I LOVE a good vampire story but unfortunately Vampires Never Get Old just didn’t do it for me. I found the short story format didn’t entice me and a lot of the stories felt they either ended in a weird place or left me feeling bored.
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My favourite story was Dhonielle Clayton’s, about a family of vampires who move back to New Orleans. Bea, one of 5 sisters, finds herself making a deal with a shadow baron, a supernatural creature who deals with those who should be dead, the ‘keepers of the crossroads’. I loved how it focused on a Black family of vampires as this can be quite rare in supernatural fiction, and the atmosphere created in so few pages was magical.
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V.E. Schwab’s story, First Kill, was also great and it was nice to see a lesbian vampire having a crush, having both good representation and also being cute. Who doesn’t love vampires being adorable?
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Overall, I loved seeing wider representation within vampire stories, I just wish that I liked some of the other stories more.

Vampires Never Get Old is 11 short stories all about vampires but with a twist on the usual folklore you think you know about them! I have to admit a couple of the stories are too short and left me very frustrated as I would have liked to know more about what happens, but that is the meaning of the short stories and to make us think about them long after we have read them.

The stories are well written and do get you sucked in(!) I especially enjoyed The house of Black Sapphires and First Kill, these 2 would make brilliant books!

There’s blood (obviously!), sexual encounters and swearing so I’d recommend for 14+

I just want to start off by saying this anthology was great! It contained some really unique and incredibly diverse vampire stories (a lot of own voices authors also!) which took a fresh perspective on the genre, and was a true delight to read. Each short story is accompanied by a short ‘discussion’ by the editors, briefly talking about an issue related to the story about vampirism (such as mirrors, coffins, bats).

Seven Nights For Dying by Tessa Gratton ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This first story follows our main character who is an overweight bisexual teenager looking to be transformed into a vampire. It follows her week long journey of transition, giving her plenty of time to fully think about her decision. There was also trans representation and the short story exhibited poly relationships. This one was a good, solid story to start the anthology

The Boys From Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse ⭐️⭐️
Now, this one was definitely my least favourite story - it really reminded me of Riverdale for some reason (which I hated). It follows Lukas, a queer boy in a small town, who is intrigued about the local legend of the ‘Blood River Boys’ who can be summoned if you sing their infamous song. This story was super unique and atmospheric, but it just wasn’t for me unfortunately (I’m sure other people will love this one tho!)

Senior Year Sucks by Julie Murphy ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story follows Jolene, a vampire slayer, and also a cheerleader in high school, on her bus journey home from a football game. When they spot another broken down bus, they allow the stranded passengers to get on, forcing Jolene to spend the ride with a vampire sitting next to her. I did like this one and also the concept of there being a vampire rehab centre (that was really unique, just not explored very much, I think it would be interesting to read from the perspective of a vampire inside the centre). It just felt like something was lacking.

The Boy And The Bell by Heidi Heilig ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This short story follows a trans man who really wants to be a doctor, and to advance his studies decides to go grave robbing - and finds someone ringing the bell from their coffin (indicating they had been buried alive). I enjoyed this one, and I really like when our main characters are into science (as I study a STEM degree).

A Guidebook For The Newly Sired Desi Vampire by Samira Ahmed ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was the best story in my opinion, I absolutely adored how it incorporated technology to explain ‘the modern vampire’. It is actually written as a guide for the newly sired Desi vampire (as the title suggests) and gives tips for adjustment into their new life (including vampire apps!). It also deals with themes of colonialism & racism in a humorous critique which was nice to read.

In Kind by Kayla Whaley ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story follows Grace, a 17-year-old disabled girl who has been “mercifully killed” by her father - who not only doesn’t get arrested for murder, but gets sympathy from the whole town! (It was really hard to read this as you know his justifications are untrue.) However, it turns out Seanan, a vampire, managed to turn Grace before she actually dies, and she returns to confront her father. I loved this story, and particularly how the Grace’s vampirism didn’t suddenly cured her disability, it just made her a stronger version of herself. This one is also an own voices for disability.

Vampires Never Say Die by Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker ⭐️⭐️
This follows Theo, an instagram influencer, who throws a vampire themed party for her online friend, Brittany (as this is a recurring joke between them). Theo invites all of Brittany’s friends but she finds out the hard way that the vampirism isn’t a joke… I did enjoy this one at first, until I read some other reviews which stated Theo was 15 when they first started messaging and it feels a bit too much like grooming for me to enjoy this one anymore…

Bestiary by Laura Ruby ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bestiary follows our vampire main character who also works at a zoo during a water shortage, and as she is a predator herself she can form special connections to the animals, and often sleeps amongst the lions. I loved how much our main character loved animals and I really enjoyed the sort of plot reveal at the end? (It was just a nice addition to the story).

Mirrors, Windows & Selfies by Mark Oshiro ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story follows Cisco, a gay born-vampire, who has been kept in isolation, constantly travelling around the US because of the threat to him (as he is ‘one of a kind’). This story is laid out in a series of Tumblr-style blog posts, and you get to see him build his online following who believe he is telling a ‘story’, not documenting his own life. All he wants to do is look in a mirror to see himself (but this is forbidden). This one was very mediocre, the blog post format really made this one for me.

The House Of Black Sapphires by Dhonielle Clayton ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This story follows the Turner family of black vampires who must return to the eternal ward of New Orleans, and their introductory ball, which reveals a much Karger mythological world than any of the Turner daughters ever knew existed. Another review described this as “a vampire take on The Great Gatsby” and I actually think that’s a really accurate statement - and perhaps why I liked it so much. This one had fabulous characters, and reoccurring theme of love was such a nice addition to the story.

First Kill by Victoria Schwab ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This last short story is probably the main draw to this anthology, as it is written by the one and only V.E. Schwab. It follows Calliope and Juliette, two teenage girls in high school and their intertwining stories. I’m not going to state specifically what happens, but it definitely gives off Romeo and Juliet vibes in my opinion. It was so well executed and I feel like it could definitely be a part of a larger story line (also just seen somebody said it’s coming to Netflix?!)

The stories average out at ~3.5 stars, but I think as there’s such a vast mix of writing styles, each person who reads this will find their own highlights and lowlights. Overall, this was well worth a read, I would recommend it to YA fantasy fans (especially if you love vampires of course).

The editors have done a marvelous job of selecting stories that show the differing views of vampire lore. Each story is certainly in it's own world, and never the twain will meet. From old country songs that prove too real, to a lonely vampire boy who reaches out to social media, to a newly turned disabled vampire looking for revenge. My favourite was V E Schwab's First Kill, which is currently being made as a 8 part mini series for Nextflix.

I would like to thank Titan Books for the review copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was very excited with Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite mainly because of the amazing, top-notch author line up. Plus, vampire stories always fascinate me. While some stories were so entertaining, others were just average. Not because they were bad, but rather, those stories just felt like an introduction and I just wanted more.

What I really loved about this anthology is the diversity present in each story. Here we had vampires of color, queer vampires, fat vampires and physically challenged vampires. It was very different to the “usual” vampires we saw and portrayed on both books and television/theater. I also liked how each story was based or stuck close to vampires myths and folklores with a twist. There were lots of possibilities to make the narratives more unique.

Here’s my individual story rating:

Seven Nights For Dying- Tessa Gratton: 3
Mirrors, Windows & Selfies- Mark Oshiro: 3
The House Of Black Sapphires- Dhonielle Clayton: 3.5
The Boys From Blood River- Rebecca Roanhorse: 3.5
Senior Year Sucks- Julie Murphy: 3.5
The Boy And The Bell- Heidi Heilig: 3
In Kind- Kayla Whaley: 4.5
A Guidebook For The Newly Sired Desi Vampire- Samira Ahmed: 3.5
Bestiary- Laura Ruby: 3
Vampires Never Say Die- Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker: 3
First Kill- Victoria Schwab: 4
Overall, if you are into vampires and want to read a quick anthology, Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite is for you.

3/5 stars!

Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton

This story wasn’t a good start for me. I wasn’t keen on the stilted, short sentenced writing style in this story, plus I found the age gap between the characters uncomfortable (yes, I know it’s a vampire story and they are immortal, but there was something about a 30 year old man taking a teen back to his house that I just found plain uncomfortable). I was excited to see that there’s a Trans Male vampire in this story though, and I did enjoy the twist at the end because it added a lot to the story.

The Boys from Blood River by Rebecca Roanhorse

This story’s setting reminded me a lot of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, and I think that’s why I assumed what I assumed going in to this story (no spoilers here) but instead this story completely side-lined me! It took my ideas, twisted them up and stomped all over them… then it twisted them all over again! I was a bit shocked by the end.

Senior Year Sucks by Julie Murphy

This was one of my favourite stories in the collection! I loved it. Jolene is a bad-ass, body positive, vampire slayer and I LOVED IT! This book also had a super sweet romance, which was something I had really been hoping to see from the start of this collection (more on this later, but I love a good vampire romance book).

The Boy and the Bell by Heidi Heilig

Okay, this story gave me serious Frankenstein vibes. It’s a little bit steam-punk, and historical, but mostly behind all the horror of graves and body-snatching, this is a story about a boy who is being forced to live in the wrong body, and I loved that.

A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire by Samira Ahmed

I thought this story was great, it’s very unique and I love the way that it was told through an app as a sort of vampire initiation. Although we don’t know who our Desi Vampire is, or have any characters as such, it was still really funny and had fantastic world-building. I also loved the culture of support that surrounded the Desi Vampire group.

In Kind by Kayla Whaley

Okay the fact that this book had a disabled main character won me over straight away. Disabled main characters are something we still don’t see a lot of in fantasy, and even then they rarely discuss disabled rights, not like this one did anyway. It makes me, and others like me feel invisible so this story was so exciting to me to read. Kayla used the myth of the vampire, to craft a fantastic story about identity, life and the right to live. My favourite thing about this story was how Kayla described how disability becomes a part of the disabled person’s identity which is something I really related to.

Vampires Never Say Die by Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker

This story was really sweet, instead of focusing on romance this focused on a close female friendship and I loved that. And I also loved the feminist tones in this, Brittany is a fierce Vampire leader, and her friend Theo is so self-confident! Although this wasn’t one of my favourite stories in the book, it did remind me a little more of the urban paranormal YAs that used to be popular, like the early The Mortal Instrument books.

Bestiary by Laura Ruby

This was such a unique take on the vampires, focusing more on the animal side of the vampire myths, the bats and the shapeshifting, rather than the stories of humanity and human predators. This book is all about animals, and Jude can talk to animals, so it reminded me of a dark version of Doctor Doolittle.

This story was a little bit dystopian too, set in a future where capitalism has claimed the rights to the water supply and put up the prices so only the rich can afford the privilege of water. The building of this world was so well done, and it was really interesting to read about. It also contained some strong messaging about climate change, which I always love seeing in a book.

Mirrors, Windows & Selfies by Mark Oshiro

This story is about a young teenage vampire who is living with his parents in complete isolation from the rest of the world to keep him safe. Mirrors, Windows & Selfies was full of surprises, and a little bit of romance too! The writing style was unusual, it was written as a series of blog posts created by our main character as a cry for connection with the rest of the world. I understand why the story stopped where it did, however I do feel like Mark could turn this into a novel one day if he felt like it because the world-building was so detailed and interesting.

The House of Black Sapphires by Dhonielle Clayton

This was probably my least favourite story in the collection, it didn’t really capture my interest as much as some of the other stories did. This story had a historical, steam-punk feel to it, and reminded me a little of a vampire’s answer to The Great Gatsby. But I found the ending way to sudden, like it was in the middle of a chapter that’s never going to be finished, which was a little frustrating.

First Kill by Victoria ‘V. E.’ Schwab

Like Mirrors, Windows & Selfies, this story could also work as a full length novel, and to be honest I wouldn’t be mad it that did happen. I have struggled with all of V. E. Schwab’s books in the past, but this one really captured my interest and quickly became my favourite story in the whole collection. It had hints of an enemies to lovers story (which is one of my favourite tropes) and the characters were really well developed and interesting (even the side characters). I long to read more about the battle between the two girls, and their fight to live up to what’s expected of them by their two warring families. They are both hunters, they are both prey, and they are both a little bit in love with each other. It was a sapphic, vampire vs. slayer version of Romeo and Juliet and I loved it!

