It's a while ago now that I finished this, but a more recent read reminded me of it. This was the second book I read in 2023 that used vampirism (without calling it that) to take a look at the relationship between an abusive mother and her daughter, from the latter's viewpoint only (Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda was the other one). They were very different, so I don't think I can compare them, though.

I had a lot of big feelings about this book; it's kind of about how parenthood doesn't delete the flaws people have, even if it can push them to try really hard to be better, and I'm maybe always going to be emotional about that. Kerin does an excellent job of portraying the heartache and the horror of being family to an addict; the vampire stuff is the flavouring, but that's the meat. That said, the vampire stuff is pretty cool - it's tough to make it interesting and contemporary, but I think it was well done here (no pun intended). The protagonist is struggling with not just her sexuality but just having a sexuality (because she's gay, and neurodiverse - I think? - and has had to ignore all that and focus on survival) and that's handled well, too. The not being certain if the way you feel is down to trauma or just how your brain is wired, or a super fun combination of the two, OR if that even matters because what can you even do about it - all of that felt very realistic.

I was kind of surprised to see that there's a sequel, am interested to see how that goes.

This is a story about love & monsters.

I enjoyed this take on vampire lore so much. It was so modern! It was also beautifully grounded in a complex mother/daughter relationships AND it has a queer fmmc! I’m so excited for book 2.

Thank you so much @tornightfire & @macmillan.audio for the e & audio copies. Perfect weekend reading right before Halloween.

Quick Take:

A "vampire" novel that, at its core, is about a mother/daughter relationship and the ways they rely on each other - sometimes in literally unhealthy ways - and the struggles of every day life.

This was fine - nothing super memorable but kept my interest and definitely seems set up for a sequel. I am not sure I will continue on to the next book but I believe that's a me problem of this just not being my go to genre. At times it felt a bit disjointed and I really just wanted to focus more on the THEN timeline of how the mom became a "vampire and how they dealt with this as her daughter grew up. The current timeline and the character of Jade just didn't keep my interest as much. I wanted more of mother/daughter dynamic and how they dealt with life in this new situation.

It also was the last book of my spooky reading so I think it suffered from me being a tad burnt out on this genre.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend to anyone who loves this genre!

Nights Edge
Liz Kerin @lizkerin
Genre: Horror
Pace: Fast

A sun-drenched novel about the darkest secrets we hide and how monstrous we can be to the ones we love most.

Ummm excuse me A toxic mother and daughter relationship with vamps...abso-freaking-lutly yesss

I don't know how Kerin did it but danmm this is a such a unique take on the toxicity of a sheltered childhood and one finding themselves and dealing with the struggles of breaking ties with the evils holding them hostage

Told in 2 different timelines, the past navigating thru the life of this mother and daughter duo connecting with the present where emotions and attachments are changing and the main character Mia is evolving into their own person

The character development pulled me right into the main characters Mia and Izzy's life. Rooting for young Mia all the way to the end while wanting to shake Izzy back down to reality the entire time

Full of growth, heartbreak and struggles with the bloodsucking playing a role in the background. A fantastic spin of a vampire story

And that ending!! What a perfect set up for book 2. Bring on First Light. I cannot wait

An excellent novel about toxic codependency, the way keeping secrets can consume you, and the horrors of being alive. A quick read that will stay with you - looking forward to the next book in the series!

Mia is learning to cope with life after her mother Izzy develops a sickness that requires her to drink blood to survive.

I would call this almost a dystopian-esque vampire horror. The setting was fun, and I’m from Arizona so it was extra interesting for that.

With that being said, this was just not for me. I’m usually not too interested in vampire fiction, but the premise of this sounded really good, so I thought I’d give it a try.

I found it very slow going, and couldn’t really connect with the storyline or the characters. The story mostly centers around Mia and her relationship with her mother, with very little action in between.

Really interesting take on both vampire lore and pandemic lit. Interesting dynamic between mother and daughter. Wish it was my gritty but overall enjoyed this.

Thank you WunderBooksPr for gifting me a complimentary copy!

Have you ever read a vampire story where the focus is less on spooky vampires and more on a vampire mom and human daughter bond? Does that make you curious?
As you can imagine, it makes for a very complicated, often toxic but also an instinctive bond between mother and daughter to protect each other at all costs. Keep in mind that the mother was not originally a vampire and the book never mentions the word “vampire” even once that I can recall but instead calls them “Saras” short for Saratov’s Syndrome, a form of vampire pandemic that one gets when bitten by another Sara. So once the main character mom becomes one and as the years progress, we see natural shifts in priorities and needs of both main characters, which made for an enjoyable and fascinating read.

