Okay first of all, this book was FUN. It’s been so long since I read a YA vampire novel that wasn’t incredibly cheesy and awkward. This book checked all the boxes.

Supernatural ✅
Sapphic ✅
Mystery ✅
Secluded boarding school ✅
A deadly infectious disease ✅
Plot twists and secrets ✅

I absolutely loved the dual POV, and how both Kat and Taylor’s voices were very distinct and also stream-of-consciousness. Getting inside the heads of these two Youngbloods who come from very different worlds was so fun.

I also really loved the plot: a disease is infecting humans, and is deadly to vampires so now vampires have to drink synthetic blood in order to survive? Thus no longer having to rely on humans for survival and proving they’re the superior creatures? LOVE.

This got 4.5 stars from me because it tended to drag in some spots, and the constant change of POV in the middle of a chapter was mildly exhausting to keep up with.

This book also touched on a lot of important topics like class and race (human vs. vamp) differences, and sexuality.

in conclusion

I highly recommend if you’re looking for a fun sapphic vampire story unlike anything else out there.

I'm sorry this took me so long but unfortunately this book is Not It! I understand that they're old white vampires and therefore racism, homophobia, etc. is supposed to be there but I'm just not sure it's done in a way that is respectful or handled appropriately. Perhaps from a white reader's perspective, yes, but as a POC reader, no.

I was going to read this book, and was so excited to read it before it came out, but from the other reviews and warnings about harmful content in this book, I couldn't in good conscious read and review this for my audience. Thank you to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this title, it's unfortunate that the book is problematic and I will not be able to read it.

I no longer am interested in reading due to the racism I have learned is prominent in this story. Hopefully you all can reflect on how a story like this was allowed to make it to the shelves without anyone catching its issues.

Title: Youngblood
Author: Sasha Laurens
Summary: Kat Finn and her mother can barely make ends meet living among humans. Like all vampires, they must drink Hema, an expensive synthetic blood substitute, to survive, as nearly all of humanity has been infected by a virus that’s fatal to vampires. Kat isn’t looking forward to an immortal life of barely scraping by, but when she learns she’s been accepted to the Harcote School, a prestigious prep school that’s secretly vampires-only, she knows her fortune is about to change.
Taylor Sanger has grown up in the wealthy vampire world, but she’s tired of its backward, conservative values—especially when it comes to sexuality, since she’s an out-and-proud lesbian. She only has to suffer through two more years of Harcote before she’s free. But when she discovers her new roommate is Kat Finn, she’s horrified. Because she and Kat used to be best friends, a long time ago, and it didn’t end well.
When Taylor stumbles upon the dead body of a vampire, and Kat makes a shocking discovery in the school’s archives, the two realize that there are deep secrets at Harcote—secrets that link them to the most powerful figures in Vampiredom and to the synthetic blood they all rely on.
Copy provided by @netgalley in exchange for honest review.
Likes: A different spin on the typical vampire history we’re all used to reading about but I especially loved Taylor’s character. For sure worth the read.
Dislikes: Mean Girls-esque and a bit cheesy.
#Youngblood #Razorbill #NetGalley #LGBTQIA+ #Vampires #YoungVampires #LesbianVampires #WLW #bookstagram #queerbookstagram #YoungAdult #fiction #YAfiction #slowburn

I ended up DNF’ing this book around 57%.

while I think the premise is interesting - a boarding school for vampires! - I think I was expecting more relationship development and less politics. I didn’t care about the political intrigue plot line of the story, and to be honest, it lost me.

I did not like this. It was overly corny. I don't feel like young adult readers will really feel seen with this story. The premise had so much potential but it was an incredibly disappointing plot with unbearable characters.

My Thoughts:

There's conspiracy, there's Mean Girls Action, queer love, bullying, classism, Vampire(racism), secrets, lies, boarding life, high school drama and mystery.

Don't let the cover turn you off. It really is much deeper than it seems. The conflicts are more complex than teen drama and bullying. Thereʻs a little bit of Harry Potter feel to it because the adults are also not as they outwardly seem. The social justice aspect gives it a nice twist.

