The premise was good and captivating enough. The cover seals the deal. The descriptions and how the author describe Portland is like being there. Although vampires are not as in vogue as before, the idea of real living blood sucking creatures will call a specific audience that is into the supernatural. Also, the Filipino representation is something that adds an extra value to the story. Vividly narrated with twists and turns makes this a nice read.

Will get back to this book hopefully soon! Was able to start and it was a bit entertaining, but life got in the way and was too busy to finish. Hopefully I get to continue someday. But so far, this was interesting.

VAMPIRES OF PORTLANDIA, by Jason Tanamor is the story that follows Percival and his family through trial and tribulations. Along with multiple other supernatural beings.

Percival and his family are trying to survive in everyday Portland, without bringing attention to themselves, as vampires. While trying to keep up the act of normal humans, a tragedy strikes. It's up to Percival to keep the family together, and keep them under control from their thirst. Along the way, he finds allies and enemies in different supernatural beings.

This book was an easy read, and to be honest, it had a good concept but felt like the it missed the mark. The flow of the story just wasn't there. Honestly the detail of each character's back story was a little much. You tend to get lost in one character, then get thrust into the backstory of a completely different character. The writing was just okay, as it felt like this was the first story the author had ever written. Which, don’t get me wrong, is not a bad thing, but read like a first draft to a level that could have been better as it didn’t flow well.

The story was just okay as it didn’t do anything to wow me. I have read other books and watched movies that are similar to this story. I feel the Tanamor needed more guidance from his publisher, and maybe he could have had a better novel in Vampires of Portlandia. This writer, and book, deserved better. I am sorry to say; I just was not impressed.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars.

I was really excited to read this book, the entire premise behind the story excited me and we need more Filipino own voices fantasy out in the world.

However, I was left feeling a little let down by the writing. I feel that it read like a first draft and needed a lot of work on the timeline, as well as the characters and the dialogue. It has so much rich history and lore to work with, which is why it's a 2.5 star for me. If I only judged this book on the writing alone, it would have been lower. You didn't really get a good grip on the characters and there are plenty of emotionally charged moments, that fell a little flat because you hadn't a real feel for the character, nor time to get attached enough to immerse yourself into their feelings.

Really great concept, I just think it needs more work on it. It has the essence of something really great, and I could easily see it adapted for TV.

I almost DNF this book because it didn't keep my focus. My mind kept wondering because the story wasn't interesting enough, there was too much dialogue which was also not the best, the writing was a bit weird, and with the little info we were given there wasn't a way to really know and like the characters. I fast read it and sadly, it didn't get better. Sounded really good but then didn't live up to its potential.

I really wish I loved that book! The synopsis had everything I love in urban fantasy books, and the representation of Filipino culture was a plus, I love to know the legends and folklore of other countries. However, the book was average. At various times I believed that it would finally take off, but it never happened. It turned out to be a good book that could have been incredible. That said, I believe that it could win many Brazilian readers, as this type of story is not normally translated and, perhaps, it would surprise some more novice readers in the genre.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A interesting idea behind this story, however it was unfortunately poorly executed which was so disappointing. The writing is OK but incredibly long winded and it takes ages to get to the point. There is a huge cast of characters which makes it difficult to follow the story.
An OK read.

*I received an arc from Netgalley to review*
While I enjoyed the cultural lore and background for this novel, I found it difficult to get through based on the slow pacing of the novel. In the beginning, the large cast of characters can be difficult to remember, especially as the point of view switches between them. As the novel goes on, you get a better familiarity and it's easier to get through. I don't know if it was a mix of a reading slump/ stress, but I found the narration style of the novel to be a bit long-winded and repetitive, following an omniscient third person, who would sometimes interject with their own opinion. I especially found it uncomfortable how often homeless people were cavalierly brought up as they "filled Portland."While this became vital to the plot, I felt it was poorly worded, to the point where the reader was supposed to feel desensitized. The characters were fully developed and interesting to read; I especially enjoyed the development of the different aswang groups within Portland. However, the relationships with some of the characters felt rushed, especially with the plot twist revealed at the very end. Overall it's an exciting dive into Filipino culture, but the technical parts of the writing need improvement.

I requested this book because I loved the idea of an adult Filipino fantasy novels with aswangs. There's nothing that scared me more during my childhood than aswangs, and fantasy isn't that popular in the Philippines (from what my fam and some booksellers there told me last winter, anyways). I wanted to like this book, but I feel like the author could have done a better job at researching the Philippines a little more. The author maybe could have researched traditions more as well.

I enjoyed this book so much! I love how it put Filipino culture at the heart of the story, and how much family was an important part of the book. My only real complain is the pacing, which was a bit off at times, but otherwise it was a really enjoyable read!

I hate to say it but I didn’t finish this book. It has an interesting concept and I was looking forward to reading it l. Plus that cover is AAAmazing and is what grabbed my attention. The writing style of the book wasn’t for me and it ended up switching point of views at random times. I really wish I could’ve enjoyed this one!

I was so thrilled when I saw this book on NetGalley that I requested it immediately. A book written by a Fil-Am author featuring Filipino characters, myth and folklore. We don’t see this kind of story/book being published internationally a lot. So you can imagine how disappointed I am during and after reading this book. I tried my best to love it. I was so close to not finishing it but I had hopes that it would get better or entertaining at least.

I’ll start with things I genuinely liked in this book. The family values, the backstory (inaccuracies aside), the hanging coffins, and glimpse of Capiz. There’s also a brief introduction to different kinds of aswangs which I wished were more fleshed out.

Now let’s continue with little things that were forgiveable for me. Going to Baguio from Samar by land (driving) is not possible. Sure you can bring your car but you and your car have to take a ferry. Next is being respectful to the elders. Using “po/opo” and “ate/kuya”. This is a very distinct and important tradition in Filipino families. I understand that their Lola is from Capiz and I’m aware that “po/opo” is not commonly used in Visayas (where Capiz is) and Mindanao but I’m sure they have their own terms/names for older people (like Manang/Manong). They grew up in the U.S. so maybe it wasn’t practice in their family. Lastly, peddling (which was used in this book) and pedaling are totally two different things. I have the e-arc so I hope it was corrected in the final copy.

So what’s left are the disappointments. First, is the writing. I struggled a lot. I’m totally okay with simple and straight-forward writing style. But this book has a strange style that didn’t work out for me. It’s written in third person perspective and on some instances, the author/narrator is directly talking to the reader. There’s not a lot of dialogues as well. The characters are one-dimensional and I had a hard time connecting with them with the exception of Geena, Percival’s younger sister. She’s the only character that I liked. There’s romance in this book. If you can call it that.

There were some plotholes in the story and lots of things that don’t make sense to me. For example, their Lola is the head of the vampires and when she dies Percival will inherit the amulet and the legacy. For their own protection, she doesn’t tell them that there are other types of aswangs who are also living in Portland. She also hides about the Covenant which I think was the most important thing for them to know. Is it much better if she tells them about everything so they’re aware and prepared just in case?

It didn’t sit well with me how the homeless people and elderlies were treated (or represented) throughout the story. They were killed because they have little contribution to the society. The issue was left unresolved. What bothered me as well was that the aswangs are not from America and for them it’s justifiable to murder the homeless and elderlies.

The ending. I still had hopes despite of everything. See how patient and hopeful I was. I personally thought that the “twist” and the fight scene were… ridiculous. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. I really appreciated what the author was trying to do but unfortunately it didn’t work out for me.

This book was supposed to be a mixed of dark, comedy/humor, and mystery but sadly, it fell flat in all these aspects. It broke my heart because it has really great potential. I will not recommend it but I will also not stop you from reading it. Just let me know your thoughts once you’re done.

DNF.

Well this one did not go as I expected. I knew that this book would be weird since that's literally in its description, but this one definitely wasn't for me. I was honestly just looking for some vampire goodness, and this wasn't it.

All my thoughts and review will be found on my blog @ abryjwlreads.wordpress.com . Thank you so much parliament press and jason tanamor for the advance copy. Thank you also to caffeine tours for picking me as one of the tour host.

Could Have Been So Beautiful..

As a Filipino, I always want to champion works of my fellowmen, especially because I know how hard it is to get your name out there and that Filipinos need to be represented more in media. However, when we’re talking about representation, you would want to get things right before doing anything.

Reading The Vampires of Portlandia is an utter disappointment — in more ways than one. But first, on its understanding of what the Philippines actually looks like. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I would have hoped that the author had Filipinos read through his work before making his final draft, because two main things shouted at me here.

One of the Philippine settings of the book was in Baguio (+Sagada) .. and it’s one of my top 5 favorite places in the country. I go there at least once a year. Seeing it on a page is exciting – and then the author says that the characters drove from Samar to Baguio. Nope. The Philippines is a group of islands – and you just can’t drive to each of them, unfortunately. Also, Baguio doesn’t have the beautiful sandy beaches. Are you sure you’re not thinking of Batangas or Boracay? Baguio is the Summer Capital of the Philippines because it’s high up in the mountains and very cold compared to the heat of the rest of the country.

At this point, I really wanted to DNF the book, so I sped read/skimmed through the rest instead.

I was trying real hard to find something good in the book. So, here. I loved the family values concept here, and the leadership being passed on to the different generstjons of the family. I loved the glimpses on the country’s folklore and the different type of creatures that we have, though the blanket term ‘aswang’ can pertain to so many kinds. I found it fun that they LITERALLY flew from the Philippines to Portland as a family. I imagine how tiring that can be as a plane ride can go from 12 to 20 hours by plane.

On the other hand, other disappointing things lie ahead. The writing style is hard to connect to. Basically, it’s boring and dragging. The “narrator” of the book gives a very prejudiced approach to the elderly and the homeless people. Social issues like racism and immigration were attempted to be discussed, albeit a little weak on delivering a good message.

The relationships between characters could have had more dynamic. Mystery could’ve been added in the plot to play it all up more. Better research on the aswangs could have made a fuller experience.

Overall, the book had the potential to hit something amazing. But, it tried to achieve too much and failed drastically instead.

DNF. The writing was pretty stilted. The pacing is really slow, especially the beginning. There was too much time spent on Percival making aimless conversation with the people who were giving him food to deliver to customers. This story had a really interesting premise, and I'm really disappointed that it didn't hook me in. The plot is pretty lacking, the characters could have been a lot better, and there's some views on certain groups of the population (elderly, homeless, etc) that are really negative towards those people. That last part made this book uncomfortable to read.

This was an interesting with a lot of potential too bad I didn't felt a connection with any of the characters and that the plot became messy after the last 50/60%.
I wanted to loved it because it's an own voices story but... it just didn't work for me.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was alright but I found myself having a very hard time trying to get into it. I kept dropping it unfortunately but I do really think that the author has a interesting voice and a lot of unqiueness. This one will not be reviewed on the blog as I don't feel that I enjoyed it enough and I don't necessarily think I'm the best to review it compared to ownvoices reviewers.

Percival is the head of the family after his grandmother's death. He works full time, delivering food from one place to another, pedalling his rickshaw from one corner of Portland to another. And he has to look after his younger brothers and sisters. But along with that responsibility, he also has to keep his powers in check and blend in with the humans. Because you see, he is a vampire. As is his siblings. And then there are the murders in every street and dark corner of Portland. The numbers are growing at an alarming rate.

I liked reading about the Filipino folklore of the aswangs. Some are vampires, some ghouls, some were-creatures and witches. I wish there was more of Marcella's backstory here.
What I wasn't a fan of, was, the writing. It felt a bit stiff and bland. There was more 'tell' than 'show', and it felt like the author was just reading the scene aloud. It wasn't immersive and the characters were forgettable. I felt that they could have been developed better.
If you are a fan of supernatural TV shows like Grimm and enjoy reading books based on folklore, this is for you.

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC.

Overall a very ok read, didn't fully connect with most of the characters and I felt like the plot started to get out of hand towards the end of the novel.