Recently one of my students mentioned that he wanted to read the Department 19 series. I am always interested in reading new books that have been suggested by the kids I teach. Mainly, because if it appeals to them, then it may appeal to me to (as with any book recommendation). But also I like to ensure that despite how great the story is, the content is appropriate.

The opening of this book was very captivating and I got really excited about the book. It was very creepy and started immediately with action. The idea of a youthful secret agent isn't a new one and wasn't too challenging to visualise. Not very far into the book, however, you get your first taste for the gory details that Hill includes in his vampire attacks. Despite being a lover of dodgy B-grade horror, I found the description of the bloodshed (both on the part of humans and vampires) to be a bit extreme if this book were to appeal to a slighly younger audience. This was the only element that made me think back to my 12 year old students' interest in reading this story.

I liked the character of Frankenstein, although his presence in the story would have made more sense had there been more explanation about how he came to get involved. I'm not sure that Hill needed to take Shelley's character and assimilate him into this tale. Creating a creature of his own may have negated the need for a more thorough back story. Jamie's character I found to be frustrating and defiant. But most of all, I struggled with the members of Department 19 and the way that they were always on the brink of sharing 'secret details' with Jamie about his family but never seemed to have time. Many times through the book I wanted to scream at them to get on with it already! The vampires are well betrayed: beautiful, eerie and wonderfully creepy.

A strength to this book was that although it took a while for Jamie to achieve his aim, interpersed were chapters that gave insight into the history of Department 19 and the families involved. Introducing Van Helsing and Dracula kept me interested and had me wondering what other link they may have to the story (other than just being backfill for the plot). I may have enjoyed these flashbacks more than the main storyline!

I enjoyed the twist at the end of the book, encouraging the reader to continuing reading the series. Overall, Department 19 was an interesting read, but a little too violent for my reading tastes. It is unlikely that I will choose to read the following books in the series.