Fang fiction A novel

Review by Booklist Review

Stayman-London's second novel posits: What if you found out your favorite fantasy book series was real? That's exactly what happens to New Yorker Tess Rosenbloom, who left her graduate program at Columbia three years ago after being sexually assaulted by a fellow grad student. Now working the night shift at a swanky hotel, Tess can't believe her eyes when she runs into Olivia Yoo, one of the glamorous vampires from her favorite book series, Blood Feud. Olivia is trying to get back to the realm known as the Isle where she, her handsome but dangerous brother Callum, and the rest of their vampire brethren have been exiled. Tess agrees to help her, only to find herself trapped on the Isle and falling into a love triangle between dashing Callum, whom the series depicts as a villain, and gregarious Felix, the series' hero. Back in New York, Tess' former best friend, Joni, who doesn't know the real reason Tess left grad school, runs across Octavia and falls hard for the charismatic vampire. Anchored by how Tess' wild adventure helps her find her inner strength and open up about her sexual assault, Stayman-London's follow-up to One to Watch (2020) is clever, richly imagined, and downright fun.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Stayman-London (One to Watch) turns vampire tropes on their head to address consent and healing in this sharp-witted fantasy romance. Tess Rosenbloom was a thriving doctoral student at Columbia University before her colleague Rick Keeton drugged and raped her, and panic attacks and nightmares forced her to leave campus. Three years later, Tess returns for the birthday party of Joni Chaudhari, her ex-roommate and former best friend. Unfortunately, Rick shows up and Tess flees. The night gets stranger when she discovers the world of her favorite book series, Blood Feud, is real, and the vampire Octavia Yoo needs Tess's help to deliver a message to Octavia's twin brother, Callum, who's trapped on a parallel Manhattan known as the Isle. Tess is thrilled to literally escape her reality, but her mission to reunite the vampire siblings leads her to question everything she thought she knew about Blood Feud--especially dashing Callum's role as a purported villain. Stayman makes the Blood Feud fandom feel robust through social media posts, quizzes, and book excerpts. She also sensitively handles Tess's trauma and recovery. There may be one too many subplots butting up against each other, but the center holds. Romance readers who've been involved in fantasy fandom will be especially swept away. (Oct.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

Three years after being sexually assaulted, Tess has a new life managing the night shift at a hotel and posting fan conspiracies about the Blood Feud novels, which she claims are based on real vampires. But only when Blood Feud character and real vampire Octavia tracks her down does Tess actually believe it herself. Then a simple message to Callum, Octavia's villanous twin, goes horribly wrong, and now Tess is stuck as the only human in a dimension of vampires. Surprisingly, the only one holding back the bloodthirsty hordes is Callum. Can Tess trust this dangerous man, and will she make it back to the real world? Stayman-London (One To Watch) builds a cleverly designed world through interstitials, fascinating side characters, and well-written friendships. The romance here is about learning to trust and be vulnerable (plus coyly written love scenes, of course), and the book is all the stronger for it. A secondary romance between Tess's friend Joni and Octavia is another highlight. VERDICT A love letter to fandom, friendship, and freedom through allowing oneself to be seen fully. Equally recommended for fantasy and romance readers.--Katherine Sleyko

