She Made Herself a Monster

by Anna Kovatcheva

A heady, dark-hued Gothic gem of a debut in nineteenth-century Bulgaria, a self-proclaimed vampire slayer—actually, a traveling con artist—joins forces with a teenage girl to create a monster deadly enough to vanquish their own demons. 

We make monsters in order to destroy them. For thousands of years, we’ve named witches and burned them, suspected demons and exorcised them. When crops die and children fall ill, who better to blame than a monster?

In nineteenth-century Bulgaria, Yana rides from one desolate town to the next, staging grisly displays while the villagers animal corpses in the public square, eggs filled with blood in the chicken coop. She tells the stricken villagers stories of vampires that stalk the night. Then Yana eliminates the threat, and leaves seeds of hope in her wake.

The village of Koprivici, however, is plagued by exceptional illness and misfortune, its children rarely surviving infancy. There, Yana meets a headstrong orphan who the villagers blame for their curse. As Anka approaches womanhood, the village Captain is grooming her for marriage against her will. Anka is powerless against him—that is, until Yana arrives. Together, the orphan and the vampire slayer hatch a to conjure a monster so vile, it might provide cover for Anka to escape. But their plan quickly takes on a horrifying life of its own...

Inspired by Slavic folklore, She Made Herself a Monster concocts a clever mix of witchery, ghost stories, heresy, and deception to spin a feminist fable about agency and the power of collective action. It is a haunting and astoundingly cathartic tale of two women who will stop at nothing to take control of their fate. 

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Gothic, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Vampires

288 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 10, 2026

Reviews

[Sidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll be honest i don't typically go for folklore horror because I usually end up dnf'ing or just finding them really dull but this cover & synopsis sold me

Overall I did enjoy this. I loved the writing, the superstitious "cursed" village, the dark gothic atmosphere...but after finishing it I couldn't help but feel like the synopsis is a little misleading. The prologue pulled me in right from the beginning, & I flew through the first 50%, but the longer I read I was just left waiting for the vampire/vampire hunter aspect to kick in & well...there's barely any in the book at all.

The last half was a little boring for me, I think this really just comes down to there not actually being any vamps or vampire hunting going on like I anticipated. This is definitely a character driven story, mainly focusing on Anka & her trying to escape a forced marriage.

Captain Creepy is just...gross & weird & he deserved a lot more than what he got. I think this is still worth a read if you're someone who likes a more character driven gothic story but I would advise not to go into this expecting vamps or monsters because you might end up disappointed. I definitely see the potential in Anna Kovatcheva so I will be keeping an eye out for her books in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

[Nicole is Reading Fantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 ⭐️

She Made Herself a Monster is a character-driven story with beautiful prose and vivid imagery. However, I agree with other reviewers that the description of this book is misleading. Very little of the story delivers on the premise of a vampire hunter and an orphan conjuring a monster to help the latter escape a forced marriage. In fact, this doesn’t really come to fruition at all. Instead, the story focuses on the inner monsters of our characters, and how a superstitious town is quick to blame their misfortunes on the supernatural, rather than the man-made monsters that live among them.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Genoveva Dimova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharp, visceral, and atmospheric. I've been looking forward to this book - a tale of a con artist pretending to be a vampire hunter in a small Bulgarian village - ever since it was first announced, and I'm thrilled that it met my high expectations. I loved the setting, the folk horror elements, the tight pacing and unpredictable plot - but most of all, I loved the characters, each complex and fully realised. An excellent read.

[Micronova · Rating 3 out of 5]

She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
3 stars.

The synopsis grabbed my attention with “a self-proclaimed vampire slayer—actually, a traveling con artist—joins forces with a teenage girl to create a monster deadly enough to vanquish their own demons. We make monsters in order to destroy them.”

I’m undecided on whether or not the book delivered. It’s a little misleading as far as vampires and slayers go…

The story started off well enough and I enjoyed the gothic vibes with the village, myths and superstitious villagers. We’re introduced to Anka, a young woman (as in not a legal adult yet,) who is doing every thing she can to avoid being locked into a forced marriage (with the character known only as The Captain, who is disturbingly creepy.)

The plot is decent and the pacing worked for a bit but once I hit about 50% read, it stagnated. There are some big revelations and vivid imagery (the comb scene IYKYK) but there really wasn’t a build up of tension (or excitement,) and the climax, while entertaining, just didn’t hit.

This story is more about superstitions, damaging rumors, secrets, betrayals and the monsters people become when they are complicit. (Not so much about vampires or slayers.) There are lessons to be learned, for sure and some heavy subject matter.

So, it’s not a bad book. It’s just a book. That I read. And that’s it. Nothing that will keep me thinking about it in future days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the digital advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Expected publish date: February 10, 2026.

[Katie Quirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

With such a gripping description and prologue, “She Made Herself a Monster” promises an unsettling tale of feminine rage. A promise that is mostly, but not entirely, realized.

The characters are strong, all with clear motivations and explanations for any existing flaws. There were times where I disliked characters such as Kiril so strongly, but then would read a passage that made me empathize with him instead. When my opinions about character genuinely change throughout a book, I know that the author has written them in a believable we. Additionally, even though there was an antagonist for this novel, I liked how the author humanized them and showed their compassionate side.

Strongly character driven, I found the plot mostly solid with some areas that needed a little more attention. For example, the motif of Hassan’s comet was nice and the moment with Kiril and Hassan at the beginning was nice, but then it felt like that part of the story and Kiril’s life was abruptly dropped. It made me confused on why it wasn’t addressed more at the end. However, the main story, focusing on Anka and Kiril, kept me engaged with the novel. By the end I was fully invested with how the main plot would resolve itself.

Even though I was expecting a bit more horror throughout the novel, I was pleased to find a novel that carefully examines the bond of a broken “family.” It brings up the question of what lengths we would go to in order to support the ones we love.

❗️Although thisbook was provided to me as an ARC from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.❗️

[BizzyReader⋆｡°✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 - Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Has a similar backdrop to Lapvona (a small, superstitious village with morbid tales), but it focuses on the reclaimation of autonomy. I also found the story of the fake vampire hunter to be unique, and the perspectives of each character to be utterly engrossing. I would recommend this book for people who love the movie The Handmaid's Tale and Lapvona. Kovatcheva is an amazing storyteller, and the plot just comes together seamlessly.

[Adrian Dooley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one wasn’t for me unfortunately and I agree with others that the description is very misleading. There is no vampire hunting here, just a charlatan one in what isn’t a fantasy horror but a character based book.

The main problem I had was the characters. I didn’t gel with one of them. They vary from uninteresting to damn right nasty and unlikeable. I really had nothing invested in them as I read the book. There are also a few wtf moments with the actions of our characters where I had no idea why they happened or what they were in the book for.

There are some nice descriptive prose if that’s your thing but personally I find it hard to enjoy any book where I have no interest in what happens to any of the characters and sadly this was the case here.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

[Rachel Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this...but also...why was I so confused sometimes? As a couple early readers mentioned, the setting reminded me a bit of Lapvona with the superstitious village and morbid tales (not quite as strange and morbid as Lapvona though).

So there was some genuinely stunning writing and some incredibly bold and descriptive scenes (egg, comb, brick, lamb). The premise of a fake vampire slayer using her work to relinquish villages of unfounded paranoia and superstition is fascinating! The atmosphere was dark and Gothic and everything I love.

However, I felt like the plot could be a bit thin and muddled. Specific points were brought up that never seemed to come back around (ex. the comet). Also, please, someone explain to me that scene early in the book when Kiril and Anka are fighting.

So, all in all, I'd read any future novel from this author because they have some gold.

[Reading Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It's about a girl trying to escape a marriage to the man who raised her. She employs a woman who has come to town to organize a ( making of a monster , so to speak ) to fake kill her so she can escape. Of course everything doesn't go to plan. Overall I liked this book and found it interesting. I was hoping for a little more monster but that's ok.

[Spencer Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first 60% of this book: this book’s alright
The last 40% of this book: what the FUCK

[Trisha]

oooh this one sound sSO fun!

