I feel this is a story that you either will love or hate. Fortunately, I really enjoyed reading this. Kohda’s writing reminds me of Sayaka Murata’s work, which I absolutely love.

This story follows Lydia, an art graduate student who is venturing on her own for the first time since she had to put her mom in a nursing home. Without her mom guiding her, she is forced to live and make decisions for herself. That is already a very tough thing to do but what makes it tougher is, Lydia is no ordinary girl, she is a vampire who is struggling to fit in our world especially when it comes to her diet. Her mother had taught her things that made her question her ideas and decisions and most of all, she is struggling to satisfy her hunger. How will she manage in the end?

I would say this is a very character driven story as there isn’t much plot to follow but what I really love about this is being in Lydia’s mind. Here is a girl who is trying to live on her own for the first time and also trying to find where she fits in society but will her circumstances allow her to do so? I feel so sad for her because she tries hard to be normal. Like all of us, she dreams of having friends, having a companion and not having to hide her identity. She became desperate to be normal until she can no longer deny who she truly is.

This is not a vampire story that we all imagined to be and I really love Kohda for showing me a different side to a vampire character. While Lydia’s situation is unique, she reminds me of any young person who is trying to figure out what they want in life. She longs to be loved and accepted but she finds it hard to open up other people. There are underlying themes of coming of age, finding your identity and loving yourself.

If you love Murata’s work like me, do give this one a go. Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Book for the arc.

We've all seen the trend of sad girl books gracing the shelves of our favourite bookshops in the last few years. However, how many of those were sad girl vampires?

Claire Kohda brings a new spin on a well-worn topic with some fantastical realism as she explores the life of a 20-something woman dealing with a typical quarter life crisis, alongside the need to find fresh blood to feed on. Lydia begins her internship at a prestigious gallery where she expected to know exactly what to do without ever being told. She's an artist but are you still actually an artist when you've not been making any art? Her mother seems to be suffering from dementia, forgetting that she is in fact a vampire. And most of all, Lydia is very, very hungry.

Kohda cleverly taps into what it feels like to have grown into adulthood and not quite know where to go or what to do next. Lydia is looking for a sense of belonging, somewhere to fit in, and her hunger stands for the ambition and want that everyone has at this age, for new experiences, for sex, love, money, success, passion. Her mixed heritage adds another layer into this complexity - she is caught between human and demon, between her Malaysian-British and Japanese heritages and where they intersect. She also has to deal with all the things that human women have to deal with too - despite her own power she must deal with predatory men. The story meanders as Lydia is pulled from place to place and task to task, fulfilling obligations and never quite sating her own needs. The narrative is wandering and morose, and incredibly relatable for any millennial or Gen-Z adult who has felt like they don't quite know what they are doing.

For those looking for a vampire fantasy, this book isn't the right choice for you. This book is far less Dracula and far more a modern Villette, similar to other books in this emerging literary sub-genre. Yet unlike other books following this trope Woman Eating is punchy, with a dash of originality and far more bite.

I requested 'Woman, Eating' on Netgalley after reading two words: Literary Vampire.

Being a fan of all things vamp, I loved the idea of a contemporary novel featuring a young vampire in London. Lydia is 23, she's a mixed-race artist who has recently moved to London to work at a gallery. Her mother (also a vampire) has recently moved into a care home, and Lydia has never lived alone.

Lydia faces several new challenges in London - friendships, career, inspiration, and hunger. Overwhelming hunger. Finding it harder to source food in London than she had expected, Lydia dreams about eating the things she has never been able to enjoy - sumptuous dishes, stuffed with fresh, delicious ingredients. Her hunger overwhelms her, not least because she can't enjoy the fresh food the other young creatives prepare - but because she finds herself, for the first time, drawn to something she knows she absolutely must not have. She desperately wants to fit in with the new people she meets - but how can she, when she's so hungry?

