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A review by sweetheartstitches
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I’m actually really bummed I didn’t like this book. This has been one of my most anticipated reads since last year and my library finally got a digital copy. With my Libby app ready to go, I was ready for a chaotic and bloody journey. That is, unfortunately, not what I got.
The entire book takes place in just about 5 days. There really is no plot; the plot is watching these two best friends come to terms with their vampirism and struggle with their thirst. As someone who’s been obsessed with vampire since about 2007, the vampire “lore” - if you can even call it that - was basically nonexistent. These vampires don’t even have fangs!
We go on this journey with Sloane and her best friend, Naomi. They’re opposites in every way. Which, when done well, is a dynamic I absolutely love. However, their opposite traits really just brought out the worst in the other. I was constantly being told how strong this friendship is, how much Sloane cannot live without Naomi, how they’ve been through so much, and know each other so well, but with how they interacted with each other over the course of the book, I’m struggling to understand how and why these two women are friends.
The main character, Sloane, who’s head we are stuck in throughout the novel, is literally the worst woman to become a vampire. She’s wishy-washy, a major hypocrite, and loves being a victim (this is something she literally admits). She projects all her anger at Naomi, especially for the circumstances that turned them into vampires, but Sloane refuses to take responsibility for anything. Look, I love complicated, messy, female characters - I will defend them until my last breath. Sloane was not complicated, though. Ultimately, because we spend so little time with her, her character was not able to be explored to its fullest.
This book also suffered from a very cringey case of insta-lust. Which, sure, I love it when vampires are bloody, hedonistic, and sexy, but this was not that.
The other vampires were much more interesting than Sloane and Naomi. I wish this book was about them, their histories, how they found each other, and why they decide to live this nomadic lifestyle.
I did enjoy Harrison’s writing style. The book could get tense, gory, and bloody when it needed to. However, that is not enough to save this wet paper towel of a horror novel about vampires.
The entire book takes place in just about 5 days. There really is no plot; the plot is watching these two best friends come to terms with their vampirism and struggle with their thirst. As someone who’s been obsessed with vampire since about 2007, the vampire “lore” - if you can even call it that - was basically nonexistent. These vampires don’t even have fangs!
We go on this journey with Sloane and her best friend, Naomi. They’re opposites in every way. Which, when done well, is a dynamic I absolutely love. However, their opposite traits really just brought out the worst in the other. I was constantly being told how strong this friendship is, how much Sloane cannot live without Naomi, how they’ve been through so much, and know each other so well, but with how they interacted with each other over the course of the book, I’m struggling to understand how and why these two women are friends.
The main character, Sloane, who’s head we are stuck in throughout the novel, is literally the worst woman to become a vampire. She’s wishy-washy, a major hypocrite, and loves being a victim (this is something she literally admits). She projects all her anger at Naomi, especially for the circumstances that turned them into vampires, but Sloane refuses to take responsibility for anything. Look, I love complicated, messy, female characters - I will defend them until my last breath. Sloane was not complicated, though. Ultimately, because we spend so little time with her, her character was not able to be explored to its fullest.
This book also suffered from a very cringey case of insta-lust. Which, sure, I love it when vampires are bloody, hedonistic, and sexy, but this was not that.
The other vampires were much more interesting than Sloane and Naomi. I wish this book was about them, their histories, how they found each other, and why they decide to live this nomadic lifestyle.
I did enjoy Harrison’s writing style. The book could get tense, gory, and bloody when it needed to. However, that is not enough to save this wet paper towel of a horror novel about vampires.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
Minor: Animal death, Drug use, and Stalking