Tamara

This is definitely a "slow burner" book, and it feels like it takes at least a good 400 pages before everything starts to really take off and have a good snowball effect. There are a lot of characters in this book, which is sometimes hard to keep track of and remember who is who, but I do feel like this is imperative to the story itself as it makes the devastation of Salem's Lot feel more personal and more catastrophic. I do feel like the ending could have been so much better, as I feel like once they had that final 'lightbulb' moment, I thought "Oh, that's it?"

You can tell this is an older book, especially when it comes to any female characters and an unnecessary description of her breasts at that current moment, but it's still a cracking Vampire story nonetheless.

I think this is one of the only moments that I’ll say that the film is better than the book. It was a good read, with some chapters I found myself flying through the pages with wonder and interest, but I couldn’t help but end up bored with some passages and even chapters, especially the first chapter. It’s definitely a book everyone should read in their lifetime, but I can’t help but feel like I was forcing myself to read it sometimes.

I initially picked up this book hoping it would be similar to the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I hadn’t realised it wasn’t the first book in the series, but I don’t think reading The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels beforehand is necessary - this book provides a brief introduction to the Society and some of its characters for new readers.

That said, I found it a bit hard to get into. It makes frequent and sometimes seemingly random references to classic literature and authors like Jane Austen, and the Wicken League (as the group is called) struck me as uncomfortably and, in my view, unnecessarily anti-men. The writing style is quite wordy and overly descriptive, which makes the reading experience feel more complicated than it needs to be.

I might return to it at some point, but for now, it's not really my cup of tea.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and whilst the narrator - who was also the author - gave depth to the story with their expressive reading, I do feel like it's better to indulge in the book by physically reading it as sometimes the gruff reading voice was distracting and sometimes unclear.

The story itself was quite easy-going and light-hearted, based on the main character, Viv, building and opening the town of Thune's first Coffee Shop. Viv is likable, an orc barbarian who seeks something different after a 'retirement' as such, and the other characters are also quite quirky and lovable.

I would recommend this as a good, easy-going read to anyone who enjoys the Dungeons and Dragons universe and wants a cosy read. I'd be keen to read - or listen to - more of Travis Baldree's works.

Absolutely bawled my eyes out, but I loved it. It beautifully connected past and present characters together, introduced new names to old faces and rather than tied up loose ends, fabricated a beautifully crafted knot to connect everything together. I cannot wait for the film!