[Samantha (Reading_Against_Noise) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get into this one. While the premise was interesting, the story ultimately failed to deliver on its promise. I struggled to connect with any of the characters, and the weird uncle–foster father dynamic was especially off putting and gross. If the story had stayed more focused on its original premise and been trimmed down into a novella, it would have made for a much stronger reading experience.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for this arc

[felix alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up
MAN the description on goodreads is not accurate at all but i am so glad i was able to read this book (i love my job)
can't wait for it to be published so i can recommend it to my local gothic folk horror enthusiasts

[T Davidovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked most about this story is that it's possible to sympathize with people who make poor decisions. They're put in impossible positions, and the bad choices they make are small enough to seem inconsequential. Things mostly revolve around gendered violence, but it's isn't just about sexually abusing and exploiting women (though do be warned that sexual assault does occur in this book). It's also about enacting little betrayals. It's exposing secrets. It's complicity in the face of cruelty. It's taking advantage of a harmful situation that you didn't technically create. It's choosing one woman over another. It's believing a rumor. It's being betrayed by your own body and desires. Eventually, however, these inconsequential things build up, and small acts of violence reveal themselves to be incredibly damaging, especially if there's a conveniently vulnerable scapegoat.

In this case, the scapegoat is Anka, a girl being groomed to marry a man she's not interested in, but she's not the only vulnerable person in town. There's also Nina, the widow being accused of witchcraft. There's Kiril, Anka's abused, manipulated, and deeply insecure cousin. There's the entire town of Koprivici, a small Bulgarian village that seems to have been cursed.

Because of this curse, everyone is superstitious, which allows them to fall prey to the new arrival, a con woman who's pretending to be a vampire hunter. Her intentions aren't initially pure, not exactly, but they're also not nefarious. She Made Herself a Monster isn't interested in easy and simplistic divides between good and evil. Everyone, no matter how kind and innocent, finds that protecting themselves and those they care about always come at a cost.

What you should expect from this story is beautiful prose, a folkloric atmosphere, more gore and suspense than actual supernatural horror, a few scenes with (what I interpreted as) sapphic pining, a fascinating twist on the vampire story, and a tiny bit of righteous feminine rage.

If I have criticisms, it's that the plot and premise are a little thin. Anka has her reasons for not running away from her desperate circumstances, but they get increasingly flimsier over time. It's sometimes not totally clear why her plans for escape are constantly changing and failing.

I also found that some characters didn't have the most distinctive voices. The side characters especially blurred together, and I kept getting the sense that there might have been a few dropped plot lines around them. (For example, for a book about superstitions, it's disappointing to meet zero characters who are actually superstitious. All we see is people who know better tricking their neighbors. We don't learn much about those tricked neighbors.) It's a real shame, because what makes the book special is a tangled web of relationships and a resulting set of power dynamics between many people in one village. Since a lot of characters have an important role to play in this web, Anka doesn't (or shouldn't) have the burden of carrying the narrative alone. However, as the plot progresses, minor characters get sidelined. The focus ends up narrowing in on Anka a little too much, and I eventually started to realize that she's somewhat derivative as far as protagonists in horror novels go.

~Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC. All opinions are my own.~

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 STARS

this was a decent read. i loved that there wasn't really a "bad guy" here, but more of a well-written cast of characters who were left with difficult choices and did what they could to survive. even when you disliked a character, the author finds a way to get the readers to empathize with the characters. i love that the entire story unfolds around superstitions and folklore. it's like if all those scary stories you heard growing up coming to life in front of your eyes & all the ways you could "break the curse" so to speak.

i may add more to this review at a later date, but for now... i'd simply say that i'd recommend it. it encompasses that gothic vibe with some bloody scenes. but it's so much more than that. it begs the question of whether or not we abide by our moral compass to protect people we love. like, how far are you willing to go? what are you willing to do? again, i thoroughly enjoyed it & left me wanting more.

thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy via NetGalley. i leave this review of my own volition. all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Alanis Winters · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so so excited for this but ultimately I found it underwhelming. The plot was thin and there were no likable characters (imo), which would usually help me look past lack of compelling plot. I have to say I did find the writing well done (just perhaps a bit overkill on the constancy of the descriptions), and I enjoyed cultural elements of the book too.

