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mistidayz's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I was so looking forward to this book since it had been recommended. Been a few days and I still don’t know what to think.
Chris is your average awkward teen, living in your typical American town. The only difference is that in this world, vampires, witches and other creatures exist. Something is happening to Chris. He’s turning into a vampire (which takes time) but doesn’t know how that can be. A celestial being named Chet makes him an offer. Save the world and be cured before it’s too late.
Maybe I would have appreciated this story more if I was younger? I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. The ending was an “OMG, this is how it ends?! I have to know for sure.” But you never do.
Chris is your average awkward teen, living in your typical American town. The only difference is that in this world, vampires, witches and other creatures exist. Something is happening to Chris. He’s turning into a vampire (which takes time) but doesn’t know how that can be. A celestial being named Chet makes him an offer. Save the world and be cured before it’s too late.
Maybe I would have appreciated this story more if I was younger? I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. The ending was an “OMG, this is how it ends?! I have to know for sure.” But you never do.
duriangray's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thelibrarylady42's review
3.0
Overall a good read. I was a little confused for a while but once things started to come together it was pretty good. I had to force myself through the first couple chapters because it started a little slow. I would have liked to know a little more about the secondary characters but since it was told in first person it was understandable how little we knew about them.
cathybruce208's review
2.0
I thought this was a good idea. The story was told through the main character's point of view. He had a strong and vivid voice, but I thought that the plot was a little thin. It strikes me that this would've made an excellent short story or novella, but that it felt a little drawn out. I found myself hungry (thirsty? Ha.) for details about the world that he lived in and more about the people around him.
amazing_emily_anderson's review
1.0
M.T ANDERSON
Christopher just wants to live a normal teenage life when he discovers that he is turning into a vampire. However, his world is one were vampires are actively hunted and killed on live television. Cristopher struggles against his vampiric urges to drink blood and lurk in the night, but he soon discovers that he can't fight these urges forever. When he finds someone he thinks can help, Christopher holds out hope that he can remain a normal teeneage boy, but will he have enough time to cure the curse, or will he be a vampire forever?
This book took some really unusual turns that really bothered me, and I think took away from the funny tone that Anderson was trying to achieve. Rather than keep this book between humans and vampires, for some reason we have these "celestial beings" that begin meddling in the affairs of Christopher's life. This whole deviation was beyond strange and really annoying. I also had a hard time getting through the passages where Anderson describes in detail about the bloodlust and what that entails, and could have done without that queasiness. I just think that this book could have been really funny and entertaining, but it fell short due to overly complex plot points that I think Anderson got caught up in while letting the overall story arch suffer.
Christopher just wants to live a normal teenage life when he discovers that he is turning into a vampire. However, his world is one were vampires are actively hunted and killed on live television. Cristopher struggles against his vampiric urges to drink blood and lurk in the night, but he soon discovers that he can't fight these urges forever. When he finds someone he thinks can help, Christopher holds out hope that he can remain a normal teeneage boy, but will he have enough time to cure the curse, or will he be a vampire forever?
This book took some really unusual turns that really bothered me, and I think took away from the funny tone that Anderson was trying to achieve. Rather than keep this book between humans and vampires, for some reason we have these "celestial beings" that begin meddling in the affairs of Christopher's life. This whole deviation was beyond strange and really annoying. I also had a hard time getting through the passages where Anderson describes in detail about the bloodlust and what that entails, and could have done without that queasiness. I just think that this book could have been really funny and entertaining, but it fell short due to overly complex plot points that I think Anderson got caught up in while letting the overall story arch suffer.
cris's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
erinjuliaadams's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Anderson has a penchant for being so funny and so satirical and so, so serious. I don't know how he does it. Anderson takes a stab (ha, ha) at horror through vampirism, pre-dating the likes of the YA fascination with titles such as Twilight. How he's able to mix humor into some of his most horrific scenes is beyond me. I really shouldn't be laughing as Chris suddenly gets a lisp as his fangs start to come in while talking to his date and lusting for blood. And yet I did.
