Coffin Moon

Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson, 320 pages

Vietnam vet Duane is back home after his tour of duty, and with the help of his in-laws, has managed to get sober (despite his job as a bartender), salvage his marriage, and become a foster parent to his niece, Julia. But one night at the bar, Duane runs afoul of local gang leader John Varley, and Varley decides the best way to get even is to massacre Duane's wife and in-laws in the goriest way possible. In their grief, Duane and Julia decide to get revenge on Varley, despite the fact that Varley is a vampire and nearly unkillable.

I loved this book, which felt like a throwback to the classic Stephen King novels of the 1970s, but without the coke-addled overlong books. This was tight, surprising, scary, and altogether fantastic. I highly recommend it for horror fans.

Of Monsters and Mainframes

 Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, 407 pages.

Demeter is a dependable spaceship. She has successfully shuttled lots of humans between Earth and Alpha Centauri, and had no complaints. That is, until Dracula sneaks on board, murders all of her humans, and gets her branded a ghost ship. This seems to mark some sort of metaphysical unsealing, because from then on she seems inundated with supernatural creatures determined to kill her humans. Spaceships aren't programmed for vengeance, but Demeter has already had to make lots of adjustments to her code, and she'll make one more to take the people she's gathered closest to her and go kill the monster who started all of this.

This is a really unusual book! It's sort of Dracula meets the League of Extraordinary Gentleman (complete with vampire Mina Murray), with a heavy dose of pulpy sci-fi thrown in for good measure. The first half of this book felt more like a collection of short stories than the unified novel I was expecting, but I enjoyed myself the entire time, so I really can't complain. Similarly, the found family elements seem less prevalent than I expected from the premise, but I really enjoyed all of the characters. This book was a romp! I would definitely recommend it to fans of classic movie monsters. 

Dead & Breakfast

Dead & Breakfast by Kat Hillis & Rosiee Thor, 336 pages

Married vampires Arthur and Sal have just welcomed their first guest at their new B&B in a small vacation town in Oregon. While there are a few other paranormal business owners in Trident Falls, there's also a fairly wide stripe of anti-paranormal sentiment in town, so when the mayor turns up dead in Arthur and Sal's flower bed, they're desperate to find the killer — and they're hoping against hope that it's not someone paranormal. With the help of an elfin coroner and a werewolf barista/lawyer, as well as the new city manager (human), Arthur and Sal are on the case.

This was a cozy mystery with a fantastic paranormal twist. I loved the straitlaced/flamboyant pairing of Arthur and Sal, especially as their relationship grows and matures over the course of the book. This definitely isn't something to read if you're looking for something challenging or super serious, but it's an excellent frothy and fun escape.

A People's History of the Vampire Uprising

 A People's History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal, 432 pages.

A young woman dies of a mysterious disease in a small town in Arizona. Later, she walks back out again. This disease "re-creates" people stronger, faster, slower aging, and with a taste for human blood. Soon, with some clever social maneuvering, these vampires (who prefer to be called gloamings) come to make the disease not only accepted but sought-after, even with its high mortality rate. This fictional oral history follows doctors, FBI agents, priests, and many others for a complete look at the gloamings in America.

This is a book with a whole lot of really cool ideas, which unfortunately often go nowhere. Many plot points are picked up and then never resolved, and the whole novel feels like it lacks a through-line to make it work as a book. There are two chapters that imply that nuclear weapons were launched in relation to vampires, but we're never told what actually happened, nor is it ever mentioned again after those two short interludes about 2/3 of the way through the book. This book has some interesting world-building material to chew on, especially for people interested in vampires, but I'm not sure I can recommend it as a cohesive novel. 

The Madness

The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich, 318 pages

Dr. Mina Murray has dedicated her professional life to helping women deal with  trauma. After all, she has her own experiences with traumatic experiences, ones that manifest in obsessive behavior that she hasn't allowed herself to address. When Mina's estranged friend Lucy contacts her for help, Mina soon discovers that Lucy is exhibiting the same mysterious symptoms as a Jane Doe she recently treated, and they're by no means the only women experiencing these problems.

This retelling of Dracula focuses on what's happening to the women that are preyed upon while simultaneously giving Mina and the other female characters more agency than the original. It's well done, and timely, and with a Welsh setting, is still wonderfully gothic (though it has me craving bara brith now).

So Thirsty

 So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison, 304 pages.

Sloane Parker is starting to grow old in a life she finds deeply mediocre, but at least it's safe. Her lukewarm husband buys her a trip to a luxury cabin with her best friend, and Naomi makes it her goal to shake Sloane out of the life that isn't making her happy and really live for once. The shake is perhaps a little harder than she intended, as the wild party she drags them to ends with death instead of life, and vampiric transformations for the two of them. Faced with mounting horror, Sloane has to decide if the price of change is too high for happiness. 

