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A review by sproutedpages
Darknesses by Lachelle Seville
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to BookSirens, tRaum Books, and author Lachelle Seville for providing me with a digital copy of this novel to review. All opinions within this review are voluntarily given and entirely my own.
A queer modern vampire novel utilizing classic vampire mythos, in which Dracula meets a traumatized cult survivor and begins an obsessive romantic relationship. It does lean heavily on the instalove trope at times, but because of the author’s willingness to commit to this throughout the novel, it remains enjoyable. It is surprisingly fun (and funny) despite the abundance of emotionally challenging subject material, and the characters– even secondary and tertiary characters– are well-rounded and interesting. There are a generous amount of references to pop-culture vampirism, music, and nerd-culture, though it never feels at-odds with the narrative. Beyond these elements (and undoubtedly more importantly), Darknesses is told from a Black, Queer perspective– which is shockingly underrepresented in Vampire novels, and especially in Vampire romance. Really looking forward to seeing where the next novel takes this series when it is published!
A queer modern vampire novel utilizing classic vampire mythos, in which Dracula meets a traumatized cult survivor and begins an obsessive romantic relationship. It does lean heavily on the instalove trope at times, but because of the author’s willingness to commit to this throughout the novel, it remains enjoyable. It is surprisingly fun (and funny) despite the abundance of emotionally challenging subject material, and the characters– even secondary and tertiary characters– are well-rounded and interesting. There are a generous amount of references to pop-culture vampirism, music, and nerd-culture, though it never feels at-odds with the narrative. Beyond these elements (and undoubtedly more importantly), Darknesses is told from a Black, Queer perspective– which is shockingly underrepresented in Vampire novels, and especially in Vampire romance. Really looking forward to seeing where the next novel takes this series when it is published!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Self harm, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault and Racism
Graphic cult trauma