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Vampires of Portlandia

Jason Tanamor (Goodreads Author)

3.24 · Rating details · 72 ratings · 61 reviews

When Marcella Leones relocates her family of aswang vampires from the Philippines to Portland, Oregon, she raises her grandchildren under strict rules so humans will not expose them. Her only wish is to give them a peaceful life, far away from the hunters and the Filipino government that attempted to exterminate them.

Before she dies, she passes on the power to her eldest ...more

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Paperback, 436 pages

Published September 29th 2020 by Parliament House Press

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Average rating 3.24 ·

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· 72 ratings · 61 reviews

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Aug 04, 2020 Melanie rated it liked it

Shelves: vampires, blog-tour, lgbtqiap, arc, shifters, read-in-2020, maëlys, quarantine-reads, filipino, witches

ARC Provided by the Author & Caffeine Book Tours (#AswanginPortlandTour)

Vampires of Portlandia is an ownvoices Filipino story about a young adult named Percival who is soon going to be in charge of taking care of his family, while also becoming the leader of what is left of the Filipino vampires! Right now, it is only him, his lola, his younger brother Roger, and their even younger twin siblings and they all fled the Philippines to hopefully have a safer life where they can live in hiding withou ...more

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Aug 04, 2020 Maëlys added it

Shelves: 2020-releases, arc, aoc

DNF @ 55% - not much has been drawing me in throughout so I think I'll just have to put that one down

Youtube ☆ Twitter

Buddy read with Melanie ♡ ...more

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Sep 03, 2020 Lauren Stoolfire rated it liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fantasy, paranormal, vampires

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Vampires of Portlandia by Jason Tanamor was one of my highly anticipated releases of September. It's not often you get to see the aswang of Filipino mythology in fiction of any kind so I jumped at the chance when I saw it on NetGalley. For the most part, I liked Tanamor's story and getting to know the characters and urban fantasy world he's created here. There's so much potential for this to great, but it never quite manages to hi ...more

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Aug 08, 2020 rain added it

i.... really wanted to like this book. i really did. but i ended up disliking it so much that i almost did not finish it 🙃

i was really looking forward to this, especially because it's inspired from filipino mythology. it has aswangs and manananggals which are figures that i know so well from horror stories i grew up with. however, im sad to say that this book didn't give these figures enough justice. they were too...americanized for my taste and i think they also lacked depth.

in fact, this book i.... really wanted to like this book. i really did. but i ended up disliking it so much that i almost did not finish it 🙃

i was really looking forward to this, especially because it's inspired from filipino mythology. it has aswangs and manananggals which are figures that i know so well from horror stories i grew up with. however, im sad to say that this book didn't give these figures enough justice. they were too...americanized for my taste and i think they also lacked depth.

in fact, this book as a whole lacked depth. everything—from the plotline to the characters—fell flat for me. i wasn't able to connect with the characters and the story which made my reading experience very unsatisfactory. the relationships in the story didn't also build up really well. i understand that the author really wanted to emphasize the importance of family but i didn't feel a strong familial bond among the characters. the romantic relationships were also not well-developed. one second these characters didn't even know each other but two paragraphs later they're two steps away from falling in love??? I DON'T THINK SO SIR.

i found the writing style very bland as well. there was too much showing instead of telling. i also didn't like some descriptions about the characters. THERE JUST WASN'T ENOUGH FLAVOR I AM SORRY 😭

i was disappointed that there wasn't any mystery to this story at all. at first, i thought there was going to be an interesting mystery subplot but there was nothing. there was no mystery behind the killings happening in portland and the knowledge of the killers was thrown in a roundabout way that i felt nothing at all when i read it.

the whole civil war plotline was also boring, especially because it started out with a stupid misunderstanding. it was ridiculous to me that the vampires were the "head" of the aswangs but leones didn't tell percival about the covenant and the other kinds of aswangs. it's also baffling that percival inherited the amulet without knowing of the other aswangs. with the amulet inside him, couldn't he have learned everything about the covenant and the other aswangs??? idk.

everything about this book was half-baked. i really had a difficult time reading it because there was nothing in the story that engaged me in the least. i also feel so bad about writing this negative review but i honestly don't know what else to say 😭 ...more

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Oct 04, 2020 Vicky Again added it

DNF @ 65.4%

I really was so excited for Vampires of Portlandia. It sounded amazing--Filipino mythology and vampires, magic, Pacific North West vibes. And I do think that the things I was excited for were still exciting, but I hit some road blocks while reading that made me ultimately DNF this book.