This book opens really strong. I liked the character voice for Sloane, and I liked how much fun the author was clearly having with little dramatic irony lines as the audience knows they are reading a vampire book but the characters don't know they are in one. Unfortunately, I found myself losing interest as we got to the actual vampire part of the book and Sloane's angst started drowning out anything else, which is a little unfortunate and unexpected given the genre. I did still find this book to be fun and easy to read, so while I wouldn't consider this an amazing book, I do think vampire enjoyers would have a good time with it. 

Bride

Bride by Ali Hazelwood, 399 pages

As the daughter of the leader of the Vampyre Council, you'd think Misery would have a pretty great life of leisure. But instead, she's spent most of her 25 years living among the Humans, first as a collateral hostage and later because she couldn't feel comfortable back in Vampyre territory. Now her ruthless and distant father is using her as another kind of hostage, marrying her off to Lowe, an Alpha for the Weres. Yup, once again, Misery is stuck in a dangerous situation in the midst of longtime enemies of her people. But this time, Misery has a motive of her own for venturing into Were territory — and while she seems to disgust her new husband, Lowe also seems to be a much kinder and more honorable person than she ever expected.

I don't really read much paranormal romance, but this seems to be a good one, and perfect for fans of the new romantasy genreblend who want a little more spice and fewer dragons. There's a degree of the annoying "oh just talk to each other already" trope that permeates this book, though the whole "our species are mortal enemies" thing explains that away pretty well. I'd only caution fans of Ali Hazelwood's other romances, which are pretty funny and free of werewolves — this one is a bit of a swerve from her past books.

The Night Library of Sterendach

The Night Library of Sterendach by Jessica Levai, 134 pages

The Hellers have fought the local vampires for generations, although a precarious truce has kept both the vampires and the Hellers from offing each other for the past 50 years. When Kunigunde was 7, her grandmother (the main Heller vampire hunter these days) took her to meet the vampire lord (I guess to further seal the truce and let young Kunigunde meet her foe? The reasoning isn't entirely clear.) Anyway, Kunigunde immediately falls in love with the vampire's library (like anyone would), and when she meets him again later, falls for the vampire himself. Much drama ensues.

The subtitle of this book is "a vampire opera in verse," so it's a 134-page epic poem that definitely has all the melodrama that an opera requires. It's a classic vampire story though, so if you're in the market for that, it's quick and worth a read. 

Strange Practice

 Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw, 320 pages.

Dr. Greta Helsing runs a very specialized medical practice, caring for London's undead like her family before her. Although not lucrative, Greta takes great satisfaction in her work. An order on monstrous monks hunting London's undead and human communities both is not what she signed up for, but that's not going to stop her from doing her best to get to the bottom of it.

This was a fun little mystery. I really enjoyed the characters and the world that Shaw set up. I will however say that it is a very good thing that solving mysteries isn't actually Greta's job, because she and her friends are frustratingly bad at it. Still, I enjoyed this book enough that I expect I will pick up it's sequel.

(Also, this cover is SUPER cool)

My Roommate is a Vampire

 My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, 341 pages.

Cassie Greenberg is really struggling to make ends meet living in Chicago with an MA in art. She's on the cusp of eviction (again) when she sees a roommate wanted ad for a ludicrously low price in a suspiciously nice neighborhood. Then she meets her new roommate, one Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, who is both very attractive and astoundingly weird (I'm sure we can all guess why). Turns out Frederick needs a guide for life in the 21st century (he's been asleep awhile), and Cassie really needs the cheap rent. Plus, he's not so bad once you get to know him.

This book was exactly as cute as the cover promised (and that's a really cute cover). It was also hilarious, up there with the funniest romantic comedies I've read. This was a really delightful book to break up some of the darker Halloween-themed books I tend to read in October. There were a few plot hooks that felt like they sort of came out of nowhere and went nowhere, but I wouldn't say that that really detracted from my enjoyment at all.

Interview with the Vampire

 

