The Vampire of Maple Town

by Kane McLoughlin

After a young boy becomes a reluctant vampire, he is forced to sign a contract to kill someone in his home of Maple Town. This is the condition behind the mysterious adoption of fifteen-year old Charlie. While under the care of the grieving widow, Vincent Prowl, Charlie can never go outside. Vincent's only explanation is that it's too dangerous. One day Charlie escapes and Vincent realizes he'll do anything to save his son —even if it means the destruction of the town he once loved in exchange for he and his son's freedom. All the while, unbeknownst to the fact that a young, locked away witch named Alice holds the key to preventing a tragedy and freeing Charlie from his gruesome contract and the deadline that grows closer with each day.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 9, 2018

Reviews

[Tahera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Normally, so far in my reading journey, when I have come across a fiction book about a vampire, it's either been a dark, deary, gory, atmospheric tale set in Transylvania akin to Dracula or a story about a bunch of modern, hot looking teenage vampires trying to live a normal teenage life in Forks or Mystic Falls (not that anyone I am certain is complaining about the second option 😉). So when I came across this book on NetGalley, two things caught my eye--the cover and the fact that this seemed like a story about a teenage vampire boy called Charlie in a fairy tale kind of setting. Well, I wasn't wrong. The story of this book is set in a town called Maple Town which by its description sounds a lot like the town Belle lived in 'The Beauty and the Beast'--and references to fairy tales don't end here as there are quite a few (subtle and not so subtle) that are sprinkled throughout the book. Add in witches, magic, a talking black cat (a demon trapped in a cat's body), a paper sparrow, werewolves, masquerade parties, balls and a revenge plot and you get yourself a fantasy novel which I feel is mainly aimed at middle grade readers. For a debut novel, it's not a bad effort and the ending of this book does hint at a follow up story.

Thanks to Netgally, the publisher and the author for an ARC.

[Ilona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of The Vampire of Maple Town by Kane McLoughlin. I have read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If I had to use one word to describe this book it would be: confusing. Unfortunately the story was all over the place. It felt like there were four different stories thrown together in a blender without a thread to connect them. The mythology isn’t eplained at all. The characters have no backstory or their background isn’t really explored. Which results in a story that isn’t very enjoyable.

By the end the reader is left with more questions than answers.

[Page Grey (Editor) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first chapter really set the mood of the entire novel. It's so mysterious, intriguing and atmospheric, written in a way I felt I was in for a good tale. It was a good tale, though there are parts of the story where the storytelling loses the mood and tone that the beginning promised. I can even say, it gets dramatic and dull sometimes. But overall the plot is okay and the twists are decent enough.

When it comes to the characters, Charlie, our main character isn't that likeable. I don't hate him but I don't like him enough. He's a bit meh for my taste. I'm in fact more interested in Vincent who thankfully is one of the main characters though I didn't like the fact that he hid something from Charlie and raised him very strictly. Still, I'm interested to know about him ad I would love to read his and his wife's love story. That would be a great tale. But unfortunately this book is more focused on Charlie and the deal Vincent made with the 'twins' to keep Charlie alive. Also, Charlie's Romance is in the spotlight. It's sort of love 'square' which really gets confusing because, in the end, I had no idea what it achieved. Did the romance a part of this story at all? I think the Romance was stupid.

I just wished the story also focuses on Alice, because, by the way, this is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland and I think she's really an interesting character. But instead, we get even more of the Queen of Hearts who is one stupid, confused character. I know it's part of her character, in the story she's called, THE QUEEN OF BROKENHEARTS, but still, she's one unlikeable character, like why does she even a part of this story?

Overall, this is a fine tale, I just wish, the author developed each plot points more because really, every part of this story and each character has so much potential. I think there will be a sequel or at least a companion novel and I might read it when it comes out.



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I was provided a copy by the publisher/author thru Netgalley.Thank you.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get into this book, it didn’t seem to hold my attention and this is one of my favourite genres. The characters I couldn’t connect with, it was slow to start and then just wasn’t motivating me to want to read it. Sorry not for me.

[Peter Redmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is tale has a storybook feel brimming with wonder, magic and well developed characters. I was oblivious to the world on page 1 - lost in the fantasy world. I wish I could read it for the first time again.

[Alexandra WhimsyPages · Rating 4 out of 5]

“...and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable.”
Margot Fonteyn

Once again I’ve proven to myself that low Goodreads rating doesn’t mean the book is bad or that I won’t like it. With a mere 3.04, «The Vampire of Maple Town» was a very solid and magical debut novel that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves fairytales and inexperienced vampires trying to find their place in the human society.