I almost never DNF ARCs. It's not an action I do lightly, but as my time is more and more precious in college and because it's become increasingly important for me to find joy in fiction and not drag m ...more

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Sep 24, 2020 Taschima rated it did not like it

Shelves: e-arc-titles-done, dnf, stacking-the-e-reader, netgalley-grind

DNF 12%

Vampires of Portlandia lost another reader.

My goodness, I do not like this book. The characters are flat, the story is uninteresting, the dialogue is cliché and cringey. But what really pushed me over the line of "NOPE" was a scene where a woman agrees to go to an empty bar with a man she exchanged literally maybe 20 words with because it was pouring rain and she couldn't open her umbrella. Did any women proof read this book? WHO WOULD DO THIS? No woman would go to an unknown location wit ...more

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Jul 09, 2020 Alexx marked it as to-read

Shelves: anticipated-2020

Aswang in Portland?!? Okay, that's it, I need this book in my life. Love that Filipino folklore!

Find me elsewhere: Blog | Instagram | Twitter ...more

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Oct 10, 2020 mari rated it liked it

was a 4 star... then the ending happened.

i perhaps enjoyed this a lot more than others, but that doesn't mean i didn't make it through scot free. while i don't echo a lot of other reviews' gripes about too much content, i did struggle with the writing and voice throughout the book, and oh my god do i hate that ending more than anything.

HOWEVER, much of the storytelling was reminiscent of steinbeck's cannery row, but much more plot centric and relevant with the flashback vignettes. i liked how we ...more

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Sep 23, 2020 Vim rated it did not like it

I was given an ARC by Parliament House Press for an honest review. In no way has this affected my opinion of the book.

Aswangs in the US struck me as a very interesting concept. It's an intriguing way of tackling how the Filipino mythos could play in a backdrop so modern and foreign.

That said, it did not play well.

Tanamor uprooted these creatures from its motherland, threw it overseas, and left it there to die. He stripped the lore to mere warring tribes with little to no characterization at all I was given an ARC by Parliament House Press for an honest review. In no way has this affected my opinion of the book.

Aswangs in the US struck me as a very interesting concept. It's an intriguing way of tackling how the Filipino mythos could play in a backdrop so modern and foreign.

That said, it did not play well.

Tanamor uprooted these creatures from its motherland, threw it overseas, and left it there to die. He stripped the lore to mere warring tribes with little to no characterization at all. All this because he tried to tackle too many social issues at once -- immigration, homelessness, racism... You name it, it's probably there -- for the sake of discussing them. There was no clear goal or commentary. I know the lore of the aswang and have a good grasp of the types so I could differentiate between them, with much effort. But for those reading from outside our culture, good luck. Ironically, the author put so little effort in fleshing out the stars of his show.

Even worse, I hated how minorities were represented. Aswangs in this novel are immigrants who have made their home in Portland which is described as a sanctuary to those migrating to the US. However, they were also portrayed as predators. And I thought that was the worst until I read how they thought it was okay to kill the homeless, another minority that inhabit Portland, because they are acting as population control. As if the homeless are pests.

The plot was sent this way and that, leaps of logic at every turn. I thought infodumps were the worst exposition but I found out that glossed over infodumps were, as again and again I encountered "he told them about..."

It didn't help that there was no flourish at all to the writing, the book filled with awkward fourth wall breaks, clunky dialogues, bad humor, and repetitive description.

