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A review by imaginary_space
Vampire on the Orient Express by Shane Carrow
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a fast-paced, very classic vampire story that reminded me a lot of 'Dracula', in a good way.
The characters were interesting, the story was engaging, all in all, this is an entertaining read.
With delightful britishness:
"Call me Sam, for Christ's sake. You're Lucas, right?"
Avery's nose twitched, the same micro-organisms which dyed his blood blue rebelling at the casual attitude of this Colorado tumbleweed. "If you prefer."
There's also this one skeptic who annoys everybody with his scepticism and they just have no time for his bs, which is to be appreciated as well.
I didn't get much of a feeling for the villain, he seemed kind of random in his actions to me. On one hand, I get it, becausevampires are evil in this story, no debate, and that was represendetd very well and is an aspect that I like. On the other hand, he didn't seem to have a plan and rather seemed to make it up at random as he went along, which seemed more like a plot device to me than an evil villain.
I liked the queer representation and how it was woven into the story and the time period it takes place in, without being overly dramatic in one direction or the other. This added a lot to the feeling of a classic story, updated for a modern audience, and I appreciated that. It felt a lot like just normalizing having queer characters around and I think that's great and we need to do that more.
I do wish the author would have given the same treatment to his female characters, though. Sadly, he didnt. They do fall flat completely and there is none who really does anything. He did have a chance, and he ignored it.
'"Do you think I select just any soul to join me in eternity? It is an honour, gentlemen. A great honour."
"Why did you pick the girl, then?" Carter said. "What makes her so special?"
[The vampire] smiled, his lips thin and pale in the glum lanternlight. "Because she is young," he said softly, "and beautiful."
tldr; characterization left something to be desired, but I did like the pacing and the style, so I might check out the second book in this series.
The characters were interesting, the story was engaging, all in all, this is an entertaining read.
With delightful britishness:
"Call me Sam, for Christ's sake. You're Lucas, right?"
Avery's nose twitched, the same micro-organisms which dyed his blood blue rebelling at the casual attitude of this Colorado tumbleweed. "If you prefer."
There's also this one skeptic who annoys everybody with his scepticism and they just have no time for his bs, which is to be appreciated as well.
I didn't get much of a feeling for the villain, he seemed kind of random in his actions to me. On one hand, I get it, because
I liked the queer representation and how it was woven into the story and the time period it takes place in, without being overly dramatic in one direction or the other. This added a lot to the feeling of a classic story, updated for a modern audience, and I appreciated that. It felt a lot like just normalizing having queer characters around and I think that's great and we need to do that more.
I do wish the author would have given the same treatment to his female characters, though. Sadly, he didnt. They do fall flat completely and there is none who really does anything. He did have a chance, and he ignored it.
"Why did you pick the girl, then?" Carter said. "What makes her so special?"
[The vampire] smiled, his lips thin and pale in the glum lanternlight. "Because she is young," he said softly, "and beautiful."
tldr; characterization left something to be desired, but I did like the pacing and the style, so I might check out the second book in this series.