Horror Movie Mini-Reviews: Hell Fest (2018) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

* Hell Fest (2018)

Natalie returns to to her hometown to visit her best friend Brooke only to find an enemy from high school living there too. Together, with boyfriends and Gavin (to set up with Natalie) in tow, they all go to Hell Fest, a new Halloween haunt at an amusement park that pushes the boundaries. Natalie sees a masked man kill a panicked girl and dismisses it as a realistic act, but when the man follows them throughout the park, she thinks he might actually be dangerous.

Hell Fest is a fun, solid slasher film. The characters are fun and developed enough to root for and the killer feels scary and omnipresent. Natalie is afraid of Hell Fest and her friends really aren't the best to cajole her into it, but Brooke and Taylor are just delightful. Brooke supports her friends completely and Taylor's infectious excitement and fun nature made me like her despite Natalie's reluctance. The killer is known as The Other (only in the credits) and he completely blends in with the employees. He easily enters the park, steals a weapon, and picks out his victims for the night. The concept of the film creeps me out because I love events like this and real violence could blend into set pieces and tableaus as well done effects.

The kills are well done and there are enough misdirects to keep the plot interesting even though it's a bit predictable. Tony Todd makes a wonderful cameo and I wish he had a more major part. The mazes portrayed in the film are the only flaw. I've been to quite a few haunts and many of the set pieces looked cheap and not very impressive. Even the "extreme haunt" being that actors can touch you felt like a bit of a let down. Extreme haunts mean crazy borderline torture like McKamey Manor. Other than that, Hell Fest is a worthy entry into the slasher subgenre and has a fun ending.

My rating: 3.5/5 fishmuffins

* Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

F.W. Murnau travels to Czechoslovakia with his cast and crew to shoot his slightly changed film adaptation of Dracula called Nosferatu. No one knows anything about Max Schreck, the star actor of the film to portray the vampire. He only appears in costume and in character, but he acts strangely. As filming goes on, crew disappear, cast is attacked, and the director keeps filming no matter what happens.

Shadow of the Vampire is an underrated gem of a film that combines horror elements and pitch dark comedy. Even though it's the tonal opposite of Nosferatu, this film recreates so many of its shots perfectly and captures the tone of that film alongside the separate, offscreen story. Willem Dafoe captures the vampire's inhumanity and his comic ignorance of human society. The rest of the cast and crew are so wrapped up in themselves and on mind altering substances that they don't seem to notice anything other than an eccentric actor. John Malkovich plays a cruel version of F.W. Murnau who trades lives for the perfect film and commits everything to film no matter how horrible.

The situations are both dark and hilarious with some moments of genuine emotion. It's tragic that Greta and the other actors are reduced to food. The vampire's sadness is palpable when he speaks of eternal life, not knowing how to destroy himself, and forgetting the niceties of human society. If you haven't seen this film, I would highly recommend it. Just brace yourself for strange characters and bizarre situations that have nothing to do with the reality of creating Nosferatu. Unfortunately, this film's only release is on grainy, horrible DVD and I hope something like Scream Factory will pick it up for a much needed Bluray release.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

The Transfiguration (2016)

Milo has a reputation about his school for hurting animals and keeps to himself for the most part. He's obsessed with vampire lore and thinks he is a vampire, escalating to hunting people at night for their blood and possessions. Things change when Sophie, a teen girl with an abusive grandfather, moves into his building and befriends him, making him rethink his outlook on life.

The Transfiguration is a powerful film. Everything is grounded in depressing reality and we enter the scene without much explanation. Milo was orphaned by a mother who killed herself and now lives with his useless older brother Lewis. He has no real guardian or anyone who really cares enough to guide him. A counselor at school seems only concerned with controlling his violent impulses and nothing else. Even thought it's later revealed that Lewis severed ties with the local gang to keep his brother safe, it doesn't change the fact that he makes Milo take care of the household and shoulder all of the responsibility as a young teen.

Milo has notebooks full of all the different vampire lore, trying to understand who he is through the study of all types of film. Once a month, he hunts someone down to drink their blood and steal their money. His physicality isn't any different than a human's, but he feels a strong need for blood. It's clear that the first incident we see in the film isn't the first or the last. The reality of his vampirism is never confirmed or denied, although the film sows a lot of doubt. Its origin is after he found his mother's dead body, so it's definitely rooted in trauma and possibly a reflection that he feels monstrous because he felt it was his fault. Through it all, Milo stays a sympathetic character throughout the film even when he commits incredibly monstrous acts. One particularly hard to watch seen has Milo killing a little girl, but it's so well made because the dread is almost palpable. Eric Ruffin upholds the entire film as Milo and performs the role with subtlety.

When Sophie enters the film, Milo finally makes a human connection, which causes him to question his morals and vampirism. Their interactions are at turns tragic, hilarious, and sweet. Milo likes to watch horrific videos online of animals being slaughter or animals killing other animals, making Sophie uncomfortable and make a quick exit. What makes it so funny is Milo's complete inability to recognize that Sophia hates it. They share traumas with each other and show vulnerability they never feel safe showing to anyone else. Both also share living in this place of casual violence and despair, always feeling the watchful eyes of a gang in the area. Things take quite a turn when Milo is suspected of snitching on a local gang after he witnesses them kill someone. The ending is completely heartbreaking and has Milo taking control of his own narrative in a way.

The Transfiguration is an indie film with so much heart and emotion. Even though Milo has a mostly flat affect, his past and emotions are still conveyed through Ruffin's performance. I love how things are shown as they go along and it feels like we are seeing a portion of Milo's reality. I know people got pretty tired of vampires films recently, but this does it very differently. I highly recommend this indie gem.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Dracula vs. Hitler by Patrick Sheane Duncan

After the events covered in the novel Dracula, Professor Van Helsing chooses to bury Dracula rather than kill him. Years later during World War II, the Nazis are committing atrocities in Romania and running rampant where Van Helsing and his daughter fight for the resistance. He chooses to resurrect Dracula to fight the Nazis when conventional attempts to beat them have failed.

I didn't finish Dracula vs. Hitler. I didn't even make it to Dracula's resurrection. I had so many problems with the first 60 pages of this massive book. My main problems are with the uneven tone, the poor logic, the bad fan fiction elements. This book isn't as fun as it sounds. It focuses heavily on war tactics and action scenes. Horror and vampire fans will go away disappointed. However, even with this more serious tone, one particular death was so over the top it could have come out of a Saw film.

There are so many things that don't make sense. Why would Van Helsing spare Dracula? He claims it's because the vampire is a unique creature, but his whole team almost died just putting him in the ground. Apparently, Van Helsing was in his 30s during the novel to make this weird thing work which doesn't really work, especially bringing in other Dracula characters in. Jonathan Harker conveniently shows up later as an English spy and doesn't remember Van Helsing at all. I would think that whole experience would be pretty memorable and I don't get why he wouldn't remember the man who saved his wife (who is apparently not appearing in this book or he's just a huge scumbag).

The biggest problem I had with the novel was the bad fan fiction elements. Van Helsing has a daughter (of course), who just so happens to be incredibly beautiful and a fierce freedom fighter (even though she's shown to make numerous mistakes to expose them to the enemy). She is so emotionally strong that she won't even shed a tear for the boyfriend murdered brutally right in front of her. When Jonathan Harker sees her, he falls madly in love with her right away. This was the point I wanted to throw the book across the room and stopped reading. I can't invest time into a book with the flattest characters who are so awesome at what they do despite all evidence to the contrary. With Dracula vs. Hitler, I really wanted to a bloody, fun, over the top story which was not delivered.

My rating: 1/5 fishmuffins

Knuckle Balled

RJ is back, escaped from LA into Austin with Bait's little sister Pinball and Eldritch, a Lestat wannabe. Austin has a new slew of vampire gangs with their own weird gimmicks and codes. Together, RJ and Eldritch aim to take orphaned and sickly Pinball to L. Byron Nightshayde, the onscreen vampire heartthrob who is apparently also a vampire in real life. He runs charities that help sick children and he's Pinball's best chance at getting treatment and a good life outside of dangerous vampire politics. Unfortunately, RJ is still a self absorbed junkie who creates more trouble than he solves.

I had a couple issues with Knuckle Supper, the first installment of this series. Knuckle Balled is leaps and bounds better. I couldn't put it down. The move to Austin and addition of Eldritch as a main characters are particularly welcome changes. First, the change of scenery throws RJ into a state of complete ignorance. He has no idea about vampire society outside of LA. The gangs are weaker, considering how he always pisses them off then tears some of them apart without fail. My favorite was the Chaplins, a group that dressed up like classic Hollywood stars. The drugs are weirder with the introduction of sunrise, a drug that replicates its namesake and also causes rot and accelerated healing in its users, namely a gang called the Real McCoys who could be mistaken for zombie burnouts. Some humans in the drug trade are actually aware of vampires’ existence instead of just providing food. The Minutemen are human mercenaries that clean up vampire messes and the vampire that caused them to keep the peace and vampire stay out of the public eye. Austin is hugely different and offers RJ an education of sorts.

RJ is continuing his growth started in the previous book. He ultimately wants to help Pinball especially after brutally killing her scumbag parent she in front of her. Pinball is rightfully terrified of him and is the complete opposite of Bait and brainwashed by her parents. Unfortunately, his drug addiction, general scumbagginess, and complete inability to recognize when someone is lying to him gets in the way. He’s always on the lookout for heroin and settles for other things like PCP that makes him rampage or coke which makes him incredibly manic. He takes everyone at face value and then acts surprised when there is much more to the person than they appear. The incident with the possum completely sums up RJ. He crashes under someone’s tarp to get out of the sun, kills an aggressive possum (to protect himself and take some heroin), and then guiltily tries to help after seeing the babies it left behind. He spectacularly fucks things up time and time again despite the good heart he has.

Eldritch is an amazing character. In the first book, he’s a bit of a punchline as a physical embodiment of Vampire Chronicles and Twilight type romantic vampires. He dresses in ornate style with stereotypical vehicles and furnishings that aren’t exactly low profile. Even his speech takes on that formal tinge that implies he’s much older than he is. His history is completely fabricated as he tells people he was raised by wolves. Unlike RJ, his real history is privileged with vampirism coming as a desperate cure instead of a Catholic experimental alternative to abortion for junkie mothers. His responsibility, caring, and civil nature contrasts greatly with RJ. Eldritch keeps Pinball safe, locking RJ out when he’s high or acting erratic, and is the most virtuous vampire in the series. It's nice to see someone whose morals haven't changed just because they became a vampire but it also probably helps to remember your childhood and have a conventional life.

Knuckle Balled is a another fun vampire novel with gore, violence, and heart. RJ is slowly changing and falling into drug addict traps along the way. The basic concept of the Catholic church inadvertantly creating these creatures because of their extreme aversion to abortion is awesome and sets the series apart from other vampire novels. I can't wait for more books in the series to see where the characters and the world as a whole will go.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

Knuckle Supper

RJ Reynolds is head of a vampire gang called the Knucklers addicted to heroin. They, and all the other vampire gangs, are under the rule of King Cobra, who sets all of the boundaries and jobs in LA. Dez, one of RJ's underlings, has an idea when they find a huge amount of unexpected heroine to sell it and undermine King Cobra. At the same time, a human girl named Bait latches herself to RJ, making him care for the first time about something other than drugs. Can RJ keep this scheme from the other gangs and keep control of his own while caring for a human child?

Knuckle Supper is a brutal disgusting book with heart. These creatures aren't the angsty Twilight vampires or the beautifully tragic vampires of The Vampire Chronicles. All of the vampires are photophobic, have superhuman strength and fast healing, and need to drink blood to survive. They are also addicted to some form of drug, forcing them to either mix the drug with blood or have a person ingest it before drinking from them. Most vampire lore is false like the effect of mirrors, anything religious, and fangs. Their origin is fascinating, twisted, and deeply topical to today's politics.

The cast of characters is an odd bunch. RJ Reynolds is a reprehensible person who thinks nothing of tearing people apart, stealing, or treating his own gang like garbage. His past is a blank as he only remembers scavenging in the streets as a teen. When Bait comes on the scene, he immediately refuses to kill her, an odd choice for him. Over time, he grows to really care about her and treat her better than he's pretty much ever treated anyone. Bait herself is a 12 year old runaway and sex worker who is attention seeking and kind of annoying. RJ keeps trying to show her how horrible his life is, but she's only amused and delighted. They have kind of a brother/sister relationship that brings RJ to really look at his life.

Knuckle Supper is a fun novel that isn't afraid to go to extremes. Bodily fluids are spewed on many a page in cartoonish quantities, so it's definitely not for the faint of heart. The only problem I had was how the one of the gangs were portrayed. This particular gang has members that are transgender, but are described by many other inaccurate terms, played for laughs, and all killed brutally. In the current climate when transpeople are the target of disproportionate violence and intolerance, this portrayal is tonedeaf. I get that it's from RJ's point of view, not the most sensitive person, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Other than that, Knuckle Supper is a bold start to a new vampire series.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Horror Movie Mini-Reviews: The Invisible Man (1933) and Vamps (2012)

* The Invisible Man (1933)

Dr. Jack Griffin stumbled upon a serum to make himself invisible, unaware of the toxins that are driving him insane. He goes to a remote town to figure out how to turn himself back, but he doesn’t get the privacy he needs. Flying into a rage, he terrorizes the town and plans to commit more murders and larger atrocious acts. Can his loved ones get him to listen and stop his reign of terror?

The Invisible Man is a late entry into the Universal Monsters and feels different than the previous entries due to the time period and the mood. It feels much more modern than its time and more malicious, on a larger scale than other Universal films. The special effects are impressive and revolutionary for the time. Jack is invisible for the entire film save for the last few minutes and it isn’t hidden. The technique looks like today’s green screen effects, but was achieved with a black velvet, a black velvet background, and a matte process.

Like almost all the others, the main character isn’t a flat villain, but the nice, normal person is never seen. All we see is the deranged doctor hellbent on creating as much death and chaos as possible. He gets worse as the film goes on, starting as generally ill tempered and rude and ending homicidal. His plans get larger and more elaborate, making him the most dangerous and mean spirited Universal monster. Trains The others focused on a small scale or didn’t even mean to inflict pain on others. They never went into full fledged terrorism, maliciously affecting anyone and everyone on a large scale like Jack. The Invisible Man is a wild ride for a Universal film and Claude Rains does an excellent job of embodying Jack's insanity without really being seen on screen.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

* Vamps (2012)

Goody and Stacy are two vampires who found each other in New York City. Goody was turned into a vampire in 1841 by Ciccerus while Stacy was turned by the same person in the early 90's. Both view their transformations as a net good because Goody was able to advocate for important issues over the years and raise her family while Stacy was cured of her drug addiction. Neither vampire drinks human blood. Instead, they opt to drink animal blood, usually rats. The downside of their vampire state is being at the beck and call of their maker who has no problem drinking human blood and doesn't care about leaving huge massacre tableaux around. Vampire hunters set their sights on Goody and Stacy when Stacy dates Van Helsing's son. Can they convince the humans that they hold no threat and destroy their maker before more innocent vampires are killed?

Vamps is a goofy, adorable horror comedy that puts female friendship and romance before any horror elements. Stacy is just starting out as vampire while Goody has seen over 200 years of human history. Goody lies about her age and claims to know so much about history from The History Channel. She is tired of trying to keep up with technology and fashion trends in addition to looking for love every night in clubs and bars. Her nostalgia for the past and her views on activism give the film a bit more meat and dimension. Goody is shown in many different stages of her life and when she looks at part sof Manhattan, she sees and muses about what used to be there. Stacy finds love in Joey Van Helsing and struggles to prove to his family that not all vampires are evil. The conflict comes from two sides: the Van Helsing patriarch trying to eradicate all vampires and Ciccerus killing people left and right and putting the other vampires in danger.

Where the film falls flat is in the over the top goofy elements and the poor writing. The makeup for every vampire except Goody and Stacy is downright ghoulish with white cake makeup and dark circles around the eyes. The vampire effects beyond the fangs are cartoonish digital effects. The writing is servicable for the most part, but Sigourney Weaver is absolutely wasted as Ciccerus. She isn't able to be completely evil and ends up being childish and more whiny than sinister. Other than that, Vamps is a heartwarming horror comedy that's worth a watch.

My rating: 3/5 fishmuffins 

Horror Movie Mini-Reviews 80's Edition: Halloween III and Near Dark

* Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Dr. Daniel Challis, an emergency room doctor, investigates mysterious injuries with the help of Ellie, the daughter of one of the victims. I love the first two Halloween films, but this one is horrible. I knew Michael Meyers wasn't going to be in it, which was fine (even if he is my favorite slasher). Trick 'r Treat and many other films prove to also be essential Halloween viewing, but Halloween III misses the mark by a huge margin. At first it had a lot of promise with murderers setting themselves on fire in broad daylight and other bizarre happenings. The chase scene at the beginning is suspenseful and really drew me in.

However, the reveals are underwhelming and shoddily done. Why are killer androids, microchips with pieces of Stonehenge in them (????), and witchcraft even in the same film. Of course the two leads have to sleep together even though Daniel isn't great looking or young and Ellie is. The ending is quite dark, but if you're going to go that dark, why not be more gruesome? Completely a missed opportunity. The cut to black at the end is a copout ending that left me cold. The best part of the film is the villain Cochran, but he doesn't get very much screen time. The idea of evil corporations is slightly ahead of its time, but still not well executed.

The entire film is horribly acted and boring. It had some good ideas, but the nonsense overwhelms everything else. It was as if the writer threw everything he could think of into one movie and it just doesn't work. If it was funny or campy, it might have been more successful. Halloween III: Season of the Witch is only good for a drinking game of how often they play the catchy Silver Shamrock song.

My rating: 2/5 fishmuffins

* Near Dark

Caleb Colton is a small town boy who works on his family's farm. He meets beautiful Mae, a drifter who bites him on the neck. He follows her back to her gang of vampires as they kill their way across state lines. Near Dark has a lot in common with The Lost Boys, but I didn't like it as much possibly because I didn't see it when I was young. The drama is overwrought. Caleb is a reluctant vampire who doesn't want to kill to survive. Mae feeds and then allows him to feed on her, but he could drink too much and kill her. I found him annoying throughout the entire film especially as he put the vampires in danger because of his ineptness. He longs for adventure, but doesn't like it much when he finds it.

The other vampires are much more interesting. Lance Henriksen is badass as Jesse Hooker, the leader of the vampire gang. He rules with an iron fist and delights in being a vampire, killing, and creating chaos. Homer is a vampire who was turned when he was a child. Obviously, he has a lot of angst because of this: an experienced adult trapped in an adolescent body. I was most sympathetic to him until he wanted to turn Caleb's little sister. If you hate your own existence, why force the same torture on someone else? The only vampire I hated was Severen. I usually like Bill Paxton even at his cheesiest, but his character was overbearing and insufferable.

Near Dark has some cool action scenes. The shootout at the bar is a particularly fun scene with gun happy hicks fighting deadly, sadistic vampires. When the vampires attack, the locals don't really know what do and try to act like nothing's happening until the vampires turn on them. The other shootout with the vampires trapped in the hotel during the day with police was also unique. The vampires couldn't fight as they usually do, so they have to resort to shooting back. The police shots reveal sunlight through each bullet hole, leaving less and less darkness for the vampires to hide in. Overall, Near Dark is pretty cheesy with some memorable moments.

