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Book Review of Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne, Bk 1)

Vampire's Photograph (Oliver Nocturne, Bk 1)
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The first in a five book series, Kevin Emerson takes us into a world unlike any other.

In a small town in Ohio, there is a sub-division that is deserted and neglected. The houses are falling apart and are unsafe. Anyone who ventures into that part of the town usually doesn't linger long. Beneath the rubble and filth, in the lower parts of the houses, live vampire families. In fact, a few are upstanding citizens in the human community to make sure their sub-division isn't razed to the ground.

In one particular house lives the Nocturnes. A normal looking family , mother, father, and two sons. However, normal families don't eat sugared blood cake for breakfast or sleep in a coffin using dirt as their blanket. But over the centuries, they've tried to bring forth their old world ways and adapt to today's society. Hence, the boys go to school. After the human school day is over, the vampire's secretly use it at night. Oliver, the youngest Nocturne, doesn't have many friends. He finds it hard to be menancing like so many other vampire children.

Oliver was having trouble sleeping lately. One morning, when everyone else was sleeping, he heard a noise coming from above. Being very careful and quiet, he slipped upstairs and was shocked to see a young girl sneaking into their home by crawling through a broken window. He watched her, curious about this human who did not seem scared. She snapped several pictures of the abandoned room, the flash from the camera disorienting him. Trying to get closer to her, but unseen, she senses something and whirls around and snaps a picture. Shocked, Oliver knows this is very bad.

The next day, he leaves for school early. Oliver hopes to see the human girl as she leaves school so he can follow her. He must get that photograph. His parents have always told him to never let his picture get taken. Before long, Oliver and Emalie are kind of friends and they embarq on a dangerous journey into the vampire world to acquire a potion to fix the photograph. Along the way, Oliver learns the truth about his origins and his more confused than ever.

Escalating to a shocking and fierce ending, Oliver, still drawn to the human world, must find his purpose in the vampire world. With well-developed characters, and a detail painted backdrop, Emerson takes us into a world of fun fantasy with a twist of reality. Highly recommended and I look forward to reading the next in this unique series.