Danielle (YA, By the Way)’s Reviews > Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite > Status Update
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 82 of 293
THE BOY AND THE BELL by Heidi Heilig: 2/5 stars
I immediately saw the "twist" to the story, which I really appreciated, but the story itself was underwhelming. It was too short and too predictable to be all that interesting.
— Feb 23, 2026 06:24AM
I immediately saw the "twist" to the story, which I really appreciated, but the story itself was underwhelming. It was too short and too predictable to be all that interesting.
Like flag
Danielle’s Previous Updates
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 200 of 293
MIRRORS, WINDOWS, AND SELFIES by Mark Oshiro: 3/5 stars
I really liked the idea and the structure of this story, though the blog posts were more of a gimmick than a real plot point. The story was great and Cisco as a character was well-drawn, but the lore and plot of this left me a little bereft.
— Feb 26, 2026 01:15PM
I really liked the idea and the structure of this story, though the blog posts were more of a gimmick than a real plot point. The story was great and Cisco as a character was well-drawn, but the lore and plot of this left me a little bereft.
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 163 of 293
BESTIARY by Laura Ruby: 2.5/5 stars.
I feel SO conflicted about this one. I love the idea of vampirism and connection to animals, and the little hint of a reveal at the end was fantastic. But the world building was confusing, and it was hard for me to tell what was actually happening sometimes. The actual plot just didn't do enough.
— Feb 26, 2026 09:33AM
I feel SO conflicted about this one. I love the idea of vampirism and connection to animals, and the little hint of a reveal at the end was fantastic. But the world building was confusing, and it was hard for me to tell what was actually happening sometimes. The actual plot just didn't do enough.
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 140 of 293
VAMPIRES NEVER SAY DIE by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker: 4/5 stars
The concept? Great. Execution? Almost perfect. I needed a little bit more from the ending, and there were a couple of things I was just a little confused about, but overall this was a fun take.
— Feb 25, 2026 12:23PM
The concept? Great. Execution? Almost perfect. I needed a little bit more from the ending, and there were a couple of things I was just a little confused about, but overall this was a fun take.
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 118 of 293
IN KIND by Kayla Whaley: 5/5 stars
This was stunning. Like, completely wonderful. It managed to give little bits of lore, enough to understand without overwhelming the story. It also had a fantastic representation of disability, and I love its take on vampirism as "cure." Honestly, I loved this one so much.
— Feb 25, 2026 09:17AM
This was stunning. Like, completely wonderful. It managed to give little bits of lore, enough to understand without overwhelming the story. It also had a fantastic representation of disability, and I love its take on vampirism as "cure." Honestly, I loved this one so much.
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 100 of 293
A GUIDEBOOK FOR THE NEWLY SIRED DESI VAMPIRE by Samira Ahmed: 2.5/5 stars.
This was fine. It wasn't actually a short story, so no characters and no plot. Other than the setting being India, it was pretty standard fare for vampire lore. I liked the idea of the Vampersand app to help new baby vamps, but otherwise it was pretty generic advice.
— Feb 23, 2026 08:30AM
This was fine. It wasn't actually a short story, so no characters and no plot. Other than the setting being India, it was pretty standard fare for vampire lore. I liked the idea of the Vampersand app to help new baby vamps, but otherwise it was pretty generic advice.
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 68 of 293
SENIOR YEAR SUCKS! by Julie Murphy: 3/5 stars
I hate that I'm rating this on the lower because I am a huge Julie Murphy fangirl. But this just wasn't quite fleshed out enough for my taste. It felt like the setup for a full-length novel (which I would love, btw). The ending felt rushed and the characters not quite...enough to feel like I was totally sucked in.
— Feb 20, 2026 11:15AM
I hate that I'm rating this on the lower because I am a huge Julie Murphy fangirl. But this just wasn't quite fleshed out enough for my taste. It felt like the setup for a full-length novel (which I would love, btw). The ending felt rushed and the characters not quite...enough to feel like I was totally sucked in.
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 51 of 293
THE BOYS FROM BLOOD RIVER by Rebecca Roanhorse: 5/5 stars
This gave me serious Lost Boys vibes and I was totally into it. I gasped out loud at a certain reveal, and the end was perfect for a short story. I loved this one.
— Feb 20, 2026 08:47AM
This gave me serious Lost Boys vibes and I was totally into it. I gasped out loud at a certain reveal, and the end was perfect for a short story. I loved this one.
Danielle (YA, By the Way)
is on page 21 of 293
SEVEN NIGHTS FOR DYING by Tessa Gratton: 4.5/5 stars
I didn't love the beginning, but the rest of the story had me hooked and I loved this take on vampires. Esmael can suck it though.
— Feb 18, 2026 01:34PM
I didn't love the beginning, but the rest of the story had me hooked and I loved this take on vampires. Esmael can suck it though.
