Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Sexism'
Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite by Natalie C. Parker, Zoraida Córdova
5 reviews
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Vomit, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Outing, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Alcohol
emily_mh's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, and Blood
Moderate: Murder, Cursing, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Transphobia, Death, Violence, Bullying, Physical abuse, Body horror, and Gore
Minor: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Animal death, Confinement, Abortion, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Torture, Slavery, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Deadnaming, Medical content, Vomit, War, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Excrement, Gun violence, and Alcoholism
Graphic warnings for grooming, "mercy" killing. Moderate warnings for sick parent, blackmail, climate change/global warming. Minor warnings for the homophobic d-slur, mass death, loss of a loved one, nuclear warfare, physical illness, pandemic, divorce.yeojinqueen's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
individual ranks are as follows
seven nights for dying: 3/5
the boys from blood river: 5/5
senior year sucks: 5/5
the boy and the bell: 3/5
a guidedbook for the newly sired desi vampire: 4/5 (this one is a interesting format and unique story)
in kind: 5/5 (again one of the more interesting stories in here)
vampires never say die: 4/5
bestiary: 4/5
mirrors, windows, and selfies: 5/5
the house of black sapphires: 5/5 (in my opinion the most interesting story in the book)
first kill: 4/5
great stories over all. i believe that senior year sucks, in kind, and the house of black sapphires are the best stories in the book and also the ones i would most want to see turned into a full book
seven nights for dying: 3/5
the boys from blood river: 5/5
senior year sucks: 5/5
the boy and the bell: 3/5
a guidedbook for the newly sired desi vampire: 4/5 (this one is a interesting format and unique story)
in kind: 5/5 (again one of the more interesting stories in here)
vampires never say die: 4/5
bestiary: 4/5
mirrors, windows, and selfies: 5/5
the house of black sapphires: 5/5 (in my opinion the most interesting story in the book)
first kill: 4/5
great stories over all. i believe that senior year sucks, in kind, and the house of black sapphires are the best stories in the book and also the ones i would most want to see turned into a full book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Gore, and Transphobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Outing, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, and Terminal illness
wardenred's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I confess I've been going through a terrible reading slump lately. This book of short stories has been a big help with that: whenever I felt like reading at all, I could just grab it and read another story. My relationship to short stories in general is complicated—I don't always like them, even when they're objectively well-written, because I'm more of an "epic sprawling story" kind of reader—but I always have a higher chance of liking one when it deals with one of my favorite topics, and vampires happen to be at least in the top-5 of my favorite things to read about. I can't help it; it's an obsession I never got over. I got through my teenage years watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reading Anne Rice and Laurel Hamilton, and playing Vampire: the Masquerade with my friends. I still play VtM with my friends a lot. Vampires really never get old.
The thing about anthologies that makes it hard rating them is that any of the stories contained in the book can be hit or miss. This one contained a lot more hits than misses for me. The book is full of fresh, fun takes on the vampire myth. I was delighted by the sheer amount of diversity here. Most of the main characters were somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and there were other types of representation, too. A lot of the authors didn't shy away from choosing big, complicated topics to explore through the lens of undead bloodsuckers, be it something as expansive as colonialism or as claustrophobically private as the darkness that may be found in the relationships between disabled people and their caregivers.
The thing about anthologies that makes it hard rating them is that any of the stories contained in the book can be hit or miss. This one contained a lot more hits than misses for me. The book is full of fresh, fun takes on the vampire myth. I was delighted by the sheer amount of diversity here. Most of the main characters were somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and there were other types of representation, too. A lot of the authors didn't shy away from choosing big, complicated topics to explore through the lens of undead bloodsuckers, be it something as expansive as colonialism or as claustrophobically private as the darkness that may be found in the relationships between disabled people and their caregivers.
The stories that stood out for me in particular were:
- Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton: I've always been fascinated by fiction that deals with the transition from human to mythical monsters, and this story does a great job out of exploring it.
- The Boys from Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse: This was like watching a great horror movie in my head.
- The Boy and the Bell by Heidi Heilig: I'm highly likely to enjoy anything that is set in Victorian times, deals with class differences, and has a trans MC, if it's well-written. This one was really well-written.
- Bestiary by Laura Ruby: The prose here was viscerally vivid, to the point that it almost made me want to stop reading sometimes because I was seriously feeling everything in the story and a lot of it wasn't pleasant. Definitely an author I now want to read more of!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Transphobia, Ableism, and Sexism
booksthatburn's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Vampires Never Get Old is a pretty strong collection of excellent vampire tales. No two mythos were exactly the same and I loved most of the stories.
