thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read the eARC.
**4.5 stars on storygraph**

when i read the synopsis, i just had to read the ARC so i was elated when i learned that i had received the eARC.

the synopsis sounded very interesting to me. a vampire and a half human woman/half snake? who wouldn’t find that intriguing? and trans lesbian representation? a true win.

i was hooked from the very first chapter and adored both freddie and phoebe from the beginning. the timeline did happen really quickly and it was often something i kept forgetting about until it was mentioned that only a few days or a week had passed.

this would’ve been a five star read for me, but i wished freddie’s mob storyline was pursued a little more. phoebe’s storyline with her ex took over and transitioned into her relationship with freddie. when that wrapped up, it focused on their relationship and the reason why freddie came to toronto fell into the shadows until the end which seemed to have been resolved a little too easy considering freddie was in trouble with the german mob?

there was a moment at the beginning that made me pause. when freddie and phoebe meet for the second time, it seemed like they didn’t recognize each other despite having met the day before which was odd to me. if a vampire was confused about there being many vampires in one place and being several years behind on societal norms then i feel like i would remember them. freddie even mentioned phoebe right before she saw her again.

there was a quick moment between phoebe, one of her friends, and freddie that had me briefly wishing the author would pursue them and make them a throuple even if it was meant to be a joke.

overall, i really enjoyed the read and hope to read the author’s other books.

This was a cute story, but I wish that it had progressed a little more quickly. I did enjoy the way that the characters worked together overall!

I've read, and reviewed, McCluer before (in fact if you pick it up you'll see part of my Cold Blood review used in there), and I've been waiting to read this one as it sounded very much up my street.

Snake Charming follows Freddie: an 800+ year old vampire with a history of bad life decisions, as she flees from Berlin to Toronto to escape the mob, who are coming after her hard for the money she owes; and Phoebe: a multiple millennia old transgender, lamia, vtuber, who has just discovered that her ex was actually a stalker fan who posted photos of her, tail and all, online.

The book is set in the same universe as other books by McCluer, and features returning characters - like Dinah and Rachel from the previous book, A Second Chance at Life, as friends of Phoebe.

Speaking of friends, Phoebe has a really cool bunch of them, both human and fiend (non-human). I enjoyed their relationships with each other, and how they're all a bunch of queer nerds who get together to play TTRPGs and wargames. Phoebe makes her living streaming on Twitch, so it makes sense, but it's cool to see. And they're a tight-knit, caring group of friends, to the point of Dinah and Rachel going to intimidate the evil ex out of posting more photos and "admitting" that they were all photoshopped.

Freddie and Phoebe meet because they both want a one night stand. Unfortunately, they then both can't stop thinking about each other, because they have an amazing night, a connection, and they both make each other feel things they've forgotten how to feel. When you're a vampire who doesn't want to get close to anyone because of having to watch them die (and just learned that this hurts those other people), and a lamia who is a disappointment to her species for both being trans and not wanting to eat all of her lovers, it's probably nice to meet someone who can see through to the core of you, and still think you're amazing. They're very cute together. How long they'll last, given how fast they wound up moving, I'm not sure, but they're certainly good for each other. It's pretty funny though when you sit back and think about it:

Freddie: Oh fuck me I'm feeling feelings!

Phoebe: Oh Aphrodite I'm feeling feelings!

Friends: Oh shit you're feeling feelings?!

Freddie & Phoebe: Eh, let's just keep feeling feelings

Really, the mob plot takes a back seat for most of the book, in favour of building the world they all live in, and letting us get to know them which, honestly, is fine by me, because they're all pretty cool, and very queer. So that plot, when it finally shows up, is somewhat rushed, but that's because it's really just side plot. This is a romance, it's about these two getting to know each other and figure out that they want to give a relationship a shot. The side plots of the ex and the mob are there to facilitate the story, they're not the story itself.

McCleur writes very readable stories, that are hard to put down. Her characters are always well fleshed out, with clear voices. And I love how she always pulls in creatures from legends around the world, not just the usual western standards. Don't go into this one expecting huge amounts of action or deep plot, it's a fun piece of fluff - which nonetheless manages to reflect on some serious issues, from revenge porn to being trans. Do go in looking for some nice characters, and a pleasing journey through two people figuring out how to get past their own hangups for each other.

3.5 stars on StoryGraph

A cute, quick read based on an interesting fantasy world. I really like the world of fiends that is built in this book. There’s so many different people and lore that’s introduced here, I love that! There is a lot here that could be explored as we only meet many types of fiends in passing.

I liked the characters and their backstories and friendship, I thought it was fun to get some background from both our main characters from their friends. I thought the relationships were well done and thought out.

Our main couple and the plot were where I took off a couple stars. While Freddie and Phoebe were really cute, and I loved the conversations they had, everything happened so quickly. I wished things took more than a week to develop, because I’m not sure if I would expect them to stay together for the long term or not. Maybe I’m just a skeptic!

I felt like it took a while for the plot to kick in. I wish that we had a slightly longer book to help develop the plot a bit more as it felt a bit out of the blue and rushed as it wasn’t really mentioned in the middle of the book.

Overall, this was cute, I thought the world was interesting but I wanted just a little more time to let everything breathe a bit better!

This is a well written LGBTQ romance. Unfortunately, it didn't capture my interest. If the is a genre you like, I recommend giving this book a try.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.