Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
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.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Wow… this was a tough read. It was very well-written, and I loved how the author developed the characters and the entire small town it was set in. However, the detail of the gore that went on was too much for me. I enjoyed the paranormal horror plot, but the amount of detail of how violent and bloody everything was just put me over the edge at times. If you have an uneasy stomach, definitely consider if you can handle this book.
Fun and quick read. It ended too quickly. Happy to see it marked as a potential #1 in a series. I want to know more about the Evans family lore!
Dnf @ 62%
My library loan was about expire and I realized I did not care to finish the book.
I wanted the southerners guide to slaying vampires by Grady Hendrix and I did not get that. I wanted more drama and more slay. The gaslighting in Grady’s book was top tear.
My library loan was about expire and I realized I did not care to finish the book.
I wanted the southerners guide to slaying vampires by Grady Hendrix and I did not get that. I wanted more drama and more slay. The gaslighting in Grady’s book was top tear.
So fun!! And also sad. Surprised the main themes were about family and grief/loss. A really good read full of depth and laughs and (of course) gore :)
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bless Your Heart by Lindy Ryan might be one of the funniest horror novels I have ever read, and I love that it centers around a family of women who make sure the dead stay buried… even if it kills them. I suppose the cover should have made it self-explanatory, but I didn’t know until the dead started rising that the funeral home was a bit more than your typical one, and just what this family was up to. I loved how unique this concept was, and it kept me on my toes while also grossing me out tremendously every time someone got eaten/bit.
I also found the audiobook to be extremely enjoyable, and I thought Stephanie Németh-Parker did an excellent job with all the viewpoints she had to narrate. Since the overall perspective is female, this worked really well for me, and I had no complaints with her narration at all. The mystery element was great and ended up surprising me which is all I can ever hope for. Read this if you love fierce female leads who take no shit, fabulous banter, and horror that is gory but funny!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I also found the audiobook to be extremely enjoyable, and I thought Stephanie Németh-Parker did an excellent job with all the viewpoints she had to narrate. Since the overall perspective is female, this worked really well for me, and I had no complaints with her narration at all. The mystery element was great and ended up surprising me which is all I can ever hope for. Read this if you love fierce female leads who take no shit, fabulous banter, and horror that is gory but funny!
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
3.5 Based on the cover I thought this was going to be rather humorous with a touch of horror. Instead it was a story of 4 generations of women with a huge secret that falls apart as people from the town start to die in horrible ways (and each death is described in extreme detail in all its disturbing elements). I thought it was rather slow paced and I wanted more tension throughout rather than everyone just sitting around waiting for the next death to occur. The ending also confused me a lot and I really expected a better outcome than we got. The idea was there but the execution didn't work for me.
Great cast of characters. Spooky but also really funny. Would love to see where it goes!