[Vmndetta ᛑᛗᛛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has: 1) eye catching title, 2) gorgeous cover, 3) beautiful writing, 4) interesting blurb. I loved this book since the very beginning, especially when it turned horrific and gory. Loved Yana and Anka, all my support went for them, Captain can go to hell for all I care (I didn't like him at all). Also, the female rage? Chef's kiss. So glad I picked up this book. Imo I think this book is perfect for The Hounding fans.

[Amanda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what I was stepping into... would it be a Frankenstein tale or Crucible-like trials?
I truly enjoyed this novel. A tale of real life monsters set in 19th century, small village in Bulgaria. How cruel humans can be especially with a cheering crowd in the shadows, comforting their own fears. We create our own monsters to make ourselves feel better, to explain and jusify misfortunes.
Thank you for the ARC opportunity thru Goodreads giveaway.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some wonderful writing in this book. As I have never read this genre, I thought this would be a good first. I just couldn't get past the blood and thin storyline, which was somewhat confusing.

A young woman is born, her parents die, and superstition suurrounds her life in a small town. This is understandable, but there are so much unsaid and hidden messages from the characters that I was a bit lost in the story. It just didn't grab me.

I am sure readers of this fantasy supernatural will like it as it is dreamy and forboding, but I just couldn't.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was a lovely surprise. I’m going to try my best to say why I find this book so special without spoiling it. Not easy but it can be done.

When I first heard about the book, the words that caught my attention were vampires and slayers. Here comes the 90s kid raised watching Buffy so those are magical words to me. I love vampire stories and seeing this was set in what was a new setting for me sounded great. I had to google where Koprivci was and was surprised to see it is in Bosnia. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in Bosnia or any of the countries near it. So that also made me interested in the book because it’s cool to see different folklore influencing a story about vampires and ghosts or demons…each culture saw these things differently and I find it fascinating to learn about it.

It was hard for me to say when in history this story would take place. I would say a couple of hundred years ago but I can’t say a specific decade or even century. A war is referenced often so I tried to search all the wars that happened in Bosnia or around it and I can’t choose one that could be the one from this book. I knew it wasn’t the most recent one because I was alive during that war and this is historical fiction. It could be the war is a made up concept for this book or it could be a very local conflict that has not been reported as much outside the area. Anyway, that was just my former History major self trying to get more information from the story but it’s not something I need to know to enjoy the book.
It’s clear this is set at a time when more progress was being accessed by people through knowledge of things like science. But those people still refused to understand the science due to ignorance and fear of the unknown. It makes for a great plot device and I appreciated that part of the story.

Because the vampire side of the story was what got my attention, I was a bit confused reading the book because I don’t find that to be that prevalent. This story is more about real monsters. As in humans hurting others, whether they mean to or not. And that makes it maybe less interesting to some who just want the supernatural and the action with the vampires. For me, it makes the story a lot richer and more impactful.
We don’t have the largest cast of characters but each one plays a very important part. Even if they get less page time, their actions or just their presence influences how the story evolves. So that’s pretty cool to not just have filler characters who show up for one scene and then they’re gone.
I don’t want to say much about Yana because it’s so fun to discover how she is as a character and what her true intentions are. But I can say she’s so much more than just a slayer or a seer or whatever name people give her. She’s an incredibly layered character and what she does is maybe morally grey, but it makes sense. It crosses lines for sure but there is a point to her actions. It isn’t just done for her own gain and that’s why she’s so interesting as a character.
Anka’s story is so sad but so real. Through her, we can have so much commentary, which I adore and I always say it. There’s a very important theme that we cover with her character and I don’t want to say what because it’s a spoiler and this is an ARC review. But it was beautifully done. The nuances of her character arc were fantastic. And it’s all that which links her story with Yana’s and creates that friendship and that need to help each other.

I was very curious about Kiril because right at the beginning we see he’s a science guy. He goes to the city and can learn more about medicine and how to be a doctor. But then he goes back to a town where people believe in curses and such superstitions and…what is he going to do? They don’t believe in him and the knowledge he can use to help them. That’s very realistic. I mean, some people still refuse to respect science and everything it teaches us in 2025. So imagine back then. It was a very good portrayal of that time when people tried to leave behind the old superstitions to maybe embrace the progress that could make their lives better.
However, other aspects of Kiril as a character were a bit off putting. Realistic too and I can appreciate that. So while I understand why his character is the way it is and I find it fits the story, a few things bothered me because having a person like him around me would bother me. So maybe I’m biased in a way.

With this I’m trying to show this book is more about the characters than the monsters. It’s a great character study and I love those types of books. But to anyone who just wants monsters, it can be a bit disappointing. So it is fair to mention that.

The description of even the most basic things was very beautiful. It was very easy to visualize the town and the people and the houses…all very well done. I also felt that the author used the interludes to flex her writing skills a little, which I’m never opposed to. The writing as a whole was beautiful but those sections felt like extra pretty writing. Which for a story like this one is absolutely a great thing.

I could write about this book for hours really but I would have to make comments about things that are spoilery. And I loved finding out all the different aspects of the book on my own so I wouldn’t want to ruin it for anyone else.

Thank you to Random House UK/Vintage and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[hannah ⊹ ࣪ ˖ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars rounded down! She Made Herself a Monster is an atmospheric, Gothic debut that is full of folklore, fear, and feminine rage. While it isn’t the vampire story its synopsis suggests, it’s set in a bleak, superstition-soaked nineteenth-century Bulgarian village. Anna Kovatcheva’s prose is lush, unsettling, and immersive from the very first page. The opening is especially strong, pulling you into a world where illness, death, and belief blur together, and where monsters feel not only possible but inevitable.

At its heart, this is a deeply character-driven novel. Yana, the self-styled vampire slayer and traveling con artist, is fascinating in her moral ambiguity, while Anka—the orphaned girl blamed for her village’s suffering—is the emotional core of the story. Their uneasy alliance crackles with tension and quiet desperation. Rather than centering literal monsters, the novel focuses on the ones humans create: patriarchal power, communal cruelty, and the way superstition is weaponized to control vulnerable women. The village itself feels alive, steeped in dread and rot, and the Captain is exactly the kind of man-made horror that makes your skin crawl.

That said, the book’s biggest flaw is its misleading premise. If you go in expecting vampires, vampire hunting, or a fully realized monster plot, you’ll likely feel underwhelmed. That was unfortunately my issue. The second half slows considerably, and the promised plot never quite delivers in the way the synopsis suggests. Still, once you adjust expectations, what remains is a haunting feminist fable about agency, survival, and collective belief—and how creating a monster can sometimes be the only way to escape one.

Despite its pacing issues and bait-and-switch synopsis, this is a striking debut with a clear voice and serious potential. Dark, moody, and quietly furious, She Made Herself a Monster is best approached not as folklore horror, but as a Gothic character study that lingers long after you’re finished.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for this eARC!

[Mark Redman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Kovatcheva's 'She Made Herself a Monster' is an intensely atmospheric, character-driven gothic folk horror that immerses you in a haunting Bulgarian village teeming with superstitions and suspense. From the gripping prologue, the novel draws you into a world thick with foreboding, the prose and vivid imagery pulled me into this story.

While the story hints of vampires, hunters, and supernatural creatures, the true power lies in its human drama. The first half races forward, pulling you into Anka’s fiery quest to escape a stifling marriage and oppressive village expectations. As the story unfolds, it challenges your assumptions revealing that the real monsters are fear, misogyny, and societal cruelty rather than supernatural beings.

Captain stands out as a disturbing, sinister figure whose presence is both compelling and repulsive. His fate, however, leaves you craving more intensity, as it feels surprisingly lenient given his reprehensible actions.

