Thursday, November 19, 2009

Review: Thirsty by Tracey Bateman

Thirsty
Oh how I wanted Christian fiction and vampires to work! But Thirsty is the second Christian fiction with vampire book I've read and it just....really didn't work. At all.

Thirsty is the story of Nina, an alcoholic who has 90 days sober and moves to her hometown to rebuild her life. Her hometown is small town Missouri and she's away from her husband and children. While she's there, some mysterious murders start happening in the town. Oh and she meets her mysterious neighbor who tells her all about the town's vampire legends.

I don't even know where to begin with the problems I had with Thirsty. First of all, I think Bateman was taking the approach that vampires lust for blood is a bit like an alcoholics need for alcohol. Been there, done that. It's weird, but the vampires really felt like an add-on to the story. You could just have easily pulled the vampires out and replaced them with serial killers and it really wouldn't have changed a thing. Not to mention, I couldn't figure them out. They were supposedly born vampires, but yet still some kind of human. I'm actually okay with the idea of vampires as a species but just be more clear about the mythology! The story itself....dragged. And I was left with unanswered questions, which I can't really get into without spoiling anything.

The bottom line for me is that I love vampire stories. I love rich, emotionally complex vampire tales. This book was not that. I don't think it offered anything new to the vampire mythology and while parts of it were relatively entertaining, the story on the whole dragged to me. It was told from multiple perspectives, did more telling than showing, and I failed to ever really connect to the characters or care about their fate.

Rating: 2.5/5
Things You Might Want to Know: Christian fiction
Source of Book: Received for review from publisher




Amy

14 comments:

Stephanie said...

Wow. Christian Vampire Fiction. That's a genre I didn't actually see coming!! Now, I've read some of Frank Peretti's Christian "paranormal" books and really enjoyed them. But as much as I love vampires, I don't think this one really sounds like my cup of tea. Thank you for reviewing it though. I love to get your perspective!

Unknown said...

Too bad you couldn't get into this one. I think I liked it because I'm not really a huge Vampire fan. Working in a middle school - every other person is reading some vampire book! It makes me pull away. I was happy to read something NOT focused on the vampire, LOL!

I reviewed this too and linked to your post.

Jenn said...

Well, this is different than most of the reviews I have read. I will probably still read it to see what the fuss is about, but now I am not expecting something spectacular (so if I don't like it, I know I'll have a sympathetic ear).

bermudaonion said...

I don't think this would work for me either, since I'm not into vampires.

Jen - devourer of books said...

Aww, I'm sad that it didn't work for you.

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

Thanks for the review. I was thinking about getting this book. But vampire lore is very important to me. So I guess I'll pass on this.

Anonymous said...

I love vampires, but think I'll pass on this one.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

I have been curious about this book. Thanks for the review.

Amy said...

Stephanie..you are nice. :)

The Brain Lair...I'm glad to know someone else enjoyed it more than me!

Jenn...I guess I'm in the minority..how surprising. ;)

Kathy..ha probably not then!

Jen..I know me too :(

Bluestocking...me too

carolsnotebook...I think that's a good choice. But others liked it more than me!

Sheila..my pleasure!

CherryBlossomMJ said...

Agreed, my opinion is much the same.

Unknown said...

Absolutely! Thirsty is one of those exceptional treats that not only delves deep into generational issues and addictive behaviors, but also keeps the pages turning. Great writing and a compelling read!

Thanks.

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Hendlin Books

Chrisbookarama said...

Oh no! You were so looking forward to this one. Sorry it didn't work out.

I'm still holding out for Amish vampires ;)

Beth F said...

I have this one here but I didn't realize it was considered Christian (not that that would stop me). Sounds like I'm not going to like it. I'll give it a try since I have it, but I won't be surprised if it'd not that great.

Dana said...

I pulled this one out at the library today but then ended up putting it back. I have to many other books to read. After reading your review, I think that I'll wait a while to get it.

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