My Rating: ✩✩✩✩✩
As a fan of home-state vampire lore and gothic character studies, I was so excited to read this. Overall however, it just wasn't a good read for me.
In the books favor:
- Good use of said lore. Solid references to the Exeter, RI vampire freak out (I would like to say the town has improved since then, but alas, I deeply feel the plight of the poor doctor friend begging the town to get on board with science even here in 2026, but I do digress).
- An interesting take on the vampire trope that removes the whole siring new vampires dynamic from the equation.
- Solid writing, though the style was somewhat choppy, it made sense with the character arc. The imagery and atmosphere are well honed.
Working hard against the book:
- Even as a character study, this is slow and doesn't follow through on some key parts of the world's mythos. I appreciate the trust put in the reader to just jump in a figure out the implied plot, but nothing happens. Not even in a metaphorical "nothing happens, but everything happens" way, just...nothing.
In short: loved the gothic vibes and local legend, couldn't get into the groove of the narrative.
Published on 23 June 2026 by Viking Penguin
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