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (1976) 346 Pages

This novel is a narration by Louis, to an interviewer in near modern-day, as he tells the story of his life as a vampire. He was once a plantation owner in 1791 in Louisiana. He managed a large swath of land until he stumbled home drunk one night and was turned into a vampire by Lestat, a much older, ruthless, cold vampire. Most of the story goes into Louis' struggle with his morality and how in being a vampire, its difficult for him to continue to take a life. Louis and Lestat often fight and argue, because Lestat takes pleasure in hunting human victims for sport and Louis is often disgusted by this. They are living in New Orleans when Louis happens upon a little girl cowering next to her deceased mother. After arguing with Lestat once again about the taking of human life, Louis happens upon the girl and is overcome with a sense of need, and ends up taking her blood and almost killing her. Lestat finds them and manically starts laughing, proving his point that vampires are inherently killers. Later the next week, Lestat takes the girl from her sick bed and wants Louis to finish the job. Instead of killing her, Lestat ends up turning her into a vampire, a forever child. Claudia "grows up" with Louis as her father and partner. She is forever a small child but after many years she is mature enough to begin questioning her origin. Claudia poisons Lestat and although he doesn't fully die and comes back for them, they set fire to the house and escape to leave on a boat for Europe. Claudia and Louis travel across Europe in search for other vampires. What they find is a primitive form of vampire-like monster, which cannot be reasoned with and they kill it. Once they get to Paris, they finally find a host of other vampires. Led by Armand, the Theatre des Vampires is a group of vampires who live in a theater and put on plays which they pretend to be actors playing vampires. Armand is infatuated with Louis and Claudia becomes convinced he is trying to pry them apart. Claudia finds a woman who she wants Louis to turn, in order to be her caretaker if Louis is to leave her for Armand. Louis agrees to turn her, and when he does they are immediately captured by Armand's cohort. It is a grave crime to attempt or commit murder of another vampire, and they have caught on that Lestat was allegedly murdered by Claudia. Claudia and her new vampire caregiver are burned alive. This forever changes Louis and he completely loses his joy in life. He wanders the globe with Armand, with little happiness.

The Lost Girls

 The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl, 197 pages.

Due to the exceptionally cruel rules of vampirism, Holly Liddell hasn't been able to change at all since 1987, when her vampire boyfriend convinced her they would be in love forever. Thirty-four years later he abandoned her at a gas station and she's stuck with her crimped hair and night shift at Taco Bell, magically bound to follow him around. It's even worse when she finds out that she's the THIRD girl he's done this to, and that he's getting ready to do it again. Elton's other exes, Rose and Ida, are determined to kill him to both save this new girl and secure their own freedom, and as soon as Holly meets the new target (and feels some shockingly strong feelings about her) she's on board too. 

This book was interesting, but I'm not sure it entirely worked. It's rare to see a young adult novel about vampires portray them as truly monstrous, and it was definitely interesting that this one did. However, as a romance novel, and especially a romance between a human and a vampire, it made it a little hard to buy-in. There's just a lot of murder and corpse mutilation to feel too sympathetic to the protagonists you are clearly supposed to feel very sympathetic for. This book was sort of fun, but there are a lot of components that just don't feel like they quite come together.

Dracula

 Dracula by Bram Stoker, 399 pages.

I would say that nobody needs me to summarize the plot of a hundred year old novel, but I was surprised to realize when I started it that Dracula himself is pretty much the only part of this book to have bled into the public imagination, and almost all of the plot was a surprise to me. 

I should also probably address before my review that I read this book in a very weird way. Although I did read the whole text, I did so by having it emailed to me chronologically on the dates that correspond to the dates on the letters and journal entries in the novel (which takes about six months).

I really enjoyed this novel! I thought it was genuinely spooky, and it did some really interesting things thematically. I really liked the characters, and definitely got invested in some of the relationships. I also now feel informed enough to properly appreciate how weird many adaptation choices are (Van Helsing was EXTREMELY different from what I was expecting).

Note: If you are also interested in reading this classic novel in easily digestible chunks (and in a way that several times really manages no hammer home the dread of waiting) I highly recommend Dracula Daily, which was the service I used. It just ended for this go round, but it will start up again next May, and you can always subscribe to their emails now.

The Lights of Prague

The Lights of Prague by Nicole Jarvis, 413 pages

Domek Myska is a lamplighter in 19th Century Prague. Every night, he walks the streets to, yes, light the gas streetlamps, but also to fight the monsters that prey upon unwitting people every night. And by "monster" I'm being quite literal — he hunts the vampiric pijavice, as well as poltergeists, ghosts, and all manner of supernatural evil. One night during a battle, he comes into possession of a powerful will-o'-the-wisp that has somehow been trapped and forced into servitude for a pijavice. While he doesn't know how or why, Domek does know that no good can come of this combination, and is determined to figure it out. Meanwhile, the clever, beautiful, and mysterious widow Lady Ora Fischerova keeps popping up in his life. There's something special about her, no doubt, but Domek can't quite put his finger on it.

For a debut novel, this was so good!! The world-building, the complex characters and relationships, the descriptions of the creatures...all of it was spot on. I don't know if Jarvis plans to return to Ora and Domek's Prague in future books, but I know I certainly wouldn't complain. That said, I'm pretty sure I'll read whatever she comes up with next. This was fantastic.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix, 404 pages

Patricia Campbell seems like your average suburban housewife: she lives on a cul-de-sac with her husband, two kids, and a dog. She enjoys a glass of white wine at her monthly book club. But the book club doesn't get their reading selections from Oprah — instead, they're reading true crime books, from Helter Skelter to In Cold Blood to Ann Rule. So when a new neighbor strikes Patricia as a bit odd, her husband blames the gruesome books for planting ideas in her head. But Patricia can't shake the idea that something about the neighbor's avoidance of daylight and the disappearance of kids from a poor neighborhood are more than just an ominous coincidence and she enlists her book club to help her solve the mystery.

I have loved every one of Grady Hendrix's novels, and this is definitely no exception. It's clever, creepy, funny, and such a wonderful love letter to the unsung heroes that are stay at home moms. I can see why this appeared on so many Best of 2020 lists. Recommended for fans of horror and humor.

Opium & Absinthe

Opium & Absinthe by Lydia Kang, 368 pages

It's 1899, and Bram Stoker's Dracula is sweeping the nation. So when socialite Tillie Pembroke's older sister Lucy is found dead, bloodless and with two holes on her neck, Tillie's mind automatically turns to vampires. But Tillie's a curious young woman, and she's determined to find a scientific explanation for her sister's death, whether it's a vampire or something else. Complicating her investigations, however, are Tillie's recent fall from a horse (which has her constantly under the influence of opium) and Tillie's mother and grandmother, who are understandably resistant to letting their last remaining heir out of their sight.

This is an intriguing story of New York City at the turn of the century, and includes references to several historical figures and events that readers will find interesting. The mystery itself was OK, I guess, but I particularly enjoyed the Tillie's investigations into the science behind vampires — including meeting with morticians, anatomists, and even a zoologist — as well as the peek into the medicinal habits of the era. It's a fun book, if one can say that about murder and addiction.

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred . . .

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes  300 pp.

Fred was born boring, lived boring, and died boring only to wake up again as a vampire. Now he's a vampire with self-esteem issues who is having a boring afterlife. That is, until he attends his high school reunion and hooks up with an old friend who investigates Parahumans (vampires, zombies, etc.) Soon Fred's life is not so boring and he ends up dealing with and occasionally befriending truck driving wereponies, chipper zombies, necromancers, and dragons. Amusing and enjoyable but not enough for me to continue with the rest of the series.

Dracula

Dracula by Bram Stoker  488 pp.

Another appropriate choice for this time of year. I read this many years ago but don't think I ever finished it. The story does bog down about 2/3 of the way through. When I saw the Audible version with Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, Simon Prebble, Kathryn Kellgren and others I just had to try it. I was not disappointed. The classic story of the sinister vampire, Dracula, his unfortunate victims, and the efforts by their friends and spouses to defeat the monster is brought to life by the talents of the full cast of narrators. Through the use of accents, it is not obvious which actor is speaking because they fully inhabit the characters. The only exception was Alan Cumming whose voice and Scottish accent were easily recognizable, but not out of place in the story.

Wayward Son

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell, 356 pages

This follow-up to Rowell's fantastic Harry Potter-if-they-acknowledged-the-gay-undertones-and-gave-Hermione-her-due novel Carry On finds Simon Snow, his smart best friend Penelope, and his former-enemy-now-boyfriend Baz road-tripping through the American west in pursuit of their friend Agatha, who has suddenly gone off the grid. All three pals are a bit lost, emotionally speaking, and while it's certainly not their intention to find themselves on the road, like many fictional American road trips, that's certainly what happens here. In between fighting off vampires and visiting Carhenge and whatnot, that is. I loved revisiting these characters, and since it ends on a definite cliffhanger, I'm so excited to see what Rowell has in mind for them next.

Carry On

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, 522 pages

Did you ever read Harry Potter and think, "Wow, Harry's such a boring 'chosen one.' It'd be so much better if someone actually acknowledge that, as well as the way that Dumbledore seems to just use him for his 'chosen one-ness,' letting him take care of the bad guys instead of better trained adults! Oh, and this whole series would be better if someone acknowledged that there's gotta be something deeper to the mutual obsession between Harry and Draco Malfoy." If so, Rainbow Rowell has answered your call.

In Carry On, "chosen one" Simon Snow is a not-so-great hero, who only survives multiple clashes with dark beings by relying on his much smarter and more talented best friend Penelope Bunce. Snow's roommate is the snobbish, old-magic, old-money Baz Pitch-Grimm, who has sworn to destroy Snow and everything he stands for — complicated only a *little* bit by the fact that Baz is head-over-heels in love with Simon.

This is fun, funny, and refreshing, and I can't believe it's taken me almost five years to read this fantastic book. The sequel, Wayward Son, comes out this fall, and yes, I do have it on request for myself. These books are fantastic.