Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen review

Vampire Weekend takes readers on a humorous and heartfelt adventure filled with music and complicated family ties. Louise Chao is a vampire who works nights as a janitor in a hospital to make a living. One of her duties is to dispose of blood bags close to their expiration date. As she explains, feeding on humans is amoral, dangerous, and more difficult than portrayed in the media. 

The vampire community prefers to remain hidden for fear of the humans who would undoubtedly be interested in obtaining vampire specimens for probing and prodding. Louise’s dreams center on music, especially live music and playing in a band, time to cuddle with her corgi, and access to blood, which she needs to feed herself and not turn into a maniac.

Things get trickier when a distant, 13-year-old cousin shows up at her door. As expected, the two form a bond. Louise tries to improve the boy's taste in music while keeping her undead status hidden. With little luck.

I liked a lot of the things Chen did here. I liked how he played with vampire tropes - Louise has no interest in turning into a bat and flying or feeding off people. Sensual pleasures? Nope. Turning into a vampire has robbed her of her sexual drive and the need for food. Her existence is pretty depressing, to be honest. At the same time, Louise is a genuinely sympathetic and three-dimensional character with whom many readers will identify. Characterization is Chen’s forte - it’s hard not to like his characters and their relationships.

Pop culture references and Louise’s love of music will appeal to generations of music fans. During her long life, she loved many bands (Patti Smith, Velvet Underground, The Beatles, The Clash, LCD Soundsystem, and others). She used to play in a band, but things kept her from performing live. And she misses the hell out of it.

The part of the story that focuses on family ties remains emotional and heartfelt throughout. Readers who crave “cozy” reading will find it here. And it’s all done with fantastic and warm humor, both situational and general. 

However, there are also things that didn’t work for me about Vampire Weekend. While the characters, humor, and love of music all hit the mark, the story itself is... bland and rather uninspiring. I’m just not the right reader for most stories on the “cozy” side because they start to tire me somewhere in the middle. Vampire Weekend was no exception. I finished it, and appreciated Chen’s take on vampires and family ties, but, ultimately, I’ll soon forget about it.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a feel-good book filled with warmth, love for music, and characters trying to rebuild their family bonds, give it a go. If you’re in the market for something more substantial, consider giving it a pass.