Book Review | Bloodsucker City by Jim Towns

September, 1933. Lena is sentenced to life in prison after being falsely convicted of murdering her own child. She is sent to the notorious Steelgate Women’s Prison, a fortress on a mountain with a scary reputation. There, she meets unwelcoming prisoners, hostile guards, and forbidding wardens. But she is yet to learn the true horror of Steelgate – where there are fates worse than death.

A red fog had crept into the periphery of her vision, and she had difficulty remembering anything clearly now. Everything surrounding her seemed foreign and remote: not quite tangible and certainly not important. All that was important was to hold on to the memory: her last memory of his face. 

Bloodsucker City is described as “a female Shawshank Redemption – with vampires” and I think that’s pretty accurate! It’s a riveting novella with a fascinating cast of characters and plenty of gruesome scenes.

Lena is a compelling protagonist with surprises of her own. From the harrowing opening scene where she finds her son’s body to her tough fight for survival in prison, Lena kept me rooting for her. She’s independent, smart, and cunning when she needs to be. She befriends her bunkmate, Yvonne, who guides her on how to keep safe inside. Her other prison mates have agendas of their own, and she has to navigate the different relationships around her. I thought the writing successfully conveys the bleak day-to-day life in Steelgate.

From the synopsis, it’s clear that this is a vampire tale but the book takes its time introducing this angle. The reader learns along with Lena exactly what is haunting Steelgate and the wait pays off. When the women break rules, they are sent to solitary confinement in a place called the Hole for punishment. But this is not just a dark room. The wardens watch over the prisoners, looming in the background. But they are not just doing their job. There are layers to the threats in this place.  There’s a particular scene involving a dead body that will be hard for me to forget.

While I enjoyed how fast the story moves, I thought the ending wraps up too easily. The vampires were creepy and I would have loved to learn more about them. The book captures emotional moments so well that I wish the action had slowed down so the full impact can land. These moments were still memorable though, in the end.

Bloodsucker City is an entertaining horror story of survival and vengeance, and a noteworthy take on vampires.

CW: child death

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.

About the author: Jim Towns

Photo by Clement Falize