NYV: Punk | Novel Review

NYV: Punk book cover

NYV: Punk is the first novel in a vampire series that’s set in the New York 1980s punk scene. Although the writing has some rough spots, KD McQuain is a talented emerging author with a fascinating story to tell.

NYV: Punk – Ritual Theme

The book starts with a theme of dark rituals, and then we meet the protagonist. Christian is a typical teen boy in a small Texan town, who survives an upbringing with bizarre rituals imposed by his single mother. Don’t be fooled by the lull of a small town. There’s plenty of foreshadowing and Christian’s family history is all connected to the plot. You don’t want to miss a word.

Once Christian gets to New York City, things happen fast.

NYV: Punk – Almost 40 Years Ago

The novel reminded me that I’ve forgotten how vivid and diverse the punk scene was in 1984, when the city had a beautiful, perfect skyline and pop culture was ruled by Miami Vice.

After surviving a viscous attack in a bus station (remember the ritual theme?), Christian is soon adopted by a group of street punks. Each character is unique and fully fleshed out. I felt their excitement, disgust, love, pain, and grief.

Meanwhile, a violent creature lurks in the shadows.

Rite of Passage

Christian has the unfortunate luck (or fortunate depending on your point of view) of living through growing pains at the same time as something inhuman grows inside of him. The parallel between events like falling in love for the first time and witnessing supernatural violence, makes for a well-rounded story.

Christian fights to survive his rapid development, and a deadly yet ancient vampire.

Because we like our vampires dark.

Natural Shift

In internet publishing, it’s become sadly common for authors to cheat when writing a series by slapping on “to be continued” at the end of a book. The plot of NYC: Punk naturally shifts from punk to goth. And what’s the title of the next book? NYC: Goth.

Now excuse me, I need to finish reading a series.

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