Review: Unusual vampire romance works for younger teens
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 18, 2012
J. O. Osborne's BAG OF BLOOD is an unusual vampire tale set just a few years in the future.  In Osborne's world, vampires are accepted members of society - or accepted high school students, I should say.  Osborne's vampires are born that way - they aren't made that way by other vampires.  There's none of the traditional vampire lore here - no stakes through the heart, upside down crosses, garlic, or coffins (no "sparkling," either!).  These vampires are pretty much like regular teenagers . . . except they drink blood.  Sixteen-year-old Lena Thresh donates blood each month to help feed two of her vampire classmates (and to earn money for college).  Gabriel is a bit on the scary side, and he hangs out with two human girls who aren't too happy with Lena; they want Gabriel all to themselves.  But Elliot is a different story - he's tall and blond and gorgeous and Lena can't help but feel attracted to him.  At the same time, Lena's not exactly overflowing with confidence, and things at home are hard (her father is having open heart surgery, her mom is working herself to death trying to pay all the bills, and things aren't looking too bright for the future).  When girls suddenly start dying and disappearing, the police suspect a vampire is behind it - could it be Gabriel?  Could it be Elliot?BAG OF BLOOD is really more teen mystery/romance than it is vampire story.  There's something very tame and down to earth about the vampires in this novel - even crazy Leslie, the only female vampire among the group, never seems particularly dangerous.  There are descriptions of fangs that grow longer when their owners are hungry, and there are a few close calls for Lena, but there's nothing really scary here.I found the characters to be identifiable high school kids - Lena and her friend Megan are typical bffs, their longtime friend Robert is more complex than he at first appears, and the slowly growing romance between Lena and Elliot is appealing and believable.  This is a cute story that should appeal to younger teens, but those looking for a repeat of TWILIGHT-style passion and violence might be disappointed.The biggest problem I had with the novel is actually the plotting.  Osborne's murder mystery story is interesting, as is the unusual relationship between vampires and humans in BAG OF BLOOD.  But the mystery itself is resolved about  of the way through the novel - after that, very little happens.  The case is solved, there's a quick trial, and then there's a lot of wrapping things up and letter-writing.  It's an odd way to plot the story.  I found myself losing interest once the action was over, and wondering whether something unexpected was about to happen.  It wasn't.  Admittedly, I'm quite a bit older than the target audience, so what didn't work for me might very well work perfectly for a 15-year-old.Overall, I'd recommend this for teens who enjoy romance and mystery with a touch of the supernatural.  Osborne's writing is accessible and easy to follow.  There are a few of the expected typos and grammatical errors found in most (if not all) self-published novels, but there's nothing here that should interfere with your ability to enjoy the story.  If you're the parent of a teen, the novel does have a few language issues (nothing major - a couple of the more common four-letter words, used sparingly), but the violence is toned down and there are no overtly sexual situations.  One more plus - I didn't guess the killer's identity before the reveal, and that's saying something!