Children of the Night (When Monsters Wake #1)

A new vampire era springs to eternal afterlife in Setian’s clever graphic novel debut, inspired by Dracula. Wandering town during a storm, teen photographer Mina Murray spots and boards the recently shipwrecked Demeter, and photographs something sinister about the wreck’s lone, dead occupant: twin bite marks on his neck. When her photos of the incident—taken with her late grandmother’s film camera—inadvertently end up in the school paper, Mina is offered a staff position as the resident photographer. Though the prominent position jeopardizes Mina’s mission to keep a low profile among her peers, she accepts the role following encouragement from her best friend Lucy and crush Jonathan. Mina’s assignment to cover the Genders & Sexualities Alliance’s fundraising efforts is complicated by the arrival of Raf, a newcomer from Romania who deliberately ruins Mina’s film negatives after learning she’d taken a picture of him. Things grow tense when students start disappearing, prompting Mina and her friends to investigate. Movement-filled illustrations with moody color palettes by Ganucheau (Turtle in Paradise) amplify tonal plot shifts between dark vampiric intrigue and low-stakes interpersonal drama. Characters are depicted with varying skin tones. Ages 13–up. Author’s agent: Charlie Olsen, InkWell Management. (Jan.)