I really enjoyed this! As a lover of vampires and everything spooky, this was great insight into vampire lore. I loved reading about the different vampire lore across various countries because the European vampires are usually depicted in popular media

James' rating: 5 out of 5 thought-provoking stars! ✨

Well, I love vampires as evident from my love of Twilight. When I saw this book, I decided to delve into the historical aspects of this fascinating creature that is now one of the most loved mythical creatures.

This book draws a pretty ambiguous study on vampires. How this creature originated and how real and scary these creatures were to people of the past was quite interesting to read. While now many of us skeptical about their existence and the book community in particular, romanticize them a lot in our stories, they were a source of fear for the ones that came before us.

The types of vampires itself is quite fascinating. I had a phase where I devoured books about various types of vampires and I think I can confidently state I have read all types there was (at least 99.9%) which includes ones that have different powers, looks, food source, genealogy, creations etc. All these are discussed in the book as well the types pertaining to different regions across the world with their names, powers and weaknesses.

Definitely a book I would recommend for vampire lovers.

Thanks to Agnes Hollyhock and Wellfleet Press for an engaging ARC!

If you're a fan of the supernatural or have a soft spot for all things vampiric, then Agnes Hollyhock's "Vampires" is a delightful treat.

From the get-go,the text is engaging and accessible, making the topic feel easy to digest. The author does a fantastic job of weaving together the myths and stories. This isn’t just a collection of spooky stories but a deep dive into the facts about vampires.

I particularly appreciated the variety of vampires covered in this book. Hollyhock takes readers on a journey through folklore that highlights lesser-known undead creatures, ensuring that even seasoned vampire enthusiasts discover something new.

The illustrations are another highlight. They add a great visual element. I could spend hours flipping through the pages, just looking at the artwork.

Overall, "Vampires" is both informative and beautifully crafted. It sums up a wealth of information that both novices and experts will appreciate.

I loved reading this book; It was comprehensive but not overwhelming, and I loved the illustrations throughout. You could feel the author's passion for the subject matter.

It was well-researched, and I loved the comparisons of lore from different regions and that it tied into various classic gothic vampire books and more contemporary vampire media. However, there were moments when I felt like there could have been more detail or that the information I read was pretty common knowledge if you've read other books on this subject.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wellfleet Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An academic, but accessible primer that touches on vampires and vampirism as a cultural subject. The book acts as both tour of the varied kinds of vampires that exist around the world, as well as history of the vampire as a real and present problem that people encountered throughout history (mainly as an explanation for illness or misfortune). Particularly for some of the less mainstream non-western variants, I did learn new information.

After delving into the creatures from folklore, we dive into the creatures from fiction. Given the popularity of the vampire, there was no way this list could be exhaustive so it focused on the major pop culture moments of the vampire since Stoker‘s publication of Dracula.

I think I might have enjoyed this book more if it had taken a specific aspect or adaptation and done a deep analysis, however, it does a good job intended as a high-level overview.

Ive been on a huge binge of vampire culture recently (the majority of this being fiction) so it was really interesting to dive into the non-fiction genre and learn more about the widespread cultural aspects regarding origins and history.

I thought this book touched upon some really great information from around the world with a range of cultures mentioned through, including their links to religion/politics/economics and more. It wad short and snappy with great illustrations throughout so if you’re after a quick easy read jam packed with to the point information then this is for you!

my only critique was as much as I loved its quickness, I wanted more details! each mention / discussion was no more than a paragraph which didn’t leave much time or space for in-depth discussions and opinions. It was structured more like “here’s the point, here’s a few sentences to explain it and one more sentence for my source.” I would’ve liked more weight and substance to the info, but I still learn something new AND had fun with it.

As a vampire enthusiast, I had a lot of fun reading this short, lovely, and educative book. Hollyhock not only gives a mental map of what you should know about vampires but also provides immense variety. It was truly refreshing to see this variety in identity and location in a book about vampires as the focus is often the Anglo-Saxon world.

It is a great and quick dough-starter read if you want to learn more about vampires within culture!

This was a really interesting book that drew some intriguing parallels between vampires from multiple folklores and types of media that many of us are familiar with. It was eye-opening to see the contrasting bits between representations of vampires in various media sources as well.

This book would be a wonderful addition to any horror or paranormal lover’s bookshelf. I learned quite a bit of new and fascinating information on vampire folklore from across cultures. The aesthetic of the pages, cover, and illustrations are also very well done. A major drawback for me is that I do feel it is a bit surface level and could have been much longer. For example, there is just a bit of information missing on Lilith. This is an average, good introduction to vampire myth and legend, but leaves something to be desired.

If I had a coffee table, I'd put this book on it!

Back in high school, I was definitely one of those girls who was way too into vampires. My obsession was borderline unhealthy—mostly with the hot ones. (I'm looking at you, Spike.)

Naturally, I found Vampires by Agnes Hollyhock to be an absolute treat. Hollyhock does a fantastic job of first laying down the framework with all the lore. Next, she takes you on a journey around the world, introducing you to the vampiric legends of different cultures. Of course, you'll visit Vlad the Impaler, but there are also a few lesser-known ones who you may be meeting for the first time. The final section addresses the much less terrifying, far easier-on-the-eyes vampires of the screen and page. You probably already know them well—maybe you even had a poster of one of them hanging on the wall of your teenage bedroom—but when is it ever not fun to reunite with your old favorites?