My rating: 3/5

Stake Land

The world has been taken over by mindless, savage vampires. Most of the world is deserted during the day and claimed by vampires at night. Martin's parents were killed, so he joined Mister, a vampire hunter, on his journey to New Eden, a rumored place of peace and prosperity. Along the way, they gain and lose group members and found family. They go through periods of peace and periods of violence from foes human and inhuman, but they go on with their journey through it all.

I had heard a lot of good things about this film. It lives up to all of them and more. Stake Land is kind of like The Walking dead with vampires instead of zombies, way more realistic, and minus all the soap opera drama. Martin is a teenager in this horrific world. He still has growing up to do with very little guidance when the vampire scourge takes precedence over his own personal dramas. Lacking experience, he still makes mistakes that could cost his group their lives. He learns over time and is developing into someone who will choose correctly in high pressure situations and works to do good in the world. Mister may be gruff and seemingly emotionless, but he cares for the people he cares for. His skills are unparalleled and he can get out of the most hopeless of situations. Paying shepherd to his flock, he leads his group as best he can, but accepts when someone is lost to them.

Groups in this world are extremely variable. Anyone could die at any time or be kidnapped by crazy people or be eaten by vampires. While they are together, they have relish in their temporary happiness. This aspect truly sets it apart from other post-apocalyptic stories, which oftentimes show the horrible, depressing aspects of this life and none of the happy moments. People can't live with crushing sadness every day. There will always be at least moments of happiness and hope. This is captured in their moments of found family and the town they find where they get enjoy a party with the most people they've seen since the apocalypse. It also serves to contrast with the darker, death filled parts of the rest of the film.

The villains in Stake Land are numerous and not always the monster. Vampires are the first and foremost enemy. They don't think and act completely on instinct and bloodlust. Occasionally, they can try to fool people into briefly thinking they aren't a danger, but that's about the extent of their strategy. Typical rules apply to them: wooden stakes, sunlight, beheadings, destroying the brain stem, and fire leads to vampire death. The human villains take the form of the Brotherhood, a fundamentalist militia that sees the vampires as the work of god. Their superior power to most of the small groups out there is used to collect sex slaves, bolster their numbers, and turn people into vampire food or vampires for opposing them. The main villain at the end is a deadly combination of both: a member of the Brotherhood that willingly became a vampire and as a result was able to retain his intelligence. He chases Mister and his group for revenge in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Stake Land has everything I like in a horror film: strong capable heroes, horrific villains both human and inhuman, touching emotions, and harsh realities. So many horror films and shows feel too safe because certain kinds of people are untouchable because they may be a main character or a child or a pregnant woman. None of these people are safe in this world and it truly feels like anyone can die with the wrong decision. I found no flaws with this film. I loved the experience from beginning to end. One thing that pushed it to amazing for me was the soundtrack. The classical score enhanced emotions and added to each scene it was used in. I would love to see a sequel that was done in the same vein. One is in development, but we'll see if it lives up to the original.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

The Complete Double Dead

Coburn is a vampire who wakes up expecting a world full of tasty morsels, but finds one full of disgusting walking corpses instead. This new world sucks and obviously he missed something crazy during his involuntary nap, so he goes in search of food. Instead, he finds a sickly girl with healing powers and an entourage of annoying people. They convince him to protect them and promise to lead him to people he can eat who deserve a bloody, painful death. The most uncomfortable alliance is born as he follows them across the countryside. His journey with them starts as a purely selfish venture, but it takes him on an emotional and violent rollercoaster he never expected.

The Complete Double Dead contains Chuck Wendig's first novel Double Dead and it's follow up Bad Blood all starring vampire Coburn. He is a horrible person (unperson?): completely selfish, bloodthirsty, and indiscriminately violent. But somehow I like him all the same, kind of like Ash from Evil Dead. He has a delightfully snarky running commentary even in the most dire of situations. The attack that caused his 5 year long nap was inevitable from some wannabe vampire hunters, but he flipped them off even in the end when he had no hope. Vampires in this story are incredibly resilient, but need a lot of blood to heal. Many times, Coburn keeps fighting through multiple severed limbs, being gnawed by zombies, being burned, and tons of other abuse. Through all of his sarcasm and rudeness, a sympathy and humanity is awakening in him slowly. He still isn't necessarily nice, but he actually cares a little bit and eventually genuinely wants to do what's right.

When Coburn wakes up, it's already been a few years into the zombie apocalypse. Civilization as we know it is dead and people live in small groups together or in deranged larger societies. One was a society of Juggalos (rabid fans of Insane Clown Posse) who controlled a military base full of weapons and rockets. Their whole deal was acting crazy, calling each other weird names, and leading hedonistic lives. Another society was run by cannibals and led by an extremely obese matriarch. Both groups had crazy characters, disgusting situations, and over the top gore. It's definitely not for the faint of heart. Dark humor pervades everything with Coburn's sarcastic voice.

This book has tons of zombies. They are slow moving and the disease is transmitted through bites and blood like usual. A new creature is introduced when Coburn is surrounded by zombies and one gets a good bite in. This zombie with Coburn's blood becomes smarter, faster, and more deadly than the rest and chases after Coburn with intensity. The Hunters can make others and a whole pack of them eventually hunt the unfortunate vampire in addition to the huge hordes of zombies walking around. I thought the concept of having zombies and vampires in the same world would be too much, but it works rather well together. The vampire's food source is threatened and he has to work to save them for his own self preservation before his moral compass even kicks in.

The story has many twists and turns. Some of the revelations are outlandish to say the least. I would usually hate that, but it worked in a weird way within this over the top world. I would highly recommend this to lovers of vampire and zombie stories alike. I hope Chuck Wendig revisits at least the world eventually if not the same characters. I enjoyed his writing overall. Some of it was a little too much telling rather than showing, but I would bet his writing has improved over time. The fact that Bad Blood was his first novel is amazing. I'm looking to read his new novel Invasive soon.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

Horror Movie Mini-reviews: Kiss of the Damned and Circle

Kiss of the Damned

Paolo is a writer who moved to a remote location in order to focus on his work. He meet Djuna, a recluse with an allergy to sunlight, and they fall in love. After convincing and near death experiences on his part, he convinces her to turn him into a vampire so they can be together forever and then chaos ensues when her little sister Mimi returns from Europe.

