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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
People have always gossiped about the Evans' women. There's just something 'a little strange ' about them that keeps the people in their Southeast Texas town from getting too close. But when you've got the only funeral parlor around, well let's just say that eventually everyone is going to walk through your door.
BLESS YOUR HEART by Lindy Ryan was delightful - strong full-bodied characters, written with wit and heart. At the center of the story is Luna Evans, a teen-ager trying to navigate high school, hormones, an over protective mom, and a sudden introduction into the real work of the Evans Funeral Parlor.
Business is picking up for Ducey, Eleanor, and Grace Evans and that means trouble. People aren't just dying, some are rising from the dead and if there is one thing the Evans women know how to do, it's put the 'restless dead' to rest. As more people start to go missing, Ducey, Eleanor, and Grace realize that a Strigoi―one of the original vampires―is loose in their town and a member of their own family might be to blame.
BLESS YOUR HEART is that rare vampire novel that creates its own mythology around the undead and the people who hunt them. It's a mystery but getting to know the Evans women, their relationships to one another, to their friends, and to the town was the bigger draw. These are characters that you want to revisit and see where they go next. Strong recommendation for fans of well-written, humor-filled supernatural mysteries and stories.
Thanks to #NetGalley for access to review this ARC copy.
BLESS YOUR HEART by Lindy Ryan was delightful - strong full-bodied characters, written with wit and heart. At the center of the story is Luna Evans, a teen-ager trying to navigate high school, hormones, an over protective mom, and a sudden introduction into the real work of the Evans Funeral Parlor.
Business is picking up for Ducey, Eleanor, and Grace Evans and that means trouble. People aren't just dying, some are rising from the dead and if there is one thing the Evans women know how to do, it's put the 'restless dead' to rest. As more people start to go missing, Ducey, Eleanor, and Grace realize that a Strigoi―one of the original vampires―is loose in their town and a member of their own family might be to blame.
BLESS YOUR HEART is that rare vampire novel that creates its own mythology around the undead and the people who hunt them. It's a mystery but getting to know the Evans women, their relationships to one another, to their friends, and to the town was the bigger draw. These are characters that you want to revisit and see where they go next. Strong recommendation for fans of well-written, humor-filled supernatural mysteries and stories.
Thanks to #NetGalley for access to review this ARC copy.
"Love wasn't salvation for Evans' women, it was a curse."
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN.
4 stars - it is literally ALMOST perfection, but just enough to leave me excited for more. The cozy horror genre is really just chalk full of amazing new finds in 2024. Bless Your Heart has a slight Trueblood vibe with the air and comedy of The Dead Don't Die. It is horrific and grotesque enough, thanks to Lindy Ryan's writing and ability to thoroughly describe details, while being funny and feeling like the Evans women are wrapping you in a nice big hug.
Kudos to the narrator, Stephanie Németh-Parker - I felt like my southern granny was with me on this ride.
Also!!! The reference to the good ole days of OG Hot Topic pins being 4 for $1.50 is a golden reference.
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN.
4 stars - it is literally ALMOST perfection, but just enough to leave me excited for more. The cozy horror genre is really just chalk full of amazing new finds in 2024. Bless Your Heart has a slight Trueblood vibe with the air and comedy of The Dead Don't Die. It is horrific and grotesque enough, thanks to Lindy Ryan's writing and ability to thoroughly describe details, while being funny and feeling like the Evans women are wrapping you in a nice big hug.
Kudos to the narrator, Stephanie Németh-Parker - I felt like my southern granny was with me on this ride.
Also!!! The reference to the good ole days of OG Hot Topic pins being 4 for $1.50 is a golden reference.
The Evans women have been running a funeral parlor and taking care of the town’s pesky undead problem for three generations. This town is afflicted with Strigoi, which are technically living humans who have been infected by vampirism and go around feeding off others and infecting them so that when they finally die, they come back as zombie-like vampire monsters who attack the living. I felt like this was almost more of a zombie story than a vampire one, but I’m more of a witch fan so what do I know?
All in all I really enjoyed this book. It’s a horror show for sure but in a kind of light-hearted way with super likable characters. Just don’t get too attached to any of them. The author is not afraid to kill them off. I love it! This is the first book in a new series and feels like it. There’s a lot of backstory that’s covered and now that we’re all set up, I can’t wait for the next one!
I listened to the audiobook and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker did a great job narrating.
Thank you @NetGalley, @Macmillan.Audio, and @LindyRyanWrites for my gifted copy. I loved it!
All in all I really enjoyed this book. It’s a horror show for sure but in a kind of light-hearted way with super likable characters. Just don’t get too attached to any of them. The author is not afraid to kill them off. I love it! This is the first book in a new series and feels like it. There’s a lot of backstory that’s covered and now that we’re all set up, I can’t wait for the next one!
I listened to the audiobook and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker did a great job narrating.
Thank you @NetGalley, @Macmillan.Audio, and @LindyRyanWrites for my gifted copy. I loved it!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A fun mix of supernatural gothic and the American south. Slow pacing in the earlier chapters meant it was tough for me to get into, however once I reached the final arc of the story I was fully engrossed and couldn’t put the book down.
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
It’s fine. The cover is misleading though. I went in fully prepared for vampires, and it’s more zombies. I would’ve been down and excited for zombies if I wasn’t all excited about vampires from the cover.
I thought this started off great. I was into the whole generational family aspect and women owning a funeral home taking care of business. But we also follow some other characters that I really did not care about like the cops.
The biggest issue is the pacing. We have a very obvious “twist” around the 70% point. The resolution felt rushed because of this. I feel like the twist was something that could have been revealed much earlier to have a larger part of the book actually fighting and solving the undead issue. It felt like a lot of waiting up until that point.
Didn’t hate it. It just had some issues.
I thought this started off great. I was into the whole generational family aspect and women owning a funeral home taking care of business. But we also follow some other characters that I really did not care about like the cops.
The biggest issue is the pacing. We have a very obvious “twist” around the 70% point. The resolution felt rushed because of this. I feel like the twist was something that could have been revealed much earlier to have a larger part of the book actually fighting and solving the undead issue. It felt like a lot of waiting up until that point.
Didn’t hate it. It just had some issues.
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood