Leonora and Minna are pleased their battle with the Orphan Master is over and they both survived – just. Now best friends after going through something so awful, they now hang out together through reflective surfaces or even in Leo’s family castle.

You see, Leo is a vampire, her mother the most evil vampire around, and Minna is a ghost. Minna pops up in shiny things to talk to Leo when she’s in her room, or even visits Castle Motteburg when no one else is around. Vampires and ghosts are actually supposed to be sworn enemies, so they keep things very low key. If Leo’s mum found out, Leo would be mere dust in seconds.

Leo’s mum is keen to be the leader of the Vampire Council, so she is hosting a Blood Moon Banquet at Castle Motteburg. Everyone is in a flap especially Leo’s Nanny (Leo likes to call her her butler), Margred who is in charge of everything being more than perfect.

Every vampire family and the entire Vampire Council are on the guest list and Leo’s mum also wants to celebrate Leo’s ‘first bite’ so to speak. Like having a ghost as a best friend, Leo hasn’t told her mum that she hasn’t actually bitten anyone yet.

Preparations are in earnest, Leo is being fitted for a dress she instantly despises, and her mum has made Leo aware in no uncertain terms, she is to behave, attend and make her proud.

The only problem is… Leo has been summoned to a trial in the ghost realm – dated the very same night as the banquet.

This summons is for the murder of the Orphan Master, who was only a ghost for a few seconds, but ghost laws still apply. If she doesn’t attend the trial, the threat of a ghost / vampire war is laid out clearly before her. What to do?

Another fantastic book in this funny and clever vampire series. There is so much happening, the characters are all so interesting and the dilemmas stack up and up for main character Leo and her bestie Minna.

I particularly admire the writing style, as so much is packed in, flitting backwards and forwards to get the reader up to speed (making it not entirely essential to read the first book in the series – but I definitely recommend it), and catching us up to what Leo and Minna have been doing in the months since their epic battle.

Speaking of epic battles – there is some excellent poker play (not the card type), zombie skeletons, flying gargoyles, a tiara wearing pirate ghost, swooping vampires, and an entire town of cranky ghosts all swirled up together, with a vampire hunter with an agenda stalking through the middle.

Think popping eye balls, plates of sloppy innards, and a large blind spider (hiding in your hair) wanting to go to the ball. But most importantly of all, Leo is a vampire different to all around her, wanting justice, to do the right thing and to convince others around her of the same…. while still worrying her mother might just chew her head off.

Brilliant! One of my favourite series of 2021/2022. Hoping we will hear more from Leonora and Minna in the future.

Author – Alex Foulkes

Illustrator – Sara Olgilvie

Age – 9+

See the first in this fully fun and fanged series (Click on the Cover)

(2022, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Vampires, Action, Undead, Spooky, Paranormal, Ghosts, Castle, Funny, Humour, Spider, Suit of Armour, Party Preparations, Powerful mum,  Ghost Trial, Test, Soul travel, Evil, Secrets, Friendship, Loneliness, Guilt, Banquet, Ball, Battle, Two places at once, Prevent a war, Series, Family, Murder Trail, War)