Review: Deathless Creatures by Katie Wilson

A heartbroken young woman with a passion for art history and an apparent inability to die is introduced to the shadowy world of immortality in Deathless Creatures by Katie Wilson, a romantic and macabre vampire thriller.

In the gloomy post-Covid world of Seattle, a tragic accident derails Sarah Woodward’s life, but a chance encounter with another loner sets her headache-wracked existence on a death-defying new course. Finding solidarity and perhaps an explanation for her isolation, the intensity of love overwhelms them both, with dangerous consequences.

From its shocking opening page to the dramatic finale, this supernatural thriller exudes a gritty contemporary charm that transcends this freshly crowded genre. The setting and romantic dynamics – outdated chivalry and passion for photography – are similar to Stephanie Meyers’ saga, but there is a deeper level of intellectual and philosophical exploration in this debut.

Exploring the constant search for belonging in an ever-changing world, the themes underpinning this intimate crossing of strange ships in the night are relatable across a spectrum of readers – the universal desires to be loved, seen, and understood. Expressing those ideas in a contemporary vampire romance could easily be overdone, but there is a charming authenticity to Sarah’s emotional transparency and her nearly blasé acceptance of the supernatural.

Sarah and Alex have an immediate electricity and appeal, though a bit more of their attraction could be left unsaid, or shown rather than told: “He is the most beautiful creature I have ever met. And he is offering himself to me.” The rapid pace of their connection, and the nearly instantaneous trust, requires some suspension of disbelief, but submitting to the illusion of this love story remains an eerie delight. Sarah’s ominously growing powers are a constant presence in the plot, adding a throughline of tension as readers discover the truth right along with her.

The Society of Keepers is an elusive element of the plot, planted early in the story but taking time to develop into a conflict point for Sarah and Alex; most of the story focuses on the budding romance and Sarah’s nascent powers, but once she learns of her destiny within the secretive society, the novel accelerates to an ominous conclusion, leaving room for more to come in this neo-Gothic series. The erotic passages are intense but tasteful, nudging readers to use their imagination to fill in the blanks, while the cryptic hints and moments of foreshadowing are satisfactorily tied up, leaving no loose ends or abandoned plotlines.

From an editorial perspective, the prose occasionally unfolds in choppy bursts, particularly during dramatic moments. Certain formatting choices are also somewhat awkward, particularly an excess of paragraph breaks that regularly interrupt the flow of the narrative, as well as the over-inclusion of physical gestures and spatial movements that don’t add clarity to the action or character motivation in a given scene.

Despite these minor critiques of style, the writing is consistently sharp and poignant, delivering a supernatural coming-of-age story and a thrilling romance in one, with a satisfying ending that promises more enticing drama to come.