I’d like to start this blog post with saying that I fully support the HarperCollins Union in their strike to receive a fair contract for their hard work in publishing.
Links to HarperCollins Union:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/hcpunion?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=
Donation Page: https://givebutter.com/HCPstrike
Bookshop.org Page: https://bookshop.org/shop/hcpunion
About Vampire Weekend:
About a Boy meets What We Do In The Shadows in the next fun genre-mashup from Mike Chen, featuring a punk-rock vampire learning to connect to the world again when her surly teenaged grand-nephew needs her, and her music, to get him through a tough time.
Louise knows first-hand that vampire mythos is all a lie. After all, she IS a vampire, and it doesn’t involve glamour, speed, flying, or anything Anne Rice wrote about. Instead, it’s actually pretty boring and quite lonely — the best part about it is the longevity, which Louise uses to go to see as many cool bands as she can. But all that changes when Louise’s estranged brother Stephen arrives at her door with his 12-year-old grandson Ian.
Ian’s father has recently been killed in a car accident and his mom is battling late-stage cancer. Stephen and Ian have taken a road trip while Ian’s mom receives treatment, and while they thought they’d find a long-lost relative, they get Louise — who explains her youthful appearance with a story about her relation to theme. Louise empathizes with the young boy and invites him to stay for a weekend. Together, they bond over their love of music, playing guitar late into the morning. But when Ian learns her secret, he asks for something more than guitar lessons: He asks her to make his mom a vampire to cure her of cancer.
Problem is, Louise doesn’t wish this loneliness on anyone. And a bigger problem — she can’t turn anyone. Only rumored elder vampires can do so, and she doesn’t even know where to find them. In an act of defiance, Ian runs away. As Louise pursues him, she comes across a path to these elder vampires — and a secret that could change how vampires view life and death forever.
With Ian missing, vampires on his tail, and a possible family squabble to finally reconcile, Louise hits the road to set things right — and discovers that caring about someone else is the most punk rock thing in the world. Especially for a vampire.
My Thoughts about the Book:
This is the second book by this author that I’ve read and overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable read. I’m a huge fan of all things supernatural and I found the author’s take on vampires to be very interesting.
I loved the strong connection to music that was throughout the entire book, it made me think about my own love for music and I found that to be so fun! Louise as a character was really interesting to get to know and follow (especially with her storyline surrounding her family.), while with Ian I had to remind myself that he was twelve throughout the book (in my opinion he comes across as older, but this could just be a me thing!)
The jumping between timelines for me could get a little confusing to read at times to where I’d have to go back and reread things, though I didn’t mind this too much because I enjoyed getting into different parts of Louise’s life and how she became the character you’re initially introduced to. There were a few things involving Louise that I wish could’ve been delved into more, such as her relationship with her brother which seemed like it was going to be addressed but was brushed to the side in my opinion.
The ending for Vampire Weekend to me felt a bit rushed and I wish there was more of a conversation between two characters surrounding what occurs towards the end of the story, however, I understand why the author may have chose not to go deeper into certain parts.
Overall, this was a book that was really enjoyable to read and in my opinion you can really see the love for the aspects (like music and vampires!) within the novel from the author and that’s really nice to see shine through in a book.
About the Author:
Mike Chen is a lifelong writer, from crafting fan fiction as a child to somehow getting paid for words as an adult. He has contributed to major geek websites (The Mary Sue, The Portalist, Tor) and covered the NHL for mainstream media outlets. A member of SFWA and Codex Writers, Mike lives in the Bay Area, where he can be found playing video games and watching Doctor Who with his wife, daughter, and rescue animals. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @mikechenwriter
Find the Author Online:
Author website: https://www.mikechenbooks.com/
Twitter: @mikechenwriter
Instagram: @mikechenwriter
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