This was sort of fun at first but was too campy to maintain my interest for long. I hung on because I was curious enough on where it was going. I wouldn’t really call this one horror. It was not spooky, not particularly gorey… just some confessions of some sexy supernaturals

This was an interesting novella. Each chapter was split into a day aboard a two week cruise so it made for a fast paced read. A queer horror comedy centred around Rebekah; a narcissistic yet emotional vampire, on a cruise with her beloved. Rebekah’s character really made this book for me. Her dry sarcasm had me in stitches. I enjoyed her journey of self discovery as she struggled to remember her life before Hugo and how things would change as he became more distant.
As much as I enjoyed it, I did struggle with the dialogue a bit. I would describe the writing style as blunt, it was very much straight to the point at times.

Perfect if you enjoy toxic relationships, dry humour, sex and vampires

Am I weird for thinking this is a cozy read? I genuinely looked forward to reading this every night, even if it was only 5 pages. Maybe this is a testament to how bad my reading slump has been recently. Somebody throw me an anchor!

Anyway, meet Rebekah, ancient vampire and seductress, who has decided to go on a voyage with her husband, Hugh. They are expecting a cruise of leisure and fun, until they meet Heaven. Heaven is mysterious, outgoing, and sexy, and, quite frankly, driving Rebekah mad. But Hugh, on the other hand, can’t get enough of Heaven. What can one lonely woman really do when her husband decides he’s had enough of her?

This is not a book for just any reader. Have you read this blurb?? It’s wild and terrifying but also silly and honest. I didn’t expect to like the story as much as I did, but here I am, recommending that you read Vampires at Sea. If you love What We Do In The Shadows and that type of dark humour, this book might just fill the vampire-shaped void in your heart.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchanfe for an honest review

i was very excited for this novella, but little did i know it would put me into a reading slump. it’s only a little over 100 pages long, but i just couldn’t make myself finish it.

the MC’s are insufferable. unlikeable characters that are written as if they were likeable.

“we went on that LGBTQ+ cruise out of boredom but of course the entire concept is sooooo cringe and soooo below us, because we’re cool and sexy and smart, unlike these lame bubbly gay people” is the core of MC’s narration.

the book could’ve explored sexuality and attaching your appearance and “body count” to self-worth amongst many other things, but did nothing except glorifying unhealthy self-importance and punching down on every page.

Vampires at Sea was a fun read for me as I enjoy vampire, and other supernatural creature, books. The internal monologue of the main character was both interesting and humorous as the story continued. It is a shorter book than I am used to so I would recommend it for anyone wanting a quick read for their day.

I started reading and already at the first 3 chapters i got bored with the writing. Had to skim the rest of the book. I liked the idea of vampires in a cruise where they can enjoy themselves, but it felt poorly developed. The characters feel pretty plain and with only one or two characteristics to their personality: Rebekah is beautiful and flirty; Hugh is mysterious and depressed; Heaven is talkative and bad. I could connect with any of the characters, but i liked Rebekah for holding her ground against Heaven and not forgiving Hugh.

In summary, I expected more. But I believe that with improvement on the writing (making the sentences connect more and be more like prose) and the character’s personality (giving then more depth and making them less horny) this book can achieve better things.

Thank you Netgalley and Creature Publishing for providing me with the eARC and I will keep my eye in the official publishing of the book.

A dark, decadent voyage through blood-soaked waters and feminist rage. Think Anne Rice meets Moby Dick, with fewer apologies.

I DNF'd this book at 30%. None of the characters were likeable to me. Very self absorbed and really not that interesting. I was excited for this book and was happy when I received this eArc but was really disappointed.

I've been sitting on this review for a couple weeks now, and I'm still not 100% sure what to say about the novella.

It's an interesting concept with immortal vampires that are going on vacation to "save" their marriage, and the troubles that they got into while there. I enjoyed the overall story and the descriptions, and how the chapters are broken down into each day on the cruise. However, there were parts that felt a bit clunky. On days with a lot of events, there sometimes wasn't a clear cut if there was a time gap; it felt like I misread or missed a section of the book when in fact that there was a time period jump.

