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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A fun concept with interesting characters and an enjoyable plot. I enjoyed the nerdy vampire themes, the costumes, and the general horror trappings in amongst the lush New Orleans backdrop. There were some passages that felt oddly hollow, though--just moving people from place to place without anything significant happening, and the end felt sudden, with events ramping up sharply to the detriment of the characters' development.
Not a masterpiece of literature, but an enjoyable read from a new author. I look forward to seeing more of her work.
Not a masterpiece of literature, but an enjoyable read from a new author. I look forward to seeing more of her work.
okay so the setting was fun and the characters were alright but like. Mina. GIRL what is wrong with you????
Oh something bad happened? Better make out with my bf who I met a week ago! My sister got arrested? Better make out with my bf who I met a week ago!!
G I R L
Oh something bad happened? Better make out with my bf who I met a week ago! My sister got arrested? Better make out with my bf who I met a week ago!!
G I R L
Advanced copy sent by the publishers in exchange for review.
Content warnings: gore, horror, death, blood
When I first heard about this book last year I knew straight away that I needed it in my life. A paranormal murder mystery with vampires set in New Orleans in the NINETIES? Sign me up. I was also super lucky and received an advanced copy.
We dive straight into the story, with Mina arriving in New Orleans and being introduced to her sister’s friends and colleagues almost right away. I always love this method as sometimes a stilted beginning can hold me back from enjoying the rest of the story.
Mina’s first experience of The Mansion of the Macabre horror tour gave me flashbacks (nightmares?) to when I went to Farmageddon a couple of years ago, a farm with interactive horror rooms here in the North West. The descriptive writing meant that I could easily picture each of the scenarios and Mina’s fear and excitement were almost tangible through her thoughts.
I loved how unique each of the main characters were; from the very beginning they each had their own voice and style which meant that you could tell who was speaking just by their words and actions, which makes a story more immersive for me. There were characters of different ethnicities and sexual orientations which we love to see.
The fact that the characters were so well developed also meant that I was suspicious of EVERYONE. Literally every time a character did something I was questioning their motives, trying to link it back to their actions in a previous scene or attempting to work out what they could be trying to achieve. I always enjoy when a book doesn’t just have a clear cut good or bad guy, which is why morally grey characters are my fave.
Amy weaves a lot of real New Orleans history into Mina and the Undead which added another sinister level to the story. It’s past is pretty dark and terrifying, which makes it the perfect backdrop for this genre. But is it wrong that I want to visit it even more after reading this book?
The nineties and pop culture references dotted throughout the book were 10/10 in my opinion. I enjoyed the subtle nods that you may only notice if you grew up in the 1990s or if you recognised the classic films or songs, but the more overt references were also a ton of fun. I got major 90s TV vibes too, particularly Buffy but also Charmed. I also still haven’t stopped singing How Soon is Now to be honest.
Amy also scattered lots of references to death in her character’s language and actions which was so on brand. A particular favourite line is how Mina’s wig was “beyond resuscitation”. These small additions just show how much time and effort Amy put into constructing this world and as a reader I massively appreciated them.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that because this is a young adult story that it will be tame. Oh no. Amy definitely doesn’t shy away from the more horrific and gory scenes. They also never felt gratuitous or forced, which can sometimes be an issue in horror books which are just trying to promote that ‘shock factor’ but in reality have no substance.
While this is definitely a murder mystery, I appreciated the exploration of family, friendship and young love. Mina and her sister’s relationship felt very authentic to me, and I loved seeing this develop over the course of the story as the pair learn to cope with the trauma of their mother going missing. The romance was also intricately woven into the plot so while it didn’t overshadow the murders or the main storyline, there were enough moments to keep me invested in the characters and their relationship, which made the stakes in the overall plot even higher.
Mina and the Undead was a fast paced story in which you can’t help but get swept up in the mystery and intrigue. The plot will keep you guessing and you won’t be able to trust anyone. This story featured everything we know and love about classic vampire stories and I truly believe Amy will be one to watch.
Content warnings: gore, horror, death, blood
When I first heard about this book last year I knew straight away that I needed it in my life. A paranormal murder mystery with vampires set in New Orleans in the NINETIES? Sign me up. I was also super lucky and received an advanced copy.
We dive straight into the story, with Mina arriving in New Orleans and being introduced to her sister’s friends and colleagues almost right away. I always love this method as sometimes a stilted beginning can hold me back from enjoying the rest of the story.
