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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I will not hide that the action was all over the place in this book and felt a bit badly tied up. There is no real reason why Mina decides to start investigating the first death. That is to say, I love the writing style, New Orleans feels very alive and I enjoyed the romance, horror and family dynamics. I think it was a great book, I will pick up the next one and I was actually positively surprised what a nice read this was.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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:
No
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
3.5 stars.
I found this unremarkable; I won’t be willing to continue the series any time soon. I can appreciate the appeal for some and the style in which it is written but I didn’t find myself attached to the characters or rooting for anyone throughout the story.
I found this unremarkable; I won’t be willing to continue the series any time soon. I can appreciate the appeal for some and the style in which it is written but I didn’t find myself attached to the characters or rooting for anyone throughout the story.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“Mina and the Undead” by Amy McCaw
⭐⭐
Summary: It’s 1995 in New Orleans, and Mina is staying for the summer with her sister, Libby, and her roommates, Lucas and Jared. Mina is excited about staying with Libby, but their relationship is frayed, as Libby left her after their mum disappeared. Trying to enjoy herself, Mina throws herself into the world of New Orleans, but her summer plans take a nasty turn, when she discovers a dead body.
POTENTIAL SPOILERS
Thoughts:
This book was disappointing.
The author clearly loves their horror, and their vampires as there were loads of references throughout, which was fun, but it didn't save the story for me.
A lot happened, really rapidly, but for me it didn't hold much weight. Someone is said to be dead, and the characters react briefly but then continue on, and it all feels surface level. I think it would be fun for Young Adults, which is who the book is intended for, but for me, I didn't enjoy it.
Mina was an okay character, as was Jared, but I didn't really care for them. Their relationship as well was sudden, and Mina appeared to be instantly in love with him.
The plot with the mum disappearing and why, was wild and silly. Some aspects of the story did interest me, but sadly, they were wrapped up in a book with characters I couldn't vibe with, and a plot that was oddly paced.
Again, I'm probably the wrong audience for this but I will give the sequels a miss.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
medium-paced
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a nostalgia driven, decently written, vampire infested YA book with a bucket load of cultural references that will have you reminiscing about Buffy and Interview with a Vampire.
It's incredibly fast paced, which makes some of the relationships fairly ridiculous in how quickly they are established. I would also say that the reveals felt a little bamboozling - McCaw, in my opinion, could have done more to foreshadow them in the narrative as they felt a little random. This coupled with the main characters reaction's or incredible lack of reaction to the multitude of revelations was frankly unbelievable.
Still, it was a fun read.
It's incredibly fast paced, which makes some of the relationships fairly ridiculous in how quickly they are established. I would also say that the reveals felt a little bamboozling - McCaw, in my opinion, could have done more to foreshadow them in the narrative as they felt a little random. This coupled with the main characters reaction's or incredible lack of reaction to the multitude of revelations was frankly unbelievable.
Still, it was a fun read.
I absolutely flew through this book! It would definitely be perfect for some October reading, but I'm not sorry I didn't save it in the end.
It's set in New Orleans 1995 and lightly explores some of the macabre legends and history of the city - as a series of murders takes place, copying those that have peppered the history of the place. Now, I don't know much New Orleans history, but I was familiar with some after reading The Axe Man's Jazz a few years ago, and I'm pretty sure one was touched on in American Horror Story too. So it was great to get a little about some of these things that I was familiar with, and I won't lie, stories and history like that have always fascinated me, even if it is so repulsive and horrific to remember it isn't a fictional story.
Anyway, getting back to the review - sorry, I just really loved the setting and backdrop. The narrative is snappy and keeps up the perfect pace. We're propelled forwards, whilst seeing all these little details that seem to point you in different directions while still keeping enough focus on the mainline of mystery. I loved this, as it helped my brain not try to unravel too much of the mystery before it was ready for the reveal.
There are so many 90s references that I am just here for, as it's pop culture I recognise for once! And I definitely need to go check out Buffy again, as I don't remember much of the show anymore, and I need more 90s horror after this.
The only reason this didn't hit a 5-star rating for me, is that I didn't latch on to the characters too much. I liked them well enough, but they just feel a bit aloof to me still, as the narrative is more story-heavy than character-heavy. Now, this is something I am fine with - as it's still 4 stars - but I just needed a little touch more, to connect to at least one a bit better. I did feel some pangs at some outcomes, but I wasn't devastated - and I seem to love a book kicking me where it hurts haha.
Overall, I would definitely recommend it. It's currently a standalone and would work as a standalone - but I have seen that the author does have plans for two more books and hopes to see them realised. I really hope so too - as I would definely love to dive back into this world.
It's set in New Orleans 1995 and lightly explores some of the macabre legends and history of the city - as a series of murders takes place, copying those that have peppered the history of the place. Now, I don't know much New Orleans history, but I was familiar with some after reading The Axe Man's Jazz a few years ago, and I'm pretty sure one was touched on in American Horror Story too. So it was great to get a little about some of these things that I was familiar with, and I won't lie, stories and history like that have always fascinated me, even if it is so repulsive and horrific to remember it isn't a fictional story.
Anyway, getting back to the review - sorry, I just really loved the setting and backdrop. The narrative is snappy and keeps up the perfect pace. We're propelled forwards, whilst seeing all these little details that seem to point you in different directions while still keeping enough focus on the mainline of mystery. I loved this, as it helped my brain not try to unravel too much of the mystery before it was ready for the reveal.
There are so many 90s references that I am just here for, as it's pop culture I recognise for once! And I definitely need to go check out Buffy again, as I don't remember much of the show anymore, and I need more 90s horror after this.
The only reason this didn't hit a 5-star rating for me, is that I didn't latch on to the characters too much. I liked them well enough, but they just feel a bit aloof to me still, as the narrative is more story-heavy than character-heavy. Now, this is something I am fine with - as it's still 4 stars - but I just needed a little touch more, to connect to at least one a bit better. I did feel some pangs at some outcomes, but I wasn't devastated - and I seem to love a book kicking me where it hurts haha.
Overall, I would definitely recommend it. It's currently a standalone and would work as a standalone - but I have seen that the author does have plans for two more books and hopes to see them realised. I really hope so too - as I would definely love to dive back into this world.