Kissing Coffins (Vampire Kisses Series #2) by Ellen Schreiber

From the Publisher

Not far from Dullsville, someone's lurking in the dark. . . .

After meeting the handsome and shadowy Alexander Sterling, goth-girl Raven's dark world has a bright, new glow. But as in her favorite movie, Kissing Coffins, Raven knows that love always has its complications, especially when Alexander has a big secret to guard.

When Alexander suddenly disappears, Raven leaves Dullsville to begin a dangerous search to find him. Can she stay safe, no matter who—or what—she encounters on the way?

Publishers Weekly

Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber follows on the heels of Vampire Kisses, about which PW said the author "adds some refreshing twists to genre archetypes and modern-day stereotypes." Having learned that her heartthrob Alexander is a real vampire, 16-year-old goth girl Raven sets out to find him. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Dotsy Harland - VOYA

Schreiber's sequel to Vampire Kisses (HarperCollins, 2003/VOYA February 2004) begins two nights after Alexander Sterling's mysterious disappearance from "Dullsville" and sixteen-year-old Raven's revelation that Alexander and his creepy butler Jameson are indeed vampires. None of the local citizens have realized that the two new residents are missing, and Raven is longing for her boyfriend. She tracks him down to "Hipsterville," where her wacky Aunt Libby resides, and during her search encounters an angry vampire named Jagger who is also hot on Alexander's trail. Jagger holds a grudge against Alexander, who years before refused to keep an agreement that his family had made with Jagger's parents. The plan had been for Alexander to bond with Jagger's human sister, Luna, in order for her to become a vampire. Alexander and Raven manage to thwart Jagger and return to Dullsville. But the novel ends on another cliffhanger with the unwelcome appearance of Jagger and Luna at the Dullsville town carnival. Luna is now a vampire and has set her sights on Trevor, Raven's nemesis. Raven and Alexander are ready to rush to Trevor's rescue. This novel flows somewhat more smoothly than the first and offers more in the way of adventure and suspense. Schreiber's writing style is frank and funny, and she captures the angst of first love perfectly. Fans of the series and younger female readers who are charmed by Raven's relationship with the chivalrous Alexander will welcome the third installment. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P J S (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins, 176p.,and PLB Ages 12 to 18.

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-This sequel to Vampire Kisses (HarperCollins, 2003) continues the love story between Goth-girl Raven and her vampire boyfriend. As this book opens, Alexander has left town and Raven decides she must hunt him down. She finds out that he is probably in a nearby town and it just so happens that she has an aunt who lives there AND it's spring break AND her parents allow her to visit without any real explanation AND Raven's aunt is extremely gullible so that Raven can sneak around and do what she needs to do. After Alexander is located and comes back to town, his evil nemesis, Jagger, decides to get revenge by biting Raven. Goofy high jinks ensue. Every step that the protagonist and her cohorts take is predictable, right up to the cliff-hanger ending. Schreiber's sense of time is extremely skewed and the mentions of bands like the Smiths (Goth fare in the mid- to late '80s) make readers question when the book is actually set until they happen upon mentions of Slipknot and Good Charlotte. Goth girls would certainly be attracted to the book based on the photo on the cover, but only middle school Goth wannabes who are closet "Sweet Valley High" readers will actually finish the book. Raven is far too saccharine and has no sulky-fierce Goth appeal, and the love story falls flat.-Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJ Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

• ISBN: 0060776234
  
• ISBN-13: 9780060776237
• Format: Library Binding, 176pp
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Pub. Date: July 2005
• Edition Description: Library Bound Editions
• Edition Number: 2
• Sales Rank: 636,111
• Age Range: Young Adult
• Series: Vampire Kisses Series, #2

• Table of Contents
• Read a Sample Chapter

Table of Contents

Read a Sample Chapter

Chapter One

Bleeding Heart

It was like a final nail in a coffin.

Becky and I were camped out in my darkened bedroom, engrossed in the eighties cult horror classic Kissing Coffins. The femme fatale, Jenny, a teenage, malnourished blond wearing a size negative-two white cotton dress, was desperately running up a serpentine rock footpath toward an isolated haunted mansion. Bright veins of lightning shot overhead in the pouring rain.

Only the night before had Jenny unearthed the true identity of her fiancé when she stumbled upon his hidden dungeon and found him climbing out of a coffin. The dashing Vladimir Livingston, a renowned English professor, was not a mere mortal after all, but an immortal blood-sucking vampire. Upon hearing Jenny's blood-curdling screams, Professor Livingston immediately covered his fangs with his black cape. His red eyes remained unconcealed, gazing back at her longingly.

"You cannot bear witness to me in this state," I said along with the vampire.

Jenny didn't flee. Instead, she reached out toward her fiancé. Her vampire love growled, reluctantly stepped back into the shadows, and disappeared.

The fang flick had gathered a goth cult following that continued today. Audience members flocked to retro cine-mas in full costume, shouted the lines of the movie in unison, and acted out the various roles in front of the screen. Although I'd seen the movie a dozen times at home on DVD and knew all the words, I'd never been blessed with participating in a theatrical showing. This was Becky's first time watching it. We sat in my room, glued tothe screen, as Jenny decided to return to the professor's mansion to confront her immortal lover. Becky dug her gnawed-on blood-red-painted fingernails into my arm as Jenny slowly opened the creaky wooden arch-shaped dungeon door. The ingénue softly crept down the massive winding staircase into Vladimir's darkened basement, torches and cobwebs hanging on the cement brick walls. A simple black coffin sat in the center of the room, earth sprinkled beneath it. She approached it cautiously. With all her might, Jenny lifted the heavy coffin lid.

Violins screeched to a climax. Jenny peered inside. The coffin was empty.

Becky gasped. "He's gone!"

Tears began to well in my eyes. It was like watching myself on-screen. My own love, Alexander Sterling, had vanished into the night two evenings ago, shortly after I had discovered he, too, was a vampire.

Jenny leaned over the empty casket and melodramatically wept as only a B-movie actress could.

A tear threatened to fall from my eye. I wiped it off with the back of my hand before Becky could see. I pressed the "Stop" button on the remote and the screen went black.

"Why did you turn it off?" Becky asked. Her disgruntled face was barely illuminated by the few votives I had scattered around my room. A tear rolling down her cheek caught the reflection of one of the candles. "It was just getting to the good part."

"I've seen this a hundred times," I said, rising, and ejected the DVD.

"But I haven't," she whined. "What happens next?"

"We can finish it next time," I reassured her as I put the DVD away in my closet.

"If Matt were a vampire," Becky pondered, referring to her khaki-clad new boyfriend, "I'd let him take a bite out of me anytime."

I felt challenged by her innocent remark, but I bit my tongue. I couldn't share my most secretest of secrets even with my best friend.

"Really, you don't know what you'd do" was all I could say.

"I'd let him bite me," she replied matter-of-factly.

"It's getting late," I said, turning on the light.

I hadn't slept the last two nights since Alexander left. My eyes were blacker than the eye shadow I put on them.

"Yeah, I have to call Matt before nine," she said, glancing at my Nightmare Before Christmas alarm clock. "Would you and Alexander meet us for a movie tomorrow?" she asked, grabbing her jean jacket from the back of my computer chair.

"Uh . . . we can't," I stalled, blowing out the votives. "Maybe next week."

"Next week? But I haven't even seen him since the party."

"I told you, Alexander's studying for exams."

"Well, I'm sure he'll ace them," she said. "He's been cracking the books all day and night."

Of course, I couldn't tell anyone, even Becky, why Alexander had disappeared. I wasn't even sure of the reason myself.

But mostly, I couldn't admit to myself that he had gone. I was in denial. Gone -- the word turned my stomach and choked my throat. Just the thought of explaining to my parents that Alexander had left Dullsville brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't bear accepting the truth, much less telling it.

And I didn't want another rumor mill circulating throughout Dullsville. If word got out that Alexander had moved without warning, who knows what conclusions the gossipmongers would jump to.

At this point, I wanted to maintain the status quo: keep up appearances until the RBI -- Raven Bureau of Investigation -- had a few more days to figure out a plan.

"We'll double-date soon," I promised as I walked Becky outside to her truck.

"I'm dying to know. . . ," she said, climbing into her pickup truck. "What happens to Jenny?"

"Uh . . . She tries to find Vladimir."

Becky closed her door, rolled down the window. "If I discovered Matt was a vampire and then he disappeared, I'd search for him," she said confidently. "I know you'd do the same for Alexander."

She started the engine and backed out of the driveway.

My best friend's remark was like a package of Pop Rocks blasting off in my brain. Why hadn't I thought of it sooner? I'd spent the last several days worrying how long I'd have to keep making excuses for Alexander's absence. Now I wouldn't be forced to wait an eternity in Dullsville wondering if he'd ever return. I didn't have to jump every time the telephone rang to find out it was for my mother.