SUMMARY

If I am being honest, this book wasn’t quite what I was hoping it to be. I was imagining updated, diverse, Night Wold style stories centred around vampires and romance, akin to the days when I would obsessively pick up anything on that topic (Morganville Vampires, House of Night, Vampire Academy... I miss those kinds of books!) But instead these stories reminded me more of Dracula or Frankenstein, and classical versions of the vampire myth. We did get a lot of diversity in Vampires Never Get Old though, although I do love those earlier vampire stories a lot, diverse representation was something that was seriously lacking. And I do appreciate the fact that they were aiming to adapt the classic, older vampire myths in new up-to-date ways, but, although some of the stories were really great (especially V. E. Schwab’s First Love), I still couldn’t help but find this collection a little hit and miss with some stories really capturing my interest a lot more than others.

Vampire fiction has always been popular, even before Bram Stoker released Dracula there were countless stories and folk tales involving the bloodsuckers across the globe, and following the publication of that book the public's love and fascination with the creatures has only grown. Like the title of this book says, vampires never get old. There are always new and interesting things to do with them, new lenses through which to view the vampire mythology; and this book aims to do that.

Featuring a host of great name, Vampires Never Get Old is packed with positive own-voices representation. There are Black characters, Indian stories, Native tales, Queer love, fat rep, disabilities, trans characters, Latinx representation. There is more diversity and inclusion in this one anthology than most long running vampire series will ever try, and for that alone it's worth your attention.

The first story in the book, 'Seven Nights for Dying' by Tessa Gratton, sets out a lot of the themes and ideas of this collection, with a story that encompasses a lot of different themes that are often overlooked in vampire fiction. The story follows a teenage girl who's been selected to be turned into a vampire. Rather than it being a quick bite, or a simple exchange of blood, to facilitate the change the process takes a week, allowing our narrator time to really consider if this is something that she really wants. Whilst this alone is different enough to make it stand out, the fact that she's overweight, sex positive, and is open to relationships with both men and women, really shows that this is more than your average 'turned into a vampire' story. It also features a trans vampire and poly relationships, so it really shows the variety this book will showcase.

'The Boys From Blood River' by Rebecca Roanhorse is quite a spooky story, and seems to inject a new sense of the supernatural into its vampire proceedings. Set in a small town and following a young, queer, Native teen named Lukas, it tells the story of the Blood River Boys, a local legend about a group of spectres that can be summoned if their song is sang. The last time this happened an entire family were found drained of their blood. If that wasn't spooky enough, Lukas is working late one night in the local diner when the jukebox starts playing the song all on its own. What will happen if Lukas decides to finish the song and summon the Boys from Blood River? I really liked how this story had a bit of ghostliness mixed in too, with the idea that the vampires needed to be summoned by their song before they turned up, it made it a more unique addition to this book, and one that had a ton of atmosphere.

'Senior Year Sucks' by Julie Murphy is a tale that sees a young vampire slaying cheerleader, Jolene, as she travels back to her home town with a bus full of students after a high school football game. Along the journey we discover that not only is there a family of vampire hunters in her town, but that there's also a rehab centre for vampires; something that leads to a lot of work for Jolene and her family. When her bus comes across another from their town that's broken down they take on extra passengers, and Jolene finds herself sharing her ride home with a vampire. I really liked the set-up for this story, of the town with slayers and vampires living in an uneasy peace, and how Jolene was having to deal with certain preconceptions when she finds a vampire sitting next to her on the bus. Sadly, this is one of the stories in the book that left me wanting to read more, and as such ended on something of a down note for me as it felt like there was a lot more to come.

'The Boy and the Bell' by Heidi Heilig is the first historically set story in the collection, and follows a young man who's trying his best to become a doctor. Because of the era its set, however, it can be hard for doctors and medical students to find bodies to learn from; so he decides to go on a bit of a grave robbing trip. However, when one of the bells at a grave starts to ring, indicating that someone has been buried alive he discovers more than he expected when he exhumes the coffin. I loved this story for both its historical setting, and for being centred around a trans man, who not only had to fight to become a doctor because of his station in life, but because of how others perceive his gender.

