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

challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started this book. The first part of the book lured me in with the quaint characters of the Southern housewives and their true crime book club, but it soon turned into a grotesque true-crime horror meshed with parts of paranormal fantasy. I felt all the feelings present in a good horror book: anger, disgust, uncomfort, frustration, and of most importantly the book kept me on the edge throughout the last part of the story. The reason I didn’t rank the book higher though is because I put this book down for a month in the middle of reading it, because the mood shift from the start to the end was so jarring (especially for me as a mood reader). There were also issues for me with pacing and repeating dialogue; I feel like as a reader I would’ve understood Patricia’s need to protect her kids with less mentions of it. The world also feels dark even in the end, I understand in it’s true crime nature the reader views the world in the aftermath differently, but for me I would appreciate more light at the end of the tunnel (even metaphorically) than the quiet life the housewives continue to live. Overall this book was a good horror read, even though I didn’t expect it to turn so gruesome. Definitely check content warnings!
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