Mina’s first experience of The Mansion of the Macabre horror tour gave me flashbacks (nightmares?) to when I went to Farmageddon a couple of years ago, a farm with interactive horror rooms here in the North West. The descriptive writing meant that I could easily picture each of the scenarios and Mina’s fear and excitement were almost tangible through her thoughts.
I loved how unique each of the main characters were; from the very beginning they each had their own voice and style which meant that you could tell who was speaking just by their words and actions, which makes a story more immersive for me. There were characters of different ethnicities and sexual orientations which we love to see.
The fact that the characters were so well developed also meant that I was suspicious of EVERYONE. Literally every time a character did something I was questioning their motives, trying to link it back to their actions in a previous scene or attempting to work out what they could be trying to achieve. I always enjoy when a book doesn’t just have a clear cut good or bad guy, which is why morally grey characters are my fave.
Amy weaves a lot of real New Orleans history into Mina and the Undead which added another sinister level to the story. It’s past is pretty dark and terrifying, which makes it the perfect backdrop for this genre. But is it wrong that I want to visit it even more after reading this book?
The nineties and pop culture references dotted throughout the book were 10/10 in my opinion. I enjoyed the subtle nods that you may only notice if you grew up in the 1990s or if you recognised the classic films or songs, but the more overt references were also a ton of fun. I got major 90s TV vibes too, particularly Buffy but also Charmed. I also still haven’t stopped singing How Soon is Now to be honest.
Amy also scattered lots of references to death in her character’s language and actions which was so on brand. A particular favourite line is how Mina’s wig was “beyond resuscitation”. These small additions just show how much time and effort Amy put into constructing this world and as a reader I massively appreciated them.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that because this is a young adult story that it will be tame. Oh no. Amy definitely doesn’t shy away from the more horrific and gory scenes. They also never felt gratuitous or forced, which can sometimes be an issue in horror books which are just trying to promote that ‘shock factor’ but in reality have no substance.
While this is definitely a murder mystery, I appreciated the exploration of family, friendship and young love. Mina and her sister’s relationship felt very authentic to me, and I loved seeing this develop over the course of the story as the pair learn to cope with the trauma of their mother going missing. The romance was also intricately woven into the plot so while it didn’t overshadow the murders or the main storyline, there were enough moments to keep me invested in the characters and their relationship, which made the stakes in the overall plot even higher.
Mina and the Undead was a fast paced story in which you can’t help but get swept up in the mystery and intrigue. The plot will keep you guessing and you won’t be able to trust anyone. This story featured everything we know and love about classic vampire stories and I truly believe Amy will be one to watch.
Mina and the Undead was the perfect horror book for me, as I am a bit of wimp! Yes, there are vampires, the macabre and spooky New Orleans, but the 90s nostalgia really came through for me and it was that that I was happy to focus on.
Mina was great as a stranger in New Orleans, as we were able to see all the touristy sights that she would have seen, but as she was also accompanied by Libby and her friends, who were already at home in the city, there was a sense of familiarity.
As someone who had their formative years in this period, the pop culture references were very welcome and Amy McCaw used them respectfully – there was nothing that was ‘just filler’ and every reference had a point to make!
The mystery plot was excellently put together and certainly had me guessing right until the big reveal. It was very skillfully done and it will be interesting to see what Mina gets up to next.
Luckily, you won’t have to wait that long for the second book in this series, as Mina and the Slayers is out in September.
Mina was great as a stranger in New Orleans, as we were able to see all the touristy sights that she would have seen, but as she was also accompanied by Libby and her friends, who were already at home in the city, there was a sense of familiarity.
As someone who had their formative years in this period, the pop culture references were very welcome and Amy McCaw used them respectfully – there was nothing that was ‘just filler’ and every reference had a point to make!
The mystery plot was excellently put together and certainly had me guessing right until the big reveal. It was very skillfully done and it will be interesting to see what Mina gets up to next.
Luckily, you won’t have to wait that long for the second book in this series, as Mina and the Slayers is out in September.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved this book, and I adored Mina! I went through a lot of emotions, particularly at the end, so how could you.
The writing is bad, the pacing is weird, and the romance is annoying.
The characters don't act like real people, some of the sentences just don't make sense or are over the top and trying to hard, and the actions of characters don't match the motivations or emotions of the character doing the action. It's like mediocre writing on Wattpad or a beginners writing with a good editor that was just a bit too busy.
The characters don't act like real people, some of the sentences just don't make sense or are over the top and trying to hard, and the actions of characters don't match the motivations or emotions of the character doing the action. It's like mediocre writing on Wattpad or a beginners writing with a good editor that was just a bit too busy.
I certainly didnt expect to love this book as much as I did and now I am DYING to read the rest of them!!!