Another Audio Book
Like I mentioned in my past book review AGGGTM, I had a reading goal of over 20 books for the 2023 year. Surprisingly, I've already achieved this goal and the reason for this is simple. Audiobooks. At the end of 2022, I redownloaded my Audible app, got a good pair of headphones, and when I had a chance, decided to give audiobooks a second try.
In doing so, I've found some pretty awful books but, at the same time, some pretty amazing books.
Well, after listening to the incredible 13 Reasons Why, which had been sitting in my TBR since its release, I wasn't wanting to jump into another story so soon. But when I had a large project to take on and several hours of silence ahead of me, an audiobook sounded like a great idea.
Wanting nothing too heavy or serious after my last read, I found the title The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Account(TUUUTF). With a title as long and hilarious as that, I had to see for myself how boring Fred really was as a vampire.
Overview of TUUUTF
TUUUTF is constructed of five hilarious short stories following Fred, a newly made vampire, as he goes about living life as if nothing has changed since being turned. But when he runs into an old friend from high school at their 10 year reunion, Fred's life is turned upside down revealing a world he never knew existed. Along the way, he finds himself getting into strange situations, meeting new creatures both friends and foe, while becoming more in tune with his vampire abilities he's been keeping at bay.
The Cons of TUUUTF
· Predictable
Each story following Fred and his crew has a very similar pattern of them hanging out, a major event happens, the action scene happens, the solution takes place, and everything is wrapped into a nice bow. I think this works nicely in the first few stories as you meet characters, but after a while it would have been nice to mix it up.
The Pros of TUUUTF
· Short Stories
I loved that this book wasn't one continuous novel and instead 5 separate stories following Fred's life in chronological order. Each story had a theme and a new creature for Fred to discover in an untimely yet comical circumstance.
· Characters
Each of the characters were likeable and written with their own unique quirks and personalities. With each new creature, Fred and his gang of friends encounter, you find out they aren't the stereotypical monster you've heard about before. Having these creatures live in a human world makes it even that more interesting.
· Comedy
Even though serious at points, the stories contain a ton of humor and silly scenarios. It isn't too over the top as often times characters still cuss and hold more serious conversations. It's just the right amount to keep you laughing with the story without it becoming too much.
· A Quick Listen
This audiobook was about 7 hours long, or 5 hours when listened to at 1.3x the speed. Between the five short stories it was super easy to get through each one without it feeling like you weren't getting somewhere in the book. I listened to this entire book in one sitting.
· Relatable Scenes
Because this story takes place in the human world, everyday scenarios you wouldn't think of happening to supernatural creatures can occur. This not only makes the story funnier, but also relatable as it's written in current times such as them playing dangerous D&D but also needing to get home in time to go to bed for work in the morning.
· Series
TUUUTF isn't a stand alone book. Instead, there are 8 total books in the Fred, The Vampire Account series. How the books are set up they could easily lead to a TV show with each story being a separate TV episode to enjoy.
Overall Review Summary
Just like my last book review, I didn't have much in the way of cons when it came to this book. The title was catchy, the characters and creatures each held their own, and the short stories were unique and funny in their own way.
I honestly couldn't stop listening and I'm so glad I gave this audiobook a try. Not going to lie, I've been waiting for my next audible credit to hit my account so I can buy the next in the series!
Overall, this series is a great concept I would love one day to turn into the TV series and follow along on the adventures Fred, a vampire who isn't at all boring, and his friends get up to. The pacing is easy to follow, it holds its own when it comes to comedy, but can also be taken seriously in a world full of humans.
Even though I listened to it over audio I would love to eventually get the physical copies for my shelf as the covers are beautiful yet mysterious as they don't give too much away.
Here's to another 5 out of 5 star read!
Tell me in the comments below what you've been listening to as far as audiobooks go, or your most recent physical book. If you are wanting another 5-star read, I highly suggest checking out my reviews for AGGGTM, Once There Were Wolves, or Where the Crawdads Sing.
Comments