Book Review: Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things

In a world where vampires are thought to be real after one reveals himself on live TV by healing from a self inflicted stab wound, some have wondered if it was ever real as they disappear into the shadows once more. Our MC Victoria grew up devouring vampire media with her father. However, when her father starts to lose his battle with cancer, she comes up with a plan on the idea of vampires still roaming around in New Orleans. With her childhood best friend Henry, she puts everything into the possibility of finding a vampire to save her terminally ill father.

When she arrives in New Orleans, Victoria runs into Nicholas, who gives off more vampire attributes than she can write off. Before Nicholas agrees to turn her, she must prove she loves living. To accomplish this, she’s given a series of challenges to accomplish before her trip is over, along with her shot at saving her father. However, the challenges become increasingly harder, pushing Victoria’s limits.

Despite the overarching grief throughout this novel, there’s also a sense of whimsy as Victoria explores New Orleans. Along with Henry, she experiences laughter, joy, heartbreak, and hope in a short week. The challenges she’s sent on bring out a myriad of emotions, depicted as wells of colors, fitting for an artist MC. The rollercoaster of feelings hits hard as someone who has seen a loved one battle cancer. Along with the idea of empathy towards the silent troubles people may be going through, I loved the message the book ends.

I enjoyed the flaws both Victoria and Henry have, both in themselves, and with each other. After a falling out, there’s an awkwardness around them when Henry tags along to protect Victoria on the trip and Victoria sensing something more when she tries to revert back to how they were as kids. The dynamic between them felt insanely real, even if that meant being a little frustrated at them for their decisions. But I like that type of frustration, when a character feels so real, it’s like a friend you’ve known for years and want the best for them, even if they make stupid mistakes at times. Additionally, the sibling dynamics were realistic and worked well, especially Victoria’s exasperation of how her older sister behaves with their father’s diagnosis.

Overall, I give it 4.5/5 polaroid pictures.

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As always, happy writing!