We're All Monsters Here, by Amy Marsden
The Book
Synopsis:
When Anna is invited to a secluded retreat full of selfish, greedy humans, of course she doesn’t say no. Not only did she manipulate the CEO of the world’s largest oil corporation, Peter Beyer, into organising the four-day getaway in the first place, but no self-respecting vampire would ever turn down such easy prey. Her weekend gets even better when she meets Saira, one of Peter Beyer’s employees, and they begin a whirlwind affair. Blood and beautiful women are Anna’s idea of a great time.
She should have known it was too good to be true.
Hunters are dangerous, deadly, and dedicated to eradicating vampires. When a group of them turn up at the retreat, Anna must use her centuries of experience to escape their ever-closing net. Will she get out unscathed, or will they finally catch up to her? Will she give into her intense and unexpected feelings for Saira, or will she leave her to burn as she destroys all evidence she was ever there?
A fresh twist on urban fantasy, with an added splash of sapphic romance.
My Review
We're All Monsters Here is a queer urban fantasy novella, written by Amy Marsden, which mixes a great story of vampires with a short but intense romance. Anna came to this corporate retreat with the idea of getting a feast on the attendants, satiating her hunger; but her plans don't go as expected when she meets Saria.
Marsden quickly introduces us to Anna, her previous story, how she became a vampire and why she decided to feast on the corporate world (somebody said eat the rich, literally?); told in first person, we soon understand the self-confidence and the superiority Anna brings to any place. She's aware of her own power position, making this plan a simple task to execute, but after meeting Saria, Anna gets partly caught by her own lust. An intense and steamy romantic relationship starts between both.
However, the presence of another vampire in the place really messes with Anna's plan; she has always moved with caution to avoid being trapped by the hunters, but suddenly, both are in a dangerous situation as they have attracted them to the place.
From this point, the pace is increased, as the place becomes pure chaos, with both of our vampires having to fight their way out; all with the author still keeping some surprises under the sleeve.
We're All Monsters Here is an intense novella, an interesting twist to the vampire genre adding a romantic plot that is well balanced with the rest. If you like urban fantasy, and want to try a queer and quick read, this would be a splendid choice.
Disclaimer: This novella has been read as part of the SFINCS. This review/rating only represents my personal opinion and it might differ with what the team decides.
The Author/s
Amy Marsden
As a child Amy loved reading and writing, so naturally she graduated with a degree in biomedical science and has worked in a microbiology laboratory ever since. Her passion is writing, however, and she turned back to it during her years at university. When she is not writing about surviving apocalypses, vampires feeding on the rich, exploring space, and conquering magic--all celebrating queer love-- she can be found reading or playing games about those very things.
She lives by the sea with her wife and their seventeen year old cat, who still runs around like a kitten.