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roribecker's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
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? No
4.0
chelsea17's review against another edition
Sadly, boring. The fact that they are vampires hardly comes up for the first 30% of the book. The author seemed to have an issue with “show don’t tell.” Things started to become predictable.
lsparrow's review against another edition
5.0
This was my first read of this classic - and I feel that it is a story that can be read over and over.
Written before the current popularity in vampire stories - it makes it's own rules for the genre.
Most obviously to centre the story around the stories of queer women of colour - although that is just the icing on the cake.
There are many things that this story is and is about - for me in this read through I connected to the themes of roots/rootlessness, home and personal identity.
Written before the current popularity in vampire stories - it makes it's own rules for the genre.
Most obviously to centre the story around the stories of queer women of colour - although that is just the icing on the cake.
There are many things that this story is and is about - for me in this read through I connected to the themes of roots/rootlessness, home and personal identity.
rosekent's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
crispypages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A Black lesbian vampire makes a life for herself across centuries of American history. Stretching from pre-civil war south to 2050, the book offers a narrative of an empowered, resilient Black woman. She lives by a strong moral code and is loyal to those she loves. A book about finding a home in community.
bookswithmaddi's review against another edition
3.0
{ 3 stars }
For so many this is completely understandably a 5 star book. It is powerful and incredible but I am struggling with it. I am going to think more about it and then come back when I can more thoroughly articulate my thoughts.
(I read this for my Gender and Sexuality in Literature class)
For so many this is completely understandably a 5 star book. It is powerful and incredible but I am struggling with it. I am going to think more about it and then come back when I can more thoroughly articulate my thoughts.
(I read this for my Gender and Sexuality in Literature class)
madefrommemories's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
anxiousfrog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
doomluz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
I loved this until the last 2 chapters set in 2020 and 2050. They were ok, but I preferred the ones set in the past and seeing how Gilda lived in those different times and places.
I loved the vampire society that Gomez created and how she uses some of the tropes.
I loved the vampire society that Gomez created and how she uses some of the tropes.
nerdynatreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Well, this, unfortunately, wasn’t a new favorite to me 😞
I really liked how Gomez wove the ongoing discussions around race throughout the different timelines and the dichotomy of Gilda being a vampire while being such a caring and empathetic person, seeing the connections she made throughout her life, the similarities and differences of the people to whom she was drawn. Also the parallels between the treatment of black people/queer people and vampires in the story. However, the whole book, I just never felt really settled into Gilda’s character. Perhaps it was the third character perspective that alternated between characters, rather than focusing on Gilda alone? Maybe I just wanted more emotion? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something with the writing style just kept me at a distance from her. I think if I could have been more invested in Gilda, I would have also been more invested in her relationships and story.
I also feel like for this being marketed as “very lesbian,” there would have been a bit more attention given to the romantic relationships Gilda forms. There are four major women in her life: Bird, who rides the line between partner and mother, Eleanor, a gorgeous, intriguing but destructive woman, Effy, who becomes her partner, and finally Ermis, who she turns, but in doing so, removes Ermis’ agency.
The relationship with Bird was odd, but vampire stories tend to skew lines of relationships with siring, however, she’s a driving force of Gilda’s life for a lot of the story, but I wasn’t convinced by a strong enough relationship for that? The interactions with Eleanor were some of the most interesting, as she wasn’t evil, but certainly wasn’t a good person either and she really showcases the gray of people to Gilda. Then Effy, who is introduced and throws herself at Gilda with very little build-up and almost no payoff. She becomes Gilda’s partner, but we hardly see any of that in the book. Ermis's introduction was unnecessary in my opinion and I really didn’t like that Gilda turned her without Ermis being involved in the decision, when Gilda’s been taught that turning someone is a really big deal and should be done with the victim understanding the full impact of the decision. Plus this is explained away asGilda’s powers allowed her to read Ermis’ mind and know that she didn’t actually want to die. That just seems a little victim-blame-y to me.
Finally, there’s very little attention paid to the atmosphere and setting, even though the story spans centuries. There’s lots of discussion on Gilda’s lifestyle in each chapter, but I think more attention should have been paid to clearly showing what time period she was living in. The final chapter also rides into sci-fi territory and I just… didn’t expect that turn, though I did like the climate dystopian bits.
I'm bummed I didn’t love this more.
I really liked how Gomez wove the ongoing discussions around race throughout the different timelines and the dichotomy of Gilda being a vampire while being such a caring and empathetic person, seeing the connections she made throughout her life, the similarities and differences of the people to whom she was drawn. Also the parallels between the treatment of black people/queer people and vampires in the story. However, the whole book, I just never felt really settled into Gilda’s character. Perhaps it was the third character perspective that alternated between characters, rather than focusing on Gilda alone? Maybe I just wanted more emotion? I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something with the writing style just kept me at a distance from her. I think if I could have been more invested in Gilda, I would have also been more invested in her relationships and story.
I also feel like for this being marketed as “very lesbian,” there would have been a bit more attention given to the romantic relationships Gilda forms. There are four major women in her life: Bird, who rides the line between partner and mother, Eleanor, a gorgeous, intriguing but destructive woman, Effy, who becomes her partner, and finally Ermis, who she turns, but in doing so, removes Ermis’ agency.
The relationship with Bird was odd, but vampire stories tend to skew lines of relationships with siring, however, she’s a driving force of Gilda’s life for a lot of the story, but I wasn’t convinced by a strong enough relationship for that? The interactions with Eleanor were some of the most interesting, as she wasn’t evil, but certainly wasn’t a good person either and she really showcases the gray of people to Gilda. Then Effy, who is introduced and throws herself at Gilda with very little build-up and almost no payoff. She becomes Gilda’s partner, but we hardly see any of that in the book. Ermis's introduction was unnecessary in my opinion and I really didn’t like that Gilda turned her without Ermis being involved in the decision, when Gilda’s been taught that turning someone is a really big deal and should be done with the victim understanding the full impact of the decision. Plus this is explained away as
Finally, there’s very little attention paid to the atmosphere and setting, even though the story spans centuries. There’s lots of discussion on Gilda’s lifestyle in each chapter, but I think more attention should have been paid to clearly showing what time period she was living in. The final chapter also rides into sci-fi territory and I just… didn’t expect that turn, though I did like the climate dystopian bits.
I'm bummed I didn’t love this more.