This book is not for the faint of heart.

The pacing of the story is slower than I had expected; whilst we are immediately introduced to vampires in the first chapter, they don't really become a significant part of the story until maybe ~30%. This pacing made the read particularly challenging for me as this is a story of Black pain with even scenes of joy being grounded in moments of sorrow, Without a sense that the slaves would be able to get their vengeance soon, it became really difficult to continue reading.

The level of graphic violence in this book is on a whole other level. Redmond clearly wanted to make the reality for the enslaved characters incredibly vivid so we have multiple scenes of torture and rape as well as continuous dehumanising language throughout. These scenes are painted in such haunting clarity that it felt gratuitous. This is a book that clearly wants the reader to feel uncomfortable but it is ✨a lot✨.

Choosing Willie as the main character / leader did not work for me. I couldn't quite put my finger on why Willie did not work for me as a character but I would have preferred Gertie or Irene to have been framed as the leader of the uprising. Willie's recklessness which resulted more in those around him being hurt was incredibly frustrating and he seemed completely unaware of this character flaw as he was always so unwaveringly sure that he was in the right.

I really wanted to love this book but the ultra-descriptive nature of many scenes combined with Willie because a really difficult-t0-like character made this book a bit of a miss for me. Whilst I get the comparison to Sinners given that it is very much the big thing du jour, there is a crucial absence of Black joy from this narrative which was very much the core of Sinners.

Author: Markus Redmond

Genres: AA Fiction/Supernatural/Fiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary: Rafazi was the last of his kind, from the Ramanga Tribe of Africa. After a plague wiped out his entire tribe in the 1400s, Rafazi stayed hidden in order to not be captured. After centuries of hiding, too weak to fight back, in 1700, he was finally captured and sent to The Barrow's Plantation and worked as a slave. There he met Willie and a revolution begins.

Tropes and Themes: breaking cycles of slavery, social injustice, revenge, revolution, resilience.

Character: I think one of the most notable characters for me was Irene. I loved her ambition, and she was demonstrated as a leader. Although Gertie may have saw her as inferior, she let everyone know she was not a child. She took control and I loved every minute of each scene.

Thoughts: I requested this as an ARC after seeing the author promoting his book. I was interested and I am glad that I had a chance to read it before it was released. From the very beginning, I was hooked as it starts off with character and cultural development in which we understand how Rafazi came to be. I love how the author creates a space for strong character development, which really enhances the story. Moreover, the story was executed perfectly as it was slow paced in the beginning in order to world build, but it was done in a way that it kept me reading and wanting to know what was going to happen on the next page.

Furthermore, I loved the historical aspect of the book as well. The author brings awareness of suffering not only of African Americans but other people of color, specifically Native Americans. In the same way, I loved the dialect that was utilized in the story. I think I actually know some older people that still speak this way, which made the story more relatable to the historical time of the book.

When it comes to the ending, I have no words! I don't want to spoil the book but when Kwadzo (Willie) consumed fire, I felt chills. Definitely a 5-star read!

** The book has some triggers as it can be painful to read about the excruciating way that people of color were treated. It includes sexual, physical, emotional abuse and neglect of women and minor children. Please check your mental health before reading this.

You know a horror novel’s doing something right when the vampires are the least horrifying thing in it.

Firstly, this book is excruciatingly painful to read. If you plan to pick it up, please take care and be mindful of content warnings. I don’t say this lightly. Nearly every major trigger is present here and it’s depicted on page including sexual violence, abuse and 🍇 against both men and women. This is a confronting depiction of life on plantations that came about due to the transatlantic slave trade and it doesn’t sugarcoat or sanitise the truth.

Reading this hurt and it was supposed to I guess, because pain can be a form of witness. I found myself asking how much horror is too much and who gets to decide that? As the reader, your mileage may vary. My interpretation is that it doesn’t shock for the sake of it but it asks us to remember.

There were moments I wasn’t sure I could finish. I had to put it down multiple times because the content made me feel physically ill. It brought me to tears. And yet, that discomfort stems because it's grounded in truth.

Redmond makes no attempt to dilute the cruelty and perhaps that’s intentional. Because it seems it's more important now than ever to explore how hatred spreads and how white supremacy infects, mutates and persists and why it feels especially relevant in today’s climate.