'A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire' by Samira Ahmed is one of the more unusual pieces in this collection because it doesn't actually tell a story. It doesn't feature any plot or characters, but still manages to make a unique and clear depiction of a vampire world outside of what we normally see. Written as a guide for Desi people who have woken up having been turned into vampires, it gives them handy tip and tricks for adapting to their new life. I really liked this story, especially how the guide encouraged the new vampires to try and target British tourists to feed upon, though warned them to be careful not to make any British vampires so that they don't end up getting colonies by the British again.

Kayla Whaley's 'In Kind' is probably my favourite of the entire book, and is a story that I'd have loved to have seen across an entire novel so that we could have spent more time with these characters. The story begins with a news report telling us about a seventeen-year-old girl Grace Williams, a disabled girl, has been killed by her father. Because of the level of her disability it's being seen as a 'mercy' killing, and her father has not only not been charged, but has been given the sympathy of the rest of the town. Fortunately for Grace, her body was found by Seanan, a vampire, and is turned before it's too late. Now Grace is out to confront her father and get the justice that the rest of the world seems to want to deny her. This story was fantastic for one big reason, even though becoming a vampire helped Grace, made her stronger and fitter, it didn't 'cure' her of her disabilities. Vampire stories are often used as magical cures for illness and disability, and can be quite nasty towards disabled readers because of this; but this story kept Grace disabled, kept her needing to use her wheelchair, and it never made it a weakness for her. She is powerful, strong, and she's disabled. It was absolutely wonderful to see a writer understand that being disabled doesn't have to be seen as something awful, and that characters can still be amazing and well rounded even with a disability.

'Vampires Never Say Die' by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker and tells the story of a young Instagram influencer, Theo, and the online relationship she strikes up with a woman who turns out to be a vampire. One day Theo decides that it's time that she finally meets Brittany, the woman she's been pouring her heart out to online for years, and arranges a special vampire themed party for her at a New York night club. Using her internet skills, Theo is able to invite a load of Brittany's friends, little realising that she's just filled her underground club with hungry vampires. Whilst there were parts of this story that I really enjoyed, such as Theo's slow realisation that not only were vampires real, but she was about to be killed by them, but because of the sapphic romance that took centre stage. That being said, I never felt completely comfortable with the story because it felt a lot like grooming at times. Theo originally started talking to Brittany when she was just fifteen, and the dynamic of an adult having deep and personal conversation online with a child felt a little icky to me, possibly because it was a little too close to real world grooming and online paedophilia for me to be completely okay with what I was reading. That being said, I never got the impression that Brittany was trying to lure Theo in at any point, and I'm sure that there will be people who enjoy this story.

'Bestiary' by Laura Ruby tells the story of a young vampire who works at a zoo during a difficult time, where water is scarce and the animals are at risk. Thanks to being a predator herself, she has a special connection with many of the animals in the zoo and is able to feed them by hand, and even nap amongst the lions. Sadly, I found this to be one of the weaker stories in the collection, and didn't really get super invested in events.

'Mirrors, Windows, and Selfies' by Mark Oshiro centres on a young teen called Cisco. Cisco, unlike most vampires, wasn't turned, but was born a vampire; something that puts him and his parents at great risk from the rest of their kind. As such they've been travelling around the US, looking for remote locations to settle down in for a short while before moving on again. Having been raised under his parents strict rules, which they claim are for his protection, Cisco feels like he's been suffocated and just wants to break free. But one thing he wants more than anything else is to just finally see his own face, to know what he looks like; and this will set him down a path that could change his family forever. This story is written in a series of blog posts, complete with comments from readers, and is basically a series of diary entries as the teen tries to break away from his parents as get a glimpse of his face. It also has some gay romance thrown in for good measure, because why not eh?

'The House of the Black Sapphires' by Dhonielle Clayton is one of the stories that I really enjoyed, but was left a little angry with once it was done, because it felt like the introduction to an amazing world and characters, and I wanted a lot more than what we got here. The story is about a family of Black vampires who move to New Orleans, though a version of the city that's very different to the one we're familiar with. These young women, each with their own unique powers, get to go to a ball with their powerful mother, where they begin to discover an even bigger world than they thought possible, and love might be in the air. I really liked the mythology Dhonielle Clayton was establishing here, and hope that it's something that we will get to see more of in the future.

