Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Starred Review Moulton's debut about two vampire foster brothers fuses humor with horror as Adam and Victor Rossi attempt to put aside their sibling rivalry and solve a string of murder cases before they're accused of the crimes and tracked down by a vampire hunter. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of the two leads, and this particularly voice-y novel does an excellent job at helping readers understand each brother's motives and innermost emotions (Adam, in particular, struggles with how to hold on to his Jewish heritage while living as a vampire) while also showing how unstoppable they could be if they teamed up as a dynamic undead duo. There's plenty of entertaining adventure and creepy elements to keep middle-grade horror fans enthralled, and even as the story pays homage to classic vampire works, it subverts the genre's history of antisemitic tropes topic further discussed in a thoughtful author's note. Treated to delightful queer representation in Victor and Adam's moms, plus introspective and emotional dialogue throughout that perfectly encapsulates the struggles of early adolescence, readers will root for these two bantering brothers as they fight to defeat the evil lurking in their town and, after the last page is turned, will long to spend more time in their world.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A 10-year-old vampire courageously agrees to help two mortal children track down a serial killer.Readers fond of nocturnal whodunits festooned with sly twists and tweaks from opening page to terrifying climax are in for a treat-but Moulton has much to offer here besides gore and glory. Found as a baby in the ruins of a synagogue following a hate crime and bitten to save his life, Adam has been raised by his vampiric foster moms in strict isolation from dangerous mortals. But so appalled is he to learn of a series of gruesome murders around his hometown of Lacey, Washington, that he nerves himself to hide his fangs with a scarf, control his yearning for blood (something Victor, his toxically adolescent foster bro, is disinclined to do), and join two chance-met amateur investigators: Luis and Shoshana. The killer's identity makes things complicated and scary-but if, by the end, the threat hasn't been permanently dealt with, it's at least resolved for the moment, and Adam has strengthened bonds with not only his mortal friends, but family too, specifically Victor and Sung, his nonbinary, college-aged, Korean foster sibling. Shoshana helps Adam understand how, as an "obligate hemovore," he can still be Jewish, and this story, which features an ethnically diverse cast, thoughtfully pushes back against significant antisemitic elements in Bram Stoker's Dracula and vampire lore in general.Members of persecuted minorities unite to fight crime: icky, impish, and thematically rich. (author's note) (Light horror. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A 10-year-old vampire courageously agrees to help two mortal children track down a serial killer.Readers fond of nocturnal whodunits festooned with sly twists and tweaks from opening page to terrifying climax are in for a treat-but Moulton has much to offer here besides gore and glory. Found as a baby in the ruins of a synagogue following a hate crime and bitten to save his life, Adam has been raised by his vampiric foster moms in strict isolation from dangerous mortals. But so appalled is he to learn of a series of gruesome murders around his hometown of Lacey, Washington, that he nerves himself to hide his fangs with a scarf, control his yearning for blood (something Victor, his toxically adolescent foster bro, is disinclined to do), and join two chance-met amateur investigators: Luis and Shoshana. The killer's identity makes things complicated and scary-but if, by the end, the threat hasn't been permanently dealt with, it's at least resolved for the moment, and Adam has strengthened bonds with not only his mortal friends, but family too, specifically Victor and Sung, his nonbinary, college-aged, Korean foster sibling. Shoshana helps Adam understand how, as an "obligate hemovore," he can still be Jewish, and this story, which features an ethnically diverse cast, thoughtfully pushes back against significant antisemitic elements in Bram Stoker's Dracula and vampire lore in general.Members of persecuted minorities unite to fight crime: icky, impish, and thematically rich. (author's note) (Light horror. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In an introspective debut, Moulton weaves a lightly scary murder mystery that explores themes of acceptance and family as experienced by a pair of vampire siblings. Ten-year-old Adam and his older foster brother Victor, 14, live with their ancient adoptive vampire mothers. The brothers are the latest in a long line of children rescued and raised by their foster mothers, who hide the family’s paranormal abilities from the rest of their Pacific Northwest town. While Victor wants more than to live a quotidian life concealing his true self, Adam is preoccupied with worries surrounding how his vampiric nature could reflect on him if he were found out. Adam soon befriends mortal children Shoshana and Luis, while Victor develops an amicable rivalry with Luis’s older sister, Alejandra. As stabbed corpses start appearing in town, and details point to the killer being a vampire hunter, the brothers’ previously peaceful, if isolated, lives turn upside down. Frank and accessible prose proffers messaging surrounding what it means to be othered, offering myriad interpretations through Adam and Victor’s alternating POVs. Fans of the supernatural intersecting with the mundane will find this intriguing interpretation of the vampire mythos refreshing. Adam and Victor read as white; context clues indicate racial diversity among the supporting cast. Ages 10–14. Agent: Emily Forney, BookEnds Literary. (Aug.)

School Library Journal (Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2024)

Gr 6 Up —Classic vampire lore gets turned on its head in this delightfully gory read. Adam and Victor are typical brothers: they bicker over who's in charge of the TV, sneak out of the house to see R-rated movies together, and cover for each other with their parents. They also happen to be vampires. In the home where they are growing up, along with their nonbinary, university student sibling Sung, their mothers have saved the lives of hundreds of children over the years by turning them into vampires. The safety and security their mothers have built for them is threatened when Adam and Victor happen upon a murder. Adam befriends young mortals Luis and Shosana, and Victor develops a complicated relationship with Luis's sisters who are all determined to find and stop the murderer—who may just be a vampire hunter. This story promises bloodthirsty suspense and intrigue on every page, along with plenty of humor and heart. Told in alternating viewpoints through Adam's and Victor's distinct voices, this story poses questions of what makes a family and what it means to be a monster. Reads will devour this vampire adventure-mystery in a couple of sittings. VERDICT Fans, young and old, of classic vampire stories should sink their teeth into this fresh take.—Amanda Harding