This is such a cute lil' vampire story! I love the idea of someone making merch for the vampire community. I think the story's twists and turns of getting this business of the ground and the light love story will be popular with teens. Students that are into cutesy vampire stories will definitely gravitate to this one.

This was cute- I enjoyed the art style a lot! I didn’t enjoy the pacing as much and found the story to drag at some parts. It also didn’t read as YA to me for some reason.

Still, I liked the overall idea of this graphic novel and think perhaps the target audience would love this more than I did.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Oh, this was super fun! An engaging art style and color palette reel the audience into this intriguing sapphic paranormal story filled with nuanced dynamics and thoughtful main character arcs. I love how complex and unexpected a lot of the vampire lore is. The pacing was a bit off at some points, but your investment in their arcs really keeps you hooked. Genuinely, this would be a great start to a series of Pepper's world. More please!

Thank you to Simon Teen for the eARC.

Honestly, I don't know why I don't read more graphic novels. Because I've become too pampered and hate to hold open physical books to read sometimes?? We'll never know.

But A Bite of Pepper hit the spot. Fun storyline, interesting characters, amazing art design. The ending felt a little open-ended and I hope that means a second volume will be coming. I would love to see more vampire puppies, please and thank you.

This was so cute! I love reading graphic novels and getting to see all the beautiful artwork, and this did not disappoint in that aspect.

I LOVE any type of story that involves vampires. Always have and always will. And throw in some sapphic characters? Oh, this is made for me. I did wish we got to see a bit more of romance between Pepper and Ana but this wasn’t trying to be a romance-centered story.

I only had one real issue with this and it was the pacing. It felt very rushed at times to me. It seemed like we’d jump from scene to scene and I found myself wanting a bit more from a conversation or plot-line. I know sometimes with graphic novels it can be hard to find a balance on how to transition from scene to scene, but, this one struggled a bit more than others. It left me wanting more from the characters and their dynamics. I think if this story had maybe an extra 50 pages (I know, I know, that’s a lot!) it would’ve thrived.

Regardless I still did enjoy this! I think if you’re a fan of graphic novels and vampires then this would be something nice to pick up if you want to relax and just have some fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel -- the storyline was great and the art was perfect. I personally would've liked more of it in color than black and white but I don't think it took away from the story itself. I think this is a great novel for YA -- despite it being about vampires (or those about to be), I think there are some great lessons of the importance of having a family (whether by blood or found family), being/embracing yourself, and more. Great job.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC of this graphic novel- it was such a cute read.

Tropes/Themes: Coming of Age, Conflicted with Major Life Changes, Paranormal, Vampire Dog with Wings, Adopted Brother

This was an adorable coming of age graphic novel where the FMC Pepper, is struggling with becoming a vampire and losing her mortality. She loves to skateboard but isn't taken as seriously as the humans since she has "special powers" as a vampire or soon to be vampire.

The relationship between Pepper and her mom is strained and I liked the resolution of it. She also has a complicated relationship with her brother, who is kind of always trying to pull a get rich quick scheme.

The dog with wings was so cute- and Peppers winged backpack was a cute way of showing her relationship with her mom and how it had changed as she grew up.

Really loved the drawings and can't wait to see the finished book so I can see the entire graphic novel in color!

This is a solid 3.5 to me. I loved the art and I really did enjoy the story. I found Pepper to be a bit much and overblown but I appreciated the story as a whole. A very cute book.

Cute YA about differences, family pressure and relationships. The vampire twist was cute and the turning of a dog was super cute.

This was a cute one! Pepper reminds me a bit of Mavis from Hotel Transylvania if Mavis could skateboard. Shroom and Moss are the cutest vampire doggies and from the first few pages which were colored this will be amazing when the whole thing is done up this way. Overall a solid read perfect for some light frights and daydreaming about spooky season.
Thanks NetGalley and McElderry Books for the arc!

We follow vampire Pepper, except she isn't a full vampire just yet. At the ceremony intended for her to find a partner to turn, she meet an unlikely friend in the human Ana, a starving artist.

A endearing coming of age story of sorts.

We deal with Pepper struggles with her identity as a skateboarder that want to be known as more than a vampire. Going so far as too for all intent and purposes starve herself to stay on equal playing grounds with human skateboarders.

It explored complicated mother-daughter relationships as well as sibling relationships.

It was a cozy and friendly read that I would suggest for younger audiences.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

A Bite of Pepper by Balazs Lorinczi is a YA cozy paranormal graphic novel. Pepper and her younger brother Jeb still haven't had their Turning, the process that makes them into full-fledged vampires by taking a bride, a human that they also turn into a vampire. When Pepper meets Ana, a human artist working at a vampire event, it starts Pepper off on her journey to figure out what she really wants for herself.

There’s some fun new spins on vampire lore here. This is the first time I’ve seen individuals born to two vampires needing to turn someone else before fully becoming a vampire themselves. What makes this interesting to me is that it takes a different approach to the half-vampire concept and those who haven’t Turned can technically choose to never do so. The implication is that vampire society would view it as bizarre and that most people don’t wait that long so they can be young forever, but Balazs Lorinczi uses that to make a point that things we do that impact our lives significantly should be done at our pace and not someone else’s.

Ana and Pepper have a somewhat buddying Sapphic relationship that never fully develops into a romance. It stays a friendship over the course of the book, but I could see something possibly coming forward into the future. I don’t think the story would change significantly if it did become a romance, but I do love the choice of centering a book on female friendship with Sapphic undertones. We need more stories about female friendship.

The copy I received was in grayscale for the majority of the graphic novel with the first roughly ten pages being in full color. I’m not sure if the final edition is going to be completely in color or not, but the pages we did get in color were in beautiful pastels and helped convey a soft, dreamy cozy quality. The art style is more round with nice details in the physical features but the backgrounds are a bit on the minimalist side. It works well with the tone.

I would recommend this to fans of YA stories about vampires and readers of graphic novels looking for a cozier pick.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review. This comes out in August

This was a fun little YA graphic novel about a gay skateboarding vampire. What more could you need in a book?

Although the art style was incredibly cute and I loved the color palette, I had a hard time liking any of the characters. Pepper was a little too angsty and defensive for my personal taste, but I did love her development in the last 30-ish pages where she reconciles with the other main characters.
The mom and Jeb didn't resonate with me either, there were a few scenes I didn't agree with their actions. Ana was the most likable for me.
Also loved that there were vampire dogs with bat wings! That was my favorite part. What cuties!

This was a great read, the art was absolutely beautiful, the story was drawing and i couldn't put it down. One thing about me is i absolutely love a YA paranormal sapphic graphic novel and this filled me with such joy, Thank you so much Simon Teen for this e-arc! all opinions are my own

This is a fun and inclusive graphic novel set in a world where vampires are real and live openly among humans. Pepper Mint is a young naturally-born vampire (she seems like a teenager, but given the rest of the cast I'd guess she's probably actually supposed to be in her early 20s?) who is in constant conflict with her vampiress mother, who wants her to take a vampire bride (the term used to describe a mortal who consents to being turned into a vampire). This process will freeze Pepper at the age she is for immortality, and Pepper has reservations both because she wants to continue growing and changing and because she is worried that the immense physical powers that come with being a true vampire will make her skateboarding hobby less interesting. Enter Ana, a mortal artist who stumbles upon Pepper and, encouraged both by her art instructor and Pepper's brother, co-develops a skating lifestyle brand around Pepper's vampire-skateboarder vibe. However in order to secure funding either Pepper or her (also a vampire) brother need to become full vampires and Ana is willing to be turned in order to make this happen, which causes Pepper to spin and bail emotionally. I enjoyed the story overall, although I have to admit that Pepper herself was possibly the least interesting character of the lot (possibly because, again, she seemed like a young teen interacting with an otherwise all adult cast). I'd be interested in reading more about these characters or even just this world in the future.

A cute queer romance between a human and a vampire. I loved the discussion between Ana and Pepper about how being a vampire crystalizes you vs Ana wanting to be a vampire because she has nothing else. It was a very sweet book.

Thank you Balazs Lorinczi, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Super cute graphic novel but also love how c it went into a lot more depth than most graphic novels. I loved how much heart and the different lore of the vampires in this graphic novel.

I read this in one sitting, it was so fantastic and cute. It has such a unique take on the vampire lore and it brings it to the twenty first century. Full of modern aspects, you’ll absolutely devour this as well.

We meet Pepper, she hasn’t fully turned vampire yet, so she’s trying to please her mom by attending these special events to try to look for a bride. When Pepper sees her half brother bothering a young beauty girl named Ana, she saves her by leaving the event together. Everyone’s lives will change when they start getting to know each other. The story has such a wonderful ending and the color choices are absolutely perfect for this book. Definitely a must read if you love a cute and quick pick me up story.

A Bite of Pepper by Balazs Lorinczi is a fun Queer YA graphic novel about a fledgling vampire skateboarder and a human art student. Pepper, our almost vamp, doesn't see the appeal of fully turning into a vampire. She thinks it will over shadow her hard worked skills at skateboarding. However our human Anna can see the appeal and the found family and stability that being a vampire could bring her. Add in a meddling younger brother, a well meaning mother, an adorable vampire puppy, and a bit of drama and you have a well rounded graphic novel.