Thanks to barnesandnoble.com for the above cover image.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

At the private boarding school, Cross Academy, there are two classes – the Day Class and the Night Class.  At twilight, the students of the Day Class return to their dorms, and cross paths with the Night Class on its way to school.  The Day Class doesn’t know Cross Academy’s dark secret that the students of the Night Class are vampires.  Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of Headmaster Cross, and Zero Kiryu, a human suffering the curse of the vampire, are Guardians of the school, patrolling the hallways and school grounds to protect the Day Class students from the vampires.

Vampire Knight, Vol. 5 begins with the final confrontation between Zero and Shizuka Hio, the female vampire that attacked and murdered his family, but Zero gets an even bigger shock. His younger twin brother, Ichiru, who betrayed the family to Shizuka, is by the villainess’ side.  When Shizuka eventually turns up dead, Zero is blamed for her death, and the pureblood vampire aristocracy demands his execution.

THE LOWDOWN:  Vampires are supposed to be hot with younger readers (see the Twilight and Vampire Kisses novel series), and the entertaining Vampire Knight will temporarily satisfy the younglings’ hunger for vampire fiction.  It’s so dark and oh-so-serious, as if it were created by a talented creative writing teen who takes herself and life way too seriously, but it’s fun to read about vampires who are mean kids.  Matsuri Hino’s textured gothic art (which is pretty, but not as pretty as the art on her pirate short story series, Wanted) is pitch perfect for this teen soap/dark fantasy.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Shoujo manga (girls’ comics) readers who dream of being bitten on the neck by a nocturnal Ryan Gosling type will adore Vampire Knight.

B+