Read: 1/21-1/27/2021
You might love this if you’re looking for: Supernatural hHumor, fun characters, and solid laughs.
You might not love this if you’re looking for: Elaborate lore, scary ghosts, or sparkly vampires.’
Duke, a burly werewolf, and Earl, a balding vampire, are driving through the night on a cross country trip, only to discover (as one inevitably does on long road trips) that they are running low on gas. They’re in the middle of nowhere and, at that hour of the night, there’s likely not much to be open, so they decide to stop at a 24-hour diner they happen upon.
Little did they know, this diner has a zombie problem that’s getting increasingly worse. Furthermore, across town, a sassy, teenaged sorceress (with a cult following and a lackey boyfriend) is stirring up all kinds of occult chaos. Adding in a pinch of ghost romance and a town sheriff in denial, and Earl and Duke are in for a wild ride..
Perhaps it’s my love of Douglas Adams or my affinity for things that just don’t take themselves too seriously, but I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters are multi-dimensional, with unique quirks that are both a hindrance and an advantage to their situation, the plot is a bit zany but still has some heart.
It is evident early on that character development is where Martinez excels. Each character comes to life off the page between their distinctive personalities, their actions and their quippy dialogue make the reader feel like they are sitting in the diner overhearing the conversation themselves. On top of that, the relationships between them are nothing short of wonderful – whether it’s the friendship between Duke and Earl, the back and forth between the teenagers, or the flirting between ghost and vampire.
I found myself cheering on the unlikely duo of werewolf and vampire, chuckling endlessly at the teenage Lilith and her none-to-bright boyfriend, and smiling at the sweet romantic ghost confined to her cemetery. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light-hearted, but still well written, novel that gives you a break from reality and takes you on a trip that’s hard to forget.
Also, in case you needed another reason to check this book out, there’s a ghost pup named Napoleon. What more could you need?
