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The Vampire Jack Townson - Fame Has Its Price
A man down on his luck trips and stumbles into a world of bloodthirsty monsters hidden among the precipices of New York City. A chance encounter with illustrious vampire Alexander LaMont ensnares the clumsy yet hopeful James Donovan in shadow and treachery, thrusting James into his new identity, The Vampire Jack Townson . Will Jack survive the vampiric politics of Manhattan, or will final death come to claim him at the next sunrise?
Welcome to New York. We bite.
Jack Townson's contemporary fantasy series, The Vampire Jack Townson , is a perilous tale about the dangers of love, deception, and vampiric grit where the action of Jay Kristoff meets the decadence of Anne Rice.
Welcome to New York. We bite.
Jack Townson's contemporary fantasy series, The Vampire Jack Townson , is a perilous tale about the dangers of love, deception, and vampiric grit where the action of Jay Kristoff meets the decadence of Anne Rice.
452 pages, Paperback
Published January 23, 2024
11 people are currently reading
366 people want to read
About the author
Jack Townson
8 books107 followersA 2023 Witchy Award nominee, Jack Townson, a multi-talented artist, is the heart and soul of the thriving FangFam community across various social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch. With an ever-expanding following that now exceeds four hundred thousand devoted fans, he’s left an indelible mark on the digital landscape, garnering an impressive 4.2 million likes under the #Fangfam hashtag.
Beyond his online presence, Jack is a versatile artist, encompassing the roles of actor, singer, and writer. His most celebrated work to date is “The Vampire Jack Townson,” an original story that first captivated audiences on TikTok and has been endorsed by New York Times bestselling author and 5-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Jonathan Maberry. This immersive narrative plunges into the hidden world of a supernatural being and the profound journey towards rediscovering one's humanity.
Jack extends an invitation to his followers, beckoning them to peer into the psyche of an undead bohemian—an artist and a creature of the night, eternally ensnared in a world of nightmares. It’s a life devoid of sunlight’s warmth and the enduring embrace of true love, offering a unique glimpse into the enigmatic existence he portrays through his creative endeavors.
Beyond his online presence, Jack is a versatile artist, encompassing the roles of actor, singer, and writer. His most celebrated work to date is “The Vampire Jack Townson,” an original story that first captivated audiences on TikTok and has been endorsed by New York Times bestselling author and 5-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Jonathan Maberry. This immersive narrative plunges into the hidden world of a supernatural being and the profound journey towards rediscovering one's humanity.
Jack extends an invitation to his followers, beckoning them to peer into the psyche of an undead bohemian—an artist and a creature of the night, eternally ensnared in a world of nightmares. It’s a life devoid of sunlight’s warmth and the enduring embrace of true love, offering a unique glimpse into the enigmatic existence he portrays through his creative endeavors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 1, 2024
Did no one read this before publication? Was there no editing done?
Somehow I got through this book, perhaps to see just how many grammatical and spelling issues may arise. Here are some of the most glaring:
- Several issues with quotation marks just in the prologue and epilogue
- Different spellings of the protagonist’s brother’s name, sometimes as Bradley and others as Bradly
- Different spellings of the term “glamour” (seen without the u)
- A spoken line that appears in the book as “Holy. shit,”
- A location known as the “Undercity” once called “Undercut” instead
- A text message entirely missing the formatting established for text messages within the book
In addition to these, the prose is written as though every word was put through a thesaurus just for the sake of being verbose. However, the story could have been told in half the amount of words. The writing also likes to tell rather than show, the main character saying things like “I’ll ask about that later” instead of just asking about it later!
I’ve followed the author for a while and was excited to read this with friends, but I can’t say I’d recommend this at all.
Somehow I got through this book, perhaps to see just how many grammatical and spelling issues may arise. Here are some of the most glaring:
- Several issues with quotation marks just in the prologue and epilogue
- Different spellings of the protagonist’s brother’s name, sometimes as Bradley and others as Bradly
- Different spellings of the term “glamour” (seen without the u)
- A spoken line that appears in the book as “Holy. shit,”
- A location known as the “Undercity” once called “Undercut” instead
- A text message entirely missing the formatting established for text messages within the book
In addition to these, the prose is written as though every word was put through a thesaurus just for the sake of being verbose. However, the story could have been told in half the amount of words. The writing also likes to tell rather than show, the main character saying things like “I’ll ask about that later” instead of just asking about it later!
I’ve followed the author for a while and was excited to read this with friends, but I can’t say I’d recommend this at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2024
I tried to finish this book. The prose was overwrought considering the main character lived in 2012. He was too obsessed with his younger sister. His life circumstances were so bleak that he was unlikable. Oh. I'm just too weak to stand up to my father. I have no friends. No job. Only being a vampire can save me. He also seemed like he transferred his obsession for his sister to Alexander the minute he transformed. I do not recommend this book.
February 7, 2024
⚠️This is a review for the readers, not the author⚠️
I’m not sure why there’s so many people praising this book, especially when it has the quality of a first draft. not to mention it reads like a Wattpad fanfic. I went into this expecting that it was going to be a fun-bad story, but by the end of the first chapter I could tell it was just going to be bad.
First things first, it felt like the book really wanted to get deep into the world-building, but didn’t know how to do that. There’s lore mentioned that you’d think would be important and come in handy for future chapters, but are never brought up again. It created a lot of plot holes and confusion by never being properly explained or shown, and a lot of what pushes the story forward seems to come up purely out of convenience.
All the fight scenes were muddled with unnecessary dialogue and were extremely hard to follow. Same thing with picturing the setting as well. It felt like the book was describing all of the unimportant parts. There were numerous times where it was very hard for me to picture what the characters were doing, and then immediately after was described in intense detail. In the strangest places too.
The writing style, if you can even call it that, was extremely hard to follow as well. It was just one big word after the other and destroyed the reading flow. Way too wordy, and took way too long to say what it needed to say. The book tried to be lighthearted during serious scenes, but all it did was kill the mood and make it feel awkward and clumsy.
The main character, I hate to say when I’m pretty sure this is a self-insert, is extremely boring. He’s static for a protagonist, and makes the most unsatisfying choices, and It’s just because it feels like none of them have any weight.
Also the plot twist at the end? It made the feeling of reading this book being not worth my time ten times more apparent. It feels like if Name of the Wind was a dream sequence instead of an actual telling of events. It’s not stated exactly what this book’s intention was at the beginning, which i’m sure was purposeful, but brings it back up at the end for pure shock-value. Which I personally think can be a great twist for a book, but this one was done so poorly that I couldn’t even enjoy it.
All in all, this book is good for if you just want to turn your brain off and read, and also if you’re a fan of vampire jack. It’s not something that you want to look too deep into if you were looking for an enriching story like me.
I’m not sure why there’s so many people praising this book, especially when it has the quality of a first draft. not to mention it reads like a Wattpad fanfic. I went into this expecting that it was going to be a fun-bad story, but by the end of the first chapter I could tell it was just going to be bad.
First things first, it felt like the book really wanted to get deep into the world-building, but didn’t know how to do that. There’s lore mentioned that you’d think would be important and come in handy for future chapters, but are never brought up again. It created a lot of plot holes and confusion by never being properly explained or shown, and a lot of what pushes the story forward seems to come up purely out of convenience.
All the fight scenes were muddled with unnecessary dialogue and were extremely hard to follow. Same thing with picturing the setting as well. It felt like the book was describing all of the unimportant parts. There were numerous times where it was very hard for me to picture what the characters were doing, and then immediately after was described in intense detail. In the strangest places too.
The writing style, if you can even call it that, was extremely hard to follow as well. It was just one big word after the other and destroyed the reading flow. Way too wordy, and took way too long to say what it needed to say. The book tried to be lighthearted during serious scenes, but all it did was kill the mood and make it feel awkward and clumsy.
The main character, I hate to say when I’m pretty sure this is a self-insert, is extremely boring. He’s static for a protagonist, and makes the most unsatisfying choices, and It’s just because it feels like none of them have any weight.
Also the plot twist at the end? It made the feeling of reading this book being not worth my time ten times more apparent. It feels like if Name of the Wind was a dream sequence instead of an actual telling of events. It’s not stated exactly what this book’s intention was at the beginning, which i’m sure was purposeful, but brings it back up at the end for pure shock-value. Which I personally think can be a great twist for a book, but this one was done so poorly that I couldn’t even enjoy it.
All in all, this book is good for if you just want to turn your brain off and read, and also if you’re a fan of vampire jack. It’s not something that you want to look too deep into if you were looking for an enriching story like me.
January 30, 2024
Absolutely amazing! Hooks you from the first page and refuses to let you go!
February 18, 2024
It was definitely a new take on a vampire novel which I appreciated, but I had a hard time connecting with a lot of the characters in the book. There was quite a bit of repetition of words and it was a ping pong of emotions (from a character perspective). I wish a little more emphasis and explanation was put on the world of vampires in NY.
February 10, 2024
Overall: if you are a fan of Jack Townson, have a read but don't expect great quality. If you don't know who the author is, skip this book.
My biggest gripe: this desperately needs an editor. There are grammatical issues, continuity issues, naming inconsistencies, formatting issues, etc. It's full of unnecessary frilly language, like the author ran everything through a thesaurus. The author tells the reader most things rather than showing them. Dialogue reads as unnatural, especially because of the frilly language. Over use of all caps. I could go on...
