Book Review - West of Sundown Vol. 1: Out Beyond the Dust N' Dark by Tim Seeley + Giveaway

 

West of Sundown Vol. 1: Out Beyond the Dusk and Dark by Tim Seeley is about the adventures of a vampire and her loyal assistant. Constance Der Abend loves her life in New York City.  She feeds on the people who hurt others and she never has to go hungry, as the city is filled with evil socialites. However, she has to flee when a pair of ruthless monster slayers burn down her beloved home and cause her to be partially burned in the process. She decides to head back to her homeland to heal and restore her powers. She takes her loyal assistant, Dooley, with her.

As the pair journeys across the New Mexico desert, they try to adapt to their new surroundings. They arrive at the town of Sangre De Moro, where something seems amiss. It seems that Constance isn’t the only monster in town. Will Constance be able to heal herself before the monsters hiding in the shadows find her?

The artwork is beautifully done and enjoyable to look at. The story was interesting but confusing at times. During some parts, I had a hard time following along: Like why was Dooley standing in front of her grave in the beginning of the book? Was it tied to his father who mentions later in the book? When characters appeared, their backstory was given but it wasn’t always clearly narrated or it was confusing why the new character was mentioned.

Constance is a complicated character. She is seen as a selfish bloodthirsty vampire by others, but she seems to also care about the people around her. She also only feeds on evil and greedy socialites contrary to what the hunters believe of her feeding on the innocent.  The graphic novel is action packed with a cliffhanger for a second book in the series. I am interested in reading more of her adventures with Dooley. If you like supernatural Western graphic novels, then you would enjoy this one.

**Disclosure - I received a free in copy in exchange for an honest opinion**

 

About The Book:

Title: WEST OF SUNDOWN Vol. 2: Youthful Blasphemy

Author: Tim Seeley & Aaron Campbell, Jim Terry (Illustrations)

Pub. Date: July 25, 2023

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 144

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WEST-OF-SUNDOWN-Vol-2

From Dusk Till Dawn and American Vampire meet The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in this terrifying tale of the Old West, survival, blood, and monsters.

La Sangre es la Vida

The New Mexico town of Sangre De Moro has accepted its strange new residents: beautiful vampire Constance Der Abend, her thrall, Frankenstein's monster, and the would-be mad scientist, Griffin. But a new threat has come for the evil-saturated soil of the mesa: Dr. Moreau and his strange companions.

West of Sundown – where Hammer Horror and literary monsters stake their claim in old New Mexico.

A Western tale of survival starring a cast of literary horrors from the diabolical minds of Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Vampire: The Masquerade, Money Shot), Aaron Campbell (Hellblazer, Infidel), and Jim Terry (Vampirella, Come Home, Indio)!

For fans of Westworld, Red Dead Redemption, American Vampire, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hammer Horror films, Universal monsters, and Preacher!

Collects the entire second arc, issues #6-#10, of the smash-hit series!

"If you like your horse operas bloody, if you thought The Searchers was fine, except for all the missing vampires and werewolves and monsters, then … Tim Seeley, Aaron Campbell, and Jim Terry have a book here for you. Come walk with them through the Old West, and don’t trust them when they tell you it’s all going to be fine. It’s not. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.” --Stephen Graham Jones (New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians, My Heart is a Chainsaw and Don't Fear the Reaper)

"Vigorous, bloody pulp fiction boned with fierce intelligence and blooded with delicate observation. This just might be the start of the best monster universe since Universal's." -- Daniel Kraus (New York Times bestselling author of The Shape of Water, Trollhunters, and The Autumnal)

“Western gets weird in this gore-strewn, rollicking adventure set in the 1870s …with a wink toward gothic Victorian horror.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

 

Grab WEST OF SUNDOWN, VOL. 1 now!

 

INSERT YOUR POST OR REVIEW HERE!

