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The Return of the Vampire
Tired of being ordinary and forgettable, plain Devnee makes a pact with the vampire who lives in the tower near her home, giving him whatever he desires in return for beauty.
166 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 1992
5 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
128 books1,757 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 7, 2021
I wanted to start with something nostalgic as a I begin a month of spooky reads, Point Horror grew my love of the genre as a teen and it’s fun to revisit these again.
Admittedly this wasn’t as strong as The Cheerleader but this sequels best moments stem from the reader knowing exactly how manipulative The Vampire is and how the main protagonist Devnee falls into he’s trap.
There’s some subtle changes to the original story and having a different heroine was very effective.
I also liked that the events of the previous book were also mentioned.
Being similar to the first entry means that I’m not sure if this was one of the many titles I originally had, but I’m hopeful that the trilogy ends on a high.
Admittedly this wasn’t as strong as The Cheerleader but this sequels best moments stem from the reader knowing exactly how manipulative The Vampire is and how the main protagonist Devnee falls into he’s trap.
There’s some subtle changes to the original story and having a different heroine was very effective.
I also liked that the events of the previous book were also mentioned.
Being similar to the first entry means that I’m not sure if this was one of the many titles I originally had, but I’m hopeful that the trilogy ends on a high.
September 19, 2024
Definitely one of the weaker entries in the Point horror series. This is also a sequel, which copies the original almost point for point. There was the odd where I was invested but I was mostly reading for the sake of finishing it. The ending was also very weak and rushed, so I didn't even get satisfaction there. I would definitely skip this one.
Devnee is the new girl in highschool and everybody looks straight past her. Desperate to have popularity and beauty, she makes a deal with a vampire. But that comes at a cost, as people in the school are suddenly disappearing. Has devnee made a deal that will ruin her life completely?
Devnee is the new girl in highschool and everybody looks straight past her. Desperate to have popularity and beauty, she makes a deal with a vampire. But that comes at a cost, as people in the school are suddenly disappearing. Has devnee made a deal that will ruin her life completely?
October 28, 2007
Author:
Caroline B Cooney
Subject:
The Vampire's Promise 2--Evil Returns
Tone of Book:
Philosophical
Links:
http://www.vampires.nu/pages/Books.cf...
http://www.ffbooks.co.uk/n4/n20276.htm
Characters:
Devnee, Aryssa, Victoria, vampire, Devnee's mother, Trey, William, Karen
My Response to the Book:
Be Yourself. That’s what I feel the moral of this book should be. This book revolves around a girl, Devnee, and the vampire who takes away her shadow to live in her and to implant evil, dark thoughts into this innocent kind girl. Devnee’s only weakness was that she was not satisfied with herself. She wanted beauty, brains and to ‘have it all’. The vampire manipulated Devnee’s desire for beauty to his own best advantage, for when she desired beauty, she was willing to comply with everythingthe vampire wanted to do and needed Devnee's help in. This shows that you cannot really trust someone who claims to be on your side because whatever he is doing for you may not be the best for you, but for the person himself. Everyone has selfishness in him, whether or not it is just a tinge of it or a whole lot ofit. Devnee thought that the vampire was really keen on helping her and she never pondered why the vampire was helping her when he would get nothing in return but the souls of the people who Devnee wanted the talents from. I feel that it’s really pathetic that she relied on the vampire for support and help when the vampire was actually sucking away her soul and he was not helping her at all, he was making use of her to kill. And Devnee was naïve enough to trust the vampire and to let him into her every thought. But I was assured when Devnee finally woke up in the end and found out that the vampire was not her friend all along. It was her courage and determination to free herself as well as the others whose souls had been sucked by the vampire that destroyed the vampire, I feel, and not the weird things her mother hung on the wall to ward off vampires. No one knew of Devnee's evil deeds and no one was ever going to. Devnee rejected the vampire's offer of having everything because her conscience was starting to complain. She knew, deep in her heart, that all these were wrong. And that was when the strong side of her emerged from a weakling, and she returned beauty to Aryssa, and brains to Victoria. She is a brave girl who is willing to face the consequences of her actions and I admire her courage to stand up and confess. She is a truly courageous girl.
I especially liked a certain line in this book.
‘She felt the vampire tapping at her skull and did not let him in. Force of mind could keep him out of her thoughts. It was only when she weakened, lowered her guard, or had wishes and yearnings and aches for things to be different—only then could the vampire come in.’
This line shows that when you are morally and emotionally weak, that is when foreign thoughts, often evil and undesirable, will pollute your mind. Which is why we all need to be strong-willed and when people try to talk you into, or out of, something, you'll know when to stop and say 'no'.
Great lines from the book:
‘She was wilted, like a flower that had once been a proud tulip and was now just a broken stem.’
‘But ahead of her, equally dark, attached to her feet the way it ought to be, spread her own shadow, huge and threatening in the setting sun.’
‘She felt the vampire tapping at her skull and did not let him in. Force of mind could keep him out of her thoughts. It was only when she weakened, lowered her guard, or had wishes and yearnings and aches for things to be different—only then could the vampire come in.’
Caroline B Cooney
Subject:
The Vampire's Promise 2--Evil Returns
Tone of Book:
Philosophical
Links:
http://www.vampires.nu/pages/Books.cf...
http://www.ffbooks.co.uk/n4/n20276.htm
Characters:
Devnee, Aryssa, Victoria, vampire, Devnee's mother, Trey, William, Karen
My Response to the Book:
Be Yourself. That’s what I feel the moral of this book should be. This book revolves around a girl, Devnee, and the vampire who takes away her shadow to live in her and to implant evil, dark thoughts into this innocent kind girl. Devnee’s only weakness was that she was not satisfied with herself. She wanted beauty, brains and to ‘have it all’. The vampire manipulated Devnee’s desire for beauty to his own best advantage, for when she desired beauty, she was willing to comply with everythingthe vampire wanted to do and needed Devnee's help in. This shows that you cannot really trust someone who claims to be on your side because whatever he is doing for you may not be the best for you, but for the person himself. Everyone has selfishness in him, whether or not it is just a tinge of it or a whole lot ofit. Devnee thought that the vampire was really keen on helping her and she never pondered why the vampire was helping her when he would get nothing in return but the souls of the people who Devnee wanted the talents from. I feel that it’s really pathetic that she relied on the vampire for support and help when the vampire was actually sucking away her soul and he was not helping her at all, he was making use of her to kill. And Devnee was naïve enough to trust the vampire and to let him into her every thought. But I was assured when Devnee finally woke up in the end and found out that the vampire was not her friend all along. It was her courage and determination to free herself as well as the others whose souls had been sucked by the vampire that destroyed the vampire, I feel, and not the weird things her mother hung on the wall to ward off vampires. No one knew of Devnee's evil deeds and no one was ever going to. Devnee rejected the vampire's offer of having everything because her conscience was starting to complain. She knew, deep in her heart, that all these were wrong. And that was when the strong side of her emerged from a weakling, and she returned beauty to Aryssa, and brains to Victoria. She is a brave girl who is willing to face the consequences of her actions and I admire her courage to stand up and confess. She is a truly courageous girl.
I especially liked a certain line in this book.
‘She felt the vampire tapping at her skull and did not let him in. Force of mind could keep him out of her thoughts. It was only when she weakened, lowered her guard, or had wishes and yearnings and aches for things to be different—only then could the vampire come in.’
This line shows that when you are morally and emotionally weak, that is when foreign thoughts, often evil and undesirable, will pollute your mind. Which is why we all need to be strong-willed and when people try to talk you into, or out of, something, you'll know when to stop and say 'no'.
Great lines from the book:
‘She was wilted, like a flower that had once been a proud tulip and was now just a broken stem.’
‘But ahead of her, equally dark, attached to her feet the way it ought to be, spread her own shadow, huge and threatening in the setting sun.’
‘She felt the vampire tapping at her skull and did not let him in. Force of mind could keep him out of her thoughts. It was only when she weakened, lowered her guard, or had wishes and yearnings and aches for things to be different—only then could the vampire come in.’
June 4, 2019
Is it Fate? It seems like the vampire's house attracts exactly the type of girl it could market its wares to. At least Devnee has her entire family behind her. The lead of our previous book lived all by her lonesome, which gave her a great disadvantage considering the craftiness of our antagonist. In any case, the vampire has grown even more powerful despite his earlier defeat, since aside from telepathy, he can go pretty much anywhere so that Devnee no longer had to deliver victims to him at his lair.
This time, our lead's wish is for Beauty. The prospective victim was rather nasty so this seemed more justified than the prequel, where a nice girl got shafted. And yet, I feel like even a repugnant hypocrite does not deserve to be denied the thing that they cherish the most. There are many ways to pull yourself up without dragging people down. That's just a personal opinion, though it won't have made for an exciting plot.
Now our vampire has become more thorough and subtle in his seduction. He no longer resorts to blackmail, devising a truly insidious scheme in its stead. Because he can now grant more than one wish, and how can a simple girl fare, facing the fulfillment of all her desires?
I think this book is much more nuanced and interesting than the first one. I'm surprised at how creative the author is - she's not a lazy hack who merely follows a template. She made a lot of intriguing changes in our villain's MO that 100% works.
I'm just a bit disappointed with the ending. It had a chance to be so much more, something genuinely, gloriously dark, but it faltered in the final stretch. Still, I'll be reading the last book in this trilogy.
I'm rating it 7/10 or 3 stars out of 5.
This time, our lead's wish is for Beauty. The prospective victim was rather nasty so this seemed more justified than the prequel, where a nice girl got shafted. And yet, I feel like even a repugnant hypocrite does not deserve to be denied the thing that they cherish the most. There are many ways to pull yourself up without dragging people down. That's just a personal opinion, though it won't have made for an exciting plot.
Now our vampire has become more thorough and subtle in his seduction. He no longer resorts to blackmail, devising a truly insidious scheme in its stead. Because he can now grant more than one wish, and how can a simple girl fare, facing the fulfillment of all her desires?
I think this book is much more nuanced and interesting than the first one. I'm surprised at how creative the author is - she's not a lazy hack who merely follows a template. She made a lot of intriguing changes in our villain's MO that 100% works.
I'm just a bit disappointed with the ending. It had a chance to be so much more, something genuinely, gloriously dark, but it faltered in the final stretch. Still, I'll be reading the last book in this trilogy.
I'm rating it 7/10 or 3 stars out of 5.
December 22, 2022
I was reorganising the school library and found this. Read it as a bit of a blast from the past. Although dated in places, it definitely has some creepy elements - particularly, I suspect, for the younger audience it's aimed at. It doesn't quite live up to my memories of the first one (again though, read 20 odd years ago when I was the target audience) but is enjoyable enough with a satisfying conclusion.
