mychemicalseal's review against another edition
4.5
i really loved this collection of stories, there were so many different ideas and each gave you a different flavour. it also got me back into writing even if it was only microfiction. well worth a read!
dlberglund's review against another edition
3.0
Not all of these stories were worth their weight in garlic, but it was a happily distracting and weirdly amusing collection of short stories. Some really had the potential to be full length novels, and a few I was glad to leave behind when I was done. But why did I read a collection of new vampire stories if not for the eclectic darkness and snarkiness? And that's what I got.
kthlyyn's review against another edition
2.0
Seven Nights for Dying - 2 stars
The Boys From Blood River - 3 stars
Senior Year Sucks - 4 stars
The Boy and the Bell - 4 stars
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire - 4 stars
In Kind - 2 stars
Vampires Never Say Die - DNF
First Kill - 5 stars (Buddy read with aya
The Boys From Blood River - 3 stars
Senior Year Sucks - 4 stars
The Boy and the Bell - 4 stars
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire - 4 stars
In Kind - 2 stars
Vampires Never Say Die - DNF
First Kill - 5 stars (Buddy read with aya
crystalroses68's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
fawna's review against another edition
3.0
Seven Nights for Dying: Tessa Graton ⭐⭐
The Boys From Blood River: Rebecca Roanhorse ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Senior Year Sucks: Julie Murphy ⭐⭐
The Boy and the Bell: Heidi Heilig ⭐⭐⭐
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire: Samira Ahmed ⭐⭐⭐
In Kind: Kayla Whaley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vampires Never Say Die: Zoraida Córdova & Natalie Parker ⭐⭐
Bestiary: Laura Ruby ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I'd happily read a full length novel on this. It needed way more)
Mirrors, Windows & Selfies: Mark Oshiro ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The House of Black Sapphires: Dhonielle Clayton ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 (I think I would LOVE this as a fully fleshed out novel, but this snippet wasn't doing it)
First Kill: V.E. Scwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 (also needs to be a full novel, or even a series of novels)
"Editrixes" commentary after each story: 0 stars. Added nothing.
Average and overall: ⭐⭐⭐
The Boys From Blood River: Rebecca Roanhorse ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Senior Year Sucks: Julie Murphy ⭐⭐
The Boy and the Bell: Heidi Heilig ⭐⭐⭐
A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire: Samira Ahmed ⭐⭐⭐
In Kind: Kayla Whaley ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vampires Never Say Die: Zoraida Córdova & Natalie Parker ⭐⭐
Bestiary: Laura Ruby ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I'd happily read a full length novel on this. It needed way more)
Mirrors, Windows & Selfies: Mark Oshiro ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The House of Black Sapphires: Dhonielle Clayton ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 (I think I would LOVE this as a fully fleshed out novel, but this snippet wasn't doing it)
First Kill: V.E. Scwab ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 (also needs to be a full novel, or even a series of novels)
"Editrixes" commentary after each story: 0 stars. Added nothing.
Average and overall: ⭐⭐⭐
charlie_m77's review against another edition
3.0
2.5
This book is strange for me because some of the stories like Julie Murphy's, Mark Oshiros, And VE Schwab's stories were really, really good, and wouldn't have minded a full novel from some of them. But others just fell so utterly flat, to the point where I was bored for most of the book. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to this book and I truly love anthologies. Oh well, at least First Kill is becoming a show (also if First Kill does well, they totally should add to the universe with Julie Murphys story. It would work phenomenally as a tv show)
This book is strange for me because some of the stories like Julie Murphy's, Mark Oshiros, And VE Schwab's stories were really, really good, and wouldn't have minded a full novel from some of them. But others just fell so utterly flat, to the point where I was bored for most of the book. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to this book and I truly love anthologies. Oh well, at least First Kill is becoming a show (also if First Kill does well, they totally should add to the universe with Julie Murphys story. It would work phenomenally as a tv show)
venusfawn's review against another edition
1.0
i’m not sure i’ve ever read an anthology before where there wasn’t even a single story i’d give five stars to, and I’m really bummed that this book fits that bill. i love vampires, and i adore this cover. but these stories were awful. even a short story can be well fleshed out, but nothing in this anthology was. they felt more like concept stories than finished products; a couple were so boring i wound up skimming them after a while. Senior Year Sucks and First Kill felt too similar in general premise to me, which just seemed kind of sloppy, and neither one was even very good. they both had terrible cases of instalove, vampire hunters who were crap at their job as soon as they saw a hot vampire, and both felt a little like cheesy ripoffs of Supernatural or Buffy, mashed up with some Riverdale for good measure.
i should have known from the jump that i probably wasn’t going to like this, because i really didn’t like the opening story and it definitely showcased the tone of the whole book. there were two stories i found *almost* good; those by Rebecca Roanhorse and Dhonielle Clayton; but unfortunately the former left me with too many unanswered questions and so was dissatisfying for me, and the latter i found to ultimately be kind of boring even though it started off promising.
some other little issues i had were i could’ve done without the little blurb/discussion question things the editors put in after each story. they really weren’t necessary and their presence was just sort of annoying. several times “grasped” was missing an R so people were “gasping” things instead. it was just weird seeing this specific typo more than once.
this was sadly one of the worst short story compilations i think i’ve ever read, and it really sucks that i find myself saying that about a vampire anthology.
i should have known from the jump that i probably wasn’t going to like this, because i really didn’t like the opening story and it definitely showcased the tone of the whole book. there were two stories i found *almost* good; those by Rebecca Roanhorse and Dhonielle Clayton; but unfortunately the former left me with too many unanswered questions and so was dissatisfying for me, and the latter i found to ultimately be kind of boring even though it started off promising.
some other little issues i had were i could’ve done without the little blurb/discussion question things the editors put in after each story. they really weren’t necessary and their presence was just sort of annoying. several times “grasped” was missing an R so people were “gasping” things instead. it was just weird seeing this specific typo more than once.
this was sadly one of the worst short story compilations i think i’ve ever read, and it really sucks that i find myself saying that about a vampire anthology.
ajamwelch's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Dive into facets of the vampire myth. Leaves you things to consider after every story.