I picked up this anthology because one of my favorite authors, V.E. Schwab, is featured in it and her story “First Kill” is getting a Netflix adaptation. Other than that, I didn’t go into this book with any sort of expectations. I’ve been stressed out because of midterms so I just wanted something light and entertaining to read, and this book was exactly what I needed. These stories are full of diversity, they include fresh imaginings of the vampire that I have never considered before, and they explored some classic vampire lore. Overall, I had fun with this book but I did reach a slump in the middle. It was the fact that Schwab’s story was at the end that kept me going. The thing with these stories is that a lot of them left me wanting more, I felt unsatisfied for most of them, but I think that might be a me problem... maybe I just have to learn to appreciate short stories for what they are. I have a hard time reviewing this book as a whole because I liked some of the stories a lot better than others, so I broke it all down and ranked them from most favorite to least favorite, with a one or two sentence review for each.

Ranking:

1) “The Boy and the Bell” by Heidi Heilig: This one was by far my favorite. I loved the Victorian setting, I was pretty much instantly attached to Will, it was atmospheric, and the writing felt sophisticated and chilling.

2) “First Kill” by V.E. Schwab: We’ve got a classic case of “do I want to kill you or kiss you??” and a blurring of lines between good and evil. I’m super excited to see where this story goes in the adaptation and I love how Cal and Jules’ narratives parallel each other.

3) “Seven Nights for Dying” by Tessa Gratton: I really liked the blunt writing style, the unique creation ritual, and the fact that it was focused on choice rather than a big vampire reveal. I think it was a strong opening and I even got choked up.

4) “The Boys From Blood River” by Rebecca Roanhorse: I really felt for Lukas... he is so flawed and he knows it too. Also, I can’t even blame him for getting so caught up in Silas because I would take one look into those eyes and forget to see the monster underneath too.

5) “The House of Black Sapphires” by Dhonielle Clayton: This one was so descriptive and absolutely magical, I liked the character dynamics but it left me with a lot of questions.

6) “Bestiary” by Laura Ruby: This one was so unexpected, basically the world is ending and a lonely vampire girl finds solace among animals. Jude was likable in a sad way, I felt for her.

7) “Mirrors, Windows & Selfies” by Mark Oshiro: This one was good! I don’t usually like stories that are structured like… blog posts… but this one worked. I got really invested in Cisco super fast.

8) “A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire” by Samira Ahmed: Okay this one was fun, sarcastic, and a whole new vibrant take on 21st century vampirism, with the inclusion of serious undertones as well.

9) “In Kind” by Kayla Whaley: I liked Seanan, she was kind which is so unlike many vampires. This one had decent writing and explored a heavy topic.

10) “Vampires Never Say Die” by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker: Featuring a real life vampire catfishing a teenage twihard, what could go wrong? This one was alright, I liked the glimpse of the vampire politics of New York.

11) “Senior Year Sucks” by Julie Murphy: I liked the concept of the resurrection home and the town history, but the whole thing felt rushed and I wasn’t a fan of the writing style.

Content Warnings

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“If there were once heroes, they are all gone now. Only the monsters remain.”

Lore is about a brutal tournament set in modern day New York, where every seven years the gods are cast down into mortal vessels and hunted by the descendants of mythic heroes. If a god dies by the hand of a hunter, that hunter gains godly powers but also has to take the old god’s place in the tournament. God, imposter, hunter, messenger, unblooded: they may be pitted against each other but all of them are really fighting to break a cycle of pain and owning up to the fact that they can’t blame the Fates for their own choices and mistakes.

As you can imagine this book is bloody, action packed, and infused with Greek Mythology every step of the way. It tackles a loss of morality in the midst of a ruthless struggle for power, glory, revenge, and survival. It felt very dark and mature for YA, Alexandra Bracken doesn’t hold back on traumatic situations and backstories. There’s this feeling of almost constant disillusionment, there are small betrayals sewn throughout the narrative, and a couple of big ones too. These characters seriously couldn’t catch a break and there were so many mini cliffhangers at the end of most of the chapters that kept the pages turning.

I had super high expectations for this book because I absolutely love The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken. I also really enjoy books inspired by mythology so I was excited going into this. I don’t want to say that it let me down, because I did enjoy it, but there were a few reasons why this book wasn’t quite a five star read for me. Firstly, this book is so full of action and yet it still managed to drag on. It also felt repetitive at parts, especially in Lore’s inner monologue. And let’s talk about Lore.. I understand that this is her epic, and it all amounts to a beautiful journey in the end.. but she frustrated me and I felt emotionally disconnected from her for most of the book. Maybe that just means that I’m heartless, because she goes through some pretty horrific things, but I didn’t really feel for her until the latter half. Also, I wish this book had multiple POVs because a lot happens “off screen” and I adore the side characters!! I wanted to get inside their head and dive deeper into their layers, because we only get to glimpse their complexities. Okay, enough of the negative stuff, let's get back to the important stuff… that being: the romance.

I absolutely loved the subtle romance in this book, which I wasn’t expecting. It’s pretty much a slow burn childhood best friends to lovers, it is so pure, sweet and tender on the surface with a hint of angst and heartache. I’m all for that kind of morally grey, emotionally inhibited, bad boy type that is so typical in YA but it was so refreshing that this book broke away from that trope and gave us a love interest that is just so fundamentally good. He’s pure hearted, sweet, tender, self-conscious, and a healer right to his core (while still being super powerful… and hot). I’m not saying he single handedly made me believe in love, but it’s a possibility. Also, we get to glimpse a super sweet side romance as well!

Lastly, this book had reluctant allies teaming up out of necessity… which is literally the perfect recipe for a chaotic found family. I’m a sucker for found family so that alone was enough to keep me invested in this story, I just wish there was a bit more character depth.

Content Warnings

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lyderz_'s reviews 68 reviews

lyderz_'s reviews
68 reviews