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Blood Stains Don't Show On Black!
Being friends with a vampire can be hazardous to your health. That’s what Christian’s tribe of New York City street punks has been finding out the hard way. Ever since his transformation, the people who get close to him have been dropping like flies at the hands of the fiend that infected him. His girlfriend Cara was dead and his roommate Rachel lay grievously wounded as he headed towards an uncertain and perilous future.
Now he must quickly learn to defend himself if he is going to face The Chord and find a place in vampire society. Fortunately, he has his sword-wielding mentor Amym and a beautiful Gothic exotic dancer named Joyce, to help guide him.
Being friends with a vampire can be hazardous to your health. That’s what Christian’s tribe of New York City street punks has been finding out the hard way. Ever since his transformation, the people who get close to him have been dropping like flies at the hands of the fiend that infected him. His girlfriend Cara was dead and his roommate Rachel lay grievously wounded as he headed towards an uncertain and perilous future.
Now he must quickly learn to defend himself if he is going to face The Chord and find a place in vampire society. Fortunately, he has his sword-wielding mentor Amym and a beautiful Gothic exotic dancer named Joyce, to help guide him.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2018
58 people want to read
About the author
K.D. McQuain
5 books81 followersKD McQuain grew up in the Alphabet City neighborhood of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In the spring of 1985 he became involved in the early Hardcore Punk scene and always kept a dog-eared paperback in the cargo pocket of his fatigues. KD graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and received his BFA in sculpture. He worked as a glass bender in the neon industry for several years before starting his own record label, Skully Records, which became widely known for popularizing the Gothabilly genre. He now lives in Virginia with his wife, son and a menagerie of loving but continuously underfoot animals.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 13, 2019
NYV: Goth is a great addition to the New York Vampire series by K.D. McQuain.
I have been waiting anxiously for this sequel for quite a while, and I have to say it didn't disappoint! This sequel is darker, more twisted and absolutely brutal!
Yet again, we follow Chris in his new vampire life - he's a little older, a little wiser and still getting into trouble. This book packs on the drama, the sex, the blood and the gore. As he tries to find his place in this world, performing a job alongside Amym and Joyce, trouble ensues.
This book is one hundred percent an R rated novel - there's lots of sex scenes and lots of blood and guts. This book is not for the light-hearted, but it's still quite the treat! The mature tone makes this book an interesting read since we are following a teenager. At times, I forgot that Chris was a teenager despite his actions reflecting his age pretty well. I still love Amym in this book, and I wish we got more from his side of the story. His little novella (#1.5 in this series) was really awesome - if you haven't read that book, pick it up! Seriously, it's great!
I loved that Chris is growing as a character. He wasn't my favourite in the first novel, but he's grown on me quite a bit. He has realistic emotions and reactions in a book that's fantastical. I hope K.D. McQuain continues with this series and continues growing and developing Chris. He's becoming one truly interesting character.
My issues with the book were as followed: I always seem to have difficulty figuring out how to pronounce the names of the characters. Googling them rarely helps me, so it's more of a personal 'con' of the book. I'd love to see how K.D. had pronounced them as he was writing - that'd help silly old me out. My other con is that I wanted a little more from the side stories. They were really interesting, but I just wanted... more. Maybe I'm just greedy because I like K.D.'s writing style.
Overall, this book was a dark yet fun ride! It's another 'Reader Beware' book - it's really dark, it has rape and murder and lots of R rated content that might not be suitable for all ages or personalities
I would recommend this book if you like R rated vampire books (no glitter here folks!), drama and horror mashed together, or want a new series to jump into. I would recommend reading the first book so you really get the whole picture of this series, but you could definitely follow along with this story without any prior knowledge.
Four out of five stars!
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I have been waiting anxiously for this sequel for quite a while, and I have to say it didn't disappoint! This sequel is darker, more twisted and absolutely brutal!
Yet again, we follow Chris in his new vampire life - he's a little older, a little wiser and still getting into trouble. This book packs on the drama, the sex, the blood and the gore. As he tries to find his place in this world, performing a job alongside Amym and Joyce, trouble ensues.
This book is one hundred percent an R rated novel - there's lots of sex scenes and lots of blood and guts. This book is not for the light-hearted, but it's still quite the treat! The mature tone makes this book an interesting read since we are following a teenager. At times, I forgot that Chris was a teenager despite his actions reflecting his age pretty well. I still love Amym in this book, and I wish we got more from his side of the story. His little novella (#1.5 in this series) was really awesome - if you haven't read that book, pick it up! Seriously, it's great!
I loved that Chris is growing as a character. He wasn't my favourite in the first novel, but he's grown on me quite a bit. He has realistic emotions and reactions in a book that's fantastical. I hope K.D. McQuain continues with this series and continues growing and developing Chris. He's becoming one truly interesting character.
