Review: Into the Vampire City by Phil Tucker

Title: Into the Vampire City
Author: Phil Tucker
Series: The Human Revolt, #1
Format: Kindle
My rating: 1.5 / 5

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The Vampire War is over, and Miami has been walled off and given to the undead. The innocents within live like animals, not knowing if they will survive the night, playthings for their vampire masters.

When seventeen-year-old Selah Brown's father disappears while investigating the new drug 'Blood Dust', she masters her terror, abandons her quiet life, and follows his trail into the rotten heart of Miami. Yet despite her attempts to lie low, once inside her investigations bring her to the attention of the handsome rebel leader Cloud... and the darkly seductive vampire known only as The Dragon.

But there is more at stake than Selah can possibly imagine - the secrets she uncovers are so terrible they might start Vampire War anew.

[Formerly titled: Vampire Miami]

-- As seen on Goodreads

My Thoughts

Into the Vampire City started off really well, and I made some highlights and notes on my kindle stating that I really liked it; that it’s looking promising. But I don’t know what went wrong. I can’t pinpoint an exact moment where my feelings changed. In theory, I should love this book; an interesting dystopian twist with vampires that act like vampires. What can possibly be wrong?

Well, the problem is, I feel… nothing, absolutely nothing. And I don’t know why. I don’t have a set of “this is exactly why I don’t like it” reasons either.

My main stumbling block: I couldn’t connect with Selah. I suspect this could stem from the choice of point of view. The story is told in the third person, and I think a first person approach might have suited it better. It could have helped create a rapport between myself and the MC, as we see through her eyes. The way the story is presented at present, left me feeling like an unwanted bystander looking in on her life. She is one tough character, and I like this attribute in MC’s; yet others that I have found this in have some form of likability and an approachable quality. I didn’t find that here.

The whole book has an unpolished quality. A little smoothing here and there and you could have a good story for a certain type of reader. I can’t say who that is, but unfortunately it’s not me.