Read
June 8, 2019As a teen, I went through a Vampire phase. But not the sparkly sort of vampires that populate more modern YA romances (although Louis from the Interview With a Vampire was pretty freaking emo). I liked scary vampires...who are actually VAMPIRES.
And this vamp was particularly evil and tricksy.
I should note that this is the rare book of this sort (80s-90s YA Paranormal) where the main female character isn't a drop dead gorgeous creature with stunning green eyes and flowing red/golden hair. Yeah...for a while those physical characteristics were a thing. Just ask any Christopher Pike book from that period. However, this Ugly Duckling trope is a plot point. And Devnee isn't exactly ugly...she's just...well...ordinary. Like 98% of the population. But this is an unspeakable sin in her mind. She wants to be pretty SO. FREAKING. BAD. She reasons if she were pretty, all her problems would be solved and life would be all sunshine and rainbows and pink fluffy unicorns. Yeah, dude. Pretty fixes everything. GREAT message to be sending to teen readers, btw, many of whom are also feeling the awkward effects of puberty. Because you KNOW this is what they'll take away from it.
Oh, Devnee. If you only had a brain. (but more on this later)
Now most girls facing an identity crisis and looking to improve their appearance would get some new makeup and YouTube some tutorials (or, since this was the 90s, check out the beauty tips in Seventeen Magazine). Maybe get a different haircut or start a new workout routine/diet. But not our girl Devnee. Nope. She's lazy and looking for a Quick Fix. As a senior citizen, she'd the sort to fall victim to phone/internet scams. And by then she'll be so old that beauty won't matter anymore because she'll be all wrinkly and stuff. Totally NOT HOT. Good thing she's got a vampire living in her creepy old house. And not just any vamp either. This one grants wishes!! And speaking of identity crisis...methinks this vampire is having one himself. Perhaps he fancies himself a genie of sorts?
If only every teen girl had a Friend Like That. All that's missing is the song and dance routine. In fact, this would have made things soooo much better. Except the Vampire would be voiced by Christopher Walken rather than Robin Williams (R.I.P)
Of course shallow and stupid wishes come with a price. Duh! Devnee does, indeed, wake up gorgeous the morning after. And weirdly, no one questions it. Not her family, not her new classmates. Well, Mom is getting suspicious.... Devnee soon learns that in order to gain her good looks, the beauty was taken away from her classmate, Popular Girl & Queen Bee Aryssa. Honestly, what did she expect? There's only a certain amount of uber hotness in the universe. It had to come from somewhere. And Aryssa is not doing so good, btw. Because in taking away her beauty, he also sucked away her soul.
But even after discovering the side effects of her wish, do you think Devnee stops? NOPE!!! Almost immediately, she is not satisfied with simply having Good Looks. Soon she wants Brains to go along with it (Braaaaaaaaains) and taps the smarts of another classmate. Now if she truly had intelligence, she would realize what she's doing is just not kosher and freaking STOP already. But maybe this was BOOK Smarts and not Common Sense. There's a big (HUGE) difference there, you know.
Honestly, I kind of hate Devnee right now. I get that she's super insecure, but that's still no excuse for being a soul stealer.
Now one would think that Karma would catch up with this girl eventually and deliver her a cosmic bitchsmack, but, honestly, the ending is sort of a cop out. Almost too late, Devnee starts to feel kind of bad about everything and returns the "gifts" to their rightful owners. And she becomes plain-Jane Devnee again and is happy being herself. She also refuses to listen to the vampire anymore.
Overall... An oddly Lifetime Movie of the Week ending for a YA Horror book. Thank goodness there's a threequel.
And this vamp was particularly evil and tricksy.
I should note that this is the rare book of this sort (80s-90s YA Paranormal) where the main female character isn't a drop dead gorgeous creature with stunning green eyes and flowing red/golden hair. Yeah...for a while those physical characteristics were a thing. Just ask any Christopher Pike book from that period. However, this Ugly Duckling trope is a plot point. And Devnee isn't exactly ugly...she's just...well...ordinary. Like 98% of the population. But this is an unspeakable sin in her mind. She wants to be pretty SO. FREAKING. BAD. She reasons if she were pretty, all her problems would be solved and life would be all sunshine and rainbows and pink fluffy unicorns. Yeah, dude. Pretty fixes everything. GREAT message to be sending to teen readers, btw, many of whom are also feeling the awkward effects of puberty. Because you KNOW this is what they'll take away from it.
Oh, Devnee. If you only had a brain. (but more on this later)
Now most girls facing an identity crisis and looking to improve their appearance would get some new makeup and YouTube some tutorials (or, since this was the 90s, check out the beauty tips in Seventeen Magazine). Maybe get a different haircut or start a new workout routine/diet. But not our girl Devnee. Nope. She's lazy and looking for a Quick Fix. As a senior citizen, she'd the sort to fall victim to phone/internet scams. And by then she'll be so old that beauty won't matter anymore because she'll be all wrinkly and stuff. Totally NOT HOT. Good thing she's got a vampire living in her creepy old house. And not just any vamp either. This one grants wishes!! And speaking of identity crisis...methinks this vampire is having one himself. Perhaps he fancies himself a genie of sorts?
