Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set in 1995 at Fang Fest in New Orleans, this is a gothic horror that you won’t want to miss! Mina’s mother has left, leaving her alone after her sister, Libby, moved to New Orleans for university. The summer before she turns 18, Mina has decided to visit her sister and spend a couple of months being totally immersed in the culture. What better place is there for a girl who loves all things gothic and vampire to be?

It isn’t until she’s been there a few days until the weird happenings start to occur. Murders are happening around the town that don’t seem to make sense. And why are Mina and Libby always involved or nearby when they do?

With a haunting background of voodoo and vampires, this book is an action-filled adventure that sees the group of friends tracking down the killer. Or, could it be something even more sinister?

Growing up, I was obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (my favourite character was Spike, if you’re interested. I even had his poster on my wall and bought a leather trouser & jacket combo set…) so this book was one I instantly knew I wanted to read. Mina and the Undead has ultimate Buffy vibes whilst still being a fresh and original story. I loved the setting of New Orleans, which is now somewhere I definitely need to put on my travel bucket list.

Mina is a strong female character without overtly displaying this constantly; she was a likeable character and I wished I was there with her making all the discoveries for myself! Her relationship with her sister was interesting and relatable; Libby had her own personality and it was important that both of the sisters had their similarities and differences which enabled their experiences to influence each other.

The story itself was fast-paced and packed full of action. I didn’t want to put the book down and was hooked by every chapter. Honestly, it meant not going to bed until 2am so I could get it finished and I have no regrets! Amy has written a book that will appeal to people who already enjoy gothic and horror books, but this is also a book that would be perfect to introduce new people to the genre.

This has set a very high bar for the other books I read in 2021!

Like the sound of this book? You can get it here: https://amzn.to/3b0tGJD

Emily x

📚 Book gifted by author and publisher.