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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
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
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I freaking loved this. I wouldn't call this horror but it was definitely such a creepy read and one that I recommend for everyone to read.
Set in small town Texas in the 90s, this has all of the necessary vibes to fit that era: homophobia, fear of the goth kids, creepy/rude old detective, gossip, and vampires!! The vampires were honestly so fun because it was not the typical vampire- it was more like undead zombies who just need blood to survive but somehow everyone of them will be back at the funeral home in the end.
This is not without flaws- I enjoyed this alot, but so much of this book relies on the reader understanding small towns in Southern America since there is nothing that really sets up the location besides being told where it is. Also information on the vampires was super sketch since there was so many POVs, it was really hard to get solid information and I think so many of the POVs could have been removed for more cohesion.
I enjoyed it go! I thought it was so fun and I am excited to see what else this author does.
Set in small town Texas in the 90s, this has all of the necessary vibes to fit that era: homophobia, fear of the goth kids, creepy/rude old detective, gossip, and vampires!! The vampires were honestly so fun because it was not the typical vampire- it was more like undead zombies who just need blood to survive but somehow everyone of them will be back at the funeral home in the end.
This is not without flaws- I enjoyed this alot, but so much of this book relies on the reader understanding small towns in Southern America since there is nothing that really sets up the location besides being told where it is. Also information on the vampires was super sketch since there was so many POVs, it was really hard to get solid information and I think so many of the POVs could have been removed for more cohesion.
I enjoyed it go! I thought it was so fun and I am excited to see what else this author does.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you like your mysteries with a good dollop of horror, you'll enjoy Bless Your Heart.
The Evans family has run the funeral home in a small town in Texas for years. Ducey, the matriarch, her daughter Lenore, her daughter Grace, and her daughter Luna make four generations of Evans women in one house, all in the family business (well, Luna is still in school, but she helps out when made to).
But they aren't just "normal" undertakers - when a body rises, they know what to do to send them permanently to the grave. Fifteen years ago, there was an incident, referred to as That Godawful Mess, but other than that, there's been little vampire activity. However, there have been several attacks and multiple people coming back to life after death. The original Strigoi (vampire) are back, and the Evans women must take care of business and put the Strigoi to rest once and for all.
This book was a little too graphic for me, and I guess I don't love horror with my mysteries! But it's not a bad book, just not the right one for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.
The Evans family has run the funeral home in a small town in Texas for years. Ducey, the matriarch, her daughter Lenore, her daughter Grace, and her daughter Luna make four generations of Evans women in one house, all in the family business (well, Luna is still in school, but she helps out when made to).
But they aren't just "normal" undertakers - when a body rises, they know what to do to send them permanently to the grave. Fifteen years ago, there was an incident, referred to as That Godawful Mess, but other than that, there's been little vampire activity. However, there have been several attacks and multiple people coming back to life after death. The original Strigoi (vampire) are back, and the Evans women must take care of business and put the Strigoi to rest once and for all.
This book was a little too graphic for me, and I guess I don't love horror with my mysteries! But it's not a bad book, just not the right one for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.
A cozy, humorous Southern Gothic reminiscent of the Sookie Stackhouse books. The Evans women are already considered weird in their small Texan town for running a funeral parlor and not having any husbands around, yet they're hiding a weirder secret that comes into play when vampires start popping up and eating the neighbors. Although the gossipy small town vibes and some of the campy characters (sassy grandma Ducey and honorable deputy Roger) were fun, there wasn't enough substance for me to be interested in reading the sequels further but I would watch a TV series of it.
3-3.5 stars.
This was fun and relatively light, taking place in a small town in Texas in 1999. The great grandmother is my favorite character. I would’ve preferred more backstory on how the undead come to be or how these women ended up in their line of work, rather than something like “We just don’t know” or “There’s not a manual for this.”
I might end up bumping up to 4 stars just for the ending though. There are many characters, but the way they’re introduced gradually keeps it from being overwhelming or confusing.
CWs: injured dog, loss of a parent, frequently mentions Columbine, coming out
This was fun and relatively light, taking place in a small town in Texas in 1999. The great grandmother is my favorite character. I would’ve preferred more backstory on how the undead come to be or how these women ended up in their line of work, rather than something like “We just don’t know” or “There’s not a manual for this.”
I might end up bumping up to 4 stars just for the ending though. There are many characters, but the way they’re introduced gradually keeps it from being overwhelming or confusing.
CWs: injured dog, loss of a parent, frequently mentions Columbine, coming out
I received an ALC (Advanced Listener Copy) of this audiobook from NetGalley & Macmillan Audio.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
It's not my usual genre, but the synopsis got me. I do love a good paranormal story, to be sure.
I don't know what I was expecting but that wasn't it. I was so surprised by it, but I could not stop listening. There is just something not right about those Evans women. Ha ha, famous last words.
The characters are so likeable and fierce that it's no wonder I couldn't put it down. Man, they sure are good in a crisis!
But secrets do have a way of coming back to haunt you when you least expect it. I felt like all the Evans, in their own right, have secrets, but it was the biggest one that Miss. Luna is facing this when she finds out exactly what goes on at the funeral parlour.
This book sure has a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I will say the author does a fantastic job setting up this series for success. I want and need more from these characters now that Miss. Luna knows all. I want to see what will happen next.
The narrator did a fabulous job. Honestly, she was new to me, but she gave all of these characters flare and pizzazz, which was very entertaining.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
It's not my usual genre, but the synopsis got me. I do love a good paranormal story, to be sure.
I don't know what I was expecting but that wasn't it. I was so surprised by it, but I could not stop listening. There is just something not right about those Evans women. Ha ha, famous last words.
The characters are so likeable and fierce that it's no wonder I couldn't put it down. Man, they sure are good in a crisis!
But secrets do have a way of coming back to haunt you when you least expect it. I felt like all the Evans, in their own right, have secrets, but it was the biggest one that Miss. Luna is facing this when she finds out exactly what goes on at the funeral parlour.
This book sure has a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I will say the author does a fantastic job setting up this series for success. I want and need more from these characters now that Miss. Luna knows all. I want to see what will happen next.
The narrator did a fabulous job. Honestly, she was new to me, but she gave all of these characters flare and pizzazz, which was very entertaining.
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
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:
Complicated
This book was full of surprises - partly because the title and cover do not convey the contents. I thought this would be about a family of vampires, but it's basically the opposite.
Thankfully, I love a quirky horror story with a cast of strong, vibrant women who are willing to do whatever it takes to handle a sticky situation.
This book is a lot more gory and intense than I anticipated. Too much puking for my taste, although given what the strigoi did to all those people, it's justified. Yick!
Another unexpected twist was that this book came with a big dose of Y2K nostalgia. Why does it take place in 1999? I don't entirely know, but as someone who entered their goth teen years at the turn of the millennium, this scratched a very particular itch.
For me, this super fast read was an absolute joy. Part 2?
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Thankfully, I love a quirky horror story with a cast of strong, vibrant women who are willing to do whatever it takes to handle a sticky situation.
This book is a lot more gory and intense than I anticipated. Too much puking for my taste, although given what the strigoi did to all those people, it's justified. Yick!
Another unexpected twist was that this book came with a big dose of Y2K nostalgia. Why does it take place in 1999? I don't entirely know, but as someone who entered their goth teen years at the turn of the millennium, this scratched a very particular itch.
For me, this super fast read was an absolute joy. Part 2?
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.