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Vickie Van Helsing

by Solomon J. Inkwell (Goodreads Author)

4.42 of 5 stars 4.42 · rating details · 26 ratings · 14 reviews

Quiet Vickie Jenkins prefers to move invisibly among the student body of Rutgers High School along with her horror fanatic friend Kyle Cooper. Her only weakness is Rod Rainfeld, the handsome football captain who seems to have it all, except loyalty from his friends and acknowledgment from his father, Xavier, the self-proclaimed town benefactor.

Xavier has added a monster to...more

Paperback, 1, 270 pages

Published June 24th 2011 by Oakberry & Inkwell (first published June 20th 2011)

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322nd out of 339 books — 1,229 voters

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Jul 06, 2011 Alex McDermott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

On July 5th, a group of us chatted about the definition of horror on DarkMediaCity’s weekly discussion. What is horror? How do you divide works into the subgenres? What are the subgenres? One important question we missed, probably due to lack of time, is the issue of comedy. How funny can something be before it’s not horror and becomes comedy? Solomon J. Inkwell proves horror and humor make great companions in his campy Dracula-inspired novel Vickie Van Helsing.

Take a hefty dose of Buffy, insert...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2011 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An absolutely wonderful debut novel by the enchanted fountain pen, Solomon J. Inkwell (along with his human, James Grea)! "Vickie Van Helsing" is a fantastic mix of suspense, comedy, action, and yes, even romance, that tells the story of a quiet, unassuming high school-aged girl named Vickie, who finds out she is a direct descendent of Abraham Van Helsing. Yes, THAT Abraham Van Helsing! Now it's up to her to stop the newly-resurrected Dracula before he unleashes his reign of terror on the quiet...more

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Aug 06, 2011 C. McGannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Horror fans, fans of The Lost Boys, Fright Night, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Well, they tell you to save the best for last, so let me start with the critique. Then I’ll move onto why this book ROCKS.

My only complaint with Vickie Van Helsing is the middle section (which I’ll call Act II). I felt Act II was a little weak. It showcased the “Fun and Games” part of the book, which is where Vickie turns into an agile, butt-kicking warrioress. This is fine, and it’s fun to see Vickie kick into action and make use of some very cool weapons and vampire tools. (Especially the Cree...more Well, they tell you to save the best for last, so let me start with the critique. Then I’ll move onto why this book ROCKS.

My only complaint with Vickie Van Helsing is the middle section (which I’ll call Act II). I felt Act II was a little weak. It showcased the “Fun and Games” part of the book, which is where Vickie turns into an agile, butt-kicking warrioress. This is fine, and it’s fun to see Vickie kick into action and make use of some very cool weapons and vampire tools. (Especially the Creep Catalog, and her compound bow!) So what’s the problem? Simply that Vickie turns into this super fighter a little too easily, making her way through hordes of undead mostly without fear or any feeling of there being a physical threat to her person. However, right around the beginning of “Act III”, the fights get more intense and emotionally charged. Particularly when Dracula steps onto the battleground.

That said, the emotional dip in Act II passes shortly. The beginning of the book all the way through Vickie’s discovery of who she really is is filled with humor, tension, and an immediate emotional connection to Vickie, Kyle, Rod, and company. In turn, the grand finale was filled with some awesome action and satisfying character development. I really enjoyed the backstory of Abraham Van Helsing, as well as the character development of Dracula himself. Inkwell and Grea’s take on Dracula brings back the hideous monster lacking in a lot of “sleeker, sexier” vampire stories of late. And yet, under that monstrous, flaking skin is an intriguing and compelling man—yes, “man”—of intellect and wisdom.

With the slight exception of some too-convenient fight scenes, Solomon Inkwell and his human, James Grea, have found a story reminiscent of 1980s horror classics from Buffy the Vampire Hunter to Fright Night, a catchy page-turner that both satisfies and leaves you waiting for more…

…and I can’t wait for the next chapter in the story!(less)

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Sep 11, 2011 Scarlette Armstrong rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Scarlette by: James Grea, Solomon Inkwell- I won the contest, and am so glad I did!

Vickie Van Helsing... In my opinion, this book was well-balanced. It wasn't too light, or too heavy. Wasn't too dark or too fluffy. Wasn't too serious, but was serious enough. There weren't any loose ends left untied at the end, and even things mentioned in passing in the beginning of the book held meaning to the plot towards the end.

One thing this book isn't, it is not another Vampire Diaries, Sookie Stackhouse, or Twilight novel. Yes, it is set in high school, but it is not fluff. The vampire...more Vickie Van Helsing... In my opinion, this book was well-balanced. It wasn't too light, or too heavy. Wasn't too dark or too fluffy. Wasn't too serious, but was serious enough. There weren't any loose ends left untied at the end, and even things mentioned in passing in the beginning of the book held meaning to the plot towards the end.

One thing this book isn't, it is not another Vampire Diaries, Sookie Stackhouse, or Twilight novel. Yes, it is set in high school, but it is not fluff. The vampires are not dreamy immortal heroes. These are real vampires, like Bram Stoker all-the-way vampires. The cursed vampires- the Dracula who killed millions and turned his back on God vampires. In this novel, vampirism is not some modern-day scientifically-explained virus or whatever, and this is what I admire about it. This is the original Dracula, brought back to life in today's era. This is the ancestors of Van Helsing, Renfield, and Murray fighting the battle that began (and was thought to have ended) centuries before, in this world, where Dracula and vampires have long-since been deemed romanticized fiction, and people will throw you in a loony bin for saying you believe in them. It's a battle best fought alone.

But, along with the darkest of the dark vampires, the reader is also immersed into high school, which may seem cliche to some people, but honestly I enjoyed reliving high school without really going back... and that's because it was done right in this book. Most of us were the Vickie Jenkins' (aka Vickie Van Helsings) of high school instead of the Jessica Moores. We were cool and confident in our own way, definitely not in the popular crowd- (but that was more by choice than anything else), loathing the simple-mindedness of our peers and the adolescent caste systems. But we were also bored, wishing for something exciting to happen, content however, knowing it wouldn't... This is what I loved about our heroine and her friends. They were well-rounded characters, and their dialogue was on-point- it was reminiscent of me and my friends in school.

The good thing here, though, is that the daytime high-school world and the night-time vampire world collide, but stay intact throughout the novel. There isn't a point where one setting or plot overruns the other and the original plot/setting we're introduced to at the beginning is lost or forgotten by the end of the novel. (You know what I'm talking about- high-school vampire stories usually start at the school, and by the end of the story, you've forgotten that the main characters even went to school or had parents, because all that goes away when the action starts- not here. We never forget about the characters' beginnings, or their primary lives/lifestyles once vampires appear- no, they still go to school and deal with their parents on top of dealing with the vampires, which is something I appreciate)... And there is a sub-plot with the ancestor's journals that, in my opinion, was fascinating and a good way to bring together the ancient and the modern. The journal entries also served to give important information without being just a cheesy plot device. I enjoyed them.

And the action- the action is plentiful, suspenseful, and well-written. It's descriptive enough that you can envision exactly what's happening, but not so descriptive that it interferes with your imagination. And it's believable.

The ending, well, it's the perfect end to the story told. It's also realistic, which is what I admire in fiction- as much realism as possible in a world of fiction, it lends credibility to the incredible, and requires very little suspension-of-disbelief.

I will say that in some ways, it is a good escape book. It's light enough to be popcorn-fiction, but heavy enough to be enthralling and memorable. It's not a throw-away eh-I'm-done-now, bargain-bin book at all, but it is a good, very entertaining read. I hope others enjoy it as I have, and understand what I'm trying to say here- in terms of fiction, it has a good balance of many things. It's not overdone, doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's not fluff either. It's not full of cliches, though entertaining pop-culture references are plentiful. No dead-end plots/sub-plots, etc. It's a good, balanced novel, and I enjoyed the literary balance of the story as much as the story itself. I don't know, maybe you should read it, and you will see what I'm trying to say here. ;) (less)

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Nov 23, 2011 Kevin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review - VICKIE VAN HELSING
By Solomon J. Inkwell

It's hard not to compare a teenage girl slaying vampires with Buffy the Vampire Slayer because there are certainly plenty of those out there, but here the character of Vickie Van Helsing recognizes the comparison.

That's what makes this book a joy to read.

As much as Vickie is the star of the book, and only she can kill the Count, she isn't the only teen who gets the chance to slay a vamp. Every teenager has seen at least one vampire movie at one poi...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book from the author in a Goodreads giveaway & it certainly didn't disappoint! The story is about a teenage girl called Vickie Jenkins who basically finds out she is related to Abraham Van Helsing & lets just say it's in her bloodline to carry on his work (i refuse to give any of the storyline away). This is one of the funniest YA novels i have read yet. I found myself chuckling with nearly every page & i'm 35 years old lol. There is also a lot of fast-paced action in it t...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 13, 2012 Vladimir rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was meaning to read this book for quite some time now but it got lost in my "to be read" pile until it came to mind last night and I'm glad it did because it was a joy to read.

I'm always a sucker for hero's who're kept in the dark about their true identity until the world gets thrown into the brink of an apocalypse and are then suddenly forced to accept destiny of saving the human race -- all before puberty is over. Our main heroine, Vickie Jenkins, is no exception.

The story pays homage to Bra...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Fred rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fright fest fans

Lots of crazy stuff going on in high school these days - the Trojan War

, Pride and Prejudice

, Lysistrata

and goodness knows what else. So leave it to that darn creepy old Dracula to show up to try and spoil the party. Fortunately, he doesn't succeed, and this book is a fun and fast testament to that fact. The fun part of this is that it reassembles the descendants of the cast of the Bram Stoker version in the little New Jersey town where the action (and there's plenty of it) goes down. Ther...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 22, 2011 Carol Holaday rated it 5 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying this NOT a shiny shimmery vampire novel. Oh no. The vampires are REAL SCARY vampires. The main characters, Vickie (who finds out she's the descendent of Abraham Van Helsing), her crush Rob, and her horror-geek friend Kyle are easy to get behind and cheer on at every turn as they battle THE Dracula and his newly created band of vampires. The story flows well and is very engaging, so engaging that I stayed up until 3AM one night to finish. I just couldn't stop.

Vickie Van He...more

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Nov 14, 2011 D.W. Davis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Twighlight and Buffy fans

I very much enjoyed this imaginative take on the Dracula story. Interesting mix of teen angst, monster fighting, and young love. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good vampire story or a good teen romance with a twist.

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Jul 21, 2011 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved it! A very original story line featuring some REAL monsters from our past.

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2011 Christy Emerson rated it 5 of 5 stars

LOVED IT!!! Can't wait for book 2

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Jul 12, 2011 Solomon Inkwell rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Thank you, Vickie. I appreciate the time you've spent with me and I look forward to the other adventures we are going to have!

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About Solomon J. Inkwell

James Grea is an author and screenwriter who currently lives in Knoxville, Tennessee along with his enchanted and opinionated fountain pen, Solomon J. Inkwell. His works include “Haunting Thelma Thimblewhistle” and “Madame Z. the Halloween Tree” from the “The Chronicles of Dead Anna” series. He is also an accomplished moonwalker. You can discover more about James, Solomon, and their deceased frien...more

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Haunting Thelma Thimblewhistle (The Chronicles of Dead Anna, #1)

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“The children of the night; what sweet music they make...when they're in tune!” — 3 people liked it

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