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bree_h_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was a little bit of a disappointing read. I had really high hopes for a sapphic vampire story, but just felt it fell short in a lot of aspects.
To start, there were some aspects I enjoyed. The world building felt solid and pretty realistic, which can be hard to do in urban fantasy settings with trying to balance the supernatural world in a way that feels realistic to the real world. I also thought some of the less touched ideas that were handled subtly were really well done. Specifically Kat and dealing with people’s sense of entitlement to hot people. There was also a really solid exploration of comp het in Kat’s development and discovery of her sexuality. Kat’s journey in sorting out her sexuality also felt ready well done and relatable.
Outside of that though, the book kept falling short. I think the book’s themes could have been handled well, but we were constantly being whacked over the head with them. It felt like someone who didn’t really get the topics the book was exploring was trying to explain them. It’s being shoved down your throat that discovering your sexuality is a journey and you aren’t entitled to know things about people, but then punishes/shames characters for being on that journey and/or not having the support systems to safely explore that.
On top of that I found every character pretty unlikable. I want characters to have flaws and blind spots, however there’s also only so much I can deal with before I decide the character’s just not a good person. Which is what I felt like every character fell into. Entitlement to know someone’s sexuality who you haven’t seen in three years, putting down more fem girls for being fem and not masc, ignoring boundaries setup by other characters (especially in the romance), and thinking someone is faking a panic attack for attention who has never displayed that kind of behaviour are just a few examples.
The final biggest issue is a really weak plot and ending. The book spent its entire run meandering about, occasionally dropping crumbs of plot, and then speed ran the entire plot in the last 25% or so. It just felt poorly done. Pair that with a poorly thought out ending (they took down the Big Bad Evil Conservative Capitalist and suddenly everyone everywhere was super accepting and no more bigotry happened) just mixed so well together to make the plot feel as flimsy as a piece of single-ply.
Overall it had a lot of potential and could have handled its complex themes in a nuanced, subtle way. However, it just ends up feeling like the author bit off more than she could chew.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Death, Murder, and Sexism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual assault
lunep's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, Infertility, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, and Violence
tendoheart's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia
yovgto's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Blood
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Cursing
bookishvicky's review
4.5
I LOVEDDDD the world and lore and characters of this book. One thing I will say is that it felt very #woke at times for the sake of being progressive, and while I agree a lot of the problematic shit was a bit much, I think it adds a layer to the idea that Vampirdom is a metaphor for the upper class and ignorant, and having Kat go from public school to Harcote is Meant to be jarring, we’re Meant to hate Harcote and the vampires from the bat.
While I wasn’t a fan of Taylor and Kat constantly feuding and just seeming to be straight up conflict drama til the end, I loved Taylor with all my bi heart (and that cover art!!!). I was surprised that this was such a politically charged pandemic story (that did feel a bit rushed at the end, but the twist was easy to figure out as you read) with not as much lesbian vamps as I would have liked given the premise, but everything about it was just so good, I literally couldn’t stop reading. I don’t usually cross my fingers for a sequel, but I’d LOVE to explore more of this world and unique vampire lore.
While I wasn’t a fan of Taylor and Kat constantly feuding and just seeming to be straight up conflict drama til the end, I loved Taylor with all my bi heart (and that cover art!!!). I was surprised that this was such a politically charged pandemic story (that did feel a bit rushed at the end, but the twist was easy to figure out as you read) with not as much lesbian vamps as I would have liked given the premise, but everything about it was just so good, I literally couldn’t stop reading. I don’t usually cross my fingers for a sequel, but I’d LOVE to explore more of this world and unique vampire lore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Medical content
thegreatfoxby's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Enjoyable mix of mystery and romance/coming of age. Sometimes Kat was a bit too woke for a 16 year old, but at the same time, teenagers tend to exaggerate things. Their has been some discussion about certain racist tropes in here, but I think most of them serve a point as this world is full of racist people. But I think the book is certainly lacking strong bipoc characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Racism
nobirdtennis's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Racism, Blood, and Alcohol
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a fun take on vampires and vampire society, I loved all the the ethical and moral hypotheticals raided throughout the book looking at how vampires and humans coexist. Such a well done queer slow burn romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Classism, Gaslighting, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Emotional abuse, Murder, and Infertility
In general, the boarding school that the MC's go to is elitist and lacks diversity, meaning there are many instances where the other students seem like classist bullies, and they are not very open to queer people. In addition, as a book about vampires blood is quite frequently discussed. Finally, it is mentioned that while some vampires can have children - others find themselves infertile. Now for the content warnings that require spoilers:betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I recommend reading some of the other review by BIPOC people (especially @bookstagramrepresents on Instagram) becuase there are some problematic things that have been brought up about this book. There's one conversation about the East India Trading Company that will definitely make you cringe when you read it. I know it did for me.
For the most part, I feel like this book had potential but it just kind of fell flat, outside of the things mentioned in other reviews. There didn't seem to be a lot of romantic chemistry between Taylor and Kat, and it was more told than actually shown in the book. All in all, there are probably better vampire books out there for you to read.
For the most part, I feel like this book had potential but it just kind of fell flat, outside of the things mentioned in other reviews. There didn't seem to be a lot of romantic chemistry between Taylor and Kat, and it was more told than actually shown in the book. All in all, there are probably better vampire books out there for you to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
There is a scene that is kind of sexual assualt-esque when vampires coerce a group of humans into their house to feed on them, seemingly without their consent and wiping their memories.