If only every teen girl had a Friend Like That. All that's missing is the song and dance routine. In fact, this would have made things soooo much better. Except the Vampire would be voiced by Christopher Walken rather than Robin Williams (R.I.P)
Of course shallow and stupid wishes come with a price. Duh! Devnee does, indeed, wake up gorgeous the morning after. And weirdly, no one questions it. Not her family, not her new classmates. Well, Mom is getting suspicious.... Devnee soon learns that in order to gain her good looks, the beauty was taken away from her classmate, Popular Girl & Queen Bee Aryssa. Honestly, what did she expect? There's only a certain amount of uber hotness in the universe. It had to come from somewhere. And Aryssa is not doing so good, btw. Because in taking away her beauty, he also sucked away her soul.
But even after discovering the side effects of her wish, do you think Devnee stops? NOPE!!! Almost immediately, she is not satisfied with simply having Good Looks. Soon she wants Brains to go along with it (Braaaaaaaaains) and taps the smarts of another classmate. Now if she truly had intelligence, she would realize what she's doing is just not kosher and freaking STOP already. But maybe this was BOOK Smarts and not Common Sense. There's a big (HUGE) difference there, you know.
Honestly, I kind of hate Devnee right now. I get that she's super insecure, but that's still no excuse for being a soul stealer.
Now one would think that Karma would catch up with this girl eventually and deliver her a cosmic bitchsmack, but, honestly, the ending is sort of a cop out. Almost too late, Devnee starts to feel kind of bad about everything and returns the "gifts" to their rightful owners. And she becomes plain-Jane Devnee again and is happy being herself. She also refuses to listen to the vampire anymore.
Overall... An oddly Lifetime Movie of the Week ending for a YA Horror book. Thank goodness there's a threequel.
November 23, 2017
I've been rereading the Point Horror series I loved so much as a Tween. My rating is comparative to the other books in the series!
This novel follows pretty much the same pattern as it's predecessor, The Cheerleader, except this time the protagonist, Devnee, has multiple wishes rather than just the one. I found this book to be a pale imitation of the first book. The main problem was, I didn't really care about the protagonist. I didn't feel much sympathy for Devnee, or any of the other characters, so I didn't really care what happened to any of them!
I found myself reading on mostly for any mentions of Althea and any clues as to what happened to her after the first book finished.
A disappointing follow-up to the first book in the Vampire trilogy, in my opinion.
This novel follows pretty much the same pattern as it's predecessor, The Cheerleader, except this time the protagonist, Devnee, has multiple wishes rather than just the one. I found this book to be a pale imitation of the first book. The main problem was, I didn't really care about the protagonist. I didn't feel much sympathy for Devnee, or any of the other characters, so I didn't really care what happened to any of them!
I found myself reading on mostly for any mentions of Althea and any clues as to what happened to her after the first book finished.
A disappointing follow-up to the first book in the Vampire trilogy, in my opinion.
September 14, 2022
Be careful what you wish for, it will come true!
After Devnee and her family move into a spooky house, to have a fresh start in a new town, she discovers that things aren't not right. She is very self conscious about the way she looks, her face, body and even personality. When she starts her first day at her new school, she encounters Aryssa. She is the most beautiful girl she has ever seen and after wish she had Aryssas looks, after convincing herself that beauty is all that matters, she finds a vampire living in her house that grants her wish. But as time goes on, Devnee wants more, much more. She must come to live herself, no matter how she looks. And learn that kindness is better than being beautiful.
After Devnee and her family move into a spooky house, to have a fresh start in a new town, she discovers that things aren't not right. She is very self conscious about the way she looks, her face, body and even personality. When she starts her first day at her new school, she encounters Aryssa. She is the most beautiful girl she has ever seen and after wish she had Aryssas looks, after convincing herself that beauty is all that matters, she finds a vampire living in her house that grants her wish. But as time goes on, Devnee wants more, much more. She must come to live herself, no matter how she looks. And learn that kindness is better than being beautiful.
August 4, 2019
I enjoyed The Cheerleader, but this is basically a rewrite of it, only not as good.
Re-read this for Teenage Scream podcast (lovingly dissecting the best and worst of 90s teen horror):
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
Re-read this for Teenage Scream podcast (lovingly dissecting the best and worst of 90s teen horror):
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
February 19, 2009
Another similar to The Cheerleader: popular girl meets vampire...
July 4, 2019
A rare steamer from our fave CBC. Just....boring?
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
I read this for our podcast Teenage Scream, which dissects the best (and worst) of 90s Teen Horror.
https://soundcloud.com/teenagescream
July 31, 2019
This was fairly boring. Nothing happened for the entire first half except a shadow moving about. Also the "rules" for the vampire seem to have changed since the first book.
April 6, 2023
I am still keeping my five star rating due to nostalgia.
I didn't remember too much of this one since it has been a long time that I have read it but once I started things came back into place.
Devnee Fountain...what a name. Althea in The Cheerleader didn't even get a last name...or parents for that matter.
They have just moved to town: Devnee, Dad, her mom and her brother Luke one year her junior who is still in junior high while Devnee is a sophomore at the high school. Devnee always wanted a tower room and it so happens that an empty house in town has such a tower.
Mrs. Fountain plans to decorate Devnee's room eventually to give it a coat of paint and brighten the atmosphere once her brother and father can get the shutters opened. Shutters on the outside...shutters on the inside.
Devnee feels something in the room and doesn't want to sleep there but her parents think it is just jitters at starting a new school the next day. Devnee is taken to her home room and paired up with "buddies" to help her learn her way to her classes. Three teens raise their hands once Devnee's schedule is announced since she must be paired with those who share her classes.
