venneh 's review for:

Bitter Waters by Vivian Shaw

4.5

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I love that Ms. Shaw got to play with the more famous of vampires here and also get to retell Lucy's story in the form of a young girl who is traumatized and turned against her will, and yes, Dracula is still Vlad the Impaler, but also a really fantastic parent (who will still absolutely impale you if you hurt his.) Ruthven also gets to deal with something that is beyond his ken and makes him feel powerless, and Greta gets to be James Herriott with a local old wight grandpa while also trying to caretake for a child. Just a delightful romp that simultaneously doesn't hesitate to get down in the dirt.