Midwestern Bloodsuckers: A Review of Wisconsin Vamp by Scott Burtness

Introduction and Summary: Herbert Knudsen is a very average Wisconsin resident. He has an average frycook job, enjoys bowling with the guys, and he can make a pretty good french toast. One day, while drinking coffee outside of his house, he is bitten on the neck by a mosquito which he kills with a smack, in good Wisconsinite fashion, and goes on his merry way. Little does he know, that mosquito previously bit a vampire and now has transferred his vampirism onto him. Herb begins to grow fangs, turn invisible in front of mirrors, and develops an insatiable lust for blood! Before he knows it, Herb has to learn how to live his life and hopefully win the love of his life while living with his new vampiric condition. 

Good Stuff: When someone looks at a book with a title like Wisconsin Vamp they might think that the book is chock full of humorous ridiculousness. I was certainly one of these people. While there is both comedy and ridiculousness in Wisconsin Vamp, there is also very good story telling. The characters might seem like stereotypes at first but they are actually really fleshed out and interesting. The way the story unfolds never feels rushed or breezed over. It was fun to see Herb gradually learn how to use and control his vampiric powers and face the consequences that come with it. 

Not So Good Stuff: The story starts slow. It takes about a quarter of the way through the book for it to speed up and get interesting. There is also a lack of strong female characters in this book. The one strong female character dies before we can really get to know her, and the other main female character exists only as a love interest for the main character. Lastly, someone’s pet dog dies in this story and while I do know that dogs die in real life, I still don’t like it when a dog dies. 

Conclusion: Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked the story, I liked the characters, and the premise was interesting. I would give this book a five out of five star rating.

This is my Amazon Affiliate link where you can buy a copy of Wisconsin Vamp and give me a small amount of money in the process: https://amzn.to/4pssZMQ You can also buy Wisconsin Vamp at your local bookstore.