Tanamor focused on peddling the culture of the Philippines in bite-sized portions: big enough to recognize its origin, but too little to be appreciated for the beauty that it is.

Full review on my WordPress soon. ...more

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Oct 06, 2020 Frankie rated it liked it

Shelves: adult-fantasy, asian-authors

Thank you to Caffeine Tours for letting me participate in this blog tour. You can find my article introducing aswang and Philippine mythology HERE!

Thank you also to the author, Jason Tanamor, for providing me with a free e-copy of this ARC.

So, now that the blog tour is long over, I'm finally posting my review. Trust me, nobody is more disappointed than I am. This was a highly anticipated read (aswang!!! urban fantasy!! Filipino author!!) but unfortunately it fell flat.

I think this novel needed a ...more

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Aug 18, 2020 Paula M marked it as to-read

Hello everyone, just sharing that I interviewed the author, Jason Tanamor over at my blog HERE and we're giving away copies of the book too! Open INTERNATIONALLY!

description

...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Yna the Mood Reader rated it it was ok

Shelves: asian-authored-books, arc, filipino-author, wikathon

“To being here. Something we can't always find time to do.”

📚 Series? No.
📚 Genre? Fantasy.
⚠ Book Tags: Filipino culture. Vampires.

Could Have Been So Beautiful..

As a Filipino, I always want to champion works of my fellowmen, especially because I know how hard it is to get your name out there and that Filipinos need to be represented more in media. However, when we're talking about representation, you would want to get things right before doing anything.

Reading The Vampires of Por ...more

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Aug 14, 2020 Mark Alpheus rated it really liked it

The book started slow. For me, the book's grip started when the book went back in time. The setting changes from Portland into Philippines and the background story it gave was so good. My heart was full then, as the book talked about things that are truly Filipino. I even learned new things from it. Then my heart became even fuller as I read further.

These bits of history does not only provide a great background to the present story, but it could also work as a good stand-alone story. There were ...more

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Sep 26, 2020 Sandy S rated it liked it

3.5 stars--VAMPIRES OF PORTLANDIA by Jason Tanamor is a paranormal/ urban fantasy story line based in the Filipino folklore focusing on the aswang-an all encompassing term for shape-shifting vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (dogs and crows).

Told from several third person perspectives bouncing between several time lines and perspectives, VAMPIRES OF PORTLANDIA follows the Filipino-born Leones family of vampires to Portland, Oregon where they learned to blend into the hum 3.5 stars--VAMPIRES OF PORTLANDIA by Jason Tanamor is a paranormal/ urban fantasy story line based in the Filipino folklore focusing on the aswang-an all encompassing term for shape-shifting vampires, ghouls, witches, viscera suckers, and werebeasts (dogs and crows).

Told from several third person perspectives bouncing between several time lines and perspectives, VAMPIRES OF PORTLANDIA follows the Filipino-born Leones family of vampires to Portland, Oregon where they learned to blend into the human population. Upon the matriarch Marcella Leones’ death, a new leader for the aswang world must be born, and Percival, as the eldest of the surviving vampire becomes their reluctant leader by accepting the amulet of power. A series of grisly murders in Portland becomes suspect in the mind of Percival Leones, and his brother is about to become his number one priority until he meets PJ, a twenty-something sensie with the ability to feel other people’s emotions, and the supernatural community is pulled together for a potential civil war. With the aswang community focusing their anger at the family of vampires, it is another shapeshifter that focuses its’ malevolence on the Portland nightlife.

VAMPIRES OF PORTLANDIA is a story of betrayal and vengeance; death and destruction; power and control. The supernatural creatures of the aswang have set up their communities in Portland Oregon but one of the shapeshifters believes they should no longer follow the covenant written by the God Asuang but take control of the world in which they now live. The slow building premise is interesting and entertaining but it was difficult at times to hold my attention- the back and forth between timelines revealed the backstory and history but I think if the history and events had been revealed in order, the story line may not have felt so disjointed ; the characters are numerous, curious and intriguing. VAMPIRES OF PORTLANDIA is NOT a comedic story of fun and adventure but a story about vying for control of the supernatural world.

Copy supplied by Netgalley
...more

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Sep 27, 2020 Arianne Cerilla rated it it was ok

Thank you Netgalley and The Parliament House for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book so badly. It’s a book by a Filipino author featuring Filipino lore so I was really excited about this. Sadly, the execution fell flat.

It was obvious that the author really wanted to highlight the Filipino culture and I appreciated that. I’m glad that a lot of Filipino authors have been expanding into an international audience. I do appreciate what the author was try ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Brandy {The Review Booth} rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-goodreads-challenge, the-parliament-house

Vampires of Portlandia appealed to me because of it's supernatural elements but also because I lived near Portland for several years and worked in NW Portland/Slabtown. I never had the chance to visit The Nerd Out but it sounds similar to Portland's gaming bar that I have been to in Old Town Chinatown- Ground Kontrol. If you're a fan of video games - specifically pinball or arcade games I highly recommend visiting if you're in Portland. It was nice to see Hobo's & the Shanghai tunnels make an ap Vampires of Portlandia appealed to me because of it's supernatural elements but also because I lived near Portland for several years and worked in NW Portland/Slabtown. I never had the chance to visit The Nerd Out but it sounds similar to Portland's gaming bar that I have been to in Old Town Chinatown- Ground Kontrol. If you're a fan of video games - specifically pinball or arcade games I highly recommend visiting if you're in Portland. It was nice to see Hobo's & the Shanghai tunnels make an appearance as well. On the mention of Grimm - the office I worked at in Portland sat across from a warehouse that was used either to store or manufacture props or possibly for filming. I honestly don't remember which, one of the businesses we worked with was the talent company used for the show. I really enjoyed the nostalgic trip that this book took me on and it reinforced my desire to return to the area.

I find it hard to believe that Leones would leave her grandchildren so woefully unprepared for other aswangs - like they didn't even exist. Especially after what happened to their little family in the Philippines, even though the children were probably both to young and didn't witness much of the event. The little vampire family is described as being close-knit but it just feels a little flat. Their characters aren't fleshed out enough to be interesting. The conversations and interactions between them are odd too - especially between Percival and Roger bickering over the mass deaths in Portland. I could buy PJ's attraction to Percival being amplified by his Grandmother's jewelry but not so much for Percival himself unless he was tapping into an unrealized Aswang perception. I could have forgone both romantic interests and I don't think the plot would have suffered for it. The perspective of Detective Cyrus could have also been omitted without much impact on the story, his additions could have been added through news outlets. Geena was really the only character I took a liking to, she seemed far more mature for her age than the rest of the family.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I think if it was spread out through two books the world and character building would have been immensely better off and allowed readers to connect more with them and the lore behind aswangs. The aswang lore is not a topic seen often and I would have loved for it to be more in-depth than it was. The backstory behind the aswangs leaving the Philippines was interesting. Percival being relieved at the amulet's final destination is odd - I would be terrified. I would like to thank Parliament House Press for the opportunity to return to Portland through Vampires of Portlandia - all opinions are my own. ...more

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Aug 15, 2020 Rachel rated it it was ok

Shelves: aoc, netgalley-arcs, 2020-reads, dnf

I really wanted to like this book about aswangs and Filipino folklore set around a family of adopted vampires in Portland. Everything about the idea spoke to me! But the execution just fell flat. I couldn't find any depth to the story or characters, and at almost halfway into the book, I'm still not sure what the plot actually is. Sadly, this one wasn't for me. ...more

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Sep 22, 2020 Amber rated it it was ok

Shelves: netgalley, paranormal, read-2020, vamps

Overall, this book was a bit rough to get through even with my love of vampires. Rough to read due to pacing and writing. Rough due to treatment of characters and the romance. Just rough.

I received an ecopy of this through Netgalley; however, all opinions are my own.

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Jul 30, 2020 Solace_In_Reading marked it as to-read

7.30.2020
I am excited for this!!

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Sep 25, 2020 Tami rated it liked it

Shelves: filipino-authors, filipino-characters, vampires, 2020-reads, mythology, arc

Find me elsewhere:
🔮 Blog | Instagram | Twitter 🔮

Read my review on the blog here.

There was a time when I didn’t feel Filipino at all, when I didn’t connect with either of the countries I belonged to. I didn’t know much about the Philippines even though my family would visit once a year. But if there was one thing I knew well, it was our mythology and folklore. I’ve always been obsessed with the different superstitions, stories, ghost hauntings told by my family, especially my lola (grandmother). ...more

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Aug 21, 2020 M.K. rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-arcs

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book wasn't for me. The full review can be found here.

Flat characters with stilted dialogue with the whole plot hanging on the plot device of Marcella not preparing Percival for his role as a leader. I loved the lore and better execution would've probably helped with liking the book, but I can't recommend it as it is, in need of proofreading and editing. ...more

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Sep 25, 2020 Yvan Ngo rated it really liked it

Shelves: bipoc-authors, bipoc-representation, filipino-authors, filipino-representation

According to the lore, the legend involved two brothers, both gods. One brother Gugurang, was pure, and the other, Asuang, was flawed.

Growing up in the Philippines, I remember being more frightened than usual nearing November 1st and 2nd. These are the days when we mostly visit our dead relatives. I’ve always felt as if the pull of the supernatural is weirdly strong during these two days — I am also 150% scaredy-cat so, what do I know? Haha! I also remember news segments dedicated to ghosts, white ladies, and weird unworldly sightings. In addition to that, we live in belief, and maybe fear, of unnatural beings existing either in (or on) your neighbour’s tree, or that mound of dirt two streets over.

This was the main reason why when a blog tour invite for Vampires of Portlandia popped in my inbox, I quickly applied and hoped I could be a part of it.

Vampires of Portlandia is a #ownvoices story centred around the aswang lore in the Philippines. It follows Percival, and his family as they blend in in Portland, when a sudden influx of homeless and elderly deaths shakes the city. Much of what I know about aswangs in the Philippines came from scary movies that I tried so hard to avoid (remember Shake, Rattle and Roll?). Having these beings as the center of Tanamor’s story set during the holidays somewhat lessen the scare factor a little which I greatly appreciated. In addition to this, Tanamor gave the aswangs a morality to start with. They didn’t just pop out of nowhere. They are human.

Family, my friend, is the most important thing to Filipinos.

One aspect of the Filipino culture which was prevalent in this story was family. Family doesn’t always mean “by blood”. Family also means doing what ever you can to protect those you love. Throughout the story, I can’t help but feel as if Percival, Roger, Geena and Marco were put in such a disadvantage. However, the more I sit on it, the more I realize I probably would’ve done the same thing Marcella, their grandmother, did.

I enjoyed reading this. I enjoyed the display of conspiracy theory woven by the government to rid the Philippines of aswangs. I enjoyed the nods to Filipino culture. Furthermore, I appreciated Tanamor preserving their morality. Just because they’re aswangs doesn’t mean they’re evil.

Thank you to Caffeine Book Tours, Jason Tanamor, and Parliament House Press for letting me be a part of this blog tour and for providing me with a digital ARC for review.

If you would like to check out the rest of the #AswangInPortlandTour tour stops, you can do so by viewing the schedule here. ...more

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Aug 04, 2020 Ro rated it liked it

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a digital ARC of this novel.

Actual rate: 2.50 stars

Well, this is probably one of the most challenging books i have had to review so far. Truly, I don't know how to explain how this novel felt to me without wanting to start aggresively ranting just then to feel guilty.
On one side, this book had a very interesting premise (and a very sick cover). The fact that it's strictly connected to Filipino mythology and showed a realistic reason for why a I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a digital ARC of this novel.

Actual rate: 2.50 stars

Well, this is probably one of the most challenging books i have had to review so far. Truly, I don't know how to explain how this novel felt to me without wanting to start aggresively ranting just then to feel guilty.
On one side, this book had a very interesting premise (and a very sick cover). The fact that it's strictly connected to Filipino mythology and showed a realistic reason for why all these creatures and the story was set in America was also a breath of fresh air in the Urban Fantasy genre (I swear, it's mostly forgotten but it's a detail that adds realism to the story).
Now, the problem of this novel is that it had the perfect ingredients to create an amazing story, but sadly they were dosed pretty wrong and it ended up being a mess.
First of all, the characters are completely flat. I have no idea of what kind of personality they were supposed to have, and the only one who distinguised himself a bit was a teenager who was going trough his Angsty phase. The feelings that their relationships should have provoked were inexistent: both the bond between the siblings and the one they had with their Lola felt empty, and the romantic relationship were not only insta-loves but also worse-than-Twilight cringey. I swear, the dude told the girl he liked that he was a vampire and she was like "oh...I like you too" and kissed him. Then there's the relationship that the angsty teenager had with a another random person, who was quite older than him and honestly is pretty questionable.
The writing style, the way this book was thought trough, was the worst part of the book. It's the reason why I can't help but call this book a mess. The dialogue was unrealistic, and the style of language didn't describe well the emotions the scenes required. The plot was incredibly confusing, sometimes there were scenes that led nowhere, while in others the narration left out details that were often crucial to understand the scene and the worldbuilding. I literally had to google the elements inserted into the story to fill the void, and the very brief descriptions that were given in the book felt like they were copied from Wikipedia
The finale felt also quite ridiculous, and anticlimactic.
In conclusion, as I said before, this book really had the chance to be a great novel, but the way it was executed made a mess out of it. ...more

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Oct 30, 2020 Deana Barker rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Loved this book for a lot of reasons but most notably for an entirely different take on vampires. These are aswangs from Filipino lore and I really enjoyed the origination story, as well as their arrival in Portland, Oregon—truly a sanctuary city welcoming “all kinds.” Tanamor paints a vivid picture of everything Portland, from landmarks to its pride of weirdness to the ubiquitous population of crows.

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Aug 19, 2020 ♥Milica♥ rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs, meh, fantasy, vampires

I really thought I'd love this one. Unfortunately, it didn't match my expectations.

The book was very repetitive, if I didn't remember something the first time it was said then no worries, it would be mentioned again and again and again...

I didn't much care for the "past" chapters, I kept wishing for them to end quicker so I could get back to the real action.

In the "present" chapters what I liked was the family bond, I felt it. Percival is a good big brother who would even sacrifice himself to ...more

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Sep 12, 2020 Dionne (HeyoitsDeej) rated it liked it

Shelves: one-time-read-books, books-with-asian-roots

This will be a mess of a review. Entirely, a huge question mark just pops on top of my head as I finished the entire book. Vampires of Portlandia is the story about a small aswang family of Percival with his adopted younger siblings and "maternal figure" grandmother Leones. The family migrated to Portland from the Philippines, due to the increasing number of murders the Philippine Government placed on their kind. Years later, Percival must step up and take his place as the head of the family, an This will be a mess of a review. Entirely, a huge question mark just pops on top of my head as I finished the entire book. Vampires of Portlandia is the story about a small aswang family of Percival with his adopted younger siblings and "maternal figure" grandmother Leones. The family migrated to Portland from the Philippines, due to the increasing number of murders the Philippine Government placed on their kind. Years later, Percival must step up and take his place as the head of the family, and faced the challenges of being the leader of the entire aswang community.

That being said, the elements of the book were intriguing. It was a blend of Philippine Folklore, culture, and a little bit of life for Filipinos outside the motherland. Jason Tanamor aimed to create a supernatural, bad-ass kind of story with a strong sense of Filipino family ties. However, it was not selling for me.

