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Mosquito – Southern Vampires: A New Orleans Penny Dreadful
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 7, 2026
Got this book at the Vampire Cafe and got it signed by the author, which was a pretty awesome experience. The book itself I wish focused on just vampires, the other supernatural elements made things convoluted and confusing. But overall it was fun, very touristy, cool to read after visiting the city, and I’m excited to try the recipes.
April 23, 2025
Experience New Orleans & The Supernatural ~ a deliciously haunting story
Marita Woywod Crandle’s Mosquito – Southern Vampires is a captivating blend of gothic fiction, culinary delight, and New Orleans mystique. Originally serialized as a penny dreadful, this novel invites readers into a world where the supernatural intertwines seamlessly with the rich cultural tapestry of the French Quarter.
Set against the backdrop of 18th-century New Orleans, the story delves into the legend of young French maidens transformed into vampires during their voyage to the New World. Crandle masterfully weaves elements of folklore, including ghosts, witches, and the elusive Rougarou, creating a narrative that is both eerie and enchanting.
What sets this book apart is its innovative structure. Each chapter concludes with a recipe from Chef Chris Dunn of The New Orleans Vampire Café and The Vampire Apothecary, establishments owned by Crandle herself. These recipes not only enhance the immersive experience but also pay homage to the city’s culinary heritage.
For those intrigued by the supernatural, culinary arts, or the vibrant culture of New Orleans, Mosquito – Southern Vampires offers a unique and memorable reading experience. It’s a testament to Crandle’s ability to craft a story that is as flavorful as it is haunting.
Marita Woywod Crandle’s Mosquito – Southern Vampires is a captivating blend of gothic fiction, culinary delight, and New Orleans mystique. Originally serialized as a penny dreadful, this novel invites readers into a world where the supernatural intertwines seamlessly with the rich cultural tapestry of the French Quarter.
Set against the backdrop of 18th-century New Orleans, the story delves into the legend of young French maidens transformed into vampires during their voyage to the New World. Crandle masterfully weaves elements of folklore, including ghosts, witches, and the elusive Rougarou, creating a narrative that is both eerie and enchanting.
What sets this book apart is its innovative structure. Each chapter concludes with a recipe from Chef Chris Dunn of The New Orleans Vampire Café and The Vampire Apothecary, establishments owned by Crandle herself. These recipes not only enhance the immersive experience but also pay homage to the city’s culinary heritage.
For those intrigued by the supernatural, culinary arts, or the vibrant culture of New Orleans, Mosquito – Southern Vampires offers a unique and memorable reading experience. It’s a testament to Crandle’s ability to craft a story that is as flavorful as it is haunting.
August 10, 2026
I visited the Vampire Cafe on New Years' Eve in 2025 and didn't pick this book up, but later got it as a birthday present from a friend. It's written simply enough, though maybe not quite what I'm used to, as somebody who used to be an avid reader of Cormac McCarthy and, more recently, has been reading books on psychology and esoterica that have kind of changed the way I've seen literature. There's nothing wrong with simple writing, it just isn't what I'm used to. My inner critic, however, was annoyed with the poor job at pacing and the repetitiveness.
To start off with the good, it's genuinely a fun story and I can't really hate it. Sure, it's not really anything new, but what is? I'm overall more concerned with presentation than originality at this point, and I ended up being engaged in the book enough to read through it rather quickly. I've been curious about vampires in New Orleans and, prior to reading a part of Mrs. Crandle's third book in the series, I didn't realize that vampires were deeply ingrained into the local folklore prior to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The Casket Girls have a really interesting history that, after reading that part of the third book, I immediately wanted to see represented in a work of fiction. The character development was surprisingly good, as well. I didn't ever feel apathetic towards any of these characters. I appreciated the use of real locations in the French Quarter, not all of which I got to visit when I was there, but now I might have to. That store Hex in particular catches my eye. And, of course, I am eager to try out some of the recipes listed in the book. They sound delicious. My options may be limited because I'm mostly a vegetarian, but plenty of them still sound worth a try and I could always use substitutes.
Now for my gripes, of which I have many, and some of them may be unfair. Our hero, Jake, was at the start, unlikable, selfish, and grating. That's not really a bad thing in and of itself. I'm quite fond of anti-heroes, and as someone who's increasingly perturbed with the "men writing women" trope, I can't really blame the author for inverting it by making her male protagonist a comically unrealistic and borderline chauvinistic womanizer who somehow manages to seduce every woman around him with his dimples alone. Of course, I knew he probably wasn't going to stay that way, but when he finally becomes a better person, he doesn't have any real personality of his own and almost feels like he's fading into the background despite being both the hero and the narrator. But one thing I did appreciate is that Jake, despite being lucky with the ladies, is still a loser and more like Johnny Bravo than your average male power fantasy figure. I definitely got, "yep, this guy's slimy" from reading it rather than "wow, I definitely wanna be this guy". Add to that, he never kills a single vampire and mostly leaves it to everyone else to do it. Still, he wasn't a COMPLETE lowlife or someone to actively root against.
After a while, the almost PG-13 level profanity became tiresome. It wasn't an issue in and of itself, but the amount of times that "frickin'", "screwed", and "mess" when the writing would've flowed better if Crandle used the word "fuck" (or even, you know, didn't bother with filler words at all; I probably would've been just as annoyed if every other word used was "fuck") did not make for an enjoyable read. Reminded me a lot of cable TV edits, like in The Departed, how every other word every character said was "freakin'" or "heck". Who, exactly, is the target audience? Clearly not children or early teenagers, given all the violence (and illustrations thereof) and sex scenes and Jake's male gaze towards Cat, not to mention all the times that words like "shit" and "asshole" — also words commonly censored on cable TV — are used. So then why hold back on just that one word? Not to mention, even those other ones feel forced and repetitive when used here.
My biggest issue with this book is the pacing. Some books take too long to get to the point; this one was too quick. All the conflicts get resolved within a few short pages, if not paragraphs. I get that it started life as a penny dreadful, which, I don't have any real exposure to myself, but given how Varney the Vampire adds up to a grand total of over 900 pages, I always assumed that maybe each episode is longer than these were? And furthermore, even though it's established halfway through the book that weeks had gone by, it never feels that way at all. Until that point, I was fully under the impression that it had been merely days. Maybe that's just something that got lost in the format transition. I can't wholly fault the author for that, though, because as a struggling writer myself, I find pacing to be a challenge. Every time I've picked up the pen, I don't have a clue how to properly build tension. But even without taking the format transition into account, a lot of it still feels rushed. For example, I don't have any reason to know when a location is changed while characters are in dialogue because it never says so until after the dialogue has ended. Likewise, the action scenes are often over as quickly as they began.
I genuinely feel bad for being so critical of this book. I've met the author and admire her dedication, and how she keeps the vampire scene alive in New Orleans. But really, it just doesn't do anything for me in the end.
To start off with the good, it's genuinely a fun story and I can't really hate it. Sure, it's not really anything new, but what is? I'm overall more concerned with presentation than originality at this point, and I ended up being engaged in the book enough to read through it rather quickly. I've been curious about vampires in New Orleans and, prior to reading a part of Mrs. Crandle's third book in the series, I didn't realize that vampires were deeply ingrained into the local folklore prior to Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The Casket Girls have a really interesting history that, after reading that part of the third book, I immediately wanted to see represented in a work of fiction. The character development was surprisingly good, as well. I didn't ever feel apathetic towards any of these characters. I appreciated the use of real locations in the French Quarter, not all of which I got to visit when I was there, but now I might have to. That store Hex in particular catches my eye. And, of course, I am eager to try out some of the recipes listed in the book. They sound delicious. My options may be limited because I'm mostly a vegetarian, but plenty of them still sound worth a try and I could always use substitutes.
Now for my gripes, of which I have many, and some of them may be unfair. Our hero, Jake, was at the start, unlikable, selfish, and grating. That's not really a bad thing in and of itself. I'm quite fond of anti-heroes, and as someone who's increasingly perturbed with the "men writing women" trope, I can't really blame the author for inverting it by making her male protagonist a comically unrealistic and borderline chauvinistic womanizer who somehow manages to seduce every woman around him with his dimples alone. Of course, I knew he probably wasn't going to stay that way, but when he finally becomes a better person, he doesn't have any real personality of his own and almost feels like he's fading into the background despite being both the hero and the narrator. But one thing I did appreciate is that Jake, despite being lucky with the ladies, is still a loser and more like Johnny Bravo than your average male power fantasy figure. I definitely got, "yep, this guy's slimy" from reading it rather than "wow, I definitely wanna be this guy". Add to that, he never kills a single vampire and mostly leaves it to everyone else to do it. Still, he wasn't a COMPLETE lowlife or someone to actively root against.
After a while, the almost PG-13 level profanity became tiresome. It wasn't an issue in and of itself, but the amount of times that "frickin'", "screwed", and "mess" when the writing would've flowed better if Crandle used the word "fuck" (or even, you know, didn't bother with filler words at all; I probably would've been just as annoyed if every other word used was "fuck") did not make for an enjoyable read. Reminded me a lot of cable TV edits, like in The Departed, how every other word every character said was "freakin'" or "heck". Who, exactly, is the target audience? Clearly not children or early teenagers, given all the violence (and illustrations thereof) and sex scenes and Jake's male gaze towards Cat, not to mention all the times that words like "shit" and "asshole" — also words commonly censored on cable TV — are used. So then why hold back on just that one word? Not to mention, even those other ones feel forced and repetitive when used here.
