Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Sexism'
Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite by Natalie C. Parker, Zoraida Córdova
5 reviews
kaetheluise_nckl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Outing, and Alcohol
emily_mh's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Confinement, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Graphic warnings for grooming, "mercy" killing. Moderate warnings for sick parent, blackmail, climate change/global warming. Minor warnings for the homophobic d-slur, mass death, loss of a loved one, nuclear warfare, physical illness, pandemic, divorce.yeojinqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
seven nights for dying: 3/5
the boys from blood river: 5/5
senior year sucks: 5/5
the boy and the bell: 3/5
a guidedbook for the newly sired desi vampire: 4/5 (this one is a interesting format and unique story)
in kind: 5/5 (again one of the more interesting stories in here)
vampires never say die: 4/5
bestiary: 4/5
mirrors, windows, and selfies: 5/5
the house of black sapphires: 5/5 (in my opinion the most interesting story in the book)
first kill: 4/5
great stories over all. i believe that senior year sucks, in kind, and the house of black sapphires are the best stories in the book and also the ones i would most want to see turned into a full book
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gore, Transphobia, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Outing, and Alcohol
wardenred's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
The thing about anthologies that makes it hard rating them is that any of the stories contained in the book can be hit or miss. This one contained a lot more hits than misses for me. The book is full of fresh, fun takes on the vampire myth. I was delighted by the sheer amount of diversity here. Most of the main characters were somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and there were other types of representation, too. A lot of the authors didn't shy away from choosing big, complicated topics to explore through the lens of undead bloodsuckers, be it something as expansive as colonialism or as claustrophobically private as the darkness that may be found in the relationships between disabled people and their caregivers.
- Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton: I've always been fascinated by fiction that deals with the transition from human to mythical monsters, and this story does a great job out of exploring it.
- The Boys from Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse: This was like watching a great horror movie in my head.
- The Boy and the Bell by Heidi Heilig: I'm highly likely to enjoy anything that is set in Victorian times, deals with class differences, and has a trans MC, if it's well-written. This one was really well-written.
- Bestiary by Laura Ruby: The prose here was viscerally vivid, to the point that it almost made me want to stop reading sometimes because I was seriously feeling everything in the story and a lot of it wasn't pleasant. Definitely an author I now want to read more of!
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Sexism, and Transphobia
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I liked almost all of the collection, so first let me cover what I really enjoyed. Many of the stories had really powerful depictions of marginalized people finding strength during their interactions with vampires, sometimes by being vampires and sometimes through rejecting them. My particular favorites are "The Boys from Blood River", "In Kind", "Bestiary", and "Mirrors, Windows & Selfies". I love the premise and the feeling of "The Boys from Blood River", the MC handles relaying backstory while being firmly anchored in the moment in a way that immersed me very quickly into the story. The ending was really good, but now I want even more with the MC. "In Kind" gives a voice to a real kind of victim whose killers are frequently excused or even praised for their murder. It handles a difficult topic well through a really superb story. "Bestiary" was a slow burn, gradually trickling in details to make the MC's backstory clear, crystalizing in one fantastic moment when the pieces are finally in place to understand what happened. I never really felt confused leading up to it, but that moment of really understanding felt really good, especially in a tale this short. "Mirrors, Windows & Selfies" is a story about using the internet to feel a little less alone when you can't leave. I wish this had a follow-up I could read, it implies a very interesting variation on a lot of vampire lore and I'm fascinated (plus I really care what happens to the MC).
I cannot in good conscience recommend the final story, "First Kill". Minor spoilers to follow. It contains a gay character saying "People aren't straight... They just don't know better." I wasn't sure what to think about it as a one-off comment from a teenage character, but it erases a lot of people who are straight as well as queer, and it's a bizarre sweeping denial of people's understanding of their own identities. It's completely unchallenged within the narrative. The second thing which changed this from a story I was concerned about to one I cannot recommend is that
Seven Nights for Dying: CW for
The Boys from Blood River: CW for
Senior Year Sucks: CW for
The Boy and the Bell: CW for
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire: CW for
In Kind: CW for
Vampires Never Say Die: CW for
Bestiary: CW for
Mirrors, Windows & Selfies: CW for
The House of Black Sapphires: No major CWs.
First Kill: CW for
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexism and Kidnapping
CW for parental death, homophobia, bullying, violence, death, blood, transphobia, misgendering, gore, colonialism, ableism, child death, sexism, vomit, kidnapping, imprisonment. TW for discussion of