Mouth Full of Ashes

by Briana Morgan

Mourning the sudden loss of her sister, Callie Danoff wants nothing more than to embrace a fresh start in a new town, leaving the haunting memories of her sister’s death behind. But when her brother Ramsay drags her to a spooky boardwalk, the two become entangled with a local vampire gang and its enigmatic leader, Elijah. Callie refuses to accept their existence... until she and her brother unknowingly ingest vampire blood. Now, they only have three days before they turn into vampires themselves.With her carefree summer thwarted, Callie must trust a group she barely knows in order to save her family.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Novella, Paranormal, Lesbian, Romance, Fiction

147 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 4, 2021

About the author

Briana Morgan is a horror writer, editor, and author of The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories, which won a Godless 666 Award for Best Audiobook. With more than a decade of experience scaring herself and others, Briana has a fresh voice that shines through in her latest book, The Reyes Incident, which has sold more than 16,000 copies to date. Her other books include Mouth Full of Ashes, Unboxed: A Play, and more.

Briana has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is also an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, Briana loves reading disturbing fiction, playing video games, and traveling with her husband.

Reviews

[LTJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Mouth Full of Ashes” by Briana Morgan is a suspenseful vampire book that puts a unique and modern twist to the genre. Right off the bat, the way this started out made my jaw fall to the floor as it was a rollercoaster ride for the most part. Morgan’s unique writing truly shines throughout as all the characters stand out and the vampires you’ll encounter when reading are all very well done.

I’m not that all into vampires but this was a refreshing read and made it feel genuine as yeah, it was believable to a degree which made me enjoy it even more. Not so much horror here but there are some good twists in this book and even though it’s only about 150 pages, it delivers when it matters most. This is very hard to do so much respect to Morgan for accomplishing this where every word mattered. I definitely got a lot of vibes from the legendary movie The Lost Boys which was pretty awesome.

I give “Mouth Full of Ashes” by Briana Morgan a 4/5 as the only reason it didn’t get a perfect 5/5 for me is due to the ending. It was okay but after such a strong opening and wild situations throughout, I was expecting a lot more from the ending. Either way, if you love vampires and want a book you can easily read over a weekend with a cup of red wine for obvious reasons, this will not disappoint you!

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read but it all felt a bit rushed. If you like vampires you might want to check it out. It’s a fun homage to The Lost Boys.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5

[Sadie Hartmann]

Look for my review in an upcoming issue of SCREAM magazine!

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this novella size vampire fest as part of a group read over at the GR group Horror Aficionados. It was fun stuff, especially for fans of the '80's cult classic, The Lost Boys, the vampire-infested carnival boardwalk teenage heartthrob flick that postered many a teenaged-girl's bedroom at the time. There's a young family in town, who attract a group of vampires who've been plaguing the local boardwalk. Siblings are attracted to vampires, and rescue each other. Mom gets inadvertently involved with the master vampire. There's romance; there's misadventure; there's the threat of violence.

If you're looking for serious vampire action, on the epic scale of the gritty American Vampire, Vol. 1 series, or the lush Anne Rice classics, this is not your bag of blood. But if you want nostalgic goodness, with an easily accessible plot and story arc, well defined good guys and bad guys, and a large dose of campy fun, then Mouth Full of Ashes is all in.

I enjoyed the story. It brought back good memories.

[Melissa Boyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An 80’s nostalgia story with lots of Lost Boys vibes. A character driven novella about a brother and sister grieving for their sister while trying to outsmart a group of vampires. The first chapter starts out with a bang. Still giving me shivers.

[Paul Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard to write a vampire tale and be original while trying to stay mostly true to the lore. Briana Morgan tells a good story in this short book but it isn’t very original. That is not a bad thing because MDoA is still entertaining.
Callie and Ramsay have formed a tight bond after the death of their sister but will that be enough when things start getting messy? Who to trust is always in question and you may have eternity to think about it if you make the wrong decision.
This felt a little bit like a YA book except for a steamy sexy scene that had me blushing.

