Dead Love by Heather Crews

 

Disclaimer: I did some beta-ing for some drafts of this book and I am the author's friend, but I parted with my coin like an ordinary book simp for this work, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I've been waiting for this book for years and it did not disappoint. I'm very happy with the changes the author made because the original was so bleak, and even though I loved how dark it was, I think changing the scope of the narrative to focus on the healing instead of the trauma of a character was a good move. It feels less exploitative and more affirming of the heroine's agency and intrinsic value as a human being.

You cannot really read this as a standalone or discuss this book without spoilers, but the series is soooo good, so I will do my best to give a brief summary without revealing too much. Leila, the heroine, and her friend, Dawn, were kidnapped by vampires who wanted to have sex with them and then kill them, basically. They escaped and now Dawn is a vampire and Leila is a human but still messed up. In DEAD LOVE, she starts to make steps to recovering her sexual and personal agency by getting back into her art and dating a human bartender named Dax. But, of course, this is a 100+ page book and not a 10+ page book because that plan doesn't end up working out so hot.

I liked this book a lot. The writing was great and Leila was a wonderfully complex and flawed character. My only qualm is that the resolution and ending were a bit rushed. I kind of expected a detailed discussion between Dax and Leila about what happened and I don't think there really was one (unless I missed it). I also felt like the douche vampire hunters got off too easy. (And was Megan ever found? Who took her??) But the ending was perfect and builds the promise out for more and I'm so excited to read more books in this world.

4.5 out of 5 stars