thisislauraw's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.5
This novella had a really interesting premise. Reading a synopsis that likens it to a female Shawshank Redemption, I can see why that comparison has been made.
The plot is pretty simple, but compelling. It’s 1933 - Lena is a struggling single mother who is falsely accused of murdering her son, and sentenced to life imprisonment in Steelgate Prison. Run by mysterious wardens, the prison is full of horrors beyond her expectations.
The novella does suffer from clunky writing and a few poorly developed plot points, but overlooking that, it’s a fun read with good atmosphere, action and horror.
The plot is pretty simple, but compelling. It’s 1933 - Lena is a struggling single mother who is falsely accused of murdering her son, and sentenced to life imprisonment in Steelgate Prison. Run by mysterious wardens, the prison is full of horrors beyond her expectations.
The novella does suffer from clunky writing and a few poorly developed plot points, but overlooking that, it’s a fun read with good atmosphere, action and horror.
lilibetbombshell's review
5.0
I love a good novella, especially in horror form. There’s just something about taking a terrible, horrific tale and managing to condense it down to something around 100 pages while still managing to tell a whole story and get your point across, as an author, that impresses me so much. It’s much the same thing with short stories, but since “Bloodsucker City” is a novella (clocking in at 138 pages in paperback format), I’ll save my breath gushing about short stories in the horror genre and get to the novella this story has the most in common with, style and plot-wise, but is also the complete opposite of: “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”.
And I mean it: this could be a female-centric version of “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” if the timeline were changed to match the third wave of female incarceration in the United States during the 1930s and Stephen King wrote it as a horror novella. All the way from the unjust imprisonment of an innocent woman for life in a forbidding, stark, and miserable women’s prison perched atop a jagged mountain in the middle of nowhere to an unconventional escape… there are other similarities, but I don’t want to spoil anything.
The only reason I’ve given up those two details is because I believe the parallels between King’s novella and what Jim Towns’ has written here are completely intentional, and it really works. If you were to do a compare and contrast paper between the two novellas, it would be terrifically interesting, because what both protagonists (Elena in “Bloodsucker City” and Andy in King’s novella) go through is similar and horrific, but with such different definitions of horror. “Bloodsucker City” is the feminist horror dark mirror of “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, and I think that was the whole point: Prison is horrific for everyone, but as with every systemic institution in America, prison is more horrific for women than it is for men.
I really and truly enjoyed every page of this. I encourage you to pick it up.
And I mean it: this could be a female-centric version of “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” if the timeline were changed to match the third wave of female incarceration in the United States during the 1930s and Stephen King wrote it as a horror novella. All the way from the unjust imprisonment of an innocent woman for life in a forbidding, stark, and miserable women’s prison perched atop a jagged mountain in the middle of nowhere to an unconventional escape… there are other similarities, but I don’t want to spoil anything.
The only reason I’ve given up those two details is because I believe the parallels between King’s novella and what Jim Towns’ has written here are completely intentional, and it really works. If you were to do a compare and contrast paper between the two novellas, it would be terrifically interesting, because what both protagonists (Elena in “Bloodsucker City” and Andy in King’s novella) go through is similar and horrific, but with such different definitions of horror. “Bloodsucker City” is the feminist horror dark mirror of “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”, and I think that was the whole point: Prison is horrific for everyone, but as with every systemic institution in America, prison is more horrific for women than it is for men.
I really and truly enjoyed every page of this. I encourage you to pick it up.
vanquishingvolumes's review
4.0
My sincere thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this book via a digital arc.
An innocent woman is found guilty of the murder of her beloved little boy, and is sentenced to the local women’s penitentiary for the crime. Called Bloodsucker City - this prison is known for sucking out any remaining hope from its wards as they serve out their sentences. Between gangs of women, cruel guards, and horrible punishments - she finds herself even more terrified of the seven Wards of this prison. Lurking over the women, these men seem to be everywhere at once. And an innocent woman can only take so much before her mind turns to the one thing every prisoner dreams of but rarely attempts - escape.
Orange is the New Black meets Dracula in this fast paced gory little horror novel. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, and am happy to say that the cover does not disappoint!
