I don't think I was the right audience for this book. It seemed very simply written, like a children's book with some very dark and disturbing topics. Not able to finish

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The premise for The Vampire of Maple Town was an interesting one: there is a little village with a mysterious vampire for a doctor who at one point decides to turn a young dying boy into a vampire as well and ten adopts him as his son. The boy is made to sign a contract upon his turning that states he has to kill one of the villagers in exchange for his life. The boy, Charlie, however, gets acquainted very well with the village people and doesn’t want to kill anyone at all. Besides this main story, there were many random facts and seemingly disconnected events announced throughout the book.

I have to say, though, that I had a hard time reading this book and relating to it in any way. The writing style, which was very simplistic and almost child-like, didn’t appeal to me at all. I almost missed the pictures to go with it, because it felt like a children’s book, especially in the beginning. Every now and then there was also a strange all-knowing narrator who gave predictions for the rest of the book. These passages were very out of the blue and didn’t match the story in my opinion.

Additionally, the writer chose to incorporate a lot of elements from different books and fairy tales. There were references to Alice in Wonderland (the Mad Hatter party, a character named Alice, a queen of broken hearts who screams “off with his head!), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (a black cat who teaches magic), Beauty and the Beast (a baker named Maurice), and Rumpelstiltskin (a curse that is broken when you figure out the person’s name). I didn’t enjoy these elements at all, since they made the story feel less unique and more of a mixture of stolen bits and pieces.

Even though I have to say that I thought the book got better towards the end, and I was curious to see how everything turned out. I did not enjoy this book. There were too many strange things going on and it couldn’t captivate me enough to keep reading. I finished it, but I almost didn’t. And since I never really DNF a book, that it saying something.

(ARC provided bun netGalley for an honest review) Overall I enjoyed the setting and the plot line of this book. But unfortunately I did find it a bit slow at times. Usually I love anything having to do with Vampires, but this one kind of left me feeling like “oh well.” It’s a predictable book and a fun read for anyone wanting something that’s not “out there.”

Honestly I'm biased because I've never read a book about vampires that I didn't love soooooo....theres that! I enjoyed every bit of this book! It was fast paced and kept me hooked from page one. Thank you Netgalley for the free earc in exchange for an honest review.

E-book/Middle Reader/Gothic Fantasy: I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. When I picked it out, I did not realize that it is historical fiction. I guess it needs to be since in the age of cell phones the plot would never work. In this case, the plot doesn't work anyway. First, there is a thing called gossip. When you have a servant serve one of your guests blood instead of champagne, everybody is going to know.

I thought this book was going to be more like the Cirque du Freak series or the Morganville Vampires series, but it's as melodramatic and has about as much continuity as Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters or Sisters of the Heart series. Yes, that bad. I really didn't understand the whole Cinderella plot to this book. There is a love "square" going on and I could never like little Charlie. Granted, teenagers were married young in the old days, but it just makes scenes so stupid with the drama. First off, the characters have no real problems besides having too much money and time on their hands. Every time something was right in the book with narration or plot, it would get drugged down with endless melodrama. It's 2019, aren't we past this by now.

The Vampire of Maple Town, was very slow. The story was overall very slow moving. Despite the premise was interesting I could not connect with the characters at all. I found them quite bland and not interesting at all.
This actually put me in a reading slump and I really could not go back to it at all.

It is full of tropes, but despite the many issues I had with it, it wasn’t a horrible read. It just was not compelling enough to go back to it. That's why it took me SO LONG to read. I'm actually glad it ended.

The Vampire of Maple Town, about Charlie the vampire, was very slow. Very, very slow. The parts of the world and the premise was interesting - a vampire who lives alone and is the town doctor suddenly adopts/makes a vampire boy- and parts, such as the lovely bird.

But, for me, the story was overall very slow moving. I found myself constantly distracted. The writing was fine, it just wasn't compelling.

Don't we all love a well written vampire story?
I absolutely loved this book and a part of me wishes for this story to be continued. I can't help but wonder about Vincent and about what Alice is up to next. And the cat!! Oh, must know who is this mysterious demon ! On the other hand the ending is perfect! I like the "wondering " feeling you are left with at the end of the book, the author leaves some for the imagination.

