So were they vampires? I still don’t know after 200 pages. What I do know is that Rebekah and Heaven were both insufferable- “I’M hOT sO nOtICE MEEeee!”

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley
for the eARC.

Vampires at Sea invites readers to join Rebekah and Hugh aboard a queer cruise ship.

Told through the hilarious perspective of Rebekah, we follow her and her husband Hugh on their 14 day vacation.

The only thing is, they are vampires.

They felt reminiscent of Nadja and Laszlo from What We Do in the Shadows, Rebekah’s witty comments specifically. She is narcissistic and I loved her.

A couple of days into the cruise they meet Heaven, a non-binary influencer, Rebekah is both fascinated and wary of them as Rebekah suspects that Heaven may be something otherworldly.

If smut, comedy and vampires is your thing, Vampires at Sea is the perfect combination.

I was promised a messy, sexy romp and I got exactly what I wanted! Rebekah was a horrible, excellent, supremely fun character to get into the head of. Probably not for people who don't enjoy reading about terrible people doing terrible things and experiencing terrible things being done to them in turn, but I certainly enjoyed it! A lot of fun and a bit more heart than I was expecting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Creature Publishing for this advance copy!

Look, I wanted to love this. Emotional vampires on a chaotic queer cruise? Count me in. But in the end, I think this one just wasn’t for me.

The writing style? Genuinely unique and fun—kind of like if your favorite sardonic friend narrated your vacation but made it horror and horny. I actually really liked the voice of the book; it had flair and personality. But plot-wise? It felt like someone tried to cram a whole buffet of weird and wonderful ideas into a tiny appetizer plate. Under 200 pages just wasn’t enough time to really build the tension or give the story some bite. (Pun absolutely intended.)

I didn’t hate it! It was a solid little palate cleanser between heavier reads, and sometimes that’s all you need. But it didn’t sink its fangs into me the way I hoped. Still, if you like smut, satire, and ships (literal and relationship), it might be your thing.

Just not mine—and that’s okay. Not every vampire gets invited in.

In the beginning I was confused on what was going on, but once it clicked it was a good vibe! It’s a quick, vibrant and fun read about queer vampires on a cruise and I liked how the main character Rebekah got challenged in her own ways (and she cracked me up).

The ending felt a bit rushed and disappointing to me, could have expended it a bit more. Overall it was still a fun read and definitely a recommendation for people who like the serie What we do in the shadows.

The writing style worked well for me and I liked how the chapters were split into each day.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an arc for an honest review

This is a quick and fun read about a vampire couple at sea. I enjoyed their relationship with all of its intricacies. This would've worked better as a longer novel in my opinion, but this size makes for a quick binge read.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Vampires at Sea” is a campy, queer, and smutty horror novella that centers the immortal lovers in an open relationship-Rebekah and Hugh- that go on all inclusive queer cruise. They’re there to feed and fuck. Things go left when the non-binary influencer Heaven, who was supposed to be just a threesome partner, begins to alienate Hugh from Rebekah.

It’s a weird little novella that has a specific little niche of people who would absolutely love it. I do not think I am in that niche, however, I still thought that it was an interesting little read. I liked the take on emotion vampires and shapeshifters. The characters are both narcissistic yet insecure, the narrator is snarky and sharp with her humor. The horror element came at 60% into the novella. While I really enjoyed the style of writing, there were things that never got resolved or were never brought up again when it seemed like it was going to. It just kinda left me with questions (the war???). I did enjoy this novella, but I do think that it suffered from pacing issues.

This is a modern twist to vampires. The writing to this is immaculate, you can feel the character spiraling towards the end. There is lots of different sex scenes in here, talks of death, suicide, and war.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lindsay Merbaum for allowing me to read this early.

3.25/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for an arc. All opinions are my own.
This book is very strange and very queer, and I love those things. However, this book didn’t really land for me. I thought the characters and plot were good, but not great. I feel like this could have been a short story instead of a novella and it would have been a lot more punchy.

This was a sour-sweet cocktail, a siren's lullaby, a dark and lingering mist, of queer joy. I felt engulfed from beginning to end. My only note would be that it's a specific taste and I'd recommend it only to my most ~specific~ friends...the best ones. One of those wonderful stories that changes my internal monologue to that of the main character for days after. Put simply- Devoured.

This book needs a lot of work. I really didn't enjoy it.
I applaud the gender neutrality of this story, but the writing is not very good, and I couldn't get into it.
The sex in this book is supposed to sound like a good time, and I found all the scenes to be pretty blah in description.
Too much sex with too little description I suppose. Shallow characters who don't have anything interesting or worthwhile to say.
Huge pass. Sorry y'all.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for review purposes.

Taking clear inspiration from What We Do in the Shadows, Vampires at Sea features two emotional vampires embarking on a cruise that their long, long, long term relationship may not survive. When Hugh starts showing favour to a non-binary influencer, Rebekah begins to wonder if there is something more magical happening at sea.

Starting with the positives, this book has a very strong concept, supported by an enjoyable writing style. I am sure this book will enchant a certain audience that unfortunately I am not apart of. The characters are simultaneously narcissistic yet insecure in a way that I found uncomfortable to read from. I enjoy an unhinged character, but not when their actions are motivated by relationship drama, which was the driving part of this plot. While we follow the characters at sea, the book hints at something happening on land that I think would have been a more interesting plot line to follow.

A well-executed book, but not the tropes/stories I enjoy. It may find its fans among those who enjoy toxic relationship dynamics ala Laszlo and Nadja from WWDITS.

Oh my goodness this was a short read! Somehow I did not realize that when starting this book. This was only about 84 pages (at least the ARC e-book I read was).

This follows some California vampires as they set off on a cruise, planning to eat fellow passengers. These vampires develop fascinations for other passengers, they have deal with their pasts and emotions.

This is a spooky, queer little book with funny characters, drama, and vampires on vacation! (This kind of reminds me of What We Do in the Shadows a little bit, I wouldn't be surprised if that was what inspired the author.)

Overall, the writing was enjoyable, but some parts did feel a bit repetitive and rambling.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

rating — 3.75 out of 5 stars.

what a weird little novella! i ate this in one bite, like a mini quiche. or like rebekah having a midafternoon emotional snack. take your pick. there are a lot of unanswered questions in this, and it helped me to be less frustrated with this by going in with that expectation. what’s the war? who’s to say! what’s up with rebekah’s missing memories? nobody knows, least of all rebekah!

i would recommend this if you like a snarky narrator, enjoy a lot of interpersonal messiness, a fun new take on vampires (feeding on emotions!), and you don’t mind a lack of explanations along the way. embrace the vague.

I fear I really dislike the author’s writing style. The story also moves SO slowly and for a short book (86 pages) it shouldn’t go this slow.

Would recommend for readers looking for horror with more humor than scares—in a good way! It doesn’t take itself too seriously and is full of messy queer characters!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! My thoughts on this are pretty mixed. I loved the cast of characters, the pov, the general vibes. Emotional vampires very much giving What We Do in the Shadows but on a cruise ship is a great premise and led to a lot of entertaining moments. My main complaint was the pacing, I think if the book was a bit longer and built up the character motivations more, the ending wouldn’t have felt so abrupt. The amnesia (?) bits felt a bit unnecessary as well - didn’t really add to the story as is. Overall though, this was a quick read and gave the camp I was looking for.

A random request only because I loved the title.

Also that cover. Truly stunning.

Thank you net galley for this opportunity.

I jumped straight into this book and no regrets.
A remarkable read. Hooked me from the start.

Thank you again

I was super excited to read a novel about queer vampires but unfortunately I didn't really enjoy this read. The premise was interesting but I didn't gel with the writing and the pacing seemed a little off.

Vampires at Sea is a quirky, campy horror novella with sharp prose, emotional vampires, and a delightfully chaotic cruise setting. Rebekah and Hugh—immortal lovers in an open relationship—set sail expecting pleasure, but end up unraveling when a mysterious, magnetic influencer enters the mix. The concept is bold, the humour sharp, and Rebekah’s voice hilarious, but the execution feels uneven. Pacing issues, underdeveloped plot threads, and an ending that doesn’t quite deliver make it more of a character study than a cohesive story. It’s weird, clever, and messy—in a way some readers will love and others won’t fully connect with.