Page 18 - SEPT2025

Page 18
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NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM September 2025
Book of the Month:
The Ground That Devours Us By Kalla Harris
By Brittany amalfi
You heard it here first— Dystopian is back. I’m talking post-apocalyptic, waste-filled worlds, and diseases that turn people into vampires. Think less shiny heroics and more gritty survival, the kind of stories that make you wonder how you’d ac-
tually hold up if everything fell apart. It’s not just governments collapsing anymore—it’s whole ecosystems, communities, and even the definition of being human. And honestly? It makes for some really fun and roman- tic reading.
I know what you’re think- ing. How can one possibly focus on romance when the world is suffering from a devastating collapse? Well, if the murder- ous vampire happens to be a handsome dreamboat, there’s not much a girl can do to re- sist. The Ground That Devours Us by Kalla Harris is a dark, dystopian story about Ruby, a vampire hunter in training, or as the kids call, “slayers.” Ruby
has dedicated most of her teen- age life to slayer training be- cause she wants to take down the bloodsuckers who killed her mother and made her world an actual living hell. But when her
twin sister, Ripley, is turned by the most dangerous vampire of all—the one they call X—Ruby will stop at nothing to save her, including teaming up with X himself.
So now, Ruby must break every rule, lie to her friends, and help X in the process. As the two of them work together, though, Ruby starts to uncover secrets in the place she calls home, and soon realizes that not ev- erything is what it seems. Lines are crossed, morals are blurred, and Ruby just wants to save her sister, even if things between her and X might be the most com- plicated.
I absolutely adored this book. The Ground That Devours Us is
the perfect mix of romance, ban- ter, and danger. The vampirism was different than what we’re used to. For example, there’s “vampires” and then there’s “bloodsuckers.” The vampires are, for the most part, nor- mal-looking people with hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Blood- suckers, on the other hand, have basically no brain activity and try to rip apart any blood source they can find. Think, The Last of Us.
Anyway, the best part about this book was Ruby and X's dy- namic. The enemies-to-lovers trope was booming in this story, and we all know I love a good enemy-to-lover romance. The dark atmosphere of the world cast a dark shadow on the story, but it was Ruby and X’s ban- ter and inevitable alliance that cracked through the surface. I mean, X is this hot, swoony, big- time vampire, and we all know in today’s society that we love hot vampires. X put Edward Cullen to shame with his antics!
Overall, this book had ev- erything I want in a dystopian read—high stakes, a bleak and eerie world, and just enough ro- mance to keep me hooked. Ru- by’s determination mixed with X’s dangerous charm made it impossible to put down, and honestly, I was rooting for them even when I knew I shouldn’t be. If you’re into fast-paced plots, morally gray characters, and vampires that actually feel ter- rifying (but also ridiculously at- tractive), then The Ground That Devours Us deserves a spot on your TBR.
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