Mina and the Undead was such a nostalgic read for me. It is set in 1995 at New Orleans Fang Fest and was jam-packed with nineties horror references and mentions of places I visited on a visit to New Orleans a few years ago. Reading Mina and the Undead gave me the same feelings as I used to get when reading my Point Horror books - a sense of anticipation but I suspected it was going to turn out well in the end.

"We passed a voodoo shop with shrunken heads in the window, bars illuminated with gaudy neon signs and elegant buildings with balconies and thin columns."

17 year old Mina is in New Orleans visiting her estranged sister Libby. A year ago their mother walked out and left without a trace, shortly after Libby moved to New Orleans for university without discussing it first with Mina. Whilst she is there Libby tries to get Mina a job working with her at the Mansion of the Macabre.

"It nestled between two homes like a rotten tooth, char-black with windows sliced across by silver bars. At the top was a circular, cloudy window that reminded me of a dead eye. I felt that same delicious anticipation as reading horror in bed with my torch, darkness intruding at the edge of the light."

I loved that the protagonist was called Mina, a huge nod to vampire classic Dracula, and the Mansion of the Macabre is one huge reference to all things horror. A horror tour set us with references to all our favourite horror films including It and Interview with a Vampire.

"A clown sprang up behind us with an exuberant chuckle. We burst outwards like shrapnel, bolting for the door. Panting, I made it and found Della had beaten me there.

The clown leapt in front of our exit, revealing a mouth crammed with spiky teeth as fine as blades. His eyes were pure white, flat and vacant. Sludgy pain the color of old bones disguised his skin.

A cloud of balloons drifted over us and he plucked one of the strings, giving a jaunty wave with his knife. He offerred us his balloon, which was the same deep crimson as the blood in the sink."

Mina feels a draw to all things supernatural and in a city like New Orleans it is easy for her to leap to conclusions but her mum's disappearance has made her uncomfortable with this side of her personality, not least because in the time leading up to her disappearance Mina's mum was obsessed about all things vampire.

At the Mansion of the Macabre Mina meets Libby's girlfriend, Della, and her hot housemate, Jared.

During her trial at The Mansion of the Macabre Mina discovers a dead body, the first of many, all killed in gruesome ways connected to New Orleans myths and legends.

Mina and the Undead is perfect for the young adult age range...but it is also perfect for 38 year old readers as well.

This book was so much fun, it's one of those you take a gamble on, and it fully paid off. It was such a lovely slap of nostalgia that brought back so many great memories of the 90's I had forgotten.

Mina is a seventeen-year-old who has gone to New Orleans to spend the summer with her Sister who is living out there for college. It's the nineties, the height of the vampire craze with the release of an Interview with the vampire having come out in the cinemas. Her sister works in a horror movie tour, and with the plan of getting Mina a job there for the summer, she embarks on the darker side of the city. But darker things are stalking the nights, and soon their group is pulled into a murder conspiracy that dates back decades, and bodies start to turn up wherever they go. Can Mina figure out what is going on, and keep everyone alive while she does it?

I love this, I think anyone who remembers that time or simply loves all kinds of vamp lore will do too!

Mina has gone out to New Orleans to visit her sister, Libby. Libby works in a haunted museum and they hear there first, for a "terror tour". One of the other employees is found dead after the first tour and that's the first of the problems to besiege the siblings.

We then start to unravel their family history that's intertwined with New Orleans' history and discover what happened to their mum.

There are quite a few surprises close to the end and I liked that it wasn't utterly predictable.

2.75

The set up and premise of this had me excited to read.
I loved the setting, the retro influence and the pop culture references made me giggle and brought back some nostalgia.
The romance element was over the top at times but it's YA and they are teenagers and that's how teenagers fall for each other so in that context it was quite sweet.
Unfortunately it fell flat for me in several areas.
I love paranormal YA and YA horror but found the writing style and pacing felt like this was at the youngest sphere of YA which at times felt disjointed due to the subject matter.
Even though the story is a retro 90s throwback,it feels dated not sure if this is intentional but makes me wonder if today's Younger YA reader would connect with the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and UClan publishing for this e-arc.

📚 Book Review 📚

Teenager Mina, arrives in New Orleans from Whitby after the disappearance of her Mum. Her older sister Libby, is studying there so Mina goes to stay with her for the summer. This will be a summer Mina will never forget.

After arriving, Mina not only discovers that one of Libby’s housemates, Jared, is pretty hot but she also discovers something pretty horrific in the attic of the place she works.

Very soon, the group of friends realise that the series of murders happening in New Orleans, are linked to murders of the past. Murders involving the legendary tales of vampires 🧛🏻‍♀️🧛‍♂️

This is a really good teen read. There are some gory bits, but not scarily so and the love interest is not over done. It is a great introduction to vampires and vampire hunters, with a group of likeable characters.

What I really loved, was the nostalgic theme and references to iconic films and 90’s pop culture; The Lost Boys, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Burbs. The whole book has the vibe of classic teenage horror, big hair and summer vibes. I enjoyed it and would recommend to friends of teenage readers.

I’d like to thank UCLan Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4 star read! This book is set in 1995 and follows Mina, her sister & friends in New Orleans. I loved the creepy atmosphere and could not stop reading. Despite being a YA I feel this is a book that could be enjoyed by all fans of the horror genre. The references kept me entertained & I read this book in a day.

I’m excited to continue reading this series & seeing what happens next.

The plot follows two estranged sisters, Mina and Libby, through a maze of murder mysteries and paranormal encounters.

Mina visit’s Libby in new Orleans where the two try to repair their relationship after the disappearance of their mother. After Mina discovers a deceased body at the sister’s shared place of work, Mina must find the killer and piece together why hair similar to Libby’s was found on the body, as well as a pair of fang marks.

Overall I would rate this book a 3.0 stars for a teen audience. I found the writing style quite simplistic and very much at the young end of YA, but this is not necessarily negative if you’re looking for an easy read. The setting and the vampiric aspect did create a gothic atmosphere which I found to be enjoyable. I felt some of the characters and the plot pacing was slightly underdeveloped, but I can see this book to be enjoyable for a young teen.

Overall I can see this book being entertaining to someone looking for an easy paranormal read filled with gothic tropes, but also aware this is very much a YA.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.

I loved this book. I loved the nostalgia fest that this was.

I enjoyed the mystery element to the plot and I loved the New Orleans setting.

Amy McCaw's writing is such an brilliant experience and I can't wait for how the series ends

A mediocre YA vampire novel, with some fairly predictable plot twists and run of the mill characters. I didn't like the power imbalance between the main character and the love interest, and overall it was a tad boring and nothing too special, but not awful either.

So many people recommended this book to me and I thought I was going to love it but it ended up being very basic. It felt like a young end of the ya spectrum book from eons ago. Amateur writing and lacking compelling characters or plot.

So full of 90's nostalgia, it was a brilliant read for someone who was formerly a 90s teen (me) and is a vampire addict (also me), but anyone interested in vampires and the supernatural would really enjoy this.

Mina and the Undead was the perfect horror book for me, as I am a bit of wimp! Yes, there are vampires, the macabre and spooky New Orleans, but the 90s nostalgia really came through for me and it was that that I was happy to focus on.

Mina was great as a stranger in New Orleans, as we were able to see all the touristy sights that she would have seen, but as she was also accompanied by Libby and her friends, who were already at home in the city, there was a sense of familiarity.

As someone who had their formative years in this period, the pop culture references were very welcome and Amy McCaw used them respectfully – there was nothing that was ‘just filler’ and every reference had a point to make!

The mystery plot was excellently put together and certainly had me guessing right until the big reveal. It was very skillfully done and it will be interesting to see what Mina gets up to next.

Luckily, you won’t have to wait that long for the second book in this series, as Mina and the Slayers is out in September.

So annoyed I didn’t get to this sooner! Brilliant New Orleans setting, fast paced and vampires. What more could you want.

I just finished this one, I managed to somehow binge it all in an evening, it was incredible and an amazing Vampire story!

A thriller that just kept me hooked and constantly questioning what is going on!! I enjoyed the characters and the story, it all flowed so well for me and I'm super excited to read the sequel!!!

Amazing! This book was exactly what I needed to get me out of a long reading slump. I want to hang out with Mina and the gang! Crossing everything for a sequel!

A ya horror is always difficult to find, although this is good some aspects are obvious and that can be because I am an adult

A fun, spooky ode to all things vampire! Loved the atmosphere and the deep love for vampire lore really shines through

I LOVED this book!!
I pretty much love any books that are set in New Orleans so I was drawn in straight away!
Mina was a great character, I felt like her sister was pretty problematic but not so much that it put me off the book.
The only thing I do wish is that it was a bit more "vampiry" and had more paranormal aspects to it but all in all I felt like it was a really good book.

This is so much fun with added fangs! Loved the setting and 90s back drop, so much reliving of my teens going on, albeit mine had slightly less murder!

An exciting read with a great twist on vampire stories. There's family secrets, murder mystery in this thrilling story that I can highly recommend for anyone who loves a dark, gothic tale with vampires and New Orleans.

Unfortunately, i am no longer interested in giving feedback on this title. I will rate this based on what I have seen of other reviews.