Department Nineteen (Department Nineteen, #1)

Apr 24, 2011 Tatiana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Tatiana by: Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker

Shelves: urban-fantasy, ya, series-dropped-lost-steam

It is awfully generous (and atypical) of me to give a book I do not intend to finish 3 stars. But honestly, there is a lot of merit to Department 19 and it seems unfair to penalize it for the fact that I am not its intended audience.

First, it is nice to know that some publishers still remember that boys read too. A lot of YA urban fantasy has been published over the last couple of years, but almost none of it that would appeal to guys. Department 19 takes a non-sparkly vampire approach. Vampires...more

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May 31, 2011 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Catherine by: Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker

Shelves: fiction-vixen-reviews, first-reads-arcs-won-a-copy, contemporary, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, male-protagonist, read-2011, series, vampire, young-adult

*3.5 Stars*

It’s not very often that I read a book labeled as YA. I dislike the drama and love triangles that seem to be a requirement of them. But a Goodreads friend of mine read this book and loved it so much that I became intrigued. I snatched it up when it was offered for review, after she swore up and down that I wouldn’t find any of the high school drama that makes me want to claw my eyes out. (FYI, she was right.)

I’m really starting to wonder if I just don’t like reading YA’s with girls a...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Arlene rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of vampires and lots of blood, gore and voilence

Recommended to Arlene by: TBR Reduction Challenge #8 - Morgan

Shelves: paranormal, read-2011, vampires, weres-shifters, ya-paranormal, reviews-with-music, young-adult

Lux E Tenebris – Light out of darkness. Remember that...

Well this book just proved it. I knew vampires were real! I just knew it! I could have called this situation a LONG time ago. You know what I’m talking about - the government secret service whose number one responsibility is to keep society safe from those paranormal baddies that roam the streets in search of mayhem and lots of gore and blood. Well, they’re out there and they’re REAL!! So watch out! :0

Department 19 is an extremely entertain...more Lux E Tenebris – Light out of darkness. Remember that...

Well this book just proved it. I knew vampires were real! I just knew it! I could have called this situation a LONG time ago. You know what I’m talking about - the government secret service whose number one responsibility is to keep society safe from those paranormal baddies that roam the streets in search of mayhem and lots of gore and blood. Well, they’re out there and they’re REAL!! So watch out! :0

Department 19 is an extremely entertaining book that’s not even my normal type of read, but I do have to say that I got carried away with this fast paced, full on gore adventure. To say this book has it all is a huge understatement. Its pages are fully loaded with knuckle punching adventure, high stakes intrigue, constant mystery, mind blowing action and a light romance that is all perfectly blended and wrapped with glossy paranormal packaging.

I was actually a bit shocked to find myself sucked into this book no pun intended. The writing is smooth and constantly progressive, the characters are a great cast of entertainers, including Van Helsing, Frankenstein (who I happen to be a big fan of... ahem...ahem... Hannah^^:D), and Bram Stoker; and the setting is so vividly described that you can’t help feeling like you’re in the middle of the fray.

Department 19 takes place in two time settings. There’s the present where our main progtag Jamie Carpenter finds himself immersed in the troughs of this secret government agency when his mother goes missing. He discovers that he’s a descendant of one of the six great families of Blacklight that was founded back in 1892 by Van Helsing who was entrusted the protection of the Empire by the government. However, Jamie is weighed down by the traitorous actions of his father who died two years prior during an event that endangered the agency; and this secret service is not easy to forgive or forget the acts of his father. Not to mention he is suddenly slammed with the hard fact that vampires ARE REAL!! FOR REAL!! and his mom was taken by one of the biggest most baddest of them all. So when Jamie goes in search of his mom, with the help of Frankenstein and Larissa the vampire, he discovers he can redefine himself despite his past. Jamie’s strength and skill prove him to be a force to be recognized by the very organization that casted him aside.

All great stuff that is both unique and highly entertaining. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and surprisingly didn’t find myself creeped out by the massive amounts of gore and pages and pages of violence. Great read for paranormal fans that are looking for something different but fun.

Thanks Morgan for challenging me to read this. Great pick!!

Song Choice: This song is pretty harsh and violent, but so is this book, so listen with caution.Breaking Benjamin - Lights Out (less)

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May 05, 2011 Laura Lulu rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark, horror, young-adult, vampires

I think I'm just not the target audience for this book. I don't know who is, maybe a gawky teenage boy? What is the target audience who doesn't care about character development or an engaging story? Zombies, maybe?

This is one of those books that makes me kick myself in the ass for having a bit of the OCD. I can't not finish a book. What if it starts getting awesome in the next chapter, huh?

Yes, I have issues.

I should have known when I posted a status update at page 230, wondering when the story...more I think I'm just not the target audience for this book. I don't know who is, maybe a gawky teenage boy? What is the target audience who doesn't care about character development or an engaging story? Zombies, maybe?

This is one of those books that makes me kick myself in the ass for having a bit of the OCD. I can't not finish a book. What if it starts getting awesome in the next chapter, huh?

Yes, I have issues.

I should have known when I posted a status update at page 230, wondering when the story was going to kick it into gear. Yes, I was still wondering this at page 230, because I wasn't even at the halfway point yet. I hate when I don't like a book. But I really hate when I don't like a fatty book. That's like a double waste of my precious reading time.

So, why didn't I like it? Oh, let me count the ways...

* I didn't give a rat's ass about the main character. That's an automatic fail for me--I need to give a shit about this person I'm supposed to be rooting for.

* The characters were all two-dimensional. I need characters that have a bit more substance than a cardboard cutout. The only one with even a smidge of depth was Frankenstein. Yes, Frankenstein. No, not the doctor, the monster. Don't be silly.

* I'm not good at analyzing writing style, so don't ask me to be more specific. All I can say is this book was B-O-R-I-N-G. Yes, there was blood & guts & flying evil vampires all that good stuff. And don't get me wrong, I like blood & guts, but I also need an engaging story to fill in all the little nooks & crannies around the blood & guts. I can't tell you how many passages I had to reread because I processed absolutely nothing I had just read. The descriptive passages were especially prone to make me space out. This would have been a good time to decide to become a skimmer. Alas, the bit of OCD rears it's ugly head again.

* Badass-ery is not an inheritable trait. So you were a puss who got picked on by bullies all your life, but all of a sudden, you're a vampire killing machine? Just because your great-great grandpa was Van Helsing's ass-kicking valet? Whateva.

So if you're a gawky boy who gets picked on by bullies, you might enjoy living vicariously through this boy who learns at 16 that he comes from a long line of ass-kicking vampire hunters. And gets to hang with Frankenstein to boot. Otherwise, skip it.
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Apr 09, 2012 Stella ☢FAYZ☢ Chen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

Edit: I recently went out and bought my own copy. :) Yay. I will need to re-read this before I start on The Rising.

Gore, gore, gore. That was exactly what I needed to get me out of this YA novel slump.

With recent uprise in dystopian novels and the forever tainted paranormal genre, I was beginning to give up on YA authors. That was before I picked up this beautiful debut by Will Hill.

It's the TV show Supernatural meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Full on ACTION and GORE. :) This book got me right f...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Mike Puma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, ya, english-author

Reviewed from an ARC.

5 stars if considered as a YA novel; 4 stars if read as an adult (it probably deserves more, Hill does a fine job—more to follow.

"It’s not a story; it’s a history lesson." So says one of the characters of Department Nineteen with regard to the novel Dracula.

It’s been a long, long time since I read something that has been such a page-turner, something plot-driven, something this exciting and this well-done. Dammit. It’s just not right. This is exceptionally well-written FanF

...more

Reviewed from an ARC.

5 stars if considered as a YA novel; 4 stars if read as an adult (it probably deserves more, Hill does a fine job—more to follow.

"It’s not a story; it’s a history lesson." So says one of the characters of Department Nineteen with regard to the novel Dracula.

It’s been a long, long time since I read something that has been such a page-turner, something plot-driven, something this exciting and this well-done. Dammit. It’s just not right. This is exceptionally well-written FanFic which melds historical fiction, supernatural fiction, and the novels Dracula and Frankenstein bringing all to the present time with a vengeance. Not only that, but in ways that do honor to the original novels and, hopefully, will inspire young adults who haven’t read them to do so while waiting for the next in the series to come out—and it bugs the hell outta me that I don’t know when it’s coming and that I’m looking forward to it so much.

Department Nineteen begins with multiple story lines: a contemporary story wherein Jamie Carpenter witnesses his father’s violent death at the hands of masked, futuristic military men before seeing his mother kidnapped by a loathsome vampire, Alexandru, some two years later; the story of what happens with Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries; and various stories of the descendants of those survivors who hunt vampires in the intervening years. All this and Frankenstein, to boot (the monster, who has since taken on the name of his creator).

Of course, it sounds hokey; how could it not? Yet, Hill succeeds in bringing his tale through a relentless 540 pages to its stunning conclusion and set up for the next volume. All great fun, a great book for young adults which is action-based and not a silly romance (although, potential for a budding romance is certainly built in—and what a peculiar romance that could turn out to be). Gore and brutality might render this one better suited for boys (I know, stereotyping, but there it is), however there’s enough compassion to recommend this one to anyone—young adult or adult. It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s fun.

Recommended to anyone who might have opportunity to get good fiction into the hands of young adults, and to any adults who have an interest in FanFic or supernatural fiction. This was included in a box of ARCs that was sent to me by the publisher; after passing over the 'girl' stories (for reading at a later date), this one didn't leap out so much as it hisssssssssssssssssed out, saying, "Read me, read me." I did, and I'm very glad I did. Very nice break from some of the other things I enjoy reading.

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Apr 10, 2011 Morgan F rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, vampires, own, young-adult, scary, its-a-boy, adrenaline, read-2011, fiction, series

What if the story of Dracula wasn't fiction? What if it was history?

That is the basic premise of this breakout new series. Jamie Carpenter's life hasn't been the same since his father was killed two years ago on charges of terrorism. He is angry and disconnected from his mother, until the day she is kidnapped by a vicious monster. From there, Jamie is taken by Frankenstein (yes, that Frankenstein) to Department 19, a secret sect of the British government that deals with supernatural. Department...more What if the story of Dracula wasn't fiction? What if it was history?

That is the basic premise of this breakout new series. Jamie Carpenter's life hasn't been the same since his father was killed two years ago on charges of terrorism. He is angry and disconnected from his mother, until the day she is kidnapped by a vicious monster. From there, Jamie is taken by Frankenstein (yes, that Frankenstein) to Department 19, a secret sect of the British government that deals with supernatural. Department 19 was started over a hundred years ago by the group of hunters that slayed Dracula, and has been keeping vampires in check ever since. Jamie is a descendant of one of the founding families, and his father was one of the organization's top members. Jamie begins to train as a vampire hunter, learning the history and practicing with weapons, while also uncovering some secrets of the Department, secrets that some would kill to keep hidden. Jamie is determined to rescue his mother, even if his only allies are a hulking green monster and an imprisoned vampire girl.

Wow, this book is a thrill! It's a gory, violent, action-packed thrill ride that will appeal to boys and girls, teen and adult audiences alike. I've been looking for a novel like this for a while. I'm so used to YA paranormal pussying out on me, focusing on romance rather than plot. Trust me. This book breathes a breath of fresh air into the genre. At times, it would almost be too graphic. The last battle scene.....whoa....I got a little queasy. The monsters in this book are real monsters. They rip, tear, kill, and torture....sometimes just for the fun of it. Both bad guys and good guys die, sometimes in gruesomely horrific ways. For example, when vampire die, they just don't crumble into a pile of dust, they freaking explode into showers of blood. SHOWERS OF BLOOD. If they ever made a movie out of this, it would be a CGI dream.