The main character, Kat, knows she is a vampire, but she has been raised with humans. She is able to kee her secret because unlike vampires of old, humans are suffering from a blood pandemic that can kill vampires so vampires have stopped feeding on humans. However, the Hema, a lab created blood substitute is expensive and Kat and her mom struggle to eat. The alternative is to buy Hema from the black market because she has already lost her dad who was starting and died during the plague from infected human blood.

When Kat gets into the elite vampire school and an anonymous donor pays for everything, she thinks she is finally making a better life for herself and her mom. She is so wrong.

From the Publisher:
Kat Finn and her mother can barely make ends meet living among humans. Like all vampires, they must drink Hema, an expensive synthetic blood substitute, to survive, as nearly all of humanity has been infected by a virus that’s fatal to vampires. Kat isn’t looking forward to an immortal life of barely scraping by, but when she learns she’s been accepted to the Harcote School, a prestigious prep school that’s secretly vampires-only, she knows her fortune is about to change.

Taylor Sanger has grown up in the wealthy vampire world, but she’s tired of its backward, conservative values—especially when it comes to sexuality, since she’s an out-and-proud lesbian. She only has to suffer through a two more years of Harcote before she’s free. But when she discovers her new roommate is Kat Finn, she’s horrified. Because she and Kat used to be best friends, a long time ago, and it didn’t end well.

When Taylor stumbles upon the dead body of a vampire, and Kat makes a shocking discovery in the school’s archives, the two realize that there are deep secrets at Harcote—secrets that link them to the most powerful figures in Vampirdom and to the synthetic blood they all rely on.

Publication Information:
Author: Sasha Laurens
Publisher: Raxorbill (July 19, 2022)

I really wanted to love this book but maybe I’m just too old. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and did not enjoy the story line.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

2.5/5 stars, lots of potential but a ultimately a let down

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Razorbill for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

When I initially requested an arc of this book it was the cover that caught my attention, I loved the red and how the characters were centered. On top of that, the synopsis sounded really interesting, modern-day vampires and boarding schools. However, I was unable to read the book until now and I read this while reading other reviews for this book, and I wanted to contribute my own opinions. I ended up being really disappointed with this book because of how much I was anticipating it.

Just as sensitivity and other arc readers noticed the poor attempt to handle too many topics at once, I also noticed this. This book is supposed to be a romance in a sense, but it also tried to tackle and discuss so many problems that exist in the world today. These included things like racism, bullying, ethics, poverty, elitism, homophobia, and more. However, because this book tried to focus on all of these subjects it frankly failed in discussing them in a non-performative way and led many of these topics to not be focused on enough, falling instead to the wayside. Many were glanced over and never discussed again, which did make me uncomfortable at times, especially when so many POC characters felt like they were just used as props. Many of their stories were just used (including other diverse characters like those in the LGBTQ+ community) to uplift and influence the main character's story who appeared as a performative activist.

The main character, Kat, was not just a white performative activist, she was also honestly just annoying sometimes. I understood her position suddenly coming from the world of humans into this school for all vampires, things were bound to be awkward. I say that she was a performative activist because it felt like she never took time to actually talk to the people of color and what they wanted. On one hand, I believe that there is room in literature and the world for the discussion of how Caucasian people should aid and lead discussions about such topics listed above, I don't believe the discussions should be dominated by them. This was what this book seemed to imply, it felt a bit like it was taking over the discussion of the individuals who are POC to give this image of a perfect white girl.

I felt that Taylor was more of a secondary main character, even though there were many chapters from her perspective within the book. While I understood sometimes why she acted the way she did because of her past, but also sometimes she was just really mean for no reason. Also, did she really need to be friends/hooking up with a character who acts homophobic all the time? I'm just not sure her character was used in the right way.

One thing that I did really enjoy about this book was the atmosphere, especially at a prestigious and private vampire academy. Vampires are not usually my first choice of supernatural creatures, I prefer Fae, but this book made me really interested to read more from this area of books. However, I didn't completely love that the entire Vampiredom was racist, homophobic, etc. I do understand though that they've been around for hundreds of years and have their ways, but that also could've been flipped and seen them accept everything as they've lived so long.

The plot was just okay, there were times that it really seemed to drag in the beginning, though it did pick up a bit more in the second half. But I didn't totally connect on every level, the mystery was pretty good but I felt like it needed something more. As well, the ending wrapped up way too nicely for my tastes, everyone was suddenly happy and the bad things were gone. Unfortunately, it didn't really take into account the complexities of all the topics it was trying to tackle.

Finally, this book was supposed to be a romance and in the beginning, I was very excited to see how the romance was going to play out because it seemed like childhood friends to strangers/enemies to lovers (which I've found I love lately). But I didn't see the chemistry between Kat and Taylor at all, both treated each other not amazingly and I didn't see why they liked each other. It was very complicated, as many teenage romances are, but I just couldn't get myself to ship them.

[TW: knife cut, blood, fictional clinical disease, death of a parent, racism, homophobia, bullying, alcohol, underage drinking, dead bodies, death of a loved one, homelessness]

This was a fun modern sapphic twist on a YA subgenre that I have timelessly loved since Twilight, Marked and The Vampire Academy; Teen Vampires with romance! Throwing in some friends-enemies-friends-lovers was just right up my alley!

I really thought this book was a bit of a let down. The premise sounds oh so promising, but unfortunately falls a little flat in reality. Its also got a fair amount of problematic tropes, like the overly woke white girl, Jewish coded villain, POCs as props more that fleshed out characters. Big mess imo

This was a really cool way to build on the vampire mythos in a way that I hadn't heard before. There's a good amount of world-building, but not enough to lead to a lot of exposition. I liked the obvious nods to Covid/AIDS with the blood disease. Teens are starting to reach for paranormal romance again with the resurgence of Twilight, and I will be happy to give them this.

Do you love vampires? Boarding school drama and romance? Conspiracy theories? Need a supernatural sapphic read?

YOUNGBLOOD is a queer YA novel that brings the loathing to loving, as the main characters go from friends-to-rivals-to-lovers. And they were roommates! The pining is even better served in dual POV. Star-crossed and bloodthirsty is anything but a boring combination.

Kat Finn was born a vampire. She is just one of whole new generation of vampires to be born instead of made. Human blood has been infected and a stray bite could result in a vampire’s excruciating death. Sustained by an expensive blood alternative called Hema, Kat and her mom can’t afford to feed themselves. Having grown up among humans, Kat is hungry and constantly feels out of place. So when the opportunity to attend the most prestigious and exclusive school for vampires presents itself with free tuition and all the Hema she could drink, it seems all her problems are solved. She sets off for a new life living besides fellow Youngblood vampires. But the past comes back to haunt her when her ex-best friend and nemesis, Taylor, just happens to be her roommate. Mild to wild irritation turns to sexual frustration as the two girls get reacquainted. As they maneuver their way through the school’s teenage social darwinism, Kat and Taylor discover deep rooted corruption at very the heart of Vampirdom itself.

For fans of Vampire Academy or The Simon Snow Trilogy, Youngblood would make a fun next read or addition to the TBR. Besides, look how pretty it is?!

Unfortunately I will not be reviewing this title following other readers' critiques of racism and a white saviour main character. This is a huge disappointment as I had been highly anticipating Youngblood since its announcement.

What do you say about a book that quite forgettable? I feel like I may have sort of enjoyed this, but every major detail has completely slipped my mind days after reading it. That’s not really a great sign to me.

I have mixed feelings on this book. The concept of the story is amazing, I was excited for it because of the blurb. But.

I hated the MC. The white savior complex is something I am not on board with. The whole story she was trying to prove
that she was so woke, while only caring about being rich. Having a “woke” white girl isn’t the diversity you think this is.

There’s a part in this book that really made me angry, the MC constantly asking a POC why they won’t join the vampires of color club. For someone who is trying to fight against racism, she didn’t care what the POC actually wanted.

I’m surprised that I was able to even finish this book. At the end of the day I do not recommend this book.

Thoughts and Themes: When I heard about a sapphic vampire book I knew I had to read it because most of the vampire books that I have read are all straight, cis, and white. I am glad that I decided to wait and listen to this one on audio because it really adds to the story. I loved the narrator of the book as there is a clear distinction between which character is speaking.