We're seeing the echoes of these ideologies in politics, in celebrities promoting eugenics through denim ads, people who still have their weddings at plantations and in real-world horrors.

I realise I haven’t told you much about the plot. There is some cool and unique stuff done with the African vampire folklore of Ramanga... If you wanna know more you can just read the blurb.

Just know, there’s catharsis here. Fiction, at least, lets the oppressed fight back.

Blood Slaves is cinematic as hell and someone needs to make it into a horror film immediately.

Do I recommend this book? 100% yes, but only if you’re in the right headspace

This book was amazing! I usually don't read or have an interest in vampires, but this was such an interesting plot and was executed so well.

Set in the time period during slavery in the south, Willie is desperate to gain freedom. His first attempt fails and he is met with a vampire. He's always known about the myth of the Ramangan vampires, but soon finds out they are real. Is this the way to gain freedom at last?

Will evil defeat evil when faced with the extremes of slavery and racism? Is it worth it?

I loved that this premise was the ultimate attempt at revenge. There was so much action and mystery, I didn't want to put it down. I felt so many emotions while reading this book, especially rage for the disgusting and absolutely cruel ways that the slaves were being treated.

The subject matter is extremely graphic and filled with slurs on practically every page, so please take care when considering picking up this book. I feel it is worth it but I can imagine it can be hard for some to get through this, so check trigger warnings. The TW list is very long. I feel this story sends a powerful message about the brutalities of slavery and racism, but satisfying to read of the fight for revenge. Look forward to the next book in the series!

Thank you Kensington Publishing Corp, Markus Redmond and NetGalley for this ARC!

Blood Slaves was an amazing, and difficult, read.

Amazing because of the catharsis that I felt while reading it. It was so refreshing to see the oppressed fight back with everything that they had. Most of the time, people say that violence takes you nowhere, but it does, for better or for worse, it does.

Difficult because there’s so much violence: mental, physical, verbal, sexual. It made my heart ache, but I pushed through because, although fiction, somewhere in the past, someone very real had to live through it.

Irene was my whole heart.

Markus Redmond, that was one hell of a debut.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

On premise alone I was very excited for this book. Vampires and a revolution of slaves looking to take back their lives from their white kidnappers? Sign me up. The first 30-40% of this book was great. We back the background on the vampire lore, the Ramanga tribe of Ghana, of which one of our main characters is the sole survivor. He finds himself on a Carolina plantation where he meets Willie, an enslaved African, whom he wants to convert in order to have a companion again. Willie and Rafazi begin a revolution to turn the enslaved people into more of the Ramanga and take the plantation from the white man who owns it.

This book is a blend of horror and historical fiction. It does not pull punches when it comes to the violence inflicted on slaves during this time period. However, it feels like it's there for shock factor at some points. There doesn't seem to be too much forward momentum with the characters at times but considering this is a book one in a series, I'm wondering if we'll see more in the next book.

I wish there were more interaction with the Native Americans and the slaves after the initial conversations about sharing the land, again who knows, we may see more of this in the subsequent books.

Overall, I just found the writing a little flat and the story left me a little wanting at times. Overall it was enjoyable but not the homerun that I thought it would be.

It is the year 1710 in Province of Carolina on the Barrow Plantation. We follow slave Willie who meets Rafazi an African vampire of the Ramanga tribe from the Kingdom of Ghana. Willie is fed up with the oppression and Rafazi presents him with an opportunity to seek redemption for his people through the Blood.

Together Willie and Rafazi build an army of blood slaves to take back what’s rightfully theirs.

The author states this is not a story about slavery but of a slave. It is still hard to stomach some of the content, but imperative to not forget. It is never easy to relive a small glimpse of what our ancestors had to face. The Whip-Crackers will indeed leave you hot and wanting to throw the book across the room. The authors reasoning for pivoting this story and writing it from the perspective of a slave seeking redemption (as a vampire). Makes me appreciate the story even more (read the introduction). After reading the introduction I already knew the book was going to be 5 stars for me. It was the vulnerability for me.

I loved the slave narrative aspect, from the treatment to the language. It read like a real slave narrative. Of course the vampires, which added an element of excitement. The roots of history mentioned, from African to Native. He did such a phenomenal job with this story. Like Isis stated…

“It’s too bad your vampires can’t go back in time and fix everything from the get-go”

SEND ME BOOK 2, like yesterday. Thanks in advance

What if nobody ever freed the slaves…because they freed themselves – 150 years before the Civil War?--
The last surviving member of an ancient African vampire clan meets a slave in the early days of American slavery and together they lead an army of other enslaved people into a blood-drenched desperate war for freedom.

First of all, I want to express my appreciation for having received an advance reader copy of Blood Slaves by Markus Redmond (which while completely irrelevant, as a Dutch person feels like the perfect name for an author penning vampire stories, as “mond” is Dutch for “mouth”, so you could translate the name to ‘Red mouth’ – or if you take the French translation of ‘mond’, which is ‘world’ and translate it to ‘Red world’ which is also really fitting – it truly feels like this man was born to take on the vampire myth.), which is published by Dafina, an imprint of Kensington Publishing. Considering that this book deals with very, very difficult topics and I am a white reader, I’m appreciative of the opportunity to read this and educate myself further on the transatlantic slavery experience. I have received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Going into Blood Slaves, I had not checked the trigger warnings, as they were not readily available or mentioned on Netgalley, and so I was not ready for what I was presented with. And honestly, my bad: I should have put in more effort there because this is a horror novel. Redmond, unflinchingly, dives into the absolute horrors of slavery, exposing his readers to all the gruesome abuse that was suffered. For the first one hundred pages it is basically back to back abuse laid out in a very graphic manner and making my way through that was really tough. I will not lay any claim to any of the abuse because as a white person I have no right, but as a sexual abuse survivor, I honestly had to put the book down multiple times because it was too much for me. It does get better after those first hundred pages: the violence is still exceedingly graphic and ever-present, but there is a shift as the rebellion of the blood slaves begins to take form and they begin to fight their way to freedom.

I can honestly see why this is marketed as cinematically written novel, because it is so graphic you can see things unfold right in your mind’s eye, and that is a very powerful tool and an undeniable compliment for Redmond’s writing style – even though it’s also what makes this a hard novel to read.

All in all, I will not be rating Blood Slaves with stars because based on my enjoyment, the rating would not be favorable. I do think, however, that this is a very important novel and a really powerful addition to the vampire literature field, and I truly hope it finds its way to its readers. Be warned though: don’t just go off the ‘for fans of Sinners' when picking this up, because while there are strong parallels for sure, this novel requires a lot more caution before you go in. Take heart, read the content warnings, and if you’re absolutely sure you're okay with those, pick this up and appreciate it for what it is: a powerful piece of supernatural, alternate history horror fiction about Black people fighting for the basic human rights they should have never been stripped off in the first place.

"Blood Slaves" isn't your typical vampire story; it's oh so bloody and bold you surely won't forget it. Set in North Carolina in 1710, we follow Willie, an enslaved young man and Rafazi, A old vampire who offers to help Willie gain his freedom and seek revenge on any and everyone. After suffering horrible beatings and a wife Gertie that was expecting Willie of course chose rebellion.

Thank you to Markus Redmond and Kensington Publishing for this opportunity to read and review this Advanced copy all opinions are my own.

The historical context was beautiful, and the story's extremely raw violence serves a purpose. The graphic imagery was reality for Slaves in that period so I fully understood the need. The writing is vivid and created a rich world with deep emotions. Rafazi is an incredibly intriguing character, a mix of evil and f around and find out. This book is a must-read! I can't wait for more work from this Author.

This novel is INTENSE. There's a lot of graphic violence, abuse of all kinds (verbal, physical, psychological, sexual, you name it), and a level of realism to American slavery that's gut-wrenching, nauseating, and absolutely disgusting.

You've been warned.

In a way, I'm really glad that the author, his editor, and publisher didn't sanitize or censor the realities of the transatlantic slave trade. At times it read like trauma porn, but maybe that was just me trying to justify the need for everything to be written out in explicit detail.

Anyway, if you love/like Sinners, but you want to see Black folks use vampirism to their advantage, then I'd recommend this as a great addition to the horror and supernatural genres. It's a bit of a slowburn, but the ending is definitely worth it. Think Roots, but with African vampires and vengeance.

Thank you to Dafina and NetGalley for this arc.

Fantastic! I love the meaning, depth and overview within the story. Although heavy in nature, the beauty and resilience of black people shines.

Blood Slaves
Markus Redmond

If given the chance to exact revenge on those who pose an eminent threat, I like to think that I would display the same fortitude that Kwadzo shows. In his pursuit for the safety of his future, he becomes something other than the image he’s created to survive. Rafazi is the source of great wisdom in his evolution. In that period of isolation, he matured in a way that would be beneficial to Kwadzo. He uses Rafazi’s knowledge as a catalyst. The power he inherited from the blood of Ramanga is a gift. His problem is convincing Gertie that this method of reckoning is necessary.

Gertie feels disregarded by Kwadzo making decisions outside of the agreements they’ve made with each other. Under the influence, of something so powerful, she thinks Kwadzo is indifferent to her plight. She wills him to think about the future that they’re creating together as the only point of leverage she truly has. She’s justified and wanting him to stay alive and to be with her, but he’s also not wrong for seeking an alternative way of making a change that’s needed.

The oppression of enslavement is apparent throughout the novel. So, if you’re more interested in the vampiric aspect, be aware. As I previously stated in the past, I’m a patient reader. If there is ever a revenge plot in juxtaposition to slavery, I’m going to complete the book. Luckily for me, I truly enjoyed this one.

Not to mention, the actual battles scene was beautifully articulated in a way that made it cinematic and cathartic. There are other things I could say about the novel, but I would rather you uncover yourself. It’s worth it.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC.
#readandtellwithshantel #netgalley #BloodSlaves #MarkusRedmond

Haunting. Hypnotic. Holy hell, what a ride.

From the moment I read the synopsis of Blood Slaves, I felt it humming in my bones. A story that doesn’t just flirt with darkness—it bares its fangs and bites deep. Markus Redmond doesn’t offer us escapism. He offers reckoning. Rage. Resistance. And somehow, a strange and stunning sense of redemption.

Set in an alternate version of America’s brutal past, Redmond breathes life into a tale where the enslaved refuse to remain victims—where vengeance is not only justified, but sacred. Through the Ramanga—African-origin vampires rooted in real myth—he builds a narrative that honors pain, confronts power, and gives teeth to the question: What if the hunted became the hunters? Let’s be clear: this book doesn’t blink. It looks you dead in the eye and dares you to look away. The horrors of slavery aren’t softened. The violence isn’t stylized. But damn if it isn’t earned. Every lashing heartbeat of this novel aches with historical weight, emotional fury, and ancestral fire.

And yet—there’s beauty here, too. In the myth, in the reclamation, in the quiet tenderness between characters who refuse to let trauma define them. There are moments so intimate, they feel like secrets whispered in the dark. Moments that wrap around you like southern humidity—thick, inescapable, and alive with memory. Redmond’s voice? Sharp as a blade. Poetic without being precious. His background in acting clearly lends itself to the cinematic quality of his prose—scenes unravel like a camera tracking through shadow and flame. I could feel the heat, the hunger, the heartbreak. And I need to talk to someone about Kwadzo and that dog. No spoilers, but seriously… What even?

Final thought: Blood Slaves isn’t just a novel. It’s a reclamation spell. A story that feeds on history and bleeds truth. It’s uncomfortable, unforgettable, and utterly necessary. Markus Redmond didn’t just write a vampire book. He resurrected the buried. He sharpened the fangs of the oppressed. And he reminded us that even in the darkest history, there is always the possibility of a blood-red dawn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing | Dafina for the early read. I’ll be haunted by this one—in the best possible way.

YES !!! This was a phenonmenal read. I loved the the context of mythical vampires and historical context of slaves blending. This unexpected combination adds layers of depth and intrigue to both the vampire mythos and the portrayal of slavery. This book is great for anyone that is looking for a blend of fantasy with a mix of historical truth. I loved seeing the transtion of Willie into his given name Kwadzo both versions showed strength and leadership, loved it. Now that dang on Gertie though, she worked a nerve but I do understand the concept of flying under the radar and not shaking the trees. This story did touch on very sensitive subjects that happend to slaves so a trigger warning check may help you. Thanks to NetGalley and Kingston Publishing for the ebook early read. If this book is comparable to the Sinners, I cannot wait to see it.

✨Happy Release Day to Markus Redmond✨


Willie and his friend Charlie risk everything to escape Barrows Plantation. Just when freedom seems within reach, the plantation hounds catch them. Tragically, Charlie is unalived and Willie is dragged back only to be told by the cruel overseer, Morrow, and Big Jim, the plantation owner, that he will live, but he will suffer and Willie is brutally beaten for daring to run.

