Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was so mid and I am incredibly disappointed by that. The writing throughout the book is just sub par and can often feel incredibly clunky and awkward to read. I think this story had real potential to be something greater than it was, but because of perhaps the length or maybe just the lacking skills of the author, it does not amount to much.
Something that irks me about this book is how it’s presented to people who have never read it before, as I have often heard this called a sapphic/lesbian horror classic. Does sapphic stuff occur between the two female characters? Absolutely. However the intention of the book is not to portray a sapphic/lesbian relationship, it’s to portray a vampire horror story. There is no meaningful sapphic representation within this book, anything intimate that happens between the two characters is purely for plot purposes. I think in order to be considered a sapphic/lesbian classic, the representation of those kind of relationships needs to be purposeful, meaningful and intentionally placed there by an author who knows what they are doing. I believe it’s an incredible disservice to all of the lovely sapphic works out there that do the things I mentioned above. Perhaps this might be for someone, but it isn’t for me. 4/10.
Something that irks me about this book is how it’s presented to people who have never read it before, as I have often heard this called a sapphic/lesbian horror classic. Does sapphic stuff occur between the two female characters? Absolutely. However the intention of the book is not to portray a sapphic/lesbian relationship, it’s to portray a vampire horror story. There is no meaningful sapphic representation within this book, anything intimate that happens between the two characters is purely for plot purposes. I think in order to be considered a sapphic/lesbian classic, the representation of those kind of relationships needs to be purposeful, meaningful and intentionally placed there by an author who knows what they are doing. I believe it’s an incredible disservice to all of the lovely sapphic works out there that do the things I mentioned above. Perhaps this might be for someone, but it isn’t for me. 4/10.
Obviously this book is a classic (and I MUCH prefer it to Dracula) however, like most classics its a tad slow, confusing or dated in places. What brought this story to 4 stars for me was the editing by Carmen Maria Machado which the version I read contained. AMAZING work at interpreting the text and giving modern day historical info (the characters from this book are kinda based off real people- who knew!). Truly elevated the reading experience.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was just my relationship with my first girlfriend
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No