Review:
I have read over a hundred vampire books in my lifetime, but I can honestly say that Fred is unlike any other vampire I have ever read about. And this strange vampire’s unlife and POV did make for a fun, entertaining book. So here are my thoughts, in no particular order.
– The book was episodic—it was basically this man, Fred, telling some anecdotes about incidents that have happened in his life since becoming a vampire—but it worked well enough in this case. I do wonder though if these were originally published separately since, with each new “episode” (I don’t know if they were called that, I think they were journal entries, but I’m calling them that), things would be explained that were just explained or that just happened in the previous episodes. The repetition was mildly annoying but a small issue.
– Contrary to what Fred says, the title of this book is not quite true. Fred himself was rather uninteresting (more on that in a moment), but his life was not. Werewolves, necromancers, dragons—for a man who literally plans his spontaneity, he manages to get into quite a bit of trouble.
– When I said Fred was uninteresting, I didn’t mean that as an insult to the book. That was just his character. The man ironed his Halloween costume for goodness sake. He was a straight-laced accountant who rarely left his apartment, wore sweater vests, and got ulcers and stress headaches at the thought of confrontation. But then… he started changing. Slowly but surely, he started changing. Forget becoming a vampire, dating Crystal was the best thing that ever happened to him. (Ok, fine, becoming a vampire still helped, but he would’ve just gone on with his same lifestyle had she not come along.) I loved seeing his growth throughout the book, but I also loved that he was still himself at his core. He didn’t really have anyone he was close to throughout his life, but as he got a girlfriend and friends, he started to realize there were things worth risking his safety and solitude for sometimes. My favorite parts were when he actually showed some courage and did something awesome. My absolute favorite part was *SPOILER* when he won a joust by swinging his lance like a baseball bat because hey, he may have won on a technicality, but he got the job done, and it still sounded pretty badass to me. *END SPOILER*
– The book was easy to put down, and I think that was my main issue. I enjoyed it, and I happily continued the series, but it was a little slow, and I think it was the episodic nature that made it hard for me to get that “I have to know what happens next” feeling.
– I listened to the audiobook, and I’ll admit I’m not an audiobook fan, but it worked well for this book; the writing was in first person, and it was supposed to be entries in a memoir, so it actually felt like the character was just reading it out loud to me. And the narrator, Kirby Heyborne, did a good job with the dialogue/voices, making them all sound different and natural enough. In fact, I think having this read aloud to me gave the story more life than it would’ve had if I had read it myself.
Overall, this was a light, funny, sweet book that I enjoyed with a vampire who was not your typical vampire but who was all the more lovable for it!
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes character growth, found family, characters who are quirky and good, lots of supernaturals, urban/paranormal fantasy that's slower paced and not too stressful, and a vampire who isn't your typical kind of vampire.
More Books in the Series:
Mini Reviews: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy – Spinning Silk, Twice Bitten, Undeath & Taxes
Mini Reviews: Fantasy – Rebel of the Sands, Bloody Acquisitions, Elemental Thief
I love the sound of this book, even though I’m not a fan of vampires. The episodic format puts me off a little but, no, I’m going to have to look for this one. Great review.
It’s absolutely not a typical vampire book, so you might still like it despite not normally being a fan. It’s really just about paranormals in general and is focused on character growth and friendship. I ended up continuing with the series, so I do recommend it! I hope you like it if you give it a try!
Sounds fun. Glad he grew throughout the story, from a pretty boring guy to someone who developed some relationships and came out of his comfort zone. It definitely sounds like a different kind of vampire story- I like the sound of the journal entry format, even if the episodic nature was a bit repetitive.
It was! I loved the character growth, especially since he was still true to himself.
The title alone makes me laugh. I would never picture a vampire as an accountant! Don’t they usually have people do that for them? Glad you enjoyed this one! <3
L @ Do You Dog-ear?
Right? The title is what caught my attention! In this world, apparently they don’t lol. None of the human accountants know about supernaturals, so they don’t know all the right tax write-offs 😛
This sounds great, it’s interesting to see how a author deals with a uninteresting protagonist who everything happens, your review has me intrigued.
Tori @ In Tori Lex
It is! And Fred turned out to be a really lovable type of character you can root for.
This sounds like a fun read and I work at an accounting firm so I had to chuckle a bit upon hearing that this vampire is an accountant. Great review!
Lol, then you’d probably love Fred! Thanks 🙂
With an “uninteresting” character but an interesting plot, this sounds like a plot-driven book. And I actually cannot relate more to the problem with a book that is very easy to put down. If you ever feel like you have to force yourself to read a book because you have to finish it for a review, you know you have a problem. A truly good book does not require you to force yourself to finish the book, it’ll physically force you to be unable to put down the ebook for too long because a good story actually makes you (literally) can’t wait to find out what’s happening next.
Oh no, I feel like maybe I didn’t describe it well because I actually really enjoyed this! I continued on with the next three books in the series even and plan to continue with however many more come out. It’s just one of those books that wasn’t really “gripping,” even though I did care about the characters. But still, we all have different tastes, and I understand it might not be everyone’s kind of book!
Well now, this sounds like it could be fun. Definitely a different spin on vampire books I’ve read. Glad the audio worked for you.
It is fun! No, not your typical vampire book 😉 Thanks!
Great review Kristen although I have to admit that this one doesn’t sound like it is for me. The episodic type narrative and the repetition would probably drive me crazy although I’m glad you managed to get past that and enjoy the story for what it was. The actual premise of this sounds great though and I’m really glad you enjoyed it. Plus yay for managing an audio book!
Thanks! Not every book is for every person, it’s all good 🙂 I really liked it though! And yes, it was awesome to find an audiobook series I liked!
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This sounds amusing and different but that title may kill sales, lol.
It’s a fun series! But idk, it was the title that got me interested in the first place!
I’ve found in the past that I have appreciated books more as audio than I feel I would have done as text. There’s something special about having a story read to me 🙂
Normally I appreciate books less as audio because it’s a format that just doesn’t work well for me, but this one I really do think I appreciated more! It was really well done and legit felt like the character himself was reading his memoir to me.
This sounds like a fun book, I like that it’s a bit different from the usual vampire story. I like reading about ordinary people who lead extraordinary lives.
It is! This is definitely one of those ordinary people, extraordinary lives types of characters 🙂
I utterly and completely cracked up at this title — and then saw from your review, what a gem this is! Fred is a vampire I would like to know more about!!
The title was definitely what drew me to the book lol. Fred is such a great character though!
What a fabulous title – and a really quirky, enjoyable premise for a vampire book! Thank you for sharing this one, Kristen:)
I love the title too! And the quirky title does suit the book. Fred is a great character!
This sounds like a strange but interesting one. Sometimes the best books are a little weird. I reckon it sounds like an interesting listen as well rather than reading. It must have been episodic for the repetitiveness, that’s something which can frustrate me in series if I’m binge reading, but is helpful when you’ve had a break between books.
It’s a little strange but really sweet 🙂 I definitely think the narrator did a great job! That’s true, recapping is helpful if it’s been a while but annoying if you’re binge reading.
Great review! Love the title and the entertaining way the book was set up. Do you think listening to the story helped? Some books I like the audio better and other times I would rather read the story.
Thanks! ♥️
The title is what got my attention! I do think listening to it helped, surprisingly. I feel like the narrator really brought the characters, especially Fred, to life.