Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I have no clue how I feel about this book. The plot, I thought, was an original idea and appealed to me immensely. Vampires on a queer cruise? Brilliant concept. It had so much potential. It was a quick and easy read. There were a few moments that were quite funny and absolutely no shortage of the promised unbridled narcissism. I feel like the actual plot fell a bit short for what I was expecting. I basically stuck around because I was interested enough in trying to figure out the mystery of Heaven.

The writing was a tad bit choppy for my taste. The flow of the story came off as abrupt and scattered at times, which caused some disorientation regarding what was happening and whether it was actually happening or just inner dialogue from the FMC. I found all of the characters to be insufferable. This book, I think, was just not for me.

I think this book could be very fun for a very specific audience. This novella might be for you if you enjoy weird, short books with a superficial plot.

This book had a fun campy premise but ultimately it fell incredibly flat. Every character felt either too far away or too incredibly insufferable (and not in a fun way!)

Vampires at Sea was a very quick but fun read. I loved this take on vampires, how they feed. I love the take and shift of how modern shapeshifters and vampires would live. Even though this was an extremely quick read it plucked all of the strings in terms of various emotions.

vampires in culture are mostly associated with horror, horror, a kind of luxury, sophistication.... I, on the other hand, most like vampires of the silly type, vampires of the "I've lived hundreds of years, I've seen the downs and ups of civilization, I've dated a byron, I've been commander of an army, but I can't get along with my roommate who should take out the trash" type (yk what, fair)
I think, that "vampires at sea" is form over substance - it's an enjoyable read, the first-person narration of a powerful vampire is carried out with a light, in places very witty pen, but the story itself lacks the depth that the author clearly wanted to achieve

this is an enjoyable short read, especially for fans of vampires
if you do not have too high expectations and a free afternoon for something undemanding, I recommend!

2.5 ⭐ rounded up

This had all the ingredients for a dark, spicy, and atmospheric read, but it veered off track very quickly.

My biggest issue was the FMC, Rebekah. I couldn’t connect with her at all, which made it hard to stay invested in the story. I kept hoping for more depth or intrigue, especially between her and Hugo. I really wanted them to be actual vampires or at least have some mysterious edge, but instead, they mostly came across as sex addicts. It felt like a missed opportunity for something more compelling.

The ending didn’t help either. It felt rushed, chaotic, and left way too many threads dangling. I finished the last page wondering if I missed a chapter or if it just ended that way.

There were flashes of potential here and there, and the premise is a good one, but the execution just didn’t deliver the depth, tension, or cohesion I was hoping for.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing an ARC for my honest review.

Thank you Creature Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I would describe this book as bit of a fever dream. It’s an interesting study of the characters and what happens when a contradicting one is introduced into a couple. Additionally, I liked the extreme emotions and space concept explored in the narrative.

I’m happy that I read it but I would be cautious to whom I would recommend it to.

First, I’ve been on a horror kick lately so I thought I would genuinely enjoy this book. I did not, but I’m going to point out some things that I think others will like.

It’s a novella about Queer energy sucking vampires on a modern day queer cruise. 🚢
The vampires give off of Gomez and Morticia vibes but gender swapped. (Also referenced themselves as twin gods who fuck at one point and that was a HUGE ick for me so TW?)
There was a certain level of interesting takes on how memory isn’t real especially when one’s immortal.
I think all vampires should be gay, I mean how can you be straight when you’ve lived that long? 🤣.

Second, what I wanted out of this book.
I wanted pirate vampires. I got vampires on vacation that gave me the creeps from the jump and didn’t get me invested in their story.

Quick short read though!

This was a quick , snappy read. Really fun .
Vampires on a ship .

The end was sort of sad but hopeful.
I loved the characters a lot especially the main couple.

4.0⭐
Release date : October 7th, 2025

Quick, queer in all meanings of the word, dry humoured page-turner with hidden depths.

A cute vampire couple on a cruise ship, that's all you need to know before trying it out ! Its 168 pages were read within 24 hours, which isn't typical for me.

I love the author's writing and I will be looking out for their future "serious" witch book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. 🙂‍↕️

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, this book wasn’t for me. I’m sure I’m missing commentary about being an influencer, narcissism, greed, sexual politics, relationships and all manner of other things that went over my head.

While the writing was smart and pithy, I just found that I couldn’t much care about anything that was happening here.