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

When a hotel manager gets dropped into the world of her favorite book series, everything she thinks she knows about its so-called villain is flipped upside-down. Tess Rosenbloom hasn't had much of a life recently. Working the night shift at a Brooklyn hotel helps her manage the chronic insomnia she's been dealing with ever since a traumatic experience caused her to drop out of grad school. The only escape she's had through her biggest ups and downs are her favorite vampire books from the Blood Feud series, which she's reread so often she has entire passages committed to memory. While it's fun for Tess to playfully subscribe to the long-running theory among online fans that the island where Blood Feud takes place is real, she knows better than to take it too seriously. That all changes when Octavia Yoo, one of the vampires from the island, shows up at the hotel, knowing Tess' name and begging for her help. Soon, Tess finds herself on the isle, surrounded by vampires and feeling way out of her depth--especially once she learns that Callum, Octavia's twin and the supposed villain of the series, might actually be the good guy. As Tess spends more time with Callum, every preconceived notion she has about his character is turned on its head. Armed with new knowledge, Tess fights to bring Octavia back to the island where she belongs, even as bigger evils lurk. Meanwhile, who is August Lirio, the pseudonymous author of the Blood Feud books, and how could they have gotten the details so wrong? Stayman-London's first venture into the paranormal is paired with a dash of comedy for an injection of fun into a normally serious subgenre. That said, the plot does introduce heavier elements, such as the traumatic event in Tess' past, which creates a disjointed tone at pivotal moments. Also, spending time on a romance for Octavia back in New York detracts from the central story, when each couple could have easily received their own book. This comedic take on the vampire romance has one too many moving parts. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Chapter 1 Five Years Later Transcript of Here to Slay podcast, episode 83 Cat: Hey, this is Cat Koorse! Ruby: And this is Ruby LaBruyere. Cat: And this is Here to Slay, the podcast where we bring you biting commentary on all things vampire. Ruby: Oh my god, Cat, you said you weren't going to do the bite joke. Cat: Sue me! I lied! Ruby: Okay. Anyway, big news this week--­the long-­anticipated Blood Feud movie has officially been green-lit! Guy Whiteman is writing and directing, with Henry Golding and Gemma Chan set to star as sexy-­evil vampire twins Callum and Octavia Yoo--­ Cat: Aren't those characters supposed to be British Korean? Neither of those actors is Korean. Ruby: This is Hollywood, let's be glad they're Asian at all. The biggest news is Timothée Chalamet himself is playing heartbreaking hero Felix Hawthorn! Truly the most perfect casting I could imagine--­I can't wait to see Timmy bring that fabulous mop of hair to sweet, charming Felix. Cat: Oooh, the Chala-­mop. Ruby: I prefer Chala-­mane. Cat: So today, we're going to dive into some of the controversies surrounding the Blood Feud novels and speculate about what they might mean for the film. Ruby: I've read all the Blood Feud novels--­ Cat: And I've read none of them. Ruby: So let me take you through some of the basics. Blood Feud follows the story of two warring clans of vampires trapped on a mysterious isle that looks a lot like Manhattan, but with more magic and stuff. Cat: What kind of magic? Ruby: Okay, so like, you know in most vampire stories the vampires can glamour people? Cat: Like when the vampires look into your eyes and you fall into a trance and do whatever they say? Ruby: Exactly! Well, on the Isle, there are no people, but the vampires who live there can glamour their surroundings instead, like make fabulous castles and stuff. Cat: Oh wow, it's like vampire HGTV. Ruby: You got it. Otherwise the Blood Feud novels mostly adhere to regular vampire rules. You can only kill them by chopping off their heads, driving a wooden stake through their hearts, or setting them on fire. They sire new vampires by draining a human's blood and then the human drinks the vampire's blood instead, the usual. Cat: Do they glitter in the sunshine like the vampires in Twilight? Ruby: Nope! They burn to death in a spectacular blaze of violence. Cat: Copy that. Ruby: There are three novels so far, and they've sold upward of ten million copies worldwide--­fans are absolutely rabid for the fourth, but we have no idea when, or if, it's coming out. Which brings us to our first controversy: Who is August Lirio? Cat: I know this! August Lirio is the author of Blood Feud! Ruby: Yes, well done. But who are they? August Lirio is a total recluse: We have no idea what gender they are, how old they are, where they live, what they look like--­absolutely nothing. Cat: Wait, they don't even have an author photo? Ruby: No! Rumors have swirled that "August Lirio" doesn't exist, and the name is just a pseudonym for another famous author. Cat: Like who? Ruby: Oh my god, you name it--­George R. R. Martin was a popular one because Callum and Octavia are biological twins, plus they have the whole twin sire bond thing, but they've never had sex, so that doesn't seem like George. Cat: I'm sorry, the twin sire what? Ruby: So in the Blood Feud books there's this thing called the twin sire bond, where Callum and Octavia were sired and reborn as vampires in the same grave on the same night, which gives them special powers, like they're especially fast and strong and stuff. But that is not what's controversial about them. Cat: What's controversial about them?? Ruby: People think they're real. Cat: I'm sorry, what? Ruby: Okay. So members of the Blood Feud fandom call ourselves Feudies, and certain corners of the Feudie fandom believe that the characters in the books are, ya know. Real vampires. Cat: Ruby, are you a vampire truther??!?! Ruby: I would say I'm vampire-­truther-­curious. Cat: Wow. Wow. Ruby: Have I shocked you? Cat: You know, I think it's a good thing. We've been friends for a decade, we have two podcasts together, and you still find ways to surprise me. I think it's nice. Okay, so say you're interested in these vampire conspiracies. Where would you go to learn more? Ruby: Tumblr, reddit, the usual. FeudieTok, obviously. Cat: So, are there . . . a lot of people who think vampires are real? Ruby: Listen, what we lack in numbers we make up in sheer unhinged fortitude. No, but really, I've met some awesome people in the Feudie forums. One truther was a PhD student at Columbia, she wrote a really thorough essay explaining the theories that went viral after it got picked up by BuzzFeed last year. Cat: Oh shit, I think I remember that! Ruby: Anyway, we're going to get way more into the vampire-­truther conspiracies in a minute, but first, if you're feeling like a vampire who can't get any sleep, you might benefit from SheCalm, which are medical-­grade, all-­natural CBD gummies clinically proven to help with relaxation and insomnia, specifically formulated for women. Cat: How is it different from CBD for men? Ruby: It comes in a pink bottle. Cat: Can't argue with that! We'll be back right after this. Excerpted from Fang Fiction: A Novel by Kate Stayman-London All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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