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wannabekingpin's review against another edition
4.0
All reviews in one place: Night Mode Reading
Giving author the benefit of the doubt here.
Jane lives her life in a creepy old house, with her dying mother. She’s asocial, but not by choice. her nature, invisible to the eye, is pulling at the primal instincts in people, making their skin crawl. Even her own mother, with as little expression as she has left, seems to show no will to communicate with her daughter. So, with no friends, hated and shunned, Jane tries to survive until she can finally leave. Somewhere. Anywhere. Up until a new girl, a gorgeous gothy Sabrina shows up, and turns her whole world around. Starting with this new sensation of having a friend, and escalating to love. And passion, during which Jane unceremoniously got drunk with Sabrina, forced herself on her, after a very clear no, and gnawed at her neck to sate the beast inside. For Jane is a vampire, and her mother is dying due to this dark nature of hers.
Sabrina, either to her own kind heart, stupidity, or compulsion of a vampire, forgives Jane, and they set off on a quest to find Jane’s father, the very one who passed this gene upon her. Jane hopes he’d know of a cure, or at least some substitute she could use instead of constantly abusing Sabrina. Or, maybe he could teach her how to be better. And oh boy, does Hugh McGarrett has lessons for her. Not the least one is how easy it is to manipulate those who aren’t afraid of their kind. People like Sabrina.
Jane is a horrible little monster. First bells rang in my head when she called herself a “seducer” after she forced herself on this girl. Rapist is the word, Jane. Second, she thinks she’s giving something by, what? Caring for a stray cat, and dying mother, who is dying because of this “care” she’s providing? Or was it caring to drag a girl on a wild chase of some man who never wanted to have anything to do with her, because hey, that friend has a license, can take her mum’s car, and oh, Jane can feed on her all the way there, all the while smooching up, and playing with the “I love you, I need you” cards. And then the very, very final straw was when this girl, while laying down the body of the person who saved her, claimed she has saved herself. Yes, you locked yourself in, good job on saving your sorry ass. So, as you can see, I’m feeling extremely negative towards this book. But I will give it a 4 out of 5 anyway (3 might be more fitting, due to lack of substance in secondary characters, like Sabrina). Here’s why: I hope that author is not insane, but rather – brilliant. Jane is a very classic vampire. A disgusting creature, deluded into believing any demented reason they come up with on why their existence is good. I do believe that if Stoker’s Dracula would’ve been written from his perspective, we would’ve heard how kind and generous he is too. So with that hope, that’s the rate I’ll give this book. Don’t read it if you don’t like the image of the modern vampire tarnished.
Giving author the benefit of the doubt here.
Jane lives her life in a creepy old house, with her dying mother. She’s asocial, but not by choice. her nature, invisible to the eye, is pulling at the primal instincts in people, making their skin crawl. Even her own mother, with as little expression as she has left, seems to show no will to communicate with her daughter. So, with no friends, hated and shunned, Jane tries to survive until she can finally leave. Somewhere. Anywhere. Up until a new girl, a gorgeous gothy Sabrina shows up, and turns her whole world around. Starting with this new sensation of having a friend, and escalating to love. And passion, during which Jane unceremoniously got drunk with Sabrina, forced herself on her, after a very clear no, and gnawed at her neck to sate the beast inside. For Jane is a vampire, and her mother is dying due to this dark nature of hers.
Sabrina, either to her own kind heart, stupidity, or compulsion of a vampire, forgives Jane, and they set off on a quest to find Jane’s father, the very one who passed this gene upon her. Jane hopes he’d know of a cure, or at least some substitute she could use instead of constantly abusing Sabrina. Or, maybe he could teach her how to be better. And oh boy, does Hugh McGarrett has lessons for her. Not the least one is how easy it is to manipulate those who aren’t afraid of their kind. People like Sabrina.
Jane is a horrible little monster. First bells rang in my head when she called herself a “seducer” after she forced herself on this girl. Rapist is the word, Jane. Second, she thinks she’s giving something by, what? Caring for a stray cat, and dying mother, who is dying because of this “care” she’s providing? Or was it caring to drag a girl on a wild chase of some man who never wanted to have anything to do with her, because hey, that friend has a license, can take her mum’s car, and oh, Jane can feed on her all the way there, all the while smooching up, and playing with the “I love you, I need you” cards. And then the very, very final straw was when this girl, while laying down the body of the person who saved her, claimed she has saved herself. Yes, you locked yourself in, good job on saving your sorry ass. So, as you can see, I’m feeling extremely negative towards this book. But I will give it a 4 out of 5 anyway (3 might be more fitting, due to lack of substance in secondary characters, like Sabrina). Here’s why: I hope that author is not insane, but rather – brilliant. Jane is a very classic vampire. A disgusting creature, deluded into believing any demented reason they come up with on why their existence is good. I do believe that if Stoker’s Dracula would’ve been written from his perspective, we would’ve heard how kind and generous he is too. So with that hope, that’s the rate I’ll give this book. Don’t read it if you don’t like the image of the modern vampire tarnished.
mdpenguin's review against another edition
5.0
I got this as part of a Story Bundle and finally got around to picking it up without really knowing what it was. I thought that this was an effective meditation on predation and codependency. I found myself wondering about whether or not Dalpe really intended it for young audiences -- I found it pretty dark, intense, and full of some pretty complex emotional and moral situations that I'm not sure I would have fully grasped as a teenager. I found an interview where she said that she wrote it in response to the romanticization of really unhealthy relationships that she was finding in other YA vampire novels. Overall, I really liked it. Reading it so soon after my mother's death was a bit difficult for me: my mother and I didn't have the best of relationships and, while I tend to blame her for it, I can't deny that I have some role and it was already hard for me not to wonder how much of a monster I may really be without realizing it but the first part of this novel really amped those feelings of guilt up to 11. I very nearly had to put it down. I had been reading it rather slowly and decided to sit down and read most of it in one sitting to get through it because I really don't like the idea of putting down a novel just because it's making me think about my life and feel strongly. I mean, isn't that what a good novel should do? Anyway, I'm glad I stuck with it because it was engaging and well written. If I have one complaint it's that she didn't end with Jane's suicide. I doubt it would have have been picked up, particularly as a YA novel, but I think it would have been the most appropriate ending, if not the most satisfying.
evewithanapple's review against another edition
2.0
Probably more like a 2.5. There were some interesting ideas at play, but none of them really bore out.
whatmeworry's review against another edition
3.0
This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com, I received a copy of this book for review consideration
There was a great deal that I liked about ‘Parasite Life’ but the quality of the writing never quite keeps up with the freshness of the ideas. It’s a different take on the teen vampire novel, that has more in common with George A Romero’s excellent movie ‘Martin’ than it does with the likes of ‘Twilight’. Aside from their taste for blood, the vampires here are indistinguishable from humans. The challenges they face are emotional, social and practical. There are no villagers marching to the gates with flaming torches, just moral unease and problems of finding a fresh supply of blood.
To even use the V-word is slightly spoilery, but it’s pretty obvious right from the start why teen protagonist Jane feels so different from here peers, and why her catatonic mother is covered in tiny wounds. Jane’s path through the novel is one of self-discovery, as she gradually uncovers the secrets of her origins and her mother’s mysterious illness. She shares narrator duties with her mother, whose diaries flesh out the back story. The secrets those diaries reveal are wonderfully macabre, and evidence that author Dalpe has an entertainingly twisted imagination. This is a very personal kind of horror. The horror of the fluid contents of our slowly decaying bodies and of the power our instincts have over our rational minds. There are scenes and images here which linger long after the page has been turned.
‘Parasite Life’ is marketed as a YA book. I’ve long struggled to understand exactly what gets a book that classification, other than a teenage protagonist. The book has that, but the horror is full bloodied, and I’d certainly not recommended it for very young readers. In line with other YA books I’ve read, Dalpe explores coming of age themes like teenage alienation and the relationship between parents and children. Indeed, Jane and her mother represent a horrific and desperately bleak vision of motherhood. The handling of the teenage elements is particularly sensitive, and Jane’s problems make her an appealing and sympathetic character. She is easy to relate to if you’re someone who has ever felt that they don’t quite fit in. Her growing friendship with new girl Sabrina is also well done. It’s convincing and a reminder of how intoxicating new relationships can be.
The richness of the ideas and themes makes it all the more disappointing that the story is weak. The problem is that it’s all self-discovery with no real plot to back it up. Loner Jane befriends the new girl at school, things get weird between them, Jane finds out the secrets of her past. That’s basically it. The resulting lack of tension and drama meant I found myself reading the book because I wanted to see what Dalpe did with the concept, rather than because I was gripped by the story. What’s more, things feel a bit padded given the lack of incident. I can’t help feeling that there’s a great short story or novella in here, but at nearly 300 pages the book is too long. The writing can be pretty turgid too, it’s not bad, it just never crackles.
