A review by literaturenut
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm having difficulty articulating why this book didn't quite sit right with me. First, I must say it deserves ALL the trigger warnings. I thought that the book would be a little bit of a horror-comedy and even the beginning of the book sets that tone and tenor. But it's hard to find humor when the book is full of gruesome acts and not just monsters.

All that said, the book uses systemic racism as a plot device in a way that felt very much like a white author profiting from the pain of Black people. And what's more, the white saviorism in the book made it feel even more like Black pain was just a tool used to allow the MC to grow, especailly when the only Black side character with any real time on the page is truly the hero of the book in all aspects. And the brutality of some of the horror aspects sat at odds with the humor and light tone of the book and made the brutality feel more like torture porn than necessary plot elements.

I don't need all my books to have happy endings, but this ending felt so unsatisfying. Maybe because the author didn't develop the characters well enough for me to be emotionally invested in their survival? It didn't feel chilling or poignant or triumphant. It just felt hollow and forced.
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