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lilaezz's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5/5
My top 3 favorite short stories:
3. The Boys From Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse (4/5)
2. Mirrors, Windows and Selfies by Mark Oshiro (4.5/5)
1. First Kill by V.E. Schwab (5/5)
My top 3 favorite short stories:
3. The Boys From Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse (4/5)
2. Mirrors, Windows and Selfies by Mark Oshiro (4.5/5)
1. First Kill by V.E. Schwab (5/5)
sydneykaye's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
gspear's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
countlessshenanigans's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
Sadly not nearly as interesting as I was hoping. I picked it up for my Vampires Uni class final essay hoping to find a story that had POC, queer, or disability representation. As I thought the vehicle of Vampires would be particularly potent. (And to escape the overwhelmingly straight/white literature I’ve seen revolving around Vampires— when mythos has them as a literal representation of those pushed to the borders of society with incredibly heavy queer undertones.)
Anyways, I was pretty underwhelmed. Didn’t feel like any of the stories used the Vampire to it’s fullest.
The boys from the blood river be Rebecca Roanhorse - ★ ★
Loved the start! It was so eerie. Loved the Haunted jukebox. Loved the main character— both queer and native— and how he wanted to escape his little close minded town. The first half was perfect. The second half didn’t live up to the spooky atmosphere with its morally gray cowboy vampires… yeah.
In Kind by Kayla Whaley - ★ ★
I loved the idea of disability and Vampires! I also loved how the MC doesn’t loose her disability when she’s a vampire— which we see A LOT. Didn’t land perfectly for me though. Can’t say exactly why
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire - ★ ★ ★ ★
This was SO FUN. Title explains the premise very well. I loved how quirky it was. A fun read while also talking about the harms of colonialism. Loved.
First Kill by V.E Schwab - ★
This is what I picked up the book for. I actually really like V.E Schwab but I did not like this short story. The writing really grated on me. I was really not a fan of how she wrote the MC’s love interest— Calliope— who was black. In my opinion it was not very well done so felt quite jarring, which was upsetting because I was very excited for a vampire romance with diverse voices. I wish she had reached out to more sensitivity readers or gotten a co-writer to help.The writing was fairly slow too. Oh well.
Sadly not nearly as interesting as I was hoping. I picked it up for my Vampires Uni class final essay hoping to find a story that had POC, queer, or disability representation. As I thought the vehicle of Vampires would be particularly potent. (And to escape the overwhelmingly straight/white literature I’ve seen revolving around Vampires— when mythos has them as a literal representation of those pushed to the borders of society with incredibly heavy queer undertones.)
Anyways, I was pretty underwhelmed. Didn’t feel like any of the stories used the Vampire to it’s fullest.
The boys from the blood river be Rebecca Roanhorse - ★ ★
Loved the start! It was so eerie. Loved the Haunted jukebox. Loved the main character— both queer and native— and how he wanted to escape his little close minded town. The first half was perfect. The second half didn’t live up to the spooky atmosphere with its morally gray cowboy vampires… yeah.
In Kind by Kayla Whaley - ★ ★
I loved the idea of disability and Vampires! I also loved how the MC doesn’t loose her disability when she’s a vampire— which we see A LOT. Didn’t land perfectly for me though. Can’t say exactly why
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire - ★ ★ ★ ★
This was SO FUN. Title explains the premise very well. I loved how quirky it was. A fun read while also talking about the harms of colonialism. Loved.
First Kill by V.E Schwab - ★
This is what I picked up the book for. I actually really like V.E Schwab but I did not like this short story. The writing really grated on me. I was really not a fan of how she wrote the MC’s love interest— Calliope— who was black. In my opinion it was not very well done so felt quite jarring, which was upsetting because I was very excited for a vampire romance with diverse voices. I wish she had reached out to more sensitivity readers or gotten a co-writer to help.The writing was fairly slow too. Oh well.
msrcreation's review against another edition
5.0
I have finally read the whole anthology! Here's my thoughts for each story but overall I really loved this book which is a rare one for me since I struggle to like short story collection.
-Seven Nights for Dying - 3 stars
This was an interesting start. I like the exploring of why you would want or not want to become a vampire. Relationships seem interesting if they got more time. Not bad but by the end of the book I kind of forgot about it.
-The Boys From Blood River - 5 Stars
I loved this one. It gave me Near Dark vibes for some reason and I loved it. I like the use of the song and liked the main character. The vampires were great and I would easily read a whole book for this story.
-Senior Year Sucks - 5 Stars
This had a slow start but once it got going I adored it. I could see a full novel of this hate to love sapphic vampire/slayer romance and I would buy it instantly. I will always enjoy a vampire and slayer learning to understand each other and a relationship growing between them.
-The Boy and The Bell - 3 Stars
This went a completely different direction than I was expecting which I really enjoyed. A violent end and the use of the bells were great. Another slow start that ends well. But I will say it was one I forgot about by the end of the book again.
-A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire - 3 Stars
This one was super unique. Being a guide book for a new vampire was wonderful and it was hilarious to read. It didn't blow me away but I still really enjoyed it.
-In Kind - 5 Stars
I think this was a lot of peoples favorite from some of the reviews I read and it's for good reason. This is so good! It's dark and sad. Watching her struggle was heartbreaking but really feels good as a conclusion. I also truly loved the conversations on chronic illnesses and disabilities. Wonderful story from start to finish. It's one that works so perfectly as a short story but is also something I would read hundreds of pages about.
-Vampires Never Say Die - 3 Stars
A bit disappointed in this one. I think I expected it to be gay the entire time and was just so let down that it wasn't. I liked it just not as much as others.
-Bestiary - 2 Stars
Was a bit bored with this story. It's sad because I really love the idea with her connections with animals. That was interesting but the story as a whole didn't really do anything for me. I wanted more from it.
-Mirrors, Windows, & Selfies - 2 Stars
What a let down. It mainly came down to the end that ruined this one. It is such a build up with his parents and the other vampires and all these questions. And you never get any answers which just makes it fall flat.
-The House of Black Sapphires - 2 Stars
These last few stories weren't great and this one was unfortunately the same. The ending really just ends. It's so quick a cut off. Maybe this one really needed a full book I'm not sure but not one of my favorites.
-First Kill I actually read back in June 2022 so here is my review from then-
5 Stars
It’s just too short! I know it’s a short story and it’s such a well done short story but I could easily see this being an entire series and I would love every second. I do plan on reading the rest of the anthology this is a part of but wanted to get through this one before the show. I’m about half way through the show and loving it. But it just solidifies my thought that this could be a great book series.
-Seven Nights for Dying - 3 stars
This was an interesting start. I like the exploring of why you would want or not want to become a vampire. Relationships seem interesting if they got more time. Not bad but by the end of the book I kind of forgot about it.
-The Boys From Blood River - 5 Stars
I loved this one. It gave me Near Dark vibes for some reason and I loved it. I like the use of the song and liked the main character. The vampires were great and I would easily read a whole book for this story.
-Senior Year Sucks - 5 Stars
This had a slow start but once it got going I adored it. I could see a full novel of this hate to love sapphic vampire/slayer romance and I would buy it instantly. I will always enjoy a vampire and slayer learning to understand each other and a relationship growing between them.
-The Boy and The Bell - 3 Stars
This went a completely different direction than I was expecting which I really enjoyed. A violent end and the use of the bells were great. Another slow start that ends well. But I will say it was one I forgot about by the end of the book again.
-A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire - 3 Stars
This one was super unique. Being a guide book for a new vampire was wonderful and it was hilarious to read. It didn't blow me away but I still really enjoyed it.
-In Kind - 5 Stars
I think this was a lot of peoples favorite from some of the reviews I read and it's for good reason. This is so good! It's dark and sad. Watching her struggle was heartbreaking but really feels good as a conclusion. I also truly loved the conversations on chronic illnesses and disabilities. Wonderful story from start to finish. It's one that works so perfectly as a short story but is also something I would read hundreds of pages about.
-Vampires Never Say Die - 3 Stars
A bit disappointed in this one. I think I expected it to be gay the entire time and was just so let down that it wasn't. I liked it just not as much as others.
-Bestiary - 2 Stars
Was a bit bored with this story. It's sad because I really love the idea with her connections with animals. That was interesting but the story as a whole didn't really do anything for me. I wanted more from it.
-Mirrors, Windows, & Selfies - 2 Stars
What a let down. It mainly came down to the end that ruined this one. It is such a build up with his parents and the other vampires and all these questions. And you never get any answers which just makes it fall flat.
-The House of Black Sapphires - 2 Stars
These last few stories weren't great and this one was unfortunately the same. The ending really just ends. It's so quick a cut off. Maybe this one really needed a full book I'm not sure but not one of my favorites.
