Vamplayers by Rusty Fischer (Review)

Genre:	Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Publication.Date	February 28th 2012
Pages:	343
Published By:	Medallion Press  |
Website	Rusty Fischer |
	Vamplayers - Goodreads
My review copy:	Advance reader copy received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Where to get:

At the Afterlife Academy of Exceptionally Dark Arts, Lily Fielding is a measly trainee who dreams of one day becoming a Savior—those who visit vampire-infested high schools and put down the undead with their deadly crossbows. When Lily and her classmates Alice and Cara begin their latest assignment, it seems like just another run-of-the-mill gig: they’re to simply spot the Vamplayer—part vampire, part player—identify the popular girl he’s set his sights on, and befriend her before the Vamplayer can turn her to do his bidding. Before long, however, the Vamplayer sets his sights on Lily's friends, and she is left to face the threat alone while protecting her friends from the dark forces she has sworn to resist.
About the Author
Rusty Fischer is the author of Dear Mouse and Zombies Don't Cry and has written for the educational magazines Bookbag, Learning, and the Mailbox. His work has been featured in Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, Seventeen, and Stories for a Teen Heart. He lives in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Goodreads)

If only I’d held on to one of those stakes from my Simulation, I’d impale myself right now.

“See if they have any photo galleries of the sports team,” she says. “I need to know if I should pack slutty or, you know, extra slutty.”

“We’re supposed to be doing recon,” Alice says in her First Sister voice, “not stuffing our sweet teeth with the Official Star Wars Light Saber Duel Reenactment Club.”

     Vamplayers is a laugh-out-loud hilarious and un-freaking-believably bad-ass companion novel to Zombies Don't Cry. Rusty Fischer is an extraordinary writer and I can't stress enough how much I love his books. Vamplayers is no exception. Eye-popping, geek-a-liciously entertaining, extremely well-written and completely and utterly engaging, it's a fantabulous YA paranormal novel, and one that you absolutely can't afford to miss. Think you've read all the vampire novels out there and nothing could possibly surprise you?  Think that vamps are not cool enough for you? Think again!

      The plot line centers around Lily Fielding, an exceptionally kick-ass girl, who also happens to be a Third Sister at the Afterlife Academy of Exceptionally Dark Arts. Being a Sister - and a Third Sister at that (which is pretty low in a hierarchy if you consider the fact that her team consists of only three Sisters) - is not exactly Lily's dream "job". She'd much rather be a Savior - a member of the prestigious, highly trained warrior team, designed to take down swarms of vampires with deadly precision. Everyone wants to be a Savior. Saviors are totally badass, with their monogrammed stakes, personalized size crossbows, and matching sexy red leather outfits. They inspire fear and respect, and being a Savior means doing something that actually matters and not having to sneak around the high school, pretending to be one of the empty-headed cheerleaders. Like Sisters do. Sisters work undercover, trying to track down Vamplayers (Vamplayer = Vamp + Player, an unbearably hot and gorgeous specimen that is impossible to resist, hence very dangerous). Their job is to spot the Vamplayer and his (usually skanky) victim, then become friends with the victim before the Vamplayer can turn her, and deal with the situation before it can get out of control. Being a Sister is all about preventing infestations. Being a Savior is about stopping them once they've started. In short, tho, being a Sister is BOR-ING. At least that's how Lily feels. Until, of course, she gets assigned to track a Vamplayer at the Nightshade Conservatory for Exceptional Boys and Girls (a high school in an extremely secluded location) and the proverbial shit hits the fan. What was supposed to be yet another routine Vamplayer track-down, proves to be way more challenging and dangerous, both for the Sisters and everyone else involved. The stakes are high this time (no pun intended!), with innocent people involved, Lily has to sniff out the Vamplayer and take him down before he turns a single student. And she doesn't yet know how powerful a Vamplayer she's about to face...


      Holy CRAP. Rusty, seriously, how do you do that?! There is nothing I could say that would even begin to cover how much I loved Vamplayers. It's the coolest book ever. Action-packed, thrilling, funny and out-of-this-world adventurous, it's just the perfect read, whether you're looking for a blood-pressure riser, swoon-worthy (but not cheesy) romance, some jaw-dropping ass whooping or just pure, 100% entertainment. In Vamplayers, Rusty Fischer delivers all that and more. He is a master storyteller. His writing style is one of the devourable kind, one that makes you giggle uncontrollably and re-read the same passages over and over again just for the sheer fun of it. But don't be fooled, it's not a silly little book that you can just read once and forget about it shortly after you're done. Rusty has a way of making you feel entirely comfortable and relaxed with all the witty remarks and funny jokes, and then, just as you least expect it, he drops an emotional bomb on you, leaving you dumbfounded, heart-broken, and sitting there with your lip trembling. Yes, that's what he does! He's a total Writeplayer! He did that to me in Zombies Don't Cry, and he did it again in Vamplayers. And I fell for it again. And - AGAIN - I cried like a baby at the end. And you know what? It was SO GOOD! No other writer has ever managed to make me go from laughing and cheering to sobbing and trembling, and then back to laughing again - all that while reading a 292-pg YA novel (Well, except for John Green, but with Green's book it was more like 80% crying, 20% laughing and I ended up crying myself to sleep, so it doesn't count). What can I say? I really, truly, madly, deeply LOVE Rusty Fischer.

      Everything from the fantastically fleshed-out, authentic, ass kicking characters, to beautifully weaved, action-packed plot line filled with top-notch humor and clever dialogues, was simply superb. Lily was awesome. I loved reading about her. Just like Maddy in Zombies Don't Cry, she was a very likable character. She was also snarky, tough, smart and hysterical. I enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes and poking around her head, it was a super fun experience, as she was just so deliciously cynical sometimes. A NO-BS kind of gal. And I really, really LOVED that about her.

All in all, Vamplayers is an absolute treasure of a book. Rich, delightful, entirely original and fresh, it's a one-of-a-kind novel that will leave you totally satisfied and glad you picked it up. Do yourself a favor and read it ASAP.

❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

About the Author

Evie is the Blogger behind Bookish. She enjoys reading many different genres, especially YA, Paranormal, Contemporary Fiction and Fantasy.

She loves talking to authors and is always happy to welcome them for interviews, and guest posts. She also likes spreading the love for awesome books and  chatting with fellow book-worms.

You can find Evie here: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Shelfari | The Library Thing