<i>I can’t kill somebody who’s already dead.</i>

I was hooked from the first sentence, and once I finished the first chapter I couldn’t stop reading until I finished this book. <i>American Ghoul</i> is the jail time confession and explanation of our main character Lavinia, and what actually happened that led her to imprisonment - and her innocence of the crime of which she is accused.

Lavinia, a recently freed slave, winds up leaving the plantation she was working on when she meets Simone - a white teenager with a violent taste for blood. When the two form a connection that cannot be broken, Lavinia travels with Simone to feed her gruesome appetite - but doing so forces her to make choices she would have never done before. However, Simone refuses to be cautious about her newfound diet and slowly throughout the pages of this book places a target on Lavinia’s back. Lavinia must grapple with whether Simone truly sees her as a friend or equal - or if she is lying to force Lavinia to do what she wants. 

Taking place in post-Civil War America, this book tackles the ongoing presence of racism within the country after Emancipation, as well as the distinct ways this intersects with Lavinia being forced to help her (mistress or friend?), hunt people - and not be caught doing so. As this book goes on, we live with Lavinia as she tries to do her best to still have a “normal” human life - and how Simone will do anything in her power to prevent that. 

I really liked how the relationship between Simone and Lavinia was written. It was complex and not simply black and white. We want to believe the best in Simone, especially considering the trust and respect she gives to Lavinia, despite their difference in stations. However, as the rapport slowly breaks down between the two and Simone slowly stops becoming Lavinia’s top priority, we see how fragile the bond between these two truly is. 

This book is split between two distinct timelines - Lavinia’s recollection of the events we are taken on, and her talking to her jailer Martin as she tries to convince him of her story. This format of storytelling reminded me of Laura Purcell’s <i>The Corset/The Poison Thread</i> and <i>The Silent Companions</i>, and I think anyone who loved those books would love this one just as much. 

Any fan of horror and historical fiction would be remiss to not pick up this book, as it will hook you from the first page and won’t let you go until Lavinia has finally recounted her entire story. I wasn’t sure how this book would end, and I must say I loved how it did. As the story progressed, my idea of how exactly a happy ending for Lavinia would end was constantly changing - and yet, I still never anticipated how this book would end. 

Filled with vampires, bloodshed, and retribution, <i>American Ghoul</i> allows our main character to go from freedom only in name - to true freedom and control over her own life and choices. 

With such a strong debut, I cannot wait to see where this author goes next.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Blackstone Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.