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saphfics's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Misogyny and Slavery
bisexualwentworth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I liked this book! A friend recommended it to me and said that I HAD to read it, and I definitely understand why. It's a fascinating mix of historical fiction and low fantasy with sympathetic, mostly benevolent vampires, ruminations on humanity, a dystopian element, and of course lots of queer shit.
The book begins in 1850s Louisiana with the main character escaping slavery and then falling in with a group of vampires. I will say, my least favorite part of the book by far was the fact that Gilda initially didn't have a name (she's just "the Girl") and inherits her name from another vampire. I'm not against the "new Gilda" thing. I just wish that she'd had another name first or that she'd actively chosen to go by Gilda instead of it seemingly just being put on her. I felt like she lacked agency a lot for the first couple of chapters, and that made it hard to get into the book initially, which was unfortunate because that's where we meet most of the recurring characters and get introduced to the vampire lore.
I definitely think the book got stronger toward the middle. The Broadway chapter and the 2020 chapter were definitely my favorites.
The writing style didn't totally work for me, but the content very much did, and I would absolutely recommend this classic Black lesbian vampire novel.
The book begins in 1850s Louisiana with the main character escaping slavery and then falling in with a group of vampires. I will say, my least favorite part of the book by far was the fact that Gilda initially didn't have a name (she's just "the Girl") and inherits her name from another vampire. I'm not against the "new Gilda" thing. I just wish that she'd had another name first or that she'd actively chosen to go by Gilda instead of it seemingly just being put on her. I felt like she lacked agency a lot for the first couple of chapters, and that made it hard to get into the book initially, which was unfortunate because that's where we meet most of the recurring characters and get introduced to the vampire lore.
I definitely think the book got stronger toward the middle. The Broadway chapter and the 2020 chapter were definitely my favorites.
The writing style didn't totally work for me, but the content very much did, and I would absolutely recommend this classic Black lesbian vampire novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Racism
directorpurry's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
reflective
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Incest and Suicidal thoughts
Incest warning is just in case, for the ambiguity of certain relationships.fareehareads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This Afro-futurist vampire novel is way more than it appears and is easily my favorite read of 2022. Not only is it the best vampire depiction I have ever read, it also calls for you to look within and ask what does a community look like in the face of human caused devastation? Also, what would you do if given the chance at eternity? The story begins with a girl that grew up on a plantation and runs away, finding herself at a woman-run brothel and in the company of a pair of vampires that become her maternal figures. Each chapter jumps forward in time across the 200 years in her life as we watch Gilda adjust and adapt with each time period. A deep connection to the land is interwoven in the foundation of this story through Gilda's intimate relationship with the character Bird of the Lakota people, and through the physical carrying of soil of her homeland everywhere she goes. She meets various black queer women that shape her life along the way and we get the most tender found family of vampires I've seen in a long time. One of my favorite aspects of the vampire elements in this story is the ingestion of blood. Instead of it being a violent act that leaves the victim drained and lifeless, this story calls the exchange a 'sharing of life' where the vampire takes the human's blood and, in exchange, the human gets to dream out the deepest desires and is left dazed but alive. It's a fantastic book to pick up now and the 2020 predictions from when it was written (1991) are startlingly close to what we've experienced. I wonder how many of the 2050 predictions will come to pass. This story has literally everything you could want and to me, is an instant classic. PLEASE do yourself a favor and read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror and Abandonment
Minor: Death and Suicide attempt
The 25th anniversary collection contains an updated note about the predictions of The Gilda Stories, and quotes from Audre Lorde texts which were influential in Jewelle's work. I highly recommend looking.grace_ezri's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A Black, LGBTQ+, Vampire novel written in the '90s what's not to adore!!! Fans of Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire sprint to read this book immediately!!!! Perfect fall read kinda tense and spoooky but not overwhelmingly so it give the perfect vibes. The pacing was perfect covering a large timeline in many areas throughout the US it kept you on the edge of your seat but allowed you enough time to sink in and understand each new time and place. It covers so many important topics from racism, sexism, found family, LGBT, humanity, greed, loneliness, jealousy, and environmental destruction. It was relevant 25 years ago and still relevant today. It really made me reflect on our society and what shape our future may take. I really appreciated how each character dealt with the vampirism different and showed a diversity of ways of dealing with their own humanity. I so often get caught up in wanting to read new releases I think it was important for me to go back to an older read and experience this! I'm so glad I read this book it will stick with me for a long time to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death and Sexism
Minor: Homophobia
sofipitch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
This book took me a while to get through because of the writing style. I just really hate 3rd person omnipresent, especially in the beginning the narrative switches to quickly between characters I was sometimes confused trying to keep up. My other complaint is the format, each section involves another time jump and change in location, Gilda moves between places and often friends. And I think this book does a good job of showing the value of community in black and queer cultures but almost everytime we make a jump Gilda already has an established relationship with characters. This book is very tell not show in that sense, it often tells you how Gilda feels about her new friends or her new location or job, very little scenes leeting the reader see it in action. However this book is still a classic for being such a first, even today we can't take for granted a black lesbian vampire story, especially one like this. It focuses so much of women finding their ways in non traditional ways, it's unabashedly queer, it's unabashedly black. Like I said, it's about community, to use a tik tok word, it's about found family. I heard that this book is potentially getting a TV show and I think that is a great idea, the writing style does kind of weigh this book down but the ideas are so good and so relevant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Slavery and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
poirot's review against another edition
reflective
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and War
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
- THE GILDA STORIES is an expansive, meditative exploration of found family, womanhood, and Blackness told through the story of Gilda, a young Black lesbian vampire, as she lives through the centuries.
- It took me a bit to get into this story, as I often find older novels keep the characters at a bit of a remove for my tastes. But once I got a handle on it, I was invested in Gilda and her search for a place and people to belong with.
- It reminded me quite a bit of Octavia E. Butler's work, not just for the vampire parallels to FLEDGLING, but also for the considerations of complex relationships and families as characters navigate new situations and realities.
- It took me a bit to get into this story, as I often find older novels keep the characters at a bit of a remove for my tastes. But once I got a handle on it, I was invested in Gilda and her search for a place and people to belong with.
- It reminded me quite a bit of Octavia E. Butler's work, not just for the vampire parallels to FLEDGLING, but also for the considerations of complex relationships and families as characters navigate new situations and realities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
stormywolf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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? Yes
5.0
Breaking out of my reading slump to read last month's pick in Maven of the Eventide's (aka Elisa Hansen's) Vampire Book Club proved to be no easy feat. Unfortunately, my library did not carry the audiobook, and it turned out I had other obligations the night of the meeting. Luckily I found a copy of the audio online, and, as always, the book club meetings are saved for posterity, so while I wasn't there for the live discussion, I was able to participate in some ways (unlike the previous month's when my library didn't even carry a text copy for The Silver Kiss). And though I'd never heard of this book before the club picked it out, the premise seemed especially intriguing and I was eager to experience it. Let me just say, wow.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, this book will undoubtedly sit with me for quite sometime. From the characters, to the settings, to the long and tumultuous journey of self-discovery, I was wholly invested. The exploration of life, and what it means to live and love from the perspective of an outsider, along with powerful depictions of struggling to choose what's best for yourself and for those around you, even if that means starting over, were what impacted me the most. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, books featuring BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ main characters, empowering women, Afrofuturism, or just a fresh, new take on vampires—even hailing from 30 years ago!
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Overall, this book will undoubtedly sit with me for quite sometime. From the characters, to the settings, to the long and tumultuous journey of self-discovery, I was wholly invested. The exploration of life, and what it means to live and love from the perspective of an outsider, along with powerful depictions of struggling to choose what's best for yourself and for those around you, even if that means starting over, were what impacted me the most. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, books featuring BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ main characters, empowering women, Afrofuturism, or just a fresh, new take on vampires—even hailing from 30 years ago!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Racial slurs, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Biphobia, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Stalking, Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation