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A review by shimauchiha
Vampires, Hearts, & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston
3.0
Do not read this if/when:
- You're triggered by or don't want to read about dealing with grief or cancer.
- One of the main reasons you like reading is beautiful writing.
- A pet peeve of yours is when artist characters use colours to describe their emotions.
- You think this will be similar to [b:They Both Die at the End|33385229|They Both Die at the End|Adam Silvera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494333138l/33385229._SY75_.jpg|49456196], or even to [b:The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|12813630|The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367312471l/12813630._SY75_.jpg|17962903]
Read this if/when:
- You love vampire stories, more specifically, you'd love a character who loves vampire stories.
- You like to read about a story set in New Orleans.
- You want a book to pass the time, that's neither particularly hard to read, nor will make you extremely invested.
My thoughts:
The idea behind this book is really great. A girl goes to New Orleans to find a real-life vampire to save her dying father. There is so much room for depth in that idea to explore mortality and grief, and why we're so fascinated with vampires as a society. You can see glimmers of those ideas coming through the book, however, it just doesn't have the necessity emotion depth and gravitas to deal with them appropriately.
The writing style, in particular, seemed too juvenile to carry the themes of the story. Some YA tropes were thrown in that really didn't add anything to the book, and as much as I love New Orleans, at times the book read like a tourist list of things to see without capturing the essence of what makes that city so wonderful and magical.
Overall, despite the potential, it was an average YA novel, with a better than average idea that was never really fulfilled. However, to give credit when credit's due, it's still a decent look at grief and something that isn't nearly explored enough in the genre.
- You're triggered by or don't want to read about dealing with grief or cancer.
- One of the main reasons you like reading is beautiful writing.
- A pet peeve of yours is when artist characters use colours to describe their emotions.
- You think this will be similar to [b:They Both Die at the End|33385229|They Both Die at the End|Adam Silvera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494333138l/33385229._SY75_.jpg|49456196], or even to [b:The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|12813630|The Coldest Girl in Coldtown|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1367312471l/12813630._SY75_.jpg|17962903]
Read this if/when:
- You love vampire stories, more specifically, you'd love a character who loves vampire stories.
- You like to read about a story set in New Orleans.
- You want a book to pass the time, that's neither particularly hard to read, nor will make you extremely invested.
My thoughts:
The idea behind this book is really great. A girl goes to New Orleans to find a real-life vampire to save her dying father. There is so much room for depth in that idea to explore mortality and grief, and why we're so fascinated with vampires as a society. You can see glimmers of those ideas coming through the book, however, it just doesn't have the necessity emotion depth and gravitas to deal with them appropriately.
The writing style, in particular, seemed too juvenile to carry the themes of the story. Some YA tropes were thrown in that really didn't add anything to the book, and as much as I love New Orleans, at times the book read like a tourist list of things to see without capturing the essence of what makes that city so wonderful and magical.
Overall, despite the potential, it was an average YA novel, with a better than average idea that was never really fulfilled. However, to give credit when credit's due, it's still a decent look at grief and something that isn't nearly explored enough in the genre.