My biggest issue with this book is the pacing. Some books take too long to get to the point; this one was too quick. All the conflicts get resolved within a few short pages, if not paragraphs. I get that it started life as a penny dreadful, which, I don't have any real exposure to myself, but given how Varney the Vampire adds up to a grand total of over 900 pages, I always assumed that maybe each episode is longer than these were? And furthermore, even though it's established halfway through the book that weeks had gone by, it never feels that way at all. Until that point, I was fully under the impression that it had been merely days. Maybe that's just something that got lost in the format transition. I can't wholly fault the author for that, though, because as a struggling writer myself, I find pacing to be a challenge. Every time I've picked up the pen, I don't have a clue how to properly build tension. But even without taking the format transition into account, a lot of it still feels rushed. For example, I don't have any reason to know when a location is changed while characters are in dialogue because it never says so until after the dialogue has ended. Likewise, the action scenes are often over as quickly as they began.
I genuinely feel bad for being so critical of this book. I've met the author and admire her dedication, and how she keeps the vampire scene alive in New Orleans. But really, it just doesn't do anything for me in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2026
**Proceed with caution when buying this book! There were two instances in this book where multiple pages were reprinted and another section where multiple pages were missing. And I’m pretty sure there was some key information in the missing pages. This was very annoying and jarring. This is one of the worst mistake someone can make when publishing a book and frankly I’m embarrassed for the author, publisher, editor, whoever overlooked this and lost money by having this printed incorrectly.
That being said, this book is pretty decent otherwise. This book has good creature feature type vibes that sprinkle authentic New Orleans culture and lore throughout. Some details or events don’t seem to pan out into much but it does still end up adding to the flavor text of the environment and the area so I didn’t mind it. I
The characters also have fun and interesting traits about them that make it engaging to follow.
The book also has beautiful drawings which add another layer of immersion as well as recipes. Most of the recipes sounds pretty good. Others sound good, but aren’t anything crazy. Like a cut of meat and sauce. It sounds delicious but doesn’t seem like an important enough recipe to include in a cookbook. Some of them sound a little odd/gross and I would never make them. Like a sorbet that includes activated charcoal. I personally wish there were more traditional New Orleans/Creole type recipes that were included but the ones that were still sound great.
**Slight spoilers ahead**
I was extremely disappointed with the ending. The main character is completely absent during the final challenge and he also learns the plan didn’t go quite according to plan. He decides the best course of action is to leave, never talk to any of the other characters ever again, and not try to fix the problem.
I wasn’t looking for a happily ever after here, but it feels like an incredibly dissatisfying ending when the main character spends multiple pages of the last chapter contemplating his decision to leave. I would have been okay with him leaving but I think we needed a little bit more closure with the other characters. It feels like wrapped up too fast.
I found out after that there is a second book which does change this a little bit, but it should be more clear that the story will continue in the second book so that the end of book one doesn’t feel so incomplete and rushed. It’s still jarring to end the book with the main character avoiding the final challenge and then leaving town without talking to anyone.
If I could give this book 3 1/2 stars I would have. I really liked the story which is why I will give it 4 but there were some pretty major downsides to reading this book that I want to bump it down for.
That being said, this book is pretty decent otherwise. This book has good creature feature type vibes that sprinkle authentic New Orleans culture and lore throughout. Some details or events don’t seem to pan out into much but it does still end up adding to the flavor text of the environment and the area so I didn’t mind it. I
The characters also have fun and interesting traits about them that make it engaging to follow.
The book also has beautiful drawings which add another layer of immersion as well as recipes. Most of the recipes sounds pretty good. Others sound good, but aren’t anything crazy. Like a cut of meat and sauce. It sounds delicious but doesn’t seem like an important enough recipe to include in a cookbook. Some of them sound a little odd/gross and I would never make them. Like a sorbet that includes activated charcoal. I personally wish there were more traditional New Orleans/Creole type recipes that were included but the ones that were still sound great.
**Slight spoilers ahead**
I was extremely disappointed with the ending. The main character is completely absent during the final challenge and he also learns the plan didn’t go quite according to plan. He decides the best course of action is to leave, never talk to any of the other characters ever again, and not try to fix the problem.
I wasn’t looking for a happily ever after here, but it feels like an incredibly dissatisfying ending when the main character spends multiple pages of the last chapter contemplating his decision to leave. I would have been okay with him leaving but I think we needed a little bit more closure with the other characters. It feels like wrapped up too fast.
I found out after that there is a second book which does change this a little bit, but it should be more clear that the story will continue in the second book so that the end of book one doesn’t feel so incomplete and rushed. It’s still jarring to end the book with the main character avoiding the final challenge and then leaving town without talking to anyone.
If I could give this book 3 1/2 stars I would have. I really liked the story which is why I will give it 4 but there were some pretty major downsides to reading this book that I want to bump it down for.
November 5, 2025
Very interesting worth the read and the recipes!
May 6, 2026
a fun read, and FABULOUS illustrations by my friend Mary Dugas!
April 24, 2026
Mosquito is a brilliant, spooky, and utterly captivating start to the series. It’s the perfect blend of Southern Gothic horror, local history, and fast-paced paranormal suspense. If you love dark vampire fiction with real heart and undeniable atmosphere, put this at the top of your TBR immediately!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews