emuhly 's review for:

The Book of Blood and Roses by Annie Summerlee

5.0

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i’m cured. my skin is clear. my crops are flourishing. nature is healing. lesbian vampires i love you!!!

this hit on everything i’d want to see when it comes to vampires — if you’re someone who’s still mourning the cancellation of first kill like i am, this hits that exact same sweet spot. the vampire x vampire hunter romance is just as delicious, and this one promises to actually deliver a second book to finish the story! i really loved the world building in this one — vampires have been done so many times that it can be hard to touch on something new, but i thought the concept of vampires’ abilities changing based on the cultural beliefs of their place of origin is such a cool concept. i hope to see that explored more in book 2, because it’s a fascinating idea! i also loved the intricacy of vampiric society, from the council to the callisto hunters and more. annie summerlee did a fantastic job carving out a unique spot in a heavily covered genre. 

something small that means a lot to me is that both rebecca/cassie and aliz say that they’re lesbians on page. i still never take it for granted when i get to have that moment in any form of media, so to get that experience with three different characters in this book was amazing!! i sincerely recommend picking this up in the new year when it’s published!

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.