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twiinklex's review
3.0
Quite the eccentric read about a teenager who is turned into a vampire. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It started out compelling and very Twilight-like. I thought the focus would continue to be on the troubled protagonist and her home life. However, it turned into not the most well-executed story about consent, addiction and recovery. I would have loved to read more about Shelby's inner healing, including her relationships with others e.g. Aunt Clara.
Overall, I enjoyed this imaginative novella-in-verse with some unfulfilled promise.
Overall, I enjoyed this imaginative novella-in-verse with some unfulfilled promise.
gwyyy's review
3.0
Quick and easy read. A story told in verse. The author's message in this book was clear. However, the downside was I wasn't able to live the characters' experiences and failed to connect with them.
csistek's review
4.0
Well this was... honestly not what I expected when I requested an eGalley to review (thank you, NetGalley and West 44 Books).
This story is formatted in verse and it makes for a quick read because of it. I liked it. It's also in first person and the main character's diction is on prominent display (Brandt later calls her accent a "hillbilly" one), which made it interesting to read.
The real point of the story is drug addiction and rehabilitation. The main character's mother was a drug addict and she died from it, leaving Shelby, our main character, frustrated and angry. This causes her to lash out and ultimately fall into the hands of Brandt, who for all intents and purposes is our antagonist. He's a vampire and he turns her into one, promising forever (but not love, as Shelby realizes later). The vampirism is quite obviously a vehicle for the main message of the story and the mechanics of this particular depiction of vampirism reflects that of an actual drug addict's disposition up to and including recovery. While this is a wonderful analogy, the push for that recovery inspiration ultimately made for a more flimsy story structure, with some pacing issues and questionable implications for the lore. But it was interesting enough that I read the entirety of the second half in one sitting to see where it was going.
I think this story had really great talking points and ideas. I would have liked to have seen them fleshed out a bit more, but given that it's clearly meant to help destigmatize drug addiction and recovery, I'm satisfied with what we got and I think it did it really well. It even has fairly good commentary on relationship abuse.
So if you're looking for a quick read and want to feel uplifted by the end, I'd go ahead and recommend it.
This story is formatted in verse and it makes for a quick read because of it. I liked it. It's also in first person and the main character's diction is on prominent display (Brandt later calls her accent a "hillbilly" one), which made it interesting to read.
The real point of the story is drug addiction and rehabilitation. The main character's mother was a drug addict and she died from it, leaving Shelby, our main character, frustrated and angry. This causes her to lash out and ultimately fall into the hands of Brandt, who for all intents and purposes is our antagonist. He's a vampire and he turns her into one, promising forever (but not love, as Shelby realizes later). The vampirism is quite obviously a vehicle for the main message of the story and the mechanics of this particular depiction of vampirism reflects that of an actual drug addict's disposition up to and including recovery. While this is a wonderful analogy, the push for that recovery inspiration ultimately made for a more flimsy story structure, with some pacing issues and questionable implications for the lore. But it was interesting enough that I read the entirety of the second half in one sitting to see where it was going.
I think this story had really great talking points and ideas. I would have liked to have seen them fleshed out a bit more, but given that it's clearly meant to help destigmatize drug addiction and recovery, I'm satisfied with what we got and I think it did it really well. It even has fairly good commentary on relationship abuse.
So if you're looking for a quick read and want to feel uplifted by the end, I'd go ahead and recommend it.