Take a photo of a barcode or cover
its_kievan 's review for:
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
by Grady Hendrix
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was fine, and even pretty good at points, but it could have been so much better. Hendrix makes it pretty clear from the start who Harris is and what kind of story he's telling, so that he can focus instead on how much it sucks being a housewife in the 90s South. It's an interesting take, and I was feeling a lot of rage on behalf of the main characters. The problem is that after spending most of the book like this, the ending veers back into traditional vampire territory, which means an abrupt climax and a very cinematic ending that didn't have the emotional payoff the book had been building up to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Child death, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse