Liza Wemakor’s Loving Safoa is an intimate sapphic story about two Black vampires in love. This novella begins in New York in 1999, but frequently flashes back to the 1800s in West Africa as Safoa recalls her journey to becoming a vampire to her partner, Cynthia. Cynthia is on the verge of becoming a vampire herself and by intertwining their journey’s, Wemakor gives readers a spellbinding character study that sweetly explores love and partnership. 

 

Loving Safoa feels like a unique take on vampires because it mostly avoids the typical tropes found in vampire stories. Yes, there’s blood, immortality and pleasure, but the focus is always on Safoa and Cynthia’s relationship and experiences. It also discusses colonialism and racism, and I love how discussions of politics were included, with the story becoming increasingly political throughout the book. It touches on the importance of solidarity and community, and I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. 

 

There are a lot of different aspects that make up this story—vampires, queer romance, history, colonialism and some speculative elements—but Wemakor ties it all together brilliantly. Pick this up for a thoughtful and intricately written vampire story full of love and hope. 

 

Thank you Neon Hemlock for the gifted copy!