4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
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
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like HollandBlue's review? Post a comment saying so!