Kiss of the Damned doesn't do anything revolutionary in the vampire genre, but it's watchable. It's a typical sexy vampire movie with the same tropes, but there hasn't been many films like this in the last decade targeted towards adults. The romance between Paolo and Djuna was sweet and featured some unexpected moments. I even liked the vampire world beneath our own populated with artists who deny themselves human blood in order to fit in to human society.

The film takes a pretty sharp downturn when Djuna's sister Mimi comes to stay with them. Not only is Roxane Mesquida unconvincing in the role, but the character is simply unlikeable. She seems to be trying way too hard to be evil. Maybe if she had more charisma, she could be the person you love to hate, but she was so bland and annoying. The ending is satisfying after all the chaos she caused. Overall, it's an enjoyable watch that stays in the established tropes of the genre.

My rating: 3/5 fishmuffins


Circle

Fifty random people find themselves in a dark room placed in two circles. If they touch each other, move out of their spot, Every two minutes, a person is killed by a laser in the middle of the room, but the people can vote and whoever gets the most votes dies. All of these different people have to decide who deserves to live.

The concept is intriguing, but the execution leaves something to be desired. The reason for their state is revealed way too early. The horror and mystery are dispelled quickly and it comes off as humorous at times rather than the horror the filmmakers are going for. Even the characters are less and less horrified by the deaths around them. The plot and debates over who should die take on a stereotypical slant with racism and homophobia being brought up as well as whose life has the most value: a child, a pregnant woman, an old person, or a young person. So many of these people came of as caricatures instead of nuanced people. It's obvious that the film is based on Twelve Angry Men, but adding a cast of fifty doesn't allow a lot of time for establishing characters. It was impressive that some tropes were subverted. One of the first people to speak up and organize is that guy in every horror movie that tries to take charge, but he's killed rather quickly. Other tropes were intact and boring.

The main conflict is around if a child or a pregnant woman's life is worth more than everyone else's. One faction fights to have the child and pregnant woman be last to die so one of them can survive. The other faction wants everyone to have a shot at survival. Some noble people sacrifice themselves and the two people being fought over do very little to try to change their fates. The ending is unexpected, but disappointing to be honest. It's worth a watch, but nothing spectacular.

My rating: 2.5/5 fishmuffins

Women in Horror: Thirst

* spoilers*

A caring Catholic priest name Sang-hyun wants to save people instead of merely praying for them, so he opts to be part of an experiment with a deadly virus in Africa. He is the sole survivor of 500 volunteers. Unfortunately the symptoms of the disease return unless he consumes blood on a regular basis. He returns home to attempt to resume his regular life as a priest, but he finds the world unbearable with its deafening sounds, sickening smells, and the temptation to do evil. He meets Tae-ju, a deeply unhappy woman living basically as a servant for her comically disgusting husband and his horrible mother. Sang-hyun and Tae-ju fall at the very least in lust and continue their affair in public places where they could be caught by anyone. How long can Sang-hyun go without killing Tae-ju's horrible husband or anyone else for that matter?

This is my least favorite Chan Wook Park film. It starts out well and is pretty unique with great cinematography and makeup effects. Sang-hyun seems so nice (like they all do) at the beginning of the film. He finds prayers just don't satisfy his need to help people, so he goes to Africa for an experiment with a deadly virus that affects almost exclusively young, single foreign men. Although he is the only survivor of 500 people, he was pronounced dead on the operating table until he gained consciousness after being given a transfusion. He returns home, only to find that he's revered as the Bandaged Saint. Acolytes follow him everywhere, begging him to cure their sick loved ones and pray for them. The effects of the disease return as well as new symptoms like being burned by the sun until he gives in to his urges and drinks blood. The symptoms disappear, Sang-hyun is just the nicest guy who ever lived until he meets Tae-ju.

Tae-ju is the most interesting character in the film to me. She seems young and miserable when we first meet her at the hospital, where she and her mother-in-law are hovering over her sick husband. It becomes quickly apparent that she's basically a servant in her household to her comically childish and disgusting husband and his overbearing, at times abusive mother. During the day, she shuffles like a zombie through her life, caring for her husband no matter how rude he is and complying with every demand his mother can think of. The only time she's truly free is when her husband is asleep. She plays at hurting him, but knows that she would have nothing without him and his family. She has no other family or job or friends outside of that family. At night, she runs barefoot through the streets just to feel free for a few hours. As an atheist, her entire existence is now and its being wasted. Then Sang-hyun comes into her life. With him, she finally has some sort of freedom, happiness, and sexual satisfaction. When she discovers his vampiric nature, he becomes abusive and doesn't hide his power anymore. I truly felt for Tae-ju because her whole life has been acting as a servant and enduring abuse from verbal to physical day in and day out which is destined to continue with Sang-hyun. Although Sang-hyun scares her, she latches on to her only way out of her situation.

 Now the "nice guy" shows his true colors. Sang-hyun is one of the most abusive protagonists I have ever seen. When Tae-ju discovers his true nature, he forces his presence on her when she obviously doesn't want him there and he tries to take her away against her will. He also cites his vampirism as the only reason he wanted to have sex with her or kill anyone or do any other sinful thing. (Yeah, right.) After some planning, he kills her husband because of assumed abuse. In between the two events, he bites her a couple times and lifted her by the throat when she got in his way. When he finds out that her husband was never abusive, he beats her, throws her around the room, and then breaks her neck in the midst of strangling the life out of her in a drawn out and disturbing scene. Even after this minutes long violent episode, Sang-hyun is suddenly filled with remorse and turns her into a vampire against her will. This guy has solid decision making skills. How can I root for a guy who is so incredibly abusive to the woman he supposedly loves and then makes the worst decisions ever? Tae-ju isn't a perfect person and did manipulate Sang-hyun into getting rid of her husband, but I find her much more understandable. This opportunity was probably the only one she would see in her lifetime to escape her awful family and her joyless life. Sang-hyun is simply an overpowered abuser who looks for excuses to justify his abuse.

So now Tae-ju is a vampire after almost being killed by her lover. She reacts in the most unnatural way possible and seems incredibly happy. I expect her to be happy to have more power than she's ever imagined, but why is she happy to be with the guy who came so close to killing her? There are women who return to their abusers over and over, but keeping her character in mind, I would have expected her to just leave with her new powers. Look at how she felt about her own. Anyway, Tae-ju doesn't have the qualms about killing humans that Sang-hyun does and doesn't hesitate to go out and kill some people. He then predictably abuses her even more savagely to express his disagreement: bashes her head against a wall and drops her off a building. At least this time, Tae-ju can fight back, but it's still baffling why she would stay with such a person when a whole world is out there. When she becomes sick with the virus, he leads a doctor to her, but mopes in the basement while she eats. One day, they are playing a game like usual with their friends and her now invalid mother-in-law reveals in a unique way that Sang-hyun and Tae-ju killed her son. A predictable bloodbath ensues and that's the arbitrary limit for Sang-hyun. He saves one of the victims, then acts like he's going to rape one of his acolytes. I guess this is to save them from falsely worshiping him after his death, but how is that in any way good when he literally assaulted a woman naked and sacrificed her mental and physical wellbeing for it.