There is beautiful Aryssa, who is not very good at biology but who needs a sharp mind when you have curves in the right places and a mega-watt smile. Trey is a jock but not a dumb jock as he is also very smart to be a part of the academic team and Devnee thinks he's nice-looking enough. Her third buddy is Nina, a girl so rich and nasty she doesn't give Devnee the time of day so I'm wondering why she raised her hand in the first place.
Devnee meets a few other kids as well at lunch. Victoria is in her English class and she is very smart but also very sweet. William is on the same academic team with Trey and a few other extra curricular activities along with sports and he is very handsome.
Devnee can't believe she has made friends since she views herself as so plain and ordinary but all of that becomes shattered the one day she is running late to school. Devnee hears Aryssa and Trey talking about her and how glad they are free from her being all clingy to them for a day.
Aryssa needs a smart girl to copy off from in Biology and Trey knows how to get in good with Victoria by being "charitable" to the new students yet it seems he is all into Aryssa now because she is so beautiful. Devnee has such a low opinion of herself that she feels bad for wasting Trey and Aryssa's time so the next day she tells them she is adjusted now and they split from her fast as if she has the plague.
Victoria however still treats Devnee nicely and her English teacher Ms. Cort is still her favorite but it devastates Devnee so much that her wish to be beautiful is calling out to a certain someone in the shadows...
Soon the vampire is able to leave the shutters thanks to Devnee's dad and he offers to make Devnee beautiful just as she wishes for something in return...that is. Why should Aryssa with her false friendship be so beautiful on the outside when inside she is so ugly? The vampire knows what to say and poor Devnee wants so much she can't help but agree.
That's only the first little taste of what beauty can bring but pretty soon, Devnee wants more.
Yet so does the vampire...
I guess I can still kind of relate with lead characters like these but Devnee seems to have just a little more personality than Althea did in the first book. No one mentions Althea by name but she gets talked about as being a weird and creepy girl yet people went to those parties she held in the house when she got all of that cheerleader popularity.
I'm use to hypocrisy on all sort of levels...probably another reason I can still enjoy a book like this.
Aryssa, Trey and Nina are awful people in this book. I don't feel sorry for Aryssa at all except when it becomes clear Trey only wants her because she's beautiful. Nina's just a snob and I'm glad we don't get much of her.
Victoria and William are nice kids though. In The Cheerleader, some of the girls were not that bad but at least not as overly superficial as Nina or Aryssa. The boys were not as bad as Trey but still not as nice as William is in this book so the other characters in both kind of even each other out.
We don't get a lot of focus on Devnee's dad but her mom seems really nice and at times, I get why Devnee would be embarrassed but then again she's only fifteen. Her brother Luke isn't terribly annoying but then again little brothers treat older sisters like total pukes and that is also just what sisters do in turn.
Being an only child, I have seen past friends with their younger siblings and my cousins play off each other like that so I'm not a complete stranger to it...
The Cheerleader's ending was ambiguous but more on a bittersweet tone. The Return Of The Vampire ends ambiguously as well but it has hints that the outcome could be a shade more positive.
Wishful thinking but it shows that Devnee is a better character than Althea in the sense of her arc. I don't remember Althea being as prickly as Devnee when she's more under the vampire's influence until she has her revelation.
The vampire is still the same BTW...still slick and evil. I'm still always puzzled into just how his powers work and all but I guess if you tried calling him a dijin it wouldn't have the same ring.
Go watch Wishmaster or the episode of Supernatural from season 2 called What Is And What Should Never Be and tell me I'm wrong...
In any case, I still adore The Cheerleader but I like The Return Of The Vampire just a smidge better.
You don't really need to read The Cheerleader to get the story of this book... it is kind of its own entity. If you haven't read The Return Of The Vampire, I highly recommend it and then you can give The Cheerleader a once over if you still have yet to read that one.
I didn't remember too much of this one since it has been a long time that I have read it but once I started things came back into place.
Devnee Fountain...what a name. Althea in The Cheerleader didn't even get a last name...or parents for that matter.
They have just moved to town: Devnee, Dad, her mom and her brother Luke one year her junior who is still in junior high while Devnee is a sophomore at the high school. Devnee always wanted a tower room and it so happens that an empty house in town has such a tower.
Mrs. Fountain plans to decorate Devnee's room eventually to give it a coat of paint and brighten the atmosphere once her brother and father can get the shutters opened. Shutters on the outside...shutters on the inside.
Devnee feels something in the room and doesn't want to sleep there but her parents think it is just jitters at starting a new school the next day. Devnee is taken to her home room and paired up with "buddies" to help her learn her way to her classes. Three teens raise their hands once Devnee's schedule is announced since she must be paired with those who share her classes.
There is beautiful Aryssa, who is not very good at biology but who needs a sharp mind when you have curves in the right places and a mega-watt smile. Trey is a jock but not a dumb jock as he is also very smart to be a part of the academic team and Devnee thinks he's nice-looking enough. Her third buddy is Nina, a girl so rich and nasty she doesn't give Devnee the time of day so I'm wondering why she raised her hand in the first place.
Devnee meets a few other kids as well at lunch. Victoria is in her English class and she is very smart but also very sweet. William is on the same academic team with Trey and a few other extra curricular activities along with sports and he is very handsome.
Devnee can't believe she has made friends since she views herself as so plain and ordinary but all of that becomes shattered the one day she is running late to school. Devnee hears Aryssa and Trey talking about her and how glad they are free from her being all clingy to them for a day.
Aryssa needs a smart girl to copy off from in Biology and Trey knows how to get in good with Victoria by being "charitable" to the new students yet it seems he is all into Aryssa now because she is so beautiful. Devnee has such a low opinion of herself that she feels bad for wasting Trey and Aryssa's time so the next day she tells them she is adjusted now and they split from her fast as if she has the plague.
Victoria however still treats Devnee nicely and her English teacher Ms. Cort is still her favorite but it devastates Devnee so much that her wish to be beautiful is calling out to a certain someone in the shadows...
Soon the vampire is able to leave the shutters thanks to Devnee's dad and he offers to make Devnee beautiful just as she wishes for something in return...that is. Why should Aryssa with her false friendship be so beautiful on the outside when inside she is so ugly? The vampire knows what to say and poor Devnee wants so much she can't help but agree.
That's only the first little taste of what beauty can bring but pretty soon, Devnee wants more.
Yet so does the vampire...
I guess I can still kind of relate with lead characters like these but Devnee seems to have just a little more personality than Althea did in the first book. No one mentions Althea by name but she gets talked about as being a weird and creepy girl yet people went to those parties she held in the house when she got all of that cheerleader popularity.
I'm use to hypocrisy on all sort of levels...probably another reason I can still enjoy a book like this.
Aryssa, Trey and Nina are awful people in this book. I don't feel sorry for Aryssa at all except when it becomes clear Trey only wants her because she's beautiful. Nina's just a snob and I'm glad we don't get much of her.
Victoria and William are nice kids though. In The Cheerleader, some of the girls were not that bad but at least not as overly superficial as Nina or Aryssa. The boys were not as bad as Trey but still not as nice as William is in this book so the other characters in both kind of even each other out.
We don't get a lot of focus on Devnee's dad but her mom seems really nice and at times, I get why Devnee would be embarrassed but then again she's only fifteen. Her brother Luke isn't terribly annoying but then again little brothers treat older sisters like total pukes and that is also just what sisters do in turn.
Being an only child, I have seen past friends with their younger siblings and my cousins play off each other like that so I'm not a complete stranger to it...
The Cheerleader's ending was ambiguous but more on a bittersweet tone. The Return Of The Vampire ends ambiguously as well but it has hints that the outcome could be a shade more positive.
Wishful thinking but it shows that Devnee is a better character than Althea in the sense of her arc. I don't remember Althea being as prickly as Devnee when she's more under the vampire's influence until she has her revelation.
The vampire is still the same BTW...still slick and evil. I'm still always puzzled into just how his powers work and all but I guess if you tried calling him a dijin it wouldn't have the same ring.
Go watch Wishmaster or the episode of Supernatural from season 2 called What Is And What Should Never Be and tell me I'm wrong...
In any case, I still adore The Cheerleader but I like The Return Of The Vampire just a smidge better.
You don't really need to read The Cheerleader to get the story of this book... it is kind of its own entity. If you haven't read The Return Of The Vampire, I highly recommend it and then you can give The Cheerleader a once over if you still have yet to read that one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2024
Devnee isn’t as enthralling of a protagonist as Althea was in the first book, I found Devnee a little boring in comparison. This book was also slightly shorter and didn’t have as much meat to it as The Cheerleader, I would have enjoyed a bit more time with Devnee. The ending wrapped up a little too quickly and easily for my liking. That being said, it was still a fun and slightly suspenseful read. I read this all today, which makes sense because it’s middle grade horror and has a little more than 150 pages. I think the most interesting part of this book was the expansion of the vampires lore and his abilities. I also really enjoyed the side character Victoria, I just wish we’d had more time with everyone in the book the way we did in The Cheerleader! Over all a very fun read and I’m excited to read the last book in the trilogy.
December 30, 2024
Re reading these after 20+ years and still enjoying them is awesome!! although this one is a little repetitive and mirrors the The Cheerleader in nesrly every way I still love to read it 🤩 gonna continue straight on to The Vampires Promise 🤩
October 10, 2024
Halloweenathon - 2nd book complete. My god, the main character in this one was worse than the first one, so superficial but then again, that's the point isn't it lol
August 2, 2024
Lets head back to our high school years where being popular and beautiful was all that was needed to be happy and accepted.
The old mansion and the vampire are in for a treat as Devnee is moving into the mansion with her family. She is exactly the type if person that the vampire is looking for.
Before long Devnee says the magical words “ I wish to be beautiful”
The transformation begins and then the desire for more more more
until
She comes face to face with the results if her wishes
Soon
She becomes too entangled with her wishes and makes a wish that she regrets as soon as spoken.
This time she feels guilty
This time she shows kindness
This time she is willing to do anything to reverse time back
Read to find out what that wish was thats changed everything
It maybe something that you may have figured out
Or
It may be a surprise.
The old mansion and the vampire are in for a treat as Devnee is moving into the mansion with her family. She is exactly the type if person that the vampire is looking for.
Before long Devnee says the magical words “ I wish to be beautiful”
The transformation begins and then the desire for more more more
until
She comes face to face with the results if her wishes
Soon
She becomes too entangled with her wishes and makes a wish that she regrets as soon as spoken.
This time she feels guilty
This time she shows kindness
This time she is willing to do anything to reverse time back
Read to find out what that wish was thats changed everything
It maybe something that you may have figured out
Or
It may be a surprise.
September 19, 2020
I found myself quite unexpectedly really enjoying
The Cheerleader
, so I was excited to read this sequel, The Return of the Vampire. Disappointingly that excitement didn't last. I felt Caroline B. Cooney's flowery and poetic writing style really helped establish an interesting mood in the previous book, but here it feels almost parodic. The protagonist in this book follows in the footsteps of Althea (who has since moved away and now barely warrants. mention), with an equally strange choice of name - Devnee. And pretty much exactly like the previous book, Devnee longs to be beautiful and popular Her family is new to town, moving in to Althea's old digs, and of course Devnee's bedroom ends up being in the tower, and of course she ends up making a deal with the vampire. I think retreading the same ground did not help when it came to this sequel feeling like a parody of the first. On the plus side, I did once again like the descriptions of the vampire.
There are a couple of minor differences - there's some nonsense about Devnee's shadow leaving her as she makes deals with the undead, and instead of just a general improvement to her appearance, Devnee seems to acquire certain traits from the vampire's victims this time. There's also some inconsistencies with exactly how the vampire engages with his victims, with The Cheerleader requiring a more active involvement from the protagonist than what we get here. Unfortunately none of this is particularly inspired, and the majority of the book is moping and wishing and reading the increasingly frustrating thoughts of an incredibly self-centred teenage girl.
The hurried conclusion is also laughably weak and sudden. I'm quite baffled at how Caroline B. Cooney can pretty much tell the same story twice, and yet there's such a distinct and vast difference in how enjoyable they both are. This is quite easily once of the worst Point Horror books I've read thus far, and I'm now rather apprehensive about reading her other contributions. I suppose time will tell.
1/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
3) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
4) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
5) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
6) April Fools - 3.5/5
7) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
8) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
9) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
10) The Accident - 3/5
11) Funhouse - 3/5
12) The Invitation - 2.5/5
13) The Snowman - 2.5/5
14) The Boyfriend - 2/5
15) Mother's Helper - 2/5
16) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
17) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
18) Beach Party - 1/5
There are a couple of minor differences - there's some nonsense about Devnee's shadow leaving her as she makes deals with the undead, and instead of just a general improvement to her appearance, Devnee seems to acquire certain traits from the vampire's victims this time. There's also some inconsistencies with exactly how the vampire engages with his victims, with The Cheerleader requiring a more active involvement from the protagonist than what we get here. Unfortunately none of this is particularly inspired, and the majority of the book is moping and wishing and reading the increasingly frustrating thoughts of an incredibly self-centred teenage girl.
The hurried conclusion is also laughably weak and sudden. I'm quite baffled at how Caroline B. Cooney can pretty much tell the same story twice, and yet there's such a distinct and vast difference in how enjoyable they both are. This is quite easily once of the worst Point Horror books I've read thus far, and I'm now rather apprehensive about reading her other contributions. I suppose time will tell.
1/5
Point Horror Ranked
1) The Girlfriend - 4/5
2) Trick or Treat - 3.5/5
3) Teacher's Pet - 3.5/5
4) The Baby-Sitter II - 3.5/5
5) The Cheerleader - 3.5/5
6) April Fools - 3.5/5
7) My Secret Admirer - 3.5/5
8) The Lifeguard - 3.5/5
9) Thirteen Tales of Horror - 3/5
10) The Accident - 3/5
11) Funhouse - 3/5
12) The Invitation - 2.5/5
13) The Snowman - 2.5/5
14) The Boyfriend - 2/5
15) Mother's Helper - 2/5
16) The Baby-Sitter - 1.5/5
17) The Return of the Vampire - 1/5
18) Beach Party - 1/5
April 1, 2017
This story is about a young high school girl and her family that moved into an old run down castle like home. Devnee chose to have her bedroom in one of the towers. It was always cold ,dark and eerie in there, and it had shutters on the inside which she tried to open but couldn't until one day she made a wish.
Devnee always considered herself as plain and ordinary, no one took her seriously and at times she felt invisible. Then one day she saw how her classmate had all the attention from boys and if she missed her homework assignment the reacher would let it slide because she was beautiful. So Devnee made a wish that she could be beautiful, she wanted to look just like her classmate, well that wish opened the shutters and a vampire appeared and granted her wish. She thought life would be good now but would it really?
Throughout the story she makes other wishes to this vampire genie who grants them until she realizes there is a price to pay, he wants something in return. She makes a terrible mistake and wishes something she really didn't mean she wanted so she tries to stop it from happening.
Will she learn her lesson? Can she stop her mistaken wish from happening? Will she finally be happy with who she is and stop trying to be someone else?
Thus is a very fast read, only 166 pages. .... It was an ok read,
Devnee always considered herself as plain and ordinary, no one took her seriously and at times she felt invisible. Then one day she saw how her classmate had all the attention from boys and if she missed her homework assignment the reacher would let it slide because she was beautiful. So Devnee made a wish that she could be beautiful, she wanted to look just like her classmate, well that wish opened the shutters and a vampire appeared and granted her wish. She thought life would be good now but would it really?
Throughout the story she makes other wishes to this vampire genie who grants them until she realizes there is a price to pay, he wants something in return. She makes a terrible mistake and wishes something she really didn't mean she wanted so she tries to stop it from happening.
