pulpfan's review against another edition
I struggled to finish this one, and started and stopped several times before formally DNFing. There are interesting things here, but ultimately the story felt disjointed and tonally inconsistent. There are a handful of secondary characters that sort of blur together and don't really contribute to the story or offer much of interest. The sex scene was confusingly written and I actually had to reread it to understand what was going on. I liked Blondie and Drew, and I liked some of the things May did with Seth, but Seth didn't feel consistent or interesting to me. This one is very much a YMMV. It seems to be intentionally written to go against the grain, but ultimately it's a miss for me. I like the second book in the series a lot better, and I'm glad I read it first.
fatimawright's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
jotropes's review against another edition
4.0
My favourite Daniel May yet although it had me worried...
Tonally this felt a little like two books in one. On the one hand a warm, tender and humorous exploration of two MCs and their relationship. Where an ancient but somewhat sweet and clueless vampire & a kind vulnerable young visionary artist with significant mental health issues meet and fall in love. Very lovely and hitting all the right notes in a romance for me.
On the other hand there were gothic, dark and very sad aspects and writing around murder, art, mental breakdown and grief. Again really well done but very different in feel from the almost rom-com strands.
At around the two-third mark I was wondering if the contrast between the two was too jarring but Daniel May does manage - maybe by the skin of his teeth - to make the two parts work together. Will re-read at some point to look more closely at how it all develops and fits together.
Very much looking forward to whatever Daniel May does next.
Tonally this felt a little like two books in one. On the one hand a warm, tender and humorous exploration of two MCs and their relationship. Where an ancient but somewhat sweet and clueless vampire & a kind vulnerable young visionary artist with significant mental health issues meet and fall in love. Very lovely and hitting all the right notes in a romance for me.
On the other hand there were gothic, dark and very sad aspects and writing around murder, art, mental breakdown and grief. Again really well done but very different in feel from the almost rom-com strands.
At around the two-third mark I was wondering if the contrast between the two was too jarring but Daniel May does manage - maybe by the skin of his teeth - to make the two parts work together. Will re-read at some point to look more closely at how it all develops and fits together.
Very much looking forward to whatever Daniel May does next.
elementchaos's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
badboysandbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Gosh, I hate rating things poorly, but this was just not that great. I almost gave up on it at least 3 times. I'm not sure why I kept pushing to finish it. I don't feel any satisfaction for finishing it other than knowing that I still didn't really like it.
I feel like this book was too long. It took itself too seriously. It was really kind of unrealistic, even for a fantasy vampire novel.
Seth is supposed to be a 3000 year old vampire. But this 3000 year old vampire is a VIRGIN. Please help me understand that. And his explanation for this makes no sense either:
He had simply never felt the urge in his many, many years on the earth.
The pleasure aspect he was convinced was greatly overstated. There were many things humans raved about which were, frankly, quite mundane.
Ummm. Ok. Moving on.
Then Seth decides he actually wants to have sex with Drew. And things don't exactly improve because apparently vampire Seth has a magic dick that must self lubricate or something and human Drew must have a magic anus that also magically self lubricates and stretches itself because they have sex without any of those things.
AND THEN after Seth sticks it in, Drew is all like, oh I was going to say no to penetration, I am saying no to it. Then Seth is like oh and then Drew is like oh never mind lets do it now that you've already shoved it in. I'm sorry, but WTF.
I'll just leave this review here.
I feel like this book was too long. It took itself too seriously. It was really kind of unrealistic, even for a fantasy vampire novel.
Seth is supposed to be a 3000 year old vampire. But this 3000 year old vampire is a VIRGIN. Please help me understand that. And his explanation for this makes no sense either:
He had simply never felt the urge in his many, many years on the earth.
The pleasure aspect he was convinced was greatly overstated. There were many things humans raved about which were, frankly, quite mundane.
Ummm. Ok. Moving on.
Then Seth decides he actually wants to have sex with Drew. And things don't exactly improve because apparently vampire Seth has a magic dick that must self lubricate or something and human Drew must have a magic anus that also magically self lubricates and stretches itself because they have sex without any of those things.
AND THEN after Seth sticks it in, Drew is all like, oh I was going to say no to penetration, I am saying no to it. Then Seth is like oh and then Drew is like oh never mind lets do it now that you've already shoved it in. I'm sorry, but WTF.
I'll just leave this review here.
ravens_lit's review against another edition
5.0
I love Daniel May’s writing style and stories. I jumped on this book the day it was released and wasn’t disappointed. I loved the community of vampires he created. The important characters are all well developed. Seth is the sovereign of his vampire territory. Even though he’s very handsome and looks like he’s in his mid-20’s, he’s been around for 3000 years. He’s seen it all and is terribly bored. That is, until he goes to kill a human who witnessed a vampire feeding. He becomes enamored with his quirky intended victim, Drew, and spares him death. Drew is an artist and very pure of thought, which Seth finds fascinating. Drew might also be mentally ill. He's definitely medicated and he sees things. Some might be hallucinations, but some perhaps not. Drew sees auras around people that are colored by their emotional energy and what's in their heart. The auras of daytime crowds overwhelm him, so he is a nocturnal creature like Seth.
Seth has never gotten very attached to humans in his many years. But, his developing love for Drew and the eminent death of his favorite human assistant bring out feelings he’s never felt before. I enjoyed seeing Seth’s emotional growth and how the book dealt with Drew’s mental state.
The book is mostly dark and full of despair, but there are moments of happiness. It made me think about immortality, mental illness, love, death, and grief. The ending was a surprise. I didn’t see it coming. I particularly loved one character. Blondie is a lone vampire and outcast of the vampire community. He’s small, heavily pierced, and has long blonde hair with beads and bones braided in. He tries hard to make friends, but he’s a very bad boy. My perfect type. I hope he makes a reappearance in one of Daniel’s future books.