It’s not often that we get a new take on the old vampire story. Generally, vampires are these ruthless beasts, akin Dracula, or love boys like Edward from the Twilight Saga or Stefan and Damon from The Vampire Diaries. Seeing vampires as someone who is completely inexperienced in the “vampire business” and tries to learn how to live with it, was very interesting and refreshing.

Let’s begin with the small town setting. Maple Town seemed to come from the pages of a fairytale - orchards that belonged to the Maple family were the crown of the Maple Town, with Sally Maple as its center jewell. Everyone loved Sally. All eligible youth has tried their chance with the princess of orchards. Sadly, Sally’s heart didn’t belong to anyone.

You might think that this is a love story. But it was so much more. It’s a story of difficult choices, of friendship and finding your place in the world, when all the world does is trying to isolate you from everyone else.

In Maple Town everyone knows each other. Charlie, the young inexperienced vampire, got excited to meet people but he also needed to be careful to not reveal his biggest secret - that he’s a vampire and needs blood to survive.

Charlie’s story was very interesting, but the character that spoke to me the most was Alice. The story of a little witch hidden from the world was a little bit more exciting to me that the one about the little vampire. I guess I prefer witches over vampires… oops! The finale of the book definitely hinted at the possibility of a sequel, and there are still many questions that were left unanswered. So hopefully the sequel will focus more on Alice (sorry, Charlie!).

Alice seemed to be a very strong young lady, and with all the witchcraft skills she learned from the Cat, there is a ton of potential for a more magical orientated story in the future.

This was one of the few books where queer characters didn’t feel forced. When reading books with queer characters I often feel that authors introduce them just for the sake of meeting some goals. But in this book, it felt genuine, although I shouldn’t be the one to judge this, and would love to hear from someone who can actually relate to the character what they thought about it.

Another element that spoke to me was the little magical things that popped up here and there that didn’t affect the plot and didn’t require any logical explanation. They are magic afterall. It might look like I don’t like structured and “logical” magic (if such a thing exists), but I do.

However, what I love the most is the whimsical feeling of something magical happening that doesn’t need any justification. These elements bring me back to childhood because ultimately most middle-grade books contain this aspect in one way or another.

[Iman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvelous. I loved it. I loved the characters; I loved the setting; I loved the character relationships. But one this I loved the most was the writing. It was such a smooth and whimsical contemporary style, it fitted in so well with the basis of the plot and setting.

The characters, although not all were likeable, were shown in such depth. I absolutely loved the conversations and interactions between the characters and unfolding another aspect of their personality everytime.

I would recommend this book to people who like contemporary writing with strong characters and interesting plot.

[Kimberly (kimberly_reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to have access to The Vampire of Maple Town. I found the pacing for this story to be slow at the start, but things did pick up and I enjoyed the story more once the pacing started to improve. There were also a few things I wish the author would’ve touched on more (such as Sally and her understanding of love, I found her conversation with Alice to be interesting and wish they would’ve had a proper chance to discuss things again!) As a whole, I wish I could’ve connected with the characters more and that the romance wasn’t as heavy of a focus. I enjoyed this story, but I believe there was potential for even more to be discussed.

[Southern Today Gone Tomorrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Vampire of Maple Town, about Charlie the vampire, was very slow. Very, very slow. The parts of the world and the premise was interesting - a vampire who lives alone and is the town doctor suddenly adopts/makes a vampire boy- and parts, such as the lovely bird.

But, for me, the story was overall very slow moving. I found myself constantly distracted. The writing was fine, it just wasn't compelling.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reveived a copy of this through goodreads giveaway.
This story was quite a mystery that kept me interested. What secrets are hidden in Vincent's and Charlie's world? That was the main thing that kept me going.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very generous 2 of 5.

Bad, full of tropes, and we're supposed to feel sympathy for a psychopathic bastard who should never have been allowed to be around children, or people in general.

[Emily Malek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: The author of the book that I am about to review is someone that I knew from college. All of the opinions stated in this review are solely mine.

One of the first set of stories that readers are exposed to are fairytales. These stories are usually set in faraway lands, are full of magic, and offer ways to survive in order to obtain that happily ever after. Various media still pay homage to these timeless tales through their modern adaptations. "The Vampire of Maple Town" by Kane McLoughlin continues this ever-lengthy tribute to these yarns, but it stands out by combining elements of both western and Japanese fairytales and containing in-depth characters.

