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reila's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Intrigued by the contemporary take on vampires, stayed for the exploration of generational trauma.
It takes a bit to get to know Louise because there's a lot to unpack. There were a lot of hurdles that struck me, mirroring personal experiences that amped my emotional investment. Running from your problems, and then suddenly embodying that stagnated state? RIP. I do love the metaphysical side of vampires, and, yeah I've considered how inconvenient it would be in the present day. Mike Chen's take is believable, it's scary. The finale, I thought, was unexpected but satisfying. Really got me rooting for Louise, and Ian too.
(Still waiting to be turned so I can binge read or watch anime in a basement--joking, of course...unless...)
It takes a bit to get to know Louise because there's a lot to unpack. There were a lot of hurdles that struck me, mirroring personal experiences that amped my emotional investment. Running from your problems, and then suddenly embodying that stagnated state? RIP. I do love the metaphysical side of vampires, and, yeah I've considered how inconvenient it would be in the present day. Mike Chen's take is believable, it's scary. The finale, I thought, was unexpected but satisfying. Really got me rooting for Louise, and Ian too.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Classism, Cursing, Murder, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, and Alcoholism
apoppyinthewind's review
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoy the sub-genre of vampire books that take a more pragmatic approach to vampirism where the theme is "Vampirism kind of sucks, no pun intended". In Vampire Weekend, vampires are not feral blood seekers or glamourous powerful creatures, they're just folks who have some messed up fatal allergies and need blood to survive but seem to have none of the fun powers promised by pop culture or folklore. The main character is Louise, a first generation Chinese immigrant and punk rock enthusiast who was turned into a vampire after an Iggy Pop concert.
She's lived a fairly quiet vampiric life, scraping out a living working night shifts at hospitals to provide money for bills and steady access to blood. Feeding is more of a challenge in this book compared to other vampire media, one cannot just grab a quick bite and instead most vampires rely on swiping blood bags, drinking animal blood, or sketchy donors. Things go awry in Louise's life when the local blood bank supply is suddenly dwindling and two estranged family members show up at her door.
These issues draw Louise into the vampire community she's been avoiding and back into the family trauma/drama she thought she had walked away from. As Louise bonds with her younger relative Ian over their shared passion for music, she has to confront how she's been living her immortal life.
I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it but it's an interesting take on vampires that I would recommend checking out. If you've ever read & loved Life Sucks by Jessica Abel you will probably like this book.
She's lived a fairly quiet vampiric life, scraping out a living working night shifts at hospitals to provide money for bills and steady access to blood. Feeding is more of a challenge in this book compared to other vampire media, one cannot just grab a quick bite and instead most vampires rely on swiping blood bags, drinking animal blood, or sketchy donors. Things go awry in Louise's life when the local blood bank supply is suddenly dwindling and two estranged family members show up at her door.
These issues draw Louise into the vampire community she's been avoiding and back into the family trauma/drama she thought she had walked away from. As Louise bonds with her younger relative Ian over their shared passion for music, she has to confront how she's been living her immortal life.
I won't say more because I don't want to spoil it but it's an interesting take on vampires that I would recommend checking out. If you've ever read & loved Life Sucks by Jessica Abel you will probably like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Car accident, Death, Alcohol, Cancer, Classism, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Louise has structured her life around access to blood, a necessity for a vampire. But this cycle of subsistence living keeps her from being able to make a go of other opportunities when they come along. Her few close connections (her aunt and her friend Marshall) have both died, and she hasn't really tried to make any new ones in the years since. She has an adorable dog, and the pattern of her nights is shaped by working at the hospital, getting blood, occasionally trying out for music gigs, and taking care of her corgi. There's a vampire trying to organize the community, but Louise mistrusts his sunny personality and his technologically invasive methods, mostly trying to avoid him as much as possible. When a local blood shortage threatens her and many other vampires' continued existence, this becomes much more difficult to manage.
The worldbuilding is a mix of musical ideas and music references, facts about being a vampire, and the slowly unfurling tale of how Louise ran away from home and become a vampire in her early twenties. I'm not musically inclined and didn't know most of the songs and musicians being referenced, but each time they were discussed in context with what they invoke and their place in the history of music in a way that was interesting and informative without feeling like a lecture.
The plot revolves around Louise receiving an unexpected visit by a grandfather and grandson as the boy's mother is in the hospital dying of cancer. The pair are somehow related to Louise but it takes a while before she figures out exactly how (plus her vampirism means she looks only a decade older than the kid). The main story proceeds pretty linearly, punctuated by flashbacks as Louise is processing previous events with new understanding of herself. Interacting with these new people shakes her out of her normal patterns and it takes a bit to adjust.
The ending feels a bit neat, like too huge of a thing manages to be sorted out in a way that supposedly fixes things as much as possible. I think the bit that's bugging me is it feels like Louise is the supporting character for both of the main storylines (Ian dealing with his mother's impending death, and Eric trying to make things better for vampires), but by being present exactly where she is she ends up helping with both things. She actually feels like if a regular person who happened to be a vampire had to deal with this stuff but didn't budge an inch on taking care of her dog and talking about music.
This was great and I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes music, vampires, and family trauma overlapped more often.
The worldbuilding is a mix of musical ideas and music references, facts about being a vampire, and the slowly unfurling tale of how Louise ran away from home and become a vampire in her early twenties. I'm not musically inclined and didn't know most of the songs and musicians being referenced, but each time they were discussed in context with what they invoke and their place in the history of music in a way that was interesting and informative without feeling like a lecture.
The plot revolves around Louise receiving an unexpected visit by a grandfather and grandson as the boy's mother is in the hospital dying of cancer. The pair are somehow related to Louise but it takes a while before she figures out exactly how (plus her vampirism means she looks only a decade older than the kid). The main story proceeds pretty linearly, punctuated by flashbacks as Louise is processing previous events with new understanding of herself. Interacting with these new people shakes her out of her normal patterns and it takes a bit to adjust.
The ending feels a bit neat, like too huge of a thing manages to be sorted out in a way that supposedly fixes things as much as possible. I think the bit that's bugging me is it feels like Louise is the supporting character for both of the main storylines (Ian dealing with his mother's impending death, and Eric trying to make things better for vampires), but by being present exactly where she is she ends up helping with both things. She actually feels like if a regular person who happened to be a vampire had to deal with this stuff but didn't budge an inch on taking care of her dog and talking about music.
This was great and I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes music, vampires, and family trauma overlapped more often.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Drug use, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Death of parent, Ableism, Sexism, Alcohol, Cannibalism, and Misogyny
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