Scan barcode
A review by melonmachinery
How To Bite Your Neighbor & Win A Wager by D.N. Bryn
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
At first the story is fun, very reminiscent of things you'd find on Quizilla and Wattpad (for the younger generation) in an endearing way, but once the middle school nostalgia wears off mid to 3/4 of the way through the story is rushed, flat, uncomfortable in its dealings with both real and fantasy racism, and the resolution is just sloppy.
The characters are all 1 dimensional. Wesley is Mexican American and you can tell because he says Sí-Yes when he's rushed. Vincent's line about not wanting to exist if it harms others fell flat in its delivery and how it changed Wes's opinions instantly. The real world internet references and usage is so incessant, the characters must have gotten their education at Tumblr University. The romance is rushed, which I did expect since most romance novels do, loving the "insta-love" plotline. The entire moment on top of the mausoleum roof was embarassing. You just wanted to shake the characters and ask why they suddenly are so relaxed about being chased by bad guys they can get each other hard in the cemetary. Wes's vampire kink tended to be embarrassing at best and uncomfortable at worst given the in world context of vampires and what he specifically wanted to do. Vincent is supposed to be sexy and predatory in these moments but most of them made me laugh.
The whole thing with the pharmaceutical company and dead mom was trying to take on something large but failing to deliver, which is also how the story ended for Wes and Vincent. I didn't particular care for Wes's struggles about the revelation of his mom's death since he seemed very blasé himself about selling all her items and changing things once it was confirmed. Their choice to leave the company be and take care of themselves because they wouldn't get support since the government doesn't see vampires as people with rights in particular was discomforting in ways hard to describe.
I could go on. It was an easy read, but not in a good way. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone but wouldn't actively stop people from reading it. Hopefully the author will grow in time.
The characters are all 1 dimensional. Wesley is Mexican American and you can tell because he says Sí-Yes when he's rushed. Vincent's line about not wanting to exist if it harms others fell flat in its delivery and how it changed Wes's opinions instantly. The real world internet references and usage is so incessant, the characters must have gotten their education at Tumblr University. The romance is rushed, which I did expect since most romance novels do, loving the "insta-love" plotline. The entire moment on top of the mausoleum roof was embarassing. You just wanted to shake the characters and ask why they suddenly are so relaxed about being chased by bad guys they can get each other hard in the cemetary. Wes's vampire kink tended to be embarrassing at best and uncomfortable at worst given the in world context of vampires and what he specifically wanted to do. Vincent is supposed to be sexy and predatory in these moments but most of them made me laugh.
The whole thing with the pharmaceutical company and dead mom was trying to take on something large but failing to deliver, which is also how the story ended for Wes and Vincent. I didn't particular care for Wes's struggles about the revelation of his mom's death since he seemed very blasé himself about selling all her items and changing things once it was confirmed. Their choice to leave the company be and take care of themselves because they wouldn't get support since the government doesn't see vampires as people with rights in particular was discomforting in ways hard to describe.
I could go on. It was an easy read, but not in a good way. Wouldn't recommend this to anyone but wouldn't actively stop people from reading it. Hopefully the author will grow in time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism