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A review by breedawnwriter
A Kiss With Teeth by Max Gladstone
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a story about a vampire named Vlad who is married to a human and has a son with his wife. The story is set against a domestic backdrop as Vlad battles with his urge to kill his son’s teacher, and I quite enjoyed it. I think it was a creative and fresh take on the vampire trope.
I really enjoyed the contrast of past and present imagery. One of my favorite lines is when Vlad explains how he met his wife: “Ten years ago, he lured her to the old castle in the mountains, one last challenge. Ten years ago she shone in starlight filtered through cracks in the castle’s roof. He could have killed her and hid again, as he had before.” The imagery of this passage is so haunting and beautiful, and I did really enjoy this element of the story.
While this story is heavy on imagery, the author does not overload the story with unnecessary descriptions. In fact, almost every description feels intentionally written and placed to allow the reader to either clearly or subtly learn more about how out of place and different Vlad feels in a world full of humans. Overall, this story manages to include a lot of descriptions that ultimately add to the characterization and atmosphere without feeling overwhelming because they are all intentional.
One thing I didn’t expect to learn from this story was how to build tension. However, this story does so beautifully. I won’t say exactly how because I want to avoid spoiling the ending, but just trust me…it’s a very good teacher for building suspense.
I really enjoyed the contrast of past and present imagery. One of my favorite lines is when Vlad explains how he met his wife: “Ten years ago, he lured her to the old castle in the mountains, one last challenge. Ten years ago she shone in starlight filtered through cracks in the castle’s roof. He could have killed her and hid again, as he had before.” The imagery of this passage is so haunting and beautiful, and I did really enjoy this element of the story.
While this story is heavy on imagery, the author does not overload the story with unnecessary descriptions. In fact, almost every description feels intentionally written and placed to allow the reader to either clearly or subtly learn more about how out of place and different Vlad feels in a world full of humans. Overall, this story manages to include a lot of descriptions that ultimately add to the characterization and atmosphere without feeling overwhelming because they are all intentional.
One thing I didn’t expect to learn from this story was how to build tension. However, this story does so beautifully. I won’t say exactly how because I want to avoid spoiling the ending, but just trust me…it’s a very good teacher for building suspense.