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barb4ry1 's review for:
Carmilla: The First Vampire
by Amy Chu
I expected to love this. The idea is more than cool - a Carmilla reimagining set in 90s NYC Chinatown with a noir crime story, vampire lore, and social commentary. That should be incredible. Instead, it’s a mess.
The biggest issue is the pacing. Plot twists appear out of nowhere - like, suddenly the protagonist's family hunts demons? Sure, why not. She's in love now? If she says so. Important characters die, but it barely registers emotionally. Oh, and the protagonist reads Carmilla but fails to connect the dots.
That said, the atmosphere is fantastic and the art is gorgeous. The mix of Chinese folklore with vampire mythology intrigued me. I just wish the story didn’t feel like a few separate ideas awkwardly stitched together.
Meh, overall. But pretty to look at.
The biggest issue is the pacing. Plot twists appear out of nowhere - like, suddenly the protagonist's family hunts demons? Sure, why not. She's in love now? If she says so. Important characters die, but it barely registers emotionally. Oh, and the protagonist reads Carmilla but fails to connect the dots.
That said, the atmosphere is fantastic and the art is gorgeous. The mix of Chinese folklore with vampire mythology intrigued me. I just wish the story didn’t feel like a few separate ideas awkwardly stitched together.
Meh, overall. But pretty to look at.