-First Kill I actually read back in June 2022 so here is my review from then-
5 Stars
It’s just too short! I know it’s a short story and it’s such a well done short story but I could easily see this being an entire series and I would love every second. I do plan on reading the rest of the anthology this is a part of but wanted to get through this one before the show. I’m about half way through the show and loving it. But it just solidifies my thought that this could be a great book series.
emilyalsop's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
erebus53's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
A cute collection of modern stories about vampires.
"The Boys from Blood River" is a thoughftul look at being bullied by bigots, with a side commentary on consent, and a creepy vibe.
"A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire" had me in fits of giggles with it's silly quips and anti-colonial sentiment.
"Bestiary" gives a jaded Anti-Capitalist look at a fancy zoo made by the Bezos empire to collect the last of the Endangered Animals dying of the climate crisis.
As it's a collection it's a bit hit and miss, but as a grab bag of stories it was fun.
"The Boys from Blood River" is a thoughftul look at being bullied by bigots, with a side commentary on consent, and a creepy vibe.
"A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire" had me in fits of giggles with it's silly quips and anti-colonial sentiment.
"Bestiary" gives a jaded Anti-Capitalist look at a fancy zoo made by the Bezos empire to collect the last of the Endangered Animals dying of the climate crisis.
As it's a collection it's a bit hit and miss, but as a grab bag of stories it was fun.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
Various fun and exciting vampire tales with lots of LGBT representation that had me smiling!
This book features 11 fun and exciting stories about vampires. From more romantic ones to dramatic ones to very exciting ones. Some made me laugh, others made me feel sad. But in overall I really enjoyed the stories… well, except one. Haha. But 10 out of 11 is, for me, a very good result for an anthology. I have read anthologies which went from 1 to 5 stars with plenty of 2/3 stars. But this one actually has 10 stories that I would rate 4 and higher!
The only one I didn’t like was The Guide to Vampires, which was nice at first but then went on a bit too much about other things…. not my cup of tea. If it was just about being a vampire, a desi vampire at that, and food, and India, I would have loved it. But now I just got tired of things. Very fast. And I noticed I couldn’t enjoy the story any more.
I loved the extra notes at the end of each story written by the editrixes (love that word btw). With some extra information on vampires, on the story, and more. It really made for a fun addition and I found myself looking forward to them!
As for the other 10 stories, well, I wasn’t in the mood to write a long review, but I will write a short bit about the story along with a star-rating.
Story 1: Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton: Star rating, 4.5 stars A fun idea, I love that you learn something new each day and then get closer to being a vampire, eventually you can choose on the seventh night if you want to or not which I love. It is not set in stone. You can walk away. I loved seeing our MC make decisions and see what she wanted.
Story 2: The Boys From Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse: Star rating, 5 stars This was GREAT. Spooky and mysterious. Playing a song made dangerous. The boys were creepy. I loved how our MC was trying to figure things out. He wanted to go away from the town and he was clearly swooning about the leader of the vampires, but what will he pick. This got very exciting at points!
Story 3: Senior Year Sucks by Julie Murphy: Star rating, 5 stars I was a bit worried as Julie Murphy’s stories don’t always work for me but BOY I loved this one! A vampire slayer who finally isn’t your average vampire slayer in ways of how she looks (which I LOVED). What happens when she gets a vampire with a wish? A vampire who is very sexy? The ending had me giggling and squeeing. That was such a fun ending! Give me more!
Story 4: The Boy and the Bell by Heidi Heilig: Star rating, 4.5 starsThis was tons of fun and I quickly knew what was up with the boy. I mean monthly cramps? Mmmm. I loved that he was trying to become a doctor. I did feel sorry for him that he had to work so hard to get to where he wanted and even had to dig up people. It was quite interesting to see what happened next when he uncovered a vampire. Loved it!
Story 5: Well you know my feelings on that one. Haha. This is the Guide story.
Story 6: In Kind by Kayla Whaley: Star rating, 4.5 stars A heartbreaking and at times quite sad story about a girl whose father decides to help her out of her suffering. Yep… Thankfully Grace meets Seanan, or well, Seanan finds Grace. I felt so sorry for Grace and wanted to give her a big hug. I have to say while it was sad, this one gave a new twist to the vampire story. Most stories for vampires state that if you become a vampire everything is fixed, but here we see that not everything gets fixed. The ending and the decision Grace took, WOW.
Story 7: Vampires Never Say Die by Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C. Parker: Star rating, 4 stars In ways a good story. But at times I was just shaking my head at the stupidity of Theo. I mean, hello???? If I found out that people at my party were vampires? I would have casually gone outside, haha. Or called for help. Either way, not just stick around and hide in a toilet. I really liked Brittany and learning more about who she is and how old she is. The ending had me both sad and smiling.
Story 8: Bestiary by Laura Ruby: Star rating, 4 stars This was a pretty interesting story, I really liked Jude and her relationship with the wild animals in the zoo. It saddened me that this future also holds no water, that people (and animals) are dying due to thirst. It was quite interesting to learn more about Jude and what happened to her. But I found the ending a tad lacklustre and feel it could have been more.
Story 9: Mirrors, Windows & Selfies by Mark Oshiro: Star rating, 4 starsYep, it is a 4 star run. Haha. I am not sure how I felt about it. I mean I loved the blog format, but why would you post such things on the internet, publicly. Haha, it just seems odd. But I did like seeing the comments and also had a laugh how people reacted to the story. I wasn’t a fan of the parents, they were just a bit too much for me and I would have rather seen them talk with their son. The ending though was very good and it made me smile.
Story 10: The House of Black Sapphires by Dhonielle Clayton: Star rating, 4 stars A bit slow at times, but I did like the story and I love the idea of finding your Eternal Love! I also loved that this one took place in New Orleans. And that the girls/their mother had a special store with all sorts of potions and elixirs that all sound magical. I love that each of the girls had a special talent! I also love the shadow barons (interesting to see what their job is), the ball was fun (so much magic), but I would have liked to see the ending a bit more expanded. Because now it felt like the amount of pages was reached but the story wasn’t done.
Story 11: First Kill by Victoria “V.E.” Schwab: Star rating, 4.5 stars I really enjoyed this one! We see both the vampire and the vampire slayer and that made for a fun read. Especially since both of them were attracted to each other and it was interesting to see how that works out for them (hint, not so well, sadly). I loved the title and also see what it meant for both girls. Because for both of them that first kill is important. I would definitely like this one to be expanded in a full story.
As you can see, a very good anthology and I would highly recommend it to all! Be sure to check this one out!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This book features 11 fun and exciting stories about vampires. From more romantic ones to dramatic ones to very exciting ones. Some made me laugh, others made me feel sad. But in overall I really enjoyed the stories… well, except one. Haha. But 10 out of 11 is, for me, a very good result for an anthology. I have read anthologies which went from 1 to 5 stars with plenty of 2/3 stars. But this one actually has 10 stories that I would rate 4 and higher!
The only one I didn’t like was The Guide to Vampires, which was nice at first but then went on a bit too much about other things…. not my cup of tea. If it was just about being a vampire, a desi vampire at that, and food, and India, I would have loved it. But now I just got tired of things. Very fast. And I noticed I couldn’t enjoy the story any more.
I loved the extra notes at the end of each story written by the editrixes (love that word btw). With some extra information on vampires, on the story, and more. It really made for a fun addition and I found myself looking forward to them!
As for the other 10 stories, well, I wasn’t in the mood to write a long review, but I will write a short bit about the story along with a star-rating.
Story 1: Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton: Star rating, 4.5 stars A fun idea, I love that you learn something new each day and then get closer to being a vampire, eventually you can choose on the seventh night if you want to or not which I love. It is not set in stone. You can walk away. I loved seeing our MC make decisions and see what she wanted.
Story 2: The Boys From Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse: Star rating, 5 stars This was GREAT. Spooky and mysterious. Playing a song made dangerous. The boys were creepy. I loved how our MC was trying to figure things out. He wanted to go away from the town and he was clearly swooning about the leader of the vampires, but what will he pick. This got very exciting at points!
Story 3: Senior Year Sucks by Julie Murphy: Star rating, 5 stars I was a bit worried as Julie Murphy’s stories don’t always work for me but BOY I loved this one! A vampire slayer who finally isn’t your average vampire slayer in ways of how she looks (which I LOVED). What happens when she gets a vampire with a wish? A vampire who is very sexy? The ending had me giggling and squeeing. That was such a fun ending! Give me more!
Story 4: The Boy and the Bell by Heidi Heilig: Star rating, 4.5 starsThis was tons of fun and I quickly knew what was up with the boy. I mean monthly cramps? Mmmm. I loved that he was trying to become a doctor. I did feel sorry for him that he had to work so hard to get to where he wanted and even had to dig up people. It was quite interesting to see what happened next when he uncovered a vampire. Loved it!