[Daron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. The writing, storytelling style, character work, and the study of grief worked really well for me. I even liked that the story was an homage to Lost Boys. Unfortunately, as the book progressed the story revealed that it was less an homage and more of a re-imagining. Because of this, it became very predictable. If you’ve seen Lost Boys, you’ll be able to guess most of the story beats and revelations.

Past that, there were a few other things that kept me from enjoying this as much as I’d hoped I would:

1) Everyone in the book was way too okay with the existence of vampires. There was no real sense of shock or disbelief. All the characters just went about their day.

2) At times, the dialogue felt disjointed, like the characters were each having separate conversations, rather talking to each other. It made me think some of the scenes had been written one way, then changed later in a revision, but some of the old lines remained when they should’ve been removed/changed. This also happened with some of the action scenes too, wherein characters would completely stop fighting to have a conversation, sometimes mid-strike. It made following the chain of events very difficult.

3) The story is told in close 3rd person (which I like); however, during the final confrontation, the MC is knocked unconscious and when she wakes up she finds that the final conflict was resolved while she was out. I felt cheated here. It was like the author wrote themselves into a corner and instead of figuring out how to get out of it, jumped ahead so they wouldn’t have to worry about it. It’s also only glossed over, after the fact, with a single line of dialogue.

4) I didn’t buy the reveal at the end. Which, if you’ve seen Lost Boys, you can probably guess (and you’d be right). To be honest, it doesn’t work well for the movie, either. I’m talking about one of the characters knowing about the existence of vampires the entire time but doesn’t say anything to their loved ones about it. The film got away with this because the grandfather was a weird recluse that no one talked to. Here, it’s a mother who just lost one child and chooses to bring her remaining children to an area that she knows is infested with vampires?!? Unless she’s supposed to be a psychopath in disguise (which isn’t supported by the text), there’s no way a parent would do this. If there’s a true villain to this story it’s the MC’s mother.

All that said, I did enjoy the book, especially the writing and characters/character development, and I will read more from this author. I just wanted more from this one.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and creepy sapphic vampire story? Yes please! This one is fast paced and great for a quick afternoon read! Briana Morgan can do no wrong!

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this; I read it in one sitting! I really like vampire stories and this has everything I wanted in a story about vamps. The characters were all great and there was backstory building. I would read this again which I don’t typically do. The author did a great job of fitting a lot in even though it was such a short novella and this makes me really want to read what else she’s written!

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cool new take on the vampire genre! Carnivals/fairs, etc. have always creeped me out. I've always had dark thoughts about what could be happening in the underbelly of them (Us, anyone?😱) I also really wanted to be a vampire when I was a kid. I'm basically allergic to the sun so I'm close! 🤞 Put all of this together and add one Briana Morgan and you just KNOW this is going to be a fun ride. Hands up, everyone! I thoroughly enjoyed Unboxed (if you haven't read that one, go get it now!) so was super excited to get an early copy of Mouth Full of Ashes. 🧛

I LOVE the homage to the Lost Boys - I once put this movie on as a "romantic" movie to watch with my guy and he just shook his head "Of course you would, Chandra". 🤣 #truestory What I really loved about this story was Callie and Maeve. It was fun to watch each of their progressions. Maeve turned out to be my absolute favorite character! And I see you, Briana, with that very fun line you included. 😉

I really don't want to say too much so I'll stop here. This novella has some bite to it. Get bloody. 🩸 Excuse me while I go grab a milkshake and some fries. Bloody ashes....

[Alex | | findingmontauk1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Briana Morgan gives all of us vampire lovers something simultaneously fresh and nostalgic with MOUTH FULL OF ASHES. The opening hit me like a mack truck and I just knew the rest of the novella was going to keep me on my toes. Our characters rock and I love everything about the boardwalk carnival - this, in addition to the vampire presence, offered The Lost Boys vibes which I will always be drawn to! Morgan gives us horror, romance, grief, and wit all in one with MFOA. We get a twist on some vampire lore (or mythos that I was not familiar with, anyway), and I found myself ripping through this one. Highly recommended for everyone to sink their fangs into - pick up a copy!

