Mina and the Undead

Product Information

After their mother abandoned them, Mina and Libby went to live with their Aunt, who remained emotionally distant from the girls.

Honestly it hit every point for me, the characters were great, the story was so good, and the references spoke to my heart!

Like I said before, it made me super nostalgic, and I ended up reading this with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer soundtrack on in the background. My main gripe with this book is the writing style though: It seemed a bit too simple to me, almost as though the book was aimed at a much younger audience, but that doesn't match the characters being college age and the serious themes and gory imagery in the book. In this story we follow seventeen year old Mina who visits her estranged sister Libby in New Orleans where she is attending university after their mother suddenly disappeared, leaving them behind. Filled with 90s pop culture and wickedly dark vampire lore, and set in a New Orleans vampire festival, this was an absolute blast!

But when a body is discovered in the Mansion of the Macabre where Libby is working holding a lock of hair suspiciously like Libby’s and marks on her neck the question is who or what has made those marks? She'll be staying in the city for a few months to visit her estranged sister, Libby, who moved from their hometown, Whitby, in England, to New Orleans the prior year. I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly! I live for that kind of story, as it takes me back to a time when life was simple, hair was big and vampires were real.It was such a pleasure to meet you both, and I really appreciated how smoothly and professionally you ran everything. Meanwhile, the city is plagued with murders of young women, and when one of those women is discovered by Mina, things start to get complicated. Bronnie is so lovely with the boys and we also felt that having a man enthusing about the books set a great example. The author uses 200 pages to set the story up with Mina exploring New Orleans and hearing about the murders.

I haven't charted out my visits for the summer term, but I'm sure there are several in the south) and thanks so much for being so fantastic! On her first trial day at the Horror Mansion there is an accident that will trigger a series of events that will put Mina in great danger. From the eery silence and smell of ancient dirt of the St Louis Cemetery, to the gentle Jazz music and acrid tang of alcohol on Bourbon Street, you are so completely immersed in this story that it all comes to life right before your eyes. When Mina lands a part-time job at a horror movie mansion, she meets Jared, Libby’s gorgeous housemate, co-worker and fellow horror enthusiast. People are dying in the same way that victims died in the past from famous New Orleans serial killers, and our protagonist is brand new to the country as she is visiting her sister.Having said that, many of the references are broad enough so that the target audience of the book will hardly be lost. And what a lovely treat it was that this was set in the 90's and filled with nostalgia (bath pearls. The unmissable YA Gothic horror of 2021, perfect for fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stranger Things.

After securing a job at her sisters work place; the Mansion of Macabre where her sisters very attractive roommate Jared also works, things are about to take an unexpected turn. I found it hilarious how Mina was thirsty for Jared on almost every page and really liked their developing romance. The characters were interesting, although I did think that Della and Lucas were a little less fleshed out than Jared, Libby and Mina. The two discover a dark underworld around them that ties to some of New Orleans oldest and most frightening legends.

I had no idea where the story was going to take us but it is a journey that is memorable and fun to read. If there is a weak link, it is the murder mystery element, which was incredibly effective at building up tension and offering up red herrings to throw the reader off the trail, but the final act doesn’t offer up any major surprises and ends up being rather obvious. I can’t say I have read a lot of YA books but Amy McCaw has convinced me that I’m missing out with her debut novel, Mina and the Undead. New Orleans also happens to be a great place for horror addicts with many legends, historical buildings and of course, many dark secrets. Mina and Libby were born and bred in Whitby, North Yorkshire - I'm a South Yorkshire girl but I won't hold it against them - the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.