Sci-Fi & Scary

Graveyard Shift was a pleasing urban fantasy work that had a few unexpected twists to it. There are vampires and lycanthropes (albeit called therianthropes here), as one might expect. However, the vampires aren’t in the midst of a massive war against the werewolves (at least not on a level that directly impacts the story). Instead it’s vampires against humans and power plays galore. The vampires are very much a return to the ‘old’ way of doing things, with the Ancient’s formalities and politics, sex and blood, and all that good stuff.

Graveyard Shift is surprisingly refreshing and well put together for a debut novel. Michael F. Haspil does a good job of giving readers a familiar world with a different flavor than one might expect. His two main characters, Alex and Marcus, are an interesting pair. They’re partners that have the feel of brothers. They care for each other, have each other’s backs, but aren’t buddy-buddy. It’s a nice change of pace and works well for the storyline.

An urban fantasy with a lack of romance is hard to find. Graveyard Shift delights me on that level. While hormones definitely played a part in the story, love and relationship drama did not. It’s nice to read this type of story with a non-young adult perspective on it.

While Graveyard Shift didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, I definitely enjoyed the story. The only ‘problem’ I really had was that I couldn’t connect with any of the characters. Alex was unique enough to keep my attention on the book, but not someone I felt the urge to cheer for. I think the fact that the story felt ‘different’ was enough to keep me coming back to it, but not enough let me fully immerse myself.

The characters were interesting. The deviation from standard vampire versus werewolf plot was a breath of fresh air. The pacing, the dialogue, and the action were all very well written. Michael F. Haspil is a very competent emerging writer. Graveyard Shift is a great start, and I believe he can only get better from here.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free from Netgalley for review consideration.