I am a sucker (ha!) for a good vampire story. Growing up during the height of the Twilight books and films, glistening and broody vampires only helped me confirm that I am not just painfully straight, but also hopelessly in love with vampire main characters.
My passionate love for vampires is ultimately what led me to pick up Cloak of The Vampire, a quick read with an interesting twist on your typical vampire storyline. The question is, will this new take be enough to keep things fresh and interesting?
**Please note: This review contains minor spoilers**
Plot Summary
Cloak of The Vampire follows the bloody saga of Aileen Henderson, a brooding 21 year old who is not like other girls and spends her time being a lapdog for her vapid friend Cassidy Jones, a wannabe popstar. Shortly before a show, Aileen follows Cassidy to a back alley after a fight to discover her lip locked with a vampire. Since the book didn’t end with Aileen’s murder right then, we see Aileen turned and taken by this same vampire into an underground vampiric secret society.
Not long after Aileen finds herself in a weird blood cult, she meets Ragnor Rayne, the vampire lord of the sewer society and the future extremely emotionally unavailable love interest. In addition to her new vampire status and situationship, Aileen learns that she will eventually be put up for auction with the other newcomers, where vampire lords will bid and purchase “commons”, or the boring kind of vampires, to join their sewer cults.
Despite the wild ride Aileen finds herself on, she knows that she is still keeping a secret of her own. Something that might earn the ire of some gods, and put her life and the lives of others in mortal danger.
Quality of Writing
Rating: 1/5
While I did technically listen to Cloak of The Vampire, it reads like a Wattpad fanfiction. Truly, this book has some of the most atrocious writing I have ever seen and heard. Between the overuse of P*ssy and bizarre inclusion of the word Noob, much of the writing was an absolute cringe fest that had me laughing in exasperation.
Additionally, for a book that is heavier on the spice, each scene felt completely soulless and had no tension or buildup whatsoever, making the spice feel more like filler than substance.
Plot Development
Rating: 3/5
Shockingly, the plot of Cloak of The Vampire is pretty solid. While it is quite dark at some points, I found the concept of a vampiric auction and secret societies to be an interesting direction, and it made me feel like I was reading something completely new. Despite the abysmal writing, the plot had me hanging on by the skin of my teeth throughout the entire book.
Characters
Rating: 1/5
Sadly, both main characters throughout Cloak of The Vampire are completely devoid of any personality and chemistry. Aileen is a massive pushover, Ragnor is a brooding and self-involved jerk in the most unsexy way possible, and if anything, both experience character regression instead of growth. By the end of the book, Aileen is a sniveling mess for a guy that could not care less about her, and Ragnor does not soften or see the error of his ways at any point. Both are absolutely miserable and annoying characters to read.
For a book featuring several side characters, all of them are equally as boring, soulless, and miserable as Aileen and Ragnor. All of the supposed “friends” are vapid, rude, and selfish, and I have to believe that this was done for shock value and drama, even if poorly executed.
Ease of Reading
Rating: 2/5
Amazingly, Cloak of The Vampire had me both exhausted and intrigued. While the dialogue and Aileen’s first person POV were a nightmare to get through, the plot kept me hanging on by a thread. Nevertheless, I found this book difficult to listen to purely because of this constant whiplash feeling.
Ending
Rating: 3/5
To my surprise, Cloak of The Vampire had an ending that stood on its own two feet and felt like a great lead up to a 2nd book. Unfortunately, the ending did not convince me that I would give a rat’s behind about any of the characters and their plight, which is a shame because the plot is actually quite innovative and presents a lot of opportunity for future installments.
Would I Recommend This Book
Please do not torture yourself with this book. Although I would consider picking up this series as a fluff read down the road purely to see where the plot goes, I would strongly advise against reading Cloak of The Vampire if you prefer to avoid the need to scrub your brain afterward.
Overall Rating
Book Rating: 2/5 (TW: Blood, Human Trafficking, SA (off page), Child Abuse (off page), Attempted SA)
Spice Rating: 4/5
Unfortunately, my longtime love for vampires could not save Cloak of The Vampire from a scathing review. While the writing quality is in serious need of an editor, and the characters need significantly more development, both the main plot and cliffhanger ending managed to barely save Cloak of The Vampire from being an absolute dud of a book. At the end of the day I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror, and recommending this book would prevent me from doing so.
Curious about how I rate my reads? Check out my Rating System Blog Post for more!
Let’s Talk
Much of the tension between Aileen and Ragnor is a result of a power dynamic akin to the BDSM Dom/Sub concept. What does it look like, in your eyes, to successfully explore these dynamics without taking away from the plot?
Reading Stack
Previous Book: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Current Book: A Reign of Rose
Future Book: Blood of The Gods
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