[Horror Bookworm Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror Bookworm Reviews
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/

After a tragic accident upended their family life, siblings Ramsey and Callie relocate with their mother to the sleepy seaside California town of Neap Bay. While adapting to their new surroundings, the local Starlight Boardwalk quickly becomes the family’s epicenter. However, unusual behavior from a number of the local residents begin to emerge as well as missing persons posters. Hidden secrets are slowly exposed to the innocent and unexpected.

Mouthful of Ashes is a vampiric tale of agonizing regret, passionate bloodlust and the undead feeding on the essence of the living. Author Briana Morgan’s fast-approaching clouds of dark fiction cleverly blends a family’s adversity with a sinister folklore of modern sexuality. The retro 80’s vibe brings the Boardwalk to life by capturing the sights, sounds and smells of something darker and deeper dwelling within its seaside amusement park. This intrigue draws the reader in as the characters drive the plot at an accelerated speed while maintaining a continuous horrific storyline.

Embodying strange people, strange places and strange times of night, Morgan’s fang piercing story not only lulls the reader into a new way of life but turns itself into a desire of nighttime existence. These preternatural souls that prey upon others are a pleasing infatuation that we all have for creatures of the night. Those who like a little extra garlic with their stake will thoroughly enjoy this tasty morsel of the macabre.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouth Full of Ashes by Briana Morgan is a vampire novella set in the bright lights and cotton candy world of the boardwalk. Callie and Ramsey, brother and sister, find themselves new in town after a world changing tragedy leaves them grief stricken.

The setting was perfect for this type of tale. I grew up with the town fair being the highlight of the year. We had all the usual suspects as carnival workers. Even the one-armed guy who ran the Tllt-a-Whirl. I’m pretty sure there were vampires in that crowd too.

This pays homage to one of my favorite vampire movies, Lost Boys. Lots of young adult angst and confusion. I really loved Callie. She was a strong female protagonist even thought she made mistakes and was flawed.

I feel like I know most of traditional vampire lore, but there were a few things in this book that were very interesting and new to me; a great tie in with the title of the book.

Also the first chapter there was a part where I literally was like “what???” That action scene was amazingly written with so much detail. Can’t say anything else, but you’ll know when you read!

[Tabitha - · Rating 4 out of 5]

At less than 150 pages, this was a fun, fast, creepy sapphic vampire read!

[Michael Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

After moving to the coastal town of Neap Bay to help cope with the brutal death of their sister, Ramsay drags his sister Callie off to explore the offerings that the nearby Starlight Carnival has to offer. Once inside, Callie stumbles upon an alluring group of people who aren't really people at all: they're vampires. After unknowingly ingesting vampire blood, Callie and Ramsay must find a way to stop their transformation before it's too late.

I was fortunate to be a beta reader for this story. On the surface it seems like it's about loss and sadness and grief, the struggles with moving on and the sudden shift in family dynamic. Those difficult emotions in part propel Callie into an unexpected and dangerous situation, and what follows demands more from her than she thinks she can give.

Morgan absolutely slays with this story. You feel like you are there, watching the events unfold. All of the characters are well written, relatable, and vivid. There are plenty of scenes to satisfy any vampire enthusiast's thirst for fangs and blood. The action scenes, the scenes of violence, the scene of a steamy, passionate encounter inside a car... It all works together to create one worthy addition to the vampire subgenre.

[H. Everend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Briana Morgan masterpiece! I really enjoyed this novella. The characters were written well (idk why, but Maeve was my favorite out of all the characters mentioned and her relationship with Callie = steamy!) I had been hoping Becca would make a reappearance of sorts, but I'm also glad the book did not go this route. And right here is a perfect example of a story where you can have sexy vampires, but they don't need to sparkle! Elijah was such a loveable character at first...but glad my senses got the better of me (that dude was a dick!) Satisfying ending and I recommend everyone check out this novella!