Things I liked:
The vampire world building is really interesting and creative.
Townson's character descriptions are vivid and most of the characters are interesting.
Things I disliked:
The quality of writing (see above)
The gore (that's on me though. It was listed as a trigger warning and I ignored it).
Misgendering/transphobia, which was NOT listed on the trigger warning page. (Albeit brief and not from the protagonist and he does defend the trans character)
The protagonist
~ Spoilers ahead ~
From consuming Townson's other work (TikTok, YouTube) I know this is his self-insert character. He's basically a Mary Sue. He's a model, an actor, a poet, a street fighter, he can sing, he's a playwright, he constantly has the moral high ground... He's a White Knight, seemingly his core motivation is rescuing damsels in distress. His only "flaws" are things that happened to him: his mother died, his dad is abusive, his brother's a drug dealer, his sister struggles with addiction, he was turned into a vampire, his sire is abusive. There are no internal flaws, implying that he would be perfect if not for his situation in life. It's just not realistic.
My biggest gripe: this desperately needs an editor. There are grammatical issues, continuity issues, naming inconsistencies, formatting issues, etc. It's full of unnecessary frilly language, like the author ran everything through a thesaurus. The author tells the reader most things rather than showing them. Dialogue reads as unnatural, especially because of the frilly language. Over use of all caps. I could go on...
Things I liked:
The vampire world building is really interesting and creative.
Townson's character descriptions are vivid and most of the characters are interesting.
Things I disliked:
The quality of writing (see above)
The gore (that's on me though. It was listed as a trigger warning and I ignored it).
Misgendering/transphobia, which was NOT listed on the trigger warning page. (Albeit brief and not from the protagonist and he does defend the trans character)
The protagonist
~ Spoilers ahead ~
From consuming Townson's other work (TikTok, YouTube) I know this is his self-insert character. He's basically a Mary Sue. He's a model, an actor, a poet, a street fighter, he can sing, he's a playwright, he constantly has the moral high ground... He's a White Knight, seemingly his core motivation is rescuing damsels in distress. His only "flaws" are things that happened to him: his mother died, his dad is abusive, his brother's a drug dealer, his sister struggles with addiction, he was turned into a vampire, his sire is abusive. There are no internal flaws, implying that he would be perfect if not for his situation in life. It's just not realistic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2024
How extraordinary! I love the creativity and vulnerably Jack has cultivated online through various content creation. But his debut novel is a treasure trove of eclectic characters, grueling monsters, and above all: the fight for love and one’s own humanity.
Five stars because it felt listening to an anime in the best was possible. The audiobook is a masterful accomplishment. Congrats to Jack and Shayne and their team. ♥️
Five stars because it felt listening to an anime in the best was possible. The audiobook is a masterful accomplishment. Congrats to Jack and Shayne and their team. ♥️
January 29, 2024
Bravo, Jack! a wonderfully written masterpiece and an awesome start to what is going to be an absolutely thrilling story! can’t wait to see what’s next for you!
May 8, 2024
So I met this author at Barnes and Noble where he was doing a signing and I should preface this review with 1. I had no background info on this author and 2. “Fangfic” is not my genre. I purchased the book to support an author that was present at my Barnes and noble location and that was the extent of this purchase, but I will read just about anything and was hoping to enjoy it. The author himself was an absolute gem of a person, very kind and very friendly, so I really hate posting a negative review of this work.
The thing is, the word choices are overly verbose and felt really strange and forced in a story that was supposed to take place in 2012. I read another review that says the main character spoke like a Victorian poet and he was actually in his 20s in 2012 and it just didn’t align. The main character has a weird and uncomfortable, what feels like, obsession with his sister…which he quickly and completely abandons when he meets the “vampyre” Alexander and immediately falls in love. Like, what? The main character also internally describes himself as a loser, but then goes on later to talk about how incredibly handsome and talented he is (and this is all before chapter 5 and early in the story). Listen, I understand the complexities of self-esteem, but everyone the main character meets seems to be head over heels about his appearance or singing voice or writing abilities, and so on. The main character also has a very stereotypical “my life sucks” starter pack at the beginning of the book…drug addicted sister, deceased mother, drug dealer brother, and alcoholic father and the main character is working a dead end restaurant job supporting his entire family. Speaking of stereotypes, the author seems to pigeonhole female characters into very simple ones as well; his sister is a fragile, meek, delicate little song bird that needs to be protected at all costs and the boutique owner is bitchy, sassy, skimpily dressed with heaving cleavage.
I’ll be honest, I got halfway through chapter 5 and gave up. It just kept getting more and more ridiculous (and I can handle ridiculous…I read Doomed and Damned by Chuck Palahniuk, which is a totally different genre but an idea of how much ridiculousness I can handle). I don’t know anything about the FangFic community and this may be a very standard FangFic read, I don’t know. I myself could not finish this book, and I’ve only shelved a book 3x without being able to finish reading it.
If you’re not big into FangFic, and you don’t know this artist/author, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Apparently he’s a TikTok star so if you follow him you may love this.
Edited for errors
The thing is, the word choices are overly verbose and felt really strange and forced in a story that was supposed to take place in 2012. I read another review that says the main character spoke like a Victorian poet and he was actually in his 20s in 2012 and it just didn’t align. The main character has a weird and uncomfortable, what feels like, obsession with his sister…which he quickly and completely abandons when he meets the “vampyre” Alexander and immediately falls in love. Like, what? The main character also internally describes himself as a loser, but then goes on later to talk about how incredibly handsome and talented he is (and this is all before chapter 5 and early in the story). Listen, I understand the complexities of self-esteem, but everyone the main character meets seems to be head over heels about his appearance or singing voice or writing abilities, and so on. The main character also has a very stereotypical “my life sucks” starter pack at the beginning of the book…drug addicted sister, deceased mother, drug dealer brother, and alcoholic father and the main character is working a dead end restaurant job supporting his entire family. Speaking of stereotypes, the author seems to pigeonhole female characters into very simple ones as well; his sister is a fragile, meek, delicate little song bird that needs to be protected at all costs and the boutique owner is bitchy, sassy, skimpily dressed with heaving cleavage.
I’ll be honest, I got halfway through chapter 5 and gave up. It just kept getting more and more ridiculous (and I can handle ridiculous…I read Doomed and Damned by Chuck Palahniuk, which is a totally different genre but an idea of how much ridiculousness I can handle). I don’t know anything about the FangFic community and this may be a very standard FangFic read, I don’t know. I myself could not finish this book, and I’ve only shelved a book 3x without being able to finish reading it.
If you’re not big into FangFic, and you don’t know this artist/author, I wouldn’t recommend this book. Apparently he’s a TikTok star so if you follow him you may love this.
Edited for errors
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2024
The book is dark and intense. The world building is engrossing and the writing is gripping. I felt innumerable emotions while reading the book. The characters are powerful, relatable and mysterious. This is such a brutal and heart wrenching novel. Its fast paced and the twists and turns will keep you on the edge of the seat. The description is impeccable. Dive into vampiric grit, blood & gore, love, deception and sacrifice. The author will take you on a roller coaster ride. You will feel a thousand of emotions and the book will entirely grip you longing for more. The author is so talented and his poetry is deep and touching too.
This follows the odyssey of a newly turned vampire Jack. The author takes us deep in the dark and mysterious world of bloodthirsty Vampires. His transformation is unbelievable. Jack’s maker Alexander has changed him completely entangling him in the web of politics, secrets, deception, manipulation , love, dangers and vampiric grid, Will Jack survive?
I loved this book and would highly recommend it.
Thank you Author, Publisher and Netgalley.
This follows the odyssey of a newly turned vampire Jack. The author takes us deep in the dark and mysterious world of bloodthirsty Vampires. His transformation is unbelievable. Jack’s maker Alexander has changed him completely entangling him in the web of politics, secrets, deception, manipulation , love, dangers and vampiric grid, Will Jack survive?
I loved this book and would highly recommend it.
Thank you Author, Publisher and Netgalley.
January 28, 2024
A feeling I am sure we have all felt when you are just going through the motion of life and look up, finding yourself in an 'oh shit' moment. The world building is detailed and the writing caught my attention. The world of the vampires is brutal and breathtaking all at the same time, keeping you waiting to see what else may happen.
June 2, 2024
Alright. I wanna preface this and say that going in, I didn't expect this to be a masterpiece - I expected Twilight levels of reading, and my god, I wish I had read Twilight again. I also wanna say this is not directed at the author himself, but the writing itself.
The TL;DR version of what I'll explain further is: This is not an enjoyable book. Do not read it unless you really, really like this dude's tiktok content and wanna support him, but I'd suggest just donating the money to him instead.
The characters are so incredibly one-note that you cannot enjoy any of them. Jack Townson is a miserable, whiny character that has no evolution through the course of book, which is the biggest sin a book can commit. If there is no change, for good or worse, then the narrative has failed to produce anything worth reading. He remains the same static character, except now he's a vampire. Awesome. There's also this strange obsession with his sister, though I truly believe that is more in line with how the author chooses to write and explain characters. However, despite Jack's complete lack of appeal outside of how he looks, everyone insists that he is special - so unique! He must be, because you'll be reminded about a dozen times that Alexander broke a millennia old code to change this dude after running around town with him for about six hours. Do we learn what makes him so special? Well, no!
