raeanne's review against another edition
1.0
Was looking for fun, not fatphobia. Amazing that I made it to 24 mins in. Given how the supposed villain’s POV started off, probably a good bet for being sexist and racist too. Not going subject myself further.
marpesea's review against another edition
This one didn't work for me and I stopped at 50 pages.
The premise is fun, but the descriptions of the female characters leave a lot to be desired. There's the fat, sexually-revolting waitress who manages the diner and the not-quite-legal, conniving teen who is doing her best to bring back the old ones. We get in-depth descriptions of their bodies, but everything else is haphazard and (I would argue) treated as less important.
It also suffered from a lack of narrative tension. I really didn't care about the town or the diner and I kept having to look up Earl and Duke (wait, which one is the vampire?).
Overall disappointing. I'll give it some time and try another book by A. Lee Martinez, but this one is off of my list. Does this premise sound fun to you? If so, I'd recommend that you skip it and read Monster (also by A. Lee Martinez).
The premise is fun, but the descriptions of the female characters leave a lot to be desired. There's the fat, sexually-revolting waitress who manages the diner and the not-quite-legal, conniving teen who is doing her best to bring back the old ones. We get in-depth descriptions of their bodies, but everything else is haphazard and (I would argue) treated as less important.
It also suffered from a lack of narrative tension. I really didn't care about the town or the diner and I kept having to look up Earl and Duke (wait, which one is the vampire?).
Overall disappointing. I'll give it some time and try another book by A. Lee Martinez, but this one is off of my list. Does this premise sound fun to you? If so, I'd recommend that you skip it and read Monster (also by A. Lee Martinez).
xtineogle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
4.0
This book was great fun! Two best friends, a vampire and a werewolf, stop in 24 hour diner and end up helping with a zombie problem. Amusing situations ensue. The author plays with paranormal norms and creates a cast of interesting characters. A fantastic use of satire! I highly recommended to anyone remotely interested in the book.
mkwater's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mpressboonini's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Imagine American Gods but with Halloween monsters, written for YA before YA was a genre (and was neutered), that's what this book felt like. I could easily read more stories about Duke (of Werewolves) and I suppose I could stand it if Earl (of Vampires) must be included. Duke was my favorite by far even if he had so little to say, so stoic but cares so much about helping people, he doesn't say more than needs to be said. Earl's running anxious thoughts felt really familiar to me, and it hurt seeing him so clearly projecting his own insecurities onto how he thinks others perceive him. I'm glad he found Cathy. Though, I'm not sure I can get over the overt 2005 fatshaming throughout the whole book to want to read much more from this author. Maybe somday.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Gore, Violence, Cursing, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual content
ljpbooks's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25