An innocent woman is found guilty of the murder of her beloved little boy, and is sentenced to the local women’s penitentiary for the crime. Called Bloodsucker City - this prison is known for sucking out any remaining hope from its wards as they serve out their sentences. Between gangs of women, cruel guards, and horrible punishments - she finds herself even more terrified of the seven Wards of this prison. Lurking over the women, these men seem to be everywhere at once. And an innocent woman can only take so much before her mind turns to the one thing every prisoner dreams of but rarely attempts - escape.
Orange is the New Black meets Dracula in this fast paced gory little horror novel. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this book, and am happy to say that the cover does not disappoint!
thelunacia's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for an honest review.
This was pure entertainment and I quite enjoyed reading it. Suspense to the very end, and a fun vampire read. Loved that the vampires were the bad kind. Language wise not great, but still OK. I can't say it was among my favourite vampire books, but still worth reading.
This was pure entertainment and I quite enjoyed reading it. Suspense to the very end, and a fun vampire read. Loved that the vampires were the bad kind. Language wise not great, but still OK. I can't say it was among my favourite vampire books, but still worth reading.
insiya_'s review
4.0
Lena, a poor young widow, is falsely accused of murdering her own son and sentenced to life in the infamous Steelgate Women's Prison, an ancient stone castle built atop a rocky mountain in the middle of nowhere.
This novella, a little over 100 pages, had a lot of punch. I adored Lena and cheered for her the entire time. I hadn't spent much time with bloodsucking fiends in a long time, and when done properly, as this was, I discovered how much I missed them. These aren't sexy vampires, and they don't glitter in the least. These are genuine articles. Ancient, bloodsucking monstrosities that provided some horrible visions to this horror girl's head.
So, sure, this was entertaining and well-executed. So much so that, in a rare gesture of kindness, I'm rounding up my rating. Fans of the genre will enjoy this. Thank you Netgalley.
This novella, a little over 100 pages, had a lot of punch. I adored Lena and cheered for her the entire time. I hadn't spent much time with bloodsucking fiends in a long time, and when done properly, as this was, I discovered how much I missed them. These aren't sexy vampires, and they don't glitter in the least. These are genuine articles. Ancient, bloodsucking monstrosities that provided some horrible visions to this horror girl's head.
So, sure, this was entertaining and well-executed. So much so that, in a rare gesture of kindness, I'm rounding up my rating. Fans of the genre will enjoy this. Thank you Netgalley.
ianthereader's review
4.0
4/5⭐️
This book is featured in my Vampire Reading Vlog! Click the link for my full thoughts.
https://youtu.be/abRPgMU35W4
This book is featured in my Vampire Reading Vlog! Click the link for my full thoughts.
https://youtu.be/abRPgMU35W4
claire_ingram1987's review
3.0
2.5/3*
This is bad girls/ orange is the new black but with vampires. It was tense at times and an interesting enough story.
The book is written kinda like a tv show is set up. With “scenes”
I am a visual reader and I think it was a very visual book and could clearly see and practically hear all the sound of the story. So that’s all great
The issue is that I didn’t feel any connection at all to any of the characters
The only one who I kinda felt some connection to is her bunk mate (I’ve forgotten her name …no reflection on the book I’m just bad with names). Also there was a few plot holes and some inaccuracies in the story. Some plot points hadn’t been thought through it felt like and overall i just kinda felt underwhelmed
The story has great potential and so does the author but it doesn’t feel quite there yet.
This is bad girls/ orange is the new black but with vampires. It was tense at times and an interesting enough story.
The book is written kinda like a tv show is set up. With “scenes”
I am a visual reader and I think it was a very visual book and could clearly see and practically hear all the sound of the story. So that’s all great
The issue is that I didn’t feel any connection at all to any of the characters
The only one who I kinda felt some connection to is her bunk mate (I’ve forgotten her name …no reflection on the book I’m just bad with names). Also there was a few plot holes and some inaccuracies in the story. Some plot points hadn’t been thought through it felt like and overall i just kinda felt underwhelmed
The story has great potential and so does the author but it doesn’t feel quite there yet.
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