Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com

Vampires. Powerful, eternal, virtually indestructible, they are at the highest level of evolution. Aren't they awfully cocky, thinking like that? What if you knew there was something stronger, more powerful, older? What if you were that thing? Well, then you would be AX Special Agent Crusnik. Traveling in the guise of a simple poor priest, which he actually is, Agent Crusnik aids the Vatican in a constant, post-apocalyptic, political battle. Often throwing direct orders out the window, and taking his partners along for the ride, Crusnik battles his enemies to the bitter end. Until the next one appears. Exposing more plots and evils than he expunges, he and the other agents must continue to be a virtually unbeatable force. And that is quite a big shoe to fill.

Don't be put off by the religious references before you read this. This is literally post-apocalypse. Rome is one of the few major powers left, and the Vatican is not at all what you would expect.

Of all of the pop fiction that I've read, which isn't exactly a ton, but is a fair amount, this book comes the closest to anime. So, if you're a fan of anime, this is the book for you.

Amidst the non-stop action, Agent Crusnik is hilariously witty, a little bit bitter, and still manages to remain concerned about everyone else. He's definitely someone I'd want on my side. Just not around all the time, what with the constant death, destruction, and mayhem.

I want more, please. Pleasantly, there are five more stories on the way, as well as DVDs! ( )

Summary: The books that started the anime franchise. In an alternate Europe, the Vatican holds a great deal of power, and a special agency known as AX is sent to dispatch vampire threats.

Review: I'm a fan of the anime and the artbooks, so when I saw the novel on sale, I decided to pick it up. For the most part, I'm glad I did. I'd heard that the novels, on which the entire franchise is originally based, have more backstory and information than the anime series, and I've always been intrigued by Trinity Blood's backstory. It has a combination of things that I like best, often in oddly juxtaposed fashions: the Vatican and vampires, religious rituals and gritty violence, seemingly historical settings and science fiction. Also, many of the the characters are interesting. A bit underdeveloped in this first volume but with room to grow.

Trinity Blood is what I believe is called a 'light novel', a pop fiction novel. So the writing is not top-notch. A lot of it is simple or explanatory with little in the way of subtlety. Since I went into the book expecting it, I wasn't too put off. The writing is never bad enough to affect my enjoyment. But this is not Nabakov, let's just say.

There were also a few spots where Japanese aesthetic conflicted with my western sensibilities, such as the depiction of many of the young female characters as cute, innocent, and helpless, therefore lovely. The older women like Caterina and Asthe (which is, in my mind, an awkward nickname to pronounce. I actually much prefer her full name, especially since it invokes the ancient name Ashtoreth) managed to avoid this trap. It got a little weird when Kampfer started praising nuns for being cute. In an ironic way, yes, but it jarred me. I think it would make more sense from a western standpoint to praise them for being beautiful or feminine or whatever, not cute. But such are the difficulties of cultural translation!

Conclusion: An enjoyable, fluffy, novel. ( )

http://mscongeniality.vox.com/library/post/reading-2007---april-15-30.html ( )

Methuselah and Terrans have nearly always been on shaky terms with one another, but when those from one side try to sabotage the fragile peace, then the AX team of the Vatican must step in to stop them.
We follow a young priest known as Father Abel Nightrode, AX agent Crusnik. On the surface, Father Abel seems nothing more than a clumsy, ditzy, know nothing priest. However, if the case calls for it, what he is truly capable of shows through, and on occasion, his true race of a Crusnik is shown.
The Methuselah follow no one, bow to no one but their Empress, feeling superiority over the lesser races that they so commonly feed on. They would never think that there could be anything that could turn the table, and feed on their blood...

Until Abel.

I first found out about this series by watching it on TV, so of course jumped at the chance to review it. And I’m very glad I did. I fell in love almost instantly with the TV series, so needless to say the book did it very well. In fact, if I may say so myself, it was even better than the series. Abel is a character that you can fall in love with nearly instantly, and find yourself laughing at nearly every turn, and waiting with bated breath at every other.

Beautiful, well written, and well translated. How much cooler can a book get than a vampire’s vampire? I don’t know if I’ll be able to wait long enough for the second one! ( )