What do you think?
Rate this book
My Eyes Glow Red
A fearsome ancient vampire dies a villain—only to reawaken in a new world with a chance to redeem himself (or, well, close enough?)—in this horror comedy.
Kyler Stragos was once a thousand-year-old vampire, ruling as the Lord of Blood over a realm devastated by the vampire apocalypse. But even the mightiest fall. When he finally meets his end, he’s the last vampire lord standing, killed by two heroes, whom he drags with him into death. (At least he has that.)
But death isn’t the end. Instead of eternal darkness for this soulless being, Kyler awakens in a strange world, no longer the ancient predator he once was. His new reality is a role-based leveling system in which only the strongest and rarest classes have power. And to reflect his talents, the system has assigned him a nice, rare Vampire Lord (of course).
After a thousand years as a ruthless monster, Kyler sees an opportunity to be someone else. This time, in this new body—which just so happens to have last belonged to a murdered student at Vandal Academy—he hopes to walk a different path. What if, instead of becoming a tyrannical ruler, he avenged Kyler Evans’s death at the hands of troublesome nobles . . . and maybe even became a hero along the way?
Then again, breaking habits formed over centuries isn’t easy. Old instincts die hard, and there’s this pesky Spear of Dawn that seems to want Kyler dead (. . . or for him to adopt her, either way). But with a fresh start, a new self, and all the knowledge of his past life, he’s ready to carve out his place in this unfamiliar existence—hopefully without dying once more.
The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than 100,000 views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
Kyler Stragos was once a thousand-year-old vampire, ruling as the Lord of Blood over a realm devastated by the vampire apocalypse. But even the mightiest fall. When he finally meets his end, he’s the last vampire lord standing, killed by two heroes, whom he drags with him into death. (At least he has that.)
But death isn’t the end. Instead of eternal darkness for this soulless being, Kyler awakens in a strange world, no longer the ancient predator he once was. His new reality is a role-based leveling system in which only the strongest and rarest classes have power. And to reflect his talents, the system has assigned him a nice, rare Vampire Lord (of course).
After a thousand years as a ruthless monster, Kyler sees an opportunity to be someone else. This time, in this new body—which just so happens to have last belonged to a murdered student at Vandal Academy—he hopes to walk a different path. What if, instead of becoming a tyrannical ruler, he avenged Kyler Evans’s death at the hands of troublesome nobles . . . and maybe even became a hero along the way?
Then again, breaking habits formed over centuries isn’t easy. Old instincts die hard, and there’s this pesky Spear of Dawn that seems to want Kyler dead (. . . or for him to adopt her, either way). But with a fresh start, a new self, and all the knowledge of his past life, he’s ready to carve out his place in this unfamiliar existence—hopefully without dying once more.
The first volume of the hit LitRPG fantasy series—with more than 100,000 views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
- GenresFantasy
325 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2025
13 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 1, 2025
My Eyes Glow Red is an interesting LitRPG. It's dark and full of gore but not very suspenseful as the main character is really overpowered. I never knew where the story was going next which kept me interested.
But the book did feel pretty episodic by the midpoint. I mean that it was a grab-bag on what was going to happen in the next chapter. Maybe it was all flashback. Maybe Stragos and his underlings would go end a bunch of people. Maybe it was all angsty dialogue. The end felt like it contradicted the beginning. It had interesting scenes but it felt like a collection of short stories. Also trigger warning for several mentions to sexual assault, nothing on page.
But the book did feel pretty episodic by the midpoint. I mean that it was a grab-bag on what was going to happen in the next chapter. Maybe it was all flashback. Maybe Stragos and his underlings would go end a bunch of people. Maybe it was all angsty dialogue. The end felt like it contradicted the beginning. It had interesting scenes but it felt like a collection of short stories. Also trigger warning for several mentions to sexual assault, nothing on page.
August 7, 2025
Got this one on a whim, based entirely on the cute cover. To say I was pleasantly surprised wouldn’t cover half of it -- I had such a ridiculous blast with this book! The clever writing was good on its own, but the narrator took it to another level entirely. Good banter, good characters, actual twists in the story. Just. Wow. 10/10, no notes. I binged this hard and I’m sad there’s no more of it already.
This is coming from someone with very, very little interest in LitRPG. I genuinely didn’t know this book was in the genre, but by the time the talk of screens comes up I was already invested. It also wasn’t too bad. Can’t say it was my favorite part of the story (the MC being a proud father was), but it was woven well enough into the narration that it felt natural.
I guess my one complaint would be my lack of understanding of how this world works, tech-wise. There’s landlines and limos, but also redcaps and goblins who hoard treasures in caves. This may be a case of me lacking imagination, but the world never made any sense to me. And I still fucking loved the book and characters, that’s how good they were.
This is coming from someone with very, very little interest in LitRPG. I genuinely didn’t know this book was in the genre, but by the time the talk of screens comes up I was already invested. It also wasn’t too bad. Can’t say it was my favorite part of the story (the MC being a proud father was), but it was woven well enough into the narration that it felt natural.
I guess my one complaint would be my lack of understanding of how this world works, tech-wise. There’s landlines and limos, but also redcaps and goblins who hoard treasures in caves. This may be a case of me lacking imagination, but the world never made any sense to me. And I still fucking loved the book and characters, that’s how good they were.
July 3, 2025
good book
December 25, 2025
A good 3 stars. 4 stars for audiobook. Funny and easy but the action/story was a little boring at times. Inner monologue sections or interactions with Rachel were the best, but the rest of the characters didn’t quite land. I’m not a gamer so might be LitRPG is not my genre.
July 6, 2025
I found it and enjoyable story elevated by a well matched and well executed vocal performance.
June 17, 2025
Until ‘My Eyes Glow Red’, I had no idea what LitRPG meant. LitRPG literally means: Literary Role-Playing Game. THAT means you’re basically reading a video game in progress—If the writer possesses any talent, which J. V. Simms clearly does, the ‘game’ will play itself out in your head as you read along. Good stuff.
‘My Eyes Glow Red’ is absolutely spectacular, outrageously original, and whimsically witty. Kyler Stravos-Evan’s-Velas’ wakes up in a new body. He immediately begins encountering challenges, foes, allies, and surprises that flip his once tightly controlled emotions into a spiral. The hits keep coming. Kyler must utilize his 1,000+ years experience in adaptation to survive. This book is a pleasant surprise.
*** Recommended ***
Tropes:
* Dramedy
* Dark Gothic fantasy
* Antihero Vampire
Triggers:
* Violence
* Gore
* Death
* Profanity.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
‘My Eyes Glow Red’ is absolutely spectacular, outrageously original, and whimsically witty. Kyler Stravos-Evan’s-Velas’ wakes up in a new body. He immediately begins encountering challenges, foes, allies, and surprises that flip his once tightly controlled emotions into a spiral. The hits keep coming. Kyler must utilize his 1,000+ years experience in adaptation to survive. This book is a pleasant surprise.
*** Recommended ***
Tropes:
* Dramedy
* Dark Gothic fantasy
* Antihero Vampire
Triggers:
* Violence
* Gore
* Death
* Profanity.
I received a free copy of this book via Podium Team and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews