I recently had a chance to review the book Holy Water Hurts: A Vampire's Guide to Vampire Hunting by Gabryel Grimm-Goretez. The story launches the Sanguine & Clover series and fuses horror, dark fantasy, and supernatural thriller in an emotionally charged narrative.
Set in Seattle in 2007, the novel follows Parker, a starving artist with a haunted past and a penchant for self-destruction. After a drug- and booze-fueled night he cannot remember, Parker wakes up sick—and not in a hangover kind of way. When he reaches out to an old friend, Conner, the answer he gets is the last thing he expects: vampirism.
Parker joins a ragtag team of amateur vampire hunters in a desperate bid to find—and possibly kill—the vampire who turned him. But things quickly spiral out of control. Together, the group races to unravel the terms of a sinister contract Parker never agreed to, all while he grapples with the terrifying reality of becoming the very thing he has sworn to destroy.
There were definitely some elements to the book I loved. The characters really came alive in the book and had vibrant personalities. The concept of a vampire hunting vampires is hilarious. Especially since the vampire is vegan. The book is very lengthy, but action happens quickly, dialogue is concise, and the language is easy to read, so the book isn't as intimidating as it might seem. I also like how the author shifts viewpoint so you get perspective from all the main characters. It does use a fair amount of coarse language, so if certain four-letter words bother you, it's not the book for you.
I also loved my interactions with the author, and enjoyed exploring the website. Gabryel definitely has a strong personality. For example, the book was sent with bracelets that say "blood donation saves lives" - an obviously true statement, but also ironic when you consider the vampire twist. Then it went one step further - my daughter noticed that the inside had a positive self-injury motto as well, kind of a hidden reminder. It also was one of of my more enjoyable author interactions - normally things are polite, but pretty no-nonsense, or filtered through a PR rep; Gabryel really seemed enthusiastic about hearing our thoughts.
I had a chance to learn more in this interview with Gabryel.
Where did you get the idea for the book?
My obsession with vampires was definitely the driving force.
A lot of the aspects, when it comes to the characters' stories, you'll see reflect a little on things I was going through at the time; like coming to terms with a debilitating chronic illness, struggling with mental health and self-harm, dealing with people in my life having addiction problems. The battles of everyday life that no one really talks about. Holy Water Hurts became an almost therapeutic place for me and in turn is a very honest perspective on life issues whilst intertwining with my special interests of vampires, magick, Y2K and all the Gabryel-esque craziness.
The book and the story itself; I've always felt like an outsider, I think everyone does. When I was growing up I felt like everyone around me was either black or white but I've always felt so gray.
Everything about me is a mix, right? I'm Mexican and I'm Irish, I'm gay and a little straight, I'm a woman but I'm also a man. In time I've been able to recognize that I'm not the only person that feels this way. Everyone has a beautiful duality to them and no one lives in contrasts, and that's exactly where the story came from.
It's everything but it's nothing, it's too much but it's too little, he's a vampire but he hunts vampires, it's about death but it's also about life.
Sad, in a happy way, authentic.
How would you say your characterization of vampires differs from other portrayals?
I like to think of my vampires as an amalgamation of classics like Dracula and Carmilla, with a more "realistic" take that borrows from vampire mythology and lore from different cultures, and the scientific/medical aspect of what vampires would actually look like in a real world setting.
I wanted something gritty and gory, something gross and way different from the "pretty" and perfectly immaculate vampires we've all gotten so used to seeing portrayed.
How would you describe your writing style?
Eccentric.
I've been told I write like a mix of Gerard Way and Stephen King on crack... I'm not sure what to make of that, and I really wish I could say something intelligent and say my work is influenced by Edgar Allan Poe or Emily Dickinson, but I think my writing style is just very eclectic. I pull from a lot of different inspirations, music, comic books, not just literature.
Plus, I'm always looking for new things to try and new ways to paint a picture. I find a lot of growth in my art and I hope to come out of every project a touch more evolved than I went into it.
This book launches a series - can you share a little bit about what you have planned?
Yes, the Sanguine & Clover series is going to showcase the stories of vampires and vampire hunters alike, glimpsing into the silent pandemic that is ravaging the world unbeknownst to everyone else.
Holy Water Hurts: A Vampire's Guide To Vampire Hunting starts the series in Seattle, while the next one I'm currently working on is a group of hunters out of New Jersey that runs concurrently with the same time line as Holy Water Hurts, from there I have a ton of follow ups and spin offs lined up to paint the full portrait and tell the whole story.
What I hope people can gather from the series is the loud message that no matter how bad, no matter what you're going through, it always gets better.
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