Reviews with content warning for Ableism - Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite

This anthology was everything it was hyped up to be. So glad I was finally able to sink my fangs into it.
I started out of order, reading the last story V.E. Schwab's "First Kill," so that I could watch the Netflix show based on it even though it was unfortunately canceled after one season. Then I went back to the beginning and read the rest. Each story brought something new to the vampire genre, but I had a few favorites.
Rebecca Roanhoarse's "The Boys from Blood River" had excellent rural horror vibes that chilled my blood.
"In Kind" by Kayla Whaley addressed how disability relates to identity, and the harmful narratives that occur when ableist caregivers and onlookers speak in the place of disabled people.
The anthology's instigators, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker wrote "Vampires Never Say Die," in which a young teenager befriends an ancient vampire through social media.
Dhonielle Clayton's luscious worldbuilding in "The House of Black Sapphires" felt like it was setting up for a full-length novel, which I would totally read.
I highly recommend this book to any and all YA vampire fans.

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victoriousbookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark

4.75

I originally picked this book up because I've read Natalie C. Parker and V.E. Schwab and felt like some short stories. These stories of queer vampires over time was fun, emotional, sometimes heartbreaking, but alway interesting. While First Kill was my favorite of the stories, they were are really engaging and interest.

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kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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3.25

This anthology was a bit average for me. There weren’t any outstanding reads, but neither were there many terrible ones. My favourite was Senior Year Sucks. I will review each story individually:

Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton: This is one of two problematic stories in this anthology. It featured a romance between a teenager and a vampire who was hundreds of years old and looked like they were 30. This story says it’s all about the right to choose to become a vampire, yet how could the teenage MC be in control of her choices if she was being groomed?

The Boys from Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse: An atmospheric and compelling story ruined by its ending when the MC romanticises a murderer.

Senior Year Sucks by Julie Murphy: The MC of this story had great narrative voice, and the plot developed a philosophical question well. The romance was also cute.

The Boy and the Bell by Heidi Heilig: This was spooky and atmospheric and worked really well as a short story.

A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire by Samira Ahmed: The format of this story gave both a fun and unique approach to the subject material, and had a great take on vampires and colonisation.

In Kind by Kayla Whaley: This was a really confronting story with a powerful resolution, defying “mercy” killings and the ableist “magical cure” trope. The mixed media format also worked well.

Vampires Never Say Die by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker: This was the second problematic story of the anthology. This is due to more grooming. Why on earth is it considered okay for a 200 year adult to be seeking friendship with a teenager?

Bestiary by Laura Ruby: In my opinion, this is the worst story of the non-problematic entries in this anthology. I simply didn’t understand the point of it. It was supposed to be related to animal companionship, but there was no plot or development generally, let alone one involving that concept.

Mirrors, Windows, and Selfies by Mark Oshiro: The blog format elevated the narrative, which was otherwise average.

The House of Black Sapphires by Dhonielle Clayton: This was incredibly atmospheric, but too much time was spent on the (albeit fantastic) worldbuilding, so that the plot felt squished in at the end as an afterthought. I think this concept would have worked better in a longer format.

First Kill by V.E. Schwab: I think this was a good story, but it was nearly identical to Senior Year Sucks which I found to be stronger.

Some final general notes. The first is that I am sick of YA modern vampire stories containing the immortal/mortal romance/friendship trope. This anthology even states it will be seeking to rectify the more problematic traditions in the vampire genre, yet it still includes this! Secondly, the editor’s notes at the end of each story were frustrating. Not only did it take you out of the fictional zone, but they should have been unnecessary, i.e., the story should have done a good enough job of showing its relevance to an aspect of the vampire tradition - and this often wasn’t the case. Finally, I listened to the audiobook for this one and it was also average. Some narrators were good; some, not so much.

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jessthanthree's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted 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? No

4.0

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lynxpardinus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny

2.75

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