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A review by debussy
Vampires, Hearts, & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Margie Fuston is the best debut I've read this year. Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things is an introspective book on living with grief, from the perspective of the eighteen-year-old Victoria, a vampire-obsessed prospective art student with a father given a terminal cancer diagnosis. Deciding she's the last best hope to save his life, Victoria flies to New Orleans in search of a vampire--one came out years ago to the national media, only to quickly go back into hiding. People aren't sure if vampires are real, but if they are? Surely they're in New Orleans. Henry, Victoria's former childhood friend and crush, escorts her, and the two are put on a vampiric quest to prove Victoria can truly live, as being a vampire does involve a lot of living. Victoria does the tasks--eat, be merry, steal things, kiss boys under the moon, but she only tailspins. Can she truly be happy--truly let herself feel any emotion at all--when her father is dying and she's the last hope to save his life?
Like I said, Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things spends a lot of time in Victoria's head. Discussions on grief, on emotional health, on coping, happiness, the future, death, what it all means if you're a vampire--it's drenched in thoughts. Victoria has to overcome her past with Henry, learn how to live without her dad, and win the vampire's game so she doesn't have to. Victoria can be a hard character to love--she's willing to believe a lot to get what she wants, and willing to put anyone around her in danger for the hope she can turn her father into a vampire. It's a hard ask for readers, but I think Fuston makes it work by relentlessly reminding us where Victoria is in the grieving process--denial, and boatloads of it.
Only two things jump out at me to make this less than a five star read--I found it difficult to believe two teenagers straight out of high school would make this major trip so spur of the moment (and that two sets of parents would be totally cool with it), and the climax felt incredibly quick given the time spent with the tasks. Some New Orleans details felt poorly threaded--the why of it all a sketch without color--but overall it's a solid addition to the vampire book crew.
Like I said, Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things spends a lot of time in Victoria's head. Discussions on grief, on emotional health, on coping, happiness, the future, death, what it all means if you're a vampire--it's drenched in thoughts. Victoria has to overcome her past with Henry, learn how to live without her dad, and win the vampire's game so she doesn't have to. Victoria can be a hard character to love--she's willing to believe a lot to get what she wants, and willing to put anyone around her in danger for the hope she can turn her father into a vampire. It's a hard ask for readers, but I think Fuston makes it work by relentlessly reminding us where Victoria is in the grieving process--denial, and boatloads of it.
Only two things jump out at me to make this less than a five star read--I found it difficult to believe two teenagers straight out of high school would make this major trip so spur of the moment (and that two sets of parents would be totally cool with it), and the climax felt incredibly quick given the time spent with the tasks. Some New Orleans details felt poorly threaded--the why of it all a sketch without color--but overall it's a solid addition to the vampire book crew.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Blood