In his YA debut, Till Death, Kellan McDaniel (known to adult readers as K.M. Szpara of “Docile” fame) delivers a vampire romance that’s equal parts tender love story and unapologetic revenge tale. “Till Death” takes traditional vampire mythology and injects it with a powerful dose of queer liberation politics, creating something that feels both nostalgic and utterly contemporary.
Set against the backdrop of Baltimore’s historic neighborhoods, this novel introduces us to Howard, a vintage-loving high school senior counting down the days until college, and George, an 80-year-old vampire forever trapped in his 19-year-old body. What begins as a chance meeting at a retirement home evolves into a romance that challenges both characters’ notions of love, justice, and what it means to truly live forever.
Two Souls in Different Phases of Life
McDaniel constructs his narrative through dual perspectives that elegantly showcase both protagonists’ interior lives:
Howard is immediately compelling as a queer teen who’s found refuge with his grandmother after being rejected by his parents. His passion for vintage fashion, classic films, and queer history makes him an old soul well before he meets George. What makes Howard particularly relatable is how he navigates the daily microaggressions of high school life—keeping his head down, focusing on grades, and volunteering at a retirement home where he can be his authentic self among elders who accept him without question.
George brings a different energy—weary but resilient after decades of witnessing the slow march of queer progress. His relationship with James, his dying partner of twenty years (and high school sweetheart from the 1950s), grounds the novel with a poignant portrayal of long-term queer love. Through George, McDaniel explores the emotional toll of living through multiple generations of LGBTQ history, from hiding in the shadows to marching in the streets during the AIDS crisis.
A Romance That Defies Time
The chemistry between Howard and George simmers with delicious tension from their first meeting. Their relationship develops with authentic awkwardness and tenderness:
“That’s when a floorboard creaks overhead. Every head turns except mine. I stand dead still, heart racing in my chest, blood pounding in my ears, body cold.”
McDaniel excels at portraying the physical aspects of their relationship with a balance of sensuality and restraint appropriate for the YA audience. The first intimate scene between Howard and George—interwoven with Howard’s first experience of being fed upon—is both erotic and emotional without becoming graphic.
What makes their romance compelling is how it evolves from mutual attraction to something deeper. Both characters recognize something in each other—a shared understanding of what it means to be queer and marginalized, but also a shared passion for history and cultural preservation.
Queer History as Living Memory
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is how seamlessly McDaniel integrates queer historical touchpoints through George’s firsthand experiences:
- References to the oppressive “three-article rule” that criminalized cross-dressing
- The AIDS crisis and George’s role in comforting dying gay men when others wouldn’t touch them
- The gradual evolution from secret relationships to public acknowledgment
These elements never feel like lectures—they’re organically woven into George’s character and his conversations with Howard. The novel becomes a meditation on queer intergenerational knowledge transfer, with George serving as living history for Howard.
From Romance to Revolution
Where “Till Death” by Kellan McDaniel truly sets itself apart from other vampire romances is in its unflinching turn toward justified vengeance. The second half of the novel transforms from a love story into something more radical. When Howard faces discrimination from his school board and bullying from classmates, the narrative shifts from passive endurance to active resistance.
This evolution feels earned rather than shocking because McDaniel has carefully laid the groundwork through Howard’s increasing frustration and George’s historical perspective on how change really happens:
“The extreme always seems to make an impression.”
The novel’s climactic acts of violence against those who’ve oppressed them feels like the natural conclusion of their character arcs, though some readers may find the moral ambiguity challenging. McDaniel doesn’t shy away from showing the costs of their actions, including Howard’s separation from his grandmother and best friend Sue.
Structural and Stylistic Elements
McDaniel’s prose strikes an effective balance between contemporary teen vernacular and more formal language that reflects George’s age. The short chapters propel the story forward at a brisk pace, and the alternating perspectives provide both emotional intimacy and narrative suspense.
The settings feel richly realized, particularly:
- Spring Meadows retirement home with its found family of elderly queer allies
- Baltimore’s historic neighborhoods with their row houses and hidden alleys
- Wyndhurst Preparatory School as a microcosm of institutional oppression
The novel’s structure follows an arc from conformity to rebellion that mirrors the political awakening many young queer people experience. Early chapters establish the characters within systems that require their compliance, while later chapters show their deliberate rejection of those systems.
Critical Assessment
While “Till Death” by Kellan McDaniel largely succeeds in its ambitious goals, it does have a few weaknesses:
- Pacing issues in the middle section – The novel’s transition from romance to revenge thriller happens somewhat abruptly, with insufficient breathing room between key revelations and actions.
- Underdeveloped secondary characters – The QSA members, particularly Tiana and Gray, feel more like sketches than fully realized characters. Sue receives more development, but even his character sometimes functions more as a plot device than a person with consistent motivations.
- Limited exploration of vampire mythology – For a vampire novel, “Till Death” is surprisingly light on supernatural elements. George’s condition is never fully explained, nor are the limits of his abilities clearly defined. This occasionally creates confusion about the rules governing this particular vampire universe.
Despite these flaws, the novel’s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. McDaniel has crafted a compelling romance with genuine emotional stakes and a provocative political message.
Who Should Read This Book
“Till Death” by Kellan McDaniel will resonate most strongly with:
- Queer teens looking for representation that doesn’t soften the reality of discrimination
- Fans of dark romance with morally complex protagonists
- Readers who enjoyed the queer historical elements of books like “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by TJ Klune or “Cemetery Boys” by Aiden Thomas
- Anyone who appreciates vampire fiction that breaks from traditional tropes
The novel carries content warnings for homophobia, transphobia, violence, blood, and mentions of the AIDS crisis, making it most appropriate for older YA readers.
Final Verdict
McDaniel has created something rare: a vampire romance that feels both classically gothic and urgently contemporary. “Till Death” by Kellan McDaniel is a love letter to queer resilience across generations and a bold statement about the necessity of fighting for one’s place in the world.
The novel asks difficult questions about justice, vengeance, and the morality of violence against oppressors without offering easy answers. In Howard and George’s journey from conformity to revolution, McDaniel has crafted a compelling metaphor for the queer experience—one that acknowledges both the pain of marginalization and the transformative power of love.
With its blend of tender romance, historical perspective, and revolutionary politics, “Till Death” marks Kellan McDaniel as an important new voice in YA fiction who isn’t afraid to let his characters bite back against a world that has tried to silence them.
Like the best vampire fiction, this novel lingers in the blood long after the final page.