This book is beautifully written, and even if sometimes the events are a little too confusing to follow, the story is compelling enough to continue reading. The relationship between the two protagonists is well fleshed out and deliciously intriguing. The threat of the looming war and the glittering facade of the cruise slowly slipping away all come to a head in a (admittedly a little bit too fast) whirlwind of events that leaves the reader reeling, wondering about the future of the characters. All in all, it was a fun quick read that doesn't shy away from desires and pleasures, and that grazes weighty themes like a person's forgotten roots and self-determination.

Huh. The summary of this novella says "A smutty horror-comedy featuring unbridled narcissism, Vampires at Sea is a hilarious snack!" and you know what? Not so much.

Yes, lots of sex was had. Smutty, though? Err, sort of? Depending on your definition, I suppose.

Horror? Was that label added just because vampires and shapeshifters = Horror?

Comedy? Everybody has different things that make them laugh, and the comedy here did not make me laugh.

Unbridled narcissism? Sure it was a hedonistic cruise but... I don't know.

In the end, I finished it. It was kind of disappointing but I think it'd have been less disappointing if I hadn't read the fully summary and a couple reviews first.

So it's 3 stars from me; because it was an absolutely wild idea that I've never seen before and doubt I will again. So all kudos to the author for boldness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the chance to read an early copy of this novella in exchange for an honest & original review.

A vampire couple board a queer cruise and fall in love with the same person? Sign me up. I had high hopes but sadly this didn’t work out for me. Homophobic language was used, which surprised me. I found the characters one dimensional and dislikable and I actually thought the queer representation was pretty negative.

There was a moment about halfway through when Rebekah starts questioning Heaven’s identity that I thought things were going to get interesting, but then it didn’t. The plot relied on a combination of barely sketched out orgies and narcissism. Really, not a lot happens and the characters are so surface level that it was hard for me to care about the outcome either way. It felt like the outline of a story rather than the finished thing.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc.

I loved loved loved this book!
It was short and snappy, our FMC Rebekah and our MMC Hugh are off on a relaxing vacation (ignoring the war going on around them) and have a lovely time engaging in orgys and a cheeky feast on other passengers.
The writing was easy to read and very clever. Rebekah was hilarious and I wish we had more FMCs like her around.
This is a fun book and I was cackling all the way through. I just wish Hugh was as developed as Rebekah but also… I kinda love a dominating FMC.
Also epic queer reps!
I hope we see more from this author!

Unfortunately the writing style just wasn’t for me… I was quite excited by the premise but I couldn’t get past sentences like; “some drinks aboard were free, others were not.” Which is just one example of the structure not working. Even the few spicy scenes I read were short and didn’t seem to be fully developed. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

This book was truly something else. I went into it with super high expectations, after all, a story about vampires on a cruise sounds like a lot of fun. But unfortunately, those expectations weren’t met. The plot was chaotic, featuring some sex-addicted vampires, and large parts of the story just didn’t make much sense to me.

I can definitely see why this might be a favourite for some readers, but sadly, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you @netgalley and @creaturepublishing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🫶🏻

Camp, bizarre, unique and enjoyable. I definitely don't regret reading this book, though I definitely underestimated how much sexual content there would be. This would probably work better as a full-length book, rather than a novella.

I wanted to love this so badly - especially with a premise such as this which is so unique and a gorgeous cover. I appreciate the queer representation. It was extremely chaotic and messy that made it difficult to follow along. I did not connect with the characters.

I really wanted to like this book, but sadly, I did not. I went into it with high expectations and was left disappointed. The book as a whole felt underdeveloped - the plot was not strong, and unfortunately, the characters weren't strong enough either to at least hold the story afloat. It's just a no for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Creature Publishing, and Lindsay Merbaum for this read.

Vampires at Sea had such a bold, intriguing premise, and I was excited to dive into something that promised to be different. I really appreciate the queer representation and the fact that this book wasn’t afraid to take risks. But for me, it didn’t quite land.

The story felt chaotic in a way that made it hard to follow, and instead of feeling exciting or unpredictable, it often felt disjointed. I wanted to connect more with the characters, but everything was moving so fast (and in so many directions) that I never really got the chance.

That said, I do think there’s an audience for this kind of wild, genre bending ride- it just wasn’t the kind of reading experience I personally enjoy. Unique for sure, but ultimately not for me.