Bloodlust & Bonnets

This was a delight. The artwork was fun, the text was AMAZING - so many one liners and panels that were done splendidly and I want to use as reactions. I loved how queer it was and how willing to poke fun it was. I cannot wait to get a finished copy for my collection.

Lucy is sick of the patriarcy and the rich, and goes off on them, only to discover they are all vampires.

From that moment on, she decides to either fight them or join them, or both. She joins Lord Byron, from the books, as the says, as well as Sham, a transgender character who may be in love with Lucy, and other people who show up along the way.

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It is all confusing, but fun.

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Oh, and there is a talking castle. And a psychic eagle. And both are sometimes helpful, and sometimes not.

This all takes place, as the book says, in the late Regency era.

Does it all make sense. Not really, but it is definitely fun.



Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This was super cute. There were so many funny parts that made everything better. Honestly my favorite part was how funny it was. The whole plot line was a little off and hard to understand at times but I enjoyed it none the less!!

Oh, this graphic novel is a ridiculous and raucous romp through the regency era! Do you like Jane Austen? Vampires? Sentient castles? Drunks? Ghosts? LGBTQ characters? Psychic birds? If you answered yes to any of these, you will love this book. As long as you also have a sense of humor and appreciate mocking adventures.

I highly recommend this as a fun addition to any collection!

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I've always loved the My Life as a Background Slytherin comics and so when I saw this came from the same creator, I was excited to read it and it did not disappoint.

Bloodlust & Bonnets follows the exploits of Lucy, a hungry for adventure, rebellious (yet hilariously impressionable) girl who gets wrapped up in the antics of a vampire cult, Lord Byron-- yes that Lord Byron, the poet and rake extraordinaire, and Sham, a mysterious traveler with secrets who joins on their quest to hunt a high society vampire. The panels are simple and bright and very pleasing to the eye. The art matches the whimsical nature and overall humor of the story and I found it paired well with the underlying tone of the comic.

The story itself is just plain fun; it's a romp through history told through a paranormal lens with such witty cleverness that you will find yourself smiling the entire time you're reading. Lucy is such a relatable character, vacillating between a fierce insistence on independence while struggling with the idea of acceptance overall and how she can achieve it without losing anything in the process. Byron is... well, exactly what you'd expect. His character is a fantastic play on the actual poet, his ego being one of the more humorous points in the story, often regaling his companions with his dashing deeds while at the same time somehow endearing himself to his companions. And Sham, their newfound addition and mysterious mercenary, adds a note of intrigue and dry humor to level everything else out. Add in some slight touches of romance between the ladies (Lucy and Sham) and you have a delightfully sweet and silly concoction, perfectly balanced in the insanity.

Also, there's a psychic bird named Napoleon who has a link with Byron, a sentient castle with incredibly lax security, secret feuding vampire cults, and absolutely no talk of feelings. No seriously, feelings are terrible. No one should have them. Let's all avoid them. Except, not actually.. So really, what's not to love? The overall voice of Bloodlust & Bonnets comes through strong, pulsing with vibrant funny notes that will delight fans of both history and adventure.

Lucy is an excellent type of woman; when confronted with the reality of the life as a debutant and dealing with pathetic suitors, she takes matters into her own hands... by equipping herself with a sword, and laying waste to them all.

Luckily it just so happens they were all vampires, so she's praised for her quick thinking. By none other than Lord Byron, (“from books!”), who is quite handsome and as romantic as he seems in said books, but also turns out to be sadly self-obsessed and dismissive of Lucy's real talents.

Lucy also catches the attention of Lady Violet Travesty, the leader of a local vampire cult. She sees something in Lucy no one else can, but Lucy has always felt. All chosen one type of trope.

However, Lord Byron 'saves' her from Lady Violet Travesty, which actually discorporates her (rather than kills) as Sham (a mysterious vampire-hunter) soon explains. Sham is kinder to Lucy than Lord Byron is, and soon we can add love triangle to this book of tropes that does an excellent job at poking fun at them at the same time. (I mean, the answer is definitely Sham. She gets Lucy's jokes and is all dark and mysterious. It's easy, duh.) 

We have a rollicking tale that has amusing humour and throw-away lines that is quite a lot of fun, as can be expected from McGovern's excellent comics 'My Life as a Background Slytherin'. The artwork is simple yet effective, and while at times there is a lot of text they are known as graphic novels for a reason.

I really liked this graphic novel parody of classics and regency era fiction! I've bookmarked several parts because they were so damn funny and I found the simplistic, but very dynamic, art style added to the 'punch' in the punchline.

I think it's best to consume it in small doses, like I did from halfway through bec the running gags will have a tendency to go flat when read quickly all throughout. But that's just what worked for me, and it might only be a personal reading preference.

I also loved the diverse characters and their representations, which I thought were handled lightheartedly and funny at times, but still respectful and not unnecessarily cruel for the sake of comedy. There 's also parts that could've been gory (there's vamp blood everywhere, LOL) but the cutesy art made it easier to handle for a squeamish adult like me. And speaking of 'adult', despite the cartoonish presentation, this is definitely not for kids! LOL. (which is all the more reason to pick this up, tbh)

Get this if you need some laughs and are into period pieces and fiction that do not take itself too seriously. It's a gem. :)

*I received this eARC from the publisher thru NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a lot of fun and I loved all the characters.
The art style and a lot of the general sense of humour wasn't really to my taste but it had a few really funny moments that I enjoyed.

