If the only vampires you have room for in your worldview are of the Bram Stoker's Dracula variety, you might as well stop reading this review right now. I say this because Kelli Owen has done the unthinkable, she has created her own vampire mythos and in so doing erased nearly everything that has come before. But it's OK, it's only a story, and a mighty good one at that.
First of all, don't call then vampires, they're lamians. Use of the "v-word" is both ignorant and derogatory. While they are not exactly immortal, lamians can live well into their second century. You can see where this is going, no sense in spoiling all of Kelli's surprises.
Teeth plays well on multiple levels, with a wide variety of characters. Humans who wish they were lamians, lamians who would like to be human again. Then there are others who are just trying to fit in. Of course, there is lots of misunderstanding, racism, and hate. Deep down, Teeth is an allegory of the times in which we live. Add to all this, a story about someone who is killing both humans and lamians and you end up with an ecellent read.
Kelli is gifted at expressing truisms from our everyday life and weaving them into her stories...
"He lifted the burger's bun and pulled two pickles free, apparently believing it was easier to remove them than to request a special order." Ain't THAT the truth.
The bottom line is if you can accept a fresh take on vampires, sorry...lamians. If you can accept a fresh take on lamians, I think you're more than likely going to enjoy Teeth.
Recommended.
Teeth is available now in both paperback and e-book formats from Gypsy Press.
From the author's bio - Born and raised in Wisconsin, Kelli Owen now lives in Destination, Pennsylvania. She has attended countless writing conventions, participated on dozens of panels and has spoken at the CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA regarding both her writing and the field in general. Her fiction leans toward thriller and quiet horror, with an occasional bloodbath and even rarer happy ending.
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