The Strain

A book like this really highlights the limitations of using star systems to rate books (as Goodreads does).

On one hand, this isn't an example of beautifully-written prose. It's exposition heavy, the characters are fairly flat and stereotypical, and the “reimagining” of the vampire myth is given a lot more hype than it really lives up to. It's easy to see why this would be a low-rated book.

ON THE OTHER HAND, Guillermo del Toro has such affection and enthusiasm for vampire stories, pulp fiction, and horror, and it shines through on every page of this book. He manages to take the fairly wooden contents and breathe enough fresh air into them that it the book frequently had me grinning. It's easy to see why this would be a highly-rated book.

If you're a fan of vampire fiction, you should probably check this out. It's too much fun to leave unread.