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| Vampire Knight Volume 8 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com. |
Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
Cross Academy, a private boarding school, has two classes – the Day Class and the Night Class. When the Day Class students return to their dorms at twilight, they meet the Night Class students on their way to school, but they don’t know that the Night Class students 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.
Pureblood vampire, Kaname Kuran, finally declared, without equivocation, to Yuki that he loves her. Now, as Vampire Hunter, Vol. 8 opens, Kaname has something even more shocking to tell Yuki. This tale goes to the heart of the Kuran family’s past, and Yuki finally discovers the secret behind her vague childhood memory of seeing Kaname one snowy night. How will Zero react to Kaname’s revelations, particularly as his and his twin brother, Ichiru’s past is also revealed? Then, Kaname finally confronts his uncle, Rido Kuran, who lives in Senri Shiki’s body, while his own rests in a coffin.
[This volume includes two bonus short stories that reveal previously untold chapters about Ichiru Kiryu & Shizuka Hio and also Yuki & Zero.]
THE LOWDOWN: Somewhere between “delightfully surprised” and “jump the shark” Vol. 8 of Vampire Knight hovers. I think it’s closer to the former than it is to the latter, but I found reading this volume a trippy experience. Creator Matsuri Hino continues to spin a thick web of mythology that is morphing from beautifully intricate to just labyrinthine. The big reveal may leave some readers shaking their heads and some nodding in agreement and pledging to keep reading. Either way, this isn’t a good jumping on point for new readers.
POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Readers who enjoy stories of teens and vampires and vampire teens and feature elaborate internal vampire mythologies will love Vampire Knight.
B+
