karpatenhund's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I didn‘t think it was a thriller but it was a very good read all about art, food, womanhood and the relationship with your parents. I enjoyed reading it! A nice modern take on vampire stories. I would have loved it more had it been more suspenseful/thrilling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Animal death
Minor: Eating disorder and Sexual harassment
alisonscurfield's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Dementia, Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Animal death
snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Suicide attempt, Colonisation, Death of parent, Blood, Dementia, Racism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
kasssidyy's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There was a lot of potential here but it just didn’t fall over the cusp. I felt like the author could’ve gone all in with a few more plot pieces/ Lydia’s two sides. It’s more a book on dualities of life, internal suffering and I generational trauma… with a vampire main character. Lydia’s stream of consciousness was a bit dry and while I didn’t need a horrific, gothic vampire read..a bit more plot or development could have been helpful. Lydia being able to see/feel what her “victim” could was fascinating but barely flushed out. It got boring when i was 60% through and Lydia hadn’t fed at all. It was a decent read, short but one I may not recommend. Will look for more by the author though, the writing style was great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Sexual violence and Animal death
kleinekita's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Started off fairly dry and slow, but the ending was amazing.
More Buffy references than I expected, and I appreciated them every time.
More Buffy references than I expected, and I appreciated them every time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Eating disorder, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Sexual harassment
readbylaur's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death, and Sexual assault
Minor: Rape
Spoiler
description of sexual assault in the last 5 pagesSpoiler
allapaz's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this was very, VERY slow, and yet there were so many beats that could've morphed into a compelling story.....and just didn't
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Dementia, Blood, and Animal death
erinbarton's review
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
i feel like the fact that the mc was a vampire had basically no bearing on the plot - this read exactly like every other ‘sad girl literary fiction’ book with occasional references to the fact that she can only drink blood.
the blurb describes this basically as a vampire with an eating disorder but this idea wasn’t properly explored in the book. i felt like there were too many plot strands going on and it just took away from the concept. if the mc was trying to resist the blood drinking urges and then caves and attacks people i think this would have been a more interesting read and be representative of a restriction / binge cycle which could be present in EDs.
overall this just felt a bit too underdeveloped and too many ideas going on. the author seems to throw out too many different ideas that the vampirism could be a metaphor of - eating disorders, generational trauma, colonialism, discrimination as a biracial person, sexual abuse, etc - and the actual intention of the book wasn’t clear. because of this it just felt like a generic literary/contemporary book with the vampire element added last minute to try and help it stand out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, and Eating disorder
jocularjacob's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
jackietanori's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
Wow. Wow. And wow again.
I’ve been a fan of vampire based literature since I was 10 years old, first with Twiligh; then classics like Dracula and Carmella; historical fiction like A Dowry of Blood and Interview with the Vampire; back around to contemporary teen based magazine ones like Vampire Academy and Crave; all the shows and movies you can think of. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, What We Do In the Shadows, Van Helsing, The Lost Boys, heck even Hotel Transylvania. The list goes on til the end of time, but I have never read anything like this.
Claire Kohda writes like a woman unhinged. Like there’s nowhere but up, but she’d rather plummet head first down into the abyss. Writing this lush should be against the law.
Lydia is a woman we all know. She’s inside of us all. She thinks what we think and acts like we act. A vampire, but more human than you can ever put into words.
Crying score: yes, I’ll think about this book for the rest of my life.
I’ve been a fan of vampire based literature since I was 10 years old, first with Twiligh; then classics like Dracula and Carmella; historical fiction like A Dowry of Blood and Interview with the Vampire; back around to contemporary teen based magazine ones like Vampire Academy and Crave; all the shows and movies you can think of. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, What We Do In the Shadows, Van Helsing, The Lost Boys, heck even Hotel Transylvania. The list goes on til the end of time, but I have never read anything like this.
Claire Kohda writes like a woman unhinged. Like there’s nowhere but up, but she’d rather plummet head first down into the abyss. Writing this lush should be against the law.
Lydia is a woman we all know. She’s inside of us all. She thinks what we think and acts like we act. A vampire, but more human than you can ever put into words.
Crying score: yes, I’ll think about this book for the rest of my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Murder, Blood, Death, Gore, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Sexism, Animal death, Cannibalism, Mental illness, and Racism