While you would normally expect a vampire story to be horror, this book is more of a feminist drama with just a tad gore elements thrown in for good measure. If anything, this book is a great eyeopener that even female vampires are having to navigate a world run by men and many times while reading the book, I could relate to both women even though I’m neither a vampire nor a mother.

My heart went out to Mia (the daughter) who had to become the adult in her forced situation even as a child, and had to tiptoe around everyone just to lead a normal life. Night’s Edge is easily among my favorite reads this year and has a book 2 coming so YAY! I can’t wait to continue reading where Mia’s journey takes her!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the chance to read this work as an e-ARC.

I am so happy to see vampiric storylines are making a resurgence again after the Twilight Boom. This twist on helping and managing life with someone with addiction was refreshing. I appreciated how the author built up Mia's yearning to be close with her mother just to deconstruct it. I wish this were a standalone, but I'm curious enough to give the second one a shot.

I went into this one mostly blind and am so glad I did! This is a dystopian tale of a pandemic creating vampire-like people called Sara’s and how the lives of a mother and daughter are changed forever when it all begins.

I was immediately pulled into this book and the lives of Izzy and Mia. This isn’t your run of the mill vampire tale, which is likely why the term “vampire” isn’t even used. The audio is fantastic and Chase Sui Wonders couldn’t have given a better performance! She is such an amazing narrator and portrayed panic, sarcasm, and pain with ease. I was so glad to see this is the beginning of a series and I’m excited to see what’s next in book 2!

What’s inside:
- dystopian fiction
- dark and gritty atmosphere
- LGBTQ+ rep
- Book 1 of a new series
- Cliffhanger
- Forbidden love
- Secrets
- music references

This was such an unexpected novel.

Yes, there is vampirism, but truly the star here is the way in which Kerin displays the complexities of codependency in relationships. The novel is beautiful in the break your heart kind of way, but that's fine, sometimes readers need their hearts to hurt.

“Every night, the darkness devours another piece of her. I have no way of knowing how much is left. “

Mia is just 10 years old when she finds her mom’s lifeless body. And Mia is 10 years old when she feeds her mother blood for the first time.

Night’s Edge is not your typical vampire story. In this book, Kerin took some inspiration from the Covid Pandemic to create something horrifying. It’s been years since Saratov Syndrome began, and there are plenty of precautions in place to make sure people are safe. But Mia is far from living a normal life. She still feeds her mother from her veins.

It’s not only horrifying, but it’s sad. This book will hit hard with all femmes, but especially those with strained mother-daughter/child relationships. For every child who had to grow up too fast. For every child who became the parent. It hits very close to home.

It’s also gay, which I loved. I’m glad queers can exist freely even among deadly vampires.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy.

CW: blood, HP reference, death, child/emotional abuse, abandonment, panic attacks, murder, gun violence, addiction

Calling all my vampire fans!!! This one is for you. A terrific debut that blends elements of True Blood + Cults + Pandemic Vibes (Saratov Syndrome, which turns you into a vampire) + Queer Romance + Family Drama

What I love:
✨Complex Mother/Daughter Relationship: Izzy and Mia have a twisted, complicated relationship bordering on codependency. Izzy relies on her daughter, Mia, for a blood source. Without Mia, Izzy would be institutionalized with other inflected people (vampires). Quite literally, Mia’s kept her mother safe and alive since she was ten years old. Their emotional needs twisted around each other for the past decade.
✨Dark Coming of Age: Mia begins to realize that her codependent relationship needs boundaries. Mia realizes that as her mother’s protector, she’s walled herself off from all personal relationships. As Mia begins to explore her sexuality, Jade pulls Mia beyond her walls and begins a budding romance. Jade infuses a bit of sarcasm and humor into the story as well.
✨Dual Timelines: The “2010” timeline provides context and backstory to the “Now” chapters and lays the groundwork for the rest of the series. However, I found myself longing for the “Now” chapters. I’m excited about where the “Now” chapters will take us in book 2!
✨Narration: Chase Sui Wonders brings the story to life, adding tension to the story, sarcasm to the dialogue, and allowing the listener to feel sympathy towards these characters. I hope she narrates book 2.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan audio for the arc !! It was definitely an emotional roller coaster ride. Also the ending had me thinking for about two hours . I recommend reading along with the audio book because the narrator brings so much more like to Mia & the world building. Its like I can her voice as the main character & it just goes together like blood and the pink tumblr. I love that’s this wasn’t an ordinary vampire Novel. The ending was amazing cliff hanger in my opinion, it left the reader to wonder what mia’s life would be now .

Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

Horror | Vampires |Dual Storylines

•Mia’s mother, Izzy, has a hunger for blood. Mia now in her twenties meets Jade a musician who gives her the courage she needs to leave her mother behind.
•Mia and Izzy have a blurry mother-daughter relationship where we see how harmful co-dependency can be on a young person. A lot of heavy themes surface in this book so brace yourself. I’m keen to see what happens next with Jade and Mia’s relationship.

Feels: pandemic vibes with vampires

★★★★ 4/5

(Thank you Liz Kerin for the opportunity to read this ARC)

1 1/2 stars.. nothing happened in this book? Like yea we explore grief and queerness but in the least subtle way and the vampirism did not matter. This could have been the same story with just an abusive mother. Did not vibe with it at all. It was very easy to read though. Just wanted something else to happen.

𝟯.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣
One of the best opening lines I have ever read in a book!

Overall, I had a great time reading this book. Hearing a new perspective on the “vampire” trope is always a plus for me because I love vampires. I liked the sort of mundane and sarcastic temperament of Mia and her “it is what it is” attitude about everything BUT I do like that she kind of evolved into herself a little more as the book went on. For most of the book it did seem like she was living for her mother and not for herself.

However, the payoff wasn’t quite there for me in the end. The ending actually felt really rushed once we got down to it. It just felt like we were building to something that never really hit its climax. But maybe that’s on purpose to set things up for the next book.

With an explosive first line, Night’s Edge had me from the start.
This novel explores the weight of family secrets and the darkness that comes with them. Mia’s life has been controlled by the demands of her mother, Izzy, who has a hunger for blood that Mia has been forced to keep hidden. As a result, Mia has never been able to live a normal life. She has no friends, no life, beyond her mother.
If you’ve ever been in an abusive relationship, you’ll see a lot of yourself in Mia. Her struggles are deeply felt, and her yearning for a life beyond the confines of her home is palpable. When she meets musician Jade, she has feelings that she is unable to recognize in herself, and desires she can’t control. When she begins to act on these desires, her mother clings harder.
This is a pressure cooker of a story. As the story progresses, the reader becomes more and more aware of just how dangerous Mia’s situation is.
Kerin’s approach to vampirism is interesting, as well. A little bit COVID-19, and a little bit HIV. We see a society coming out of lockdown after a global epidemic that will be all too familiar for modern audiences.
Overall, I highly recommend this book! It’s a great exploration of family secrets, abusive relationships, sexuality, and identity. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

Book Summary:

Saratov's Syndrome is creating a wave of fear in the world. This condition can turn anyone – even your best friend – into a bloodthirsty monster. And there's nothing you can do about it. Mia knows that from experience.

Mia's life has been dark. By that, we mean the dark rules her life. She can't go out at night, can't have friends over, and certainly can't go off and create a life for herself. She's too busy tending to her mother, protecting her from the world and the world from her.

My Review:

Yes, yes, a million times yes. Night's Edge is exactly the sort of vampire horror novel I've been looking for. It's dark and creepy yet has very strong science and societal elements woven into the mix. In other words, it's freaking perfect.

This is a world where vampires exist. Yet it's regarded as an illness – a modern paranormal plague, if you will. I adored that twist, as it made it feel so much more natural and grounded. Every step taken by society felt like we would react if this were real life.

That said, there were times I wanted to scream at Mia. Not because I didn't like her character – the opposite. But instead, I wanted her to run away and put herself first for once in her life. In other words, her story got under my skin, making me feel like I had to protect this character.

Long story short, Night's Edge is a fantastic start to this dark and riveting series. I'm already looking forward to the next novel (First Light, expected publication date in April 2024), as I know it will be just as good.

Highlights:
Paranormal Horror
New take on Vampires
First in a series
LGBT+

Trigger Warnings:
Graphic Violence/Blood
Assault

Having a mom like Izzy meant Mia had to grow up quick and skip more activities associated with youth. After surviving her teens hiding Izzy’s love of blood, Mia is in her twenties and yearning for a life of her own. When she meets the rebellious musician Jade, she finally thinks she can leave her past behind.

This is one of those books that I have a love/hate relationship with. I love that it was about vampirism (called Sara’s), but I hated the way Mia was forced to take care of her mom. I also hated the way Mia was treated by her mom. It was so toxic that I struggled. I loved that Mia got to meet someone to date – but hated the way she was strung along. I want to say this was a coming-of-age novel, but really it was just showing us how Mia coped with a very unfortunate hand at life. However, despite everything I enjoyed how the story flowed. I particularly enjoyed the blasts back to when Mia’s mother had turned into a vampire. I do wish that we would have gotten more backstory on how this all worked though.

Thank you to the publisher Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire, and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a fun take on being a vampire, then check this one out June 20th.