Reviews

This book is fascinating. Gomez manages to both portray Gilda as distant from humanity while still being empathetic to it, making for an interesting perspective on Black history in America. The portrayal of lesbian relationships was also interesting because of this distance and the focus on family was something you don't often see in older queer stories. I did find the pacing to be a bit odd at points and the shift in genre in the last portion was jarring (though I overall enjoyed that aspect and wished we got more of it) but neither of those things hindered my overall enjoyment of the text.

dylanrea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A beautiful novel, well written and full of mysticism and wonder. The main character, Gilda, and her family and those she encounters within her life portray a rich tapestry of black and indigenous culture in America across modern history. The notions of vampirism explored in Jewelle Gomez’s writing were very unique for their time and I believe they definitely inspired future writers that have developed their vampire stories into film *cough* ~~Stephanie Meyer~~ *cough*.
I wanted to rate this book 5 stars as I very much wanted more and was sad to finish the book, BUT I think it lacked a single gripping moment or extremely tense scenario/cliffhanger that would leave us yearning for the next page/chapter.

I enjoy the camp fantasy and Afrofuturism aspects as well when the book is set in the future. 2020 was surpsisingly well predicted with basically FaceTime being described and various other technological comforts we now use. 2050 is also a stark reminder of our own future. This book was written over 30 years ago and we still continue to hurtle toward a possible dystopian future like they had laid out. Both unsettling and intriguing at the same time.

tonsillitis's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book is incredible i loved it so much. I love how vampirism is set up in this world and how Gilda and her family have their codes and morals and I love how Gilda is in love with humanity

charlottesometimes's review against another edition

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challenging medium-paced

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

3.5

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