I'm excited to see the adjustments the author will make on this book! For now it's a 3/5 read for me, but I will be keeping an eyes peeled for release date!

Vampires at Sea was a fast and intriguing read. I felt transported directly into the claustrophobic confinement of the ship. The vampires being emotional vampires was intriguing and different from what I expected. It fit very well with the story but ultimately I expected there to be more horror and intensity than there was. I would've liked to know more about the type of world that this story takes place in rather than just the vague mentions of war stranding the cruise on high waters. Overall I enjoyed the story but it left still more to be explored.

I am so sorry, but I ran out of time to read this arc. I wouldn't be leaving this review but I previously accidently already reviewed this.

Thank you NetGalley and Creature Publishing for this ARC!!

What a fun read! I wish it was out already, so I could recommend it to everyone as a beach read. Loved both the characters and the world they lived in. Perfect for fans of What We Do in the Shadows.

If you ever wondered what happens when you mix vampires with a sea voyage, Lindsey Merbaum has a fun, queer answer. Vampires at Sea is a dark and addictive read with a great hook that pulls you in from the first page. The characters are sharp, the humor is witty, and the stakes, no pun intended, are high. Merbaum crafts a world that feels both fresh and classic, with a narrative that has a certain charm. While the journey itself is a whirlwind of mystery, romance, and bloodlust, the overall plot sometimes meanders, and the conclusion could have been more impactful. It's an easy escape that is still a good time.

Well this is certainly a unique spin on vampires! I loved the humorous tone throughout, and the pages flew by.
More queer vampire cruise stories, please! This felt so refreshing and fun to read!

This book was atmospheric and engrossing. I loved how the plot twists started from the very beginning and kept going. I really like how the author played with perspective to subvert expectations. I definitely want to read more from this author

This book had an interesting premise, however the writing was not for me.

Since I did not get to the end I will not be making a public review,

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this ARC.

I’ve come across this novella being compared to ‘What We Do in the Shadows,’ and I suppose I understand why people have made that connection but for me; I loved WWDITS but I didn’t love this…

While I had high hopes for this novella, I must admit that I found myself growing increasingly bored. I struggled to grasp what elements of the story made it a horror. I’m not particularly fond of ‘spice,’ but this just felt rather flat and uneventful.

On the positive side, I did appreciate certain aspects of the writing style. This is enough to pique my interest in reading more of the author’s work in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the opportunity to read this title.

I really enjoyed this novella is was quite quirky and ambiguous. I loved the unique take on vampires and their open relationships. The exploration on how even though a relationship may be open and agreed upon by both parties doesn’t always reflect equality in each partner’s experience. I also really enjoyed the exploration of jealousy and greed.

Really interesting and enjoyable read overall.

errrg i really tried. had to dnf 😭 this book tried to be sexy. was not sexy, i couldn’t relate to any of these characters and i felt like they were sorta just narcissistic and not bad ass. i think this book is a good fit for other people maybe! just not my style of book.

Rating this book required me to break down the reasons I find a book interesting. I’d say it’s a combination of good writing that gets the point across, and an entertaining plot. Considering I read only fiction, these are my only criteria. But this book confused me.
At first I liked where the plot was going, because threesome angst? It’s usually fun, and just a little stressful. But this headed into heartbreak territory so fast. I deeply sympathised with Rebekah (even though I wouldn’t like her very much in real life, but maybe that’s the point of a lust-consuming vampire?) and hated Heaven’s guts, but I found myself disliking Hugh even more simply because I couldn’t understand him at all. In another situation, it could help the readers relate to Rebekah’s confusion, but it ended up giving me a vague sense of disconnect. In a story where everything was carefully detailed and mentioned for a reason, Hugh was very frustrating to untangle.

But the conclusion was gratifying, and the writing is impressive. Rebekah’s voice adds a casual dispassionate sexiness to the narrative, and later, a very believable jealousy and wretchedness. The transition was smooth too! There’s much to like about this book, but it didn’t quite manage what the writing could have achieved.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.