All's Fair in Love and Blood
Jennifer Peel
5.0
The Gilda Stories
by Jewelle Gomez
About this book
Escaping the chains of slavery in 1850s Louisiana, Gilda discovers that freedom takes many forms. After being initiated into eternal life by two women in a brothel, she embarks on a two-hundred-year odyssey across time and geography. Unlike the ruthless, imperialistic monsters often found in vampire fiction, Gilda navigates immortality with profound empathy, choosing to share blood as a consensual, erotic exchange rather than an act of predatory violence.
This seminal work subverts the traditional paranormal romance by centering its narrative on queer identity, radical ecology, and the pursuit of chosen family. As Gilda moves through the decades, she seeks a place to belong, constantly redefining what it means to love and survive in a world that rarely welcomes her. It is a lush, atmospheric journey that replaces gothic isolation with the warmth of communal bonds.
For readers craving a vampire story that favors emotional depth and historical resonance over tired tropes, this novel is an essential discovery. It offers a unique, prophetic vision of the genre that feels as urgent today as it did upon its initial release. Step into a world where immortality is not a curse, but a fierce, evolving opportunity to define one's own legacy.
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2026
- ASIN
- B07RRF7H61
Reader Reviews
June 27, 2012
Jewelle Gomez's book is considered a classic in lesbian literature and the nice thing about classics is that they can be discovered by other people long after they are published. Gomez recently announced that she's working on another volume of stories about Gilda, so reviewing the first book seems especially appropriate now. It would be simple to say that this is a vampire novel, but it goes beyond that. During her travels, Gilda witnesses the rise of African American culture, the civil rights...
February 25, 2025
Gilda is almost the opposite of what we have learned of vampires. We hear of rich vampires, ruthless, full of their implied superiority. And white. They think like empires. Gilda is rich for practical purposes, never, never ruthless, nor ever condescensing. Gilda carries the personal outrage of enslavement, of toxic masculinity, the courage of breaking out, the love for her people, her love for women, her ability to always give back. Because she lives. She forms family. ) One person found this...
September 15, 2014
Along with \"Fledgling\" by Ocatavia Butler, one of the most imaginative take on vampires to come along. The gothic sexual vampire is extended to lesbian sexuality, and a history that begins in the Deep South of Civil War times. Fascinating characters and vivid places, survival rather than angst. These are real vampires, with complex histories, emotions, and life-ways, not the zombi \"vampires\" of The Strain. )
January 30, 2026
Grabs you from the start. Gomez guides you from the American past to a not too distant future through the extended life of Gilda. So very layered. A different and fully female vampire tale. )
June 3, 2025
It was everything I hoped it would be and more! Highly recommend to horror writers and readers alike. A timeless book. )
