If you like stories with a strong voice, found family vibes, and underdogs standing up for what’s right—even if they have fangs—you’ll love this one.

I can see many of my upper middle grade students relating to Lux and his story. While I personally felt like the first half of the story was too slow paced and the latter too rushed, I can definitely see my students who love all books dark and dangerous reaching for this book. I would have liked more backstory into some of the characters and almost felt as if we were being set up for additional books in this same universe.

That was a really good story. I liked the world and the characters. It was quite a fast read and I liked all the subjects it broached in more or less subtle ways. It was such an interesting take on vampires and I enjoyed that a lot too. I really flew through this and I kind of wished there were more, the ending felt a little too rushed, especially compared to the rest of the book. It got quite slow for a bit but the ending was a lot, too fast, I think. Overall, this was still really good and I can't wait to read more H.E. Edgmon middle grades!

Just like in The Witch King duology, Edgmon crafts a fascinating world and cast of characters. It’s got an awesome protagonist as well as a very timely message. This middle grade dark fantasy would have been a great book for me to read as a kid and I hope it becomes a classic for every kid who feels like Lux.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC

Defanged is the story of Lux, a vampire reaching adolescence. On his birthday, he is supposed to begin the defanging process and become human. Rather than completing the procedure, Lux runs away to join an underground community of vampires who disagree with the defanging process. Through his journey, Lux finds out about his personal history, the dark secrets behind the defanging process, and comes into his own. This middle grade novel is no exception to H.E. Edgmon's great writing. Parts of the pacing felt rushed while other parts felt very slow, but it didn't impact the content of the novel overall. I wish the ending had a little more development.

What worked:
This book offers an interesting take on vampire stories. Vampires walk the streets with humans, but they’re expected to be defanged when they reach the age of twelve. It’s not a law yet, but there’s a debate in the courts trying to guarantee their rights. The book becomes a civil rights story as Lux, the main character, tries to figure out if he really wants to be defanged. His parents take him to the Vampirism Sucks clinic for the procedure, but he thinks his father won’t like him no matter what he does. His best friend tells him about a secret location where vampires can live among themselves, but Lux still isn’t sure what he wants to do even after arriving there.

Nox Urbus is the underground city of vampires, and Lux must trudge through dark, smelly sewage to find it. He’s expecting murderous monsters full of bloodlust, so he’s apprehensive about his decision to go there. One of the first vampires he meets is a huge man covered in tattoos named Dog, which reinforces Nox’s grizzly expectations. Nox shares a room with two other young vampires, and these characters provide their own curiosities. Nox is wary when he’s around Cowboy, because there’s a mean, dangerous version and one that’s more normal. Nox can’t figure out Finnie because of her hairy knuckles and remarkable agility. The story will eventually reveal the hidden truths behind these characters, which adds to the mystery of Vampirism Sucks. VS is the real villain in the book.

Lux loves all animals, excluding rats, but he has a harder time dealing with humans. He can’t understand inferences and nonverbal signals, so he struggles to communicate appropriately. He’s apt to miss the meaning of facial expressions and blurt a comment that may be insensitive or inappropriate. He fears things he doesn’t know, so traveling to Nox Urbus is a huge change for him. He doesn’t understand bravery, but readers will notice he’s forced to show signs of it when things worsen. Young readers may appreciate his problems when interacting with other characters, because his thought processes are explained while trying to figure them out.

What didn’t work as well:

Readers might not be satisfied with the plot’s resolution. The plot reaches a climax but then immediately moves to the epilogue. It feels like there’s more story to tell, and readers might expect a sequel to answer lingering questions.

The final verdict:

Young readers enjoy stories with unusual creatures, and this book gives the vampires common emotions mixed with the drama of VS. The plot includes small twists that build to an exciting climax. I recommend you give this book a shot.

Lux Priddy is a 12-year-old vampire. He lives a normal life. He goes to school, hangs out with his best friend, Emma, and loves to pet his pet dog. Vampires have come out of the coffin and humans aren’t happy. An organization called Vampirism Sucks claims they have a cure that will defang vampires. When Lux escapes from them, he joins the underground resistance movement of “bad” vampires. Who really is Vampirism Sucks? Can Lux fight and win back vampire’s rights?

The plot is well developed, engaging, and draws the readers into the story. The characters are authentic, relatable, and likable. The intro is unnecessary and may say a bad tone for some readers. People who like fantasy, adventure, and standing up for what’s right may want to pick this one up. Recommended for libraries where such books are popular. 4 stars, Gr 4 to 8.

Lux Priddy is a 12-year-old vampire who lives in a world where vampires have revealed their existence to humans. Vampires’ revelation about their existence isn’t well received by some humans. In fact, an organization called Vampirism Sucks claims they can cure and defang vampires. After narrowly escaping the organization, Lux heads underground, joining a resistance of “bad” vampires. Can Lux bring down Vampirism Sucks? Will vampires be accepted for who they are?

The plot is engaging, well written, and engaging. The characters are likable, well developed, and authentic. Readers who like fantasy, paranormal, and supernatural realism books will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections.

i really wanted to love this one. the premise is excellent, but the delivery is, unfortunately, lacking. throughout the book, it felt like we were skipping very quickly from one scene to another. this narrative style leaves its readers in limbo, waiting for the action to start while simultaneously feeling like they've missed it altogether. not to mention the extremely abrupt ending which leaves much of the resolution implied rather than allowing us as readers to enjoy the protagonists' triumph. such a cool concept that just fell flat for me :(

This was sweet, but it was a little too cheesy for my liking. At some points, the prose felt predictable and too-simple for a middle schooler to read. At others, it was very complicated. The story was a good one, but it felt under-baked, more like an interesting premise rather than an actual fleshed-out story. Lux as a character was great, but I did not really get a feeling for any of the other characters, aside from his mom and Emma. In all, I'd buy this book for my school library, but I'm not sure I'd specifcally recommend it to a student.

I think this book has a good premise and I think it is a book that could really make kids think about justice and the government and the police in productive ways. I did, however, find this to be terribly paced. The ending it totally rushed, almost all of the final battle happens off page, and I finished the book feeling like it skipped the most interesting and important part of the story. A bummer, because this had so much promise!