I really, really wanted to love it so much but the experience was tumultuous to say the least. Till Death follows Howard, a gay high school student who’s friend group is immersed in school politics, and their fight for acceptance in the hallways against the usual brand of PTA bigotry. Howard and his friends represent a fight very much on-going, but somehow a lot of the writing around it rang false. It felt more like checking a box than an exploration.

George is a vampire who’s mortal love is entering the final stages of life. Checked into a senior facility by his family who don’t know George exists, James is beginning to lose himself, and George must find a way to go on without him. This is partially because he’s been living in James’ house and has little means to meet basic needs once James passes away and his family takes over. He comes across Howard, a volunteer at the facility, and the two begin to spend time together, perhaps finding something more. While George is very much grieving the end of his relationship with James, James encourages him toward Howard. This gives George the permission he needs narratively, but it feels a little empty.

The juxtaposition of a high school student dealing with very normal teenage things and a vampire confronted with his immortality and the death of a longtime love feel like different stories entirely. The novel waivers under the job of keeping these two premises in the air–the innocent, supernatural romcom and the deeper, poignant drama laced with grief and regret. Because of this, the novel can never fully commit to either James or Howard.

Part of that trouble is George himself. George is a confusing character, in moments expected to be a boy hiding from James’ family in a closet (and somehow with no savings or means of his own at his age); in other moments, he’s stereotypically old when it comes to texting or understanding text speak from Howard. Far from the first vampire to date a highschool student, Till Death can’t seem to decide if George is Howard’s contemporary, or a man who graduated high school in the 60s and thus would be over 80 at present day. The two sides are almost separate personalities, and George never quite makes sense.

In the end, Till Death read like it couldn’t decide what exactly it wanted to be. There were plenty of elements that were interesting, but it was more frustrating than anything.

WOW this book's style changed SO Much throughout. and i'm not just talking about the tonal shifts thruought. it read, at points, like it was being written by ten different people. which might have been intentional, cause George is a vampire and maybe it's him switching vibes/talking styles.... but it didn't work for me. also, some of the plot was really open-ended. Came for the classic vampire romance (A+), but the ending didn't leave me fulfilled in any way. 3 stars. tysm for the arc.

I read the “Twilight” books when they came out. Saw all the movies in theaters. Still love them at 30. I have loved vampire literature ever since. So much so I took a vampire literature course in college. So when I saw YA queer vampires I was like sign me up. The writing really surprised me with how much I liked it. That being said the subject matter is what tripped me up in enjoying this book fully. Don’t get me wrong, LGTBQ issues are so wildly important, especially now. However when I read a book I’m looking for an escape from the world burning down and I was hoping for a queer vampire romance to swoon over. The heavy handed topics brought the story to a halt in places.

This one sounded so good, but I honestly just could not get into it, and as much as I despise DNF’ing a book, I unfortunately had to with this one. Thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read!

Okay WOW this was dramatic, extreme, and off-the-rails in honestly the best way. I can certainly see how this book might have a very specific audience, and how your average reader might not find it digestible (pun intended).

A lot of this book is very much intentionally uncomfortable. It doesn’t hold back, either with its tragic references or cold-blooded revenge. It’s tragic and complicated and doesn’t have a pretty ending because it isn’t supposed to.
I thought this was such a cool exploration of both the vampire genre and ALSO of Queer history (wild sentence but true!!).
The writing was certainly clunky at times. Some dialogue was hard to follow. However I honestly still ate this up and at every point I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

This is messy, ridiculous, sad, and somehow very very fun. I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to experience this unique story as an arc reader. I can’t wait to see what others think of it!

Also the cover is GORGEOUS.

this was such a wild ride with two spooky gay boys that you just want to see make it until the end. So much fun here

DNF at 40%

I will say, I loved some of the themes touched on in this book. Seeing important issues touched on in books is something I really appreciate being included in stories.

Unfortunately, the story and characters just aren't working for me. There's a pacing issue where I keep getting bored and wanting to put down the book and do something else, and the insta-love attraction that seems to be a lot of tell and little show isn't helping pull me in either. Rather, it's pushing me farther away. Then, lastly, George's immaturity is creating a level of annoyance that builds an irritated feeling in me while reading. So overall, this isn't worth me continueing.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC.

I don't know what I was expecting, still not sure to be honest. I think my biggest problem is I didn't love the writing style. I think the themes were solid, but there were pacing issues and character issues for me as well.

This book just didn't end up working for me.

Thank you Netgalley and MTV books for the arc.

Till Death follows Howard, a teenage boy, and George, a vampire stuck looking like he’s 18, as they navigate falling in love, grief, and prejudice.
Howard is a gay boy struggling with his place in life and fighting for LGBTQ+ individuals to feel safe. Then he meets George and begins to fall in love for the first time. George watches helpless as his first love dies slowly in front of him from old age that will never touch him. Meeting Howard renews something within George and makes him look forward to the future. With prejudice still prevalent and affecting their love and lives, they decide to take things in their own hands.

I liked how original Howard was and true to his age. A teenager obsessed with anything vintage, but troubled about his place in his friend group, college, and wanting to be treated like a human being. I also love the reality ofJames’ struggle after being turned into a vampire. There’s no riches or ease, as we see in media, but his struggle with finding resources and not setting roots. I also really liked his life story throughout the decades. And the story tackled very important topics, such as misgendering, unisex bathrooms, sensitivity training, etc.

Which is why I’m disappointed I didn’t like this book! I liked Howard and George individually and would have liked them together if there was more development instead of the insta, tell-not-show love that happened between them. I was not invested in their relationship, and the end made it even worse considering how immature George still is. I stayed for the story thinking the climax would be satisfying with them taking justice in their own hands and it’ll be similar to the movie God Bless America, but obviously with more consideration and character development considering this is a YA book. However, I was let down again, but what I did like was the opposite of what I was anticipating/wanting as George talks about control and what is right. The pacing also needs to worked on as it started slow until the 87% mark where I felt things were rushing to finish. And again, even with the slow pacing the relationship development was lacking because we were told that things were easy between them and that they were important to each other. Having his first love in the picture as George falls in love again was an odd adjustment for me too, which I think will be the case for many others.

Overall, if you want an MM twilight, where real topics are tackled and the vampire doesn’t sparkle, isn’t wealthy and perfect, and drinks human blood, then gives this a try.

was very intrigued with the plot and of course, vampires! I really wanted to like this, but didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. It was heavy on social justice (which is great don't get me wrong) and felt slower paced despite being a pretty fast/easy read. I suppose I was expecting more fantasy topics. I think for the target audience YA and lgbtq+ this will hit closer to home with the main topics of focus. I really love the cover art though! I didn't enjoy the overall story line as much, but appreciate the opportunity to read this in advance thanks to netgalley.

70/100 or 3.50 stars

There are plenty of things I enjoyed about this, and there are a few things that I didn't enjoy.

Some of the things I didn't like were because the messgaes are heavy handed in here, but considering the target auidence, it makes sense. There are some plot points that don't really resolve in a realistic way (despite this world having vampires).
I did like a lot of what the story was doing and saying, so overall I wanted to round up to 3.50 stars.

Absolutely adored this book! Had me hooked from the very beginning and I couldn’t imagine a better ending for my boys Howard and George <3

I devoured this so fast. I loved everything about it and was hooked from the beginning. The cover is absolutely breathtaking.

I really wanted to love this book, queer vampires? Absolutely sounds up my alley! But the info dumping and open ended plot points really made it hard for me. I think watching the original love story between George and Howard was nice, and I loved James and George too! I just really struggled to get into this and I’m honestly pretty bummed about that.

I think this book will work perfectly for some people! Unfortunately just not me.

Thank you to NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts are my own and are in no way influenced by early access to this title.

Thanks to NetGalley and MTVBooks for the eARC!

This was such an interesting take on the vampire trope - I'm still in my feelings about the ending. It made perfect sense with the events leading up to it, but it's not the ending I had pictured. I don't want to say more because I don't want to give any spoilers, but I ALMOST hope there's a sequel?? I know there won't be - the story is told perfectly, in that no more is needed, but I wish there had maybe been an epilogue a few years in the future??

I thought the joining of vampirism with the storyline of gay rights was truly interesting. While there were occasions when it started feeling info dump-y, I didn't really mind that. I wish there had been a bigger example of a queer student with supportive parents (I'm counting the one student whose parents let her starting doing school from home as supportive). But I do understand that this book was more about how hard being gay can be. How lonely. How overlooked gay and queer teens can feel.

3.5⭐️

Well over all I did enjoy this book.
I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from MTV Books through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

This is a YA vampire Achillean romance on the surface but beneath that it is a social justice missive. Some people are either going to love or hate it when it comes out on March 2025.
I had to sit on the book for a couple days after finishing as I couldn’t figure out how I felt about the info dumping that went on throughout the book. On one hand I enjoyed the history and emotion of talking about the 80’s and 90’s and the AIDS epidemic but at other times it got a bit preachy. And I say that as an ally.

I also enjoyed the sweet love story that started the novel
Off…and then wasn’t as keen on the toxic romance that followed. So, you make the choice for yourself. I think it’s a worthwhile read. Especially for teens looking for themselves in the pages of a book.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

I'm in my vampire era! I came for the stunning cover and the supernatural, but stayed for the love between George and Howard. We really need more queer love stories and I loved the history of LGBTQ woven in and this is so much more than just another vampire story.

I requested and received an eARC of Till Death by Kellan McDaniel via NetGalley. I mean gay vampires? I don't read much YA fiction these days, but I was definitely drawn to this book and had to check it out. Howard is waiting until he can escape the confines of his high school. He doesn't fit in there and prefers to spend his time volunteering with the elderly at a nursing home where he encounters a strange, handsome teenager. Or who appears to be strange, handsome teenager. George is facing the loss of his partner, James, after twenty years together. George and James met when they were teenagers, but lost track of one another until they reconnected in their early sixties. Now James is slipping beyond George's reach, because George is a vampire. Immortal. Forever trapped in the body of a nineteen-year-old.

The second chapter of this book absolutely stole my heart and sold me on this story. No offense to the first chapter, which was a wonderful introduction to Howard, but the second chapter of this story really sunk its teeth into me and refused to let go. The emotional hook, the impending devastation between George and James, sealed my investment in Till Death. The way McDaniel peels back the layers of their history gave them added depth without being overly maudlin and the way their story plays out reflects a very issue that the queer community has been faced with — the disenfranchisement of a partner based on homophobic legality. I think there’s a political awareness to the story that is both important and necessary.

Queer youth do live lives that are politicized, whether their heterosexual, adult counterparts wish to acknowledge that fact or not. We also see this dynamic play out in the story as Howard and his friends face the local school board in an effort to improve the experiences of queer students at their high school. I enjoyed the budding romance between Howard and George, but I do wish there had been more scenes with Howard’s friend group. You know, after about the 50% mark, I have to say I wasn’t entirely sure what direction this story was headed. This isn’t a bad thing, it kept me on my toes and sent me racing toward the conclusion. And man, what an ending. This one is definitely going to stick with me for some time to come, because I’m still wrestling with what to make of it all. While a lot of queer YA books have chosen to lean into a space of light and positivity, Till Death relies on queer cynicism which I found to be both refreshing and honest.

This was a little slow to get into but once I got to the 20% mark I couldn’t put this down! I really enjoyed the themes explored in this and I enjoyed the Heathers parallel. I will never say no to reading a vampire book or a queer book.

Review also shared on goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I love vampire books and this cover is so good. I had so much fun reading this book and I love forward to more from this author!