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WVMP, The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll. Real
Music for Real Vampires.
From the author's website:
Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the
straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real
job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose
late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, 60s
psychedelia, 80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily
authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers how the DJs maintain
their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in
which they were turned.
To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new
friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood
of Rock ’n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’
vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth
as a marketing gimmick. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of
ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be
brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher-and the
perils graver-than any con game Ciara’s ever played…
I had high hopes for this novel. The premise sounded like so
much fun, and being a fan of the musical periods the
vampires represent made it even more tempting. I will
confess that I am frequently disappointed with Urban Fantasy
that tips into the romance end of the scale, but the
relationship between Ciara and Shane, the youngest of the
vampires from the 90s, is not the main plot.
Keeping sleepy privately owned WWMP afloat is. A giant radio
station eating corporation wants WWMP, and Ciara steps up
out of the box and comes up with the gimmick that will save
the station. The reactions of the various DJs are hysterical
about her plan.
Smith-Ready’s vampire model is quite original. I’d never
heard of anyone using the trapped in time situation for
their fanged ones. Having the vampires fighting to stay
solid by clinging to their eras and adjusting to the ever
changing world is a great take on the mythos.
The evil vampire cult leader is as creepy as they come.
Smith-Ready paints a vivid and believable picture of the big
bad and his followers – both fanged and human. No his logic
doesn’t always make sense, but he’s crazy so that’s ok.
I’m very much looking forward to more books in this series.
It is well written. Although being told in present tense
makes it a bit jarring at first, but I think I understand
why it’s told that way. It’s to keep the reader locked in
the present, not the past like the vampires are. (But I
could be wrong.) The pacing is good, and I never found
myself skimming over filler sections. All in all it was a
great read.
And the website for WVMP – the life blood of rock and roll
might be the greatest tie-in site ever created. There are
playlists from each of the DJs, station merchandise and soon
there will be DJ blogs too. Be sure to check it out. |
