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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: Lie or Die by A. J. Clack

cover art for Lie or Die by A.J. Clack

Lie or Die by A.J. Clack

Firefly Press, 2024

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1915444417

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition (pre-order)

Buy:  Amazon.com

 

 

 

Kass broke the friend code by kissing her BFF Thea’s ex. To prove she’s trustworthy, Thea insists they audition together for a new, livestreaming reality show based on their favorite game, Mafia, called Lie or Die.

 

Lie or Die’s version of Mafia lasts for four nights and consists of ten players. Among them are two Agents, who work together to kill of the other players, a Detective, who has the opportunity to learn the status of a player of their choosing, and a Judge, who moderates play. There’s a Kill Window each night, when the Agents can kill a player, and an Accusation Window, in which the players can accuse up to two players of being agents. Only one player can be eliminated per round. The accused must defend themselves in the Courtroom and hope they can get enough votes to stay alive, or face “execution” by electric chair Survival in Mafia is based on players’ ability to identify deception and lie effectively, and Kass is very good at both of those. If she teamed up with Thea, they would have a good chance of winning. Kass lacks the necessary charisma in her audition, but goes with their friend Lewis to take Thea to the studio. Shortly before the show starts, one of the players has a serious allergy attack, though, and the director asks Kass to step in and Lewis to join the studio crew. Kass is intimidated by the other contestants, also young adults, who all seem flawless and confident to her, but agrees.

 

The set for Lie or Die is a closed set. Once the contestants are in, they aren’t coming out until they are eliminated. Their cell phones are confiscated and the  judge, Cohin, is an AI, so while the contestants are constantly being recorded, they don’t have any direct contact with the outside world while the game is going on. The game also has a secret agenda to accomplish, and it’s there that things start to go very wrong. Is Kass being gaslighted, or has the game become murderously real? Clack had me turning in circles trying to figure out what the motivations were for the story’s events. I am going to be honest, I did not see the ending coming..

 

While the motive behind the show was not believable, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about Thea and Kass, who were terrible to each other, this is a whirlwind of a book, and I was impressed at how well Clack did at differentiating the characters, given the short time span so many of them had on the show.

 

As a side note, I have to give Taylor Swift props: she is everywhere now. Kass and Lewis have a game where they share messages using Taylor Swift lyrics, and when all else fails, they’re able to use it as a code to plan their escape.

 

Lie or Die is a dark, fast, and twisty read with a dash of humor and a little romance, that will keep readers on their toes. Start it on the weekend, as you won’t want to put it down until you’re done. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on March 4, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson

Quill Tree Books, 2023

ISBN-13: ‎978-0063260795

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

Buy:  Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com

 

I have enjoyed Kosoko Jackson’s previous YA books, the dystopian Survive the Dome and the time travel novel Yesterday is History, both with Black queer boys as protagonists. The Forest Demands Its Due once again changes genre, to a combination of dark academia and folk horror.

 

Douglas Jones was arrested for arson and manslaughter when a lawyer offered her services pro bono if he would agree to attend an elite boarding school in an isolated area of Vermont. The school is bordered by a forest that students are warned away from as there have been many who disappeared into them never to be seen again.

 

As the only Black queer boy attending Regent School, Douglas is a target for bullies. He also hears loud, disturbing voices he can’t  turn off that he is certain come from the forest. Just the first few pages and Jackson had me deep in his story.

 

Early in the book a bully drags Douglas into the forest and is killed. Everett Everley, a member of the Everley family charged with protecting students, bargains with the Emissary, a vengeful creature of the god of the forest, to save himself and Douglas. Douglas learns that whenever there is a suspicious death the headmaster “erases” the existence of the person from everyone’s memories, so no one is aware of how many students and teachers have been lost to the forest.

 

There is a curse on the forest, nearby town of Winslow, and the five founding families of the town preventing them from leaving because they participated in the burning of Henry, the forest god’s lover, generations ago. His grief and anger have caused the death and anguish of many students and locals.  Everett and the headmaster are both descendants of the founding families. Everett helps Douglas investigate the history of Winslow, the school, and the forest, and after some awkward misunderstandings they start to develop a romantic relationship. The headmaster convinces Douglas to enter the forest  in hopes that he can find the gate to the forest god’s retreat and break the curse. Everett goes with Douglas to protect him. The forest is nightmarish, twisty and changeable and they easily get lost, then attacked by Emissaries and their grotesque servants, called Perversions. When they find the gate, Douglas goes through to try to convince the god to let go of his grief and anger and release the forest and town from their curse. As the god dies, he transfers his powers to Douglas, tying him to the forest and freeing Everett.

 

This was a very emotional story with a lot of darkness and trauma. The two boys have had very heavy responsibilities set on their shoulders and see and experience things no one should have to. They witness the aftermath of a suicide and there is a fair amount of gore and body horror (the Perversions are a grotesque combination of human and animal parts) Jackson’s writing is descriptive and atmospheric, although it’s a little slow in places, and he has created an immersive experience of the dark fantastic.

 

Jackson frequently addresses the injustice and inequality of institutions such as the legal system and education, and that is evident here. I love that he puts power for change in the hands of someone marginalized, who has only ever felt powerless. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on October 3, 2023 by , Reply
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