A Beginner's Guide to Fangs

Vampire Innocent, Book 2

By: Matthew S. Cox

Narrated by: Lillie Ricciardi

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

At 18, Sarah Wright never had to cope with a death in her family before - least of all her own.

Two weeks after waking up as a vampire, she’s starting to feel comfortable in her fangs. Sarah’s doing okay, if you don’t count wicked mood swings, crushing guilt, and a pervasive sense of existential dread. On the upside, her family is adjusting to the new normal of supernatural in stride, and she’s even testing the waters with a new guy.

However, something’s changed with her best friend Ashley, who’s not acting at all like herself. To make matters worse, someone’s stalking Sarah. Mom copes with her daughter’s undeath by largely ignoring it, sending her on errands during the day when her powers won’t work, and she’s scared of being killed for good.

Formal entry into vampire society sends her down a dangerous path, right into the middle of a war between elders - that her sire started. All Sarah wants is some semblance of a normal unlife, but she finds herself stuck between two groups of angry vampires itching to spill blood....

And they don’t care if it’s from her innocent family.

©2018 Matthew S. Cox (P)2018 Matthew S. Cox

This book is even better than the first...........

A Beginner's Guide to Fangs is even better than the first book in the series, and I absolutely loved that one. The author gives enough introduction to the characters and their world for this to be read as a standalone, but I think it is much more enjoyable as a sequel to the first. The story picks up about two weeks after Sarah was turned against her will into a vampire, and she is still feeling her way in this new existence. Unlike many stories of this genre, she is still living with her parents and her three younger siblings, all of whom she loves and accepts as completely as they do her. Much of the book follows her changing and not changing relationships with her family and friends as well as introducing her to many interesting and sometimes frightening characters of the nighttime to which she now belongs. This author has an amazing imagination and a fantastic sense of humor, and he uses both to create a unique and fun world that kept me captivated throughout the entire book.

Lillie Ricciardi narrates both books in the series, and she has truly become the voice of Sarah. Her performance is flawless, and her delivery is so smooth that hours passed without me pausing from listening. Don't start this series unless you are prepared to be completely unproductive for a couple days.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

Excellent storytelling.

Narrator did a great job. Her style between characters allowed me to see them in my mind as the writer described them. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this while on walks and creating art pieces. The main character, Sarah, is innocent as one would expect for one so young in this world. She has a great deal of love for her family. I found it quite intriguing to encounter a vampire story of someone that actually returns to her family immediately after her change. Her family still embraces her regardless. I recommend this to readers looking for a different twist to vampire lore. I found it refreshing. Great job Matthew Cox! I love your style.