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A review by eggcatsreads
Bottoms and Bloodsuckers by D.A. Holmes
4.0
The second installment in Vlad’s life, this book starts with the repercussions of how Vlad ended the first book. Suddenly thrust into the spotlight, life out in the public eye comes with more issues than he had originally intended - and now he has to deal with the notoriety of being an overnight celebrity.
After his climatic video exposing the existence of vampires to the world, Vlad is now the subject of scrutiny, hatred, and obsession - people all over the world are now discussing not only whether or not vampires actually exist, but whether they are a danger (or an ideal romantic partner). In no way equipped to handle the sudden media frenzy, soon Vlad’s life is doxxed in such a way where he no longer has any place to stay until the media mess blows over.
On top of that, he suddenly has a murder-happy roommate who claims to be his familiar - and who Vlad has to constantly remind that murdering people is generally considered to be wrong.
With all the stress suddenly hitting his daily (or nightly) life, Vlad’s relationship with Alison breaks down and the two are on the outs for a good majority of this novel. Blindly trying to figure out how to resolve the magnitude of issues he’s now faced with, Vlad can never be certain who is truly there to help him - and who wants to use him. Despite the best attempts to isolate Vlad to get him to do exactly what they want, however, his closest friends and allies still band together to help him remain both alive, and free.
There are many points throughout this novel where you cannot be too certain who is truly there to help Vlad, and who doesn’t have his best interests at heart. With Vlad and Alison separated, we’re running as blind as they are as they try to connect all the dots together before it’s too late.
I thought one quote near the end by the villain quite well highlighted what seems to be the biggest theme throughout these novels.
”You get a lot of help, don’t you, Vladimir? Why, it seems you have a little band ready to shield you anytime you’re in trouble.”
This line felt poignant to me, as even though it’s stated as if it’s a negative trait against his character, it really highlighted the difference in their lives and opinions. Vlad is able to succeed against those who wish him (and others like him) harm because he has so many people around him who are willing to help him. The greatest strength Vlad has in this book is the sense of community around him, and how despite outside forces trying to separate them, he can still rely on them to help him when he needs it most.
This novel was a strong continuation of the first, as I felt it really explored all the repercussions of Vlad’s last decision in the first novel - and yet, validated his decision to do it. After the end of the first book, I was unsure of how this series would continue - after all, now that everyone knows that vampires are real, what’s even next? - but this book both answers that question, and more. The ending of this book is kind of in a direct contrast to how the first ended, and it really sets up a nice plotline to explore in the third book.
After his climatic video exposing the existence of vampires to the world, Vlad is now the subject of scrutiny, hatred, and obsession - people all over the world are now discussing not only whether or not vampires actually exist, but whether they are a danger (or an ideal romantic partner). In no way equipped to handle the sudden media frenzy, soon Vlad’s life is doxxed in such a way where he no longer has any place to stay until the media mess blows over.
On top of that, he suddenly has a murder-happy roommate who claims to be his familiar - and who Vlad has to constantly remind that murdering people is generally considered to be wrong.
With all the stress suddenly hitting his daily (or nightly) life, Vlad’s relationship with Alison breaks down and the two are on the outs for a good majority of this novel. Blindly trying to figure out how to resolve the magnitude of issues he’s now faced with, Vlad can never be certain who is truly there to help him - and who wants to use him. Despite the best attempts to isolate Vlad to get him to do exactly what they want, however, his closest friends and allies still band together to help him remain both alive, and free.
There are many points throughout this novel where you cannot be too certain who is truly there to help Vlad, and who doesn’t have his best interests at heart. With Vlad and Alison separated, we’re running as blind as they are as they try to connect all the dots together before it’s too late.
I thought one quote near the end by the villain quite well highlighted what seems to be the biggest theme throughout these novels.
”You get a lot of help, don’t you, Vladimir? Why, it seems you have a little band ready to shield you anytime you’re in trouble.”
This line felt poignant to me, as even though it’s stated as if it’s a negative trait against his character, it really highlighted the difference in their lives and opinions. Vlad is able to succeed against those who wish him (and others like him) harm because he has so many people around him who are willing to help him. The greatest strength Vlad has in this book is the sense of community around him, and how despite outside forces trying to separate them, he can still rely on them to help him when he needs it most.
This novel was a strong continuation of the first, as I felt it really explored all the repercussions of Vlad’s last decision in the first novel - and yet, validated his decision to do it. After the end of the first book, I was unsure of how this series would continue - after all, now that everyone knows that vampires are real, what’s even next? - but this book both answers that question, and more. The ending of this book is kind of in a direct contrast to how the first ended, and it really sets up a nice plotline to explore in the third book.