The Lies of Vampires and Slayers by K. M. Shea Series: Magic on Main Street #1
Published by K. M. Shea on December 15, 2023
Format: eBook
Pages: 352
ASIN: B0CP51VDM5
Source: Purchased
By night, they fight in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse. By day, they are friendly next-door neighbors. Neither of them know that their alter egos are archenemies.
I’ve spent my life training in the family business of slaying vampires, but I’m tired of all the death. I want to prove we slayers can help society, not just break it.
I start my new life by joining the Magiford supernatural task force, which exists to protect humans and supernaturals from harmful magic.
There’s just one problem.
All of my teammates who work the night shift with me are scared of me since slayers are the assassins of the supernatural world. Worse yet, even though I’m doing my best at pretending to be a human during the day—a necessity as a lone slayer can quickly become a dead slayer—I’ve utterly failed to win over any of the humans in my apartment complex since I have the charisma of an overdue investigation report.
That changes when a handsome vampire moves in next door. Connor may not be willing to try any of my failed attempts at baking, but he’s charming and not afraid of me. Plus, he’s the first friend I’ve made who has the time to hang out with me after work.
Things are looking up, or they would be, except a mysterious and extremely powerful vampire has declared downtown his nightly hunting ground. I’m the only one on my team who can match him in a fight, something he finds endlessly entertaining. That isn’t a good sign for my general life expectancy.
My greatest goal might be to win over my squad, but if this vampire doesn’t back off I might not live long enough to achieve it.
The Lies of Vampires and Slayers is the first book in the Magic on Main Street urban fantasy trilogy, and is part of the Magiford Supernatural City world. This series is packed with humor, magical fights, and a sweet, slow burn romance between a slayer who battles social anxiety and a vampire who is sick of his immortality.
Spiritual Content
There is no spiritual content.
As far as magic goes, The Lies of Vampires and Slayers takes place in the Magiford Supernatural City world (also seen in Hall of Blood and Mercy and Court of Midnight and Deception), a world inhabited by wizards, vampires, werewolves, fae, and — until a couple of hundred years ago — elves. (There are dragon shifters in the world, too.) All of them have varying magical abilities (as described below).
- Wizards have magical houses and the ability to “bend the elements to our will — like fire, wind, water, you get the point — and fight or defend with raw magic.’ (Quoted from Hall of Blood and Mercy #1.)
- “The fae are in a similar but opposite position. Since they have to use things to channel the magic for them, they can use magic for things like sealing powers, disguises, embedding a spell in an item, a strain of hypnosis, and so on.” (Quoted from Hall of Blood and Mercy #1.)
- Vampires are typical vampires, except sunlight only makes them weaker and uncomfortable. They have enhanced senses and are faster than werewolves but not as strong.
- Werewolves are typical werewolves who can shift at will. They, like vampires, have enhanced senses. (See difference above.)
- Though elves aren’t present, certain elven artifacts and spells are around. Due to the elves’ ability to create magic simply by existing, elven items are extremely powerful and have varying effects.
- Dragon shifters are the only shifters capable of casting magic.
Violence
Most violence in The Lies of Vampires and Slayers revolves around Jade’s job as a member of the Curia Cloisters’ Magical Response Task Force, including battling fae who are fighting for succession, discovering supernaturals who are “mysteriously beaten unconscious,” killing mantasps, miasma boars, and a fae snake and suppressing the fae who unleashed them. Aside from that, Jade mentions that her vampire-slaying family still had work because some vampires have “the nasty habit of letting their victims bleed out and die” Sachiko tells Considine that someone tried to kill her, and Considine beats up a werewolf who needs to “learn some manners,” and battles Jade.
Drug And Alcohol Content
The only drug or alcohol references in The Lies of Vampires and Slayers are mentions of bars and “some inebriated person [who] mistook a lost dog for a werewolf.”
Sexual Content
Not present.
Swearing Or Foul Language
Not present.
My Take On The Lies of Vampires and Slayers by K. M. Shea
With only a few action scenes, The Lies of Vampires and Slayers should’ve bored me to tears, but K. M. Shea makes it a fun read with generous helpings of nostalgia and mystery.