Will she learn her lesson? Can she stop her mistaken wish from happening? Will she finally be happy with who she is and stop trying to be someone else?
Thus is a very fast read, only 166 pages. .... It was an ok read,
July 18, 2021
Story Description:
In Evil Returns, we are introduced to Devnee & her family. They are new in town & they have just moved into Althea’s old home. Devnee makes the tower her bedroom & it is in here where she comes across the vampire. He senses a weakness in Devnee & he offers to grant her a wish. Devnee longs to be beautiful & popular so she makes that her wish. But in order for the vampire to grant her that wish, she needs to give him something in return - the most beautiful girl in school….
My Thoughts:
I’m probably in the minority but I actually found this book more interesting than the first one. Reasons for this? Well, compared to Althea we know that Devnee actually has a family & they do feature in the story from time to time which I liked. I also liked that events from the first book were also mentioned in this one. Although, I’m still wondering what happens to the vampire’s victims after the vampire drains them off life? Again, are they forever drained of life? Or do they eventually die? Or can they regain their strength?
I’m off now to read the follow up….
In Evil Returns, we are introduced to Devnee & her family. They are new in town & they have just moved into Althea’s old home. Devnee makes the tower her bedroom & it is in here where she comes across the vampire. He senses a weakness in Devnee & he offers to grant her a wish. Devnee longs to be beautiful & popular so she makes that her wish. But in order for the vampire to grant her that wish, she needs to give him something in return - the most beautiful girl in school….
My Thoughts:
I’m probably in the minority but I actually found this book more interesting than the first one. Reasons for this? Well, compared to Althea we know that Devnee actually has a family & they do feature in the story from time to time which I liked. I also liked that events from the first book were also mentioned in this one. Although, I’m still wondering what happens to the vampire’s victims after the vampire drains them off life? Again, are they forever drained of life? Or do they eventually die? Or can they regain their strength?
I’m off now to read the follow up….
August 19, 2019
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. As someone who struggles with self worth and the want of being attractive I can relate hardcore to the main character, at least in the first half. My heart literally broke for her when Trey and Aryssa were talking behind her back, especially when she tried so hard to be liked by them. It brought me back to my years in high school. I saw myself in Devnee and I can understand how she feels. Her selfishness did bother me in the later half of the book but with all the beauty and attention she got it makes sense. Whenever the vampire would appear, unwanted, and she would panic I would feel her anxiety and panic as if I were in the scene too, that’s good storytelling to me. I do wish we got one more chapter back at school in the end when we get to see the side characters once more, i think it would’ve made for a better conclusion. The one we got felt a bit abrupt. but overall, I definitely recommend, i didn’t expect to like it as much as I did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2023
This is a disappointing follow up to The Cheerleader. The main movements of the story are basically the same with a new protagonist. I think the main reason The Cheerleader worked so well is that Cooney left the protagonist shrouded in mystery, and she comes across as quite creepy. Paired with Cooney's trademark writing style it created a brilliant atmosphere. The protagonist here, Devnee is meant to be dull and slow-witted. However, the writing style doesn't change from when we were in Althea's POV so I never could quite believe that Devnee was as dim as Cooney kept telling us.
I did empathise with Devnee quite a bit, especially in the scene where she overhears people talking about her. Just devastating. I like Cooney's take on the vampire and the references to Althea.
I did empathise with Devnee quite a bit, especially in the scene where she overhears people talking about her. Just devastating. I like Cooney's take on the vampire and the references to Althea.
July 18, 2012
Solid sequel to the forst book in Cooney's vampire trilogy The Cheerleader, Return of the Vampire is much the as the original but with a different lead character and a different type of wish. The main character in this is a little less sympathetic than in the original which akes for good reading but again it's too Americanised and more suited to females because of it;s subject matter. Still though the Vampire of the story is again wonderfully described and suitably frightening and deserves a read.
May 16, 2014
This book is one of my all time favorites with her. This book started pretty good. I loved having able to feel like oh no what is going to happen next. I really want to find the first and third book of this. I can't find it cause we don't have it in our literary. When I finished I got attached to Caroline b cooney. I now read her books, but this book is one of my all time favorite books ever!
Read
June 21, 2009again. good book. though i don't get how the series connects. i mean, the characters change from one book to the next. there are only minor details that are similar. it's a bit confusing but i liked this book a lot
August 19, 2011
Very underdeveloped! The plot was very basic and 2 dimensional. The characters were very shallow and underdeveloped. You don't really get to know any of the characters except for the main character Devnee. I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I were 10 years younger.
January 10, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book as it didn’t take long to read I loved the fact that Devnee found out the hard way what the cost of wishes can do to people Devnee found out that beauty isn’t everything and being the most popular isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be good read
September 22, 2020
This was a slog to get through. It basically rehashes the first book, but with a different main character. She’s still boring and has no personality. I’ll read the last book in the trilogy, but I don’t have high hopes for it.
December 12, 2021
I'm settling on a 3.5 for this. The writing, as always with CBC, is beautiful, but it is essentially the same story as number 1, with a less effective ending. I raced through the first half and trudged through the second. Overall, worth the read and stabds out among the other Point Horrors.
December 4, 2023
In my opinion, a sequel to The Cheerleader was not needed. This book was kind of just a rehash of the first book, but not as dark. Not as scary. Still a good read and it leaves on a cliffhanger so I’ll definitely read the third and final book in the trilogy someday. 3.5 stars
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