I liked almost all of the collection, so first let me cover what I really enjoyed. Many of the stories had really powerful depictions of marginalized people finding strength during their interactions with vampires, sometimes by being vampires and sometimes through rejecting them. My particular favorites are "The Boys from Blood River", "In Kind", "Bestiary", and "Mirrors, Windows & Selfies". I love the premise and the feeling of "The Boys from Blood River", the MC handles relaying backstory while being firmly anchored in the moment in a way that immersed me very quickly into the story. The ending was really good, but now I want even more with the MC. "In Kind" gives a voice to a real kind of victim whose killers are frequently excused or even praised for their murder. It handles a difficult topic well through a really superb story. "Bestiary" was a slow burn, gradually trickling in details to make the MC's backstory clear, crystalizing in one fantastic moment when the pieces are finally in place to understand what happened. I never really felt confused leading up to it, but that moment of really understanding felt really good, especially in a tale this short. "Mirrors, Windows & Selfies" is a story about using the internet to feel a little less alone when you can't leave. I wish this had a follow-up I could read, it implies a very interesting variation on a lot of vampire lore and I'm fascinated (plus I really care what happens to the MC).
I cannot in good conscience recommend the final story, "First Kill". Minor spoilers to follow. It contains a gay character saying "People aren't straight... They just don't know better." I wasn't sure what to think about it as a one-off comment from a teenage character, but it erases a lot of people who are straight as well as queer, and it's a bizarre sweeping denial of people's understanding of their own identities. It's completely unchallenged within the narrative. The second thing which changed this from a story I was concerned about to one I cannot recommend is that there's a character who is a monster-hunter, and in the backstory describing the monsters her family has killed, there's reference to a "full-grown wendigo" and a teenage character tries to take a "monstrous claw" as a prize. He's not allowed to because there's a general "no-trophies" rule. Having that appear here just to add background details for a secondary character felt bad to read. The actual plot was interesting, but I can't recommend this collection without giving a warning about this story. Neither moment was examined, and they felt like they were there just to be filler about secondary characters, instead they're just cringey and bad.
Seven Nights for Dying: CW for parental death (backstory).
The Boys from Blood River: CW for homophobia, bullying, violence, parental death, death.
Senior Year Sucks: CW for blood, death.
The Boy and the Bell: CW for transphobia, misgendering, gore, death.
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire: CW for colonialism, death.
In Kind: CW for ableism, child death, blood, death.
Vampires Never Say Die: CW for sexism, blood, violence.
Bestiary: CW for vomit, death (backstory).
Mirrors, Windows & Selfies: CW for kidnapping, imprisonment, death.
The House of Black Sapphires: No major CWs.
First Kill: CW for death. TW for discussion of body parts as trophies (wendigo).
I liked almost all of the collection, so first let me cover what I really enjoyed. Many of the stories had really powerful depictions of marginalized people finding strength during their interactions with vampires, sometimes by being vampires and sometimes through rejecting them. My particular favorites are "The Boys from Blood River", "In Kind", "Bestiary", and "Mirrors, Windows & Selfies". I love the premise and the feeling of "The Boys from Blood River", the MC handles relaying backstory while being firmly anchored in the moment in a way that immersed me very quickly into the story. The ending was really good, but now I want even more with the MC. "In Kind" gives a voice to a real kind of victim whose killers are frequently excused or even praised for their murder. It handles a difficult topic well through a really superb story. "Bestiary" was a slow burn, gradually trickling in details to make the MC's backstory clear, crystalizing in one fantastic moment when the pieces are finally in place to understand what happened. I never really felt confused leading up to it, but that moment of really understanding felt really good, especially in a tale this short. "Mirrors, Windows & Selfies" is a story about using the internet to feel a little less alone when you can't leave. I wish this had a follow-up I could read, it implies a very interesting variation on a lot of vampire lore and I'm fascinated (plus I really care what happens to the MC).
I cannot in good conscience recommend the final story, "First Kill". Minor spoilers to follow. It contains a gay character saying "People aren't straight... They just don't know better." I wasn't sure what to think about it as a one-off comment from a teenage character, but it erases a lot of people who are straight as well as queer, and it's a bizarre sweeping denial of people's understanding of their own identities. It's completely unchallenged within the narrative. The second thing which changed this from a story I was concerned about to one I cannot recommend is that
Seven Nights for Dying: CW for
The Boys from Blood River: CW for
Senior Year Sucks: CW for
The Boy and the Bell: CW for
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire: CW for
In Kind: CW for
Vampires Never Say Die: CW for
Bestiary: CW for
Mirrors, Windows & Selfies: CW for
The House of Black Sapphires: No major CWs.
First Kill: CW for
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Bullying, Child death, Ableism, Transphobia, and Gore
Minor: Sexism and Kidnapping
CW for parental death, homophobia, bullying, violence, death, blood, transphobia, misgendering, gore, colonialism, ableism, child death, sexism, vomit, kidnapping, imprisonment. TW for discussion of
More...