Blogmas Day 9: Blog Tour – 12 Days of Clink Street Publishing

Author: Françoise DuMaurier

Genre: YA Fantasy

Published by: Clink Street

Publication date:1/10/19

Pages: 328

My rating: ★★★★

Synopsis from the back cover:

When seventeen-year-old Hailey’s multi-racial, single parent family migrate to the tiny rural town of Corpus, Georgia (population 700), she would rather have moved anywhere but there.

That is, until she spots him. Mysterious definitely, perhaps even supernatural. Where Hailey is awestruck by the young man of her dreams, her little brother, Mason, sees a soulless creature of the night, a half-man who may be responsible for a series of grisly murders across the southern gothic town.

Antwan Zeddman, the town’s first African-American Sheriff, must enforce a curfew in Corpus to ensure the safety of the townsfolk. He must contend with sightings of hellish winged beasts and investigate the slaying of an innocent young couple traveling through town. There is a growing sense of racial unrest. Hailey will find herself caught between her family, the residents of Corpus, and the vampire she’s calling in love with.

The Grateful Boys is an otherworldly Young Adult novel which explores the challenges of growing up mixed race in the southern states of America, and the troubles of a young woman coming of age in a town full of danger and temptation.

Trigger warning:

Violence
Sexual assault/ attempted rape

Small town America and vampires? Sold! I jumped at the chance to review The Grateful Boys, despite knowing very little about it. I’m loving the return of vampires and really enjoyed this one. It’s set in Corpus, Georgia and drops you straight into a tense ‘what’s going to happen’ moment involving a couple travelling through the town at night, before slowing down, giving readers the chance to get to know everyone.

The synopsis does a good job of summing up the plot so I’ll go straight into my thoughts. After the prologue the pacing slows down and doesn’t pick up until around the hundred page mark, this doesn’t bother me as I’m perfectly happy with slow pacing, I know some aren’t but I definitely recommend giving it a try as it does pick up and it’s worth it. The point of view the book is told in shifts, ranging from Sheriff Zeddman, Mason, Hailey and Sebastian which I love, I’m a sucker for multiple POV’s as it gives me a better insight into what’s going on and where everyone is at. I really liked the plot, setting and characters. I don’t want to give much away as part of my enjoyment was the not knowing much about it and finding out as I read, I’m worried I’m being too vague though. I highly recommend reading it and finding out for yourself.

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