While there were aspects of this book that I found engaging, overall, it fell flat for me. The ending, in particular, felt rushed and ultimately unsatisfying. Several key plot points—such as the protagonist’s past lives, which are referenced repeatedly—are left unresolved. Similarly, important questions surrounding the war and the events aboard the ship remain unanswered. These lingering gaps in the narrative detract from the story's impact and leave much to be desired.

A dark and amusing, fast paced short story told by the voice of a narcissist vampire. If I had to pick my favourite part of this book, it would definitely have to be the narration. I found reading Rebekah's deliciously unhinged thoughts. I was looking forward to seeing what witty and horrible ways she would describe her environment and everything she experiences. I do live for the drama.

I ultimately enjoyed it, despite parts about it didn't necessarily fit my personal reading preferences. For example, on occasion I found myself frustrated by the writing style. Another thing, while I will never turn down a character based book, I would have certainly liked more plot, more World building and establishing how th magical creatures and magic work in this world. If for nothing else, I think I would have been greatly entertained by reading our main character describe it.

The ending felt a little bit unsatisfying. I think it would have benefited with a few more pages, to see Rebekah and Hugh together for a little bit longer, even if it ultimately ended the same way. It would have feel earned, and the conclusion more satisfying.

Overall, it is certainly an entertaining and easy read, if someone has time to kill and is looking for a dark and fun character based story, narrated by the most obnoxious yet amusing person you'll never meet.

I was super excited when I read what this book was about. A vampire couple going on a cruise? Sign me right up. It starts really interesting and I enjoyed how Rebekah saw the world around her.

I quickly fell in luster with her. Even though she was entirely self absorbed and definitely a jealous being, I kind of dig that. But I don’t know I didn’t feel like the story really went anywhere. Especially with the very abrupt ending.

Did I enjoy the story, yes! I love all things queer and campy and this fed me on both points. But there were parts of the story that just lost me altogether.

I appreciate the advance copy and I truly think the right audience will eat this up, it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Creature Publishing and the author Lindsay Merbaum for giving me access to this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are some aspects of this one that I really enjoyed - the atmoshpere was dark and interesting, given the weird mix of the characters and their thoughts alongside them being on a queer cruise. The characters were all insufferable, but I do enjoy an unreliable narrarator and didn't mind that aspect so much. We meander around a lot in this short story, but given the physical confinements it was primarily character driven. This was smutty and spooky and overall a generally fun short story.

I wish, however, that there was more of a horror aspect to it. There were so many areas where. given the horror description, I'd expected things to get far more disturbing and horror driven but I ended up coming out a bit disappointed. The main character towards the end was immensely annoying with her self involved "suffering", and I wish we'd seen her turn towards a more interesting path forward rather than the path we take.

It was definitely a fresh and interesting take on vampires, but left me a bit wanting overall.

This book was a vibe. A good vibe in my opinion. Who doesn't like queer vampires on a cruise? I did imagine this whole book in the style of by the sea from Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd.

This book was easy to read and gave some what we do in the shadows vibe. I did find the ending slightly diappointing? Maybe not tne correct word for it but I hoped for some more closure.

If you want a fun, slightly unhinged queer vampire read certainly give this a try.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in return for an honest review.

I received a free ARC of this in exchange for an honest review

I…don’t get it. The novella is well detailed about the setting, backstory and oh, so much sex, but the story is something to be desired. A vampire couple entranced by a Mary Sue? With an underlying threat or jealousy? And they’re an influencer? “Shrugs”, and they claim they are having fun, but seem to hate everything? What? Yeah. Not for me.

short, weird, and a fun read! the vibes were awesome throughout and the reinterpretation of magical creatures were cool. there were a few inconsistencies in the setting and some dangling plot threads that i felt, with how much they were brought up, should be vaguely resolved, but still 4 stars. tysm for the arc. i'd love a sequel or smth else in this world.

it was okay. i didn’t enjoy it as much as i expected. i thought it was interesting that the story focused on energy vampires instead of the usual blood-sucking kind. the humor reminded me a bit of what we do in the shadows, which was fun! all of the characters were so frustrating especially hugh.

"They're all watching me now as I do cartwheels onto someone's dick."

What a delightfully campy, queer, and horny book this was.

I honestly went in blind. The cover and title were enough to pique my interest so I was very pleased to receive an ARC to read and review. Soon after meeting our narrator - Rebekah, I knew I needed to buckle up. Not only is she a sexually liberated, fluid, narcissistic nightmare, but she's also hilarious, snarky, quick-witted and tough as nails. I LOVED her.

I was surprised by how much the humor worked for me. The descriptions of some of the sexual encounters were so perverse and ridiculous that I had to chuckle. Rebekah also breaks the fourth wall occasionally, letting us know she can't be bothered to recount certain people or events because they were so boring or unmemorable. It works to keep the story chugging along without bland exposition and gives us further insight into her character.

Other pluses:
The world-building is solid and hints at events happening off-page which are intriguing.
Surprisingly nuanced relationship dynamics and complicated emotional attachments.
Commentary on 'influencer' culture and the rise in vapid celebrity.
Representation for non-binary, queer, and gender non-confirming persons.

I'll be checking out future books by the author.

A story about two vampires, Rebekah and Hugh. Rebekah feeds on lust, Hugh feeds on misery, and together they’re a happy married couple. They decide to go on a cruise. Hugh becomes infatuated with a influencer named Heaven and Rebekah spirals, trying to understand why her husband would like this maybe-not-human person and why it feels like Heaven is everywhere. There’s a very funny narrator in Rebekah and I enjoyed her confidence in herself and unwillingness to change for a man.

I found this to be sort of hard to get into. It felt very teen angst. "No one's paying attention to me! Oh Gods I'm not the center of attention! I'm hot! Why can't anyone notice me?!?" I was waiting for the humor and horror as that was how it was billed, but I assume it is something that I just wasn't the intended audience?
I'm in my 40s so I understand I'm beyond a lot of the younger author's scope.
There was a good balance on the sex scenes between explicit and implied, though I'm sure there will be people who will be upset.
Again at the end it's with the teen angst. Is the "horror" that the main character gets killed? Oh please yes.
Oh well. That didn't work.
I just never was into the pretty, selfish ones.

Ok, this was so much fun. Vampires at sea, honeymoon bliss and a magical curse. What could go wrong?

I enjoyed the idea of this book, vampires being on a cruise, which was a refreshing twist. There were times I enjoyed this read, however, I felt it was lacking something (could be due to my own reading preferences). I also felt there was a subject that kept coming up (usually when referring to things on land) that was never fully explained. I did really love the way in which these vampires drained others, we’ve all met an emotional vampire at some point! So that felt like a fresher take on the vampire theme. The conclusion felt rushed, leaving some plot threads unresolved. Although this was confusing at times, there were also times I enjoyed the hedonistic style of some onboard the ship

Dark, smutty, queer, and filled with interesting supernatural elements.
If a reader wants dark queer vampires on an adult cruise then they should ABSOLUTELY check this book out. The writing style is descriptive and atmospheric.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.


I am pleasantly shocked by my enjoyment of this--! Vampires at Sea is dripping with sarcastic venom, absurd eroticism, and sharp, laugh-out-loud commentary. Narrated by Rebekah—flawed, unhinged, and absolutely hilarious—this book had me cackling from the first page. I kind of love and hate her? Her voice is sharp, chaotic, and uniquely her own, with fourth wall breaks and razor-edged wit that keep the story moving at a deliciously manic pace.

Hugh, her vampire partner, is her absolute opposite in every way, and loathes what they are/whilst also getting off on it? There's this line that Rebekah says about him, "especially when waxing poetic about his crush on Jesus: 'that effeminate anorexic, with his xylophone ribs and over-the-top resurrection.” The entire book is filled with these kinds of lines—unapologetically dark, b-a-n-a-n-a-s, and hilarious.

Merbaum absolutely nails the balance between sexy and ridiculous. The story pokes fun at queer culture in a way that feels like a wink from the inside, not a jab from the outside. It’s manic, horny, unserious fun with just enough heart to make you care. (We're on vacation!) and can’t recommend it enough for anyone looking for a wild, sharp, and smutty horror-comedy romp.

"Hugh is such a fan of Jesus, that effeminate anorexic, with his xylophone ribs and over-the-top ressurection, a masochist vamp who volunteers his own blood for others to drink. (Gross.)"

Vampires at Sea is dripping with sarcastic venom, incisively funny, and absurdly erotic. The incredibly unique voice of Rebekah, our narrator, will make you laugh out loud with her commentary and her occasional fourth wall breaks. (I'm picturing her like a narcissistic, sluttier, bitchier Fleabag. Or, perhaps, if Fleabag and Lestat had a daughter.)

Amanda Manns does a great job of balancing the inherent sexiness of vampires with the ridiculously funny parts, too. It pokes fun at queer culture in a lighthearted, inside joke kind of way that could only be achieved by someone involved in it. I read this story in just a few days while on vacation (We're on vacation!) and I would recommend others do the same!

Well... I started wishing for more pages and in the end this was the perfect length. Sometimes I like no plot just vibes books, but this was a little too meandering for me. People that enjoy weird little books, like The Woods All Black will probably enjoy Vampires at Sea, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
The summary says everything, we follow a couple of vampires on a cruise and encounter a person that intrigues them both. Also, there's a lot of sex. If this sounds interesting to you, go for it, that's exactly what you get.

Thank you Netgalley and Amanda Manns for the e-ARC!

I liked the take on the 'vampires' feeding on energy rather than blood and the fact that a lot of the story was contained to the ship but a lot of this fell flat. The book felt like it was trying to be WWDITS but without half of the wit or charm that accompanies it. A lot of the characters felt vapid and there was very little character progression throughout the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read the novella.

1,5⭐️

When intoduced to the idea of a married vampire couple going on a hedonical cruise, where they meet a shape-shifting unicorn they both fall in love with, and you decorate this premise with some rivalry, I will eat this shit up. That is precisely why it pains me to rate "Vampires at Sea" so low, but this novella did not live up to any expectations at all.

Firstly, if you want a sexy, romantic story of a couple, the couple have to bear any emotions towards each other. Rebekah and Hugh feel like arranged marriage they don't despise, but certainly don't enjoy, either. And every couple of pages Rebekah hypocritically becomes jealous of his attention, proposing the idea of her loving him, but in the end it's about something different.

And that is the second point – I couldn't stand her. Pity, as she is the narrator. Her jealousy-turned-lust towards Heaven would be greatly enjoyable, if she wasn't so... much. Her marriage with Hugh is about control, first he grows bored and blunt, then she's frustrated when he tries to change anything, yet she bears no interest in bonding with him. Hugh's an avan-garde artist, but she supposedly hates art, or it simply bores her. But beware anyone who would like to even converse lightly with her husband, as Rebekah the harpy will plan your murder. And she? She sleeps with anyone who will even slightly glare at her. Hugh has to accept that, but gods forbid he tries to someone fun on the side.
Once again, such description sounds like an interesting piece of a book, but gods Rebekah makes it unbearable. With all her lust, her constant reminders of "see, I told you I were different" and this emptiness inside her it hollows the plot, too. I would be on board with the idea of toxic wife and her adventures, but this is not fun. It's miserable.

The premise about which author talks about in acknowledgement is visible – however what she missed was the element of entertainment. The ending didn't help with that. It was so, so disappointing, to discover there is no sense of change, no understanding, no conversation, not even any fun from erotical parts. The rivalry sucks, the revenge falls flat, there are no bursting emotions. Writing isn'tgreat, either; certain elements were supposed to be comedic (I've suspected an inspiration from WWDITS, which was proved by acknowledgement, however it is an inspiration that doesn't understand why the source was funny in the first place), but with quotes like: "In the evening, I force myself to hunt even though my heart - or is it my clit? - still isn't it." it was needlessly sexual. The juxtaposition between Heaven, a modern influencer, and Hugh, old-way elegant artist, and their unexpected feelings may have worked, but not from the current perspective.

A very frustrating read about toxic woman that neither enjoys her toxicity nor tries to change it anyhow. She should have been in therapy, but frankly, she would fuck her therapist and then eat him. And that's not how it works.

I honestly don’t know what I expected from this book but I wasn’t prepared for how uncomfortable it would make me. The smut felt less like a useless addition to the story and more like something shoved in for show(?), with no real buildup or emotional weight. Scenes that were supposed to be hot just came off as awkward, gross, and even unsettling at times. And not in a good horror way. I found myself cringing more often than feeling any connection to the characters. Well, though I can't really blame anyone. I'm the one who choose to read this book.