"The Vampire of Maple Town" tells the story of a 15-year vampire named Charlie. He is raised by the doctor and vampire widower, Vincent Prowl. After Charlie becomes a vampire, he is forced to sign a contact, stating that he has killed someone in their provincial home of Maple Town. Vincent keeps Charlie inside his mansion on Chiaroscuro Lane all day, yet when Charlie escapes one day, Vincent realizes that he will do anything to save him, even if that means destroying the entire town. McLoughlin has stated that this book is the first in a trilogy.

One thing that readers will notice while reading this book is that it gives nods to a lot of fairytales. One can easily find elements of "Little Red Riding Hood", "Cinderella", "Beauty and the Beast", and most notably, "Alice in Wonderland" (I realize that that is technically not a fairytale, but for the sake of this story, it is). I cannot tell how many times that I found elements of that tale in it like the Mad Hatter Festival and stay with me, one of the main characters is named Alice! In addition, McLoughlin makes allusions to Japanese folk tales since he himself is half Japanese. These include "Momotaro, or the Story of the Son of a Peach" (the protagonists of both stories are 15-year old boys), "The Goblin of Adachigahara" (the protagonists are forbidden to go somewhere, but do so and experience consequences), "The Mirror of Matsuyama" (magical mirrors that reflect the past are involved in both stories), and "The Story of the Man Who Did Not Wish to Die" (both stories contain characters trying to avoid death and paper cranes that come to life) (Ozaki, 2019). I am sure that they are more tributes, but these are the ones that came up while I was doing my research. Both incorporations add more varied flavors to the story.

Another strong point of this novel is that the characters are well-developed. When reading, I knew exactly the motivations of the characters even if their actions can be reprehensible. For example, Vincent can come off as strict and violent at times (he even aggressively grabs Charlie’s neck at one point). On the other hand, he keeps Charlie in the mansion to protect him from the hate that the townspeople will express once they find out that the boy is a vampire. This allows the story to have more depth than the average fairytale.

The only thing that I would complain about is that I found the ending to be predictable. I will not spoil it, but it falls under the Cinema Sins quote, “’Character says he’s not going to do something before immediately doing that thing’ cliché” (2018).

Overall, "The Vampire of Maple Town" is a good debut. I would recommend this book to people who like vampires and in-depth characters as well as to the fairytale lovers. Readers will definitely get a kick out of the fairytale references and find themselves understanding characters even if they do not agree with their actions. I personally look forward to seeing what happens with Charlie in the subsequent novels.


Reference

CinemaSins. (2018, September 25). Everything Wrong With Shrek The Third In 16

Minutes Or Less [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ONNE...

Ozaki, Yei Theodora. (2019). Retrieved from

https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/72/japanes...

[Amanda Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright, so you know when you’re browsing through NetGalley or the library or whatever and you see a book with a title that makes you think even vampires can have happy endings? Or no, maybe you don’t but at least you know where my headspace was when I started reading The Vampire of Maple Town.

Kane McLoughlin’s novel follows the story of Charlie, a battered boy who wakes up one morning to find that he has been changed into a vampire. Under the tutelage of his vampire father, Vincent, Charlie learns how to live like a refined gentleman whilst sneaking off in secret to hang out with the people of Maple Town. He falls in love with the town’s belle, Sally, and befriends the local apprenticing blacksmith, Skat. When Charlie learns that he must fulfill a pact and kill Autaine, a prized member of the community, the vampires send the entirety of Maple Town into disarray.

Honestly, this review is short because I don’t really have a lot of nice things to say about it. I am personally not a fan of fantasy set in quaint, historical, provincial Europe, which from page one is the case here. The setting plays into the whole fairy tale cliche and includes characters inspired from other well-known fairy tales. I honestly felt like the first half was straight out of Beauty & the Beast: you have a baker called Maurice, the angry rich monster with a secret heart of gold, curses that limit character abilities in a critical way, LITERALLY A ROSE IN A BELL JAR – you get the idea. There are also elements from Sabrina the Teenage Witch here, with a talking cat that was once a notorious wizard and a teenaged girl who is actively trying to hide her magical abilities from her normie friends. Other cliches include: secret identities, climbing up a vine to get to your girl’s window, a prophecy, someone you thought was dead but was just in hiding, cute heroine disguised as a boy to experience the world and set up romantic chemistry with the lead, etc. Using tropes is not in itself a bad thing, but you at least have to subvert them a little or alter expectations! Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen in The Vampire of Maple Town.

Readers who like predictability or familiarity will like this story because it is a tale as old as time 🎵. You can expect a happy ending, and you will be able to see well in advance which characters will prevail. A lot of reviewers seemed to enjoy this book on Goodreads so obviously take my opinion with a grain of salt but you should read this if you like fairy tales or have low-ish expectations.

A big thank you to the publishers for trading me a free reading copy of this book for an honest review.

[Francis · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise for The Vampire of Maple Town was an interesting one: there is a little village with a mysterious vampire for a doctor who at one point decides to turn a young dying boy into a vampire as well and ten adopts him as his son. The boy is made to sign a contract upon his turning that states he has to kill one of the villagers in exchange for his life. The boy, Charlie, however, gets acquainted very well with the village people and doesn’t want to kill anyone at all. Besides this main story, there were many random facts and seemingly disconnected events announced throughout the book.

I have to say, though, that I had a hard time reading this book and relating to it in any way. The writing style, which was very simplistic and almost child-like, didn’t appeal to me at all. I almost missed the pictures to go with it, because it felt like a children’s book, especially in the beginning. Every now and then there was also a strange all-knowing narrator who gave predictions for the rest of the book. These passages were very out of the blue and didn’t match the story in my opinion.

Additionally, the writer chose to incorporate a lot of elements from different books and fairy tales. There were references to Alice in Wonderland (the Mad Hatter party, a character named Alice, a queen of broken hearts who screams “off with his head!), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (a black cat who teaches magic), Beauty and the Beast (a baker named Maurice), and Rumpelstiltskin (a curse that is broken when you figure out the person’s name). I didn’t enjoy these elements at all, since they made the story feel less unique and more of a mixture of stolen bits and pieces.

Even though I have to say that I thought the book got better towards the end, and I was curious to see how everything turned out, I did not enjoy this book. There were too many strange things going on and it couldn’t captivate me enough to keep reading. I finished it, but I almost didn’t. And since I never really DNF a book, that it saying something.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you took a great vampire story and set it in an old-fashioned version of Wonderland, you would come very close to the feeling of this story. There are magic dolls turned to life who broker magical deals with life altering consequences. Witches who aren’t allowed to show their magical talent. Vampires who are also doctors and werewolves that should never be trusted. Witches who are learning their skills and witches who aren’t as dead as they seem. Not to mention blacksmith apprentices who may have powerful secrets of their own. Village festivals, feasts, balls, blacksmith shops, and forests become the setting for both young love and revenge.
This was an interesting take on vampires. Sunlight doesn’t affect them and Charlie goes most of the book without drinking any blood, let alone craving it when he’s around other people. In fact, Charlie spends most of the story trying to figure how he could be one of the evil creatures that he keeps hearing about. He isn’t mean or cruel and seems to be a normal boy who just wants to find his place in the world.
Really enjoyed this one. The story moves quickly with plenty of twists and turns.
Full disclosure time: I received a free copy of this book from the author through a LibraryThing giveaway. All opinions are my own.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

E-book/Middle Reader/Gothic Fantasy: I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. When I picked it out, I did not realize that it is historical fiction. I guess it needs to be since in the age of cell phones the plot would never work. In this case, the plot doesn't work anyway. First, there is a thing called gossip. When you have a servant serve one of your guests blood instead of champagne, everybody is going to know.

I thought this book was going to be more like the Cirque du Freak series or the Morganville Vampires series, but it's as melodramatic and has about as much continuity as Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters or Sisters of the Heart series. Yes, that bad. I really didn't understand the whole Cinderella plot to this book. There is a love "square" going on and I could never like little Charlie. Granted, teenagers were married young in the old days, but it just makes scenes so stupid with the drama. First off, the characters have no real problems besides having too much money and time on their hands. Every time something was right in the book with narration or plot, it would get drugged down with endless melodrama. It's 2019, aren't we past this by now.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy.

Full review to follow soon.

My initial thoughts. . .
This is a cute short book that uses elements from various fairy tales to tell an original story about a young vampire who wants to live alongside the townspeople but circumstances and promises made by the adults in his life force him to be the monster that he is.

The pace is a bit slow and the narrator seems to shift often throughout the book, which isn't good but after adjusting to it, I found the story cute and fine. Charlie is sweet, Aria is fun; the romance isn't captivating, more like a couple of kids going through the motions of what they think love is. The best relationship is between Charlie and Vincent, though this is a strained relationship.

There seems to be a lack of focus and events unfold because someone else is pulling the strings, leaving Charlie to deal with the consequences. It's not a great story but it's not a bad story. Good for anyone who wants a fun book for a trip or over the weekend.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this from a Good Reads giveaway.