 

About Tim Seeley:

TIM SEELEY is one of those “slash” people…a writer-slash-artist. He has drawn a number of different comic book series including G.I JOE, HALLOWEEN, WILDCATS and ANT-MAN & WASP. His writing work include NIGHTWING, MONEY SHOT , INJUSTICE v. MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE ,the critically acclaimed REVIVAL, and the NY TIMES bestselling HACK/SLASH. He resides in Chicago, Illinois with his wife, daughter and 80s action figure collection.        Hometown:  Chicago, IL

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

About Aaron Campbell:

Aaron Campbell has been working as a comics artist for a decade, and is now the co-writer of Vault Comics horror title, West of Sundown.  During his time in comics, he’s illustrated the adventures of some of the world’s most iconic characters, including Hellblazer, Batman, Harley Quinn, The Shadow, Green Hornet, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Infidel, working with such revered writers as Garth Ennis, Matt Wagner, James Robinson, and Andy Diggle.              Hometown:  Albuquerque, NM

 

Website | Instagram | Goodreads

 

About Jim Terry:

JIM TERRY is a Native American comic book artist who’s memoir Come Home, Indio was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and the Ignatz, as well as the artist on such titles as THE CROW, HACK/SLASH, HEAVY METAL and more. He is currently working on WEST OF SUNDOWN from Vault Comics. He lives in Chicago with his 4 cats.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive a finished copy of WEST OF SUNDOWN Vol. 1 & WEST OF SUNDOWN Vol. 2, US Only.

Ends August 15th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

7/17/2023	Writer of Wrongs	Excerpt
7/18/2023	Sadie's Spotlight	Excerpt/IG Post
7/19/2023	Must Read Faster	Excerpt/IG Post
7/20/2023	Vamplit	Review/IG Post
7/21/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
7/22/2023	Fieldstone_lfl	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic

Week Two:

7/23/2023	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
7/24/2023	Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer	Review/IG Post
7/25/2023	The Book Countess	Review/IG Post
7/26/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt/IG Post
7/27/2023	@by_hckilgour	IG Review
7/28/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
7/29/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post

Week Three:

7/30/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
7/31/2023	celiamcmahonreads	Review/IG Post
8/1/2023	@evergirl200	IG Review
8/2/2023	FUONLYKNEW	Review
8/3/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review
8/4/2023	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
8/5/2023	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Review/IG Post

Week Four:

8/6/2023	Brandi Danielle Davis	Review/IG Post
8/7/2023	@enthuse_reader	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/8/2023	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/9/2023	@jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Review/TikTok Post
8/10/2023	@bookish_aly_cat	IG Review
8/11/2023	Jaime_of_gryffindor	IG Review

Book Review - Bleed Them Dry by Eliot Rahal

 

In the year 3333, the Earth is still recovering from being taken over by immortal vampires. Humans and vampires cohabit peaceful among each other until someone is murdering vampires. Harper Halloway is a detective who is in charge of finding the killer.

While Harper investigates the murders, she stumbles on a dark secret and she starts to question everything she believes in. She crosses paths with a ninja vampire hunter, Toyo, who is on a mission to save Earth from the vampires. Will Harper and the vampire hunter be able to work together to find the truth behind the vampires?

The graphic novel was an entertaining read filled with gore and action. However, I felt that the story was underdeveloped. The story hinted that there might be two murderers but, they never went anywhere with that nor did they ever explain the motives of the vampire hunter's antagonist.  I am also not sure who the bad guy is or which character I am supposed to be rooting for. If I was reading the graphic novel for just the action and graphics, this was a solid graphic novel. If you are looking for a graphic novel with a story line, I would look somewhere else.

Book Review - Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

Mexico City is filled with vampires and drug lords who are all fighting for piece of the drug trade. Domingo is a teenager who is living on the streets collecting trash and trying to survive the heavily policed streets. When Domingo meets Alt, an Aztec vampire, he becomes mesmerized by her.

