Nocturnal Book Reviews: Review: The Wannabe Vampire by Alex Taylor

Review: The Wannabe Vampire by Alex Taylor

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 | Posted by kara-karina@Nocturnal Book Reviews

The Wannabe Vampire by Alex Taylor

review requested by the author

Synopsis from Goodreads
Michael Alexander is not your typical vampire.

He has a house in a small coastal California city, a software development team in Mumbai, and a black Toyota Prius. He wants nothing more than to enjoy the pleasant life he’s crafted for himself and the friendship of Kari, his new next door neighbor.

Unfortunately, Michael also has a stalker.

Bruce is convinced that only the power of a vampire can save him from the ghost that haunts him. After a chance encounter in the grocery store, he turns to Michael for help. When Bruce’s entreaties are rejected, his unstable nature takes over. Trapped between a desperate and deranged man and his fantasies, Michael and Kari are caught in the crossfire.

Amazon kindle US/UK

5.5/10

* * *

It's not a bad book at all. So, why such a lacklustre rating? Hear me out.

Ultimately, The Wannabe Vampire tries really hard to appease everyone and turns something mysterious and dangerous into a pretty suburban, uninspiring creature.

The book really needs to decide where the writing style wants to go otherwise it stays a pleasant but forgettable read. Does it want to become a comedy of mistakes full of dark gory humour like Shaun of The Dead or Zombieland? Or does it want to tackle extreme violence and how normal people cope with it?

There are bits in Alex Taylor's writing that can be developed into something awesome, something that would inspire strong emotions (both positive and negative) but the potential is not realised yet. The perv obsessed with vampirism and haunted by a ghost was disgustingly good, for example, but his actions were too soft to be a real threat to Michael and Kari...

I would like to wait and reserve my opinion on this author until the next book. With respect.

* * *

В общем-то не очень удачная проба пера вышла, так как я считаю, что автор до сих пор ищет свой голос. Очень всё уж вышло мягко и расплывчато.

Даже злодей сам по себе вызывает жалость и отвращение но угрозой его я Майклу и его подруге Кери как-то не считала. К тому же, Майкл для вампира оказался довольно вялой рыбой, который ничего кроме житья в своём пригородном доме, фильмов и пробы различных экзотических блюд делать не хотел. Произаично и по-обывательски...

Я не могу ничего хорошего или плохого сказать об этой книге, что само по себе не есть хорошо. Лучше автору вызывать сильные эмоции, чем никаких, поэтому я пока не буду ничего решать и подожду следующей книги Алекса Тэйлора.

Tags: 5.5/10, alex taylor, urban fantasy, vampires, вампиры, городское фэнтези

3 comments:

Melliane said...: I agree with you, it's was pretty the same thing for me. I also had some problems, it's nice but more development would have been great.; 12 September 2012 11:50
Christina said...: Bahahaha, this sounds like a hot mess. It's unfortunate when I book has some good ideas but messes up by not choosing a path. Or, sometimes, it seems as though the author had some awesome idea that didn't quite fit, but they shoved it in anyway. Don't do that.; 12 September 2012 19:15
Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...: Bummer. Sounds not bad but not outstanding in a way either. Hope you like the next book better.; 13 September 2012 01:17