. The climactic dinner party scene strains credulity and feels out of sync with the stakes established earlier, and the plot makes some disorienting detours that have little payoff. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will enjoy spotting some easter eggs. Main characters read white.

Let down by confusing characterization and apparently unconnected threads.