A review by weaverwrites
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

dark hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think the characters are what make or break this book for you. The writing pulled me in--very smooth and very conversational, strong 3rd person, but I think it was the characters who made me latch on. My heart ached for Patricia and for Grace. Slick and Kitty were wild in their own ways and Maryellen just fit in and Mrs. (Ursula) Greene deserved a whole lot more than she got. If you find yourself in these ladies, I think you're a lot more likely to appreciate the book. It starts so normal, so painfully normal, and things slowly get stranger, fall out of place, stand out. The pacing suits the book, in my opinion. This is not Buffy. (No offense to Buffy, obv.) It takes its time because it needs to--the relationships we see and Patricia's determination don't mean nearly as much otherwise.

The book has its flaws, partially as a result of the setting. Gaslighting and cheating and otherwise abusive husbands? Check. (Fuck Carter.) Quiet, deeply ingrained racism? Check. This is a book about white women in a small Southern town in the early to mid 90s, and with such a strong theme of manners and propriety, there are some things this book just can't talk about (so it whispers them instead).

Clearly this isn't well-organized. I apologize. Some people won't like this book. But if you like a comedy of manners mixed with a cozy mystery, sprinkled with blood and gore and murder, you might enjoy this. Characters aside (though they've clawed their way into my heart), I think this is about going in with the right expectations. I'm not sure what exactly I expected, but I personally am VERY pleased with what I got.
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