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really do wish I liked this more but unfortunately this just did not work for me.

I loved the cover and the inclusivity on display here but the character interactions really fell flat. It is VERY much a pastiche of The Lost Boys without making enough plot changes to make it feel worthwhile.

[Cass (only the darkest reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think its fair to start out by saying that vampire fiction doesn't really do it for me. I decided to give Mouth Full of Ashes a try as it was pitched as Morgan's love letter to one of my favourite films, The Lost Boys.

While the mood of the novella emulates the feeling of the film, I just didn't connect to the story.

The relationship between the siblings is the strength of this little novella. You could feel the care and attention that was written into that element, although I did find them to feel younger than their prescribed ages.

Pacing was the biggest issue for me. It starts with a heart wrenching opening sequence, but almost all of the other action happens off the page. It's assumed that the vampires are responsible for decades of disappearances, but aside from a scene involving a cat, we don’t get the viciousness that you'd expect from a gang of vampires. We also don't get a satisfying ending.

Overall this is a brisk read, so I'd recommend it if you're looking for a light horror with some sapphic elements.

I did receive an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

[John Durgin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read. I could feel the Lost Boy love bleeding through the pages(pun intended), which made me smile. The story hits the ground running with the first chapter and sucks you right in. Briana created some great characters that I found myself rooting for. The bond that Callie and Ramsay share is special, after losing their sister they become very protective of one another-something that comes in handy when you have a group of vampires in town. I give this a 4.5, the only thing holding it back from a 5 for me was the ending. There is a conclusion to the story, but I found myself wanting to see a few more scenes that took place “off camera” if that makes sense. And that’s not a bad thing, I was so invested in the characters I wanted more. I highly recommend this book to any fans of Lost Boys, Fright Night, and all those classic vamp movies from the 80s.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow ,what a read this turn out to be , it's like it's a new twist to an all time favorite movie of my The Lost Boys, you get the same feelings but it's on a hole new level.At first I was like nope the concept sounds good but there's no way it could be pulled off but hands down the author did it .It's a bit darker and sinister which by the way I loved. In fact I stayed up most of the night reading it because I couldn't put it down.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires and the boardwalk brought me right back to The Lost Boys and I honestly loved it! I was hesitant at first since I thought I'd get my hopes up but WOW. I'm so happy I found out about this book, I can't wait to read more from Briana Morgan 👀

I'd definitely recommend to anyone that wants to pick up a fast paced horror book.

[Austrian Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains Spoilers

I read somewhere online, whilst awaiting the release of Mouth full of ashes, that Briana’s vampire novel was her love letter to The Lost Boys, which, for those of you who don’t know it, was an iconic vampire movie released in 1987. Now I saw The Lost boys in the cinema when it came out, but that was a long, long, long time ago. The plot of the movie kind of faded in my memory, to scenes – the group of vampires falling from a bridge into mist, that kind of thing. Punk-dressed vampires, Kiefer Sutherland, big hairstyles.

80’s, but cool 80’s.

Let’s cut back to MFOA. You can definitely see the film’s influence on the book, to the point, it is almost fan-fiction. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, it’s acknowledged by Briana how much of an influence the film was for her. Themes abound in the book that are direct references to the movie. The set-up is similar – two young adults and their mother move to a new town. The Vampires in the town “trick” their would-be victims by getting them to drink blood from a bottle. The lead vampire is dating their mother. One of the family knows that vampires exist already. A “half-turned vampire” helps the siblings. To stop turning into full vampires, they have to kill the head vampire. It’s pretty much the film script but with touches of modernization added by Briana – The MC is a lesbian/Bi – her love interest is a half-turned female vampire. Her brother is Gay, his love interest is a male vampire. The half-turned vampires (I think of them as vague vegetarian vampires (VVV)) exist by not killing humans, rather draining smaller mammals, like cats. It’s pretty PC but well-meant, and I think it brings the story into the 2020s in a positive way.

The writing is minimalistic. Briana has focused on internal thought, dialogue, and action. In that respect, it caters to the modern palette, this is all about moving the story on, pacing, and character development through dialogue – the sympathy one feels for the characters is made because of how they think, or what they say. Scene setting, description of place, mood highlighting – it all gets dropped for the speed of the action. You may not notice it because you are too busy turning the pages.

Morgan builds her novel from a solid ground – the first scene revolves around a car accident and the death of a sibling as the other two MCs are in the car that crashes. So, a big part of our feeling for the MC’S is based around sympathy for them, and understanding the tragedy of their guilt. And it’s a great opener, Briana cuts straight to the chase, so to speak, and sets the pace for the entire novel – break-neck speed.

With so many similarities to The Lost Boys, even a passing knowledge of the film leaves the casual reader in no doubt as to the reveals that arrive. To emphasize the point again, that isn’t a bad thing necessarily – when they happened I was more like – “oh yeah. That’s right – that happened”. So, it had a kind of warm fuzzy feel to it all.

However – The lost boys played to an 80’s audience. The vague threat of Vampirism in that film worked through visual effects. Here, we are living in the 2020s, and this audience requires more graphic violence. In the novel, the vampires – don’t actually do anything. They are never seen to kill anyone. It is implied that they have killed all of the missing children from the area, we even get that confirmed from one of the characters, but we don’t see it. It’s almost Hitchcockian in presentation. No vampire kills anyone, drains anyone, is sadistic against anyone – hence my categorizing them as “vague vegetarian vampires”. Yes, we see them kill a cat, and yes, we see them use compulsion to get people to do things, but they lack threat. The two main villains, Elijah, and his father fail to be the big bad boss duo promised, due to inaction. The final fight scene is never shown, we blackout with the MC to wake up and the problem to have been resolved. So, whilst we never really feel the threat of the vampires, to an extent we are also deprived of our payoff – seeing the mastermind get his comeuppance.

Now that’s probably cherry-picking, and I want to clarify there’s a difference from what I wanted to see compared with what happened, and this book is definitely catering more to a YA crowd. Briana’s dialogue is modern, it’s funny, hip, unapologetically coarse towards the end of the book – it fits that age bracket, so her characters are spot on. And it is over in a flash, literally. Flow is not an issue, we ride the rollercoaster to its end and are amazed that it is over already. So, it’s a page-turner, undeniably. I just wish it had been twice as long and we would have seen someone’s throat ripped out. It says a lot that the only death we see is Elijah’s, as he is “staved”.

I’m giving this a 3.5 rounded up to 4 ⭐‘s out of 5 - on Goodreads because Briana is a genuinely lovely person, and this book is full of heart, representative of both gay and lesbian relationships, and you can just feel the love for The Lost Boys leaping from the page...

And my 80's rebel self thought Kiefer Sutherland nailed it.

[Avalon Roselin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked pretty much immediately and barely put the book down. Callie is the oldest sister in a group of three… recently two with the death of her younger sister, Becca. Her mom has relocated the family to what is basically Santa Cruz, where Callie and her brother Ramsey attract the attention of the local vampire gang a la Lost Boys. I love this premise so much. I love the emotions and character chemistry of Briana Morgan’s writing so much. It’s so tasty.

My complaints about this book are fairly minor. The pacing is pretty consistent but the ending does feel a bit rushed, and I would have liked more of this book. More time with these characters. Which is really hard to list as a complaint because I obviously enjoyed it if I wanted more!

Anyway, if you like Lost Boys and want the the queer subtext to be queer text, here you go! Mouth Full of Ashes! Read it! I can only imagine that Briana Morgan will have another absolute banger out soon because she publishes great work SO fast and I am in awe of her constantly. “Fang”tastic job!

[Dakota Dawe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been excited to drive my fangs into this book since the cover reveal and as soon as my copy arrived I tore through this bad boy! I really enjoyed the character development and all the interactions between these characters. The dialogue flows well and feels like real conversations. From the first chapter you’re thrown into Callie’s world right at the time it starts spiraling downwards, starting with the tragic death of her sister after a trip to the beach. From there, the story builds up momentum, introducing the rest of the cast, including the vampire leader Elijah, who forces Callie and her brother, Ramsay, to turn into vampires by drinking his blood.

The book starts to rush the ending from this point, where the author even finishes the final battle offscreen while Callie blacks out. The offscreen action, and resulting resolution of the story, lead to a not so satisfying ending, where we instead hear a very brief description of what happened and how the vampire leader was dispatched. With all of the buildup I was really hoping for an ending to match, but unfortunately I was left hanging. Everything about this book except for the ending is fantastic, right down to the absolutely gorgeous cover. However, I did REALLY enjoy the story up until the last 10 or so pages, so I don’t want to give this story less than 4 stars.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

➡️ɢʀᴀʙ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ:  

° Miss 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 (but wish it was sapphic)  

° Love fast-paced horror with bite (literally)  

° Enjoy found family + sibling stories  

° Think vampires should be complex and maybe a little spicy  

➡️ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ:  

Callie’s just trying to move on after her sister’s death, but when a creepy boardwalk trip ends in wine, bites, and a vampire deadline, she’s got 72 hours to save her brother—and maybe 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛.

➡️ᴠɪʙᴇ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ:  

Tense but not too scary, quick and sharp with just enough angst. If 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 and 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘺 had a goth summer fling, this would be the result. It’s moody, a little bloody, and doesn’t waste time with fluff—𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨. Also? Vampires with feelings and teeth. What more do you need?

➡️ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜ’ʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ:  

This is about grief, danger, and being stuck in a body you didn’t ask for. But it’s also about how far you’d go for your family—and who you’d trust along the way. I flew through it and kinda need a sequel where they start 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜.

𝙒𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 *𝙮𝙤𝙪* 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜… 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧?

[Ricky · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Bay Area boy, I unfortunately was never lucky enough to get to visit Santa Cruz. Except in movies like Us, and movies with fictional counterparts to NorCal's most famous beach town. Santa Carla in The Lost Boys, Sunnydale on Buffy...and now, with particular inspiration from the former, Briana Morgan's new novella and its setting of Neap Bay. Blessed with a beautiful cover art and a haunting story that packs a serious punch (and is as wonderfully queer-inclusive as any Morgan story), I have to say that its only real flaw is that the book is just too short. But it makes it easier to devour in...well, I wasn't fortunate enough to have time for a single sitting on this one, but I came close. Very close.

[Kaylyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gave me serious The Lost Boys vibes—fast-paced, steamy, and with a killer (pun intended) supernatural edge. The chemistry is electric, and the action keeps you on your toes.

That said, it felt a bit too long for the story it was telling. There were moments where it dragged, and I found myself skimming through parts that didn’t really move the plot forward. I pushed through, but by the end, I was left wanting more—more depth, more stakes, just... more.

If you love a good vampire vibe with plenty of spice, this one’s worth the read. Just be ready for a few slower patches along the way.

[Chelsee Damas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read—vampires

I saw this book floating around Instagram and picked it up as I saw the author was influenced by The Lost Boys, an epic 1980’s vampire film, which I loved! I have to say, the story definitely walks parallel with the film. It was very quick paced, and the author did a great job of gripping me right out the gates. There was a bit lacking in overall story, setting, and even character development. But it’s made up with an action-packed narrative that has you trying to read each page as quickly as possible. I enjoyed the read and would definitely say give it a try.

[Peter Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mouth Full of Ashes by Briana Morgan (@brianamorganbooks) was a fun romp in a supernatural world.

In some ways, it’s like an updated version of The Lost Boys, with also quite a few differences. With the intentional similarities, the book is highly self aware and also distinguishes itself from The Lost Boys in some significant ways. The only downside is I feel like it could’ve been a bit longer to develop some of the characters a little more, but regardless, if you like graphically gripping inciting incidents and vampiric bloodlust, check it out. It’s a fun time.