Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for access to an early release copy 

For The characters are engaging and easy to like, a great mix of history and fantasy, and such ease the authors adds in racial tensions of the Jazz age era. When a character remarks, “we’re allowed to perform there, but not be allowed to be in the club” was so poignant and poetic, I really hope they leave that line in.

I can summarize this book as a young adult sapphic reverse DayBreakers. If you have not seen Ethan Hawke’s vampire movie DayBreakers, it is brilliant, but skip it for now. A lot of the ending reminded me of that movie. 

Told in dual narratives, we have Elise back from her musical career in France for her family, almost like the top crime family in charge, for anniversary celebrations and to celebrate the naming of a new progeny. Second narrative is of Layla, a “reaper” or another term for vampire, but also former friend of Elise and the mystery of their dark past slowly reveals. Part horror, part crime and detective story with a romance story not quite believable, and 100% predictable young adult novel. 

Even though the story is set in the Jazz Age, It has a modern tone and language to it, so keep that in mind if the inaccuracies are something you will fixate on. Even with its predictability, the character developments and intrigue kept the page turning. I never really fell for the sapphic love story- there were moments in the present timeframe I couldn’t see them getting past that happened so I think I would have benefitted from a few flashbacks to see moments of their friendship. But maybe that’s addressed in the next book?
The ending does drag a bit tying up loose ends. This is obviously first in a series/duology, so I’m excited to see where this goes.