I also enjoyed how the chapters alternated to get the full scope of the story. Some chapters would focus on the past, such as the formation of Department 19, which gave some insight as to the dynamics of the Department. However, as what happens with omniscient 3rd person POV, the reader can sometimes feel disconnected from protagonist. I am nearly certain this is just my personal taste, however, as some reviewers said they felt genuinely attached to Jamie. I enjoyed the plot overall, rather than just Jamie as a character.

I'll be honest here. The writing isn't the best. I read an ARC, but I doubt the writing would change that dramatically for its publication. It was serviceable, a little chunky, but this is understandable. This is an action/horror novel. Beautiful writing isn't the point, and could actually distract from the story.

The story overall was unique. Yes, it clearly borrowed from Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.......but that is kind of the point. It was slightly predictable who the turncoat in the story was, but so what? It was a fun ride, and I enjoyed getting there.

This is the start of an excellent series that will do great in its target audience. It managed to resolve many loose ends, but also has a level of suspense that will leave reader's eager for the next installment. Bloody, thrilling, with a tad bit of romance, and a whole lot of fun.
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Jul 10, 2012 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, horror, read_2012, this_is_young_adult

'Department 19' could very well be an 'adult horror' in a similar vein to Del Toro and Hogans 'The Strain Trilogy' by transposing the protagonist from a 16yr old to a grown man and the damsel in distress from his mother to a missing wife/girlfriend. Will Hill has loaded up on gore, violence, action, suspense and genuine horror - all the elements that lead to a successful and enjoyable form of escapism with even a hint of forbidden attraction (I'm thinking along the lines of Stephen Leathers' 'On...more

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May 16, 2012 Matt rated it 2 of 5 stars

To be honest, this book was a disappointment.

The good:
- Some very well done, cinematic scenes
- Kick-butt vampires that know how to kick ass
- Stella told me to read it

The bad:
- One-dimensional characters that are difficult to connect with
- Plot that pulls very few punches, moves in a somewhat predictable (while non-nonsensical) manner
- Lacks depth

And here is where I elaborate. Look out, spoilers below! (If you didn't, go back and read that in a pirate voice. Now.)

First off, Jaimie. I wanted to ki...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror, fantasy, ya, review-copy, series

Jamie Carpenter is a perfectly normal boy, with a perfectly normal life – until the night his dad dies. Suddenly he doesn’t know what his place is anymore, as his mother moves him from town to town. It seems he cannot take much more when a creature from his nightmares once more turns his life upside down, and forces him into the world of Department 19.

Department 6 is the Army. Department 13 is MI5. Department 19 is the reason you’re alive...

Will Hill’s debut novel is a storming read, showing us...more Jamie Carpenter is a perfectly normal boy, with a perfectly normal life – until the night his dad dies. Suddenly he doesn’t know what his place is anymore, as his mother moves him from town to town. It seems he cannot take much more when a creature from his nightmares once more turns his life upside down, and forces him into the world of Department 19.

Department 6 is the Army. Department 13 is MI5. Department 19 is the reason you’re alive...

Will Hill’s debut novel is a storming read, showing us the world of Jamie Carpenter as he realises that the monsters from the fairytales are alive and living amongst us. It presents a vivid image of a secret governmental department – all James Bond or Spooks - rescuing the civilians from a world they don’t even know exists, with first-class weaponry and insane courage.

Jamie is a very likeable hero – realistically portrayed as he recovers from the death of his father, only to realise that life will never be the same again. His fear, bravery and even the teenage strops are perfectly portrayed, and I think that any teenage boy (or, indeed, girl) will be able to identify with Jamie. The secondary characters are equally well drawn – from Frankenstein (who is brought to life so capably that you never even have a moment where you don’t believe it could be true) to Larissa to the villains of the piece.

And what villains! Did someone say sparkly vampires? With a T-Bone, Hill has wiped them from existence – his vampires are the real deal! No sexy mooning after teenage girls. We have here three dimensional characters, with motivations such as envy, revenge and bitter memories. No two vampires are alike, just as no two people can ever be the same. With villains like Alexandru, you genuinely believe that none of these characters are safe as the blood begins to spill.

I’m not going to lie – blood really is spilled. Daubed. Smeared across most of the pages in Department 19. Vampires and their victims die, alike, in various bloody and imaginative ways. This is a deliciously ghoulish read at times, with moments of horror that might give a child nightmares – but in a Doctor Who manner. They will recall wanting to turn their face away from the page as they read, just as I fondly reminisce now about hiding behind the sofa while watching Doctor Who.

Hill also shows a dab hand at portraying moments from history. Not only do we have the high tech gadgetry of a James Bond film, we also have a London from the 1890s and a 1920s New York – all feel so authentic that I believe Hill could turn in a decent historical novel as well. The historical and military details are all woven into the story subtly, but convey the sheer amount of research that has gone into Department 19.

The prose is smooth and gripping – told so simply and directly that the pages keep on turning. Hill injects a number of moments with real emotional heart, as well as writing action sequences that have the blood pounding.

I am gushing, but with good reason. This book is going to be a phenomenon – you heard it here first. To all those publishers looking for the “next Harry Potter”? Harper Collins have found it in the form of Will Hill’s debut novel Department 19. This is going to be huge. Get in there from the very beginning. (less)

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Mar 19, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: books-i-own-print, read-in-2011, for-review-read, signed, favorites, british-author

Jamie's life was turned upside down when his father was killed 2 years ago. Suspicion over the circumstances of his death is pulling Jamie and his mother apart but things take a turn for the worse when his mother is kidnapped. Jamie only survives an attack himself because he is rescued by a mysterious stranger, a stranger who takes him straight into the heart of a secret government agency. It turns out that Bram Stoker's Dracula was not a work of fiction it was a true story, a story that prompte...more Jamie's life was turned upside down when his father was killed 2 years ago. Suspicion over the circumstances of his death is pulling Jamie and his mother apart but things take a turn for the worse when his mother is kidnapped. Jamie only survives an attack himself because he is rescued by a mysterious stranger, a stranger who takes him straight into the heart of a secret government agency. It turns out that Bram Stoker's Dracula was not a work of fiction it was a true story, a story that prompted the creation of Department 19 - a secret agency that has protected UK citizens from supernatural creatures for over 100 years. Jamie's ancestors, including his father, have been working for Department 19 since it's creation and now Jamie has to decide if he's prepared to join the fight.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Department 19 which left me feeling a little nervous when I first picked it up. I've read a number of books that have obviously had huge marketing budgets only to find I was disappointed by the story but that was definitely not the case with Will Hill's debut novel. In fact I can happily say that this is one of the best debuts I have ever read and I'm sure it is going to be a huge success. The story is an action packed thrill ride that will leave you breathless with anticipation for the next novel.

Jamie is an incredibly realistic character and one that it is easy to route for. He is thrown into the middle of a nightmare world and needs a lot of courage to face up to what is happening around him. I love the fact that he isn't perfect, he makes mistakes and we even get to see a bit of his moody teenage side coming through but that just makes him easier to relate to. We are introduced to Department 19 through Jamie's eyes as he slowly discovers more about the organisation's origins and how it developed into the high tech arm of the military that it is now. Trust me they have some very cool gadgets and weapons that would make anyone want to sign up just to play with them! For Jamie though the most important thing is finding a way to use these weapons to try and rescue his mother, if he can only work out where she actually is.

The vampires in the story are definitely the more traditional blood thirsty villains that we haven't been seeing as much of in fiction recently. They are often cold hearted killers who will strike with absolutely no remorse and kill their victims in various horrific manners. Department 19 doesn't shy away from the gruesome details and the fights are stunningly detailed and graphic.

One of my favorite things was the use of flashbacks to show exactly how and why Department 19 was created. Sometimes I can find that flashbacks distract from the main story but in this case Will Hill manages to build the suspense in both story lines simultaneously so you can't wait to go back for more. I already mentioned that the story is action packed and I wasn't exaggerating - there are edge of your seat moments that will keep your eyes glued to the pages. This is one of those books that I stayed up until gone 4am just to finish reading because I had to know how it would end. Although this is the first book in a series I was pleased that some of the main plot lines are resolved by the end but don't worry you are left with plenty of questions that will have you itching to read the sequel (as soon as I get my hands on a copy it will be jumping to the top of my to read pile!)

Department 19 is sure to be a massive hit with teenage boys but will have just as much appeal for female horror fans. The story is one that can and will be enjoyed by both teens and adults and I would highly recommend it to anyone. If you're only going to read one YA thriller / horror this year make it this one.(less)

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Oct 10, 2011 Dracolibris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, horror, lycanthropes, vampires, ya-lit

A terrific addition to the YA horror genre, wherein vampires DO NOT sparkle and you would never, ever want to meet one in a dark alley. Gory, violent, and full of danger and suspense, this is a great book to recommend to teens for the upcoming Halloween season, and for those who like a little more blood on their monster's fangs.

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Nov 13, 2010 Alexandra (AlexEatsBooks) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, young-adult, books-i-own

What can I possibly say to do this book justice?
It's not a horror story.
It's not a love story.
It's not a historical story.
It is all of the above. Woven so intricately and with an amazing cast of characters that it instantly transports you right into its pages with no effort at all. The characters are incredibly real - especially Jamie, my heart went out to him countless times and I loved his ferocity and passion. Definitely topping my favourite reads for 2010 (though this is not released until...more

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May 02, 2013 Emily Ott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is only a ton of things to say about this book:

*It doesn't revlove around a girl main character
*There is actual gore
*History is brought in to make the book more believable
*The evil of vampires was shown well
*Science was actually used to show something with the supernatrual
*Frankenstein (need I say more on him?)
*There werre also other supernatrual beings brought in, werewolves
*Caught the actual history of the real Dracula and not the spin off of Bram's Stoker's story

Most books that invlov...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Ole Imsen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult

I've always liked reading about covert government branches, especially in non-fiction. So I must say that I was a bit skeptical going into this novel, (in fact if it hadn't been for a blogger friend of mine I probably wouldn't have gotten it,) too much knowledge of how these things function in real life can make it hard to suspend your disbelief at times.
I did have some trouble with this in a part of this novel, there is a section that I felt was a bit poorly done in that regard. It certainly...more I've always liked reading about covert government branches, especially in non-fiction. So I must say that I was a bit skeptical going into this novel, (in fact if it hadn't been for a blogger friend of mine I probably wouldn't have gotten it,) too much knowledge of how these things function in real life can make it hard to suspend your disbelief at times.
I did have some trouble with this in a part of this novel, there is a section that I felt was a bit poorly done in that regard. It certainly fits the story of the novel, but it did feel like realism was put aside for the convenience of getting the action going. And I think it could just as easily have been done in a realistic fashion without impacting anything else happening in the story.
But as I said above I have read a lot about these things and I doubt many people will even notice it. And it didn't impact my overall enjoyment of the novel.

It's a pretty gutsy move by Hill to use vampires in his book, and the way he integrates them into previously known fiction lore takes even more guts. (Nope, won't tell you which vampire mythos he's building on, it's a nice thing to discover for yourself.) The back story of both vampires and Department 19 are linked, and Hill presents much of this in retrospective chapters that are spread throughout much of the book.
This technique doesn't always work in a novel, but here it works perfectly. What could have been irritating interruptions to the main story instead works as a welcome history lesson. The choices on when these retrospective chapters come is also very well done, mostly they serve as breathing space in a very action filled and fast-paced story. And they also adds most of the excellent world-building that makes this novel stand out from many of those that have a similar theme.

As said in the previous paragraph, this is an action-filled story. There's a lot happening in the few days that the story takes place. At times it feels more like an action thriller than the Urban Fantasy it arguably is. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, and as already said the action is backed up by great world-building.
The main character, 16 year old Jamie Carpenter, is also an interesting character. At times he may seem to adult for his age, but only in a minor way. He never feels like someone twice his age that is "shoehorned" into being a teenager for the sake of being a Young Adult protagonist.
Hill has also managed to create a cast of supporting characters that are interesting in their own right. They all feel real and not like part of the scenery of Jamie's story.

