If there’s one thing you need to know about me it’s that I absolutely love vampires. I always have and I think I always will, so when I heard of this intriguing new young adult vampire book called They Own the Night I just knew I had to pick it up. Written by Amy McCaw – the author of the Mina and the Undead trilogy – this is a Dracula retelling set in the 1980s. Before I start I think it’s important to say that no matter how much I love vampires I still haven’t gotten around to reading Dracula (I know, I know – I’m going to read it this year!) so I won’t really be able to compare how it holds up to the original!
Mia and Johnny have always been there for each other, and even more so since their dad was arrested for killing multiple people and began serving a life sentence in prison a few years ago.
Now they’re both studying in a small university town just outside Edinburgh. Mia is sarcastic and loves everything horror and true crime which has led her to host a (kind of illegal) true crime radio show. Unfortunately bodies of teenage boys have been popping up on campus and determined to find out what happened to them, Mia accidentally stumbles across the next dead body and finds herself right in the middle of a real investigation that leads her back to her dad.
Johnny wants to be a journalist so when he’s offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview a reclusive mega rock star who disappeared from public view three years ago. The only catch? No one can know who he is interviewing or where he’s going. And it’s not long before he realises there’s something a little odd about this enigmatic musician.
Mia’s investigation and Johnny’s interview are about to collide in the most unexpected of ways.
One thing I’ll say about this book is that it is absolutely perfect to read over the spooky season. It has the best creepy vibes, it feels dark and spooky and (most importantly) it’s set over Halloween. It’s not necessarily scary but it does keep you guessing and I had a great time with that. There’s also something about McCaw’s writing that makes me feel so nostalgic. Whenever I read her books I feel like I’m a teenager again reading my favourite paranormal books I read growing up.
The book is told from two perspectives – Mia and Johnny. I liked both to a certain degree but definitely found Mia’s storyline of investigating campus murders that may be supernatural far more gripping and interesting than Johnny’s story. A large chunk of Johnny’s story was set on an isolated island with Vlad Tepez (the musician he’s interviewing) and while it also had creepy elements it mainly felt like a romance. And not one that I was particularly that interested in. It was super rushed which I guess could be explained by the fact that everything is supernatural but it just didn’t feel believable to me. I kind of spent a lot of his chapters waiting for something to happen or waiting to go back to Mia’s perspective.
Overall this is a super fun vampire mystery that will be perfect for teens or adults who really enjoy vampire media. The author is a dedicated vampire fan and that always comes across in her works. It was also an interesting mystery that had lots of pieces moving together. I’d definitely recommend this book!
