The Radleys

Title: The Radleys by Matt Haig
Genre: Fiction, Paranormal
Rating: 3/5

The Radleys appear to be your average family in a small, quiet English village. But they have a secret, one that not even their son and daughter know. They're vampires, abstaining from their dark desires so that their children can lead safe and normal lives. Until the shocking events of one horrifying night make it all impossible.

I found it really interesting that Haig took the idea of vegetarian vampires (a popular concept thanks to Twilight) to a whole new level by having the Radleys abstain from blood completely. I especially enjoyed the side effects he attributed to their lack of blood; Clara's poor sight and ill health and Rowan's terrible rash. But as a complement to this twist on the regular vampire story, Haig's kept a lot of the other parts of the mythology; the weakness to direct sunlight, garlic and stakes through the heart.

I also really enjoyed the notion that the community bottles vampire blood like wine so that they no longer need to hunt humans like they once did. And I found the quotes from the Abstainer's Handbook hilarious. They seem to be advising vampires to not only act human but to become the most boring individuals imaginable. Only don't imagine anything because that road leads to temptation.

I did find that there was a little too much going on, and not all of the storylines that popped up seem to develop or conclude. In particular, the flirtation and possibility of an affair between Peter and the wife next door felt unnecessary and didn't really seem to go anywhere.

The Radleys is an extremely quick and easy read (most of the chapters are only a couple pages long) and one that many will enjoy.

Thanks to Free Press for the review copy of The Radleys. The views expressed above are my own. For more information on The Radleys, check out the Simon & Schuster website.