For all that, I think the book is worth reading. It’s original and often thought provoking, even if it lacks a compelling plot to pull the reader through it.
There was a great deal that I liked about ‘Parasite Life’ but the quality of the writing never quite keeps up with the freshness of the ideas. It’s a different take on the teen vampire novel, that has more in common with George A Romero’s excellent movie ‘Martin’ than it does with the likes of ‘Twilight’. Aside from their taste for blood, the vampires here are indistinguishable from humans. The challenges they face are emotional, social and practical. There are no villagers marching to the gates with flaming torches, just moral unease and problems of finding a fresh supply of blood.
To even use the V-word is slightly spoilery, but it’s pretty obvious right from the start why teen protagonist Jane feels so different from here peers, and why her catatonic mother is covered in tiny wounds. Jane’s path through the novel is one of self-discovery, as she gradually uncovers the secrets of her origins and her mother’s mysterious illness. She shares narrator duties with her mother, whose diaries flesh out the back story. The secrets those diaries reveal are wonderfully macabre, and evidence that author Dalpe has an entertainingly twisted imagination. This is a very personal kind of horror. The horror of the fluid contents of our slowly decaying bodies and of the power our instincts have over our rational minds. There are scenes and images here which linger long after the page has been turned.
‘Parasite Life’ is marketed as a YA book. I’ve long struggled to understand exactly what gets a book that classification, other than a teenage protagonist. The book has that, but the horror is full bloodied, and I’d certainly not recommended it for very young readers. In line with other YA books I’ve read, Dalpe explores coming of age themes like teenage alienation and the relationship between parents and children. Indeed, Jane and her mother represent a horrific and desperately bleak vision of motherhood. The handling of the teenage elements is particularly sensitive, and Jane’s problems make her an appealing and sympathetic character. She is easy to relate to if you’re someone who has ever felt that they don’t quite fit in. Her growing friendship with new girl Sabrina is also well done. It’s convincing and a reminder of how intoxicating new relationships can be.
The richness of the ideas and themes makes it all the more disappointing that the story is weak. The problem is that it’s all self-discovery with no real plot to back it up. Loner Jane befriends the new girl at school, things get weird between them, Jane finds out the secrets of her past. That’s basically it. The resulting lack of tension and drama meant I found myself reading the book because I wanted to see what Dalpe did with the concept, rather than because I was gripped by the story. What’s more, things feel a bit padded given the lack of incident. I can’t help feeling that there’s a great short story or novella in here, but at nearly 300 pages the book is too long. The writing can be pretty turgid too, it’s not bad, it just never crackles.
For all that, I think the book is worth reading. It’s original and often thought provoking, even if it lacks a compelling plot to pull the reader through it.
cupofbooksreviews's review
4.0
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I have given Parasite Life by Victoria Dalpe four out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trigger Warnings: sexual content (not consented) and self harm
I gave this book a high marking as I really enjoyed what I read. I liked Victoria's writing style and her take on the vampirism genre. There was a more realistic sense and tone to how a real vampire would be viewed and act. They are, in basic terms, parasitic monsters which have been sexualised and romanticised, although this novel includes those aspects it also shows the realism behind the everyday struggles that a vampire has with the outside world.
I found Jane's character fascinating. At times I really liked her but then at others I really disliked her, mainly for the troubling actions that she instigated throughout the book. For the most part, I tried to put myself into her shoes and realise that she's never experienced this before, it's all new and scary to her which helped to try and connect with the main character more. Sabrina was a really nice touch to Jane's life and I really enjoyed reading about their relationship and how they became friends with one another. This is probably one of my first books where its included an LGBTQ+ female female relationship-esque trope! *gasp* I honestly don't know how I haven't read one sooner, but I really enjoyed it. I loved their connection and attraction for one another, despite the heavy reasons behind Sabrina's infatuation with Jane.
I really enjoyed the comedic touch in this book especially little moments between Jane and Sabrina. One in particular tickled me when they're comparing themselves to Edward and Bella from the Twilight Saga.
Overall it was an interesting, brutal and honest YA Horror/Fantasy book which I really enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who enjoys the same genres to pick this one up.
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