Story 5: Well you know my feelings on that one. Haha. This is the Guide story.
Story 6: In Kind by Kayla Whaley: Star rating, 4.5 stars A heartbreaking and at times quite sad story about a girl whose father decides to help her out of her suffering. Yep… Thankfully Grace meets Seanan, or well, Seanan finds Grace. I felt so sorry for Grace and wanted to give her a big hug. I have to say while it was sad, this one gave a new twist to the vampire story. Most stories for vampires state that if you become a vampire everything is fixed, but here we see that not everything gets fixed. The ending and the decision Grace took, WOW.
Story 7: Vampires Never Say Die by Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C. Parker: Star rating, 4 stars In ways a good story. But at times I was just shaking my head at the stupidity of Theo. I mean, hello???? If I found out that people at my party were vampires? I would have casually gone outside, haha. Or called for help. Either way, not just stick around and hide in a toilet. I really liked Brittany and learning more about who she is and how old she is. The ending had me both sad and smiling.
Story 8: Bestiary by Laura Ruby: Star rating, 4 stars This was a pretty interesting story, I really liked Jude and her relationship with the wild animals in the zoo. It saddened me that this future also holds no water, that people (and animals) are dying due to thirst. It was quite interesting to learn more about Jude and what happened to her. But I found the ending a tad lacklustre and feel it could have been more.
Story 9: Mirrors, Windows & Selfies by Mark Oshiro: Star rating, 4 starsYep, it is a 4 star run. Haha. I am not sure how I felt about it. I mean I loved the blog format, but why would you post such things on the internet, publicly. Haha, it just seems odd. But I did like seeing the comments and also had a laugh how people reacted to the story. I wasn’t a fan of the parents, they were just a bit too much for me and I would have rather seen them talk with their son. The ending though was very good and it made me smile.
Story 10: The House of Black Sapphires by Dhonielle Clayton: Star rating, 4 stars A bit slow at times, but I did like the story and I love the idea of finding your Eternal Love! I also loved that this one took place in New Orleans. And that the girls/their mother had a special store with all sorts of potions and elixirs that all sound magical. I love that each of the girls had a special talent! I also love the shadow barons (interesting to see what their job is), the ball was fun (so much magic), but I would have liked to see the ending a bit more expanded. Because now it felt like the amount of pages was reached but the story wasn’t done.
Story 11: First Kill by Victoria “V.E.” Schwab: Star rating, 4.5 stars I really enjoyed this one! We see both the vampire and the vampire slayer and that made for a fun read. Especially since both of them were attracted to each other and it was interesting to see how that works out for them (hint, not so well, sadly). I loved the title and also see what it meant for both girls. Because for both of them that first kill is important. I would definitely like this one to be expanded in a full story.
As you can see, a very good anthology and I would highly recommend it to all! Be sure to check this one out!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
daisymaytwizell's review against another edition
3.0
Mixed bag! But also, it's an anthology, so that's kind of the deal. I'm also not a big YA reader in general so I'm not quite the target audience.
'First Kill' by V E Schwab was brilliant, obvs. Also really enjoyed 'Mirrors, Windows and Selfies' by Mark Oshiro, 'Bestiary' by Laura Ruby and 'The Boys From Blood River' by Rebecca Roanhorse.
The other stories did come at the vampirism myth from interesting angles too, but some fell a little flat on delivering on them. Wasn't super keen on the editor notes either - I think I expected (incorrectly) that they'd be a little more academic rather than book club discussion, so they didn't quite add what I was hoping for. Would definitely recommend flicking through this collection and picking the ones you like, but don't force yourself to read every single one if you don't want to lmao!
'First Kill' by V E Schwab was brilliant, obvs. Also really enjoyed 'Mirrors, Windows and Selfies' by Mark Oshiro, 'Bestiary' by Laura Ruby and 'The Boys From Blood River' by Rebecca Roanhorse.
The other stories did come at the vampirism myth from interesting angles too, but some fell a little flat on delivering on them. Wasn't super keen on the editor notes either - I think I expected (incorrectly) that they'd be a little more academic rather than book club discussion, so they didn't quite add what I was hoping for. Would definitely recommend flicking through this collection and picking the ones you like, but don't force yourself to read every single one if you don't want to lmao!
andreea11's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75