Review – Bloodlust & Bonnets

Are there any of you fans of a webcomic called My Life as a Background Slytherin? If so, you’re going to love Bloodlust & Bonnets. This is Emily McGovern’s (creator of the webcomic as mentioned above) first go at a graphic novel, and her humor is on point in this new story.

Bloodlust & Bonnets is slightly whimsical and a whole lot of insane, but that just makes it all the more fun. The series follows Lucy; a disillusioned debutante turned vampire hunter from the 1800s. Yes, that does seem like quite the career change. But it does fit the character (and author) perfectly.

This series is full of British humor, hilarious and inane moments, vampire hunting (well, attempts at it, at least), peculiar characters, and so much more. I think that fans of her webcomic series will love it – though perhaps new readers will be a bit confused by her storytelling style.

Writing

Emily McGovern is the queen of inane humor. That is something I knew very well before diving into Bloodlust & Bonnets. It’s also a fact that was absolutely confirmed while reading. The characters in this graphic novel are hilarious, sometimes bumbling around in ways that only her characters can. The whole story is a fun twist on classic Romantic literature – and okay, it’s a riff on some vampire hunting novels as well.

There are three main characters here; Lucy, the debutant/vampire hunter, mentioned earlier. Then there’s Lord Byron. He’s a walking male romantic character trope flipped on its head. Finally, there’s Sham. Sham may be the most intriguing character, thanks to the air of mystery around them. Plus, they actually seem to understand the whole process involved in vampire hunting.

This crew gets into some hilarious adventures due in part to their varied motives for hunting vampires. It’s a chaotic tale full of awkward interactions, silly moments, and on-point humor—there plenty of quips and entertaining moments to be found in this one.

Art

If you’re wondering what the artwork inside Bloodlust & Bonnets looks like, take a minute to go and look up a panel from My Life as a Background Slytherin. Go on; I’ll wait. McGovern’s unique and iconic style is carried over into this graphic novel. Fans of hers will have no trouble recognizing the artist behind this one.

McGovern’s artwork is pure lines – no shading and no color (minus the cover, of course). It allows for quick pieces like the webcomic series. But it also suits the characters in this tale as well. There’s something inherently chaotic about the way McGovern draws.

Conclusion

Bloodlust & Bonnets is a hilarious and fun read. It’ll probably be appreciated more by fans of McGovern’s other works. But I honestly think new fans could appreciate it as well—especially anybody looking to see a lighthearted riffing on some otherwise stale romantic tropes.

The adventures and quips in this story are both satisfying and entertaining. The mashing together of two major themes – romance and vampire hunting may not be a new idea. But McGovern certainly put her own spin on things.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.