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rorikae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
4.75
'A Long Time Dead' by Samara Breger is a slow, lush vampire story about two women falling in love and attempting to build a life together.
Poppy wakes up one night with her world changed. She has been ferreted away from her home in London and transformed into a vampire. Roisin, the vampire who saved Poppy, tends to her as she continues the agonizing process of learning how to control her urges for blood. As the two women spend more time together, Poppy begins to fall for Roisin. But Roisin's sire is out in the world, ready to toy with her again and putting the possibility of a peaceful life in jeopardy. They will have to leave their quiet life behind to find a chance at a longer life together.
Breger has created two incredibly fallible vampire characters that it is hard not to completely fall for. The story starts out quite slow, picking up pace toward the end, but the quiet moments felt just as profound as those with more action. I came to care deeply for Poppy and Roisin, especially as both explore their pasts and faults. At its heart, this is a story about learning to be cared for, making deep friendships, and fighting for a life where one can be happy. Breger's writing is dense and lush in a way that felt perfectly suited to a decadent vampire novel. I am excited to see what they write next because it's clear how much care and time they put into this story.
Poppy wakes up one night with her world changed. She has been ferreted away from her home in London and transformed into a vampire. Roisin, the vampire who saved Poppy, tends to her as she continues the agonizing process of learning how to control her urges for blood. As the two women spend more time together, Poppy begins to fall for Roisin. But Roisin's sire is out in the world, ready to toy with her again and putting the possibility of a peaceful life in jeopardy. They will have to leave their quiet life behind to find a chance at a longer life together.
Breger has created two incredibly fallible vampire characters that it is hard not to completely fall for. The story starts out quite slow, picking up pace toward the end, but the quiet moments felt just as profound as those with more action. I came to care deeply for Poppy and Roisin, especially as both explore their pasts and faults. At its heart, this is a story about learning to be cared for, making deep friendships, and fighting for a life where one can be happy. Breger's writing is dense and lush in a way that felt perfectly suited to a decadent vampire novel. I am excited to see what they write next because it's clear how much care and time they put into this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Grief, Violence, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Animal death, Blood, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
queenkath32's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Animal death, Death, and Blood
sunbearbeam's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death, War, and Vomit
lovesit1892's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
Did I just find my new favorite book!? I think so! I consider myself a connoisseur of sapphic vampire books and this is easily the best one I've ever read.
This book is emotional and heartfelt while simultaneously being lighthearted and humorous. The two main characters, Poppy and Roisin, go through many growing pains together, but the dialogue between them is so endearing that you almost forget the trials and tribulations they face.
I also enjoyed the relationships and friendships outside of the main relationship, there was such a refreshing sense of positivity and found family among the cast of characters. Each character has their own unique personality, but the way they interact with one another and accept each other, flaws and all, is realistic of an actual family unit. The genuine representation of sexualities, gender queerness, and fluidity was another highlight of this book.
I found Poppy to be so adorable and lovable; her sarcastic, candid personality really balances out Roisin, who, while very sweet and caring, can be frustratingly stubborn and self-critical at times. The way they grow together is a true portrayal of two people (or vampires!) learning and choosing to love one another despite the difficulties.
The intimate scenes between the characters were actually intimate and sexy, so I struggle to call them simply "spicy" or "smutty," but they are definitely swoon-worthy. They're very well written and feel like accurate portrayals of queer sex and love. I think Breger did a fantastic job of weaving in more modern narratives involving polyamory, consent, BDSM, praise kinks, etc., while still writing in a historically accurate voice.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't recommend it enough to those who enjoy vampires, and especially sapphic vampires.
This book is emotional and heartfelt while simultaneously being lighthearted and humorous. The two main characters, Poppy and Roisin, go through many growing pains together, but the dialogue between them is so endearing that you almost forget the trials and tribulations they face.
I also enjoyed the relationships and friendships outside of the main relationship, there was such a refreshing sense of positivity and found family among the cast of characters. Each character has their own unique personality, but the way they interact with one another and accept each other, flaws and all, is realistic of an actual family unit. The genuine representation of sexualities, gender queerness, and fluidity was another highlight of this book.
The intimate scenes between the characters were actually intimate and sexy, so I struggle to call them simply "spicy" or "smutty," but they are definitely swoon-worthy. They're very well written and feel like accurate portrayals of queer sex and love. I think Breger did a fantastic job of weaving in more modern narratives involving polyamory, consent, BDSM, praise kinks, etc., while still writing in a historically accurate voice.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't recommend it enough to those who enjoy vampires, and especially sapphic vampires.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Gore, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders
stephtoriz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It was a bit hard for me to get through , the vampire story was definitely there , I liked the action parts and the parts when the lovers reunite but I thought the rest of the parts were a bit boring. Overall I did enjoy it though especially since I haven’t read a vampire book in over 10 years !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Death, Grief, Sexual content, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
nefariousbee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
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
4.5
I'm not entirely sure what to make out of this book. but it was delightful. in a very particular sense.
it's not a serious book by any means. but it's fun. it's sexy. it's got characters you can love. what didn't entirely make it for me was the romance between the two main characters - in my opinion, there should have been more set up before it all went this love of their lives way. but I still kinda loved it so
it's not a serious book by any means. but it's fun. it's sexy. it's got characters you can love. what didn't entirely make it for me was the romance between the two main characters - in my opinion, there should have been more set up before it all went this love of their lives way. but I still kinda loved it so
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Animal death, and Body shaming
Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gore, Transphobia, Torture, Homophobia, Vomit, Death, and Fatphobia
hexedmaiden's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
SAPPHIC VAMPIRES!? SAY LESS!
Okay so I loved this no surprise because I love vampires and even more when it's gay (let's be real straight vampires don't exist and no I will not be taking criticism at this time.)
I just had a lot of fun with this book and I loved all the characters, and the diversity in those characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Gore
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
probablytoolate's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, and Blood
marleywrites's review against another edition
DNF at 57%. I just wasn’t invested in the story and couldn’t bring myself to keep reading. I felt like I was reading it as an obligation rather than for enjoyment.
This book was funny, and bloody gruesome. I loved Poppy. I just wasn’t invested in her relationship with Roisin.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
This book was funny, and bloody gruesome. I loved Poppy. I just wasn’t invested in her relationship with Roisin.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexual content, and Animal death
smartie_chan's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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
3.0
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3 / 5 Stars
CW: Murder, Blood, Mentions Of Past Sex-work, Sexual Content, Implied Torture, Mentions Of Death Of A Parent, Mentions Of Vomit/ing
If I had to describe this book in two words it would be: slow burn. Like, really, really slow burn.
On the one hand it's nice to see that we're not rushing things. You have to walk first before you can attempt to run. And when you get newly transformed into a vampire you struggle. That's a given. Just like you don't develop feelings for someone over night.
And yet, with that being said, on the other hand, we spend a long time not really doing anything. We talk, we talk some more and wouldn't you look at that , 43% of the book has passed.
I'm not a toddler. I don't have an attention span of 3 seconds. I can invest my trust and patience in build up - in theory. But I can also understand how not everyone could or would feel the same.
Especially given the fact that the way things ended made me question if my patience was really rewarded. We build up this showdown, those last 30% are all amazing, high stakes, can't wait to turn the page and then it ends the way it does and I'm here like: "Did we just defeat the bad guy by using the power of friendship?? It feels like we did."
It also isn't helping that I'm not the biggest fan of our main ship in the first place. I just didn't feel like you guys had that deep of a connection to justify the intense reactions you've been having. Mutial pining is one thing. What you had going on was ...something else.
The side characters were nice - some more than others - but felt drowned by Poppy's obsession over Roisin. At least Poppy was making up for things. She's such an amazing character, with all of her hopes and weaknesses, her confidence & charme. Also: She's fat and loving herself and I - a fat girl - am loving her for it.
There is a lot to love. Parts of this book were amazing, but it would have needed cutting. Like, let's say, 100 pages of orgies, sex and filler less. Maybe more. But 100 pages would have been a start.
I'm conflicted about this book. It's not the worst, but it's also not on my top 10 vampire books list either.
Oh, and if you wanna know what kind of rep this book has? A lot:
- multible POC (black, brown, asian)
- trans rep (mtf)
- plus-size MC
- muslim SC
Honorable Mention: Dracula
Final thoughts
If you enjoy REALLY slow slow burn & sapphic vampires you might have a good time. If you don't , well, you may wanna skip this one
3 / 5 Stars
CW: Murder, Blood, Mentions Of Past Sex-work, Sexual Content, Implied Torture, Mentions Of Death Of A Parent, Mentions Of Vomit/ing
If I had to describe this book in two words it would be: slow burn. Like, really, really slow burn.
On the one hand it's nice to see that we're not rushing things. You have to walk first before you can attempt to run. And when you get newly transformed into a vampire you struggle. That's a given. Just like you don't develop feelings for someone over night.
And yet, with that being said, on the other hand, we spend a long time not really doing anything. We talk, we talk some more and wouldn't you look at that , 43% of the book has passed.
I'm not a toddler. I don't have an attention span of 3 seconds. I can invest my trust and patience in build up - in theory. But I can also understand how not everyone could or would feel the same.
Especially given the fact that the way things ended made me question if my patience was really rewarded. We build up this showdown, those last 30% are all amazing, high stakes, can't wait to turn the page and then it ends the way it does and I'm here like: "Did we just defeat the bad guy by using the power of friendship?? It feels like we did."
It also isn't helping that I'm not the biggest fan of our main ship in the first place. I just didn't feel like you guys had that deep of a connection to justify the intense reactions you've been having. Mutial pining is one thing. What you had going on was ...something else.
The side characters were nice - some more than others - but felt drowned by Poppy's obsession over Roisin. At least Poppy was making up for things. She's such an amazing character, with all of her hopes and weaknesses, her confidence & charme. Also: She's fat and loving herself and I - a fat girl - am loving her for it.
There is a lot to love. Parts of this book were amazing, but it would have needed cutting. Like, let's say, 100 pages of orgies, sex and filler less. Maybe more. But 100 pages would have been a start.
I'm conflicted about this book. It's not the worst, but it's also not on my top 10 vampire books list either.
Oh, and if you wanna know what kind of rep this book has? A lot:
- multible POC (black, brown, asian)
- trans rep (mtf)
- plus-size MC
- muslim SC
Honorable Mention: Dracula
Final thoughts
If you enjoy REALLY slow slow burn & sapphic vampires you might have a good time. If you don't , well, you may wanna skip this one
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent