This was a nice and easy overview of the history of the Vampire, both as the mythological creature and it’s role in popular culture. I also really enjoyed the artwork depicted throughout.

Certainly not extensive, but definitely an easy introduction to the vastness that is the Vampire.

I really had a good time with this book the illustrations were amazing and I enjoyed reading about Vampire lore across history. Loved reading from a Vampire POV this is great for any Vampire lover.

It was filled with comprehensive facts and folklores, with beautiful illustrations fitting the theme.
I have zero complaint, it was a good introduction into vampire world and I just loved it!

Narrated by a vampire, this book is set out like an academic non-fiction piece that chronologically catalogs the influences, origins and evolutions of vampire lore with focuses of many iconic vampire medias such as Carmilla, Dracula and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It is also beautifully illustrated.

I’ve always found Vampires to be very beautiful and interesting creatures but have only read or watched them in fantasy media. I have learnt so much about vampire lore and origins while reading this and will definitely be researching many of the cultures, mythology and media mentioned throughout this book.

The illustrations in this book were so beautiful and were so well done, I will definitely be supporting the illustrator from now on and checking out their other works.

I think this book is an excellent introduction to learning about vampiric lore and history and it is so incredibly researched and gives such in-depth information about vampire origins in just 77 pages. I hope this author has other works that I can check out and if not, I will look forward to their future releases. I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this once it is published.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is completely my honest opinions of this book.

TWs/CWs - Animal Sacrifice; Blood; Body Horror; Buried Alive; Cannibalism; Child Death; Death; Epidemics; Fire/Fire Injury; Infidelity; Mind Control; Miscarriage (mentioned); Self Cannibalisation; Suicide; Xenophobia (discussed)

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It reminded me of an old monster book that I had that would tell of monsters from different cultures and myths. This book differed because it was being told by a vampire adding a sense of realness to it.

For those who are interested in the occult and where fairy tales come from, this is for you!

This novel has dated histories from around the world with their own visual versions of an early-day vampire. Not only is there a step-by-step on how the modern-day vampire came to be, but there are also quotes throughout the graphic novel that tie into the subject. Some of these quotes ranged from the obvious writer for Dracula, but also historical documents that recorded the sightings of vampires.

This is a book about legends and lore regarding vampires. It includes a lot of modern media; references to books and movies about vampires, as well as brief historical references for versions of vampirism in different cultures and different names. These vary in habits according to their cultural influences.

There are a lot of pictures to fill the pages, though I didn't think they were particularly good quality. The writing is rather interesting and well researched. It takes a tone of first person, a vampire explaining her investigation into the origins of her kind, rather like you might expect from one of Anne Rice's characters.

The authors do rather overuse the word, Antiquity. The narrative tries, and largely succeeds, in striking a tone of an ancient being, looking for answers. It does come over as rather 'young', but the historical references and observations of the religious contributions appear very thorough.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I thought this was a unique look at vampire lore. It is always interesting to see how similarly human think no matter when and where they lived. I think middle schoolers will love this

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Secrets of the Vampire is a short but comprehensive summary of vampire history and lore. As someone with only a passing interest in vampires, I still found it quite interesting and informative. I also liked how the narrator themselves is a vampire, and honestly now I'd be interested in reading a longer novel where this idea of a member of the undead discussing and teaching humans about their history is utilised. Part of me wishes that the narrator's own perspective on the myths they discuss (and their 'accuracy') had been expanded upon, but I'm satisfied with what we got.

What really sold this for me were the beautiful illustrations. Though I wouldn't say I was at any point bored while reading, the art really drew me in and made the book so much more interesting.

There were moments that I felt the transitioning between sections could be a little clunky (such as very short section on the origins of the nightmare, which felt a bit disconnected), but otherwise it was an enjoyable read.

Beautiful look at the history of the myth of vampires or vampire like creatures through time and culture as discussed by an ancient version of this. It goes up to modern takes on vampire too. The illustration are haunting dark and beautiful. It was fun to learn information I did not know before and the stuff I did more context was learnt about time place where these ideas came from.

The perfect book for the vampire lover, that details the history and cultural tales of the origins of vampire stories. Filled with art and includes literary pieces that involve vampires.

This is a detailed guide to the history of the vampire. Starting from the myth, it details where folklore and local lore have created the modern-day version of the vampire. From the myth, it details the vampire's development over time through literature, film and, finally, modern-day pop culture. It was interesting, informing, and entertaining.

My thanks to Netgalley, the authors and Quarto Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a self-confessed vampire enthusiast. From Stoker to Rice to Kristoff, if it's got vampires in it, I'm going to read it. Whilst this is aimed at 9-14 year olds, I still wanted to read it. It definitely felt geared more towards the lower age in the range, though.

The illustrations in the book were really the highlight for me - just dark and spooky enough to fit the aesthetic of the book, without being too much. It's the sort of artwork I'd happily buy prints of to frame in my house!

The information wasn't new to me, but I can understand why it's been included in this compendium - it is very concise and gives all the information a younger reader might want to know. Things like the historical figures that lent themselves to the vampire myth (Elizabeth Bathory and Vlad the Impaler for example and the various legends from across the world that feature vampires, it's a great starting point for younger readers who may then use that information to do some more research.

The part that really let the book down for me was the voice of the book. It's alluded to that the narrator herself is a vampire, but more could have been done with that. We're not given much information at all about the how and the why a vampire has decided to write this book, and I just feel like more could have been done on that front.

Overall though, I think a 9 year old me would have been extremely excited to get a copy of this compendium.

I'm more of a stereotypical vampire fan.. don't invite them in, sleeps in a coffin, wooden stake to the heart, no reflection, etc ⚰️🧛...... This book focuses heavily on the historical and mythological aspect, with the different imaginations of vampires compared between cultures which is quite fascinating. And the illustrations and font give this book that gothic feel.

Everyone who knows me, know that I’m obsessed with vampires, this started since my days as a twilight fan and it continues until now, so the Secrets of the Vampires was a must read for me.

It has all the important facts about vampire mythology all around the world, a few facts I already knew but the vast majority was new to me and it was fun discovery all this new stories and mythology, is always fun learning how different cultures explore the same myths and I could really see how the author went deep on her research, it was all very well done.

I loved every second of reading it, the illustrations really invoked the macabre, with dark tones and creepy drawings, it fitted perfectly with the dark undertone of the text.
Is certainly a must read for all the vampire fans, it will keep you locked into the very end!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An interesting and informative book that was a fun read. I liked the way it was set out to have a ‘vampire narrator’ giving the information, and it definitely had relevant and interesting facts. My only complaint is that I wish it’d been a little longer!

*Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, all views and opinions are my own.*

As a big fan, this was a very insightful look at the history and folklore of the vampire. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations and narrated by one of the subjects of this book, this was a very quick and fun read, especially for someone who lives in one of the "birthplaces" of the vampire.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my review! This is a beautifully illustrated introduction to vampiric lore. Légère and Whyte delve into the origins of vampires, leading up to modern renditions and representations in the media.

Given the target audience is for middle-grade to YA, this is a great, age-appropriate addition to any young bookshelf, particularly as Twilight is having its renaissance. Having the narrator be a vampire was an interesting and compelling choice that keeps the book from reading like an informational catalogue. I appreciate the inclusion of non-Western lore but thought this could have been expanded.

Overall, a great introduction with stunning illustrations. I would get this for my Twilight collection.

I'm a longtime fan of vampire lore, so there wasn't much in this book that was new to me, but it's a great introduction for those who are unfamiliar with it.

The art is gorgeous, the writing engaging, and it packed quite a lot of information in its short length. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of some lesser-known and non-western vampire types, and I wish they had been given more space.

As its very short, what it has in scope it sacrifices in depth, and most of the text was quite surface-level. I can't help but wish it had been longer/dug deeper into some aspects, but all in all it's very good.

This was a neat one! An illustrated history of the legends of vampires throughout the ages, mostly in Western/European mythologies but mentioning some Asian iterations too (something some vampire tales leave out completely). The illustrations were lovely, and the history was quite informative, short, and easy to comprehend. A nice primer- I'm sure this book will look gorgeous once published!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wide Eyed Editions for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.