This book is a stunning example of the possibility of horror.

The setting, 1990s New Orleans, is perfection and so well described I feel like I’m there despite having never been in my life.

Mina is a good protagonist, flawed and believable but with a lot of heart so you want to root for her.

The descriptions of the vampires and the Murders were the perfect amount of gory details to disgust even an iron stomached reader.

There are several surprises within the book that when revealed make perfect sense, but they still have the power to shock with their unexpected answers. A lot of the characters think nothing of double crossing each other leading to difficult conversations.

And at the end of the story, not everyone lives happily ever after which adds a gritty realism to the narrative. Well, as realistic as a vampire story can be. The story is a perfect example of horror whilst also providing a source of family drama between Mina, her sister and their missing mother.

I devoured this book and I think any other horror fan will too.

Marketed as a YA horror, Mina and the Undead certainly falls under one of those terms. A YA with familiar tropes and a generally unsurprising plot, it is an easy read that I can see a lot of people enjoying for its familiarity.

The horror element is a little tricky. I haven’t read much horror myself, minus some classic Gothic horror like Dracula, Frankenstein and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The horror of Mina and the Undead felt more ‘Scream Queens’-esque than anything particularly horrifying. That is, arguably perfect for its YA category, but I’m not sure how taken horror fans will be.

My biggest problem with the book, though, was how unrealistic it was. Vampires aside, the instalove, dialogue and movement of the plot seem weak and, at times, forced. The story moves from plot point to plot point without much of the padding that really immerses you into a story. I was never convinced by the characters or their actions, nor did I come to particularly like any of them. Alongside this, we have 17-year-old Mina frequenting bars in the 21-legal-drinking-age US. Perhaps that was common in New Orleans in 1995, but it only added to my disbelief.

Despite this, I was glad I read Mina and the Undead. If nothing else, it did convince me to try other horror novels. The plot was fun and easy, delving into New Orleans myths with a side of the supernatural. It was nice to read vampires in this context: a slightly different depiction from what most YA readers will be used to. The author’s love for Anne Rice and 90s culture is clear and endearing, to an extent. I am interested to see what Amy McCaw comes up with next, and would definitely be willing to try any future novels.

When this story got going, this story was truly so good. The plot twists, the tension, action and in synergy leading to the end was brilliant and really wasn't something I completely expected, which is something I never mind in a book. The moments in this book where I was on the edge of my seat to find out what happened was incredible, and though I don't know how another book would continue, I do think I want to read more from this writer for sure.

The chemistry between the characters is also wonderful. The burning chemistry between Jared and Mina is great as the book develops and what happens next for them really is something I want to know and Della and Libby are the cutest couple and kind of goals to be honest. The characters are really well developed be that through the story or the diary entries and their growth in the book is done amazingly - and these characters in New Orleans make for a wonderful combination.

I also appreciated how much detail when it came to the era/dates that went into this book, with the style, films, music etc that were popular at the time and really woven into this book brilliantly - costumes, pop culture references and movies weaved into the story so well and were a nice touch to the story.

A great read that you really can sink your teeth (or fangs) into

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for a review.

I loved this book - harking back to 1995 (I was a whole 5 years old) it was a fantastic homage to 90s horror.

Mina was a realistic and believable main character, and the plot was a little predictable but entirely enjoyable with gore, romance, thrills and mystery.

An ode to the classic 90s horror genre is the base for this sensational YA thriller (which I also believe is the author's debut?) I already have a student reserve list as long as my arm for this one!

Mina and the Undead is a fascinating, blood-drenched and wild ride through a supernatural, yet all too human mystery that centres around obsession and power.

McCaw starts off with a bang, with an interesting and intriguing first chapter. I loved the whole homage to classic horror films and their terrifying villains, brilliantly presented through the whole haunted house immersive experience. It just sets the stage so well for the devilish chaos about to ensue and sets that tone that balances horror with touches of comedy.

I really appreciated how McCaw wastes no time in getting into the mystery. You get enough time to have a sense of the characters, but then you’re straight into the action. The presence of evil is tangible and constantly surrounding Mina from the start. The dastardly twists and turns that follow are nothing short of great. This genuinely is a very engaging and brilliant YA murder mystery, with superntaural touches and flourishes that harness the essence of the Gothic genre and transforms it for today’s readers. The plotting is stellar and the pacing is spot on. You have this moments to breathe and become more invested in the characters, but you never feel entirely comfortable, as another gory surprise is often waiting around the corner.

I felt that the setting, both geographically and time wise, really enhanced the story. New Orleans is a place steeped in myth and legend, allowing for that blurring between fantasy and reality to be all the more enticing. The setting just adds this extra level of atmosphere to the enticing mystery shrouded in secrecy and filled with vampirical vibes. Time wise, I loved all the 90s pop culture references, feeling like knowing nods to the reader. It just helped me really enmesh myself in this wonderfully wicked world Mina finds herself in.

Mina and the Undead’s biggest strengths are in its charming characters, well-imagined setting and compelling plot.

who doesnt love the 90's??? I for one am a 90's fan and this gave me the nostalgia i didnt know i needed. It was the perfcet gothic horror. There was a great mix of mystery, gore and vampy vibes.

I'm not going to lie i will always have a soft spot when it comes to vampire books. The 90's pop culture was just everything and i think everybody will love it!

A solid 4.5 stars from me

I really enjoyed Mina and the Undead. It was the perfect mix of horror and mystery, interwoven with the myths and legends that surround New Orleans. The novel was incredibly easy to get absorbed in and I finished it in just two evenings. McCaw obviously has an appreciation for classic 90s horror movies, bands and the city of New Orleans itself. I hope to read more works by Amy McCaw.

4.5 stars (rounded up)

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and UCLan for providing me with an advanced edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the moment I picked this book up, I knew it was going to take me back to some of the vampire stories of my younger days; figuratively as well as literally. Set in New Orleans, home of Anne Rice's famous vampires, with two sisters who hail from Whitby, the unofficial home of Dracula, I'd be lying if I said this didn't make me want to keep reading.

Mina and her sister Libby have had their ups and downs, but Mina goes to stay with her older sister for a summer she'll never forget. Meeting her sister's roommate Jared, it seems like it's going to be your stereotypical boy meets girl tale until you throw in Fang Fest. Jared has a love of the macrabre like Mina, and they quickly bond over it. Mina even gets a job working at a horror house.

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.

I absolutely loved this book. 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.

The characters were interesting, although I did think that Della and Lucas were a little less fleshed out than Jared, Libby and Mina. I think that was more of a plot device than a writing issue, though.

Another thing I really enjoyed was that I couldn't see the plot twists coming. I love it when a book surprises me like that.

I would love a sequel to this, and have pre-ordered my copy ready for release day!

Mina and the Undead is a fun-filled, action-packed, YA horror thriller. Set in mid 90s New Orleans there’s a real gothic vibe which sets the tone perfectly. The horror is more light-hearted rather than full-on scary, similar in style to early Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Lost Boys.

I love this book! For the escapism, the pure tongue-in-cheek fun and plenty of pop culture references for the geeky 90s kids! My only reservation is whether teens will understand the references...However this would make a perfect introduction to the genre for YA readers interested in vampires that don’t sparkle in sunlight!

Seventeen-year-old Mina moves from Whitby (Dracula’s favourite English seaside town) to Anne Rice’s New Orleans to stay with her sister Libby for the summer. When Mina auditions for a job at Libby’s workplace, the ‘Mansion of the Macabre’, in between the horror movie costumes and the fake blood she discovers a real dead body. Soon Mina, Libby and their friends are under threat from a serial killer who seems to be recreating New Orleans urban legends. But is it possible that all the horror stories are true?

Mina and the Undead is a reverential tribute to vampire tropes and references, and a scrapbook of 90s nostalgia—from hair-crimping to rom-coms. (Haven’t thought about ‘My Father the Hero’ for decades but we were obsessed with that one!)

I didn’t particularly enjoy the narrative style. Mina has a slightly stereotyped teenaged attention span—flitting from horrific trauma to trivialities about food, clothes and crushes at the blink of an eye—with a Michael-Gove-approved level of fronted adverbials.

But generally, this was a fun, fast-paced, atmospheric read. Perfect for fans of Buffy and The Vampire Diaries.

Folks, I had so much fun with this one! Mina and the Undead is set in New Orleans, a place that I’ve never been to but am dying to visit (my best friend lives a couple of hours away so how could I not?), and it follows a girl called Mina whose mother is missing. Mina goes to work with her sister in a haunted house and then the murders happen.