There is something else I would like to address as well which is the transgender character in the book. I can...understand that there was an attempt to add diversity, but this was in such poor taste. The character is really only addressed by her physical attributes, and the entire exposition of her explaining her life to Jack would've made for a much better book in and of itself. A trans, warlord viking who found love with another female vampire who had been around since the Greeks? And you're making me read about some whiny loser who fell in love with a dude in six hours? Oh my god, you're joking. And while we're speaking of women, there are only petite, tiny women in this story excluding the aforementioned trans character. Though, there appeared to be some continuity issue with her height, unless the writing was just so jumbled, I confused it with another character. To be quite frank, I found the character a caricature of what a transwoman is, and she is used as a prop to 1) make Jack look good because he respects her pronouns and calls her a woman and 2) make Alexander (our cartoon villain) even worse because he calls her a man. However, it did produce one of the funniest fucking lines I have ever read which is: "Sorry, I was raised catholic." Honest to God, that's in the book and I had to put it down because I was laughing so hard.
By the way, all of the events in the book take place over the course of about two weeks. I'm not sure if the author understands pacing, but it does no favors. Every character that was introduced somehow made me go "How is everyone in this books somehow worst than the last!?" And there really aren't any decent female characters in the book - it's actually a little astonishing for a book that has such a terrible sex scene, there's hardly any women. Go figure.
Grammatically and structurally, the book is a teetering on termite eaten support. There is little to no editing. There are glaring punctuation, spelling, and formatting mistakes that almost made me put down the book entirely, but it was so bad, I couldn't put it down. As other reviewers have stated, the book is obsessed with also making the narrator sound smarter than he actually is. People do not talk like this, and that's okay! Even the character with a "southern drawl" had very little personality or change in his voice. There's simply no life to the characters.
Overall, I don't recommend it. I'm sure the author is a nice enough guy, but if you're looking for any kind of vampire book? This isn't it.
The TL;DR version of what I'll explain further is: This is not an enjoyable book. Do not read it unless you really, really like this dude's tiktok content and wanna support him, but I'd suggest just donating the money to him instead.
The characters are so incredibly one-note that you cannot enjoy any of them. Jack Townson is a miserable, whiny character that has no evolution through the course of book, which is the biggest sin a book can commit. If there is no change, for good or worse, then the narrative has failed to produce anything worth reading. He remains the same static character, except now he's a vampire. Awesome. There's also this strange obsession with his sister, though I truly believe that is more in line with how the author chooses to write and explain characters. However, despite Jack's complete lack of appeal outside of how he looks, everyone insists that he is special - so unique! He must be, because you'll be reminded about a dozen times that Alexander broke a millennia old code to change this dude after running around town with him for about six hours. Do we learn what makes him so special? Well, no!
There is something else I would like to address as well which is the transgender character in the book. I can...understand that there was an attempt to add diversity, but this was in such poor taste. The character is really only addressed by her physical attributes, and the entire exposition of her explaining her life to Jack would've made for a much better book in and of itself. A trans, warlord viking who found love with another female vampire who had been around since the Greeks? And you're making me read about some whiny loser who fell in love with a dude in six hours? Oh my god, you're joking. And while we're speaking of women, there are only petite, tiny women in this story excluding the aforementioned trans character. Though, there appeared to be some continuity issue with her height, unless the writing was just so jumbled, I confused it with another character. To be quite frank, I found the character a caricature of what a transwoman is, and she is used as a prop to 1) make Jack look good because he respects her pronouns and calls her a woman and 2) make Alexander (our cartoon villain) even worse because he calls her a man. However, it did produce one of the funniest fucking lines I have ever read which is: "Sorry, I was raised catholic." Honest to God, that's in the book and I had to put it down because I was laughing so hard.
By the way, all of the events in the book take place over the course of about two weeks. I'm not sure if the author understands pacing, but it does no favors. Every character that was introduced somehow made me go "How is everyone in this books somehow worst than the last!?" And there really aren't any decent female characters in the book - it's actually a little astonishing for a book that has such a terrible sex scene, there's hardly any women. Go figure.
Grammatically and structurally, the book is a teetering on termite eaten support. There is little to no editing. There are glaring punctuation, spelling, and formatting mistakes that almost made me put down the book entirely, but it was so bad, I couldn't put it down. As other reviewers have stated, the book is obsessed with also making the narrator sound smarter than he actually is. People do not talk like this, and that's okay! Even the character with a "southern drawl" had very little personality or change in his voice. There's simply no life to the characters.
Overall, I don't recommend it. I'm sure the author is a nice enough guy, but if you're looking for any kind of vampire book? This isn't it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2024
James Donovan is struggling with a dead end, thankless job, and is the sole caretaker of his family. We get to know James' family and his past. This book is far from bereft of emotion. The author jumps right into descriptions of difficult family life and hardships, which will likely cause the reader to immediately empathize with James. Things only get tougher from there on, and the reader is taken on an epic journey into the world of the vampires, a world hidden from human senses. It feels like we are only getting a tiny glimpse into the true depth of lore and world building in this story and I, for one, can't wait for further installments!
I absolutely cannot commend Jack's writing enough! It is so refreshing to see deeply disturbing topics handled in such a professional way. The content warnings in the beginning of the book should definitely be heeded, but I don't believe they should discourage anyone from reading this. They are written about in a way that feels cathartic.
Rarely has a novel pulled at my heart strings as much as this one has. I think it is because Jack Townson (the author, who shares his name with the titular character), has poured so much genuine feeling into this work of art that it feels very different from other novels I've read, in which the emotional struggles of the characters can seem forced, fake, or even unintentionally humorous.
As for the writing itself, it feels artful and masterful without resorting to so many obscure words that the reader needs to have a Thesaurus at hand for every paragraph. (Something which has afflicted other novels in this genre.) He puts the raw power, energy, and ferocity of the vampires right next to their equal capacity for tenderness. The vampires, (at least not all of them), are not mere monsters but, like humans, struggling to survive in their own world which they are perfectly adapted to. At times, the monsters are more human than the humans.
All in all, my only complaint is that a few words feel overused. "Crimson" and "curls" being the two that stood out to me. Of course, that was just something I noticed and it doesn't detract from the epic story that Jack has given us. I also noticed some small grammatical errors.
Regardless of those nitpicks, this is a 5/5 book and it isn't easy to put down. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be left waiting eagerly for the next book in this incredible saga. Forget Twilight, this is how real vampires do battle!
I absolutely cannot commend Jack's writing enough! It is so refreshing to see deeply disturbing topics handled in such a professional way. The content warnings in the beginning of the book should definitely be heeded, but I don't believe they should discourage anyone from reading this. They are written about in a way that feels cathartic.
Rarely has a novel pulled at my heart strings as much as this one has. I think it is because Jack Townson (the author, who shares his name with the titular character), has poured so much genuine feeling into this work of art that it feels very different from other novels I've read, in which the emotional struggles of the characters can seem forced, fake, or even unintentionally humorous.
As for the writing itself, it feels artful and masterful without resorting to so many obscure words that the reader needs to have a Thesaurus at hand for every paragraph. (Something which has afflicted other novels in this genre.) He puts the raw power, energy, and ferocity of the vampires right next to their equal capacity for tenderness. The vampires, (at least not all of them), are not mere monsters but, like humans, struggling to survive in their own world which they are perfectly adapted to. At times, the monsters are more human than the humans.
All in all, my only complaint is that a few words feel overused. "Crimson" and "curls" being the two that stood out to me. Of course, that was just something I noticed and it doesn't detract from the epic story that Jack has given us. I also noticed some small grammatical errors.
Regardless of those nitpicks, this is a 5/5 book and it isn't easy to put down. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be left waiting eagerly for the next book in this incredible saga. Forget Twilight, this is how real vampires do battle!
February 23, 2024
I really just can't.
I didn't connect that this was the same guy who wrote that awful book of high school poetry until I started reading the over-dramatic, thesaurus-humping language and realized that it was familiar. I did try, I really did, even after I realized that it was the same guy. I was like "An LGBT-friendly vampire drama? GIVE IT TO ME." And yet this is just absolutely awful.
As I understand, I believe this is his first full-length novel so I'm able to look past the copious editing issues that have been mentioned before. Name spelling inconsistencies, grammatical and spelling errors - they're distracting but not terribly so, and I can look past them for a good story. This, however, has no story. He's from the 2000s and yet talks like Victorian poet dying of the consumption. He's the 'only breadwinner' in a family where the brother is a drug dealer. Either that's wrong, or the brother is a terrible drug dealer. I don't even feel like I can touch on the absolutely uncomfortable nature of his almost-romantic obsession with his sister or the complimentary tone he used when saying someone looked like a product of eugenics.
The scant LGBT representation is so stereotypical and clearly from a cishet point of view that it's borderline offensive in its mediocrity, and in the end this is another DNF on my shelf. I lament what could have been something good. I'm usually very supportive of new writers, even if I DNF their books. I can see the talent that needs honing and the promise of a future great author. Not so with this one. This is juvenile, pedantic, and just as eyeroll-inducing as the book of poetry he put forth.
