Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw

uClan Publishing, 2021

ISBN-13 : 978-1912979479

Available: Paperback (pre-order, April 1, 2021) ( Amazon.co.uk )

It’s 1995, and seventeen-year-old Mina is spending her summer visiting her older sister Libby, who moved from their home in England to New Orleans to attend college, and works in a movie-themed haunted house, owned by Thandie, who immediately hires Mina to work there for the summer. Libby has a girlfriend, Della (this relationship is wonderful), and two roommates, Jared (who also works at the haunted house) and Lucas, an artist. Despite a difficult relationship with Libby, Mina finds herself accepted into this group of older friends, who tour her around New Orleans, sharing its gruesome stories and history as well as its vibrant (and sometimes bizarre) current atmosphere. Marie Laveau, vampires, serial killers, fortune tellers, and more, fascinate Mina as she explores the city.  Shortly after she arrives, though, she discovers a co-worker murdered in the haunted house, one of several girls killed in ways described in stories from New Orleans’ past, by someone who may be a copycat of the serial killers John and Wayne Carter (or a vampire, or both, because this is New Orleans). As the friends investigate the murders, Jared and Mina quickly become romantically involved. Soon, however, events leave teenage Mina alone to navigate the city and save whoever she can.

Cons of this book: I wasn’t thrilled to see a seventeen-year-old girl romantically involved with a college-aged boy, although I appreciated that Mina at least had agency in her relationship with Jared.. I also didn’t think it was great that a high school girl was spending time in a bar, although given the setup of the story I don’t think it was unrealistic. However, as the police are significantly involved with Mina, Libby, and their friends, I had trouble believing that they would allow a minor with no adult supervision to wander New Orleans.

Having visited New Orleans, what I love most about this book is the way it brings New Orleans to life. It’s a love letter to the city, not just a setting but almost a character. Mina’s love of horror, which not only includes her own favorite movies, books, and enthusiasms, but holds her family together, from her mother’s Laurell K. Hamilton books to her sister’s job in a haunted house, is also a beautiful thing to see and I think there are many, many girls who will relate to her and have a blast joining her on this rollercoaster ride of horror, crime, romance, friendship, and betrayal.  Recommended.

Contains: Murder, torture, sexual situations, blood-drinking.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski