There is one thing I vividly remember from my 7th- 9th grade years: the Twilight Mania. Like almost everyone else in the reading world, I binged the entire Twilight series in a week and went to every midnight premiere of all the movies (it helped that I worked at my small-town movie theater and got in free every single time. I was obsessed and was Team Jacob “until the day I die.” Jokes on me: The older I get, the more I am Team Edward.
I went through a paranormal romance phase afterward — does anyone remember The Summoning series?? — but soon, paranormal romance trickled out of mainstream media, and I leaned more toward fantasy and contemporary romance.
Fast forward to today, paranormal romance is beginning to make a slow comeback. That’s not to say paranormal romance has not been around, but I have noticed it becoming more popular again. Romance author Ali Hazelwood released Bride this past year, a werewolf/vampire romance I reluctantly picked up before devouring. Another new addition is Fang Fiction, a paranormal romance between a human and a vampire written by Kate Stayman-London. I had read Stayman-London’s debut romance, One to Watch, a few years ago. One to Watch was a contemporary romance following the first plus-sized woman on a dating show. So, imagine my surprise when I learned her sophomore novel was a VAMPIRE ROMANCE.
I wasn’t sure what to expect since I am completely unfamiliar with most paranormal romance tropes, and my most recent experience was with Bride. However, Fang Fiction was a pleasant surprise, and I enjoyed most of the story. I read this book back in October when it was first released. I posted a mini-review on my Instagram, as I typically do, but I never found the time to write down a complete review of my thoughts.
Fang Fiction is available at all major bookstores and retailers.
Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London
Published on October 1, 2024
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Adult, Romance, Spicy
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Tess Rosenbloom is no stranger to the dark. An assault survivor and grad school dropout, Tess spends her nights managing a chic Brooklyn hotel and her days reading her favorite vampire novels, Blood Feud. She even dabbles in online conspiracies claiming Blood Feud is real—it’s fun to hunt for clues! But deep down, Tess doesn’t believe vampires actually exist . . . until one walks through her door.
It turns out the sexy villain of Blood Feud is trapped, and only Tess can rescue him. Eager to escape her life, Tess agrees to help, and soon she’s on a secret island where the sun never shines, surrounded by deadly vampires—and most terrifying of all, she's falling in love with one of them. (Meanwhile, back in New York, Tess’s estranged best friend is having a sapphic paranormal affair of her own.)
Visiting the world of your favorite story is any fan’s dream, but can Tess outrun the demons of her past (and vampires of her present) before it becomes a nightmare? In this darkly glamorous rom-com, Tess will find out if it’s worth risking her neck—and her heart—for a chance to reclaim her future.
The story follows Tess, our main protagonist. After a traumatic event, Tess dropped out of college and now works the night shift at a fancy hotel. She has always found comfort in her favorite romance novels, the Blood Fued series. Suddenly, one of the main characters of Blood Fued drops into Tess’s life, pulling her into a plot to help save the vampires in her favorite books.
PROS
- I loved Tess as our main character. Her character had so much depth, and it felt like her journey was necessary. One of the overall themes is how books (or other forms of fandom/media) can help a person cope with and recover from trauma, and Tess was our main example of how that can happen. I think most people have found comfort in something they love during hard times (insert footage of me binge-watching the Scream movies multiple times during grad school), making it much easier to relate to Tess’s story. Kate Stayman-London does a brilliant job of taking a very real person and placing them in a fantasy setting.
- A fun rom-com – If you enter this book expecting a serious, dark vampire romance, you will be highly disappointed. Fang Fiction is cheesy, and it knows it. I think that even when the book takes itself seriously (with the topic of sexual assault, depression, and anxiety), it doesn’t do it in other areas. If it did, it wouldn’t have worked as well. I am unsure if this is typical of vampire romances (although I get the impression that it isn’t), but I think this book would be great for introducing people to the vampire romance genre.
- The setting of the Isle – There are two worlds in this story: the real world and the Isle, where vampires were exiled years ago. Tess is convinced to go to the Isle to help save the vampires, and I love every second she is there. The setting helped develop the story of the vampires without making it feel like we needed to get an entire recap of their history.
- The excerpts of Blood Feud—The author included excerpts from Blood Feud between some of the chapters to help move the story along. I honestly would love it if Kate Stayman-London decided to release more of these chapters or even an entire book.
- This one is more of a pro AND con: I loved the side romance between Tess’s best friend and another vampire. However, it would have worked even better as a separate novel. I sometimes found myself more interested in their romance, and I didn’t get enough of them to satisfy that need.
CONS
- For the most part, the topic of sexual assault was handled with care. Kate Stayman-London starts the book with an author’s note, letting readers know of the topic ahead of time (which I think more authors should do!!) and explaining how she wanted to ensure she handled the topic with respect and care. As I said, for the most part, I think she was successful in doing so. She shows how something traumatic leads to long-term effects and harm. While I understand the author’s overall purpose in having Tess grow as a person and overcome her fears, I did not love how this part was resolved. When it comes to SA in literature, I do not think it is realistic when someone “gets over” their trauma because of something good that happened to them. Moving on from trauma does not happen overnight, but how Tess acted by the end of the novel made it seem like she was completely “healed.” Maybe I took this wrong, but from reading other reviews, I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.
- The world-building was very confusing. There were a lot of parts that didn’t make sense if you thought too hard about it, but honestly, I wasn’t expecting mind blowing world-building in a romance like I would in a fantasy. It didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book, so I would still read this one if that doesn’t bother you.
Overall feels
This wasn’t the most ground-breaking romance to hit the market. But, even with the predictable plot and the okay world-building, I do think that Fang Fiction did enough to stand out. The story was fun enough to keep my interest, and I felt the nostalgia of loving a book character to the point of obsession. I will continue recommending this one for anyone wanting to dip their toes into a paranormal romance while still enjoying a more comedic story.
Final Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
With two successful reading experiences in paranormal romance this year, I’d like to dive into the genre more–give me your recs!
Until next time, xx