American Vampire Review

American Vampire

-       Jennifer Armintrout

eArc Courtesy of netgalley and MIRA 

HE'S THE GOOD KIND OF VAMPIRE. SORT OF.
Buried in the Heartland is a town that no one enters or leaves. Graf McDonald somehow becomes its first visitor in more than five years…and he was only looking for a good party. Unfortunately, Penance, Ohio, is not that place. And after having been isolated for so long, they do not like strangers at all. Jessa's the only one to even remotely trust him, and she's desperate for the kind of protection that only a vampire like Graf can provide. Supplies are low, the locals are ornery for a sacrifice and there's a monster more powerful than Graf lurking in the woods. New men are hard to come by in this lonesome town, and this handsome stranger might be Jessa's only hope for salvation. Even if she has to die first…

This novel had two leading characters that are difficult to like at first. Graf has been a vampire for a while and rather than the angst-y post-Twilight vampires, he is perfectly happy drinking blood and views humans more as food rather than equals. Jessa has struggled with isolation as both the world and the town have been looking down on her. She doesn’t trust anyone and has learned to be hard. This makes for some great snarky conversations between the two, but little sympathy for either.

However, the idea that a town can be cut off from the world is one I like (although I have read it elsewhere such as in Hell Fire by Ann Aguirre) and I enjoyed the siege mentality the town lived under. The way the town reacts to being isolated and turning in on itself feels scarily accurate – especially once they focus on Graf and Jessa. The fight scenes with the monster are great and the story rarely slows down with numerous twists and turns. The story and the pace win over the characters, but it’s a very enjoyable read and I had a lot of fun.

Recommended for fans of Ilona Andrew’s Edge series and Tales of the Sazi. 7 out of 10.