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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: Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw

cover art for Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw

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

Posted on March 18, 2021 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Bone Parish Volume 1 by Cullen Bunn, art by Jonas Scharf

Bone Parish Volume 1 by Cullen Bunn, art by Jonas Scharf

BOOM! Studios, 2018

ISBN: 9781684153541

Available: Paperback

Bone Parish is, frankly, one of the better Stoker-nominated books I read for Monster Librarian. As a new fan of the Harrow County series, I like Bunn’s writing style. While this is a departure from the backwoods of that Southern Gothic dark fairy tale, it is a welcome change.

The Winters family, a New Orleans crime family, has concocted and is trafficking a new designer hallucinogenic drug made from the ashes of the dead, simply called “ash”, and it is becoming extremely popular. Those who ingest the ashes experiece memories from the life of the individual who previously inhabited the physical body. Other crime families are noticing the success of the Winters and want to buy them out (or take them out), to obtain control over the creation and flow of the lucrative drug trade. Grace Winters (with deceased husband Andre at her side, thanks to his ashes), is not willing to give up the family business, and this means war. Son Brae is vying to take over, while daughter Brigitte, the only family member living who knows how to make the drug, secludes herself in her morgue workshop, working constantly to keep up with demand. The two younger brothers, Wade and Leon, act as the enforcers of the family, ensuring money and distribution go smoothly, but they begin to question the family business. A confrontation eventually leaves the brothers in a deadly situation. Luckily for one of them, Mother Winters made sure to provide them with the ashes of a former soldier to help them just in case, but is it enough?

Between Bunn’s compelling story and Scharf’s artwork, it’s no wonder that Bone Parish Volume 1 has been nominated for a 2018 Stoker Award. I’m going to be adding this to my personal collection as well as recommending it for my library to purchase. I definitely recommend Bone Parish to anyone who likes a good crime story merged into their horror. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, gore

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: Bone Parish Volume 1 is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel.

Posted on May 3, 2019 by , Reply
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