DEFANGED

A vampire runs away after his parents attempt to “cure” him.

Lux Priddy is obsessed with animals, eager to share his knowledge, and anxious about following rules. He and his best friend, Emma Neroni, are also vampires. Vampires started coming “out of the coffin” in the ’90s—but since Vampirism Sucks invented a Defanging cure, many anticipate a future without their kind, something Emma and her parents find abhorrent. Lux doesn’t mind being a vampire, so when his twelfth birthnight comes, and his parents take him to be Defanged, he flees to Nox Urbus, the fabled underground city of vampires in the sewers of New York City. For the first time, Lux gets to live in a world that’s made for him, and he learns about his history and potential. But his disappearance ignites controversy in an anti-vampire society, and he’ll have to fight even harder for the right to be himself. Thoughtful details add realism to the vampires’ world, and the affection between quirky Lux and his compatriots brings fun and hope to a story that addresses serious, all-too-relevant issues. Lux’s autistic characteristics and the vampires’ legal and social status provide clear parallels to various marginalized groups’ struggles for civil rights. Many readers will see themselves in this work, and all will understand how propaganda and institutionalized bias affect our lives. Lux and his family read white, and Emma and her family are brown-skinned.

A clever, perceptive read that’s full of love for those who are different.