I liked this a lot, although it was very dark. Lydia has a ton of issues, and she leads quite a solitary, sad life so it was tough being inside her head at times. She's like any other young woman trying to make her way in the world - she just happens to be a vampire doing it. Biting social commentary (sorry, sorry) and the odd Buffy reference make for a pleasant, if uncomfortable read. I'm not entirely sure if we should have been hoping that Lydia would absolutely reef the neck out of every awful man she encountered, but that's the position I found myself in. There are similarities between Lydia's experiences and ED, so if that's a trigger for you maybe avoid this one. There's also a dead duck and a very creepy man.

An intriguing novel, I think if you liked Boy Parts by Eliza Clark, you might like this.

⭐⭐

October isn't doing many reading favours. I'm far to distracted but that's another story. This story though, #WomanEating by Claire Kodha isn't what I expected based on the blurb.

Firstly, it had me at female #vampire, and second, it's set in areas of #London I know well. Unfortunately, the main character, Lydia, didn't work for me. Every time I opened the book she was in the middle of a crisis or whinging about something. And considering this is the entire book, finishing this should win me a prize. As for the London setting, I'm not convinced but that's minor.

The writing style is solid and there are some really lovely moments of prose. Overall, this is an overlong character study that doesn't add to the vampire canon. I don't think I can recommend this to anyone unless you like your stories with large amounts of misery. I read to escape and this book felt like another trap. So much potential wasted.

I requested this book because it seemed an interesting take on vampires, on eating, and on our modern society. What I got was a really slow-paced, character-driven novel that felt very flat. I think I expected something more quirky/funny and more profound, but it was quite short and only grazed the surface.

An interesting concept with a narrative that felt a little bit too distanced (same with the character, she felt very distanced from herself - maybe that was the point?). What the novel tried to do with the othering of her mixed-race identity with the othering of her vampirism was interesting, but there wasn't much dive into it. Perhaps I didn't read between the lines enough.

Overall, I'm glad I read it as it was definitely different than what I usually read, but I wish it had been a bit more compelling.

This was a decent read and a really interesting concept for a plot, however I found it a bit lacking. I didn't find the main character very likeable and felt that the plot didn't really go anywhere. The writing itself was well done and I did enjoy the story, I think I just maybe expected a bit more.

A thoroughly modern take on vampire tropes, with a female protagonist. She lives the life of an artist, trying not to kill people for the blood she needs, influenced by the way her mother brought her up. Really enjoyable, not too gruesome and well written. Not exactly a light read, but quick to get through with lots to think about.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I guess I should start by saying that this was a very enjoyable read. The writing was amazing and I loved the narrator/main character's voice. I would definitely read more from Claire Kohda in the future.

But sadly (I really mean sadly), the plot was disappointing to me. I had high hopes for this because I love vampire stories and I love the new sad girl genre and I thought this would be the perfect mix between both and it wasn't.

I think there were many ways this book could go and at the end I felt like it didn't go anywhere. There were many parts that I got excited with the anticipation of something happening with Lydia and some other character, but she wouldn't do any of the things I expected or hoped she would. All the conflicts that Lydia had with herself, her family, the world could've been more explored. To me, everything remained on the surface for most of the book, if not its entirety.

Overall, I feel like there was a lot of potential for this and it was sadly wasted – although I will say it again that it was really enjoyable and it's definitely not a bad book! I don't know how long it too Kohda to write this and if she's written other novels before, but the impression I was left with was that this particular one needed more time to grown on it's own, marinating for a while.

This was a very nice debut, but I sadly it could've been much more.

Loved the premise, and I'm sure this will have a lot of fans, but unfortunately this didn't quite work for me in the end. I'd definitely pick up another book by the author though!

The concept for this book is incredibly compelling, but it unfortunately didn't quite match up with what it promised. I personally wasn't a fan of the style, it is very much a character driven novel, with not a lot happening plot-wise, and ultimately I didn't find the character of Lydia interesting enough to compensate for the lack of story. I think there was much more than could have been explored, for example her relationship with her mother and therefore with racial identity could have had more depth, and there wasn't even much vampire content despite our main character being one. Ultimately the ennui of a depressed young woman who is also a vampire didn't bring me, also a depressed young woman but not a vampire, anything fresh or interesting to sink my teeth into. Pun intended.

(Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the eARC.)

Lydia is a starving artist, alone in a new city, with a complicated relationship with her controlling mother who is now ill and requires around the clock care, unable to connect with the people around her in her new apartment building or sought after internship. She is also a vampire, but if you were to take that away "Woman Eating" would very easily become like many other popular "miserable millennial woman" books that I and a lot of other readers really enjoy.

A lot of the themes are the same as she's exploted in her internship, struggles to stand on her own two feet after her confidence was erroded for years by her mother who taught her to be ashamed kept her separated from other humans, but also didn't allow her access to information about other people like her.

This is certainly an ideas novel as opposed to horror, or fantasy, or a supernatural adventure. The way Khoda uses vampirism is mostly allegorical, and is incredibly interesting in the way it highlights female ambition, rage, powerlessness displacement in society, and particularly colonialism. Her mixed Asian heritage and upbringing in Britain might offer access to several cultures, but instead she feels even more displaced and separate to the people around her.

She wonders if her mother is the langsuyar, a vampire from Malaysian folklore who is created out of her trauma or grief. Her mother is half Asian, hating the side of her that isn't white. Her mother told her she was evil and, actual real world morality about murder aside, forcing her to starve herself into malnourishment and telling her this is what she deserves. Lydia's hunger doesn't just stop at her own need to feed on blood; she is ravenous for human food that she cannot digest or enjoy. Notably, she craves food from specific cultures that she should be a part of - particularly, she wonders if Japanese food would help her understand who her father was. Food isn't just vital for survival - though we do see an instant change once she feeds properly, but in her appearance as well as state of mind and how she sees herself. She sees how humans feel connected by sharing meals and recipes and experiences, and she watches countless videos of women, mostly Asian women or women with mixed heritages, recount what they eat in a day, to try and imagine what it would be like to be human.

I loved the premise of this book, and underlined huge parts of it, though ultimately a lot of the action and character development fell a little flat. This is not a book for huge fans of the genres vampires usually crop up in, but if you are interesting in how vampirism might be used to explore colonialism, late capitalism and a particular kind of female millennial experience, this is definitely for you.

The prose was beautiful and i'm always a little more impressed by a meandering narration that brings a sad, miserable protagonist to the centre, especially the subsequent commentary on rediscovering identity and oppressive loneliness. Full review to come soon.

There's a lot to love about this book. It's original, fresh and very down to earth, fun and easy to read. But it has a literary depth that's rare in the vampire genre. In fact, it's not a 'genre' novel at all, despite the protagonist being a vampire.

It covers themes such as fitting in (or not), finding your place in the world (or not), eating disorders, female power and self-acceptance, alongside the practicalities of dealing with mum in the care home and a lecherous co-worker.

Woman, Eating is extremely well written and witty, in a low-key, yet eloquent and highly visual style that packs in an awful lot of ideas. A rich novel that you'll be digesting for a long time, if you'll excuse the pun.

My only complaint is that even though it's of average length, at 240 pages, it feels too short. I would have enjoyed spending much more time with Lydia.

This was unexpectatly delightful. It's a quiet novel about a vampire trying to live her life in a human world with human problems. And vampire problems, like finding food. Liked this one very much.

I was very lucky to be accepted for an advanced copy of Woman, Eating on #NetGalley after seeing it floating around on Twitter. It sounded very much right up my street, and for the most part, it absolutely was.

I loved the detail Kohda included in Woman, Eating. From the food to culture and that insatiable desire Lydia has for blood, I E joyed reading it.

It did take me a little while to get into the swing of things as I expected it to be different than it was. By that I mean I expected more...vampiric activity. But when I was almost through with Woman, Eating, I realised it was a lot more than a thirsty vampire woman.

It was a bit of an ode to Lydia's family, her dead father, her decaying mother, trying to navigate the art scene, sexual harassment, friendships, love and independence.

I think the reason I didn't LOVE it was because it felt a little too mellow for my liking. Maybe I've read too many thrillers or books that feel the need to have a BIG TWISTY MURDERY BLOODY WHODUNIT DEATHY EXPERIENCE, so I didn't let that sway my opinion of a book that is so beautifully written.

Now I'm hungry.

For food. Not for blood. I know I'm pale but I'm definitely human.

Thank you Netgalley for this gifted copy!

I love a vampire book at the best of times, and also adore literary fiction: meet Woman, Eating. Gone are the days of Twilight, I love this portrayal of mother / daughter vampire combo who have the instilled belief that they are both demons, and loathe their vampire status. Our main character, Lydia, is trying to break into the art world and figure herself out, while being very very hungry. I got hungry reading this book tbh (not a vampire I promise).

I love the unsettling and disgusting aspects of this book mixed with a depressed girl fiction. Loved this!

A young artist in London suffers from ennui, a pretty unpleasant internship with a side order of sexual harassment and worries about her mother’s illness. Oh, and she’s a vampire without a source of fresh blood. I felt sorry for her, but she wasn’t very dynamic or engaging.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

As a huge fan of the vampire figure, I was almost wary of starting this book for fear of being disappointed by the contemporary take on it. But from the very first pages, I was completely hooked. Claire Kohda's use of the vampire trope as a reflection on womanhood and identity in the 21st century is magnificent. Her acerbic humour somehow reminded me of Ali Smith, but with more of a pop side to it. And just wait until you get to the last pages... Woman, Eating is a fantastic debut novel in every sense of the word, and I already cannot wait to read Claire Kohda's next book.

"Woman, Eating" was great. Both on an allegorical level and a very literal one: Lydia's life as a vampire unable to eat what she wants most—human food—and subsequently denying herself blood can be seen as a not-so-subtle commentary on eating disorders; her mother's whole existence can be replaced with the concept of Lydia's insecurities about herself and her place in society, because her mother is the root of these insecurities and also interchangeable with them, at least in Lydia's eyes. If one reads the story as it is, though, it's still engaging. As a Gen Z vampire, Lydia resorts to YouTube and Instagram to watch people eat food in lieu of eating it herself; when she's in a mood, she ignores all texts and phone calls in order to binge "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" on her laptop. Despite being a supernatural creature, she's true to life, and true to our lives in the contemporary digital age. Although technology in fiction sometimes seems to take away from the vibrancy of a more "natural" life, so to speak, in this novel it fit seamlessly.

Pacing-wise, this novel is pretty slow until it suddenly isn't. That's not a bad thing, at least in my opinion: the pacing reflects Lydia's own internal struggles with her identity, and when she finally figures things out, she makes decisions in rapid succession, because her fears have now been alleviated. She's pretty fun to follow around in her life between her studio and the Otter, an art gallery where she's completing an internship; her sudden impatience whenever her mother is mentioned allows the reader insight into why she avoids meeting her as much as possible.

Kohda explores a lot of heavy topics in her debut: identity, colonialism, the female appetite, vapidity in the art scene. While done meticulously and impressively, she sometimes falls into the habit of over-explaining the thought process behind her words:

"In the photo accompanying the article, artwork from what looks like all over the world is spread across the floor, on the walls, even hanging from the ceiling. In the centre of it all is Gideon, sitting on a wooden chair that looks like a throne."

Pretty imagery, but a bit too obvious: we already know Gideon's associations with colonialism in the form of stealing artwork from various countries. The reader doesn't have to be told (again) that he's associated with colonialism in the form of stealing artwork from various countries. (This is what reading that quote felt like.)

Still a great read, though, and one I'd easily give five stars. I'd also highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading both vampire novels and literary fiction—not just one, because this blend of the two won't be to everyone's taste. My more comprehensive review can be found over at my blog @ earthlyabode.wordpress.com!

Not usually a vampire story fan (we won't mention the intense obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in my teens...) so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this. However, I loved it. It was compelling and I read it in a couple of days. Lots of interesting crossovers about being mixed race and half human/half vampire. Not too much of a supernatural element, despite the main character and her mum being vampires (that's a good thing in my eyes!).