I’ve been a fan and Patreon supporter of My Life As A Background Slytherin for years, so I jumped mat the opportunity to review Emily’s first graphic novel. Full of vampire intrigue, desperate longing and Lord Byron, this is a delightful romp through Britain’s high society. I highly recommend it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for this review.

It was really funny and weird at the same time. I loved the quirky characters and I appreciated the humour.
The art style was good and I found this book engrossing and entertaining.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

As a fan of Georgette Heyer, I love all stories settled in Regency period, as is Bloodlust & Bonnets. This hilarious graphic novel is set in Britain in early nineteenth-century.
This graphic novel is hysterical and entertaining, I loved Miss Lucy since the first page! Her character comes out immediately and surprised me with such a strength and rebellion. Miss Lucy is completely what you don’t expect. Exists millions of nice graphic novels, but those that managed to make you laugh are few. Bloodlust & Bonnets is one of them! Its humors it’s amazing! A brilliant story perfect to relax in the evening after a hard day at work!

Bloodlust & Bonnets is an incredibly ridiculous and funny graphic novel. It follows Lord Byron and Lucy as they embark on a journey to hunt down the vicious Lady Violet Travesty. The characters are frankly just a mess, and watching them pretend like they know what they're doing is great fun. I liked the art a lot. It was simple yet colorful, and the characters are incredibly expressive considering they're drawn without mouths. This story is a good time, and I highly recommend it.

The art style wasn’t likeable at first but the super fun and ridiculous (in a good way) dialogues made it all better. Quite enjoyed this debut graphic novel. There were so many scenes where I was chuckling out loud.

Special thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this review copy.

This is going to be a very hard one to rate because while I did not enjoy it, there is a lot of unique humor and creativity that I do believe will appeal to many. Author McGovern has a fun romp with Regency England, creating VERY anachronistic characters, a lot of puns, some tongue-in-cheek humor, all couched in a lot of blood and violence. For me, I prefer a more subtle humor and the distinct drawing style made it hard to follow the (both nuanced and sparse) plot.

Story: Lucy's suitor turns out to be a vampire; fortunately for her, she is saved by Lord Byron. Thus begins an adventure of tracking down a vampire cult so Lucy can understand why the cult leader said she was different. Along the way, she falls for trans Sham, battles Sir Walter Scott, and has to keep the very exuberant Lord Byron in check. It's all a bit much for a young Regency Miss.

The plot is really about Lucy having to deal with Byron being Byron (over-the-top), being in love with cross-dressing Sham, and a made-up rivalry between Byron and Scott (all on Scott's side). In reality, we know that Scott admired Byron and even did his eulogy - but also that Byron had supplanted Scott as the leader of literary poetry. So it is a fun quirk here to have to Scott trying to create mischief and finding ways to off Byron. Byron, of course, is far too oblivious in his dashing daring-do to figure that out. The running joke of the series is Byron needing a serious reality check.

The illustration work is very distinct, with square, mouthless faces with button-dot eyes (think Funko Pop figures without the big head). The author manages to create a lot of character from that simple style but at times, it really did get hard to understand what was happening. Dead pan worked really well for this style, but without a mouth to moue or eyes to open wide in surprise, I had to imply quite a bit and reread several times.

This is a humor piece - a fun little dig at the Regency period using our contemporary love for monsters. Ironic, really, since this was the period in which our most remembered gothic monsters were created, from Frankenstein to vampires. Indeed, it was with Byron that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. So it is interesting that the author chose vampires; I would have preferred Frankenstein for the obvious connection.

In all, I think those who enjoy a Monty Python retelling of history (but with more killer rabbits) will find a lot to like here. The book is irreverent, fun, and very sarcastic. It just wasn't my cup of tea, which is fine. I was glad to have had the opportunity to read it and explore its unique vision. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I am a huge fan of McGovern’s *My Life as a Background Slytherin* so when it was announced that she was producing a full length graphic novel I jumped at the chance to get to review it. For those familiar with her sense of humour from the web comic, they will be very happy that this tale is jam packed with the same out of the box thinking, witty repartee and slapstick fun. It takes the same pace as the web comics providing a basic plot and then watching as the characters, in their slight ineptitude ride off in a totally different direction. This makes it fun and unpredictable

Some knowledge of Byron and Walter Scott is advantageous to get some of the quips but there is plenty in there were those that are not familiar with the setting would still find this a fun romp of a regency vampire adventure.

It is filled to the brim with funny side characters, a rather incompetent magical talking castle, and duel fighting giant eagle named napoleon that seemed to reflect the very English view of a stereotypical Frenchmen’s air or “pfft” when it came to moments of danger. His cutaways were particularly funny. Then there is BeBe, a lady of unfathomable wealth who may or may not be bumping off her husbands, in a series of unfortunate accidents. I will state I didn’t not read this in one sitting but split the chapters over a few days therefore when the running jokes cropped up they were fun a nice call back. I could see why others who sit down to read the book as a whole may not appreciate all the callbacks, with potential for them to get old.

We also have some queer rep. We have Sham the Vampire hunter who is presented as non-binary, while uses her/she pronouns they present somewhat masculine in Byron’s view and do not answer his questioning on the subject. Lucy is on the page bisexual which is fantastic and well Byron is Byron.

Overall I enjoyed this graphic novel. I adore the art style, the use of colour all add to the farce, slapstick and wordplay that McGovern does so well.

In this graphic novel, we basically follow Lucy, Lord Byron and Sham in their search for vampire Lady Violet Travesty.

Bloodlust & Bonnets had outstanding characters, from the hilarious Lord Byron to BB, a wealthy lady whose husbands seem to all die in bizarre accidents.

This was a funny and unique novel, not only because of the unusual art style, but also because of its story. The author kept surprising me with the most unexpected and ridiculous turns of events, and I absolutely loved it.

After reading Bloodlust & Bonnets, I’m curious to read more books from Emily McGovern and will keep an eye out for upcoming releases.

This book was so much fun! The art style is amazing. The story was so enjoyable and I really enjoyed the characters and their adventure.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for making available a digital edition via NetGalley of Emily McGovern’s ‘Bloodlust & Bonnets’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is Emily’s first graphic novel and I have long been a fan of her webcomic ‘My Life as a Background Slytherin’. ‘Bloodlust & Bonnets’ is a pastiche of Romantic literature.

It takes place “Somewhere in Great Britain at the tail end of the Regency” and features Lucy, an unworldly gentlewoman who desires a life of passion and intrigue. She attracts the attention of Lady Violet Travesty, the leader of a secret ancient immortal vampire cult, who invites Lucy to join.

Yet before Lucy can embark on this new life of vampiric debauchery, Lord Byron (“you know, from books”) turns up and starts slaying. Lucy joins him and he soon whisks her off to his magical castle deep in the Scottish Highlands courtesy of Napoleon, a giant psychic eagle. (Giant eagles do come in handy!)

Soon they are joined by Sham, another vampire hunter and more adventures ensue as this unlikely trio fight, flirt and dash about. It is consciously silly as McGovern pokes fun at Romantic and Gothic tropes.

My digital review copy was low resolution - grayscale - so I couldn’t appreciate the bright colours (including the bloodstains) except for a few online examples shared by her publishers and on her website.

Still it was great fun and I was chuckling and laughing throughout. I did feel a bit overwhelmed reading it in a couple of sittings and expect it would work better being read in daily chapter segments.

I am planning to purchase a physical copy in due course.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun, regency era graphic novel. There are vampires, romantic poets, magic castles, psychic birds, and a woman who's tired of everyone else's nonsense. I loved the main character Lucy, and loved the scene where she finds out there are vampires, it's just absolutely perfect. The art is cute, very much like My Life as a Background Slytherin. It's a quick, fun read.

Ha, this was such a fun read!

I've been following Emily for quite a while now. I love her Background Hogwarts series, so I immediately went for this when I saw it on Netgalley. Emily has quite the eye for drawing sass and sarcasm, and her writing never fails to make me laugh.

Bloodlust and Bonnets drew me in because of the elements it promised: vampires, the Regency, and Lord Byron. It kept me hooked because of everything else that I got from it: push-and-pull, emotionally unavailable romances, the endless plot twists, vampire duels, and of course, the hilarity that ensues from having a group of self-absorbed mess of human beings try to work together.

There were times when I found myself wanting more of the characters' backstories, but I suppose that could always be laid out in the next book (there will be one, right?)! Though they went through some rough patches in this one, it was really heartwarming to see how they always went back for each other. I definitely want to see more of Lucy, Byron, Sham, and Virginia, and see them getting to know each other better. I'm excited for the next one!

Bloodlust and Bonnets is the child of Emily McGovern best know for her web comic My :Life As a Background Slytherin. McGovern blends Lord Byron, vampires and a brave female hero for a hilarious and chaotic tale.
In the early 1th century, Lucy rejects her life as a debutante and finds herself catching the eye of Lady Travesty and her cult of vampires. Lucy partners with Lord Byron and a mysterious hunter to track Travesty and put an end the cult. During their journey they cross paths with psychic eagles, talking castles and high society balls.

Bloodlust & Bonnets shares the same charm from McGovern's comic. The art is simple but effective and helps keep the gory bits from being too gory. In facts, it just makes the blood funny especially when paired with the character's reactions.

I loved the chaos hat ensured when this rag tag bunch comes upon adventure. This is a fantasy novel were the characters are at least some what prepared. This is a Christopher Moore style tale where no one can keep anything straight and the most ridiculous things happen. It is refreshing and funny.
There is also heart. Themes from the area still resonate today. Who am I? How do I handle the ideals society pushes upon me? Why can't I just stay in my bed and read? (I'm with Byron on this).
The graphic novel meanders in the middle, throwing in chaos just to throw in more chaos but because the characters are lovable and the voice enchanting, Bloodlust & Bonnets is a must for anyone looking for a fun getaway from the real world.

It took me a lot longer to get through this than I expected.

I am a huge fan of Emily McGovern's web comic, My Life as a Background Slytherin. Yes, because it's Harry Potter, but also the absolute cackle worthy humor involved with that series always puts me in a good mood, even if I've read the same strip 10 times before.

Since that story is focused more on an original character than the already established characters, I felt safe reading this, her first original graphic novel.

Lucy is an unhappy British girl who longs for more than dances and tea parties. She wants adventure and romance, and finds both after she goes on a wild rampage at a picnic and beheads several people. Turns out this makes her a perfect candidate to be invited to join a Secret Vampire Society, if she can ever get to the Vampire Tower before someone shoots the head vampire every time she goes to give her instructions.

Lucy teams up with Lord Byron (yes, that one) and a cast of characters, including a psychic French eagle and a person named Sham who you would THINK that name might inspire a bit of concern, but hmm. They're off to hunt vampires. Or join them. Maybe.

The humor in here is really good. It's the quirky humor I've come to expect from Emily McGovern, and some of it is brilliantly facepalm worthy.

But the story....the story, she does not flow. It's incredibly confusing in parts, and I inevitably ended up putting it down repeatedly and picking up something else that would catch my attention.

I really hope McGovern continues to write original novels, because this is such a good start, and she can only go up from here.

“Arthur: On second thought , let’s not go to Camelot. ‘Tis a silly place.” (Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail)

I’m not even sure how to review Bloodlust and Bonnets, aside from saying that it is a very silly place, but you should go there anyway. Actually, B&B does share a bit of the manic pointless hilarity of The Search for the Holy Grail. There’s lots of zany white British characters (all of whom are some form of queer), and they spend the story in an extended quest because of often nebulous or shifting reasons, that may or may not be achieved by the end of the story, accompanied by lots of pointless and comically gory violence. Byron (imagine the Lord Byron but played by Nathan Fillion at his most pompous buffoonish-ness), Lucy (a fetching red-headed maiden who would rather kill things than be a well-behaved young woman), and Sham (a person of questionable morals, shifting moods, and undefined gender, not to mention the gun) traipse around a deliberately absurd alternate paranormal Regency England full of nefarious vampires and silly socialites. Also, a talking castle that is sometimes helpful and a talking bird given to flights of profligacy. The art manages to be both sharp and vague, and yet conveys exactly what it needs to for the story. Which never really seems to go anywhere meaningful, but that’s OK too. The font’s a bit on the small side, and tends to be in blocks of text, but hopefully it will be easier on the eyes in the print edition.

Don’t come to this graphic novel for great literary or artistic reasons, for a clever plot or stellar art. (You might be disappointed.) Instead, come to this comic because the world right now is ridiculous and mostly resembles a giant dumpster fire, and you just want something sublimely silly to while away some time helping you forget about it all. This will be especially effective for you if you have an appreciation for Regency fiction tropes, revisionist historical fiction, and/or paranormal silliness. I found it a helpful way to unwind a few evenings in a row, and hope that you will too.

Thanks to #Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read an #advancedcopy of #BloodlustBonnets, and to LC for recommending that I request it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot believe how funny this graphic novel was! I honestly got into it without any expectations, I just thought the cover was pretty and appealing, so why not give it a chance? And I ended up receiving some quality humour here. Lots of dramatic irony and the characters play with breaking the fourth wall indirectly in several occasions, acknowledging not the readers but the fact that they are inside a story and are being watched.

The art is very simple but in a good way, the characters just have brows and eyes, sometimes not even both of them on their faces, but those are more than enough to express their emotions. There's not a whole story to follow to be honest, it's more of a character-driven graphic novel I'd say. The characters grow on you.

Also, the author is the same from the My Life as a Background Slytherin webcomic, which is amazing and you should check out if you haven't yet. This graphic novel has a similar kind of humour, but in a more book-lenght way instead of just one-page comics with a quick punchline.

It definitely took me awhile to warm up to both the art and writing style in this, but once I did I had a really good time reading it. It seemed a bit too slapstick at the beginning but once the actual plot started to take off the jokes began to feel a bit more natural and everything came together more. The art style is definitely very simplistic and early-2000s webcomic, which is not something I generally like, but I felt like it more or less fit the tone so I came to overlook it in time. It's probably a bit long but I laughed out loud a lot and a band of queer vampire-hunting heroes is always a plus in my book.

a hilarious quirky vampire hunting story filled with bonnets and lots of bloodlust. The characters all have their own quirks that lead them to hunting the same vampire, though for very different reasons. LGBTQIA. Loved Lord Byron "from books!' wearing a dress saying 'this dress has pockets!"

Bloodlust & Bonnet's is a delightful graphic novel about a girl named Lucy but if you asked Lord Byron he would tell you it was about him. Lucy is a bored debutante who has gotten the attention of Lady Violet Travesty a vampire and is on a mission to find her, not to slay as she has misinformed Lord Byron but in the hopes of becoming her side kick.

Through out their journeying we encounter many characters, and all have their own agendas despite what has been told to each other.

I loved this. From the diverse group of characters, the story and the graphics themselves.

So if you like adventure, never knowing what's going on, narcissistic poets, rebellious debutantes, bounty hunters, talking magic castles and well vampires, also humor can't forget humor then check this out.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for giving me an opportunity to read and review this fantastic graphic novel. I am looking forward to checking out Emily McGovern's future works.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman bored out of her skull just wants to slash some vampires... Or become one of the undead herself.

From the artist that brings you the popular webcomic, "My Life as a Background Slytherin" comes "Bloodlust & Bonnets", staring Lucy, a lady towards the end of the Regency Era who craves adventure and gets it in the form of vampires, a mysterious bounty hunter named Sham, and Lord Byron. (You know. That one. From Books.) There's a sentient castle, a telepathic French eagle, and an abundance of people in overly fancy dresses living their best Regency life. Oh, and, like, a whole lot of vampires. Like. A lot of vampires. More than you'd think.

Also, there's amazing dialogue such as this exchange: "What books have you been reading?" "FILTHY ONES!". Amazing friendship journeys. A smidge of romance. Author rivalries. And Lord Byron. Doing what he does best. Being overly dramatic. And getting shaded for it.

Honestly, to a certain extent the plot didn't make sense to me at first because the characters are so loose on their plans and goals other than to track down the Vampire Lady Travesty, then I realized about a quarter in... this is probably the most accurate adventuring story ever. Because they have zero idea what they're doing and making up most of it along the way. And, honestly? Same. That's what me and my friends would be doing if we were suddenly vampire hunting in Regency-Era Britain.

10/10, would recommend.

his was so goddamn delightful! I mean you can kind of tell by the title that it’s going to be a little different, but the story is even more fun than I expected. It has vampire killings, adventures with Lord Byron, and all kinds of secretive and fancy characters. Sometimes, you simply need to read a fun romp of a book and that’s exactly what Bloodlust and Bonnets is. Let’s get to the review!

It’s been way too long since I read a graphic novel so when I saw this one, I jumped on it immediately. Violence and regency-looking ladies? That’s my brand! Adding Lord Byron into the mix just makes it that much more fun.

One disclaimer: Go into this wanting to have fun. This isn’t a serious book and shouldn’t be taken as such. It’s a fun romp and a quick read and quite enjoyable.

This is such an easy, delightful read. It all starts with Lucy killing a bunch of vampires and then, suddenly, Lord Byron appears to “save” her (she totally doesn’t need his help). Together, they decide to kill vampires, although, Lucy may or may not be more interested in becoming one. It’s a very glamorous life, ya know? Also…maybe she likes to kill things. Who are you to judge?!

As they begin their journey, they come across a bounty hunter named Sham. Lucy and Sham have quite the tumultuous relationship. They start out as companions in arms, fighting off any enemy who comes their way. As they travel together, they become friends, develop into friends who argue, and finally, they sort of, maybe fall in love. #itscomplicated

Lucy, Lord Byron, and Sham also meet up with a few friends, acquaintances, and mildly helpful people along the way. These characters get them into parties and secret gatherings which almost always leads them into even more trouble.

While I think Sham is probably my favorite character overall (I love the grumpy ones), Byron is definitely up there on the list. He’s dramatic (he is Byron after all), emotional, has a enchanted house that is prone to being hacked, gets upset when Lucy doesn’t want to make out with him again, and is, overall, a very fun character.

Now for the art! As this is a graphic novel, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the illustrations. They are brilliant! I love the style and all the bright colors the author used. I’m always amazed at the art people create.

And Emily McGovern wrote the dialogue/narrative and drew the pictures! That is badass!

As you can see from the cover, the faces aren’t that detailed, but that doesn’t stop the reader from understanding the character’s emotions and what’s going on. I felt like I was reading one of my favorite cartoons…just with a little more gore lol. And omg, this would be such a fun show if it was turned into a series!

I am giving Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a fun read that gave me a break from the sad books I normally pick up. If you like graphic novels, historical fiction, or are just looking for a laugh, I recommend picking this up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars!

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It's witty, charming and funny. I internally chuckled my way through several bits of the book and was thoroughly amused at how it poked fun at common tropes. Honestly, I'm not sure to explain why I liked this so much? It was delightful to read for the most of it. Although, it did take me longer than I thought it would to finish it; it's quite long for a graphic novel at 200-ish pages. It's got a lot of twists and turns and characters which make it quite interesting.

Occasionally, it did feel like the book was trying a little too hard to be sarcastic/funny/relatable but honestly, I didn't mind that too much.

I'm a huge fan of the My Life as a Background Slytherin comics and was quite thrilled to hear about a book from the creator and have to say, it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing on Netgalley for an e-arc!

(Also, I understand the threat of book piracy, but locking books to just one device is really making it hard for some of us so please consider branding the books with the reviewer's name or allowing multiple devices, thank you!)

Bloodlust & Bonnets is a new graphic novel by Emily McGovern (my life as a background slytherin). Released 17th Sept 2019 by Andrews McMeel, it's 216 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a fun mashup/satire of class and gender warfare, vampire fighting (with Lord Byron, you know, from books), immortal vampire cults, giant psychic eagles, and low slapstick comedy. There's also a somewhat inept talking castle (named Castle). The art is minimalistic (see cover) and the author/artist's ability to convey emotion and character motivation in the slightest line-shift is impressive.

It is irreverent and bloody (vampires, yo) and full of groan-worthy puns and lots and lots (and lots) of sporran jokes. The art is 'net-comic' style, with computer drawn, textured, and lettered graphics and suits the story well. My youngest (university aged) minion and I agreed that it was a ripping yarn with great (if silly) characters and a lolloping plot.

I can't find anything about which to object. It's funny and violent and very bloody. With sporrans. Readers who object to puns (or fun) will likely find it hard going. I heartily wish the author/artist/creator the brightest of futures and a successes.

Five stars

Very funny and unlike anything I have ever seen. I initially thought this would be quite simple with it being a graphic novel but I loved all the sarcastic little quips.

That damn poet!

I love My Life As A Background Slytherin. It’s the only Harry Potter-related thing, official or otherwise, that I engage with anymore. I was super stoked to find out not only that Emily had written a graphic novel but that it was available on NetGalley.

I really, really enjoyed this. It was exactly the kind of madcap paranormal regency adventure I expected, complete with mystery, quests, subterfuge and ill-advised flirting, as well as references to other well-beloved fantasy and regency tales and a sneaky cameo by a certain bibbling old wizard, and, of course, Lord Byron being a right old dickhead.

(As one expects of Lord Byron.)

Near the end I did feel like it got a little meandering and I kept thinking “oh this is near the end” and I’d check the page number to find that I was only in the middle. But that is probably more to do with my being sick and generally exhausted and possibly not following on as well as I usually could, than any shortcomings in the narrative. Something I did specifically take note of was the character development, which a book like this easily could have left off, but this one had it anyway and I was pretty proud of everyone for coming to terms with their feelings.

(Except Byron, who did not because he is the Worst.)

My one dissatisfaction with this graphic novel is that the nonbinary character Sham was never given space on-page to express her pronouns. The characters use “she” for her which appears to be fine, but it would have been nice if Sham could give this information personally. She is asked at one point (rather rudely) if she’s a boy or girl, to which she replies “yes,” so it would have been fairly simple for the interrogating character to then ask about pronouns—but this may have been a publishing decision and not necessarily an authorial one.

Sham is later asked (by someone else) if the correct term of address is “Mr Sham or Ms Sham” and the reply given was “no.” Sham is also variously referred to as “old chap” or “fellow,” and a few times Sham, Lucy and Virginia are collectively called “girls,” and Sham didn’t seem to feel strongly either way about any of those terms.

Sham was shown at one point shaving her face while her shirt hung open to display binding bandages, but this was halfway into the book and we had already seen both conversation examples mentioned above, so it wasn’t the classic and gross “trans reveal via nudity” that we all hate. In one scene where the other characters are notably naked, Sham remains fully clothed. So all in all, I thought it was pretty respectful and well done, the seemingly assumptive nature of her pronouns notwithstanding.

The humour and wild adventurous style was reminiscent of Nimona, which I also love, and I enjoyed this immensely and took many screenshots of my favourite bits. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Nimona or Background Slytherin, or who just wants to dunk on Lord Byron. It’s no more than he deserves, after all.

This was such a fun book! I really love Emily McGovern's 'My Life as a Background Slytherin' comic, so when I saw that she had written and illustrated a graphic novel, I was really looking forward to reading it. It didn't disappoint. Bloodlust and Bonnets is a ridiculous tale, but it's wonderful and whimsical and action-packed at the same time. McGovern's illustrations are so quirky and I loved making my way through this story.

'Bloodlust & Bonnets' written and drawn by Emily McGovern is a graphic novel that is a send up of classic Romantic literature. And vampires!

The plot follows Lucy, an unusual debutante in her quest to be her own person. She is joined by others. Sham, a bounty-hunter, wants to find a vampire and kill it. Lord Byron just wants to drink and party. Lucy wants to find the vampire and join her cool cult of vampires. There is also a large psychic (and French thinking) bird, and a talking castle that is particular about when it talks.

I laughed many times reading this story. The humor is literate and amazing. I laughed at Lucy constantly getting large bloodstains on anything she wore. I laughed at the antics of the bird and the castle. There are lots of funny surprises all over this story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I really enjoyed this one! Spooky and cute at the same time! I will be looking for more of this authors work. Thank you so much for the advanced reader copy. I will be recommending to our library for purchase!

Lucy is a rebellious young woman living in the Regency Era of Great Britain. After a close encounter with a vampire, Lady Violet Travesty, Lucy is saved by Lord Byron, a flippant poet, and is later joined by Sham, a seemingly emotionless bounty hunter. The three form a group to hunt down Lady Travesty and find themselves on a wild goose chase throughout Britain. From parties with vampires, to forests with succubi, the group perseveres all the while gruesomely fighting, awkwardly flirting, and endlessly exploiting each other.

For readers who enjoyed Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson, you will thoroughly enjoy this book as well. It is a better version of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, with perfectly timed humor, not-so-subtle tropes, and plenty of graphic action. I loved that even though the facial expressions were minimal (nobody has mouths), their emotions clearly depicted what the character was feeling. While this story is a bit longer than some graphic novels and has more text, I feel it contains the perfect amount of detailing, from the plot to the illustrations. A hilariously fantastic read!

I'm familiar with this author from her comics of "My life as a Background Slytherin" and other background characters and I enjoy them so when I heard she was doing a book-well I needed to read it! I really enjoyed this book. It was silly while portraying the seriousness of the characters.

Lucy is a regular lady that is approached to become part of Lady Travesty's vampire community and Lucy thought, "well this seems really interesting and quite unexpected". Lord Byron appears and chases Lady Travesty off, since he's a vampire hunter, and Lucy joins him because why not-but really she wants to know more about joining Lady Travesty. Lord Byron is completely incompetent which adds to the hilarity, he completely bungles even the simplest of tasks and is so arrogant but also he believes Lucy to be 1) his sidekick and 2) madly in love with him, even though she tells him at every turn that no, she does not like him.

This book is very much in the spirit of Jane Slayre or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies but with a comedic slant.

This was a very funny graphic novel. I never knew what was going to happen next- vampire hunting at its finest!

A graphic novel about vampires, Regency London, the importance of having pockets in your ballgowns, talking yet extremely incompetent castles, and giant psychic French eagles named Napoleon, all by the creator of My Life as a Background Slytherin. Lucy is a young lady so bored by the restrictions of Regency society that she goes on a murderous rampage during a polite stroll in the countryside. This brings her to the attention of a) the scandalous, glamorous Lady Travesty, who wants Lucy to join her "secret ancient immortal vampire cult", and b) Lord Byron ("you know, from books"), who thinks Lucy slaughtered all those pretentious gentlemen because she knew they were vampires, and who now wants the two of them to join up as non-exclusive paramours/vampire-hunting teammates. Before too long, they're joined by a third ally, Sham, a genderqueer bounty hunter who is way more efficient and dedicated to the vampire-hunting mission than anyone else (especially since Lucy is still half-convinced that joining a secret ancient immortal vampire cult sounds like a lot of fun, and that cackling and swanning about is a better lifestyle than dealing with feelings and trying to form real relationships). Lucy soon falls in love with Sham, who remains oblivious.

Eventually the plot becomes so complicated and full of shocking betrayals (tm) that no one seems to know what side anyone is on, what to do next, or even what their original goal was. Which is fine, because Bloodlust & Bonnets isn't really that interested in having a coherent, suspense-filled plot so much as it wants to make lots of puns, have pointless but fascinating side-characters, mock anything associated with Regency romance or vampires, and portray Byron as a shallow narcissist obsessed with his nemesis, Sir Walter Scott, and prone to sulking in bed whenever things don't go his way (which... fair enough).

I've seen several people compare it to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and I think that's an excellent analogy. If you find that sort of silly, random humor annoying, Bloodlust & Bonnets is not the book for you. On the other hand, I enjoyed it a great deal. My one complaint is that it dragged a bit in the middle, and yet the ending is an obvious set up for a potential sequel that immediately made me want to read more.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3048016152

Thank you net galley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book.
I have one word for it
"MASTERPIECE"
This was my first ever graphic novel and I absolutely adored it. As soon as I started reading this one, I got hooked. Literally. First of all let me appreciate the art, its phenomenal.
I loved the character development and the world building. Everything about it was just amazing. I would recommend it to everyone.
This was really cute and addicting

3,5 stars!
Fun and entertaining! I loved the art style and sarcastic humor! The representation and diversity were a breath of fresh air and I appreciated that in a graphic novel.
In terms of the plot, it was slightly longer than I expected with some pacing issues, but other than that, it was a fun, quirky read with fantastic characters!

It was so funny.
I really like these crazy ideas to mix and match past with fantasy. I've read a kind of similar comic in Hungarian, and it was about poets and zombies.
This is just as is, but with English poets and vampires and withes and talking castles. It was so absurd, so crazy, that it's definitely my taste.
Thanks.

I loved this new graphic novel!

This story was set in the nineteenth century, with Lord Byron as one of the main characters. Along with two friends, Lucy and Sham, Lord Byron searches for a vampire Lady Violet Travesty. Each character has their own secret reason for joining in the vampire hunt. There were loads of other fantastical elements as well, including a succubus and a talking castle.

I laughed the entire time I was reading this story. Each of the characters were exaggerated in a hilarious way. Lord Byron was in love with himself and didn’t pay attention to the people around him. Sham was serious and spoke the truth with no filter to protect the feelings of others (when Lucy thinks that Sham likes her the same way that she likes Sham, Sham replies with yes I do like girls, just not you). Lucy was kind of clueless to people around her, and she was blinded by her desire to join the vampire cult. These characters were hilarious together!

This was such a funny graphic novel! I highly recommend it!

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was EVERYTHING and I LOVED IT. I stumbled upon Emily McGovern's My Life as a Background Slytherin webcomic earlier this year as I am an avid Harry Potter fan, and once I got obsessed with that I was super excited to hear she was making a full length graphic novel and absolutely thrilled when I found it on NetGalley!

Anyhoo, I love her art style: simple on the faces, detail everywhere else; nice color work and my ever-favorite twirls :-)

As for the plot, it was a stereotypical early 19th century British vampire hunting only with convoluted twists and hilarity at every turn. Lucy, our heroine, picks up sidekicks (or is she the sidekick?) as easily as candy, including Lord Byron, an unknown gendered vampire hunter, and the amazing psychic French gigantic eagle named Napoleon. Need I say more? (Probably, but I really don't want to spoil anything!)

As a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy I shall give an honest review of Emily McGovern’s “Bloodlust & Bonnets.” From start to finish this graphic novel held my interest for its nod to classic novels and intelligent use of wit and comedy. Its use of comedy created a well-meaning group of players whose unlikely friendship adds to the stories' ability to summon elements of 19th-century literature namely societal norms. I found this graphic novel immensely enjoyable and recommend it to those who enjoy classic novels and slapstick comedy. I highly recommend this and give it four out of five stars on good reads.

Bloody and funny! A humorous take on regency romances and vampire hunter books.
Appropriate for high school students or more mature middle schoolers and adults who enjoy a fun romp.

Bloodlust and Bonnets by Emily McGovern is a graphic novel that caught my attention with its blurb (see below). It looked like a funny romp and the fact that the author had previous written a webcomic called "My Life As A Background Slytherin" (which I had come across before) was a point in its favour.

Set in early nineteenth-century Britain, Bloodlust & Bonnets follows Lucy, an unworldly debutante who desires a life of passion and intrigue—qualities which earn her the attention of Lady Violet Travesty, the leader of a local vampire cult.

But before Lucy can embark on her new life of vampiric debauchery, she finds herself unexpectedly thrown together with the flamboyant poet Lord Byron (“from books!”) and a mysterious bounty-hunter named Sham. The unlikely trio lie, flirt, fight, and manipulate each other as they make their way across Britain, disrupting society balls, slaying vampires, and making every effort not to betray their feelings to each other as their personal and romantic lives become increasingly entangled.

In Bloodlust and Bonnets we meet Lucy, who doesn't have much interest in being an ordinary proper Lady type person and who ends up having a bunch of dramatic adventures with Lord Byron (who's a bit useless without realising it) and Sham, who is the most interesting character in the book. The characters encounter rather a lot of violence and vampires and magic. The book has a absurd/silly fun sort of tone and lot of gallivanting around.

It was a fun read, but I felt like it lasted a bit too long. I ended up putting it down for a while when I was about half way through and taking longer than I'd like to come back to it. The issue, I think, was that it maintained the same kind of silly tone throughout and, while there was some plot and intrigue, it mostly moved along near the start and towards the end. The middle was a lot of the same sort of thing, which wasn't bad per se, just samey. Others may find that's exactly what they're looking for, but it didn't really work for me.

3.5 / 5 stars

First published: 2019, Andrews McMeel Publishing
Series: No?
Format read: PDF eARC
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

As a fan of Emily McGovern and her comic My Life As a Background Slytherin, I was honour bound to pick up this graphic novel. I am glad I did because even though it is a step away from her Slytherin comic, Bloodlust and Bonnets retains the irreverent humour and distinct art style.

Similar to how Slytherin is shadowed by the famous Harry Potter cast, Bloodlust and Bonnets features some larger than life but still real life characters – I’m talking Lord Byron. The actual Lord Bryon.

Well not the actual actual Lord Byron, but a humourous and extremely over the top characterisation of the famous and larger than life poet. It is an absolute delight to read and see the exaggerated swooshing and arrogance of Lord Byron in this graphic novel.

From start to finish, Bloodlust and Bonnets is action packed and full of over the top antics that will have you smiling down into the book. I would really recommend this book for people who are fans of McGovern’s comics and really anyone is after a humourous and out there graphic novel.

Please note: I received a copy of Bloodlust and Bonnets from NetGalley.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy wants intrigue in her life – and ends up finding vampires, an unstoppably outrageous Lord Byron, and Sham, a rather down-to-earth bounty hunter.

This was a delicious read. The art isn’t terribly complicated, but it’s cute and very personable, and fits the story delightfully well. The characterization shimmers and shines, even in the graphic nature of the book, and the story itself is just exhilarating. Tropes are turned topsy-turvy, blood is spilled, vampires are vanquished. I absolutely adored this story and can, with no equivocation, recommend it as a great read which I devoutly hope is only the first of many!

(Actual rating 4.5/5) This is a quick, fun read. I loved the humor and quirkiness of the characters; their interactions had me actually chuckling while reading. The story is chaotic and has a little bit of everything, from regency era to vampires to talking castles. The plot isn't really the strong point of the book: it's the characters and their (sometimes weird, always funny) interactions that move the story forward.
I hadn't read Emily McGovern's My Life as a Background Slytherin but reading this convinced me to search for it and I devoured the comic, which proved that the humor in this book wasn't a one-thing-only and made me fall in love with their characters even more. I'm looking forward to see more from them!
The only thing keeping me from giving it 5/5 stars is that I did feel like sometimes it could get a little bit too text-heavy, but that doesn't stop me from recommending it to anyone looking for sometime light and fun to read.

Completely and gloriously ridiculous, Bloodlust and Bonnets was the queer paranormal historical graphic novel I never knew I wanted until I was reading it. The illustrations were so much fun but I just really loved the story. It is one of those that had me smiling and laughing and just enjoying the banter and fabulous adventure unfolding before me. I'd loved the author's Harry Potter comics but this was wholly original and a wonderful time in its own right. I would highly recommend this graphic novel for anyone looking for a magnificent time.

Bloodlust and Bonnets was a cute and funny read that went by quickly. A group of misfits, queer rep, and vampires?? What more could you ask for?