“I die a thousand deaths because I do not die.”
From this opening epigraph from St. John of the Cross, Karen Ullo’s horror novel Jennifer the Damned sets the perfect tone for its intelligent, spiritually rich, and yet fast-paced story of a teen vampire coming to terms with two difficult realities: one, that she doesn’t have a soul (and is thus barred from Heaven), and two, that she must murder others to stay alive.
In Jennifer the Damned, Jennifer Carshaw is an orphan vampire, still mortal at this point, who has been adopted by nuns in a convent in Louisiana. Outwardly she appears to be a normal-ish teenager, worrying about typically high school problems (like zits), while her odd behaviors get passed off as a rare medical condition.
But then her sixteenth birthday arrives, and Jennifer matures overnight into a full-fledged immortal vampire. Stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever, she also struggles with the constant desire to suck the blood out of everyone around her — from her new boyfriend to the nuns who have become her family. Her struggle to live as a vampire while maintaining the outward show of her human life soon becomes too difficult, however, and her life spins out of control, down a spiral of sin and regret that can lead nowhere but to a very hard-won redemption.
The blurb on Goodreads claims that Jennifer the Damned bridges “the gap between the literary tradition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the modern teen vampire romance made popular by the Twilight series.” That’s pretty accurate, I’d say. The novel starts out with a decidedly YA feel — and in fact I didn’t like that part so much, as you’ll read later in this review. But by the midpoint, and indeed long before, those YA aspects start to turn on their heads until we’re in full-on classic horror novel mode.
To get into a little more detail, here’s my personal take on the Awesome bits, as well as the Less Awesome bits. I’ll do my best not to reveal key spoiler events, but I don’t promise a completely spoiler-free review. Reader beware!
The Awesome
The Lore. I’d call this section excellent worldbuilding except that it’s our world, with vampires. The way Karen Ullo builds her vampire world into ours is one of my favorite parts of the novel. In general, she takes a more traditional route, which is a relief in this time of “more sparkly, less scary.” At the same time, though, she revises and adds to the legends until we have a coherent set of rules that both delights the imagination and makes sense.
We’re told vampires hate garlic, but we’re told why. We’re told vampires have an “aversion” to holy things, as in the legends, but this concept is brilliantly revised (and gives the novel its distinctly Catholic sensibility). Also, little anecdotes and asides about the history of vampires provide a sense of context without infodumping.
I think my favorite part of the lore is the explanation of why the Holy Eucharist is so “repulsive” to vampires (and I keep using quotation marks because — spoiler alert — it’s actually not). However, I also love how Jennifer’s enhanced sense of smell is not just about smelling blood or sweat. She can also smell emotions and personality traits, like spices in a food. That was a nice touch. Especially since we discover that blood “tastes like soul,” and Jennifer is consuming far more than just blood when she kills. This has meaning for the story’s theme and character arc.
The Horrific/Beautiful Kill Scenes. I was warned beforehand that Jennifer the Damned was truly a horror novel, and that some scenes were rather intense. Well. They certainly were — and if you’re squeamish, you might want to skim those parts.
But I, for one, think the most horrific scenes are some of the most fascinating and even beautiful. That’s probably because most of these scenes are when Jennifer kills, and that’s where we dive the deepest into her conflicted world.
Moreover, unlike “torture porn” (and even some crime novel scenes), which exploit vulnerability and cheapen life, these scenes strangely confirm life. We come face-to-face with the beauty and uniqueness of the human soul. In fact, Jennifer “tastes soul” when she drinks the blood of a victim, and for her, this is the closest she feels she’ll ever get to Heaven:
I could never turn back, not now that I knew. The hunt, the blood — it was food, sex, opium, and air, life itself, the summit of my existence.
This is true for her no matter how ordinary or repulsive someone appears on the outside, nor even how awful they are:
“You can salve your conscience and look for the scum of the earth, or you can find the most mouth-watering person in the room, or you can take the first one who smiles at you.”
“What do you do?”
“I’ve tried them all.”
“And?”
“It doesn’t matter. They’re all the same.” I could not tell him what I really meant: that every one was so exquisitely different, so beautifully unique, that no choice could ever be wrong.
Lovin’ it.
Jennifer Carshaw’s Narrative Voice. As is obvious in the quotes above, Jennifer the Damned is told in first-person, and Jennifer Carshaw’s voice makes the whole novel. It’s perfect for telling a thoughtful and textured story. She has a mature-beyond-her years tone, which makes sense, given that she loves reading Dostoevsky and listening to Shostakovitch like others her age read Twilight and listen to One Direction (or whatever they do these days). I can totally identify with a girl like that.
But the BEST part of her voice is that she’s funny. This is a very serious novel, and sometimes it gets poetic, sometimes dark, sometimes a bit too mushy. Through all of that, you can usually count on Jennifer to come back with some hilariously sarcastic remark that breaks the mood and stops it from getting too sentimental.
It’s a good sign when a writer can turn dark or dramatic things into an occasion for humor:
I gathered my books and he followed me into the hall. “Hey,” I said, feeling bad that I had fantasized about eating my only sort-of friend.
The Story. Karen Ullo knows how to tell a story, twists and all. She also knows how to turn cliches on their head, which was unbelievably refreshing to see in a novel centering around a teenager. Just when you think you know where something’s going, something else comes in out of left field to surprise you. Wow.
If I get any more specific about this, I might slip into spoiler territory … so just trust me, and go read the book!
But first, to be fair …
The Less Awesome
YA high school parts in the beginning. My eyes roll back in my head every time I have to read scenes taking place in a high school. I bit my tongue on this throughout the first part of the novel, and I found myself getting frustrated with dialogue that didn’t seem to go anywhere or add much to my knowledge of the characters. I got even more annoyed with characters that appeared (at first) to be your typical YA stock characters.
However, I’m happy to say that my patience was rewarded when things TOTALLY CHANGED. (I told you Karen Ullo has a knack for turning cliches on their heads!)
So, if you’re also not a high school drama fan, hang in there. It gets way darker and crazier. And more delicious.
Some aspects of Jennifer Carshaw’s narrative voice. All right, I know I said Jennifer’s narrative voice was a major Awesome bit, but there were still some times when she waxed poetic and it seemed a little too much. This was especially the case in more emotional or spiritually significant moments. I think this is pretty excusable, though, if you consider that an actual 16-year-old would take just such an opportunity to get sentimental. (I know I would!)
Also, I’m sure other readers would adore those parts. They just didn’t quite work for me.
All the romances. I’m edging a little into spoiler territory here, but there are a few romantic subplots in the book, and I found them mostly annoying rather than convincing. Very likely this was due to my personal taste, unrelated to the author’s skill, but anyway I twitched a bit at kisses and “I love you” moments that either came too often or came at [what felt like] unearned moments.
The Verdict
In general, Jennifer the Damned does a great job of keeping the pages turning while exploring deep themes and tugging on your heartstrings. That’s the mark of a good story — and I have no reservations about recommending this book to others, especially those who like horror, or those looking for a quality book told from a faith perspective. It’s definitely worth the read.
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Jennifer the Damned was published in October 2015 by Wiseblood Books. You can order the novel directly from the publisher or through Amazon, and you’ll find the author’s website at KarenUllo.com.
Note: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. And here it is. (Yipee!)
Authors, if you have a book you’d like me to read and review, please check out my review policy. I look forward to hearing from you. Seriously. 🙂
