Fang Fiction

Falls apart after a promising beginning. The central romance (M/F) has little genuine chemistry and the MMC's character development is all over the place. The final act includes a pretty big deus ex machina and one of my pet peeves - evil, bloodthirsty villains who kill with impunity but for some reason let the MCs live (so they can brag about their nefarious plans). And yet Fang Fiction held my attention for an entire day, which is no small feat less than a week post-US election. I was amused by the premise that a blockbuster paranormal trilogy with a rabid fan base turns out to be real. As a long-time epistolary novel enthusiast, I had to bump up my rating at least half a star for the inclusion of podcast transcripts, voicemail recordings, texts and memes. And though I wasn't invested in a HEA for Tess and the vampire who loved her, the sweet, funny secondary romance (F/F) was a suitable consolation prize.

I don't know that I would be interested in another book by this author, but Fang Fiction was the distraction I needed this week.

CW: The FMC is a sexual assault survivor, and the plot shows her healing from the trauma and eventually ensuring that her rapist is punished. However, taking a woman who has been made to feel helpless by a man and plopping her down in the middle of a world of powerful, vicious vampires who want to hurt and/or kill her could be triggering for some readers. It doesn't help that the book's tone swings wildly between snarky humor and intense emotion.