All in all this is an excellent novel for anyone interested in vampires, covert military organisations, or just wants to have some action in their SFF stories, whatever their age is. It is also has a great male Young Adult protagonist, and should suit a teenage boy who wants to read something in a SFF setting perfectly.
I am really looking forward to the next installment in Hill's Department 19 series, this is a great "light" read with dept to it.

Review originally published on my blog: http://weirdmage.blogspot.com (less)

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Feb 14, 2013 LH Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, gritty, spooky-scary, young-adult

Do you know what? I'm reading some dead good books recently. And this is one of them, but perhaps it could be better phrased as an "undead" good book (See what I did there? Wasn't it wondrous and puntastic? Okay, I'll stop now).

Welcome to the world of Department 19. Vampires are real. They do not twinkle in the sunlight. They kill; brutally and viciously and they are out there right now. Department 19 hunts them.

Jamie Carpenter's discovering all of this. What with his dad dead, his mother being...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Eric Vanwieren rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Overall, it was a quick fun read.

Being perfectly frank, it reads much like a movie. While this is not a bad thing, it does result in some of the Characters coming off as 2 dimensional. However, I am willing to overlook this, as the book does a good job of progressing rapidly without hundreds of pages (or books) on side stories and extraneous backgrounds.

Now that I have covered the negative, I would like to say that the book is a good read. It leaves some questions,...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Rebecca P rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, owned

Department 19 is the coming of age story of Jamie Carpenter, descendant of John Carpenter - valet to the legendary Abraham Van Helsing. When Jamie's dad is shot by men in black, his mother is kidnapped by Alexandru, one of the 3 oldest vampires in the world. While trying to get her back Jamie is introduced to Blacklight, Department 19 of the British government, that deals with the supernatural dangers in the world. Unfortunately someone keeps giving away Jamie's whereabouts...

I really wanted to...more Department 19 is the coming of age story of Jamie Carpenter, descendant of John Carpenter - valet to the legendary Abraham Van Helsing. When Jamie's dad is shot by men in black, his mother is kidnapped by Alexandru, one of the 3 oldest vampires in the world. While trying to get her back Jamie is introduced to Blacklight, Department 19 of the British government, that deals with the supernatural dangers in the world. Unfortunately someone keeps giving away Jamie's whereabouts...

I really wanted to like this book. It has absolutely everything that I love: Dracula, Vampire, Frankenstein and a good bit of gore. But it really fell flat. I wrote my dissertation partly on Dracula and Frankenstein so I think there are grounds for arguing that I am just grumpy because of how much Department 19 takes liberties with the original stories. I think that if you were excited to read the classics after this you might have a bit of a shock. However, had those classics be written today perhaps this is what they would be like. I liked the idea of something major coming out of Dracula's world, even with the little addition of Vlad Tepes' background, but I have read reworkings that work so much better than this.

Boys and girls who love grizzly gore will love this and it's actually pretty disturbingly violent in places (like shoving a grenade in a mans mouth) so its definitely not for the younger readers. I felt that the characters weren't particularly fleshed out, I didn't associate or really care about any of them. I don't recall seeing one female Operator and would loved to have one of the descendants being a kick-ass girl. When Jamie is given his quick training at Blacklight it felt a little like 'Tron' and would transport well to the big screen. In fact a lot of the imagery is very bright and good, both the descriptions and the settings - I loved the village in Scotland in particular. However the rest of the description was overloaded with military terms and I became bored very quickly with it. There was very little emotion apart from "I miss my mom" and "your dad was my best friend".

I found myself skim reading towards the end. I didn't care if Jamie ever found his mother. It's aimed more at YA boys who love constant action. I have to admit I was intrigued by the internal leak situation and finding out the truth about Jamie's dad but it didn't play out in a way that really kept my concentration.

I really wish I had more to say about this that was positive because its an absolutely brilliant concept. There are a lot of people that will find this fun and interesting and actually for people who have hated the classics you might find something more accessible here.(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Booka Uhu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After his father is shot dead in front of him for being a traitor, Jamie (understandably) becomes one sullen and angry young man. He’s not interested in school, he’s fed up with everything and to top it all off, his mum and he have to keep moving house once word gets out that a traitor’s family lives in the neighbourhood.

This all changes though after a particularly bad argument with his mum when Jamie storms out the house and meets up with a girl. A girl whose eyes are red, and whose teeth can c...more After his father is shot dead in front of him for being a traitor, Jamie (understandably) becomes one sullen and angry young man. He’s not interested in school, he’s fed up with everything and to top it all off, his mum and he have to keep moving house once word gets out that a traitor’s family lives in the neighbourhood.

This all changes though after a particularly bad argument with his mum when Jamie storms out the house and meets up with a girl. A girl whose eyes are red, and whose teeth can change shape...into points. Jamie charges back home, only to discover a tall, thin vampire in his front room and his mother nowhere to be seen. So begins his association with Department 19, Blacklight and its secret, black-ops mission to rid the world of blood-sucking vampires. But while his dad’s old associate Frankenstein (yes, Frankenstein) and the esteemed descendants of such renowned vampire hunters as Harker, Seward, Morris and Holmwood are more concerned with killing off the newly building vampire threat, Jamie has only one concern – getting his mother back.

The first time I tried this book, I freely admit I put it back down again after a few pages. That was a mistake. Maybe I was just in the wrong mood or something, or clearly not in my right mind, but this books just grabbed me and I couldn’t put it down until some time later. You don’t want to know how rubbish I am on just two hours sleep, which is what I was left with when this book finally released me. It’s astonishing how packed this book is too, when you consider that a large part of it is spent introducing you to Blacklight and all it’s operations and and ringleaders therein, as well as it’s slick ways of busting and dusting vampires. I loved the amount of detail Hill gives us, complete with backstory for how Blacklight was founded; rather than just telling us it was started by Abraham Van Helsing (of the Dracula novel, written by Bram Stoker, who makes an appearance in the book too), we get to go along for the ride as he and his valet Carpenter seek out and neutralise a possible new vampire threat after their travels in Eastern Europe and confrontation with Dracula himself.

The characters were immensely detailed too. There’s a huge sense of lineage in this book, as generation after generation of Van Helsing’s original band of vampire killers pass on their duties to their own sons. This is a gentleman’s department, this Department 19, no matter how swish the training grounds and the T-Bones are (you’ll have to find out, trust me when I say you’ll want one), harkening back to its Victorian roots and the gentleman’s clubs of old.

In short, it’s a rich world that Hill creates and it is so much fun to read. The characters that populate it are interesting too. Although I found Jamie sometimes a little too focused on the one thing to really be finding out much about him, it was still so easy to feel real affection for him. Driven he may be in his quest for his mum (understandably, I think I’d get a bit one-sided in his position) and difficult as it can be to recap what you actually know about him, he’s still a character I would look forward to reading again – he’s vulnerable and, as such, believable, so believable. In fact, once I’d finished this book I was on the Net buying the next one, I was so awed and wanted so desperately to meet Jamie again.

It’s not just the main character though – the secondary characters weave themselves into your memory too. Unusually for me, the secondary characters (McBride!) have resonated as much with me as the main, they’re so well drawn. They had whole little histories and personalities, all written in just a few sentances – now that takes real talent.

As you’d expect, it’s rather gory and the blood goes a bit mad so if you’re not too keen on horror or murder scenes, you might want to consider that before you read. However, if you want a palpably tense read with excellent characters and a rollicking plot, don’t hesitate.(less)

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Dec 04, 2012 Ed added it

Hill, Will. (2011). Department 19. New York: Penguin/Razorbill. 540 pp. ISBN 978-1-59514-406-5 (Hard Cover); $17.99.*

Dracula is a history text written by a sloppy drunk, Bram Stoker. Frankenstein is an elite member of a classified security team that goes around killing vampires. Yes, he is a monster made by Victor Frankenstein (how he got his name). Jamie Carpenter's father is killed as the book opens. His last confusing message to Jamie is that he is protecting his family from him. Dracula, the...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We have now been into vampires for quite a while, and my husband recommended Department 19 to me. It has been a nice easy read during the examination period in The Open University, something I could leave and pick up without a problem.
Department 19 is an intriguing concept: a national secret institution created to defend humankind from vampires. The book starts like many other books of this sort, with a violent unexplained event that leaves the protagonist an orphan. Jamie then has to come to te...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Cassie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm about halfway through, and struggling to stay into the book. The premise is really interesting but it feels a little too forced, with too much not-entirely-necessary backstory and not quite enough action.

I understand that this is a children's book targeted at boys, but in comparison I very much enjoy Robert Muchamore's CHERUB series, also about arse-kicking teenage boys recruited into a secret agency.

There are several things that really jar me out of this story:
1. Realism of Jamie's fighting...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Jozeph rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5 stars...... This has been a great book to read. Finally a good book that is mostly about vampire killing, and i guess human killings, but vampires more than less. I liked it how it kept reverting back to Van Helsings time with all the characters from dracula included.

One problem i had was Jamies attidude through the book. Sure his mum was lost, but he really didnt have to be a dick to the people who tried to help. Maybe thats what Will was trying to acheive, but i think he could have toned...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Liam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What did I think eh? I'll tell you! 4.5 STARS!

Department 19 set's you off with a unfortunate twist for Jamie Carpenter. He does have a rough life and ends up resenting is father. Then after some nasty bullies give him some trouble everywhere he goes because "Supposively" His father was working for terrorists then it begins.....a whole giant world living under his nose is opened....Containing mythical (well not really now eh?) Monsters and beings. Mainly vampires.

At first when good ol' Mary shell...more

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May 24, 2012 Derrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Department 19 by Will Hill was a truly amazing book. It has a mixture of the classical horror of Dracula mixed in with the Modern era. I think that a lot of the puzzling parts at the start cleared itself up throughout the book because of the brilliant use of flashbacks and disjointed time.

This book had gore written all over it after I had read the first chapter, and it never went downhill after that. There was a lot of cruel murder as well as torture I still can't believe the author had even tho...more Department 19 by Will Hill was a truly amazing book. It has a mixture of the classical horror of Dracula mixed in with the Modern era. I think that a lot of the puzzling parts at the start cleared itself up throughout the book because of the brilliant use of flashbacks and disjointed time.

This book had gore written all over it after I had read the first chapter, and it never went downhill after that. There was a lot of cruel murder as well as torture I still can't believe the author had even thought of it. Anyway, the opening of the book sets in very well because it immediately got me stuck to the book. It started off describing how Jamie Carpenter's dad had never come home so early from work. But that was not the part that really got me hooked. Hill described the environment surrounding the home very well because he set a very clear point that something was wrong. The author clearly did not want to give away what was happening but he did say that there was a creature outside the house. I had a better idea of what the creature was when the author said "...a girl's face, pale, with dark red eyes and lips drawn into a snarl...". After that the story went into confusion as Jamie's dad was shot.

Department 19 got its name because it was the top secret department in the British Government that was out to take down Vampires. I later realized that the Vampires in this book were slightly different to the ones in the classic Dracula. The vampires in here were vicious, incredibly fast, insanely cruel and feasted on huge quantities of blood.

I really liked the part in which Jamie learns the basic training. I thought that it was very easy to believe because the things he learned were very intresting in the terms that it was very different to the types of weapons that we see in games and movies. The most interesting weapon of them all was the T-Bone, which fired a a wire line which had a stake attached at the end of it. I thought that this was very creative and original from the author.

Another part which was really interesting was the flashback to when Larissa (the female vampire that soon falls in love with Jamie) was turned in to a vampire. I found this interesting because she had a totally different personality when she was a mortal human. She was one that was careful, harmless and didn't like the spotlight shining down on her. But after she becomes a vampire, she has a confidence that gives her the reader that she is capable of more things and that she knows what she can do. I don't know if the author intended this but it was something that caught my eye.

