Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston

Published on April 08, 2022

Reviewed by Kerrin Graul

Vampires, Hearts, & Other Dead Things is a story of a girl, her Dad, and their obsession with vampires. When you meet the main character, her father is sick with cancer and she is willing to do anything to save him, even hunt down vampires. This hunt for ever-lasting life sends her into New Orleans where, with the help of her friend, she traces her steps through the city’s spooky stories. When she finds a blood drinking guy in a nightclub, she is offered a deal. Follow his challenges and he may just tell her the secret to becoming a vampire.

This story is about love, loss, friendship, and how far one individual will go to save someone they love. The challenges she faces test her mentally, physically, emotionally, and put her life and friendships at risk. Some challenges lead her to question her life choices while others hit home more strongly about what she may lose if she loses her father. Between its unique twist of an ending and the emotional turmoil, this novel is packed with action. I would consider this novel mainly a modern-day fiction novel, but has a touch of fantasy woven into it.