Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling

 

Summary (from the publisher): From the bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence comes a new, genre-bending supernatural horror about a vampire broodmother fighting against her own monstrous descent.

Beatrice is a a vampire responsible for nursing newly made fledglings through the first years of their unlife. She nests in an abandoned, isolated warren of office space beneath her patron's skyscraper, raising two fractious Gorgeous—once a heartthrob, now to all appearances a living corpse—who longs for the return of the lover who made him immortal with all the fervor of a rebellious teen, and Fortunata, the scion of Beatrice's mistress, alien and ambitious in her desires.

But when Beatrice decides to take on a third fledgling, the product of an attempted siring gone wrong, teetering between vampiric purity and ghoulish depravity, Beatrice finds herself strained to breaking between the societal and physical demands of her position, her own ravenous hunger, and an obsessive need to discover what’s happening to her—because her body is changing too, transforming her into something even more monstrous. She begins to crave the taste of flesh, something anathema to all vampires, and to swing between desperate hunger and vicious power.

Desperate to master herself once more, Beatrice courts a mortal OBGYN who might be able to unravel the secrets of her unnatural anatomy. But soon their connection threatens the secrecy of her vampiric coven as well as the safety and development of her dependent nurslings… and the humans they stand to slaughter if left to their own devices.

Review: Thank you to Goodreads giveaways and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book, which is out on November 10th!

Beatrice is a vampire charged with nursing newly made fledgling vampire through their first years of their new life. She lives in an abandoned den of abandoned office space in the bowels of her patron's skyscraper. Here, she cares for Gorgeous - whose transition has left him looking like a living corpse in defiance of his name - and Fortunata - made by Beatrice's mistress. When she agrees to take on a third fledgling, one whose transition has gone wrong, Beatrice finds herself strained beyond her abilities and experiencing urges she finds difficult to control. She seeks out a mortal OBGYN who may be able to help her understand her unique anatomy, but increasingly finds that poses a risk to everyone around her. 

Let me just say that I was so sucked in to the first quarter of this book, which was giving classic Anne Rice. I loved the unique vampire tale and the way Beatrice is portrayed as akin to a nursing mother - pushed to her limit and slightly unhinged by the demands of her offspring. To see vampires, who are deadly and ghoulish portrayed as maternal and caring, which was an interesting take. And I was intrigued by the way Beatrice seeks out an OBGYN to maybe understand the demands on her body to nourish another.

It was interesting how throughout Beatrice addresses her story to an unknown beloved, the one she loves above all others. You don't know who it is until the end and wanting to find out for sure who the story is addressing built tension: "I'm so pleased you're asking questions. It's a good thing. But you don't need to worry about him."

Likewise, I was intrigued by the deliberate way the language is meant to mimic that of a nursing mother. Beatrice's fledglings are constantly latching and whimpering and cuddling up to her, just like a helpless infant would. It was an interesting and dark take on motherhood: "Lu latched lazily, fingers rubbing against my belly. I allowed her self-soothing as I scrolled through a lurid crime novel."

However, as the story progressed, this became both too gory and too repetitive for me. This has some extremely graphic scenes where bodies are taken apart, and the cannibalism-like nature got to be too much for me. This would be a great spooky season read for those who aren't too faint of heart, but several scenes truly turned my stomach. This is a true horror book and obviously speaks more to my comfort level than anything wrong with the book. 

I also felt like I was waiting for much of the book to learn more or see what would happen. It felt very repetitive with lots of unanswered questions. Things do happen but they're mostly Beatrice acting on her most vile and base impulses. I wanted to learn more about Manon. I wanted to learn more about what the doctor would discover. I wanted to see what would happen with Beatrice's fledglings. I was taken aback by the largely grisly ending to every subplot. 

Stars: 3