Up until now, Willie has kept his head down, surviving by staying out of trouble. But everything changes when he’s reunited with his partner, Gerti, who reveals she’s pregnant. Suddenly, Willie must decide: will he allow their child to be born to be a slave, or will he take a stand and fight for something better— Freedom

One night, Willie is forced to assist the mysterious chamberpot man. He was nneasy at first, but Willie soon discovers the man is not who he appears to be and this encounter could be the key to not just his own freedom, but a future for his family and his people.

‼️Please check the trigger warnings. DO NOT SKIP THEM‼️

This book tackles incredibly heavy themes and its very painful to read . I had to put the book down more than once out of sheer anger because some of them characters were so vile, I wanted to reach into the pages and deal with them myself.

This story will have you experiencing the desperation, sorrow, hope, rage, betrayal, and unconditional love that these characters embody and ultimately, their sweetest REVENGE!

This book does leave off on a crazy cliffhanger , and I can’t wait to see what happens in Book Two.

“How far would you go, and what price would you pay, to protect the people who mean everything?”

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blood Slaves is marketed as a supernatural, historical horror novel set in the antebellum south, and a cathartic revenge story inspired by Redmond's rage at witnessing the cycle of police violence perpetuated against Black people in America. It's comped to literary giants like Tananarive Due and Colson Whitehead, who have written inventive and poignant novels centering Black history and social commentary. I was so excited to read this book.

My excitement died after about 60 pages, and I got increasingly more frustrated as I kept reading.

Blood Slaves is the epitome of squandered potential. The intention is there, the premise is exciting and inventive, the characters are interesting and complex. The book is weighed down by over-reliance on violent imagery that comes across as exploitative, overwritten narration, and whiplash tone changes that undermine both the complexity of Redmond’s characters and his strengths as a writer. Blood Slaves’ catharsis gets lost in a void of voyeuristic violence, coagulating into a feeling of numb detachment. I respect Redmond’s post-2020 fueled rage, and I’m all for colonizers and abusers getting what’s coming to them, but Blood Slaves got a bit lost in its execution.

Firstly, this book has serious issues in its writing craft. I understand that I am reading an ARC, but these issues aren't just one-off oopsies that accidentally made it past an editor; they are fundamental craft errors. The writing, both in narrative and dialogue, is clunky and unimaginative. Scenes read like un-annotated screenplay blocking; flat dialogue, mechanical POV jumps, zero suspense.

Every scene is overexplained. Vampire lore and world-building is delivered via infodumps of dialogue with no sense of tension or suspense. Context clues are obliterated by the narrative as nothing is left for the reader to deduce. No scene is allowed to sit in silence or tension to allow for contemplation or reflection. The dialogue is contrived, relying on an antebellum southern dialect that doesn't add anything to the story besides creating a weird mythos where the super-evolved vampires "speak like white people" because their brains have evolved to make them extremely intelligent and masters of language.

The writing’s tone is all over the place, sometimes jumping from serious to campy within a span of paragraphs. One chapter will depict graphic, nauseating violence, the next will feel like a YA paranormal novel where the main character goes to a camp for cryptids and everyone talks about their cool powers. In moments of tension, the author will randomly insert tone-shifting "comedic" lines that totally dissolve any sort of suspense previously brewing.

In comes the second major issue. Blood Slaves needs to be marketed as extreme horror. The horror that's written here doesn't come from the mysterious intrigue of vampires, scathing social commentary, or haunting moments of suspense and terror. It's chapter after chapter of detailed, graphic violence against enslaved people. It feels cheap and exploitative.

I understand that extreme violence is historically accurate for the time period. These things really did happen, to real people, for decades upon decades. This fact is exactly why I was uncomfortable with the author's voyeuristic depiction of said violence. It is gratuitous and takes up almost 60% of the novel. Every chapter includes some form of violence, told in explicit, graphic detail. Including FIVE graphic sexual assaults and rapes, and the abuse and assault of children. These assaults are used purely as a plot device to push the other characters, especially our male lead, to seek out revenge.