The film ends with Sang-hyun driving Tae-ju to the beach with no cover just before sunrise. She fights like hell to survive, but he takes away every means of survival. Sang-hyun really just wanted a mate that was his ideal, but she was never his ideal. He, like so many men, wanted someone to agree completely with him and do whatever he wanted, which really isn't so much a person as a puppet. I think the intention of the film was to illustrate how evil, godless Tae-ju corrupted saintly Sang-hyun with her feminine wiles that led to their self destructive end. Even the cover art has her as the perpetrator of violence, not the victim of it as she actually is in the film. I see it differently. Sang-hyun epitomizes the nice guy that is quick to call a women names, harass her, or even kill her after being rejected. He was not nice in the first place if he can somehow justify abusing his supposed lover for the majority of the film. Tae-ju is simply a person trying to survive in the best way she can. She's not perfect. Her manipulation and lies don't make her a good person, but she isn't near as monstrous as Sang-hyun. No amount of lies or manipulation will justify the violence against her.

Thirst has a whole slew of other problems besides demonizing Tae-ju and putting Sang-hyun on a nice guy pedestal. Many scenes are weirdly silly like the scene where Sang-hyun and Tae-ju try to have sex with the murdered husband full of water with a boulder on his lap literally between them. It just doesn't match the serious tone of the rest of the film. Pretty much all the characters outside of the main two are flat caricatures. I don't care about them and I can't even remember their names. The CGI of the vampire powers is pretty cheesy and also brings the film down. The only saving graces of the film are Kim Ok-Bin as Tae-ju, the cinematography, and the music. Kim Ok-bin is amazing. She manages to take this character and make her believable even through her mercurial tempers. I especially love her slightly crazed smile when she no longer has to hide her vampirism and she's about to strike. The cinematography is so gorgeous at times, playing with light and dark with red, but it seems so wasted on this movie. The music is as beautiful and serene as any of his other films. I can't get past the bald faced misogyny and an abuser practically treated as a saint.

My rating: 1/5 fishmuffins

Women in Horror: Pretty When She Kills

It seemed as though Amaliya Vezorak's happy ending was just beginning when she harnessed her necromantic powers, killed her creator the Summoner, and started her life with Cian, her lover and the vampire master of Austin. Their happiness comes crashing down when the master of San Antonio decides his area is just too small and he needs to branch out into Austin. The threat of this supernatural war makes the pair wish they had more supernatural allies than they do. Meanwhile, Samantha, Cian's ex, is seeing ghosts and a mysterious man is trying to convince Amaliya's family that he can make her human again. On top of all this, Rachon, the Summoner's favorite creation, is out for revenge. Can Amaliya, Cian, and their untested vampire hunter friends survive this onslaught?

Pretty When She Kills is the second book in the Rhiannon Frater's vampire series. I greatly enjoyed the first and its predecessor is not quite as good, but still formidable. Amaliya is back, a little more weathered, but also more mature and powerful. Her old self is so used to running away when things get tough and that version of her is still in there, screaming at her sometimes. There's still room for her to continue to grow. She's still figuring out her powers that seem to include a lot more than she initially realized and doesn't really have any guidance in this area. Her relationship with Cian is as sweet as ever and I love reading about them. It just warms my heart to see their relationship with caring, heat, trust, and a true partnership. Cian isn't controlling or gross even though he is a supernatural creature. This trope is seen way too much in supernatural works and it doesn't excuse abusive behavior.

My biggest grievance of the last book was the horrible character Samantha, Cian's ex. After being ousted by Amaliya, Samantha would just spew obscenities at Amaliya and didn't really have too much else going for her. I felt it was pretty bad writing honestly because she felt so one dimensional, grating, and incredibly childish. She starts out that way here, equally insufferable. Then she finds that she received residual power from Amaliya's life saving blood from the last book and now she can see ghosts. at first, she reacts in typical Samantha fashion, whining and blaming "that whore" Amaliya for all of her problems. Then, when they actually sit down and talk about it, Samantha completely changes. She realizes that being completely insufferable to both Cian and Amaliya isn't productive and they don't deserve it. Sam sees and accepts the reality of her situation instead of how she wishes it would be and starts being an actual person. Suddenly she isn't so bad. I understand her and I see her as a person instead of a cartoonish shade of one. Amaliya and Samantha actually have a friendship now and can relate to each other. I'm looking forward to more development with her in the next book of the series.

Pretty When She Kills is a fun, exciting read, but it has some flaws. Shortening the basic plot points to the above paragraph was kind of difficult because so many things are happening all at once. During my read, it wasn't hard to keep track of, but afterwards it's a lot to look back on. I think the many plot lines detract from character development and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Usually, I don't have much of a problem with this, but if they aren't very present or there isn't something to set them apart from each other, they start to blend together. In this case, it's with the vampire hunters and some of the new characters. My other problem was that Amaliya's family wanted to turn her back to human without even asking her if she wanted to be human again. It's a pretty big violation of trust and shows that they think they know what's best for her. It turns out getting them in big trouble, which is satisfying. The novel has a lot going for it, but it suffers as many second books in trilogies do. I will definitely finish the series and I plan to pick up Frater's Vampire Bride series as well.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Holiday Horror: NOS4A2

Victoria AKA Vic McQueen has a secret. She has a talent for finding missing things, but she'll never tell any how she does it. Her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike takes her onto a covered bridge to wherever the missing object is and then the bridge disappears when she's done with it. This power takes a physical toll on her if she uses it too much. Charles Manx has an interesting power too. He rides around in a 1938 Rolls Royce with the vanity plate NOS4A2, abducting children he views to be in distress, killing their parents, and taking them to Christmasland, his supposedly idyllic child haven. The reality is much more sinister. Vic runs into him one day when looking for trouble and their encounter changes both of their lives: Vic goes down a road of addiction and self abuse while Manx is in a coma for a number of years. One day, Manx comes out of his coma and plans to target Vic's son. Vic is the only person who can stop him if she can get out of her downward spiral and denial of her power.

I enjoy Joe Hill's writing, but much like his father, he tends to end his books in an unsatisfying way. This book is the exception and I hope a growing trend. NOS4A2 is excellent from start to finish. I read it over the course of a few months and I always knew exactly where I was and what was happening. The fantasy and horror aspects are fresh and make sense within the worldbuilding. The few people in the novel with some sort of power have an object that is needed in order to use it. Vic has her bike and later a motorcycle. Manx has his Rolls Royce and Vic's friend Maggie has her Scrabble tiles. All of their abilities have a different focus, Vic's being the ability to transport to and find whatever she thinks of and Maggie's being precognition. Their powers aren't just free to use; it takes a physical toll on them. These women met as innocent children and both turned to substance abuse and other self destructive behaviors. Based on the effects, brain damage and deteriorating mental health are also symptoms of extended use. One way this is portrayed besides Vic's physical reaction is in the condition of her covered bridge. When she was young, the bridge was brand new, like any bridge in good repair. When she grew up, it was in extreme disrepair with rotten boards and bats everywhere. It's a gamble if she'll even make it to the other side.

The horror aspects are particularly on point. Charles Manx is one of the creepiest villains ever. He is similar to Nosferatu in appearance: pale, protuding teeth, bald, undead looking. He rides around in his vintage Rolls Royce "saving" unhappy children from their horrible parents and taking them to Christmasland, a land of happiness, decadence, and neverending fun. This may sound like he's a saint, but that's what he wants you to think. Some of the children are from legitimately terrible households, but some of them are not. Manx's minion dispatches the parents and uses the mothers for his own sick pleasure, leaving Manx free to whisk the child away in his car. It's no ordinary car. In addition to being an exceptionally beautiful car, it also follows Manx's whims, whether it's constantly playing Christmas music through its speakers, driving itself, making the back seat seem interminable, or giving the inhabitants presents. Their final destination is Christmasland, but on the way there, the goal is for the children to lose their humanity under Manx's tutelage. Once the child gets there, it's a playground of carnage with many other inhuman playmates where the adults are prey. Christmasland is a disgusting parody of a child's ideal Christmas and it's one of the most chilling places I've read about. Manx is convinced he's doing the best for his children and uses manipulation, drugs, and magic to get the children on his side.

NOS4A2 is Joe Hill's best book yet. The characters, the worldbuilding, and the story are memorable. The human drama and fantastical horror elements are perfectly balanced to create a novel that's both incredibly creepy and touching at the same time. I hope a sequel is in the works because the ending leaves just a little bit open for one. I had no idea until now that there was a graphic novel miniseries called Wraith that ties into the story, which I will definitely check out. Sometime in the future, AMC is supposed to release a miniseries and I can't wait. I hope Christmasland is as horrific as I imagine it. I will read whatever Joe Hill writes next because I was always engaged by his writing, but this novel follows through with an amazing ending.

My rating: 5/5 fishmuffins

Women in Horror: Pretty When She Dies

* spoilers *

Amaliya finally has her life on track. She's attending college (away from her horrible family), earning good grades, and trying to find her place in the world. Then, she has a coffee date with her attractive psychology professor and it all goes to hell. After awakening in a shallow grave, she goes on a bloodthirsty rampage on campus. The professor is actually a sadistic vampire who likes to create other vampires and see how they fare without providing any sort of guidance. Amaliya has no idea about her powers or what her limitations are, so she runs from her problems, leaving a wake of blood and death along the way. It's only a matter of time before others of her kind will take notice of her rather uncontrolled behavior and either help her out of her situation or kill her to preserve peace.

I've been meaning to read Pretty When She Dies for years, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it is a fun, fast paced book with no shortage of engaging characters and savory moments of horror. I liked Amaliya for the most part. She comes from an abusive home where everyone thinks she's worth nothing despite anything she's done to the contrary. She dyes her blonde hair black, has copious tattoos, and enjoys metal music. Her shtick is a little Hot Topic misunderstood goth for me, but I understand her drive to find her place and set herself apart from where she comes from. Her interests and aesthetic are different than most of the female protagonists out there, so it was interesting to read another perspective. The first half of the novel is setup and her own journey of self discovery. She knows absolutely nothing about being a vampire except that she needs to drink blood. Everything else is trial and error or simply stumbling upon discoveries. This part is also a genius way to show the vampires abilities without dedicated pages and pages to infodumping. The explanations and discoveries are integrated seamlessly into the text as Amaliya discovers all of this with the readers. Her strength and fire made me root for and admire her despite her missteps and occasionally rash decisions. She doesn't need Cian, the love interest, to come save her at every turn. I don't think there are many things I hate more than a strong woman made conveniently weak to have the strong man come in and save her.

The secondary characters are also quite memorable.. My favorite of them was Innocente, Amaliya's grandmother, ghost seer, and devout Catholic. Unlike so many vampire books out there, Innocente figures out Amaliya's affliction rather quickly and accepts it. Her granddaughter isn't very different from how she was before, so she isn't going to abandon her or condemn her. I loved her hilarious assumption that Amaliya needed to to be helped to the light to move on. When she finds out her granddaughter is in trouble, she gathers up all her portable religious artifacts to help. She isn't daunted by her age or her lack of strength, only driven by love and her sense of justice. I especially enjoyed that Innocente, the most unlikely part of their outcast group, is responsible for defeating the big bad of the novel. I want to read the rest of the series just to see more of this bad ass old lady.

My least favorite of the secondary characters are Samantha and Roberto, both part of Cian's circle of friends/followers. Samantha is a shrew of a woman who is engaged to Cian. From the moment she met Amaliya, she threw around terms like "whore" and "trash" simply based on her appearance. Everything she did was powered by saving her fiance from Amaliya and not much else. This annoyance is only secondary to Roberto, the two faced and centuries old servant to Cian. It didn't take much to get him to backstab his master and so many of his actions were disturbing throughout the novel. There were  few things about the story that bothered me, namely the sheer number of coincidences that the plot relied on. Amaliya happened to run into Cian the first night in his territory and a similar situation happened with another vampire master. The first person Samantha whines to about her problems just so happens to be the son of a vampire hunter who made a pact with Cian. A few coincidences are fine, but it was coincidence after coincidence that made the plot a little too convenient.

