Reviews with content warning for Animal death - A Long Time Dead

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A Long Time Dead by Samara Breger

10 reviews

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.

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queenkath32's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious tense

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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sunbearbeam's review against another edition

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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

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stephtoriz's review against another edition

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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 !

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nefariousbee's review against another edition

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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

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probablytoolate's review against another edition

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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

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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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.

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nobeliumreads's review against another edition

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funny mysterious tense slow-paced

4.5

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

When Poppy Cavendish wakes up to find herself a vampire, her only companion is the mysterious Roisin for the first year of her immortal life. But when Roisin sets off on a mission to resolve her past, Poppy is sent off to live with the Brood, a queer little found family of vampires that endeavour to introduce her to the finer parts of vampirism. Still, over decades of operas and orgies and new experiences, Poppy yearns for the elusive Roisin.

I went into this book with high expectations of found family and thank goodness it delivered--it has been a while since I’ve adored a found family as much as the Brood, or even since I’ve enjoyed a book so much!

We follow along Poppy as she navigates her new immortal life all whilst pining for Roisin, and considering the book spans over decades, you can imagine the pining and the angsting.

But despite Poppy and Roisin’s aching slow burn that had me putting my kindle down several times to squeal into my hands, I have to admit that I loved Poppy’s relationships with the Brood and other friends the most. Her banter with Valentin, her love for her past human friends, her relationship with Carmen, were all so beautiful. Not to say that Poppy and Roisin weren’t good either, though! In my opinion, they were really perfect for one another but a good found family will always steal the show.

I will say that I wished the first part of the book had more of a balance between Poppy navigating her vampirism AND her and Roisin becoming closer, because it felt like we blew through the ‘getting to know each other’ process, as well as wished the final confrontation of the book had a bit more to it. However, the rest of the book was enjoyable and it really does pick up once Poppy meets the Brood (my only other problem would have to be that I wanted more of them! Particularly Zahrah and Karol, and Massimo and Valentin).

Overall, however, I do think I personally enjoyed the book a lot so that contributes to my high rating of it, despite my aforementioned ‘problems’ (really, when it comes down to it I just wanted more of the book in general). A good read with angsty pining lesbians, queer found family, general steamy vampire-ness, and an endearing main character!

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pvrting's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

set in the 19th century, we follow Poppy, whose life is forever changed as she’s turned into a vampire and taken to an isolated cottage. there, she meets Roisin, a 193 year old lonely yet caring woman, committed to guide her through the process of adjusting to her newly acquired immortality, and with whom Poppy’s life will be forever entangled.

their relationship is full of longing, yearning, and praying: to be wanted, hold, consumed. from caretaker and companion, to lovers and everything in between (and buckle up, because there’s a lot compressed in the “in between”), it’s a plea to be understood.

Roisin is, as hard as it is to choose a favorite amongst the Brood, the one i hold closer to my heart. Poppy once described her as a “creature made of bones, and care, and tragedy”, which is all true, but i’ll dare to say that above all, Roisin is made of the undying longing to be good, to be worthy, and to be loved, despite everything.

a Long Time Dead is crafted in beautiful writing that aches to captivate and hold your heart with both hands, squeezing just enough not to crush it. it’s embroidered in a cast of heartwarming characters, embracing truthful LGBT identities, friendships, and struggles, as well as very much human, complex feelings.

just as Roisin, this book is good (great, actually), worthy (of your time), and loved (by me).

a lesbian vampire love story with found family simply has to be a 5 stars.

it comes out may 16th, and is already available for preorder.

🩸

“A Long Time Dead is an is a lush, Victorian romance, drenched in blood and drama, about the lengths two women will go to secure a love that cannot die”

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher bywaterbooks, & the author Samara Breger for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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fromthefoxhole's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

5.0

Many thanks to Netgalley, Samara Berger, and Bywater Books for the ARC!

Upon waking one morning, Poppy finds herself in a strange place, thirsty for something she cannot name, and with a distinct chill to her skin. Here she meets Roisin, who explains that they are both vampires. When prompted, Poppy cannot remember the exact circumstances surrounding her being turned, aside from hazy memories of a tall, imposing woman named Cane. Roisin is unsurprised, as Cane is her sire - the same vampire that turned her some centuries ago.
Roisin is filled with rage and the desire to go after Cane, but places this on hold in order to help Poppy adjust to her new not-quite-life. As she teaches her, Poppy works to control both her bloodlust and her overwhelming attraction to Roisin.
As the years to by, will either of them manage to succeed in their plans?
--

I feel like my words will fall short of how much I loved this book. I grew up on Twilight and the Vampire Diaries, hiding under the covers with a book light to read Frankenstein and Dracula past my bedtime. A Long Time Dead honored all of this and more. It's a lush, sweeping, gothic love affair spanning decades, filled with dramatics, horror, and romance - all the things that define the genre. It felt like it could have been written for me.

Poppy, our FMC, is the definition of a 20 year old, brash, unrefined, and forceful with her convictions. This is slightly tempered by the hard life that she has led, but she is stubborn and gluttonous and, above all, she is clever enough to turn her circumstances in a way that suits her. This directly opposes Roisin, her counterpart, a guilt-riddled vampire who has lived centuries denying herself and her baser instincts (damn Catholics).
The two could not be more different, which makes their relationship all the more exasperating and rewarding in equal measure.

I will admit that sometimes Poppy's brattish behavior grated on me, but there is value in remembering that she is stuck at 20. Roisin similarly frustrates me with her need to atone for perceived sins, but I can empathize as well.

All in all, I had a wonderful time reading A Long Time Dead, and will likely read it again!

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