The vampires in this novel read more as flat superheroes than well thought-out symbols of social commentary. This is paired with the strange tonal changes that read like YA chosen-one fantasies. "Yeah we run really fast, it's called The Blur. Watch me break this boulder.” It gave the same vibe as Edward sparkling in the woods and saying "This is the skin of a killer, Bella". Which is ironic because Redmond made the point in his own marketing of this book that he “always dug vampires, but they’d been coming off as whinier a few years back and less bad ass”.

Unfortunately, it seems like Redmond’s idea of badassery is graphic violence done to women for shock value. It feels like the violence is inserted to create performative grittiness rather than putting effort into imaginative horror and suspense. Redmond comes across as someone unfamiliar with both the horror genre and novel writing as a whole.

By the time the book reaches its climax and the enslavers get their comeuppance, it feels hollow when it should feel cathartic. It adds extreme violence onto a book already full of so much extreme violence that it feels exhausted. This is the violence that should matter, that should be the horrifically satisfying crescendo after pages of suspense, but instead I felt detached and dissociated. The strength of these scenes come from the characters processing their grief through vengeance, rage, and tears, but the action itself feels uninspired after an entire book of violence.

Ultimately, Blood Slaves left me numb and vaguely nauseated. Where I wanted a redemption arc, I got trauma porn and unrefined writing.

Vampires and an alternate history regarding slavery. You had me at vampires!! You can't go into this book thinking it's about slavery. You may be triggered, however, that didn't deter me from reading or enjoying this book.

This one is actually my first soft DNF. I may revisit it again soon. This story is violent and I do resonate with the author’s anger and feelings behind the writing of this book but the execution was not well presented. The story moves slow and at the 42% mark is where I feel it picked up but not enough for me to continue at the moment. I agree if readers enjoy Stephen Graham Jones or the movie Sinners they should try this book. But as a mood reader I had to stop this book. Will recommend to audience though

You looking for Sinners vibes but during slavery, then this book is it. If Django and Roots had a book with a splash of vampires and revenge, then this is it. This book is bold in your face with the mistreatment of slaves. So if you can’t handle what I’ve mentioned then do not read. Overall, I was thrilled to see a book where the tables were flipped and slaves gain their independence by any means necessary. Thank you to NetGalley, Markus Redmond and Kensington Publishing for the ARC of Blood Slaves.

Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Publishing and Markus Redmond for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Before I state my opinions on this book, I need to emphasise the need to inform yourself of the content warnings before diving in. This book is HEAVY and features some graphic scenes of a violent and repulsive nature. It also heavily centres themes of racism, slavery, and mistreatment - so please read the content warnings first.

Overall, I would rate this 3.75 stars, but will round up to 4.

'Blood Slaves' was compared to Ryan Coogler's recent movie 'Sinners', which immediately drew me to it. It reimagines the vampire origin story, set on a slave plantation in 1710 in the American South, and blends historical fiction with supernatural horror. The idea that vampires could be reborn through a struggle for freedom and revenge really intrigued me. The characters were nuanced and complex; some were so full of rage at the injustice they have endured that they leaped at the chance to become stronger, faster and more powerful, however some struggled with the cost of power and how it would change them. I really enjoyed the conversations between characters debating what constitutes evil and where the line is between morally grey and outright evil.

A major part of this book, that will undoubtedly impact every reader, were the scenes where the slaves were maltreated. It was so hard to read, but it makes your blood boil and I think this was Redmond's intent. You feel the injustice and you root for each and every one of them in their revenge and, for me, I didn't care how brutal they were to achieve it.

That being said, I was wholly aware of the content warnings before starting this book, and I am not usually so easily affected by gore/horror, but I think due to the circumstances and nature of this book, many scenes were quite disturbing and I had to quickly scan through them. This unfortunately impacted overall enjoyment of the book. The only other gripe I have with this book, is that some scenes felt repetitive. Willie/Kwadzo and Gertie seemed to have the same conversation/ debate multiple times, and other conversations between Willie/Rafazi, Big Jim/Monroe, Big Jim/ various slaves also felt slightly repetitive, using the same phrases and subjects.

Overall, 'Blood Slaves' is, in my opinion, a book that you could discuss for hours. There is a lot to unpack, and all within only a small number of pages. It is a difficult read but one that, in the end, is worth it. I really enjoyed the alternative history/ vampire origin story and the idea that due to their circumstances, the slaves on the plantation were given the option to become 'monsters' to overcome the real monsters. I would recommend this book, but only if you are comfortable with the content warnings!!