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zombiezami's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
okgm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As context, I am biracial black queer person who grew up virtually fatherless and raised by a white almond mother. I also had a pretty viscous vampire era in my late teens, meaning: this book hit all of the marks for me.
The writing is mostly character thought and less plot, and yes: the main character is a vampire, but is that necessarily the point? And is that why the message was missed by a lot of presumably white readers? Claire, the woman she is, questions what it means to colonize a person versus the colonization of a body through the allegory of vampirism. The main character's mother, whose storyline is never shared fully as it is not information that Lydia is aware of, is a Malaysian woman who loses her life during the colonization of her home land and spends the rest of her existence as an "almost" god-fearing woman. Through her longing to be close to humanity she brings herself closer to white femininity, as if the only way to be a human as a woman (vampire) of color is to mirror the white woman in appearance and likability. Her daughter, Lydia, who is born a human and transformed soon after her birth is passed down this self-hatred. She longs to know of her human and half Japanese father whose death goes unexplained (potentially eaten by her mother, another nod towards eating the byproducts of those who once harmed your people/culture), not only to feel closer to her humanity, but also her heritage. They survive off a pig blood alone, as her mother feels that this is what they, as self-believing monsters, deserve to survive off of alone. When Lydia leaves the shackles of her mother's proximity, she feels both a sense of freedom and a self-grappling with all that she has ever been taught: that she is a monstrous thing that does not deserve love, friendship, or to feel fully satisfied in the things that she eats. As she begins to discover the joys of following her dreams, finding friendship, and experiencing attraction for the first time, she is consistently called back and haunted by the voice of self-hatred: a voice that belongs to her mother. Through her journey alone, she is in close proximity of entitled men who seem to claim her as their own--through hungry eyes, unwanted touch, and emotional manipulation. She spends this time in near starvation, hoping that if she resists any blood at all, she could starve this "demonic" presence from her body. In a way, longing to rebirthed as a normal girl who can eat the foods of her culture and know what it truly means to be Malaysian and Japanese. In the end, she finally eats a person who had taken advantage of her through money, power, and claim and is able to experience her culture through his memories of eating the foods of her ancestors. She is manic in these final moments, feeling connected to her mind and body. Knowing that the only way to feel like herself, feel closer to humanity, is to fucking eat.
What a beautiful take on vampires. I had never imagined this perspective, of food being a vital love language of your culture and never being able to experience that. To lack connection to your mother because that level of care is not able to be offered to you. To finally eat your colonizers and feel closer to your people in that reclamation of power. To eat the rich as someone who consistently feels powerless and trapped in the need to make yourself mall in attempts to save those around you from the voice inside you. Eat to feel good, eat to know yourself and others, eat to survive. Eat to be human, fully and lovingly.
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, and Sexual harassment
hedsek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ninajean's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
Minor: Infidelity and Vomit
r_o_s_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Blood, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Forced institutionalization
bananacustard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
bluedilly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Dementia, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Eating disorder, Gore, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Child death, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
knit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At times the descriptions of Lydia’s relationships with her mother and with food where difficult but overall they were relatable.
It’s interesting to read about a vampire who isn’t over powered. Lydia feels like a young woman who was way too sheltered growing up (think catholic school girl) and is just figuring out who she is and what she wants while also being non-human. It’s like seeing the vampire before they become wealthy, successful, and sexy.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, and Car accident
jamieleepilk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was not what I was expecting at all.
The writing at times is so beautiful and took my breath away other times sentences just fell short or made little to no impact.
Something was missing for me sadly and I'm gutted because from the premise it sounded right up my street.
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment