Reviews

Lost Souls by Poppy Brite

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thomasgammon's review

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dark slow-paced

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

2.25

dirigitive's review

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dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

I read this when I was 19. I remember liking it at the time, but I doubt I would like it today. I just don't find a lot of interest in this genre anymore. Things I remember about the book: vampires, a van (a tour van?),someone named "nothing", Kudzu, teen angst.

isyrein's review

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

z0diackiller's review

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5.0

“Nothing gazed around at the kids in the club. They were all so beautiful. He loved their choppy hairstyles, their costume jewelry, their ragged black or multicolored clothes. He loved the way they all somehow looked like him, and he wished he could make friends with every one of them.”

Another -WILD- ride from Poppy Z... and I loved every minute of it. Written with the same seductive flow as Exquisite Corpse, the reader follows quite a few lost souls as they make their way to New Orleans all for very different reasons.
When I started this book, I honestly didn't know what to expect. Drugged club kid vampires? A violent, graphic oversexed horror? Capes and blood-drinking? Thankfully, it was a pleasant surprise. Yes, cliché goth tokens are mentioned quite frequently, but, hey, Robert Smith is pretty great ;)

I signed up for dark obsessions, gore, and rape, and I got it. Not as much as Exquisite Corpse, but Lost Souls had extra angst.

What I really got and loved most about this book was the "doing drugs at 2 a.m. energy," self-destruction, and the search for belonging. Not only do you get nostalgic for your teen years (I took my share of 3 a.m. bus rides through the city) but mostly I felt the yearning for a community. I don't feel like I really found my own community until my adult years, but I did eventually. And I'm thrilled Nothing found his place with his family.

sigynmoon's review

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dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

ninevehthecat's review

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4.0

This book was grimy, gay, and goth as hell—and I loved it. My only qualm is that some of the content is a little…questionable…in my opinion. But other than that, so good! PZB’s writing and use of language is so gorgeously grotesque and addicting.

11corvus11's review

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4.0

I haven't read any of Doc Brite's books again in adulthood except this one. And in adulthood, it definitely wasn't the same. I was more annoyed by the characters and didn't relate much, like adults tend to be with youth. But, in my teen years, this book was everything. Probably too adult, probably too messed up, but made me feel so met by the dark world he created. So, it being that important to me then means a lot now. And regardless of what he's writing about, Brite's writing style is always a pleasure to experience.

I think Doc Brite's later novels about the chef's like Prime are what are better for adults. Though I was pretty young when I read that, too.