"Lost Days" has a lot of potential.  It features multiple characters, from vampires to magicians, in a modern setting.  While the entire text needs a good job of editing (parades have routs instead of their usual routes, and the only Santa Clause I know is a movie) the narrative voice itself is very strong and engaging.

I resist any story about vampires on principle, but certain characters make it worthwhile.  Dori, a girl transformed at the age of ten ages ago, has a particularly interesting skewed perspective, and is so far my favourite thing about the story.  She collects junk from dumpsters and wears old watches up and down her arms:  the first was from a fellow vampire to warn her of daybreak, and the rest because she likes collecting things.  As a result, it’s hard for her to keep track of the time.  She’s a charming creation, and a sign of the author’s potential for originality.

My only complaints so far are about the text’s need for editing, and the author’s tendency to jump narratives in the middle of a chapter:  she’ll go from Dori’s explorations right to a girl named Eve’s night at a club, without any transition or marker to denote the change.  Making scene changes like this more obvious by ending a chapter or using *** or a ruled line would help differentiate the text.  Technical details like these are a minor problem, however, when the story itself is engaging and well-paced.

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
Help us improve!  Register or log in to rate this review.

“Lost Days” is a very good horror/fantasy set in New Orleans, among the vampires and ghosts.  There’s a large cast of distinct characters —some mortal, many not— and several intertwining plot lines.  Among the non-mortals, there’s politics, alliances and troublemakers.  For the mortals, there’s parties and the Party Girl Killer.  For both, there are signs that a war may be [more . . .]