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lipstickitotheman's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was fun! I liked it! I wasn't riveted. Nice emotional twist at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
atlas_shruggs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"She's a lost girl."... "She's not afraid of death because she doesn't think her life matters. Her world is black and gray. We're something other, so she looks at us and sees color."
As someone who would've probably been considered a lost girl at a point in my life, this book touched a little place in my heart that I didn't know needed the hug this book provided. It was a really nice, refreshing type of vampire book that I've only read once before in Heather Brewer's Fang Girl. It was funny, it didn't always take itself too seriously, but it still managed to be real and emotional, showing a side of immortality that I feel vampire media doesn't cover very often. I also found Parker and Holly's relationship very cute, if a bit instalove-y. It did definitely feel like a teenage romance, which it is.
Rose is definitely my favourite of the group, followed closely by Stacey and then Parker. I just felt like they weren't really characters I've seen often, especially Rose, with her plants and pretty dresses and keeping dying men in her room as she feeds on them.
Overall I would give it 5 stars simply because of how much I related to it, and how seen it made me feel. It felt like a healing hug, and I love it for that. I can't really see any glaring faults in it either. The found family is amazing, Ida's art projects are hilarious, and Elton can go die in a ditch.
As someone who would've probably been considered a lost girl at a point in my life, this book touched a little place in my heart that I didn't know needed the hug this book provided. It was a really nice, refreshing type of vampire book that I've only read once before in Heather Brewer's Fang Girl. It was funny, it didn't always take itself too seriously, but it still managed to be real and emotional, showing a side of immortality that I feel vampire media doesn't cover very often. I also found Parker and Holly's relationship very cute, if a bit instalove-y. It did definitely feel like a teenage romance, which it is.
Rose is definitely my favourite of the group, followed closely by Stacey and then Parker. I just felt like they weren't really characters I've seen often, especially Rose, with her plants and pretty dresses and keeping dying men in her room as she feeds on them.
Overall I would give it 5 stars simply because of how much I related to it, and how seen it made me feel. It felt like a healing hug, and I love it for that. I can't really see any glaring faults in it either. The found family is amazing, Ida's art projects are hilarious, and Elton can go die in a ditch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Dementia, and Death of parent
sssssoup's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for months, and more than anything, I found it incredibly disappointing. When I first heard about it, the combination of ideas sounded like it would be really interesting and fun to read, but I found everything about it lacking.
The plot itself was fine, and I was okay with the resolution in the end, but there were a lot of glaring issues related to the vampire lore that took away from my enjoyment of the story.Why did nobody in the town seem to care about all the murders? The vampires killed at least fifteen or twenty people during the story, which spanned less than a month. I know it’s fiction, so they can take some liberties when it comes to logic, but this was so glaring that I wasn’t willing to overlook it. Also, I know Holly was nowhere near as bad as Elton, but she still had a significant age gap with Parker, and I found it odd that that was never addressed.
The characters were also not very interesting. Despite all their trauma and the author’s attempts to make them sympathetic, I didn’t really feel bad for any of them. They seemed boring and shallow, and the fact that they all only got one distinct personality trait made them run together in my mind.
Overall, I like the ideas present in the story, but the execution was lackluster and forgettable at best.
The plot itself was fine, and I was okay with the resolution in the end, but there were a lot of glaring issues related to the vampire lore that took away from my enjoyment of the story.
The characters were also not very interesting. Despite all their trauma and the author’s attempts to make them sympathetic, I didn’t really feel bad for any of them. They seemed boring and shallow, and the fact that they all only got one distinct personality trait made them run together in my mind.
Overall, I like the ideas present in the story, but the execution was lackluster and forgettable at best.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Dementia, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
stormywolf's review
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Another YA pick for Maven's Vampire Book Club, and a shorter one at that. Mainly this was due to scheduling issues that cropped up in January, pushing back the official discussion of that month's book a couple weeks, so she figured a shorter option would be easier to slot in and get things back on track. Besides the length, and the GoodReads blurb citing "dark humor and queer love," I really didn't know anything going in. Would this vampire story edge more cutsie, or have some real bite?
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, I don't know how to recommend this one. On the one hand, I think it has fun characters, it does some interesting things with vampire mythology, and does a good job examining regret and how it influences us. But on the other hand, I had issues with its shallow characterizations, its unsatisfying ending, and its handling of toxic relationships. I think there are some good messages and important things addressed, but I also think it missed the mark with a lot of things. I suppose if you're interested in a bittersweet, queer, quirky, YA vampire romance story and not wanting anything too complex or detailed, this might be what you're looking for. As for myself, I'll be hoping for some lighter fare with a lower body count.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, I don't know how to recommend this one. On the one hand, I think it has fun characters, it does some interesting things with vampire mythology, and does a good job examining regret and how it influences us. But on the other hand, I had issues with its shallow characterizations, its unsatisfying ending, and its handling of toxic relationships. I think there are some good messages and important things addressed, but I also think it missed the mark with a lot of things. I suppose if you're interested in a bittersweet, queer, quirky, YA vampire romance story and not wanting anything too complex or detailed, this might be what you're looking for. As for myself, I'll be hoping for some lighter fare with a lower body count.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Dementia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
clovelatte's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
alexfromistemor's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
So, I really enjoyed this book, I did. However I need to preface that praise with a caveat...I had trouble seeing the appeal of that the girls ever had in Elton, regardless of the how many times the author stresses over and over that 'he's so beautiful'. Every time he's on the page he's almost comically, over-the-top skeezy that it was difficult to believe he ever had enough charm to score 1 of these interesting girls, let alone 4 of them, so I had some issues with buying the central antagonist that was supposed to tie the plot together.
With that out of the way, even with skeezebag Elton, I did really enjoy the book and most of the characters. The 4 main girls were all interesting, I really liked the depths in Ida and Rose that come across as we get to know them better, and Holly and Parker were fun and honestly cute together. Also, I found Stacey's story possibly even the most interesting of all of them. Maybe because she was the one character that didn't buy into the appeal of Elton, and yet still ended up a vampire. The things she had to go through, alone, while also stuck following along after Holly.
I also really enjoyed this fairly original take on vampires. At once very destructible (if feels like they get ripped to pieces so incredibly easily, to the point where Holly accidentally rips off her finger when she's at a diner with Parker), and yet at the same time so indestructible that any damage heals within minutes, even the loss of limbs and/or heads (though they still feel the pain). Also, the heirlooms, and the eventual loss of their mortal memories to gain their freedom was really interesting.
The book wrapped up differently that I expected (and if I'm honest, differently that I kind of hoped), but at the very least, it was satisfying finally seeing the skeezebag get what was coming to him.
Definitely worth the read.
With that out of the way, even with skeezebag Elton, I did really enjoy the book and most of the characters. The 4 main girls were all interesting, I really liked the depths in Ida and Rose that come across as we get to know them better, and Holly and Parker were fun and honestly cute together. Also, I found Stacey's story possibly even the most interesting of all of them. Maybe because she was the one character that didn't buy into the appeal of Elton, and yet still ended up a vampire. The things she had to go through, alone, while also stuck following along after Holly.
I also really enjoyed this fairly original take on vampires. At once very destructible (if feels like they get ripped to pieces so incredibly easily, to the point where Holly accidentally rips off her finger when she's at a diner with Parker), and yet at the same time so indestructible that any damage heals within minutes, even the loss of limbs and/or heads (though they still feel the pain). Also, the heirlooms, and the eventual loss of their mortal memories to gain their freedom was really interesting.
The book wrapped up differently that I expected (and if I'm honest, differently that I kind of hoped), but at the very least, it was satisfying finally seeing the skeezebag get what was coming to him.
Definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Vampires with a very casual opinion on mortal lives, they kill a lot of people, sometimes very graphicallybtorsi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
if i had a nickel for every book i read in 2022 so far that mentioned ripping out someone's eyes and eating them, i'd have two nickels. which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice.
a fun read. super engaging. interesting world building. a check off my tbr. not the kind of book i'm going to be thinking about nonstop after i finished it, but not bad. just. good.
a fun read. super engaging. interesting world building. a check off my tbr. not the kind of book i'm going to be thinking about nonstop after i finished it, but not bad. just. good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Grief
Minor: Confinement
metaparadox's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, and Murder
kynajayne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
I really liked this one. Very different twist on the vampire story, and a good sapphic romance too! I loved how Parker, the damsel in distress, managed to save all their butts in the end. I imagine her making many beautiful memories in the future. I also loved how Holly fed on creepy dudes lol. The exploration of memory and feelings and how they change and change us was interesting too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual harassment
cheybrary's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Gaslighting