Vampires threaten the world as brave men and women struggle to fight them off in Will Hill’s hit series, Department 19.

In this series, the events explained in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula actually happened. After Dracula’s death, the men that killed him, upon learning that there were more vampires out there, formed Department 19 (aka Blacklight) to hunt and kill vampires and other supernatural creatures that harm humans. Over 100 years later, the department has been joined by others like it around the world. But the brave men and women of Blacklight face a new threat: the return of the oldest vampire in the world—Count Dracula.

The series mainly follows the actions of four teenagers: Jamie Carpenter, the descendent of a founder of the department, Larissa Kinley, a vampire, Kate Randall, a girl who is brought into the department after her island was attacked by vampires, and Matt Browning, a teenage genius whom Larissa nearly kills in the first book but later joins the department in book two. The four’s friendship is put to the limit as Dracula rises with a vengeance.

I first stumbled upon this series at a used book store in Michigan. Upon reading it, I became hooked on the concept of secret agencies devoted to fighting against the supernatural world. This series was very well-written, with a great overall plot line, smaller plot lines in each individual book, and diverse characters that have to make decisions that could save or destroy humanity.

Overall, I give this series a 9.7/10 or an A rating. I would recommend this series to those that enjoy reading about vampires or those that like reading scenes of extreme violence.