Vampires Never Get Old

August 1, 2020
Fresh takes on a perennial paranormal favorite from leading YA authors. The classic vampire archetype--"white, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied"--makes way for a diverse reimagining of the blood-drinking immortals in this anthology. In Tessa Gratton's "Seven Nights for Dying," an anonymous narrator is given a week to consider an offer while grappling with furious grief. A lonely teenage Latinx vampire makes an unexpected connection through his blog in Mark Oshiro's "Mirrors, Windows & Selfies." An Eternal woman and a Shadow Baron make a wager in Dhonielle Clayton's "The House of Black Sapphires," set in a dazzling alternate version of New Orleans. A gay Native teen summons an urban legend in Rebecca Roanhorse's "The Boys From Blood River" but gets more than he bargained for. Themes of power, transformation, and agency weave through these 11 tales, which also feature a 19th-century grave robber, a cheerleading vampire slayer, and an Instagram-savvy elder vampire. The tone of the stories ranges from the playful narration of Samira Ahmed's "A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire" to the simmering rage of Kayla Whaley's disabled protagonist in "In Kind." The cast, living and (un)dead, includes characters who represent multiple dimensions of diversity. Each story is followed by a brief commentary and thought-provoking questions from the editors. Vampire fans, sink your teeth into this satisfying collection. (editors' note, author bios) (Paranormal fantasy. 14-18)

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Starred review from August 17, 2020
In their introduction to this bloodthirsty anthology, Córdova (The Way to Rio Luna) and Parker (the Seafire trilogy) note that, “despite queer subtext and outstanding nonwhite examples,” the most famous vampires are “predominantly men, white, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied.” This boundary-pushing collection seeks to upend the default with 11 toothsome stories that stake a new claim on old tropes, centering an intersectionally diverse range of protagonists. Reflecting pop culture touchstones, Julie Murphy’s nod to Buffy, “Senior Year Sucks,” centers a fat white Texas teen who juggles cheerleading and vampire hunting; “The Boys from Blood River” by Rebecca Roanhorse stars a gay Indigenous teen who invokes an urban legend in hope of a better life. Samira Ahmed’s tongue-in-cheek “A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire” looks at vampire tropes through a self-aware, social media–savvy Indian filter; Kayla Whaley’s wheelchair-using heroine confronts her murderer in “In Kind”; and Dhonielle Clayton’s “The House of Black Sapphires” presents a lush picture of a New Orleans populated by immortals. If some stories end abruptly, it seems within the bounds of the vampire canon to leave readers wanting more. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary.

October 1, 2020

Gr 7 Up-Gathering a range of voices and narrative styles, this collection centers stories in which vampire tropes are reimagined with an eye toward diverse intersections of identity. To name just a few, there is an advice guide for the recently-turned Desi vampire, including suggestions about maintaining close family ties and feeding on colonizers, by Samira Ahmed; queer tales of the tangled attraction between slayers and vampires, one from Victoria "V.E." Schwab and another from Julie Murphy; and an exploration of the power and risk of online friendship with a vampire by editors C�rdova and Parker. Each story is followed by a short interjection from C�rdova and Parker commenting on an aspect of vampire lore that is explored in the story, making the collection appealing for young adult scholars as well as adolescent readers. With dark humor and compelling narratives, this collection invites readers to reconsider what they know about vampires. The stories are bite-sized and well-crafted windows into various vampiric worlds that will leave readers wanting more. VERDICT Fans of the paranormal will sink their teeth into this one.-Jen McConnel, Queen's Univ., Ont.

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