The final mission was by far the best part, as well as the most gory. There seemed to be a description of how someone had died in almost every paragraph. Nonetheless, it contained a climax that was unpredictable because there were some twists that appeared out of nowhere and there were also betrayals that always add fuel to the fire. I won't give away the ending but, it is somewhat predictable but it also made an excellent ending for this book.

I have given this five stars because the author has put in a huge effort to make the description of everything easy to picture. I think that he has made an brilliant book that I surely would recommend to almost anyone I meet.

(less)

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Dec 06, 2011 Nathaniel ΘΣ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like vampire novels

Recommended to Nathaniel by: Blue

Shelves: owned, supernatural, young-adult, 2011books

This book is about about a sort of Torchwood for vampires, and these are proper gory will bite-your-neck-rip-out-your-jugular-and-use-it-as-a-straw type vampires. Not flipping sparkly will-save-girls-from-being-hit-by-buses wimpy emo vampires.

It was rather odd reading about Bram Stoker, Van Helsing and Frankenstein as real people in this world. I’ll admit that when Frankenstein introduced himself as such, I said to the book that Frankenstein was the name of the scientist, not the monster - a mi...more This book is about about a sort of Torchwood for vampires, and these are proper gory will bite-your-neck-rip-out-your-jugular-and-use-it-as-a-straw type vampires. Not flipping sparkly will-save-girls-from-being-hit-by-buses wimpy emo vampires.

It was rather odd reading about Bram Stoker, Van Helsing and Frankenstein as real people in this world. I’ll admit that when Frankenstein introduced himself as such, I said to the book that Frankenstein was the name of the scientist, not the monster - a misconception held by all truly stupid people, because everyone knows that the monster was actually called Adam. Even when Jamie, the main character, pointed this out and it was explained that the monster took the name of his creator as a memorial, it felt really contrived and just a way for the author to continue calling the monster by the name that people think is his.

It was a little annoying for the book to take well-known characters from other books, Frankenstein and Dracula, in particular and use those in a new story. Although I was really pleased that this universe portrays vampires as being ruthless killers who will kill for the sheer love of killing, rather than showing them in the moody angsty misunderstood emo style that has become popular recently. It was probably a bit of a shock for young people more used to the New Vampires as the ones portrayed in this book are ruthless, violent and revel in it. It is quite a gory book and doesn’t spare any gruesome depictions of a vampire attack at all. It’s certainly not for the fainthearted!

It’s a reasonably pacey story, although I think it loses its way occasionally and I found the flashbacks to be a little annoying as I’d pretty much already worked out the link between past and present. The characters are well written in the main, and the majority are quite strong. The background characters are more shadowy but they’re not that important so it doesn’t matter entirely. I had some minor nitpicks, such as the speed with which one of the later characters accepts the vampires/vampire hunters as per the norm and the obvious romance between the young human and vampire leads. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes proper vampires and a secret organisation hunting them down.(less)

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Oct 01, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got my copy of Department 19 from HarperCollins to co-inside with the competition I held to celebrate the paperback release of the book.
I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and I do this a lot, but if I saw this book in the shops then I would possibly pick it up to look at it, but might not buy it, and that would be a terrible mistake.
From the minute I started this book I was drawn into the world of Jamie Carpenter. There is no long introduction to the characters you jump straight i...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-blog

In light of the trend towards YA vampire titles recently, I was a little hesitant when I started reading Will Hill’s Department 19. Happily my doubts were more or less put to rest rather quickly, this is not a weepy diluted romance novel nor a particularly angst filled rage at the world in general.

Jamie Carpenter’s father was killed two years ago by men in black uniforms, shot down as a traitor to England. Now his mother has been kidnapped by a terrifying man with abilities that can’t exist, a m...more In light of the trend towards YA vampire titles recently, I was a little hesitant when I started reading Will Hill’s Department 19. Happily my doubts were more or less put to rest rather quickly, this is not a weepy diluted romance novel nor a particularly angst filled rage at the world in general.

Jamie Carpenter’s father was killed two years ago by men in black uniforms, shot down as a traitor to England. Now his mother has been kidnapped by a terrifying man with abilities that can’t exist, a man who seems to know him. If Jamie is going to save his mother he’ll need the help of Department 19 the mysterious government agency that protects Britain from the things that go bump in the night. With that help comes information he may not want to know about his father, Jamie will have to deal with the past to face a monster beyond anything he’d imagined before.

Now for the fun part, this was one of the better YA vampire novels I’ve read so far. With exception to Larissa, most of the important vampires were of the classic undead near-Dionysian sadist persuasion doing what they wanted simply because they could. The exceptions were, while sympathetic, minor character. I was rather caught off guard by some of the language used in Department 19. It was accurate for the way many modern teenagers speak but with far more profanity than I’ve come to expect from a YA novel. I personally found this refreshing because it shows that the author knows a bit about how his target audience interacts. Some of Jamie’s interactions with Frankenstein came across as a bratty kid know-it-all to his Watson, but can be forgiven fairly easily. He is a brat for much of the book, understandable in that he’s a teenager, but it kind of makes me wonder if he was taught any manners. I didn’t like the speed at which Jamie mastered the skills needed to fight vampires, but acknowledge that it was necessary to the plot and to keep down page length. My only serious problem with Department 19 was the sequel hook at the end. We are talking a near painful jar apart the conclusion sequel hook that makes me wonder if all YA novels are part of a bigger series now. It loses points for that, but for the quality of writing up to that point and the enjoyment I got out of the parts that Jamie wasn’t being a brat in, I give it a four out of five.(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Sarai rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, supernatural

So I have a problem with a book in which Frankenstein is telling Jamie, the main character, that vampires and werewolves exist, and Jamie does not believe him, even though he has already been attacked by a vampire and is talking to Frankenstein. Seems a bit goofy. I mean, you're talking to Frankenstein, for pete's sake!

There was also a line that threw me out of the story. The character "voiced a silent Wow." How do you voice something silent? Aren't you giving it sound when you voice it? A very...more So I have a problem with a book in which Frankenstein is telling Jamie, the main character, that vampires and werewolves exist, and Jamie does not believe him, even though he has already been attacked by a vampire and is talking to Frankenstein. Seems a bit goofy. I mean, you're talking to Frankenstein, for pete's sake!

There was also a line that threw me out of the story. The character "voiced a silent Wow." How do you voice something silent? Aren't you giving it sound when you voice it? A very minor thing but when I read it, I had to go back and read it again to make sure I'd read it right, and then I had to ponder it for a moment. It's not cool when the writing throws you out of the story.

I did not finish the book. I wanted to find out what was going to happen, but I was tired of reading about how Jamie kept getting into fights with people and about Frankenstein's gentle smiles and looks. The storyline is an interesting concept for sure, but I just didn't feel like it was executed all that well. It's not horrible, but I had other things to read.

Product Description
Jamie Carpenter's life will never be the same. His father is dead, his mother is missing, and he was just rescued by an enormous man named Frankenstein. Jamie is brought to Department 19, where he is pulled into a secret organization responsible for policing the supernatural, founded more than a century ago by Abraham Van Helsing and the other survivors of Dracula. Aided by Frankenstein's monster, a beautiful vampire girl with her own agenda, and the members of the agency, Jamie must attempt to save his mother from a terrifyingly powerful vampire.

Department 19 takes us through history, across Europe, and beyond - from the cobbled streets of Victorian London to prohibition-era New York, from the icy wastes of Arctic Russia to the treacherous mountains of Transylvania. Part modern thriller, part classic horror, it's packed with mystery, mayhem, and a level of suspense that makes a Darren Shan novel look like a romantic comedy. (less)

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May 31, 2011 Jaki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: just-finished

Somehow, I missed all the hype surrounding this book, so I went into it not knowing a thing about it. And sometimes I think that is a good thing. No preconceptions, no opinions, no expectations. It's a fresh slate.

Two years ago, the then-14 year old Jamie Carpenter's father is gunned down and killed outside his home. While Jamie watched. Believing his father to have been a terrorist and guilty of treason, Jamie and his mother spend the next two years moving from place to place, trying to deal wi...more Somehow, I missed all the hype surrounding this book, so I went into it not knowing a thing about it. And sometimes I think that is a good thing. No preconceptions, no opinions, no expectations. It's a fresh slate.

Two years ago, the then-14 year old Jamie Carpenter's father is gunned down and killed outside his home. While Jamie watched. Believing his father to have been a terrorist and guilty of treason, Jamie and his mother spend the next two years moving from place to place, trying to deal with their grief and the belief he was a criminal.Friendless and bullied at schools, Jamie is in a dark place, angry at his mother and the world.

Until the night he wakes up in a park after skipping school, and being set upon by a strange creature who is trying to kill him. Vague memories of what happened the night his father died are starting to resurface, and he races home in fear of his mother, to discover she has been taken - and there's another of the strange creatures there in his house, waiting to kill him.

Saved by the opportune arrival of a large man/monster - who he discovers to be Frankenstein - Jamie is taken to a secret place that is called The Dome. And there he finds out about Department 19 - the secret military organization that no-one knows exist. These men and the women are the only thing standing between us and the monsters; we don't know about them, but they save our life every day.

Desperate to get his mother back from the vampires, Jamie embarks on a terrifying journey. He discovers his father's past with Department 19, forms a friendship of sorts with Frankenstein, and finally begins to trust - a bit - the young vampire girl, Larissa, who had tried to kill him that night in the park.

Action-packed and violent, Department 19 had me enthralled. The vampires are truly horrible and scary - none of this sparkly, handsome, misunderstood stuff - they exist to kill and they revel in it. There was actually a few moments in the book that had me quite creeped out.

You do have to gloss over the fact that we have a 16 year old boy, not particularly athletic or much of a fighter, suddenly being able to handle large guns and weapons in the space of a day or two, and being the ONLY one in the whole department of adults and hardened men able to complete a particular training exercise - but you know what, this is aimed at young adults, at teenage boys in particular, and I do think it's part and parcel that the teenage hero have something in particular that makes him stand out. If Jamie had been a hopeless fighter, unable to operate weapons...well, it's not much of a story then, is it? :D

In other respects, I really felt the author "got" Jamie. Here we have a teenage boy, who in the space of one night, has had his world turned upside down - he's gone from being the son of a traitor in a world where monsters are not real, to being the son of secret agent who fought vampires and monsters to keep the world safe and whose mother - the only family he has left - has been kidnapped by the same monsters. Not knowing if she still lived, Jamie feels frustration and despair that Department 19 don't seem to want to find her. At times, Jamie's emotions overwhelm him, and he strikes out - at Frankenstein who is becoming a friend, and at the department itself. Occasionally Jamie comes across as whiny and self-centred, but when you sit back and look at what he is living through, and discovering about his once-normal world, you can understand why.

Department 19 is an ideal book for teenage boys - I mean, come ON! It's got action and fighting and BIG guns and evil monsters - what teenager wouldn't want to read that? :D There is a slight hint of romance between Jamie and Larissa - enough I think, to keep the girls entertained, and not too much to have the boys going "ewwwww!". :D And overshadowing it all, is the vampires quest to find the remains of the legendary Dracula and resurrect him. We get flashbacks of how Department 19 came to be - created by Van Helsing and his companions. And it's the descendants of these people who keep Department 19 running today.

I really did love this book - there were times I was flipping the pages, getting caught up in the action. I enjoyed the flashbacks too - enough action and storytelling there to immerse me deeper into the story, and give me a solid grounding on what Department 19 was. Yes, there's violence and gore, but kids today see all that in movies and more, so I honestly didn't feel there was too much. I would definitely recommend this one to my 14 year old son, and possibly to my 17 year old also (although his reading tastes are far different to this).

And you know what - I think you could have changed Jamie to an adult, and this could very easily be classified as an adult fiction. It's just THAT good.

(less)

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