It was mentioned in the book, of how the story is set similarly to the Grimm TV series universe. Being a huge fan of Grimm, I also saw certain similarities, but the dynamic and intricate universe of Grimm, didn't convey well with Vampires of Portlandia.

There were a ton of plotholes in the story, that made it hard for me to enjoy the story. The first off was how the characters felt flat. I didn't agree with much of Percival's decisions and reactions towards Roger, and the same could be said with Roger's actions as well. Leones, their lola also became a general plothole to me. The first was that, for a leading vampire, to simply dismiss not telling Percival and his siblings that there are other types of aswangs out there, or even laying down the general laws of the Covenant to ensure that the kids live a normal life made it questionable for me. You have this young adult guy going to be the future leader of aswangs, and there are no heads up on the rest of the hidden society of them.

It's like giving a kid an army and he's just playing soldier. The other plotholes rely more on the vagueness with the Covenant in general. This entire mess happened because Roger ate some aswang crows, and the sudden solution was "hey he broke the covenant, let's stalk and pressure them, instead of acting all civil and have a nice chat over coffee and explain why your brother fucked up."

I found it hard to believe that for the other breeds of aswangs would fear Percival's family and resort to tricks just to grab their attention, instead of seeing them as just this group of kids that no longer have a parental figure, and approach them not out of fear but of respect, or curiosity. I think, aside Hector, the bartender, the rest of the werefolks and witches handle the situation poorly.

The romance was stiff, and confusing on most parts. The book has genuine potential, but it is really rough around the edges and in need of a ton of polishing both in plot and character-wise. Overall, I am giving this book a 3-star rating. It was an okay read, though not yet on the high list of my recommendation list. I'd like to thank, NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for providing me an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Oct 01, 2020 Patricia Lim rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, filipiniana, horror, paranormal, own-voices, urban-fantasy, new-adult

Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in the tour.

This is part of the review I posted on my blog: Review: Vampires of Portlandia

Who knew that the aswang, like any modern Filipino, can be uprooted and live somewhere in the world? Vampires of Portlandia is an ownvoices novel about a family of aswang in The narrative is centered on the family of Percival, a young adult vampire who is destined to b Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in the tour.

This is part of the review I posted on my blog: Review: Vampires of Portlandia

Who knew that the aswang, like any modern Filipino, can be uprooted and live somewhere in the world? Vampires of Portlandia is an ownvoices novel about a family of aswang in The narrative is centered on the family of Percival, a young adult vampire who is destined to be the next head of the vampire clan and the aswang, living in Portland, Oregon. As non-humans, they try to blend and act like humans; however, the occurrence of murders left, right, and center makes it harder for them to cloak their identities as the murders appear to be supernatural.

Aswang in Filipino lower mythology is a group of shapeshifters. In the novel, Percival and his family are a group of vampires. The other four clans included are the witches (mangkukulam or mambabarang), ghouls, viscera (manananggal), and werebeasts. Each of the group has a leader that makes sure that the clan members follow the covenant, an age-old agreement given by the gods to the aswang to live in harmony.

The premise of aswangs living somewhere else outside of the Philippines is an unexplored concept for me. With urbanization and globalization, they must keep up with the times, right? It must mean that they have adopted modern ways of living. This explores the Filipino lower mythology further because it does not stop on the retelling of what they are and what sets them apart from other creatures. It goes deeper to show who they are and what they do.

Honestly, I was excited with the premise of the novel. Aswangs in a foreign country? Sign me up. What I like in the story is the emphasis on ties, whether it be family or friends. I also like the opportunity to see the life of a Filipino in a foreign land, especially the difference between the migrant and the first generation. I also like the attempt to show queer characters developing interest with each other (although it started with wrong reasons and behavior) and how acceptance within the family is still a question (especially in Filipino families).

But I find the story underwhelming. There are elements that are underdeveloped. The execution of the plot could be better. As someone who is a fan of works that feature Filipino lower mythology, I expected more. Telling the history of the aswangs is commendable. I was expecting the development of Percival as a character but I find him flat. The events, especially nearing the end, were a bit rushed especially the romance and the fruit of that romance. I was also expecting something grand for the clan wars but like the romance, I feel it was rushed.

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Sep 26, 2020 Emma Katherine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read my full review here: https://lifesanovelty.blogspot.com/20...

Opinions: Vampires of Portlandia is the epitome of YA vampire tales - diverse, electrifying, and atmospheric by all means. Even the protagonists' names support the eerie setting of Portland, Oregon! To start, the book's introduction does exactly that: introduce readers to the aswang culture and how Leones' coven plays into that. In what some readers describe as information dumps but I describe as strategic character introductions, Read my full review here: https://lifesanovelty.blogspot.com/20...

Opinions: Vampires of Portlandia is the epitome of YA vampire tales - diverse, electrifying, and atmospheric by all means. Even the protagonists' names support the eerie setting of Portland, Oregon! To start, the book's introduction does exactly that: introduce readers to the aswang culture and how Leones' coven plays into that. In what some readers describe as information dumps but I describe as strategic character introductions, we learn everything we need to know about all of our protagonists so that the rest of the book can focus on the dramatic, tense, and exhilarating plot. That said, once you make it past the first few chapters, you'll be on the edge of your seat with anticipation and second-hand fear as the story races through conflict after conflict. Nearing the end, as a reader it was difficult to say goodbye to my new literary idols but I couldn't wait for the climax to reach a conclusion and read the last of the pages that were each better than the last. As a whole, Vampires of Portlandia left me with chills down my spine, new favourite folklore to research, and resonating themes about family, acceptance, and open-mindedness to ponder. What is not to absolutely adore and fangirl about?

My Favourite Thing: Time for me to fangirl: I loved the Filipino folklore woven into Vampires of Portlandia! It was fresh, unique, and most of all, insightful. Obviously, vampires and supernatural creatures are seen as just that, nowadays: supernatural. However, by Tanamor writing an entire book around the legends of aswangs, he not only gave readers an entertaining story but introduced us into Filipino history and culture. I sincerely hope all readers take as much interest in the folklore as me and appreciate Tanamor's inclusion of these different creatures!

My Least Favourite Thing: All of that said, Vampires of Portlandia was definitely a Twilight remix. For the most part, I loved that aswangs lived in Portland; it was an eccentric concept that supported diversity and introduced readers to other cultures' beliefs about the supernatural. However, this element of the story was poorly executed. The coven of aswangs relocated from the Philippines for not much reason and then complained about living in the shadows! It simply doesn't make sense because there were no aspirations or motivations to live elsewhere, meaning it is just a random and pointless fraction of the story. ...more

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Sep 21, 2020 Katrin (Read With Katrin) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads

“Do not make excuses. Take responsibility for your actions.”

The Good
-story switched from past to present so it was really nice to read about the older characters’ backstories.
-how the aswangs’ history was connected to the Philippines’ history (+ its government)
-the different kind of aswangs and how they differ from one another, not just how they look physically but also, the way they live
-shows a glimpse of how Filipino families are
-that little gibe about the Philippine government when the a ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 Kasey Little rated it it was amazing

I read this book twice. The first time I didn't really get into it. It read like a movie, so it went by quickly. The second time was more enjoyable.

The story is about a matriarch vampire (Marcella Leones) who relocates her family from the Philippines to Portland, Oregon for a better life. Her vampire breed (a breed of aswangs) has a tumultuous history of violence, so Leones hides that fact from her oldest grandson, Percival, who ultimately inherits the power when she dies. Percival then becomes ...more

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About Jason Tanamor

Jason Tanamor

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"...a promising writer with lots of potential..." - Publishers Weekly

Jason Tanamor has 10 plus years of experience as an entertainment writer and interviewer for Yahoo!, the Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus, Cinema Blend, Celebrity Cafe, Strip Las Vegas Magazine, Pulse Magazine, and Zoiks! Online.

Tanamor has interviewed the likes of author Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club); comedians Demetri Martin, ...more