That is everything I enjoy all rolled into one, so of course I really enjoyed this book! The references to 80’s and 90’s horror (this book is set in the 90’s too) were so much fun; as a 90’s child myself I was loving all the throwbacks in this book.

Also, I’ve never realised this but a haunted house is the perfect place for a murder??

I’m not sure if Mina is getting a sequel but I would really like one. The ending to this one was so thrilling, and also a lot of fun. I am a bit sad about what happened to who I thought was my favourite character until there was a COMPLETE AND UTTER BETRAYAL, and while I don’t think they’d do much in the sequel, I do hope to find another favourite.

I think you’ll speed through this book with all its twists and turns and just plain entertainment. New Orleans in the 90’s was the perfect setting for this book, and I’m so glad I picked it up.

SUCH GOOD FUN. I loved the references to 90s horror, and the setting was perfect. I could just see the New Orleans that Amy McCaw described - I loved all the characters and settings. Can't recommend enough. Perfect for fans of VE Schwab's Cassidy Blake series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC of this book.

I kind of knew I would love this book. I started rewatching Buffy right before I got the ARC, and it was just what I was in the mood for.

The cover and page design is so gorgeous. Totally set the scene and was just a really fun addition to the book. I also I love that all the characters (and clearly the author!) love the 90s horror vampire aesthetic. It felt like everyone involved loved the vibes, and I definitely did as well.

The greater cast of characters is so well developed and compelling. I loved Della’s warmth and kindness, and her relationship with both Mina and Libby was lovely. I hate when YA characters don’t have friends beyond the love interest, and McCaw has given Mina a great network of interesting, fleshed out relationships.

Libby and Mina feel like real sisters, their fights and conflict coming as a result of two women negotiating the very different people they are. When they reconcile, it feels genuine and real. It was a great portrayal.

I also really enjoyed Mina and Jared’s relationship.They felt like a cute young romance, and it was refreshing in a YA novel to not have the “this is my one and only forever love” vibes. Young romances are just as valid even when they’re not “soulmate” bonds or something.

I was a bit confused by their mom's issues, being obsessed with vampires and letting people drink her blood felt like it should have been framed as more “odd”, but they were treated like common addictions. I decided to sort of suspend my disbelief and decided Mina’s world is a version of our world where that stuff is common. But, in a “our world but add supernatural”, you’d expect this to be a bigger deal.

The supernatural introduction was also weirdly calm to me, and it came quite late in the story. I wish it had been seeded a bit earlier and more clearly, as it felt slightly out of left field to me. Nothing major points to supernatural in the first half and then, boom, vampires. Especially with the reveal of who the vampires were, that could have been alluded to earlier.

When the villains are revealed, for one of them, I genuinely didn’t know who she was because she was such a minor character in the beginning. The other made total sense, and I liked the reveal, but I felt it could have been seeded earlier again.

The book ends sort of openly, so I hope we get a sequel or companion novel. I’d definitely read the next one. This is a fast, fun read for anyone who likes a bit of 90’s nostalgia and horror fun. Four stars.

Horror isn't usually my thing but I found the murder mystery part of this story really entertaining especially with the surprise twists and turns. I found the romance side a bit irritating and unnecessary.

An atmospheric YA paranormal book to get your teeth into.
Mina and the Undead is the story of summer 1995 in New Orleans. There's a supernatural serial killer on the loose and a haunted house to tour. The pop culture references were great. And setting the story in a place which has historical spooky connections was a sublime idea.
But, I genuinely thought I was missing something at the beginning because the characters were introduced as though I already knew them. This is definitely supposed to a standalone or first in a series right?
Oh, and I did not like the instalove between two characters. I had only read two chapters and could already see that romance was probably inevitable.
It was a bit of an info dump at times too. I'm not fully satisfied with the ending either.
But, overall, this is a chilling and thrilling adventure that is a good introduction to gothic horror for teens and young adults.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this title. This was my honest review.

As a longtime fan of vampires, I knew once I started this book I was going to really enjoy it and I wasn’t let down! Set in 1995, with references that really set the tone and sold the setting, we’re transported to New Orleans as Mina visits her sister, and soon after everything starts to unfold onto them. It had fun movie references, suspense that had me refusing to put the book down and characters I got attached to so fast and wanted to watch succeed! What I didn’t expect was how much the twists got to me, how shocked I was at some reveals and the emotions I felt as the story progressed and we learned hard truths about characters I had come to love.

