Barbara L. Talcroft (Children's Literature)
The vampire sisters, Livvy and Destiny, are back for part two of the “Dangerous Girls” series and another taste of blood and horror. In this complicated tale of a vampire epidemic in Dark Springs, the creatures are roosting in an abandoned apartment building. The police, seemingly, are ignoring them. The press has not yet gotten wind of a story at least as newsworthy as the bird flu, so “Hunters” (including the girls’ father) must kill the blood-drinkers with stakes through their hearts. No one is wearing garlic, but we do get mini fashion reports each time a character appears. Stine sticks to his established formula: short, sharp shocks getting more horrible as time goes by, setting in a small town, drugs not taken (except for the intoxicating effects of blood), and sex stopping at kisses (albeit with fangs pressing against lips). Will Livvy, a full-fledged vampire, succeed in forcing her sister into permanent vampirism? Will their father have to kill Livvy? Each short chapter ends with a teaser till the story halts, making it clear that there will be a number three. Though Stine does have a sense of humor, you won’t find it here, or perhaps you will--maybe that’s the point of the whole thing. The justification for this vapid nonsense (or cult satire?) is that it gets kids reading. Parents and librarians will find it hard to deny the books to those who crave them, and perhaps some will go on to read, say, Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 2005 (orig. 2004), Avon/Parachute/Harper Collins, $5.99 and $14.99. Ages 12 to 16.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2005)
Enlisting a formulaic writing style and mixing teen vampire tales with the melodrama of daytime soaps, Stine continues the post–high school saga of Destiny Weller, whose twin, Livvy, is a full vampire and whose father, a vampire hunter, searches for Livvy's cure before he is forced to kill her. Stine throws in some typical gross-out descriptions and an "it was all a dream" sequence. Category: Older Fiction. 2004, HarperCollins, 230pp, $14.99, $15.89. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 5: Marginal, seriously flawed, but with some redeeming quality.

Sherrie Williams (VOYA, October 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 4))
The tale of Livvy and Destiny Weller continues in the second book of the Dangerous Girls series. At the conclusion of the first book, Livvy chose to become an immortal full vampire while her half-vampire twin Destiny was cured by their father and returned to human status. Here their father seeks both to find a cure for full vampirism and to hunt down the vampires infesting their town. These quests are complicated by Livvy seeking to feed her overpowering thirst for blood while also envying her twin for the human life that she regained. New villains emerge, as do new romances and betrayals as the sisters struggle. The conclusion leaves the door wide open, so expect more series installments. This sequel contains little exposition, so readers who have not read the first book might miss the reasoning behind some aspects of the plot. The book can stand alone, however, if rather thinly, as a teen vampire tale. The story is predictable, but it will doubtless find an enthusiastic audience. Fans of the Cirque du Freak or The Mediator series will likely find this book to their liking, although not as substantial as those series titles. The cover art is very appealing, drawing on the vampire chic that has grown as similar series have become popular. That appeal, combined with the name recognition of Goosebumps and Fear Street by author Stine, suggests that there should be no shortage of readers eager to consume this book. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P J S (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, HarperCollins, 240p., $14.99 and PLB $15.89. Ages 12 to 18.