I got my copy of Department 19 from HarperCollins to co-inside with the competition I held to celebrate the paperback release of the book.
I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and I do this a lot, but if I saw this book in the shops then I would possibly pick it up to look at it, but might not buy it, and that would be a terrible mistake.
From the minute I started this book I was drawn into the world of Jamie Carpenter. There is no long introduction to the characters you jump straight in and are dragged along the roller coaster journey with Jamie in his journey to try to get over his Dad's death, but also to find his Mum.

Department 19 has all the action a book could need, with a secret department in the government trained to take out Vampires, Werewolves and other creatures that shouldn't exist. Its like M.I.B stopped hunting aliens and started hunting vampires. They have some really amazing weapons, that when reading I was amazed at the creativity used by Will Hill, not only to think of these weapons, but also uses for them.

We meet some familiar characters along the way Frankenstein, Van Helsing, Dracula, and I loved how they were added to the story, not only with the present story, but also with the occasional history placed perfectly between chapters to help build the back story and reason for Department 19. Most of all my favourite character is Larissa. She plays a big part in helping Jamie and I loved how their friendships has grown and blossomed throughout the book.

Department 19 had me laughing and crying and really enjoying the fighting scenes and I can't wait for The Rising (Department 19 #2) to be released next year.

Department 19 is a must buy for everyone