I genuinely came so close to real tears over this book, but they stopped and all I had was my heart clenching as I read on. I loved this book in its entirety, being pulled in from the first page. I’m a character driven reader most of all, and the characters had me hooked so fast with how developed they were within a fast story, and how natural they felt. Just *chefs kiss* to this whole book.

Oh I absolutely loved Mina and the Undead, it combines family and relationship issues with a great dollop of mystery in a light-hearted style reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Set in New Orleans, a serial killer is re-enacting historical murders which appear to be linked to Mina and Libby, sisters from Whitby. Libby works at a haunted house, taking tourists through scenes of horror, murder and vampirism... New Orleans is the home of Lestat after all... and this is also the setting for the first new murder. The sisters and their friends are relatable teens, with complex backstories that add depth to their characters, it is no surprise given their names that their own mom, Emma was obsessed by vampires. Emma herself vanished a few years earlier, leaving the girls with an aunt. There is plenty of action, romance and mystery to keep you turning the pages and I sincerely hope that a second book will be coming out soon.

This was such a fun and captivating YA paranormal read that has definitely got me in the mood for allll of the vampire and supernatural fiction.

We delve right into the plot from page one, with Mina arriving in New Orleans to spend some time with her semi-estranged older sister Libby. Right away we accompany Mina on a tour of the mansion and it gave me flashbacks to an interactive tour I went on a few years ago so that was fun but also creepy.

There was so much mystery and intrigue, which had me suspicious of every single character. I feel that there were a couple of red herrings planted which I think was super clever of Amy but also you couldn’t help but use your knowledge of horror films and other books to try and guess who the killer might be. I’ll be honest in saying that I didn’t actually have a solid guess as to who it was!

All of the characters were well fleshed out and interesting, which made my second guessing that much more difficult! I loved Mina and Jared’s relationship; it was mutually respectful but you could totally feel the chemistry. Mina and Libby had a difficult relationship but I enjoyed seeing this develop throughout the book, and Libby’s girlfriend Della was like another sister to Mina which was super heartwarming.

I loved the nods to classic horror movies and life in the 90s, particularly the music! It was as if I’d stepped right back into that decade and it felt like it was done effortlessly by Amy. Another element of Amy’s writing I enjoyed was the use of words linked to death, forever reminding us of the supernatural creepiness in this book. For example, Mina’s wig one night was “beyond resuscitation”.

This was a fast paced horror read which had me second guessing all of my thoughts throughout. It was YA for sure but I’d say on the upper end of the scale, as there was some strong language used and lots of gore and bloody

I can’t wait for everyone to sink their teeth into this debut novel and I would most definitely read what Amy publishes next!

Vampires have always been part of Mina's life, growing up in Whitby (which inspired at least some of Stoker's Dracula) with a (now estranged) mother seemingly obsessed by them too. But they can't be real...can they?

It's summer 1995 and Mina is headed to stay with her sister Libby in New Orleans, hoping she might stay more permanently if things work out...but will they survive the summer?

Libby works at a haunted house style attraction giving interactive horror-movie-inspired tours full of thrills, where Mina hopes to join the team,and she's arriving just in time for 'Fang Fest' in the city too. Roommate Jared seems to love a good ghost story just as much as she does and is full of local myths and urban legends (oh, and he's gorgeous too - well, of course he is!) And then there's the recent spate of murders which seems to be getting closer and closer to home...

As someone who grew up loving Point Horror, American Gothic and the like (not to mention pretty much all the vampire films referenced in the book) I know teen me would have devoured this; a group of cool, independent older teens at the centre of a vsmpiric murder mystery with a bit of Gothic romance thrown in for good measure. Yes please.

Creepy, full of twists, cleverly plotted and achingly retro this has it all - angst, family issues and romantic tension in amongst blood bars, crime scenes and graveyards. A lover, a suspect, a dead friend, a missing mum, a strangely accurate psychic... and of course vampires. This has everything a horror-loving, YA fan could want!

It's also packed to the rafters with 90s pop culture references that I'm not sure how many teens will get (as if they weren't even born then - it wasn't that long ago!), but that I loved! They had me reliving my youth in the best way and, even if you don't fully get them or know them well, they definitely added to the story's atmosphere and authenticity.