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Book Review: Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston

cover art for Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston

Vampires, Hearts, and Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston.

Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2022

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1534474581

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

Buy: Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com

 

Victoria and her father have always shared a special love of vampires(each chapter starts with a vampire-related quote). At the end of a long year fighting pancreatic cancer, chemo has failed. While the rest of her family seems resigned to his dying, Victoria decides to visit New Orleans, vampire capital of the world, with her estranged friend Henry, in hopes of finding a real vampire willing to turn her so she can turn her father and save his life. Eventually she meets Nicholas, a vampire who tells her she must accomplish daily challenges before he can decide whether he is willing to turn her.

 

I was so angry with Victoria. She put Henry’s safety, and possibly his life, on the line, without blinking, to accomplish these challenges. She deserved to deal with her grief in the way that worked for her, but she wasn’t just cruel, she acted indifferent to this kid who had been her best friend most of her life.

 

I did like the challenges and the accompanying poems that were intended to show Victoria life was worth living and feeling. Not only did they lend a sense of optimism, they were a way to see New Orleans through Victoria’s eyes, and Fuston does a great job of describing it so that it feels like you are there.

 

Fuston has created an accurate, wrenching, and heartbreaking portrayal of grief. However, Victoria’s treatment of the people around her, especially Henry, was what made this a difficult book to read to the end..

 

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

 

 

Posted on June 16, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Night Shadows by Stephen L. Brayton

cover art for Night Shadows by Stephen Brayton

Night Shadows by Stephen L. Brayton

Black Rose Writing, 2024

ISBN: 9781685134143

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

 

Night Shadows fits perfectly in the B level ranks of horror fiction.  There is nothing really new or unique in it, but it’s sure entertaining, and enough to keep the pages flipping.  It’s a decent one for a few hours of horror escapism.

 

The ingredients that make up the story are all ones you’ve seen, many times.  Weird, killer creatures?  Got it.  Two mismatched law enforcement agents?  Yep, it’s here.  A book of black magic styled after the Necronomicon, and an eccentric professor to explain it all?  Check.  Plot twist at the end that can be guessed?  That’s here too.  All the usual elements, but still fun when used well, which the author does.  There’s enough go-juice in the writing to keep the reader’s interest and the pages moving, just not at the “up all night” (sleep all day) level.

 

The best parts of the book are probably the night shadows (the book’s antagonists) and the cop on cop interplay.  The shadows are nasty fun and do a good job wreaking bloody havoc around Des Moines, Iowa, as they multiply the city’s homicide rate exponentially over the course of a few nights.  The book is messy enough for the gorehounds, especially when the strip club gets trashed. The mismatched cops bit works well, with Detective Reznick’s sarcastic, everyday-joe attitude paired with Agent Campisi’s Vulcan-like demeanor.  Everything goes smoothly in the story, until it purrs comfortably across the finish line of its 236 pages.  If a bit of touch-up could have been used anywhere, it would be with the mystery element.  The idea of a house being present that has no business existing was excellent, and could have used some more elaborating.

 

Bottom line, In the Night Shadows is not a must-buy, but it is a fun read. if you have the spare cash, give it a look, and enjoy watching the city’s darkness tear apart its inhabitants.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on June 16, 2024 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Cover art for When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

Silver Sprocket, 2024 (previously published by Koyama Press in 2019)

ISBN-13: 9798886200409

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:    Bookshop.org | Amazon.com

 

On a dark and stormy night, a cat woman arrives at the mysterious Countess’ castle on an unspoken mission. The Countess mentions that this attractive visitor is not the first to come on this mighty errand. She is offered a warm bath after being out in the rain for so long, for which she accepts, and this is interrupted by loud knocks on the door. The cat woman ventures out to search out her prey, peeking through a keyhole, where she sees the Countess shedding her skin. When the Countess catches her at the door, a violent and erotically driven confrontation happens between the noblewoman and the cat.

 

I appreciate Carroll’s attention to Gothic literature tropes in her sequential art. The structure of the story flows in such a way that the eyes do not have time to rest most of the time. The frenetic pace blends with the reader’s sense of unease as the cat woman explores the castle and is dragged along the halls by the Countess, and when the final battle ensues.

 

Something else I enjoy about Carroll’s work is her use of color, as she uses the most bold selection almost as another character itself. In the case of When I Arrived at the Castle, she uses black, white, and red. The red acts as solid backgrounds, text bubbles, the text itself, outlines of various figures, doors, flooring, skin, blood, and more. Spending a few minutes exploring the red in the pages was an interesting exercise in reading images without words.

 

If you are looking for a standalone Gothic horror graphic novel for your collection, you can’t go wrong with When I Arrived at the Castle. If you have not picked up Carroll’s Through the Woods, I encourage you to do that, as well. Recommended.

 

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on June 1, 2024 by , Reply
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