My issues with the book were as followed: I always seem to have difficulty figuring out how to pronounce the names of the characters. Googling them rarely helps me, so it's more of a personal 'con' of the book. I'd love to see how K.D. had pronounced them as he was writing - that'd help silly old me out. My other con is that I wanted a little more from the side stories. They were really interesting, but I just wanted... more. Maybe I'm just greedy because I like K.D.'s writing style.
Overall, this book was a dark yet fun ride! It's another 'Reader Beware' book - it's really dark, it has rape and murder and lots of R rated content that might not be suitable for all ages or personalities
I would recommend this book if you like R rated vampire books (no glitter here folks!), drama and horror mashed together, or want a new series to jump into. I would recommend reading the first book so you really get the whole picture of this series, but you could definitely follow along with this story without any prior knowledge.
Four out of five stars!
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review.
January 31, 2019
Another Strong addition to this series. After I remind myself as I read along that Christian is a 15ish year old kid some of the things he does makes more sense. It's nice to see the development of Christian into a more focused young adult. I love Amym. As an adult reading this series, he is the one who really gets my attention. The writing matures nicely as does the story line. Looking forward to the next one!
April 3, 2019
He’s done it again. Another book that drags you along for the ride. Characters that you love or love to hate. A million questions that, as soon as they’re answered, lead to a million more. I love and hate being left on the edge of my seat the way each book in this series seems to leave me. I can’t wait to see where the next installment takes me.
April 21, 2019
Book Reaction: https://nildivision.blogspot.com/2019...
Rating: 2 Stars - it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
Thank you to the author, K.D. McQuain for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 2 Stars - it’s a struggle to finish the damn book
Thank you to the author, K.D. McQuain for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review
June 14, 2019
Continuing his fusion of New York youth cultures with a fresh take on vampirism, McQuain embraces the apogee of music for blood drinking in plain sight: Goth.
This novel is the second in the New York Vampire series. Ineffable mysteries of the first volume might be unveiled beyond this point.
Having, barely, survived Gilles’ attack, Christian is whisked to receive training in both mortal and vampiric skills. Training that, if he is lucky, might make him useful enough that the rulers of vampiric society don’t have him put down out of hand. And, perhaps worse, if he does prove he has value, he might become an equal threat to his friends as his deranged creator.
As in AMYM: The Mamluk Who Defied Death , the centre of this story is about the transition from happen-to-have-been-turned to useful-vampiric-tool. However, unlike Amyn, Chris was not already a warrior and leader when turned; thus both the skills he needs to learn and his instinctive reactions to intensive training are different. Therefore, readers familiar with Amyn’s story will find a fresh perspective on early vampirism that expands McQuain’s mythology rather than any significant duplication.
McQuain’s narrative style continues to be heavy on exposition, both on the eponymous culture and the streets of New York. While this is for the most part interesting, some readers might find the occasional listing of which roads a character walks along and other factoids distract from the plot. Fortunately, these are few enough and mild enough that the novel overall remains fast-paced.
Where the first volume was set against the New York punk scene, this one occurs as the first wave of Goth is surging into clubs. While McQuain maintains his detailed focus on the real-world music and scene, he also makes use of the vampire tropes that exist in Goth, fusing the musical history side of the book more closely with the plot than in NYV: Punk.
While McQuain sometimes shifts the camera between characters within a scene, both the scenes and the majority of viewpoints within them are divided between Chris, Gilles, and Pet (a girl Gilles has “saved” to be his servant, whose former identity readers might well guess relatively swiftly). However, unlike the psychic echoing of current events that blurred the line between Chris and Gilles in the first volume, the overt mental overlap in this book provides scenes from Gilles’ past in other countries. This both provides insight into Gilles and the history of McQuain’s world, and increases the tension by denying Chris even scant clues as to his creator’s schemes or location.
While this novel leaves a number of broader threads hanging, the arc from accidental turnee to tolerated vampire is concluded in a satisfying fashion, making it unlikely readers will feel they have been left halfway through a story. Similarly, although some nuances might be missed, the major threads of the book do not require familiarity with the previous volume, making this a reasonable entry point into the series.
Chris remains a sympathetic protagonist. While his youthful rebelliousness continues, he remains aware of the immense danger he faces if he doesn’t conform; as such he comes across as someone plausibly struggling to adjust to what was forced on him rather than someone who is selfish or contrary for the sake of it.
The supporting cast, both new and returning, are an interesting dichotomy of formal ancient hierarchy and punky individualism, bolstering the contrast between what Chris’ human side is and what vampire society expects him to become. However, the characters are more than stereotypes deployed to symbolise his challenges, each possessing a mix of interests and flaws that provide nuances of perspective on each camp.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking a grungy urban vampire tale.
I received a free copy from the author with no request to review.
This novel is the second in the New York Vampire series. Ineffable mysteries of the first volume might be unveiled beyond this point.
Having, barely, survived Gilles’ attack, Christian is whisked to receive training in both mortal and vampiric skills. Training that, if he is lucky, might make him useful enough that the rulers of vampiric society don’t have him put down out of hand. And, perhaps worse, if he does prove he has value, he might become an equal threat to his friends as his deranged creator.