The vampire of maple town is magical, dark, mysterious and intriguing story about a vampire turned boy named Charlie. Who must fufill his contract to kill somebody in this maple town or something terrible will happen. In order for him to do that, he must leave the magical mansion of his home. But cannot because his vampire father and widow, with secret of his own, Vincent Prowl, wont let Charlie out, for his own good and protection or is there something there else?

Thank you netgalley for this opportunity, to read this enjoyable fun book!!

This book caught my attention in the beggining with the witch and talking cat!! Loved the magical detail of each characters, town, beautiful balls, witches, vampires, curse. Totally loves the ending. Did not expect that!!

The Vampire of Maple Town
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a delightful surprise ☺️
A YA fictional read which captured my attention, with a very magical writing style.
“It (the town) looked so peaceful despite having a beast watching over it as it slept. Not a creature stirred that night. It was quiet, with only the faint sound of dreams whispering in the air”.
There is a real fairytale feel to the book, and the cast of well developed characters include a brooding, caring vampire, we see a stolen kiss, unrequited love, and a friendship which survives the odds.
Although I may not have ordinarily picked up this book, I’m pleased I gave it a chance.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 rounded up, for a lovely debut novel.

Thank you @netgalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay, but I feel like the writer’s style could be improved by simply… more practice.

The idea for the story was good, which is why I picked up this book. However, I think this book needed a little more editing to get the full point across. I didn’t feel that connected to the characters, but I understood where they were coming from. They just weren’t that likable, but this story definitely does have some potential.

As for the structure, the beginning was a bit slow and took some time for me to get into it. Later, the conclusion (basically the latter half) seemed a bit off for me. However, like I said, I think this book mostly just needs a few improvements and work on the story/characters to make them seem more realistic and likable. Whatever the author writes next will probably be better.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get into this book, it didn’t seem to hold my attention and this is one of my favourite genres. The characters I couldn’t connect with, it was slow to start and then just wasn’t motivating me to want to read it. Sorry not for me.

Marvelous. I loved it. I loved the characters; I loved the setting; I loved the character relationships. But one this I loved the most was the writing. It was such a smooth and whimsical contemporary style, it fitted in so well with the basis of the plot and setting.

The characters, although not all were likeable, were shown in such depth. I absolutely loved the conversations and interactions between the characters and unfolding another aspect of their personality everytime.

I would recommend this book to people who like contemporary writing with strong characters and interesting plot.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get into this book and as a result didn’t finish it. Hopefully the author will have more interesting reads that really captivate the reader.

Well, this was a tricky one.
This book's strength is its narration. The tone is pure fairy tale, though possibly one with a darker side.
Its weakness is the dialogue. Its choppy, often irrational, or three good lines, all used by one character, when it would have been more impactful to use one.
Its also an odd blend of whimsical and modern. They clank against each other and break you out of the flow.
Still, it has wonderful moments of whimsy, magic and enchantment.
Its an interesting read but left me wishing it had been edited just a bit more, for that final polish.

I’m usually a fan of vampire stories, especially ones geared toward young adults. But for some reason I just couldn’t get into this one...started off okay but it wasn’t able to hold my interest.

The Vampire of Maple Town was a bit different of a vampire read that I have experienced before. I considered putting it down for a little while, simply because the way it read was a little bit odd. However, it also had an underlying fairy tale vibe that I really liked and that was very intriguing. All that being said, it was almost too good to be true. Too sweet with no bitter. Shouldn't there be some danger and some tension in a vampire story? Some darkness? I don't know, I just didn't feel it much. I wanted more.

A bird made of paper, a room made of crystal, and a vampire... this is a house of secrets that will be revealed soon enough as Charlie comes to Maple Town. Even his arrival in Maple Town is mysterious. The set up for this novel is all there and there ar twists and turns along the way that seem to be leading up to something very dramatic. However, that is the problem with the novel we never really get to a conclusion worthy of the build up. The ending seems indicative of a sequel to come and that is a good thing, because it means there is a chance for the story as a whole to achieve its potential.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book was alright. It didn’t grip me like I thought it would! The language was at times a little weird... But give this a shot if you’re interested I suppose

Thank you NetGalley and EverAfterPress for this arc.

I know this was a "different take" on vampires with a "fairy tale vibe" meant for the YA reader. It was just too darn long and flat for me. I just felt no tension whatsoever in the story, had no connection with any of the characters and never saw any of the "enchanting magic" of Maple Town. I can't imagine any member of it's intended audience to consider the book to be anything like 5 hours of entertainment.

Just not for me.