It definitely took me awhile to warm up to both the art and writing style in this, but once I did I had a really good time reading it. It seemed a bit too slapstick at the beginning but once the actual plot started to take off the jokes began to feel a bit more natural and everything came together more. The art style is definitely very simplistic and early-2000s webcomic, which is not something I generally like, but I felt like it more or less fit the tone so I came to overlook it in time. It's probably a bit long but I laughed out loud a lot and a band of queer vampire-hunting heroes is always a plus in my book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot believe how funny this graphic novel was! I honestly got into it without any expectations, I just thought the cover was pretty and appealing, so why not give it a chance? And I ended up receiving some quality humour here. Lots of dramatic irony and the characters play with breaking the fourth wall indirectly in several occasions, acknowledging not the readers but the fact that they are inside a story and are being watched.

The art is very simple but in a good way, the characters just have brows and eyes, sometimes not even both of them on their faces, but those are more than enough to express their emotions. There's not a whole story to follow to be honest, it's more of a character-driven graphic novel I'd say. The characters grow on you.

Also, the author is the same from the My Life as a Background Slytherin webcomic, which is amazing and you should check out if you haven't yet. This graphic novel has a similar kind of humour, but in a more book-lenght way instead of just one-page comics with a quick punchline.

“Arthur: On second thought , let’s not go to Camelot. ‘Tis a silly place.” (Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail)

I’m not even sure how to review Bloodlust and Bonnets, aside from saying that it is a very silly place, but you should go there anyway. Actually, B&B does share a bit of the manic pointless hilarity of The Search for the Holy Grail. There’s lots of zany white British characters (all of whom are some form of queer), and they spend the story in an extended quest because of often nebulous or shifting reasons, that may or may not be achieved by the end of the story, accompanied by lots of pointless and comically gory violence. Byron (imagine the Lord Byron but played by Nathan Fillion at his most pompous buffoonish-ness), Lucy (a fetching red-headed maiden who would rather kill things than be a well-behaved young woman), and Sham (a person of questionable morals, shifting moods, and undefined gender, not to mention the gun) traipse around a deliberately absurd alternate paranormal Regency England full of nefarious vampires and silly socialites. Also, a talking castle that is sometimes helpful and a talking bird given to flights of profligacy. The art manages to be both sharp and vague, and yet conveys exactly what it needs to for the story. Which never really seems to go anywhere meaningful, but that’s OK too. The font’s a bit on the small side, and tends to be in blocks of text, but hopefully it will be easier on the eyes in the print edition.

Don’t come to this graphic novel for great literary or artistic reasons, for a clever plot or stellar art. (You might be disappointed.) Instead, come to this comic because the world right now is ridiculous and mostly resembles a giant dumpster fire, and you just want something sublimely silly to while away some time helping you forget about it all. This will be especially effective for you if you have an appreciation for Regency fiction tropes, revisionist historical fiction, and/or paranormal silliness. I found it a helpful way to unwind a few evenings in a row, and hope that you will too.

Thanks to #Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read an #advancedcopy of #BloodlustBonnets, and to LC for recommending that I request it.

Wacky regency vampire queer shenanigans? OK, I’m in. And while this certainly delivers on all of the above, there’s not much else to it.

When Lucy – “I’m a spirited young lady flouting the gendered expectations of her time, but in a cute way!” – accidentally murders a vampire, she’s flattered to be invited into a “secret ancient immortal vampire cult” by the stylish Lady Travesty – that is, until Lord Byron (in a kilt and sporran no less) shows up, kills the vampire, and invites her to be his sidekick. Lucy can’t decide between being on a vampire hunting team with the narcissistic Lord Byron and intriguing Sham, or joining up with Lady Travesty and becoming a dashing seductive vampire in a fabulous dress (with pockets!).

First off, this is pretty hilarious. Besides the general send-up of regency tropes (there’s a ball! they go to Bath!), there’s a psychic eagle, a magical Scottish castle (named “Castle” of course), and a rich husband-murdering woman named BB, who’s probably my favorite character in the whole book. Plus, it’s a bit queer. Lucy’s bi – she kisses Lord Byron, but she’s more interested in Sham, who answers to she/her pronouns but when asked if she’s a girl or boy, answers “yes.” The art style is simple and cute and fits the tone of the book – especially the blood splatter that looked straight-out like MS Paint’s sponge brush – and the characters still manage to be expressive despite their only facial features being an eye and a unibrow.

