L.A. Banks, Minion: A Vampire Huntress Legend

Published by St. Martin's Press, 2003

Reviewed by Jennifer Charron

In a world that is surrounded by darkness and filled with evil, the vampire huntress stands as our greatest weapon against these forces. But what would happen if they got to her first?

Minion by L.A. Banks is about a young woman named Damali Richards who is a street smart vampire huntress, and how she and her Guardian Team and their team leader, Marlene Stone, fight off vampires by night and the record industry mobs of the Hip Hop world by day.

Marlene took Damali in off the streets when she was a child, and with the help of the other Guardians, taught her how to be the Neteru: The chosen vampire huntress that only comes around once every Millenia. As her 21st birthday approaches, Damali begins to go through changes, not just because she's a woman, but because she's becoming the full Neteru. She will soon be able to match their speed, their thoughts, their strength, and even their blood lust.

In Minion, Damali and her team quickly realize that they are fighting a new breed of vampires when they see how the vampires kill - ravenously, messy, not at all like regular vampires. These vampires also move around like demons. The team discovers that they are a half breed and a part of Master Vampire Fallion Nuit's Minion.

I thought that Minon was a great story. It flowed very well and the only distraction for me was the street slang. It reminded me of Blade. The team fights the vampires with Holy Water grenades, and UV lightsm - which I thought was pretty cool. There is also some mention in Minion that a vampire huntress can produce a Daywalker vampire - similar to Blade.

I expected some resembalance to Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, but Damali is definitely more than the Slayer. It is obvious that the Huntress has more power and more skills to match vampires.

I really liked the relationship between Marlene and Damali. It was really interesting to read as they "went at it", and it was nice to see how much each one cared about the other.

An aspect of the story that I thought was missing was the lack of history regarding the vampires. How were they were made? How long have they been around? In all the other vampire stories that I have read there is always historical information. However, this is a series, so I'm hoping there will be more to look forward to in future books.

I recommend Minon to anyone who is a fan of Blade, Buffy, and/or the Anita Blake series. I think that you will enjoy the book as much as I did, and will love the story that has been crafted.

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