I really enjoyed the genre bending in this novel. It was feminist horror with some detective noir. The vampire lore was done right. The mystery and suspense of this book was written so well. Overall, I think it was a good read and well written.

This book is more of a 2.5 for me.

The mystery/suspense of this book is well done. And the concept of the vampire twist and prose are very interesting!

My issue lies in main character. According to the authors note, Luke Stockton is supposed to be a bumbling, but ultimately “good guy”. I did not find this to be the case.

Within the first few chapters Luke:
- complains about his pregnant wife not being as nice as she was before pregnancy
-complains about his pregnant wife not giving him enough sex
-complains that his younger, female, co-worker isn’t happy enough at her job (despite being good at it) and resents the thought of her surpassing him
- complains about his pregnant wife not giving him enough sex to his best friend and then openly resents said best friend for having a successful career

He does not get much better from there.

I understand this is the point of the character. Luke Stockton is a metaphor. But he is such an unlikable metaphor that it makes it feel like a slog to get to the actually good parts of this book. And there are very good parts!

The good parts of this book, by miles, are the vampire parts. These parts are creative, mysterious, and alluring in all the ways a vampire book should be. It is very clear from the way everything is written that the author truly loved these vampire chapters the most, as they should. It’s good writing!

My ideal version of this book would have much fewer (ideally zero) chapters from Luke’s perspective and just have him be an antagonist/tool/whatever from the other characters point of view. I feel that would allow Luke to still be a metaphor without forcing me to feel like I am supposed to like (or at least have some sympathy for) this utterly unlikable man.

Overall an interesting read, but I am unsure if I will ever re-read it again.

I will just say I finished it. Not spectacular but an intriguing premise. An interesting take on the Vampire angle. But it did not really get me excited.

"But she was acting entirely on old instinct. The instinct of a hunter."

ˋ° *⁀➷ Rating: 3.5/5 ✰

As a huge fan of vampires and morally gray feminist women, this was definitely right up my alley. I wish I had realized a bit sooner that this is meant to feel like more of a detective novel instead of a vampire novel though, since it would've helped me manage expectations a bit. I think if this was written mostly from the POV of Heloise or Beatrice or Lauren or whatever instead of Luke I would've liked this so much more. He was just sooo insufferable, and I can recognize that as being a part of the point, but I already struggle reading about normal men who don't have obnoxious personality flaws so even though it was a good book this was still a bit of a rough one for me.

Everything happening in the background was amazing: these femme fatale-type vampires have incredibly long lives and such rich cultural and physiological lore, and they've been blending in with and hunting humans for millennia. The fact that their hunting is connected to pregnancy was also super fascinating - I mean come on, vampire women with brutal blood cravings that are also physically necessary for the babies and their superhuman growth? That's so insanely cool. I would have loved more of the chapters to be focused on those details since they were my favorite by far. Unfortunately, the story was mostly about Luke.

Luke is an old fashioned detective who is trying to unravel the mystery of the messy murder case he's working on and it's possible weird connection to a local med spa. In this, he's meant to exemplify the idea of all the men (and humans in general) being bumbling idiots with lesser reasoning skills and how they're hopelessly fighting against the hemo sapiens with their superior intellect and insane physical prowess. I understand his purpose, but still. Making fun of his pregnant wife and all her legitimate concerns and questions about the future baby was painful to read. I just did not care to read about all the mundane details of his life and his self-inflicted relationship issues.

Closing thoughts:
Even though I have some complaints about the pacing and main character, it was still a decently enjoyable read. Would recommend for fans of detective novels with background feminist themes. In general it had some really fascinating ideas around pregnancy and what defines humanity that I think a lot of people would find pretty interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and not sponsored in any way

This book is a bold one involving power, a cult, vampires, and where humans are on the food chain. This is a very interesting and thought-provoking read that will have you staring into a corner for an hour upon completion.

This book got under my skin in the best way. Hemo Sapiens is a haunting, razor-sharp exploration of identity, power, and the bodies we inhabit—how they're policed, desired, exploited, and sometimes weaponized. From the first few pages, I knew I wasn’t just reading a speculative story—I was stepping into a world that felt disturbingly close to our own.

What struck me most was how intimately this novel tackles big themes without ever losing its emotional pulse. The characters feel raw and real, even when the world around them veers into dystopia. There’s a kind of defiant tenderness at the core of the book that caught me off guard—grief, love, resistance, survival. It’s a story that confronts injustice head-on but doesn’t abandon hope entirely.

The writing is bold, visceral, and poetic without being overwrought. I found myself pausing often—not because I was lost, but because I needed a breath. The emotional weight builds slowly, and when the book finally delivers its full impact, it lands hard.

This isn’t a comfortable read, but it’s a necessary one. Hemo Sapiens challenges, provokes, and lingers. It’s the kind of story that leaves a mark and asks you to carry it with you for a while. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.

Clever and kinda gory take on vampires, old religion and superstitions, sisterhood, and cults. Is it a cult if the belief system is real rather than fabricated? Interesting question. And how can we know humans are indeed the top of the food chain? A fun read, especially for vampire fans.