As for the negatives, my main issue with the book was that it’s long – over 200 pages – and pretty much all of those 200 pages have a lot of text on them. The scene above – which I still think is pretty funny – is actually a mild example, as some panels were overwhelmed with text bubbles. I read an e-ARC in Adobe Digital Editions, and most panels were completely unreadable without a lot of constant zooming on my iPad, and it was only marginally better on my laptop. In addition, while part of the charm is that it’s rambling and the characters don’t stay on task (“let’s go to a ball! ooh, whiskey!”) by the time I was 100 pages in I was confused as to what the plot actually was.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but it was an overdose of wacky madcap humor for me. If that’s more your wheelhouse, I’m sure you’ll love this novel!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Will recommend for readers who like fantasy/Victorian/YA novels with a twist. Starting from the cover to the plot to the end - everything is amazing.

It took me a lot longer to get through this than I expected.

I am a huge fan of Emily McGovern's web comic, My Life as a Background Slytherin. Yes, because it's Harry Potter, but also the absolute cackle worthy humor involved with that series always puts me in a good mood, even if I've read the same strip 10 times before.

Since that story is focused more on an original character than the already established characters, I felt safe reading this, her first original graphic novel.

Lucy is an unhappy British girl who longs for more than dances and tea parties. She wants adventure and romance, and finds both after she goes on a wild rampage at a picnic and beheads several people. Turns out this makes her a perfect candidate to be invited to join a Secret Vampire Society, if she can ever get to the Vampire Tower before someone shoots the head vampire every time she goes to give her instructions.

Lucy teams up with Lord Byron (yes, that one) and a cast of characters, including a psychic French eagle and a person named Sham who you would THINK that name might inspire a bit of concern, but hmm. They're off to hunt vampires. Or join them. Maybe.

The humor in here is really good. It's the quirky humor I've come to expect from Emily McGovern, and some of it is brilliantly facepalm worthy.

But the story....the story, she does not flow. It's incredibly confusing in parts, and I inevitably ended up putting it down repeatedly and picking up something else that would catch my attention.

I really hope McGovern continues to write original novels, because this is such a good start, and she can only go up from here.

Bloodlust and Bonnets is the child of Emily McGovern best know for her web comic My :Life As a Background Slytherin. McGovern blends Lord Byron, vampires and a brave female hero for a hilarious and chaotic tale.
In the early 1th century, Lucy rejects her life as a debutante and finds herself catching the eye of Lady Travesty and her cult of vampires. Lucy partners with Lord Byron and a mysterious hunter to track Travesty and put an end the cult. During their journey they cross paths with psychic eagles, talking castles and high society balls.

Bloodlust & Bonnets shares the same charm from McGovern's comic. The art is simple but effective and helps keep the gory bits from being too gory. In facts, it just makes the blood funny especially when paired with the character's reactions.

I loved the chaos hat ensured when this rag tag bunch comes upon adventure. This is a fantasy novel were the characters are at least some what prepared. This is a Christopher Moore style tale where no one can keep anything straight and the most ridiculous things happen. It is refreshing and funny.
There is also heart. Themes from the area still resonate today. Who am I? How do I handle the ideals society pushes upon me? Why can't I just stay in my bed and read? (I'm with Byron on this).
The graphic novel meanders in the middle, throwing in chaos just to throw in more chaos but because the characters are lovable and the voice enchanting, Bloodlust & Bonnets is a must for anyone looking for a fun getaway from the real world.

Ha, this was such a fun read!

I've been following Emily for quite a while now. I love her Background Hogwarts series, so I immediately went for this when I saw it on Netgalley. Emily has quite the eye for drawing sass and sarcasm, and her writing never fails to make me laugh.

Bloodlust and Bonnets drew me in because of the elements it promised: vampires, the Regency, and Lord Byron. It kept me hooked because of everything else that I got from it: push-and-pull, emotionally unavailable romances, the endless plot twists, vampire duels, and of course, the hilarity that ensues from having a group of self-absorbed mess of human beings try to work together.

There were times when I found myself wanting more of the characters' backstories, but I suppose that could always be laid out in the next book (there will be one, right?)! Though they went through some rough patches in this one, it was really heartwarming to see how they always went back for each other. I definitely want to see more of Lucy, Byron, Sham, and Virginia, and see them getting to know each other better. I'm excited for the next one!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, regency era graphic novel. There are vampires, romantic poets, magic castles, psychic birds, and a woman who's tired of everyone else's nonsense. I loved the main character Lucy, and loved the scene where she finds out there are vampires, it's just absolutely perfect. The art is cute, very much like My Life as a Background Slytherin. It's a quick, fun read.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for making available a digital edition via NetGalley of Emily McGovern’s ‘Bloodlust & Bonnets’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is Emily’s first graphic novel and I have long been a fan of her webcomic ‘My Life as a Background Slytherin’. ‘Bloodlust & Bonnets’ is a pastiche of Romantic literature.

It takes place “Somewhere in Great Britain at the tail end of the Regency” and features Lucy, an unworldly gentlewoman who desires a life of passion and intrigue. She attracts the attention of Lady Violet Travesty, the leader of a secret ancient immortal vampire cult, who invites Lucy to join.

Yet before Lucy can embark on this new life of vampiric debauchery, Lord Byron (“you know, from books”) turns up and starts slaying. Lucy joins him and he soon whisks her off to his magical castle deep in the Scottish Highlands courtesy of Napoleon, a giant psychic eagle. (Giant eagles do come in handy!)

Soon they are joined by Sham, another vampire hunter and more adventures ensue as this unlikely trio fight, flirt and dash about. It is consciously silly as McGovern pokes fun at Romantic and Gothic tropes.

My digital review copy was low resolution - grayscale - so I couldn’t appreciate the bright colours (including the bloodstains) except for a few online examples shared by her publishers and on her website.

Still it was great fun and I was chuckling and laughing throughout. I did feel a bit overwhelmed reading it in a couple of sittings and expect it would work better being read in daily chapter segments.

I am planning to purchase a physical copy in due course.

This book was so much fun! The art style is amazing. The story was so enjoyable and I really enjoyed the characters and their adventure.

In this graphic novel, we basically follow Lucy, Lord Byron and Sham in their search for vampire Lady Violet Travesty.

Bloodlust & Bonnets had outstanding characters, from the hilarious Lord Byron to BB, a wealthy lady whose husbands seem to all die in bizarre accidents.

This was a funny and unique novel, not only because of the unusual art style, but also because of its story. The author kept surprising me with the most unexpected and ridiculous turns of events, and I absolutely loved it.

After reading Bloodlust & Bonnets, I’m curious to read more books from Emily McGovern and will keep an eye out for upcoming releases.

I am a huge fan of McGovern’s *My Life as a Background Slytherin* so when it was announced that she was producing a full length graphic novel I jumped at the chance to get to review it. For those familiar with her sense of humour from the web comic, they will be very happy that this tale is jam packed with the same out of the box thinking, witty repartee and slapstick fun. It takes the same pace as the web comics providing a basic plot and then watching as the characters, in their slight ineptitude ride off in a totally different direction. This makes it fun and unpredictable

Some knowledge of Byron and Walter Scott is advantageous to get some of the quips but there is plenty in there were those that are not familiar with the setting would still find this a fun romp of a regency vampire adventure.

It is filled to the brim with funny side characters, a rather incompetent magical talking castle, and duel fighting giant eagle named napoleon that seemed to reflect the very English view of a stereotypical Frenchmen’s air or “pfft” when it came to moments of danger. His cutaways were particularly funny. Then there is BeBe, a lady of unfathomable wealth who may or may not be bumping off her husbands, in a series of unfortunate accidents. I will state I didn’t not read this in one sitting but split the chapters over a few days therefore when the running jokes cropped up they were fun a nice call back. I could see why others who sit down to read the book as a whole may not appreciate all the callbacks, with potential for them to get old.

We also have some queer rep. We have Sham the Vampire hunter who is presented as non-binary, while uses her/she pronouns they present somewhat masculine in Byron’s view and do not answer his questioning on the subject. Lucy is on the page bisexual which is fantastic and well Byron is Byron.

Overall I enjoyed this graphic novel. I adore the art style, the use of colour all add to the farce, slapstick and wordplay that McGovern does so well.

This is going to be a very hard one to rate because while I did not enjoy it, there is a lot of unique humor and creativity that I do believe will appeal to many. Author McGovern has a fun romp with Regency England, creating VERY anachronistic characters, a lot of puns, some tongue-in-cheek humor, all couched in a lot of blood and violence. For me, I prefer a more subtle humor and the distinct drawing style made it hard to follow the (both nuanced and sparse) plot.

Story: Lucy's suitor turns out to be a vampire; fortunately for her, she is saved by Lord Byron. Thus begins an adventure of tracking down a vampire cult so Lucy can understand why the cult leader said she was different. Along the way, she falls for trans Sham, battles Sir Walter Scott, and has to keep the very exuberant Lord Byron in check. It's all a bit much for a young Regency Miss.

The plot is really about Lucy having to deal with Byron being Byron (over-the-top), being in love with cross-dressing Sham, and a made-up rivalry between Byron and Scott (all on Scott's side). In reality, we know that Scott admired Byron and even did his eulogy - but also that Byron had supplanted Scott as the leader of literary poetry. So it is a fun quirk here to have to Scott trying to create mischief and finding ways to off Byron. Byron, of course, is far too oblivious in his dashing daring-do to figure that out. The running joke of the series is Byron needing a serious reality check.

The illustration work is very distinct, with square, mouthless faces with button-dot eyes (think Funko Pop figures without the big head). The author manages to create a lot of character from that simple style but at times, it really did get hard to understand what was happening. Dead pan worked really well for this style, but without a mouth to moue or eyes to open wide in surprise, I had to imply quite a bit and reread several times.

This is a humor piece - a fun little dig at the Regency period using our contemporary love for monsters. Ironic, really, since this was the period in which our most remembered gothic monsters were created, from Frankenstein to vampires. Indeed, it was with Byron that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. So it is interesting that the author chose vampires; I would have preferred Frankenstein for the obvious connection.

In all, I think those who enjoy a Monty Python retelling of history (but with more killer rabbits) will find a lot to like here. The book is irreverent, fun, and very sarcastic. It just wasn't my cup of tea, which is fine. I was glad to have had the opportunity to read it and explore its unique vision. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Follow a spirited ingenue, a dashing hero-poet, and a professional vampire hunter on a quest to uncover the secrets of a vampire cult in Bloodlust & Bonnets.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In Bloodlust & Bonnets, we follow Lucy as she is on a quest looking for Lady Travesty, a vampire aiming to recruit her to her vampire cult. However, it couldn’t be that simple. Lucy also has to deal with Lord Byron, the dashing hero-poet, Sham, a mysterious bounty hunter, and all of their different desires for finding Lady Travesty.

Overall, this is a very amusing and ridiculous story. Each character has a very clear characterization and humor to them. Even characters we only see briefly are characterized well. I found the story well written overall and the art is fantastic. And once we learned everyone’s motives and the ending began, the story was definitely worth the read.


However, I did find the whole thing exhausting to read. A huge portion of the story, about 75% actually, I was waiting for a climax and something to happen. It also started getting repetitive, and while those moments were intended for humor, it was tiring because nothing was progressing. And while every character was very clearly characterized, they also came across as one-note after a while. Lord Byron being a drama queen is only funny for so long. The ending was really fun and I wish we got to experience more of that sooner in the story.


I do still think this is an enjoyable read and I had moments where I laughed out loud. It really embraces its farce qualities and even though it had its slow moments for me, they still progressed the story so I didn’t feel like giving up on it entirely.

Bloodlust & Bonnets is officially out today, September 17th.

*** I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Bloodlust & Bonnets! ***

Ok, when I first read the synopsis of this graphic novel it had everything that I loved and enjoyed reading in books but I was left disappointed at the end. I know there are some readers that love, dislike or in between liking this book. I thought I was in between liking this book and gave it three stars when I finish reading this graphic novel but when I took the time thinking about it a couple of days after I read Bloodlust & Bonnets the more I realize this graphic novel was just meh for me. I almost DNF reading this graphic novel which I never DNF graphic novels in my life, but a las Bloodlust & Bonnets was not my kind of book and I am giving it two stars. There are just a lot of problems that I had with Bloodlust & Bonnets but that's all just on me. I saw some readers that love this book and I am really glad that the loved and enjoyed Bloodlust & Bonnets better than me but I couldn't get into the plotline or the graphics in Bloodlust & Bonnets and both plotline and graphics just meh and ok for me. If you have read Emily McGovern My Life As a Background Slytherin than you are going to love this graphic novel, but if not I still say give a try and see how you feel about Bloodlust & Bonnets. Sadly Bloodlust & Bonnets was not my kind of graphic novel but I will try to give another chance to Emily McGovern when she has another book coming out.

I wanted to love this. I really liked the art style and the colours used by this illustrator were great. It just wasn't for me. I had a hard time staying focused.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2980633746?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

No rating, DNF at 40%

This is a graphic novel by the creator of the hit webcomic My Life As a Background Slytherin so I was really excited to get into it.

The simplistic art style that worked so well in black & white in My Life As a Background Slytherin just... did not work for me in colour in this graphic novel. I felt like the colour schemes were clashing and not working so well together. So overall the art style wasn’t too much to my taste, unfortunately.

The plot was non-sensical in a good way but it just did not grab my attention at all. I usually read graphic novels in one seating but I kept finding myself drifting off to do other things so I just decided to DNF it.

I think part of the issue is that there was so much text and a lot of it felt superfluous.

The characters left me a bit lukewarm as well. Lord Byron was definitely there for comic relief and it worked but Lucy and Sham were just bland.

One good thing is that I liked the humour in a lot of the scenes but this just did not mesh well with me overall.

Bloodlust and Bonnets is a unique graphic novel. It’s got vampires, blood spatters, a moronic Lord Byron, a talking castle, and more. Lucy, Sham, and Bryon set out on an adventure with different end goals, but with the middle goal of finding the vampires Lady Violet Travesty. It’s snarky, very meta, and sardonic. It’s like a combination of Pride and Prejudice an

The art style wasn’t likeable at first but the super fun and ridiculous (in a good way) dialogues made it all better. Quite enjoyed this debut graphic novel. There were so many scenes where I was chuckling out loud.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.