A fun, campy horror that emotionally feels like reading a combination of the show iZombie and the book This Delicious Death - except starring vampires instead of zombies. (Obviously).

If you were looking for an entertaining read that can simultaneously tackle real struggles that anyone in the community can relate to (disapproving parents, societal rejection, wanting to be true to oneself), with humor (and blood) throughout the pages, this is it.

We star our main character - Vlad Radu, as he begins to embrace his life as a gay vampire - and all the pitfalls that come with it. Between deciding how (or if) to come out - both to his parents and to the world at large - he’s stuck living your typical “regular” human life of a minimum wage job and having a crush on your neighbor. Or he would be, if somehow he didn’t keep getting caught in more and more ridiculous (and dangerous) situations. Together with his coworker Alison Grady, who quickly becomes his best friend, they have to learn how to survive Vlad’s new life as a vampire who doesn’t want to kill humans for their blood.

One thing I really enjoyed about this novel that I don’t see too often is that while there was a bit of romance present - the biggest strength given to Vlad is from his best friend Alison, and not a romantic partner. There’s nothing wrong with novels that allow the main character to find their potential strength to stand up for themselves due to someone they’re interested in, of course, but it’s very refreshing to have that same narrative apply to platonic relationships as well. Alison throughout this novel is Vlad’s emotional support and the one providing him the strength he needs to follow through with his convictions, and that was a breath of fresh air to read. While the main romantic interest in this novel does help Vlad, it’s Vlad’s relationship with Alison that remains his closest throughout the novel.

The message that platonic relationships can be just as important, if not more important than romantic ones, isn’t one I see too often when reading. I will admit that, up until the climatic resolution, I was half-expecting Vlad’s closeness with Alison to slowly fade away as he becomes closer with his romantic interest - and that never happens. Maybe it’s the aroace in me, but that was one of my favorite aspects of this novel that was just baked into it the entire time.

Overall, this was a fun and entertaining read, and I’m really excited for how the rest of this series goes forward.