Damien The Vampeal

Review by Jessica Reads it, at Reedsy Discovery

Three Stars, Worth Reading

The first story, Child Under the Stairs introduces readers to Damien Lampir, a 14-year-old “Vampeal”- born from a vampire and human. As if being a Vampeal wasn’t bad enough, he is also coming to terms with his growing attraction to boys while navigating a slew of mismatched foster homes.

Luckily, Damien has the Feral Society, a supernatural workforce created to maintain order between worlds, and a new Renfield to watch over him until he reaches maturity. Damien has such an interesting journey ahead with his new forever home and love interest and I am excited to see what’s in store.

I believe the author laid an excellent foundation for the continuation of the series and I applaud the creative spin he has taken on this paranormal story. Writing from a child’s perspective can be tricky but I am vested in seeing how Damien matures throughout the books. The Davidson twins, Patrick and Matthew are quite the dynamic duo with their shared supernatural gifts and add a much-needed adult dynamic to the writing.

My only qualm with this book was that I felt the writing was a bit stiff at times and did not allow the dialogues to flow freely. Other than that, I think this story has great potential!

Thank you to Reedsy Discovery for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have always had a fondness for anything that has ignited my creativity. I was born and raised in the suburbs of Dayton, Ohio, before moving to South Florida. One of my earliest childhood memories involves taking a box of crayons and secretly drawing pictures beneath the living room table until my mother discovered my little artistic endeavors. To ensure that I wouldn’t deface the furniture in the future, she made sure I had plenty of art supplies.