I didn't connect that this was the same guy who wrote that awful book of high school poetry until I started reading the over-dramatic, thesaurus-humping language and realized that it was familiar. I did try, I really did, even after I realized that it was the same guy. I was like "An LGBT-friendly vampire drama? GIVE IT TO ME." And yet this is just absolutely awful.
As I understand, I believe this is his first full-length novel so I'm able to look past the copious editing issues that have been mentioned before. Name spelling inconsistencies, grammatical and spelling errors - they're distracting but not terribly so, and I can look past them for a good story. This, however, has no story. He's from the 2000s and yet talks like Victorian poet dying of the consumption. He's the 'only breadwinner' in a family where the brother is a drug dealer. Either that's wrong, or the brother is a terrible drug dealer. I don't even feel like I can touch on the absolutely uncomfortable nature of his almost-romantic obsession with his sister or the complimentary tone he used when saying someone looked like a product of eugenics.
The scant LGBT representation is so stereotypical and clearly from a cishet point of view that it's borderline offensive in its mediocrity, and in the end this is another DNF on my shelf. I lament what could have been something good. I'm usually very supportive of new writers, even if I DNF their books. I can see the talent that needs honing and the promise of a future great author. Not so with this one. This is juvenile, pedantic, and just as eyeroll-inducing as the book of poetry he put forth.
October 14, 2025
As of the time of this writing (10.14.2025), I'm currently on Ch. 22 and pondering if I should shelve this as a DNR or mailing it in to TBs to get a smidgen amount of my money back.
From the mind of Jerome Wood (Publisher of two poetry books: Blood and Roses: A Gothic Collection of Poetry, and Death and Lilies) comes his debut novel Fame Has Its Price, published by his Indie Publication company Across the Veil, and it just so happens to be the first book under such a Publication title.)
According to Wood/Townson, this is the very first book of his self-proclaimed "New York" series that follows a human bored with his Mundane life (except for caring a liiiiitle too much about his Sister, whose name I have forgotten because it really didn't leave a mark on me.)
Even the independent, bohemian artist who turns into The Vampire Jack Townson is rather forgettable.
Where I am stuck in the novel, it just seems like the Newly-Turned-Vampire Jack just has aspirations to make love who whoever he desires, for whatever the reason may be. Ah, and to remind us that Vampire's can't reproduce.
Maybe I'll pick the book back up sometime, or maybe try Everdusk, the self-proclaimed Mega Novel at some point.... but if it is still filled with grammatical errors, weird double-spacing, and still filled with very little diverse characters (and I'm not talking the paranormal kind).... I'll take a hard pass and not get drawn in by all the Hype (just to be left disappointed).
From the mind of Jerome Wood (Publisher of two poetry books: Blood and Roses: A Gothic Collection of Poetry, and Death and Lilies) comes his debut novel Fame Has Its Price, published by his Indie Publication company Across the Veil, and it just so happens to be the first book under such a Publication title.)
According to Wood/Townson, this is the very first book of his self-proclaimed "New York" series that follows a human bored with his Mundane life (except for caring a liiiiitle too much about his Sister, whose name I have forgotten because it really didn't leave a mark on me.)
Even the independent, bohemian artist who turns into The Vampire Jack Townson is rather forgettable.
Where I am stuck in the novel, it just seems like the Newly-Turned-Vampire Jack just has aspirations to make love who whoever he desires, for whatever the reason may be. Ah, and to remind us that Vampire's can't reproduce.
Maybe I'll pick the book back up sometime, or maybe try Everdusk, the self-proclaimed Mega Novel at some point.... but if it is still filled with grammatical errors, weird double-spacing, and still filled with very little diverse characters (and I'm not talking the paranormal kind).... I'll take a hard pass and not get drawn in by all the Hype (just to be left disappointed).
March 2, 2025
When I say I struggled to finish reading this book, I’m not exaggerating. I follow The Vampire Jack Townson on TikTok so I was excited to read his debut novel. I was really hoping for a good and entertaining read, but was sorely disappointed. Honestly, I don’t know how this got published. I hate giving bad reviews, but the story felt like a fanfic that was trying too hard. The last chapter had too many quotation marks and it desperately needed editing. I don’t know how that mistake made it through. The author tended to be repetitive on some words and phrases way too much like vitae. The world building had great potential, and the story was good at times, but like some reviewers mentioned, the author seemed to use a thesaurus for big words and parts of this book were overly written. It was hard to get through the fight scenes because they were drawn out and over decscribed.
