McGovern pokes fun at Regency literature in this hilarious graphic novel about Lucy, a debutante who takes up vampire hunting. Lucy has some funny moments such as when she tries to seduce a female bounty by flipping her hair and posing seductively on the table but the supporting characters are what make this story so much fun. A mono-browed Lord Byron, as one would expect, steals the show in every panel with his over-the-top moodiness and attention-seeking strategies. His theatricality is rivaled only by his friend BB, a rich, Black, fabulous baroness who wears puffed-sleeve dresses and calls everyone urchins. McGovern's expressionless, Funkoesque drawings make her characters' body language seem extra emphatic when they're fighting, flirting, and wreaking havoc. The colorful, detailed backgrounds be it forest or drawing room complement the characters' simplicity and also highlight their absurd gestures. Recommend this one to teens who enjoy Gail Carriger's Custard Protocol series or Buffy the Vampire Slayer; they'll find witty banter, queer romance, and slapstick action here.--Biz Hyzy Copyright 2020 Booklist

DEBUT In 19th-century England, a debutante named Lucy is intrigued when a powerful vampire, Lady Violet Travesty, indicates her interest in inducting Lucy into her secret society. After Lord Byron and his psychic pet eagle, Napoleon, interrupt an encounter between Lucy and the glamorous undead dame, our heroine joins forces with the flamboyant poet, and later a brusque bounty hunter named Sham, on a quest for answers that takes them on a tour of British high society and into contact with an ethereal succubus and a conniving Sir Walter Scott. In a clever subversion of romantic literature tropes, the characters spend as much time slashing through hordes of the undead as they do puzzling over their own emotions--especially as Lord Byron's confidence in the chemistry he feels with Lucy turns out to be as misguided as Lucy's attempts to seduce Sham, who seems too preoccupied keeping her secrets to herself for romance. VERDICT McGovern's purposefully crude character designs are offset by her knack for pacing, slapstick, and composing scenes that convey character development through legitimately witty dialog in this exuberant debut.