I always enjoy Rhiannon Frater's writing. It flows so well that I read huge sections of the book in one sitting without realizing it. While there are moments of levity and humor, the dark horror elements are what I especially enjoyed. Frater knows how to disturb and when to let the blood flow. Although Pretty When She Dies isn't perfect, I enjoyed following Amaliya (and Innocente) through all of their adventures and I look forward to reading the other two books in the series.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Beach Blanket Bloodbath

Amanda Feral, shallow zombie socialite, is back with her entourage of snarky undead friends. They embark on a road trip. Amanda needs to get her tell all book on the supernatural underbelly of Seattle, Happy Hour of the Undead, off the ground with a book tour. Wendy is a budding dealer of Cloud, basically zombie breath in a cream that is an aphrodisiac to vampires. Her supply is stolen, so she goes along to get it back and make the thief pay. Gil is just along for the ride. They stop in a sleepy seaside town for Amanda's book tour and are immediately caught up in a murder mystery surrounding a beauty pageant. The ensuing adventure is hilarious with amorous weresharks, a vicious gang of gay male strippers, and our lovable gang of undead.

Amanda Feral is back! This is only the first in a series of three novellas, so it's like three small nibbles of Amanda instead of giant zombie bites. The story is self contained, so knowledge of the previous three full length books isn't necessary, but why wouldn't you read them? This novella is the perfect balance of supernatural horror and humor. Amanda's narrative reads true as an inner monologue complete with overshares and judgy thoughts that she would never say out loud. I like that Henry uses Amanda to show the realities of being a published author and throws some shade at the industry at the same time.The addition of the Golden Boys, a dangerous gang of gay male strippers, and the wereshark are inspired and fit well into this wacky world. I hope we see the wereshark in the other novellas as well. Amanda tackles the murder mystery with her usual flair and it ends with hilarious, yet disgusting results.

Although I greatly enjoyed the novella, I miss the footnotes that were a staple in the previous books. The asides are still there, but not as obvious anymore. They gave Amanda a deranged and irreverant Jane Austen vibe. I also wish the other novellas were out already because I want to know what happens! Definitely recommend for Amanda fans and newbies to the series.

My rating: 4/5 fishmuffins

Frostbite

Rose Hathaway is trying to move on. The events of the last few months were draining and Rose is trying to get on track, move forward with her training, and forget about Dmitri, who has obviously moved on. A high profile and uncommonly bold strigoi attack has everyone on edge and guardians flood St. Vladimir's, including Rose's mother. The school isn't taking any chances and makes the skiing trip to Idaho mandatory to keep the students together while allowing their parents to come visit them. Lissa is very busy with her new boyfriend and Dmitri is also busy with Tasha, so Rose decides to have some fun and ignore them. After yet another strigoi attack happens that directly affects one of the students, leading three of Rose's classmates going on a crusade after the strigoi. Feeling responsible because she told them the location, Rose follows them to get them to come home. Hopefully Rose will get there before they've gotten themselves into bigger trouble than they can handle.

Frostbite is steeped in a lot of teen drama, but Rose rises above it and develops so much since the first book. Instead of stupidly running to fight a whole gang of Strigoi, she's the voice of reason, trying to get her foolish friends to wake up and come home. After her up close and personal experience with a Strigoi, it has put her abilities and skills into perspective. Just because they are exceptional for guardian students doesn't mean they are any match for superpowered evil vampires. Rose is less of a daredevil, but her personality is as fiery as ever. She's the same Rose with a little more sense and caution. Rose tries to move on and forget about Dmitri because their relationship goes against both of their goals as guardians. She tries to make it work with Mason, which is nice, but ultimately unsatisfying. She deals with a lot of stresses: jealousy over Dmitri and Tasha, jealousy over Lissa and Christian, and anger at her mom. Although there are some missteps, Rose deals with all of these impressively.

The relationship between Rose and Lissa is strong, but changing. Lissa has a new boyfriend and platonic relationships change and adjust to accommodate in the face of new love. I experienced this as a teen and it can be hard, so Rose's feelings rang true to me. My friendship at the time didn't survive that change, but I'm glad Rose and Lissa's did. Rose gives the lovebirds some space and tries to amuse herself, but it's difficult when strong emotions can cause her to see through Lissa's eyes. Awkward! Unfortunately, to distract herself she befriends drunkard and playboy Adrian, making others judge her harshly as slutty or stupid. Of course Adrian isn't judged as harshly and his behavior is expected for a rich Moroi young man. Frostbite only marginally explores the sexist double standards in vampire society, but I'm glad it continued at all.

Frostbite is awesome. It develops the characters and relationships while amping up the volume on the suspense and horror. The ending is heartbreaking and extremely memorable. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins

Long Live the Queen

Xandra Vardan has finally accepted the goblin crown and sits as their official matriarch. Life has never been more complicated since the factions are all vying for the goblins to be on their side (except the humans). Things are even further complicated when a creature created by the nefarious labs experimenting on halvies is going around killing people with the ability to shapeshift to look like anyone. The already strained relationship between aristocrats and humans is pushed to the breaking point, which will possibly lead up to another uprising. Xandra has to figure out a way to unite against all the factions against whoever is behind the mad scientist labs in order to keep everything from descending into chaos.

I've been eagerly waiting for the last installment of the Immortal Empire series. I love the world it's set in and each book reveals more and more about it. It's not the typical steampunk and is set in modern times with modified Victorian sensibilities and fashions because she still holds the throne. Technology and society have still progressed, but are all colored with a Victorian lens. The glimpses of the other countries are also intriguing. Since the United States don't have the aristocracy, vampires and werewolves are revered actors, performers, and inhabit popular culture. Also, seeing people from history in much different roles than what they were remembered for is fun to read and hard to predict. The world is a unique mishmash of the two time periods and it's addictive. I think this is the last Xandra's story, but I hope other stories are told within this awesome world.

The plot takes off at breakneck speed and doesn't stop. It had so many crazy twists and turns that I couldn't guess what would happen next. Ali, the young girl made from Xandra's DNA, is the most volatile and mysterious character. I thought Xandra's reactions to her would become cringe inducting and horrible, but she kept her head. Characters tend to lose their brains when children get involved. However, when Ali proved to be too dangerous, Xandra valued her existing relationships over a monster she had never met before who she happened to share genetic material with. Xandra grows a lot within the novel. She absolutely accepts the goblins  and her own goblin nature despite their gruesome habits. Her relationship with Vex is refreshing because they are truly equals. So many paranormal romances feature these horrible, domineering alpha male types that I simply don't find attractive. Vex is strong, but doesn't put down Xandra or push her around to show it. I also found their love story quite sweet, which is hard to do when carnage and plots to overthrow the queen are happening all over the place.

Long Live the Queen is a satisfying ending to Xandra's story. It was an exciting story with unpredictable twists and turns along the way. The characters are all interesting or infuriating in their own ways. I will definitely be reading more of Kate Locke and I also recommend her teen series written as Kady Cross.

My rating: 4.5/5 fishmuffins