I really like how so much of what happens in this book is based on miscommunication or just the lack of communication between people. I thought this was very realistic for teenagers and loved seeing that even supernatural creatures come across these problems. Then there are so many things you discover closer to the end of the book that just make the book so much better. Please stick around to you get to this point because it really does get good, it pretty much speeds up half way through as everything unravels itself.

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Characters: In this book you are introduced to our two main characters, Kat and Taylor, along with several of the people who are in their lives. You get to meet Lucy and Evangeline who are friends of Kat, along with Galen who all the girls are interested in. You also get to meet a few of the professors that are at the school in which Kat and Taylor are attending.

I really like the relationships that develop throughout this whole book and how attached this book makes you get with each character that you meet. I like the conversations that occur between Kat and Taylor and how they explain themselves to each other. I love how these two go from best friends to enemies to lovers.

Writing Style: This book is told from a dual point of view going back and forth from Kat and Taylor’s perspectives in first person. I do like that we get both points of view because the girls are very different from each other. I liked getting to know about them separately from each other especially since they start off being ex-best friends. I also liked how this plays out when the two aren’t in the same place because you get to see the way both stories unfold.

Not perfect. Other reviewers have touched on the unnecessary and weak wokeness element of the story and I agree. I don’t think it was as well executed as I think the author intended. The homophobia was the oddest inclusion to the story. You would think that immortal beings would actually be okay with non-heteronormative relationships - considering they’ve been around for hundreds of years.

VAMPIREDOM
That said, I think the author did a goos job of showing how values and perceptions of others can be ingrained in young minds. The students at the school are taught a very specific curriculum that upholds this fantastical view of vampiredom. Lots of callbacks to old dreary castle days when vampires feasted and glamoured on humans. There’s a small group who believe that vampires and humans can live peacefully among each other. But the majority feel that it is beneath them to interact with humans. Humans are servants to be glamoured, and drinking from humans is the equivalent of doing illegal drugs at a house party. Out main character is an outsider who has lived among humans her whole life. And her introduction to the school shakes things up.

SOCIAL JUSTICE ELEMENTS
It’s true that our main character is the quintessential stereotype of a social justice woke teen. She is a bit holier than thou towards her elitist peers but I found this part actually very realistic. I think the great thing about youth is how passionate they can be. But I think the author also shows how it’s easy to fall into performative activism or to simply parrot things you’ve seen online about what it means to be inclusive without really taking time to understand things. Kat often contradicts herself in behavior. And the youngblood vampires at the school were taught since birth that their way of life is normal. It was understandable to me that they would dismiss things when Kat pointed things out to them (e.g., impact of colonialism, lack of diversity). Three of our teen characters go through self-awareness and discovery, and become much better people with a clearer sense of right and wrong.

That said, this whole theme was not executed well and I think it weakened the overall story.

DEPICTION OF VAMPIRES
I really disliked this view of racist, homogeneously white, and homophobic vampires. I don’t think we needed these elements in the story. It could have just been a story about power and control. I’m not saying that books with a social justice theme are not needed. They absolutely are but I think for me it was trying to add those elements in a story with vampires, an immortal creature, that I couldn’t fully reconcile. Racism and homophobia feel very much a human behavior. In my mind vampires are simply elitist over humans because they are natural predators and immortal.

DARK ACADEMIA & ROMANCE
With all that said, I did really enjoy the boarding school setting and teen drama. The characters were pretentious, wealthy, and scheming. The side characters were well-developed, with the exception of a few adult characters. I enjoyed the teacher-student interactions. The romance was a slow-burn friends-to-lovers romance. Really it could be an enemies-to-lovers one too but since Kat and Taylor were friends before and they make up before getting together romantically I find the chemistry is closer to a friends-to-lovers romance.

As a dark academia book, I liked how the tone wasn’t heavy. I think some dark academia books tend to be intimidating for me. But if you’re looking for a prep boarding school setting that gives off the vibes of dark academia then this is a solid choice. Despite all its issues, I did enjoy this book. It was a fast-paced story with lots of vampiric elements that made this a fun book to read during Fall/Halloween season.

**Thank you to the publisher for providing me an arc to review.