7-3-25 — Guest Review from Donna Latham

THEY DRINK OUR BLOOD

By: Lucy Leitner

Art. Paranoia. Mob mentality. Vampires (maybe).

I'm going to start with the art aspect of this story. The author uses different pieces of famous art as descriptors. "she felt the doom of being inside a Zdzisław Beksiński scene." "What's left of the mouth gapes like Francis Bacon's Pope Innocent X, screaming a pain so deep there are no words." The main character's weapon of choice is Man Ray's "The Gift" from the DADA movement. At first I was kind of confused with these references, but then I started Googling and after viewing the art referenced, the words made so much sense.

Mob mentality and paranoia are a big part of the story line, spurred on by social media. Everything can be shared around the world in seconds whether it's true or not. And things can quickly turn violent with a thumbs up emoji.

"When you find out vampires exist and it explains all that is evil."

"When you find out vampires exist and it explains why we can't heal."

Are the vampires real in this story? Or are they used just to explain all the bad in the world? The author hints at the answer, but you have to really figure it out on your own.

All in all this was a great book. Yes it was a little bit of work so I understood the art references, but I really didn't mind since I learned some things. It's also a slow burn, there's no "action" until the end, but that action is bloody and brutal.

Find it here: https://a.co/d/5Q6qR7Q