Review by HollandBlue -- It's Hard to Be a Vampire

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HollandBlue
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Review by HollandBlue -- It's Hard to Be a Vampire

Post by HollandBlue »

[Following is a volunteer review of "It's Hard to Be a Vampire" by Viktoria Faust.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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It's Hard to Be a Vampire is a book comprised of nine eclectic short stories written by Viktoria Faust.

Briefly, the first story tells the tale of an unattractive girl who wants to be a vampire. The second story features an artist obsessed with his own artwork. The third story is a sequel to the artist's story depicting how his paintings come to life. The fourth story is about a vampire hunter dealing with his inner turmoil, and the fifth story discusses a vain female monster of the night. Story six follows a "river of dead bodies". The seventh story presents a monster at a closed door, but on which side is the monster standing? Story eight centers around an odd girl who wonders where the ink goes when her pen is not in use. The last story is about a self-indulgent writer who degrades his own fans while trying to "woo" his critics.

Compelling to read, It's Hard to Be a Vampire is sure to be a favorite with fans of the horror genre. Most of the tales are traditional horror stories, but story seven bridges the gap between horror and science fiction. Some of the scenes depicted are rather gruesome, so I wouldn't recommend this book to sensitive or younger readers.

Viktoria Faust's writing style engulfs the reader and it's easy to get lost in the pages of this book. I found only a few grammatical errors in the final story, which may have happened during the translation of the book from Croatian to English. The stories are just the right length to capture the reader's full attention, and the plots and characters are all well-rounded.

My favorite of the series were the first three stories written in the book. Both funny and scary at the same time, the first story ends with a twist. I found that the second and third stories which were about the detrimental impact of art were fascinating. The fourth and fifth stories are brief but intense. The sixth story still puzzles me, and the seventh story kept me guessing who the monster was until the end. I continue to ponder the question of the disappearing ink as did the main characters in the eighth story. Finally, the ninth story had the element of shock in it.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Viktoria Faust is an enthralling storyteller who keeps the reader on the edge of his or her seat until the story is over. Read this book if you dare!

******
It's Hard to Be a Vampire
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Post by Amy+++ »

The title itself had me hooked. I love vampire books so I am sure that I am going to love this one. Great review.
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Post by HollandBlue »

Amy+++ wrote: 12 Nov 2018, 13:49 The title itself had me hooked. I love vampire books so I am sure that I am going to love this one. Great review.
You'll adore this book! Thanks for stopping by!
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Post by Alice Heritage »

There's a good mix of themes clearly - all sounds pretty macabre, though!
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HollandBlue
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Post by HollandBlue »

ButterscotchCherrie wrote: 17 Nov 2018, 02:56 There's a good mix of themes clearly - all sounds pretty macabre, though!
There is quite a variety in the book, and the stories are all pretty macabre. I wouldn't read this book right before bedtime, it might give you nightmares, but it is really traditionally fun horror!
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Post by Nevaeh_sent1 »

I found your review very helpful, especially advising that there is quite a lot of gory content, I like a little horror but i am a bit squeamish when there is too much gory detail so it's great to be warned, I wouldn't want to be put off my tomato juice. Nice review!
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Post by HollandBlue »

Nevaeh_sent1 wrote: 18 Nov 2018, 14:17 I found your review very helpful, especially advising that there is quite a lot of gory content, I like a little horror but i am a bit squeamish when there is too much gory detail so it's great to be warned, I wouldn't want to be put off my tomato juice. Nice review!
There is some blood spilled. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

This is the third review I read regarding this book and it is pretty interesting to know different views of different reviewers. Thanks for the nice review 👍👍
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Post by Book Lover 35 »

Thank you for explaining how you felt with every story. It makes it easier to make up my mind. It sounds like a great book.
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Post by Manang Muyang »

I dare. I enjoy horror stuff, especially when it's the middle of the night, I'm alone in the house, and then I hear someone playing the 🎹. Cool! (P.S. We don't own a piano.)
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Post by Connie Otwani »

Your summary makes each story tantalizing, but can I dare? It's good you enjoyed the book. I wonder if reading story 8 will have me shift to righting in pencil for fear of paying too much attention to ink levels in my pens! Great review!
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Post by BlueJournal »

HollandBlue, you said it perfectly in your review. It truly captures attention and the short stories consumes readers interest to finish the whole book. However, I honestly didn't like it much. Maybe I am not just a fan of horror stories, or I didn't like stereotyping fat girls (I am dying to gain extra pounds here), and I almost passed out reading the second story, I skipped it. The author is talented. I just hope she finds decent characters next time. I enjoyed your review. Totally!
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Post by Espie »

Read this book if you dare!
I took a minuscule step closer to reading because of one write-up about this piece. I now made two steps backward. Thank you for your honest, succinct, and compelling review.
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Post by Fozia-Bajwa »

Nevaeh_sent1 wrote: 18 Nov 2018, 14:17 I found your review very helpful, especially advising that there is quite a lot of gory content, I like a little horror but i am a bit squeamish when there is too much gory detail so it's great to be warned, I wouldn't want to be put off my tomato juice. Nice review!
hahaha i am agree with you, you are saying right that it contains a long gory details.
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Post by Vscholz »

I also really enjoyed this collection! It was interesting to read short horror stories from another country. Thanks for the review!
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