This novella was infuriating. Most of my time reading this slim book I was confused and annoyed: Confused as to what exactly was satire and what was humour, and annoyed at the author's inability to differentiate between the two.

Vampires at Sea is a literary-inspired, semi-experimental work on a married couple of "energy" vampires, who on a two week "queer cruise" find their new lover (and fellow supernatural being) breaking the pair apart.

There is something unforgivably grotesque (if in earnest) to dedicate your book with the following: "For all the hot queer sluts. You know who you are." I knew immediately that if unironic, I would probably find the rest of the work irredeemable, and if in jest, brilliant.

Self-styled "queers" are hilariously ripe for satire. As a member of the tribe (though if you call me that word, I'll kill you) we're ridiculous, hyper-sexuality, classist, self-righteously smug, and hypocritical. Throughout this novel, I found glimmers of Merbaum coming into and exposing it, but never clear enough in where her adoration really lay. I dislike confusing the author with the narrative, and I'm aware of the fallacy, but "queer" work as a literary genre is so horrifically didactic--and with such a muddied execution--I have no option but to assume the author's inability to fully skewer our world as (perhaps not a fear of retribution) but wholehearted appreciation.

It was no surprise then that in the afterward the author had received an MFA: the worst excesses of this education come forward and the prose is all fatty meat without any bone. Sentences are the usual tertiary-educated bazaar of loquacious adjectives and metaphors without any deep thought into the larger themes of the work, turning the work in a vapid, sugar-filled work to feel smart reading despite all evidence to the contrary.

Despite my dislike of this novel, I appreciated the attempt at humour on our community. Like I said, we suck. We need comedians willings to dress our flashier members of the community down a notch. The work picked itself up in the middle, and I was interested in how the work panned out. But its attempt to be literary, by eschewing normal tone, plot structure, and basic literary devices like things-being-included-should-mean-something made this a poor literary novel, a muddled queer novel, and a downright awful vampire novel.

just so fun. A real capital R Romp. I really liked the style of writing here, the whole thing felt so bouncy and easy to read.

This filled my spooky, gay, vampire loving heart with such glee! The gender representation was truly wonderful. More non-binary vampires please!

thank you netgalley & creature publishing for the e-arc !!! this was a very fun silly sexy romp of a novella. hot queer vampires on a cruise, need i say more ????

super fun characters (if you want a no plot just vibes read, this is PERFECT) and rebekah’s stream of consciousness style narration made for a nice change of pace. very excited to read more from creature publishing now that they’re on my radar!

overall, super fun! after all, they’re literally on vacation !!!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Vampires at Sea
This book was just not for me. I felt like it dragged at some parts and was rushed at others? This book definitely has spice but lack horror. I do hope others enjoy this book.

Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and since it was a novella there was little to no backstory of the main characters, and the story just kind of throws you in with little to no explanation. I definitely understand the comparison to What We Do In the Shadows, but in all honestly this book could have simply been a fan fiction written about characters from the show, and unfortunately it’s not a well developed fic to begin with.

3 ★

This was soooo "What We Do in the Shadows" coded! Rebekah and Hugh were giving Lazlo and Nadja—with a dash of Colin Robinson. Who doesn’t want to read about promiscuous emotional vampires on a queer cruise? I just wish the plot held up to the absolutely fantastic prose and rising tension before it abruptly ceased.

When I say the descriptions had me cackling aloud in some instances…The writing and cadence are just phenomenal. So matter-of-fact and shameless. So vulgar and coarse. I loved every second of it.

Here are some examples for your enjoyment:

- “Their eyes light up at the sight of me because I’m hot as fuck.”
- “You should always picture [Hugh] in black and white, by the way. Or sepia.”
- “bleeding-hemorrhoid cherries”
- “Hugh is such a fan of Jesus, that effeminate anorexic, with his xylophone ribs and over-the-top resurrection, a masochist vamp who volunteers his own blood for others to drink.”
- “I smell psoriasis and sunblock.”
- “Fucking masochist. He’s always harbored Catholic tendencies.”

Who the fuck even thinks of “bleeding-hemorrhoid cherries” to describe cherries??? Or anything for that matter? And the Jesus description!?!?! Please. Absolute gold.

But again, the plot was on a rise and fell flat right as the novel ended. It made sense due to how short it was, but I really think this could be longer. The climax moved quickly, and before I knew it, it was the last page. I don’t mind an open ending or one that leaves me wondering—in fact, I liked it in this. I only wish it were fleshed out a bit more, especially for a flippant supernatural being like Rebekah, who hasn’t experienced a drop of personal development or life changes in hundreds of years.

This novel’s premise is initially what piqued my interest, but its saving grace was the writing, the tone, and the way it completely sucked me in. It was just so funny and absurd that I’ll definitely be on the lookout for any of Merbaum’s future work.

Vampire power couple Rebekah and Hugh are on vacation! The pair join a queer Black Sea Cruise, ready to relax and perhaps join an orgy or two. Their r&r plans quickly unravel, when Hugh becomes utterly enthralled by a potentially magical non-binary social media influencer named Heaven. Rebekah must come to terms with her love, life, desires, and future, before its too late.

The premise of this book delighted me. I enjoyed the writing style, and appreciated it's bite sized (hehe) package- I went into reading with expectations that this would be a campy, romantic, and smutty. All of those expectations were met, and I enjoyed most of my time inside Rebekah's head.

I struggled with the back 15% of the book. I couldn't fully correlate how Rebekah was acting and what she was feeling with what we'd learned about the character previously in the text. I found the ending unsatisfying, and it felt as though the book ended rather abruptly. I'm not sure if this was due to 'big things going on in the novella format', but it did sour the reading experience for me.

I enjoyed that this flavour of vampire feeds on emotions, instead of blood- it was an interesting and exciting take on a centuries old character. The relationship dynamics explored were also interesting, and I appreciated the cruise ship setting- although Vampires at Sea confirms my wish to never go on one myself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lindsay Merbaum for a chance to review this book! This book was fun, fast, and a great quick read for pride month or the chillier months of October and November. While I did have fun with this book, I do unfortunately have to agree with some of the other reviews here that it fell short of the premise it was based on. The vibes were there, the setting was there, but the plot needed that extra step to make this book.

A bit insane, but I wished it was crazier. The beginning was strong and really caught my attention. I was strongly drawn to Rebekah (who throughout the whole book reminded me of the vampire Lestat so I was happy to see an IWTV mention in the acknowledgements). I was a little annoyed that despite the book being about vampires, there was a serious lack of biting and bloodiness in the story. The book as a whole felt like catching up with my (ancient vampire) friend over brunch about the messy cruise trip she went on, and honestly, I kinda liked that. It had a hint of dark humor in the first half that I enjoyed and missed in the second half. The ending felt rushed and a little like a retelling of a foggy dream, but somehow, it made some sense as a conclusion for Rebekah and Hugh's story (?)

This was a TRIP! I got some definite WWDITS vibes from this one with the queer-quotient turned up to 11. This is a marmite book - it wont be for everyone. I think ultimately it wasn't the right vibe for me, but I know it'll find its audience out there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Vampires at Sea in exchange for an honest review.

OOF. This was not it. The cover and quirky premise pulled me in, but the book itself was a total mess.

The stream-of-consciousness writing style felt cringey and rambling, and every character was insufferable with no redeeming qualities. It's billed as a sexy horror comedy, but while there’s plenty of spice, the humour falls flat, and there’s not a single moment of genuine horror or creepiness.

I do appreciate the LGBTQIA+ representation and the fresh take on vampires feeding on emotions rather than blood—but unfortunately, those weren’t enough to salvage this read for me.

Like a chicken tender that is almost all breading with very little meat. Yes the breading is delightful, but you need substance too.

I loved the lyrical writing style and evocative descriptions. I mean how can you go wrong with a queer vampire polyamorous cruise. However, the novella lacks a compelling plot. It is more so a fun party or a character study on this self-centered vampire. I enjoyed it well enough and would read more of the authors work but this one didn’t wow me other than the writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 4
Plot development: 3
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

This is going to be a weird book for most people. There's not a lot of world-building; you're really just thrust into a main relationship, given external players who tear it apart, and then everything is fun! Until it's not and everything falls apart. This novella is going to appeal to a very particular set of people, and that's totally okay. It wasn't what I was expecting, and I had a hard time liking Rebekah in the beginning. Every character grew on me a bit as the story went on, but everything felt unraveled in the end -- but maybe that's the point. Not everything needs to be a clean break; you can find a new beginning even in the worst of times, even after so long. It was just a vacation! Right?

I appreciate the advanced copy and getting to read something so out of my usual space. It was interesting and fun -- definitely not something I'll recommend to everyone, but I know a couple of people who might love it or love to hate it.

Thank you so much to Lindsay Merbaum and Netgalley for the early reader copy!

What a beautifully written, sensual, wild ride. This book took all the best parts of vampires and truly created something new and fresh. The centuries old lovers, the messy interpersonal drama, the adaptation to a modern age, it’s all so genuinely fun to to real about. Any fan of WWDITS and Interview with a Vampire will definitely fall in love with Hugh and Rebekah! Hell, any unsuspecting cruise-goer will fall in love with them (for better or worse!), I definitely did!

Interesting read, fantastic vibes and great ideas, but was missing a little something to be a rue five star book.

This just really wasn't for me. I didn't like the writing or the erotic elements of this book. It felt like Merbaum was just trying to shock people. This was definitely not a win for me.

Delicious. A funny, sexy romp that delivers a fun mystery while satirizing corporate Pride viciously. I would read a million books about Rebekah.

TW/CW: Language, drinking, toxic relationships, graphic sex scenes, cheating, violence, gory scenes, death

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Immortal beloveds Rebekah and Hugh are on vacation! Against a backdrop of ongoing war, this pair of chic emotional vampires from San Francisco sets off on a queer Black Sea Cruise, eager to relax, join an orgy, and feast upon their fellow passengers’ desires and sorrows. When Hugh becomes enchanted by an alluring–and possibly magical–non-binary social media influencer named Heaven, Rebekah’s reality capsizes. As she comes to terms with a future she never imagined, Rebekah begins to question her past, much of it lost to time. Ultimately, her journey becomes one of self-discovery, and acceptance of her true nature.
Release Date: October 7th, 2025
Genre: Horror
Pages: 168
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. The writing style was fantastic
2. Absolutely hilarious things said
3. Short book
4. Clever writing
5. Reminded me of What we do in the shadows
6. Rebekah had me cracking up
7. So much packed inside 200 pages

What I Didn't Like:
1. Some parts felt they rambled on and on without clear direction where we were going
2. Wish Hugh was a more flushed out character - he felt such a simp to Rebekah and then Heaven

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

Memory is a lie anyway. Half of what you remember is just what you imagine.


I feel like Rebekah and trying to figure out what Hugh finds in Heaven that's so special. They seem pretty basic and preformative.

Rebekah has me rolling. She's trying to hold the attention onto her by asking Heaven questions.
“Are you a makeup artist? Where did you study? Where do you get your lip rouge?”“I was a professional makeup artist, when I was younger.”They preen. “Now, I’m a motivator . . .”I can’t do it, I stop listening. No one needs to hear this.

Rebekah is every introvert short tempered person that hates small talk. I'm so here for her! The things you'll do for a unicorn.

Some of the stuff they talk about is so outlandish and ridiculous in the best way possible. Rebekah says they aren't ready for a ship orgy and that Hugh didn't even bring his cape. What does he do with his cape? I wish I knew haha

Heaven being a shapeshifter wasn't something I thought wasn't going to happen in this book. Love that Rebekah gets one last sexing in with them despite their equal hatred of each other. Doing the finger guns out the door was the icing on the cake for me.

I am confused on what substance they feed on though. It seems like Rebekah is a energy vampire since it's never said she directly feeds of blood. Not sure what Hugh is - maybe the same since he loves the attention from people knowing his art.

Loving all the different vampires in the book. She meets Misha another vampire but I quite enjoyed the way in which they talked about how they fed. Rebekah mentions she uses her beauty while Misha uses grief or anger to feed. He even feeds from Rebekah while getting her to talk about her husband leaving her. Just enjoying the vampires that sucked emotion out of people.

Oh I love that Rebekah chose herself. I get what Hugh was saying about how she always did what she wanted but in an open relationship he crossed a line of falling in love that you just don't do. Yeah, he had a spell put on him but at that point Rebekah was clearly done.

Is Heaven really gone? I doubt it.

Final Thoughts:
This book reminded me in so many ways of What We Do In the Shadows (series)
Rebekah and Hugh are just like Laszlo and Nadja and sprinkled with Colin's psychic vampire feeding since he's an energy vampire too. So if you loved this book watch the show there are queer rep and relationship goals. (in the acknowledges author says they are a fan of the show!)

I love that the author mixed influencer with shapeshifters. It's so clever and I was loving it.

This book was so much fun! I seriously hope we get a second book!