Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

I can always rely on Grady Hendrix for a good time. I wouldn't say this was my favorite of his books, that crown still belongs to "How To Sell a Haunted House," but I still really enjoyed it. A fun southern gothic horror comedy that manages to squeeze in commentary on racism, sexism, who people choose to believe, and how easy it is for us to refuse to see what's right in front of us.

Additionally, I always love how he manages to put a twist either on the lore of the horror he’s tackling, or on the lens it’s filtered through. In this one, I love how he filtered it through the lens of the “true crime” genre. It was unexpected and fun for a vampire novel.

Content Warnings

wheelyautistic's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I actually really enjoyed this book. The amount of times I had to put the book down because of how tense it showed just how good the writing is.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with most of the negative reviews regarding the 3-year skip, where the main character is complacent. Many reviewers viewed it us difficult and unrealistic or annoying however they fail to realise that this book whilst it does have a vampire and the supernatural elements is far more about a serial killer and a murderer then a high energy vampire slashing book. It feels realistic that no one would believe her or that she would become complacent and subdued because in reality any outburst could land her straight into an institute given the timing. The race aspects were necessary to indicate and portray a very real and common thing seen in real-life killers: that those deemed as less than are usually the ones killed and often their murders are overlooked. I think this book perfectly paralleled the real lids true crime books the characters read with a hind of supernatural influence to increase the severity and difficulty of the situation.

Content Warnings

kzcishou's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved the voice of the author and how many twists and turns this book takes. When you think it's done, it's only just begun. I found myself getting so frustrated with the characters and their choices but it was hard to put down.

Content Warnings

am4man's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

therealannib's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

houseofatreides's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

The story follows Patrica Cambell as she struggles as a stay at home mom with the bustle of life. A interesting take on the vampire trope. However in a lot of ways the boom felt over hyped, and the story felt lackluster at a lot of parts. In more ways it was a story of the unfulfilled life of Patrica less of the vampire story and of a traditionalist male dominated relationship hilt on toxicity.

James Harris a egomaniac stranger moves to her Charleston neighborhood. After a series of crosstown disappearances of children, Patrica links it to him and witness him feasting. However by this time her husband and the book clubs husband are all enamored with him.eventually with the husbands lead by Carter Cambell belittling the women. At various stages it’s shown most of the women are mistreated in some way. Carter was in more honesty a villain do to his neglected family and wife and that lead to the dissolution of his family with Patricia attempting suicide.

the book lacked depth, Mrs.Greene a African American woman, her plot was simplified. The author tried conveying a sense of how crimes and harm coming to Black communities get overlooked compared to white, but in this it fell short. Most of the elements of the story are there to keep you reading. But it’s not a true horror story it’s more that with elements of horror. It’s really the journey of Patrica rediscovering her voice and meaning in life.

Content Warnings

mohaa's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

More...