January 27, 2024
This isn't a romance but is still pretty fascinating. James has a horrific home life and is really down on his luck. On the day he loses his job he runs into a childhood friend who gets him a coveted interview with a powerful director (James aspires to be in movies). Things take a weird turn for James after that. As the title suggests he becomes a vampire. Fantasy creatures really exist and thrive in the nighttime city. Only Jack (renamed by his sire) finds out he's been thrown into the deep end without the usual introduction and explanations. Bad things still seem to happen to him pretty regular and you just want him to catch a break. Minor issues of atypical behavior and a bit of insta love implied but overall a very interesting tale. More to come.
September 25, 2025
First off, I listened to the Audiobook version, so it was Jack himself reading the book to me. I agree with a few of the other reviews that there are plot holes and there were times I’d get lost in what was going on, but I’m still rating it 5 stars because I can tell he put his heart into this book. I found Jack on TikTok a few years back and absolutely enjoyed his quirky, odd, and refreshing content. He takes himself just serious enough that it ends up being silly and I genuinely think we need more of that in the world. This wasn’t necessary the best written book I’ve read this year, but that’s not what this 5 star review is catering to. I hope others find joy in the book like I did and remember to not take everything so seriously. 🥰
May 21, 2025
This is an amazing Novel a Best Seller by Best Selling Author The Vampire Jack Townson ! A Great Read ! This book is Phenomenal! I simply couldn’t put it down! I read the entire book in less than 24 hrs , I could not sleep I had to keep reading! His Description of The scenes are so vivid I could see everything as if I was watching a movie ! It is absolutely A must read! The Fantasy , Romance, Laughter, Sadness( I cried) the Drama and Fighting it was absolutely BRILLIANT!! I recommend this to anyone who is looking to read a Great Book a Book to capture you an take you on a journey to the unknown that will Absolutely have you spellbound! You too will not want to put it down ! And when you finish ? Well you will be Craving more more more! He Truly puts 110% of His passion and energy into his writing! He wants the reader to experience something they will not ever forget it will be so Wonderful! He’s a Bestselling Author with this out an also Two Best Seller Poetry books That are Amazing! Blood and Roses and Death and Lillies ! An his recent book , another Best Seller No Doubt Everdusk the Lightslayer! They are all FANTASTIC!!
February 8, 2024
To basically quote another reviewer:
I just couldn't finish this book. The prose was overwrought, considering the main character lived in 2012. He was too obsessed with his younger sister. His life circumstances were so bleak that he was unlikable.
The minute he got a second shot to turn things around, the very first thing he did was ignore explicit instructions that clearly stated they were for his own good. I do not recommend this book.
I just couldn't finish this book. The prose was overwrought, considering the main character lived in 2012. He was too obsessed with his younger sister. His life circumstances were so bleak that he was unlikable.
The minute he got a second shot to turn things around, the very first thing he did was ignore explicit instructions that clearly stated they were for his own good. I do not recommend this book.
January 2, 2025
Needs more editing to smooth out the rushed ending. I follow the author on tiktok and enjoy his videos of bringing Jack to life.
Overall not bad but needs a little more proofing to iron out the forgotten aspects. Mentioned that he used glamour but then he was confused when seeing someone use it.
Stake was removed then magically still there in the next paragraph.
Male/male 🌶️ scenes mentioned.
Trans character. Cool aspects but not my fav. Sorry Jack.
Overall not bad but needs a little more proofing to iron out the forgotten aspects. Mentioned that he used glamour but then he was confused when seeing someone use it.
Stake was removed then magically still there in the next paragraph.
Male/male 🌶️ scenes mentioned.
Trans character. Cool aspects but not my fav. Sorry Jack.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2025
A fun start to a great new vampire series! Don't miss the following books, "The Lightslayer" and "Stolen Power," which are absolutely amazing! If you love Anne Rice and the Vampire Lestat, this is definitely a series you should check out. Great characters, interesting lore, and so much promise for much, much more!
January 24, 2024
Absolutely amazing book!!!!!!
January 24, 2024
Such an emotional trip, all the emotions: hurt, angst, romance, and more. Jack Townson brings the pages to life and it's an amazing adventure!
January 30, 2024
Vicious, violent and vivid in nature. Looking forward to more of Jack Townson’s story. What a great debut novel!
February 18, 2024
Wonderfully written. I could hardly put the book down. The Vampire Jack Townson has a unique way of telling a story. He also has a unique set of Characters.
March 15, 2024
Written review coming soon . . .
May 6, 2024
A great story that will capture and ensure you much like Anne Rice's "Interview With The Vampire "
January 18, 2025
Absolutley loved. Theres a few format errors and some errors on pov but still an amazing book
May 27, 2025
I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYONE SAYS.
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