Raine Rath did an absolutely stellar job with the illustrations. They're truly stunning and fit perfectly with the book. I'm so obsessed that I'd literally get most of them tattooed on my body if I could.

Overall, Vampires would be the perfect gift for both the vampire novice and the vampire-lover. It's informative while still being highly entertaining and fun. 10/10, I recommend it!

All my thanks to Quarto Publishing Group, Wellfleet Press, & Netgalley for the ARC!

In college, I took a class on vampires (can’t make this up), and this brought me right back to that era. This book was an interesting and educational walk down memory lane.

Definitely learned a few new facts/tidbits, but nothing new about Edward Cullen?? ha!

(Thank you, Wellfleet Press and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

Being from Romania, I’ve known about Dracula and Vlad the Impaler all my life, but growing up in the ‘90s I was more accustomed to the sexy rock-star vampires of Anne Rice and Buffy, than the menacing count and his gory backstory.
This book merges these aspects of “the vampire” and so much more into a well-researched yet succinct compendium. Inside you’ll find all about the different types of vampires, their abilities and weaknesses, famous vampires from history and, of course, fiction.

The question that drew me into the book was: How and why did so many cultures decide upon the existence of “vampires”? The fact that vampires show up in both myth and folklore all around the world was surprising to me.
The book focuses more on the “how” vampires came to be: explaining their biology and the way it overlaps with how the body decomposes after death, how deadly diseases with unknown means of spreading wiped out entire villages, how improper care of the dead has consequences.
What I needed from the book was a more in-depth explanation of the “why”.
In the end is says that “How humanity treats the dead is more telling of what they think of the living.” I found this to be a very interesting idea, but I felt it needed more developing.
Yes, the revenant, the undead, the vengeful spirit – all stem from our relationship to death and the afterlife. But why is the predatory aspect of the vampire the true constant across cultures?

The second part of the book is focused on instances of vampires and vampire-like creatures. I especially liked the tiny South African “impunduli” and his blood fueled flying machine; the ticklish Ukranian “mavka”; and the shapeshifting Balkan “vrykolaka” (funny thing, in Romanian “vârcolac” means werewolf).
We also have famous vampires from history and legends, starting off strong with Vlad Țepeș (aka The Impaler) and going all the way to US in the late 19th century.
It blew my mind that vampires don’t show up in mirrors and old phots because of their silver components. Or that a cat jumping over a dead body could turn it into a vampire. The body, not the cat! Or that the famous cape that completes any vampire Halloween costume is actually a shroud.
The ending chapter is about vampires in fiction. I was familiar with most of the books and series presented, but I liked the way the author explores their role in our ever-evolving relationship with vampires. You can really feel the passion for the subject.

I also like the formatting of the book. The information is easy to follow, with short chunks of text, and the illustrations are beautiful. Now I just need to find some vampire related Trivia contest so I can use all the wonderful things I’ve learned from this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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I feel like this is the kind of book that people will buy to have on their shelves and pull out to prove that they know exactly what a draugr or dhampir is. It feels mostly aesthetic, despite having significant substance to it. However, I really do think it could have stood to be longer, even potentially *much* longer. While the descriptions of historical and cultural vampires were detailed and well-written, I feel like there were opportunities for further expansion in this work. I would have loved to see more discussion about each author of classical vampire stories, more depth on modern vampires in pop culture, and an expansion for specific folk tales and stories about some of the kinds of vampires discussed. It feels skin-deep only, lacking true depth and lore. It definitely isn't a bad book. But I just feel like there could have been more.

Like vampires? Enjoy history or folklore? This book is for you. It describes how a lot of modern concepts of vampire characteristics come from a very specific few pieces of media, and then it dives into the history and literature that predate those concepts. Bringing in vampire folklore from all over the world, things that may have inspired it, contemporary science that may explain some of it, and what parts of that inspired which famous vampire books and movies. It is both enjoyable and educational and a fairly quick read.

These were captivating stories from historical views on vampires mixing mythology into the present-day fascination with vampires. I found the different names for vampires by country and time in history. This is more like a fun handbook into the past of superstition and realism. An interesting book that I found very informational and eye-opening. So interesting how the stories were conjured and how one comes to believe in them. Definitely a historical account worth reading.

This was a very well researched and structured book about vampires, their origins, their folklore around different cultures and different media (novels, films, etc.). The narration is very fluid, never overwhelming and clear. I would have liked to see some drawings of the vampires imagined by lesser known cultures (e.g. Chinese, Indian and South American).
Recommended if you love vampires and want to know more about their history.

First, I received an ARC copy via NetGalley.

This is a really cool book. It’s filled with history of vampires that I had no idea existed. I even learned about different powers and origins of various vampire species. Overall, I recommend it to any vampire lovers out there.


One star lost because I was forced to read it in the NetGalley app which is tough for a book that has pictures.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

This is a really detailed and informative book about vampires that dates some of the earliest myths all the way up to modern interpretations like Anne Rice. I loved the illustrations and found it so easy to read while also learning things I didn't know before.

Good read for people interested in vampires, the lore and history and the impact of cinema on vampires throughout history.

Lovely and interesting history of the vampire. Beautiful pages and artwork. Detailed information categorized in each section.