Seth has never gotten very attached to humans in his many years. But, his developing love for Drew and the eminent death of his favorite human assistant bring out feelings he’s never felt before. I enjoyed seeing Seth’s emotional growth and how the book dealt with Drew’s mental state.
The book is mostly dark and full of despair, but there are moments of happiness. It made me think about immortality, mental illness, love, death, and grief. The ending was a surprise. I didn’t see it coming. I particularly loved one character. Blondie is a lone vampire and outcast of the vampire community. He’s small, heavily pierced, and has long blonde hair with beads and bones braided in. He tries hard to make friends, but he’s a very bad boy. My perfect type. I hope he makes a reappearance in one of Daniel’s future books.
pinkeyes's review against another edition
5.0
I WAS SERIOUSLY PANICKING WHEN CHAPTER 20 WAS OVER, I THOUGHT I MISSED THE HEA TAG! but whew... thank god it ended like that (I still cried bucket knowing everything will be okay haha)
I felt so much for Blondie and was really invested in his relationship (not in a romantically) with Drew as well as the other side characters. Unfortunately, their number, along with the storylines (Blondie, Grace and Bruce) overshadowed the romance, which is fine but not what I expected, especially since it's a short novel with little interactions between the MCs--or at least that's how it felt like to me).
The romance was good but hello.. I NEED MORE!
If I have complaint it would be, who names a really ancient vampire SETH? Where's the drama in that! This drama queen deserves a better antique and interesting name.
Quotes I liked:
1. I loved this perspective on vampires & humans "All vampires loved mankind. Breathed mankind. They idolized their prey in the way that ancient man had painted deer on cave walls, made ritual figures of the hunt. Prey was no enemy… it was precious. It was life. Any vampire who matured past their first few hundred years came to adopt such sentiment."
2. Seth watched the threat of annihilation rise outside Drew’s bedroom window, and felt nothing but soft peace. He turned his face back to the man’s hair, lips resting on his forehead, and closed his eyes. Vampires did not sleep as humans did. They did not dream. But as Seth lay there, he imagined that he dreamed, and that his dreams were good.
I felt so much for Blondie and was really invested in his relationship (not in a romantically) with Drew as well as the other side characters. Unfortunately, their number, along with the storylines (Blondie, Grace and Bruce) overshadowed the romance, which is fine but not what I expected, especially since it's a short novel with little interactions between the MCs--or at least that's how it felt like to me).
The romance was good but hello.. I NEED MORE!
If I have complaint it would be, who names a really ancient vampire SETH? Where's the drama in that! This drama queen deserves a better antique and interesting name.
Quotes I liked:
1. I loved this perspective on vampires & humans "All vampires loved mankind. Breathed mankind. They idolized their prey in the way that ancient man had painted deer on cave walls, made ritual figures of the hunt. Prey was no enemy… it was precious. It was life. Any vampire who matured past their first few hundred years came to adopt such sentiment."
2. Seth watched the threat of annihilation rise outside Drew’s bedroom window, and felt nothing but soft peace. He turned his face back to the man’s hair, lips resting on his forehead, and closed his eyes. Vampires did not sleep as humans did. They did not dream. But as Seth lay there, he imagined that he dreamed, and that his dreams were good.
claudiereads's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This book was all over the place — and that's putting it kindly. The word ‘clusterfuck’ comes to mind.
At first, it read like a deliberate parody of every vampire romance, and I was okay with that — or at least curious enough to continue — but it just got stranger and stranger.
It’s like Daniel May put every trope he could get his hands on in a magic bag, shook it a couple of times, and pulled put this book. Only something went wrong along the way. Even his otherwise pretty good writing couldn’t save this one.
➣ One-dimensional MCs. Almost every side character had more personality that these two put together
➣ Wordldbuilding = nonexistent
➣ No chemistry between the MCs, no build up before the sex scenes (and no lube!)
➣ But somehow: Insta-love 💀 that was all ‘telling,’ no ‘showing’ 💀 What?? 💀🔪
➣ The most interesting character got the least page-time!
➣ The issue of Drew’s mental disorder was very conveniently glossed over after being the main focus of several chapters
➣ Seth’s one-eighty in the second half was just… 🤯🙄🤦🏻♀️
➣ And that mystery? WHY was that even a plot point?? The killer was 100% obvious from the beginning, but I hoped DM was only pulling my leg… NOPE 💀
At first, it read like a deliberate parody of every vampire romance, and I was okay with that — or at least curious enough to continue — but it just got stranger and stranger.
It’s like Daniel May put every trope he could get his hands on in a magic bag, shook it a couple of times, and pulled put this book. Only something went wrong along the way. Even his otherwise pretty good writing couldn’t save this one.
➣ One-dimensional MCs. Almost every side character had more personality that these two put together
➣ Wordldbuilding = nonexistent
➣ No chemistry between the MCs, no build up before the sex scenes (and no lube!)
➣ But somehow: Insta-love 💀 that was all ‘telling,’ no ‘showing’ 💀 What?? 💀🔪
➣ The most interesting character got the least page-time!
➣ The issue of Drew’s mental disorder was very conveniently glossed over after being the main focus of several chapters
➣ Seth’s one-eighty in the second half was just… 🤯🙄🤦🏻♀️
➣ And that mystery? WHY was that even a plot point?? The killer was 100% obvious from the beginning, but I hoped DM was only pulling my leg… NOPE 💀
mousie's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0