Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London - Book Review

A novel for the vampire obsessed teens that grew into vampire obsessed adults with underlying themes of self discovery and perseverance.

A vampire girlie who gets to live out her fantasy as the heroine in her favorite book series? No I'm not talking about me, but wow I wish this was my reality.

4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The concept of this book alone had me hooked the entire way through. Fang Fiction is about an English Literature PhD student who is just as vampire-obsessed as anyone looking at this review is. Myself included. As someone who studied writing and aspires for the English Literature PhD title, I'm not fooling anyone when I say I had a really easy time placing myself in Manhattan as Tess, living vicariously through her as she meets the main characters in her favorite book series. 

Stayman-London used a technique that I haven't seen in this capacity. Intertwined between Tess's point of view and the point of view of the other main characters, there were text messages, emails, chapters of the (I wish it was a real series) Blood Feud, and podcast transcripts. This gives the reader an idea of what is happening in the real world out side of what the characters are telling us. Especially at the end of the novel, when the vampire island is merging with the real island of Manhattan, being able to see what other Blood Feud obsessed characters are thinking was incredibly immersive.

Concept aside, the character growth and progression is fantastic. Tess transforms from a broken woman who, after being raped at a college party, upends her life to feel some semblance of sanity, into a confident and fearless vampire killer. Thankfully, she didn't just use her new-found vampire-killing confidence when it mattered, this new trope was carried through to the final scene of the novel as well.

I found myself rooting for her as the plot progressed and falling in love with all the vampire characters. My "too much" trait wanted this book to be 200 to 300 pages longer — yes that means this book would be close to 500 pages and I'm not sorry about it — so we could be fully immersed in the world that Tess loves so much from her books that turns into her reality for two weeks, then transforms the rest of her life.

I couldn't give this book 5 stars because there were too many moments where Stayman-London added details that very clearly foreshadowed what was going to happen next. However, that is the only qualm I have with the book ... other than selfishly wanting more information and a much, much longer book.

To see other book reviews and what I'm currently reading, head to TheStoryGraph.com/profile/kreschy

Questions for Book Club:

Did this book change how you view fan fiction as a genre? Publishers have begun looking for authors on fan fiction websites, do you think this should happen more often?

What did you think of the mixed-media storytelling? Did it enhance or distract you from the story?

The novel plays with the idea of fictional characters "coming to life." What do you think about the blending of those lines? Which fictional character would you want to meet in real life?

There was an underlying story about the sexual assault Tess encountered and how it not only uprooted her life, but how it changed her perception of people. Do you think this was handled well? If not, how would you have handled it differently?

What parts made you laugh the most? Were there moments that felt too over-the-top?