Atl is on the run from another enemy vampire clan who is relentless in their pursuit of her. She is desperate to find a way to escape and has no interest in Domingo who is intent on follow her. Against her better judgment, she finds herself warming up to Domingo. As bodies start to pile up, does Atl and Domingo stand a chance?

The book was filled with lush details and the author did a great job at world building in the novel. However, the story line fell flat. At times, I felt there was barely any story and it was very boring until the very end. I can't say that I really cared for Atl and Domingo and had a hard time connecting with them. I enjoyed reading about the different types of vampires and the excellent world building but, everything else was poorly executed. 

Book Review - Bite Me by Louise Cypress + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

High School senior, Morgan Taylor-Jackson, can't wait to attend UCLA and leave her old life behind.  Her parents constantly bicker over their divorce. Morgan is known as the nerdy girl who hasn't been kissed yet. Her life turns upside down when she gets bitten by a small child and she is taken to the hospital. Upon returning home, she realizes that her body is going through a transformation but she isn't sure what to do.

Van Xander is descendant of Van Helsing. He believes all vampires should be destroyed even ones who abstain from human blood, who call themselves, Puritans. When Van is sent to investigate a local coven, Morgan becomes his prime target after a string of murders occur. While Van pretends to be interested in her, he notices that she isn't like the other vampires. Will Morgan become a full-fledged bloodthirsty vampire? Will Van be able to put aside his distaste for vampires and help Morgan?

The novel read like your average teenage vampire romance novel. It was packed with the basic predictable teenage drama along with a few twists. I found the book to be a fun and enjoyable read.  Even though, some parts were a bit over the top. For example, the dynamics between Van and his sister, Cassandra didn't feel like "normal" brother and sister interaction, at times.  I enjoyed the fact that the author incorporates popular vampire ideas, such as their weakness to silver. I like that she also included aspects, such as Puritans and groups of people who both wanted to kill and "help" the vampire race. I look forward to reading the book in the series.

**Disclosure -  I received a free unedited copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Title: BITE ME

Author: Louise Cypress

Pub. Date: May 14, 2018

Publisher: Louise Cypress

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 303

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

I fell in love with the slayer sent to destroy me. 

Morgan Taylor-Jackson can't wait for high school to end. In six months she leaves for UCLA and says goodbye to La Jolla, California and her parents' messy divorce. But when Morgan is bitten by a four-year-old boy, she becomes infected with a mysterious condition. Fever, insomnia, and a new bustline are only the beginning; Morgan morphs from nerd to bombshell.

As far as Van Xander is concerned, all vampires are evil, even the ones who reject human sacrifice and call themselves Puritans. When Helsing Incorporated sends Van to La Jolla to investigate the local coven, Morgan is his prime target. Pretending to be interested in her, Van asks Morgan out and puts her through a series of tests to determine her killer nature.

Morgan is thrilled to be dating a hot guy like Van and falls for him hard. As Van strings Morgan along, he grows increasingly guilty. Morgan is kind, compassionate, and a gooey romantic. Just as Van's mind begins to change, evil forces threaten everything. When prom night arrives, there are only two ways out of the ballroom: death or immortality. 

About Louise:

Louise Cypress believes in friendship, true love, and the everlasting power of books. She has never met a vampire, but she has been to a Love Sucks concert on Valentine’s Day. Louise can often be found curled up with a romance novel on Saturday night, diet soda in hand, secretly wishing bustles were back in fashion. Louise lives in San Diego, California, where the beach is crowded and summer is immortal.

BookBub | Amazon Link | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2750/

Tour Schedule:

Week Two:

5/28/2018- To Be Read- Review

5/28/2018- BookHounds YA- Interview

5/29/2018- Two Points of Interest- Review

5/29/2018- The Howling Turtle- Guest Post

5/30/2018- Smada's Book Smack- Spotlight

5/30/2018- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post

5/31/2018- Wonder Struck- Excerpt

5/31/2018- Jaime's World- Spotlight

6/1/2018- The Book Girl- Interview