As in AMYM: The Mamluk Who Defied Death , the centre of this story is about the transition from happen-to-have-been-turned to useful-vampiric-tool. However, unlike Amyn, Chris was not already a warrior and leader when turned; thus both the skills he needs to learn and his instinctive reactions to intensive training are different. Therefore, readers familiar with Amyn’s story will find a fresh perspective on early vampirism that expands McQuain’s mythology rather than any significant duplication.
McQuain’s narrative style continues to be heavy on exposition, both on the eponymous culture and the streets of New York. While this is for the most part interesting, some readers might find the occasional listing of which roads a character walks along and other factoids distract from the plot. Fortunately, these are few enough and mild enough that the novel overall remains fast-paced.
Where the first volume was set against the New York punk scene, this one occurs as the first wave of Goth is surging into clubs. While McQuain maintains his detailed focus on the real-world music and scene, he also makes use of the vampire tropes that exist in Goth, fusing the musical history side of the book more closely with the plot than in NYV: Punk.
While McQuain sometimes shifts the camera between characters within a scene, both the scenes and the majority of viewpoints within them are divided between Chris, Gilles, and Pet (a girl Gilles has “saved” to be his servant, whose former identity readers might well guess relatively swiftly). However, unlike the psychic echoing of current events that blurred the line between Chris and Gilles in the first volume, the overt mental overlap in this book provides scenes from Gilles’ past in other countries. This both provides insight into Gilles and the history of McQuain’s world, and increases the tension by denying Chris even scant clues as to his creator’s schemes or location.
While this novel leaves a number of broader threads hanging, the arc from accidental turnee to tolerated vampire is concluded in a satisfying fashion, making it unlikely readers will feel they have been left halfway through a story. Similarly, although some nuances might be missed, the major threads of the book do not require familiarity with the previous volume, making this a reasonable entry point into the series.
Chris remains a sympathetic protagonist. While his youthful rebelliousness continues, he remains aware of the immense danger he faces if he doesn’t conform; as such he comes across as someone plausibly struggling to adjust to what was forced on him rather than someone who is selfish or contrary for the sake of it.
The supporting cast, both new and returning, are an interesting dichotomy of formal ancient hierarchy and punky individualism, bolstering the contrast between what Chris’ human side is and what vampire society expects him to become. However, the characters are more than stereotypes deployed to symbolise his challenges, each possessing a mix of interests and flaws that provide nuances of perspective on each camp.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking a grungy urban vampire tale.
I received a free copy from the author with no request to review.
June 18, 2019
In the continuing story of Christian “Chris” Leclères, the East Texas boy turned by a rogue vampire, we follow his transformation from a denizen of the streets of New York to the poster boy of the Goth scene. The story of the rogue vampire, Gilles de Montmorency-Laval, is also steadily revealed in flashbacks until his timeline meets up with the current action. Characters from the previous novel make appearances throughout as well as the introduction of new and interesting ones.
This book has a lot of exposition but it is intermingled with action and resolution of issues from book one. As a caution, although these books have a young vibe this second installment contains explicit sex scenes and some depictions of pretty graphic torture – not to mention the vampire violence, blood, and gore. Just saying, it’s not for the faint of heart nor the kiddies. NYV: Goth was a very good story and it sets up situations for future books that I will be looking to read.
February 3, 2019
*Disclaimer* I was financially compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and not influenced by the author and/or its affiliates in any way.
Ever since Christian's transformation, the ones that get close to him are dying one after another. His girlfriend Cara was dead and Rachel was grievously wounded. Now it is his task to learn how to defend himself and figure himself out since he is now a vampire. With the help of his sword-wielding mentor Amym and a beautiful dancer named Joyce, it might be easier for him as they help guide him with his new life.
Christian, who's called Chris most of the time in the book, is a three-dimensional character. His reactions to the drastic changes in his life are reasonable. In the beginning, he appears to be disrespectful and spoiled. He does what he wants and does not think about what others have done for him, but over time, he learns what he should prioritize first and what should be last.
For full review: sammiereadsbook.wordpress.com/2019/02...
Ever since Christian's transformation, the ones that get close to him are dying one after another. His girlfriend Cara was dead and Rachel was grievously wounded. Now it is his task to learn how to defend himself and figure himself out since he is now a vampire. With the help of his sword-wielding mentor Amym and a beautiful dancer named Joyce, it might be easier for him as they help guide him with his new life.
Christian, who's called Chris most of the time in the book, is a three-dimensional character. His reactions to the drastic changes in his life are reasonable. In the beginning, he appears to be disrespectful and spoiled. He does what he wants and does not think about what others have done for him, but over time, he learns what he should prioritize first and what should be last.
For full review: sammiereadsbook.wordpress.com/2019/02...
July 6, 2020
Fun book. I love how he related the action so closely to the music and it felt good "being" at an 80's goth club again.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews