Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw | Book Review

Mina arrives in New Orleans to visit her sister for the summer, and she can’t believe her luck when she gets a part-time job working at the same house of horrors her sister works at, what a dream! But when Mina stumbles across the body of a girl with puncture marks on her neck, it might all become a nightmare…

It’s about time scary Vampires made a comeback, and this is the book to do it!

After the disappearance of their mum, Mina’s sister Libby decided to go to University in America instead, and the physical distance has caused them emotional distance as well. Arriving to stay with her for the summer, Mina hopes that they can repair their relationship as well as having a great time.

Things get off to a great start, Libby’s friends are nice and Mina secures a job at the Mansion of the Macabre – a walk-through horror experience featuring scenes from classic horror films – but soon take a turn for the worst when Mina stumbles across a dead body in the mansion. A very real one. With the bodies piling up and weird occurrences around the sisters and their friends that keep on happening, Mina finds herself in a race against the police to solve this mystery before they point the finger at the wrong person.

McCaw has assembled a brilliant cast of characters, they’re a really interesting and distinct ensemble of friends, and she gives us the time to get to know each of them.

I really enjoyed the New Orleans setting and the story revolving around a vampire festival; I am an absolute wuss who would love to go to New Orleans but not to engage with any of these terrifying goings on (I could just about muster something like a graveyard tour and that’s it), but it was so much fun to read about these spooky, gory goings-on from the comfort of my own sofa.

At different points along the way I suspected every one of Libby’s friends – and Libby herself! The mystery unfolds really well to point the finger at each of them, right up to the final reveal.

Packed full of 90’s horror references, this book is a great trip through New Orleans and I really hope there’s a sequel! Just the book to, ah, sink your teeth into.