The final story in the book, 'First Kill' by Victoria 'V.E.' Schwab, tells two intertwining stories that make one wonderful tale. We meet two teenage girls in high school, both of whom are harbouring a huge crush on the other, but have even bigger secrets that they're hiding. Secrets that will put them both at risk, and could end up with them either in love, or dead. I'm not going to really spoil what happens in this story, and am leaving the description pretty vague because I think a lot of the fun of this one is discovering it as it unfolds. But as you'd expect from Schwab, it's a lot of fun.

The stories in Vampires Never Get Old are a great mixture, featuring a huge range of styles, characters, and little used groups that all work so well alongside vampires. I loved getting so see these authors trying something new in the genre, and hope that we continue to get more books like this in the future.

Huge thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for the eARC of this title.

As soon as I saw the list of authors for this anthology, I was desperate to read it. I have never been a fan of vampires in literature, but thought that if any stories could pique my interest, these authors could write them.

Sadly my opinion on vampires didn't change, even after reading these stories. As a whole, I found most of the stories to be pretty forgettable, with characters that I couldn't seem to warm to, or in some cases, even care about.

One enormous positive about this collection is the diversity and representation shown. For so long, vampires have been seen as young, white males and this is totally turned on its head here and that was a huge plus in my view.

My personal highlight was 'First Kill' by VE Schwab, with two characters that intrigued me immediately and I can't wait to follow their story in the Netflix series based on this short story. This story was a total stand out for me.

I was very grateful to have the opportunity to read this book early and certainly wouldn't discourage people from picking it up. It may well be that my dislike of vampires just runs too deep.

Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite is a short-story anthology that presents a new, more modern, and diverse perspective on the old, beloved myth and I enjoyed reading it.

It really plays around with vampire myths, from the basics such as vampires have no reflections in mirrors, vampires can turn into bats, vampires crawl out of graves or that vampirism is the cure-all for all physical afflictions, among other things.

But my favorite stories were the ones that showed vampires interacting with the modern technological world, like in Mirrors, Windows, and Selfies by Mark Oshiro, A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire by Samira Ahmed, and Vampires Never Say Die by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker. After each tale, the editors presented a well-written commentary or analysis of that tale's particular aspect of vampirism and always offered some thought-provoking questions and perspectives.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed some stories more than others, but it was still a pretty interesting read. I gave it 3.5 stars.

The main reason I wanted to read this book was the fantastic array of writers who collaborated and were involved in this anthology.

I don’t usually read a collection of stories. I knew though what I was getting into and this book was just that, short stories about vampires from different perspectives and flavours. But even if I knew these were going to be short stories, I still felt like almost every single one of them lacked sturdy conclusions or resolutions. The majority of these stories really left me dry, underwhelmed and often seeking a second chapter.

Each story tries to focus on a specific thematic around vampires, such as how you become a vampire, the first kill, the blood lust and so on. Despite talking about one of the most fascinating creatures of the night, I can’t say those stories gave me the chills. Not that I was expecting a horror book, but they were all bland.

My favourite story was definitely Samira Ahmed’s one – A Guidebook For The Newly Sired Desi Vampire. It was hilarious, it really made me laugh out loud. I loved how she managed to connect being a vampire with colonialism, integrating various elements of the Hindu culture.

Another story that stands out is In Kind by Kayla Whaley, probably because it was the only story that gave me some creeps and maintained a good consistency within its nature of being a short story.

I still appreciated the original idea behind this project, of exploring vampire stories from an OwnVoices rep’s perspective. However, if I have to provide a review of all the stories together, they generally felt inconclusive. I liked that between chapters you get an interesting discussion about a specific theme of the story and offers an open dialogue. In general, it is a fast read but some stories didn’t keep my attention.

What the heck...
I was expecting vampire stories. Written by authors I know write beautifully.
Instead I get poorly written vampire fanfiction that's just a bunch of short stories thrown together. How can I review something this bad?
What. A. Disappointment.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Titan Books for the e_arc of Vampires Never Get Old, edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This book delivers a collection of short stories about vampires of all varieties- from social media lurkers to eager and rebellious vampires, vampires going for their first kill, and the evolution of vampires.

Authors who have contributed to this book include Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, and Kayla Whaley.

This collection is both reflective and refreshing. It embraces the age old genre of vampires never ageing, but also revives vampires as a genre - bringing completely new twists and perspectives to the arena.

The Lost Boys inspired vampire story by Rebecca Roanhorse truly captured the whole, creepy, but hot atmosphere - ‘The Boys From Blood River’. This delivered top scale horror vibes, with that delicious edge of on your seat, ready to grab a cushion moments.

Heidi Heilig’s historical telling focuses on grave robbing bodies, mixing sexism, transphobia and an encounter with a newly risen vamp to address fighting for your life and who you really are.

Not all the stories in this anthology are as dark as these, vampires aren’t always the villains - “A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire” by Samira Ahmed is laugh out loud funny, hitting the perfect tone of teenage snark, fearlessly challenging and opposing colonialism! The descriptions of the worst types of British holidaymakers abroad are totally accurate, cringe-inducing, and utterly hilarious!

This anthology delivers a collection of vampire tales that are fresh, challenging, at times absolutely hilarious and with no fear of challenging the status quo. It doesn’t fear to tread into new realms of the genre nor does it fear to pose questions about diversity, family, tradition and fighting for what you want, your life and most importantly, who you are! With the aim of bringing new and diverse to an age-old genre, this book truly delivers.

🧛Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite🧛‍♀️
This great selection, edited by Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C Parker, is a short story collection about vampires. I've missed vampires, have you? Also contributing are authors Tessa Gratton, Rebecca Roanhorse, Julie Murphy, Heidi Heilig, Samira Ahmed, Kayla Whaley, Laura Ruby, Mark Oshiro, Dhonielle Clayton & Victoria ‘V.E.’ Schwab.

📚In Seven Nights For Dying the MC needs to make a decision by the end of 7 days, when there will be no going back.
📚The Boys From Blood River combines fear of a cautionary legend with the opportunity to be saved – at a cost.
📚A twist on the slayer vs vampire dynamic is explored in Senior Year Sucks. Would you trust your enemy?
📚Slipping back in time, & taking place inside a graveyard, The Boy and the Bell introduces us to a thief who finds value in the unexpected.
📚The Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire brings to mind the handbook in Beetlejuice, but with much different advice.
📚The highly controversial act of mercy killing takes centre stage in the story titled In Kind.
📚Vampires Never Say Die takes a look at online image vs reality & what can happen when you cross from one to the other.
📚Set in a future world, Bestiary brings us a vampiric creature with unique talents & a desire to punish.
📚Always in hiding, but never alone, the MC in Mirrors, Windows & Selfies has their every moment dictated by rigid rules they are desperate to escape.
📚The Turner women of The House of Black Sapphires are known for their beauty (& other things). When danger comes flirting, will the sisters heed mother’s warning?
📚What makes someone a hunter? Who do you think the hunter is in First Kill, & who is the real prey?

I’m usually cautious about short story collections by various authors. Often I end up skipping stories as they fail to hold my attention. Vampires Never Get Old definitely proves my wariness wrong. I read every piece in this book & easily devoured it within 2 days.

Vampire fans, why are you waiting?

4.5/5 🌟

Thank you Netgalley & Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my impartial review. All opinions stated above are my own.

Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite is a collection of new Vampire stories from some of Young Adult literature's most popular voices. With authors such as V.E.Schwab, Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Rebecca Roanhorse and Julie Murphy, as well as editors Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C Parker, there is bound to be something to appeal to every taste.
The book is a very mixed bag of stories, and as is so often the case with anthologies, some I enjoyed more than others, but even in the ones I did not enjoy as much, I could appreciate the fresh take on the tropes of the vampire tale. I also liked the little notes the editors included at the end of each story , giving the origin of the mythology and asking some thought provoking questions. I also appreciated the inclusivity of the stories, there was a variety of LGBTQI+ representation and a main character who was wheelchair bound.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

I love short stories anthology and I love vampires even more so I was so excited about this book! On top of that it's full of stories by authors I adore.

The myth of vampires has excited for so long that there are so many different and interesting versions. That's what I loved with Vampires Never Get Old, no two stories were alike, they all dealt with different part of the myth. I really liked all these different takes on vampires and all the little comments of Zoraida and Natalie between stories were so nice. Some stories were marvellous and other fell a bit short for me though.

My favourite stories were A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire by Samira Ahmed, The House of Black Sapphires by Donielle Clayton, First Kill by V. E. Schwab, and Senior Year Sucks by Julie Murphy.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read and review this!

If I had been presented with this collection as a teen or as a freshman I would have loved it. It's a solid collection of good authors, very easy to read, and cute.
But that's my issue; it's very cute. It lacks any of the bite that I expected a book on vampires to have. The authors section at the end of each story also come off as really immature.

Great concept, but mediocre stories

Firstly, I want to preface this review by saying that I really appreciated that this collection included stories from a diverse range of authors. However, I did not love this book.

While there were definitely some highlights – Samira Ahmed’s ‘A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire’ was hilarious, and I loved the discussion of disability in Kayla Whaley’s ‘In Kind’ – most of the stories fell flat for me. I often struggled to get invested and was generally left unsatisfied and wanting more. Saying that, I haven’t read many short story anthologies before, so maybe this just isn’t my thing. I did really like the concepts of most of these stories, and I’m definitely intrigued to pick up some of these author’s full-length works in the future. Overall, though, I found this collection pretty average, and I don’t think it will be something that sticks with me.

Rating breakdown:
1. Seven Nights for Dying, Tessa Gratton – 2.5 stars
2. The Boys from Blood River, Rebecca Roanhorse – 2.5 stars
3. Senior Year Sucks, Julie Murphy – 2 stars
4. The Boy and the Bell, Heidi Heilig – 3 stars
5. A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire, Samira Ahmed – 5 stars
6. In Kind, Kayla Whaley – 4 stars
7. Vampires Never Say Die, Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker – 3.5 stars
8. Bestiary, Laura Ruby – 3 stars
9. Mirrors, Windows & Selfies, Mark Oshiro – 4 stars
10. The House of Black Sapphires, Dhonielle Clayton – 3.5 stars
11. First Kill, V. E. Schwab – 4 stars

Content Warnings: blood drinking, reclaimed use of the ‘d’ slur, death of a loved one, sick parent, bullying, body horror, animal death, misgendering, drugging and murder of a disabled person, economic disaster, attempted suicide, mention of pandemic, mention of body image issues

A fantastic anthology of spooky, vampiric stories!
I’m normally not one for short stories, but wow do these really pack a punch! They were all so atmospheric, so different in their own ways. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them! I think the breakdown chapter from Zoraida and Natalie after every story really added to the impact of the stories, and the anthology put together. I loved it.

Unfortunately for me most of these short stories with various takes on vampires were really mediocre. There is plenty of diversity which is a big plus, but the stories just fell really flat.

I was really enjoying the first story, Seven Nights for Dying by Tessa Gratton where we follow a girl being turned into a vampire over the course of a week where she has to make her decision. What I didn't like was the subtle fat-phobia as the protagonist and her friend decide they wouldn't want to be turned into vampires without losing weight first. This is in complete contrast to Julie Murphy's Senior Year Sucks where our protagonist is a fat cheerleader who also happens to be a slayer.

Some of the stories are told in different formats - I quite enjoyed A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire by Samira Ahmed which is written as a short guide for a new vampire under the age of 18. I really liked the way Samira integrated Desi culture with vampire lore. There's also Mirrors, Windows and Selfies by Mark Oshiro which is told through a series of Tumblr style blog posts.

I think my favourite story was First Kill by V.E. Schwab which was a sapphic enemies with crushes on each other story. It's very cliché but I loved the writing the most. In Kind by Kayla Whaley was also interesting - about a disabled girl murdered by her father who thinks he's doing a mercy killing, only for her to be turned into a vampire and reveal to the world that she didn't want to die.

Overall, I was expecting more from this anthology, but I think the short story format just left a lot of these stories feeling unfinished.

I love this collection! Each story put its own spin on the legend of vampires and brought some much-needed diversity to family tales. I'll be seeking many of the authors' future books!