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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
I loved this book!! This was such a a fun story. I really liked the characters, and I thought the story was very creative. This is the first of a series, and I will definitely check out the next installment. There were some very gory passages, so if you're not into that, then this might not be for you. Overall, I found this entertaining and it was darkly comedic at times. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Super fun and different style of vampire book. It was super great!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
In a Southeast Texas town in 1999, four generations of Evans women are caretakers for the dead. Owning and running a funeral home has made them outcasts in the town, but that’s only helped them keep their secret: they don’t just care for the dead, they ensure the dead stay dead.
It’s been years since they’ve had to worry about the Strigoi, ghouls that are part vampire, part zombie. But something’s stirring in this small town and suddenly there are a lot more dead to take care of. And it’s not just the dead rising – family secrets are bubbling to the surface, too.
What a delightful mix of mystery and horror, with just a dash of humor. This book has action from the get-go, and some great reveals. And the ending…I gasped! It definitely made me anxious for the next book in the series.
Because of the fast pace of the novel, and all the characters that were introduced, I do wish I’d gotten to know a little more about each of the Evans women. But I’m sure that’s coming in Book 2.
It’s been years since they’ve had to worry about the Strigoi, ghouls that are part vampire, part zombie. But something’s stirring in this small town and suddenly there are a lot more dead to take care of. And it’s not just the dead rising – family secrets are bubbling to the surface, too.
What a delightful mix of mystery and horror, with just a dash of humor. This book has action from the get-go, and some great reveals. And the ending…I gasped! It definitely made me anxious for the next book in the series.
Because of the fast pace of the novel, and all the characters that were introduced, I do wish I’d gotten to know a little more about each of the Evans women. But I’m sure that’s coming in Book 2.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had really hoped that a story about undead in the American South that featured a matriarchal family line would be amazing. Sadly, it wasn't.
There were several editorial errors: confusing two character names several times (which made it really difficult to figure out what was going on since everyone was mother/daughter), not capitalizing proper nouns like Social Security, using wrong words/phrases (like social proprietary instead of social propriety), referencing a movie that hasn't been released yet during the story timeline, and so on.
Given the depth of the family history and decades of secrets that get revealed and how they directly involve one of the family members, there was a complete and total lack of emotional punch. There was too quick of an acceptance to feel reasonable, even within the confines of the story as it was written.
The attempt at diversity was laughable: one non-white and one non-heterosexual character in the entire novel. And they were thrust into the stereotypical friend roles.
I loved the idea of this book. The action was well done. But overall, the book was really disappointing. I won't continue the series.
There were several editorial errors: confusing two character names several times (which made it really difficult to figure out what was going on since everyone was mother/daughter), not capitalizing proper nouns like Social Security, using wrong words/phrases (like social proprietary instead of social propriety), referencing a movie that hasn't been released yet during the story timeline, and so on.
Given the depth of the family history and decades of secrets that get revealed and how they directly involve one of the family members, there was a complete and total lack of emotional punch. There was too quick of an acceptance to feel reasonable, even within the confines of the story as it was written.
The attempt at diversity was laughable: one non-white and one non-heterosexual character in the entire novel. And they were thrust into the stereotypical friend roles.
I loved the idea of this book. The action was well done. But overall, the book was really disappointing. I won't continue the series.
I’m not sure what I just read but it was wild and I don’t ever want to repeat it again. But I will definitely read the next one and state the same. 3.5/5
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked Duceys character. The perspectives of all the Evan’s characters blended together except for her. For a shorter book I felt it dragged. Things were repetitive and I kept thinking ok get on with what the god awful mess was.
I really wanted to love this one, but I just didn't. The writing left a lot to be desired.
I really could not tell you the difference between Grace, Ducey, Lenore, and Luna. We switch between multiple POVs, but all of the voices sound the same. It took away from the story rather than added to it.
The characterization in general is poor. The characters feel very two dimensional so it's hard to care about any of them.
The overall plot was okay, but not really anything that hasn't been done before. It's not particularly funny or heartwarming or moving or horrifying so at times I just found myself bored.
Overall, it was okay, but I do not recommend.
I really could not tell you the difference between Grace, Ducey, Lenore, and Luna. We switch between multiple POVs, but all of the voices sound the same. It took away from the story rather than added to it.
The characterization in general is poor. The characters feel very two dimensional so it's hard to care about any of them.
The overall plot was okay, but not really anything that hasn't been done before. It's not particularly funny or heartwarming or moving or horrifying so at times I just found myself bored.
Overall, it was okay, but I do not recommend.
DNF 51%
I would give this a 1 star but since I didn’t finish I’m allowing that maybe some of my complaints would have been resolved had I stuck it out.
So much was said in this book without saying anything. I kept waiting for any kind of background. Why are the Evans women singled out as bearers of the responsibility of hunting the undead? What are the strigoi? What vampire lore are we working with here? Are they hate garlic and the sun and need to be invited inside vampires? Or sexy men with sparkly skin and can read minds vampires? From what I read they sound more like zombies than anything. Just taking WAYYYY too long to get to any back story.
There’s nothing that this book gave me that Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires didn’t already give me. Just go read that instead.
And lay off the butterscotch. I beg you.
I would give this a 1 star but since I didn’t finish I’m allowing that maybe some of my complaints would have been resolved had I stuck it out.
So much was said in this book without saying anything. I kept waiting for any kind of background. Why are the Evans women singled out as bearers of the responsibility of hunting the undead? What are the strigoi? What vampire lore are we working with here? Are they hate garlic and the sun and need to be invited inside vampires? Or sexy men with sparkly skin and can read minds vampires? From what I read they sound more like zombies than anything. Just taking WAYYYY too long to get to any back story.
There’s nothing that this book gave me that Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires didn’t already give me. Just go read that instead.
And lay off the butterscotch. I beg you.