The second half may slow down, but it offers insight when viewed as a character study rather than a supernatural thriller. Kovatcheva exposes how communities invent monsters to conceal the darkness while illuminating the terrifying power of societal and internal horrors.

Ultimately, this beautifully written, moody gothic novel is a must-read for fans of deep character explorations and folk horror. Approach it without expecting vampires or creature hunts, and you'll discover a gripping, thought-provoking tale that showcases Anna Kovatcheva’s extraordinary talent. I’ll definitely be watching for her future works!

My thanks to NetGalley and Vintage for a free ebook and an honest opinion.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Kovatcheva, and Mariner Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars

This book reminded me of some ways of Blood on Her Tongue. Both books are about women having to deal with societal pressures and expectations. I'm glad that I ended up enjoying this book more. The story hooked from the first page of the book. We mainly follow two characters: Yana, a vampire slayer who is actually a con artist, and Anka, an orphan who has become a woman, making her a target of the man who raised her. This is a story about a broken family, controlled by a powerful man who believes everything is his for the taking. It's also a story about superstitions that wreak havoc on the town. I enjoyed the fact that the characters felt like real people. I could easily see how something like this could have happened. Please check TW's. Warning of a brutal animal death. I would recommend this book!

[Molly Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book revolves around Anka, an orphan raised by an unrelated ‘uncle’ and destined for a future she dreads. The sense of impending doom is strong throughout the book, for Anka and for many of the other characters.

Every character felt fleshed out, none of them being perfect or morally superior to the rest. I found Yana to be a really enjoyable, refreshing character and though Kiril had a good storyline, despite often feeling frustrated by his views.

The book was enjoyable and had a strong story which intertwined the characters well, I just felt it may have gone on slightly too long, it didn’t keep me gripped at all times.

Overall this was enjoyable and a nice change of pace from my usual genre choices.

[Grace -thewritebooks]

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

The gothic style of this really worked for me - when I think gothic I usually think some kind of spooky manor or dark cobbled streets but this was set in a rural, superstitious village and it was really the characters that brought on that feeling of creeping dread.
Heavy on themes of blood: both as power and womanhood but also as violence and cruelty - some of it made for difficult reading, especially that slow burning tension of her Uncle in the background patiently waiting to marry her, so yucky.
I found the set up different to what I expected, it felt like the primary relationship in this was between the cousins not between the two girls getting to know each other. Going into it I thought the tension would be built around the "vampire slayer" evading capture for fraud or something but really she was there to paint the scenery for a more complex familial plot unravelling in the foreground.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Bones tight, heartbeat an echo. If only she could be a knife. If only she could
be a lamb, drunk on clover, slipping away into dead leaves."

I really enjoyed the vampire lore and the superstition surrounding the village.

this was beautifully written although don't take the vampire aspect so literally-its more vampiric belief as opposed to actually vampirism!

the story is essentially a seer helping a girl escape her fate of marrying the captain at any and all cost, even if it makes her, herself, a monster 👀

[Elisha Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The atmosphere that is created within this book from page one is outstanding. It continues this way until about half way through.

This book follows characters that are flawed - one of the main reasons I liked it so much. If a character can make you feel so strongly about their actions then you know they’ve been written properly and done justice by the author. This was a reoccurring theme throughout - characters that truly hook you and keep you reading, chapter after chapter.

Whilst I did strongly like the first half of the book, I do feel as though the second half - in comparison to the first - let the story as a whole down quite significantly, this is reflected in my 3.5 star rating of it - it would’ve definitely been 4+ stars if it had of continued as strongly as it did in the beginning.

With that being said, I did really enjoy this book and still read the whole thing, I think perhaps a lot of the issue is that the beginning set such a high standard to be maintained throughout that when it dropped off a bit, it made it all the more obvious.

Thank you to NetGalley and VintageBooks for kindly gifting me an eARC of this book!

3.5⭐️

[karla JR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful storytelling on this book, I liked the superstitions and and the metaphors and it really transport you to the village In the ambiance and description

[takeeveryshot]

this was not good and also the copy is misleading thank you

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly one of the most unique vampire books. I recommended this to friends before I was even 50% into it that’s how good this is