This article was created in partnership with Penguin Random House
‘The Book of Blood & Roses‘ is a new romantasy novel that poses the question: what happens when a vampire hunter who goes undercover falls in love with a vampire?
Equal parts fantasy and romance, Summerlee’s work stars Rebecca Charity, a vampire hunter who is on a quest to avenge her slain parents after vampires were the cause of their demise. Recruited by Penny, an agent at Callisto, a vampire-hunting organization, Rebecca follows orders and, throughout the past several years, has attempted to discover who murdered her parents and how she can avenge them.
It is through her fierce devotion to ridding the world of vampires that Callisto assigns Rebecca the most dangerous job of all: to go directly undercover at Tynahine University, a school exclusively for vampires, in order to retrieve The Book of Blood and Roses, an ancient collection of texts that will provide the solution on how to cure vampires of their “disease” entirely. In doing so, Rebecca dyes her hair red and takes on the disguise of wealthy aristocrat Cassie Smith, the daughter of a mortal family that has engaged in banking with vampires throughout generations.
One of my favorite parts of the novel, especially given this buildup, is when Rebecca (now Cassie) steps into the world of vampires, where mystical underground tunnels, red velvet curtains, and dripping wax become the new status quo. Every detail of Tynahine is distinctly carved out and even contains a light touch of sci-fi, with modernized technology and digital screens replacing windows. The sensory experience of the university, despite Rebecca’s own perspective on vampires, is comforting. The school’s dark gothic facades and rich green interiors, with plants and endless books, read as familiar.
It is upon arrival at the university that Rebecca’s mission finds itself at odds with increased stakes. Not only is she part of the first-ever class of human students allowed to take classes with vampires at Tynahine, and not only is she selectively placed with a vampire roommate, Rebecca also has Type-S blood, the rarest blood type in the entire world. It is said there are fewer than 10,000 cases of it worldwide, making her a target even to the most moral of vampires who solely drink synthetic blood.
To make matters even worse, Rebecca is paired with the daughter and future heiress to the most powerful vampire family in the world, Aliz Astra. Upon inquiry, both Rebecca and her supervisor, Penny, are in disbelief at why Rebecca specifically is paired to room with a vampire, prompting concern for Rebecca’s safety as she goes underground to seek out The Book of Blood and Roses.
What makes the actual novel, The Book of Blood and Roses, so compelling is that through a tale of vampire-and-human forbidden love, Summerlee crafts a world where the suppression of identity becomes an allegory for queerness. Due to Rebecca’s internalized perception of vampires, she harbors a deep shame over her infatuation with Aliz. The novel progresses with both characters being drawn toward each other despite the circumstances—both figuratively and literally. Aliz takes to caring for Rebecca, as Rebecca learns to let down her walls and allow Aliz to better understand her. And despite the breaking of barriers and the evolution of both characters, Rebecca carries the lie that she is Cassie Smith the entire time.
What we’re left with as readers is an exploration of queerness and a tale of discovering sapphic love through the breaking down of walls. The Book of Blood and Roses is a novel of romance and fantasy, but it finds its strongest arc in the mystery between the two. Why is Rebecca paired with a vampire roommate? Why were her parents murdered, and by whom? And what really is The Book of Blood and Roses?
Summerlee creates a world that allows me to understand the complexity of Aliz and Rebecca’s relationship and, in turn, to better understand myself.