Anderson takes well-known tropes and subverts them, such as the happy ending at the end, and the defeat of the evil, dark overlord. Even the vampire-induction parts have a spin on them. And for me, that's what makes this book fall into the horror genre. Not to get all academic here, but some of my classmates argued that this book wasn't necessarily "horror". They didn't get that tense, hunched feeling in the shoulders, their hearts weren't pounding--some of which are the very physical signs that what you're reading is horror. And yet, as a critic (whose name I forget) states, horror constantly subverts our notions of what is "right" and "normal," and therefore that transgression of boundaries makes the text scary.
That's where Thirsty comes in. (Beware, spoilers ahead!) We expect Chris to get the girl. She dies. We expect Chris to repair his friendships. He doesn't. We expect the evil overlord to be defeated for the betterment of society. Well, he's not necessarily defeated...because he legitimately wanted to commit suicide. We expect Chris's vampirism to be cured. It isn't. And he's thirsty. So, so thirsty.
And that cliffhanger??? Oh my god. I had a great time feeling smart for once in my sci-fi/fantasy class by analyzing that bit. (Sorry, Anderson, if it's weird to see your work being analyzed). But that deconstruction of grammar and sentence structure? The repetition? The desire of our basest needs? That's the deconstruction of Chris's humanity, babey.
Overall, this was a great book. It was quick paced, pleasant, and horrifying in ways that aren't expected.
Review cross-listed here!
Anderson takes well-known tropes and subverts them, such as the happy ending at the end, and the defeat of the evil, dark overlord. Even the vampire-induction parts have a spin on them. And for me, that's what makes this book fall into the horror genre. Not to get all academic here, but some of my classmates argued that this book wasn't necessarily "horror". They didn't get that tense, hunched feeling in the shoulders, their hearts weren't pounding--some of which are the very physical signs that what you're reading is horror. And yet, as a critic (whose name I forget) states, horror constantly subverts our notions of what is "right" and "normal," and therefore that transgression of boundaries makes the text scary.
That's where Thirsty comes in. (Beware, spoilers ahead!) We expect Chris to get the girl. She dies. We expect Chris to repair his friendships. He doesn't. We expect the evil overlord to be defeated for the betterment of society. Well, he's not necessarily defeated...because he legitimately wanted to commit suicide. We expect Chris's vampirism to be cured. It isn't. And he's thirsty. So, so thirsty.
And that cliffhanger??? Oh my god. I had a great time feeling smart for once in my sci-fi/fantasy class by analyzing that bit. (Sorry, Anderson, if it's weird to see your work being analyzed). But that deconstruction of grammar and sentence structure? The repetition? The desire of our basest needs? That's the deconstruction of Chris's humanity, babey.
Overall, this was a great book. It was quick paced, pleasant, and horrifying in ways that aren't expected.
Review cross-listed here!
sam_505's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
bookishvicky's review
4.5
WHAT A WEIRD BOOK. I LOVED IT.
Okay, so it’s hard to get into, the voice is weird to adjust to, and the main character sucks (pun intended), but OH MY GOD what a vampire book!
It’s full of despair, a slow transformation that you can’t do anything about— hopeless, lonely, melancholy, THIRSTY— lords that last page? The last sentence? YES. Like I wanna rip it out and tape it on my wall.
This definitely reads like a 90s YA book. Edgy, clipped prose, useless side characters and forgotten b plots. Pacing was weird, too, and I wish we knew more about Chris but then again the not knowing and watching this hormonal teen turn into a desperate monster— holy shit. Like.
This is some good vampire fiction. I’m so happy I picked this up at a thrift store.
Okay, so it’s hard to get into, the voice is weird to adjust to, and the main character sucks (pun intended), but OH MY GOD what a vampire book!
It’s full of despair, a slow transformation that you can’t do anything about— hopeless, lonely, melancholy, THIRSTY— lords that last page? The last sentence? YES. Like I wanna rip it out and tape it on my wall.
This definitely reads like a 90s YA book. Edgy, clipped prose, useless side characters and forgotten b plots. Pacing was weird, too, and I wish we knew more about Chris but then again the not knowing and watching this hormonal teen turn into a desperate monster— holy shit. Like.
This is some good vampire fiction. I’m so happy I picked this up at a thrift store.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Death, and Cannibalism
Minor: Ableism and Child abuse