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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Men suck, and women have to stick together!
I picked this up from the library a while ago, and I completely forgot what the blurb had said about the book. I thought this was just a story about vampires, but it was so much more! I really liked the concept of bringing Lucy and Bertha together to share their immortal years together, and trying to avoid the horrid men that made them this way.
I love how the ending wrapped up!
I picked this up from the library a while ago, and I completely forgot what the blurb had said about the book. I thought this was just a story about vampires, but it was so much more! I really liked the concept of bringing Lucy and Bertha together to share their immortal years together, and trying to avoid the horrid men that made them this way.
I love how the ending wrapped up!
dark
emotional
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
This was a fun little psychadelic casual horror romp. I think the premise is fantastic and could have been developed much more deeply. That said, it was an engaging simple read.
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
I really don’t know how it’s possible to make a novel about vampires, supernatural creatures, and other such immortals tromping through California in the 60s boring, but somehow Gwendolyn Kiste managed. The story follows Lucy and Bertha, as previously seen in Dracula and Jane Eyre respectively, two women whose stories are defined by the control exerted over them by the male leads of their stories. While the premise is unique, promising thrills and the dismantling of the patriarchy, I’m not sure it works. The characters are loosely connected and don’t seem fully realized. Even while establishing themselves as feminist heroes, they are still driven by Dracula and Rochester’s actions throughout the entire story. And it was dull. I wanted excitement and breakthroughs for these females but was left with dissatisfying fan fiction.
Overall: an interesting pairing of characters but a bit of a drudge to get through. 2.5 stars
Overall: an interesting pairing of characters but a bit of a drudge to get through. 2.5 stars
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved the premise but everything about it was underdeveloped. The story still centered around men in a way that hindered the full reimagining of Bertha and Lucy in 1970s San Francisco. That said, the setting was great and the world-building had potential —just needed a lot more. Still a worthwhile read if looking for something empowering to read about rebuilding and living life in the shadow of toxic and abusive relationships. Also, nothing like Mexican Gothic in content but similar in terms of genre.