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stxrmblessed's review
dark
mysterious
tense
2.5
Free copy of the book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I somewhat enjoyed the book and read it in one go. I loved following along Holly's story but in the end, I think 200 pages just weren't enough to explore the vampire's society to its full extent which leads to some themes being underdeveloped (the importance of honey and bees; the vampire slayers who randomly popped up; the story of Lila) and a, in my opinion, not so satisfying ending. My biggest irk with the story though is that Holly has to go by his deadname which is justified by vampires valuing patience but it honestly made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
I somewhat enjoyed the book and read it in one go. I loved following along Holly's story but in the end, I think 200 pages just weren't enough to explore the vampire's society to its full extent which leads to some themes being underdeveloped (the importance of honey and bees; the vampire slayers who randomly popped up; the story of Lila) and a, in my opinion, not so satisfying ending. My biggest irk with the story though is that Holly has to go by his deadname which is justified by vampires valuing patience but it honestly made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming
Moderate: Gore, Toxic relationship, and Violence
bookishjaybird's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Oof, this book. I enjoyed this one, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it didn't hit so close to home for me as a trans guy who's just beginning my transition. It was extremely emotional, and I felt so connected to Holly as a character. I thought the world building for the vampires was interesting, and I'd have loved for the book to expand on it a bit. Especially with the side story about The Hierophant's wife and her enemy, that was an interesting bit of the book and I would have loved to know more about it and have a story about her. I thought the cutting back and forth at the beginning with the cops / vampire hunters was a bit unnecessary but I understand what it brought to the story! Overall, I think the only thing I didn't enjoy was the ending, which is why I'm giving it a 4 star rating. Which, I don't think I would have minded the ending if I hadn't felt so connected to Holly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming
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