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alyram4's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5 stars
I thought this book was alright. It was the perfect length for what it was, but I felt very indifferent about it. It does have some good fresh ideas on a different take of the vampire mythos, but the delivery of it just felt very boring to me. There were little quips here and there where the humor worked but other times it didn't. It had a lot of potential, but it just didn't meet my expectations. Maybe I'll try this again on day, but definitely not for a while. Some people may love this and others will probably hate it. I'm about in the middle.
I thought this book was alright. It was the perfect length for what it was, but I felt very indifferent about it. It does have some good fresh ideas on a different take of the vampire mythos, but the delivery of it just felt very boring to me. There were little quips here and there where the humor worked but other times it didn't. It had a lot of potential, but it just didn't meet my expectations. Maybe I'll try this again on day, but definitely not for a while. Some people may love this and others will probably hate it. I'm about in the middle.
robberbaroness's review against another edition
3.0
VDSA is straightforward in its purpose- a guide to seducing and dating vampires. I wonder, though, would vampires find this offensive fetishization? Perhaps, but plenty of them fetishize having a human girlfriend, so I guess it balances out. The advice is sound enough- dress in a manner reminiscent of their former time period without going into offensive costume territory, avoid perfumes with savory notes, leave if he starts to turn your friends. Where it falls down is trying to integrate its world-building (a setting where vampires have become an accepted, if misunderstood, part of regular society) with the lure of the dangerous that is a large part of vampires' appeal.
You can't say that vampires are far less predatory in nature than humans, and that they are unfairly discriminated against, then turn around and say to make sure your vampiric one night stand isn't just interested in killing you. It doesn't work both ways; if vampires are to be part of society, they can't also be dangerous killers, to whom different rules apply. And if their killing nature has been overblown by the media, a dating book wouldn't have to warn against it.
This isn't to say the book isn't fun (which it is!), but it should be viewed with suspicion as pro-vampire propaganda. Remain vigilant, my friends, and consider dating werewolves instead.
(As a side note, the different types of vampires presented- similar to those in Vampire the Masquerade- call to mind the old myth that vampires are obsessed with numbers and sorting things. Perhaps that's what's behind it; imagine a catty teenage Lestat telling Orlock "You can't sit with us. Go over to the table with the Baldpires!")
You can't say that vampires are far less predatory in nature than humans, and that they are unfairly discriminated against, then turn around and say to make sure your vampiric one night stand isn't just interested in killing you. It doesn't work both ways; if vampires are to be part of society, they can't also be dangerous killers, to whom different rules apply. And if their killing nature has been overblown by the media, a dating book wouldn't have to warn against it.
This isn't to say the book isn't fun (which it is!), but it should be viewed with suspicion as pro-vampire propaganda. Remain vigilant, my friends, and consider dating werewolves instead.
(As a side note, the different types of vampires presented- similar to those in Vampire the Masquerade- call to mind the old myth that vampires are obsessed with numbers and sorting things. Perhaps that's what's behind it; imagine a catty teenage Lestat telling Orlock "You can't sit with us. Go over to the table with the Baldpires!")
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