I'll start with the fact that I didn't realize this was a young adult book. That isn't a bad thing, I just was confused for a bit when I started reading it and it was obvious it was not written for adults. There were a lot of things in the book that a good proofread could fix so I'm hoping they did that before putting it out for everone. As for the actual story itself, I have to day, I had a really hard time liking any of the characters. Any of them. I found many of them annoying, although not all. I did like the Alice in Wonderland references, so that boosted up the rating a little bit. Overall, not terrible, especially if you are a young adult, but it won't be making it to my favorites list. It also seemed like the set up for a series so I hope in future books that the characters are improved and many of unadressed stories are told.

[Nannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Vampire of Maple Town was an enjoyable read. The stories of Charlie, Vincent, Skat, Sally, and Alice are tied together in a web of lies. Not everyone knows they are not who they think they are. Charlie is the protagonist. He is a nice boy who longs for life beyond his confined existence. I think Kane McLoughlin will be an interesting author to follow. I see potential in The Vampire of Maple Town.

This book would be appropriate for high school or mature middle school students. The deaths in the story are not graphic in nature or detailed. I won a Kindle copy through a Goodreads contest. I am not a professional reviewer, author or honestly anything. I recommend giving The Vampire of Maple Town a read to form your own opinion.

[Liz W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visions of Neil Gamian

I didn't really know what to expect from this book. The cover caught my eye and the story seemed original enough. I'm glad I took a chance.

I was quickly reminded of Neil Gamian and his way to weave a story and talk with the reader but still remain in story. There were moments of confusion but I took into account that this was the first book of a new author. It was also a very good story and not a cookie cutter book just through on the shelves.

I look forward to more from Kane McLoughlin, even a follow up to this story. That's the series lover in me.

[Lesya BlackBird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was a tricky one.
This book's strength is its narration. The tone is pure fairy tale, though possibly one with a darker side.
Its weakness is the dialogue. Its choppy, often irrational, or three good lines, all used by one character, when it would have been more impactful to use one.
Its also an odd blend of whimsical and modern. They clank against each other and break you out of the flow.
Still, it has wonderful moments of whimsy, magic and enchantment.
Its an interesting read but left me wishing it had been edited just a bit more, for that final polish.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Maple Town

A fascinating read by author Kane, The Vampire of Maple Town is a modern day fairy tale. Maple Town feels like a real town, where the characters are given such lovely attention to detail that you find yourself invested in the fates of even the nameless baker and his wife. Well-written and we’ll-crafted lore will pull you into Maple Town, and you won’t want to leave!

[Leticia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I unfortunately could not care enough for this book. The story was confusing, it read as if the beginning had been cut out and it started in its very slow middle act, therefore the pacing was too slow. The story was also full of tropes to a point where there was nothing surprising about it and the characters were all not fleshed out enough so I would care about them.

[Jennifer Bouchillon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish this were better. While I liked the plot and the genre is right up my alley, the writing style was simplistic and a bit confusing at the same time. The characters weren’t developed enough for my liking, nor did I particularly like any of them. I received this as an ARC and it fell flat for me.

[Tammy Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I first saw this book, I was excited because I'm a huge fan of vampires but sadly, this book couldn't keep my attention. I wish I could have gotten deep into this book because of my love for vampires but it didn't and it really sucks. I'm not going to bash the book but sadly, it wasn't my favorite.

[Cat]

Not a bad read, I am thinking kids 5th grade up who are into vampires, witches, and other magical creatures are going to enjoy this story. Kind of a slow start, but it's a fun story for kids (I was beginning to think the vampire thing had end after Twilight...guess I was wrong.)
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Anjedah / bookriot_awesomeyou]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of The Vampire of Maple Town by Kane McLoughlin. I have read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

One thing which I can say about this book is intriguing. It kept me captived since from first page . It's a mixture of Magic and vampire in it.

[K.E. Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story

This was a fun story to read. The writing style was a bit stilted and it was a bit rushed in places. Overall an easy story to read

[Janet Newport · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and EverAfterPress for this arc.

I know this was a "different take" on vampires with a "fairy tale vibe" meant for the YA reader. It was just too darn long and flat for me. I just felt no tension whatsoever in the story, had no connection with any of the characters and never saw any of the "enchanting magic" of Maple Town. I can't imagine any member of it's intended audience to consider the book to be anything like 5 hours of entertainment.

Just not for me.

[Latrice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel badly leaving a review on a book I didn't finish but I couldn't force myself to do it. I like the general plot but the execution was terrible. This book is loftily written and reads like a first draft. At no point did I lose myself in the story and forget I was reading a book.