Starred review from August 17, 2020
In their introduction to this bloodthirsty anthology, Córdova (The Way to Rio Luna) and Parker (the Seafire trilogy) note that, “despite queer subtext and outstanding nonwhite examples,” the most famous vampires are “predominantly men, white, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied.” This boundary-pushing collection seeks to upend the default with 11 toothsome stories that stake a new claim on old tropes, centering an intersectionally diverse range of protagonists. Reflecting pop culture touchstones, Julie Murphy’s nod to Buffy, “Senior Year Sucks,” centers a fat white Texas teen who juggles cheerleading and vampire hunting; “The Boys from Blood River” by Rebecca Roanhorse stars a gay Indigenous teen who invokes an urban legend in hope of a better life. Samira Ahmed’s tongue-in-cheek “A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire” looks at vampire tropes through a self-aware, social media–savvy Indian filter; Kayla Whaley’s wheelchair-using heroine confronts her murderer in “In Kind”; and Dhonielle Clayton’s “The House of Black Sapphires” presents a lush picture of a New Orleans populated by immortals. If some stories end abruptly, it seems within the bounds of the vampire canon to leave readers wanting more. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lara Perkins, Andrea Brown Literary.