Vampire Science - 10/10

Sam had to work at being weird, thought Carolyn, but for the Doctor it just came naturally.

When it comes to a story, characters are the single most important aspect for me. Naturally I absolutely ADORED Vampire Science. This has got amazing character drama, moral dilemmas and the perfect mix of the doctor being whimsical and deadly serious.

Positives

The Doctor & Sam: The Doctor is actually magical here (Or is he??). You will absolutely fall in love with him and then the story delves deep into WHY you and other characters do and why that can be dangerous.

Sam is sooo much more of an actual person here than in the Eight Doctors. Constantly disagreeing with the doctor, to the point she is on the verge of leaving is great character drama and mirrors Carolyn's story very well. Plus her glorious comeuppance against weird Harold will have you cheering for her!

Supporting Characters: Carolyn's journey here is lovely, I think this is what Moffat was going for in Series 5 with Amy and Rory. While I do love Amy and Rory (more so Rory), this story pulls off that plotline so much better in less time. Kramer is also just incredibly enjoyable, no idea if she shows up again but I would love her to be a re-occuring book character (Do not spoil anything I'm doing these in order)

Morals: The talk around vampirism really makes you think. While the vampire section in the Eight Doctors is a lot of fun, I'm really glad they made the doctor think about the morals of killing a lot more here.

Negatives

Skipping the introductions:  Not directly this books fault but they really skip over Sam's introduction as a companion. Probably a purposeful choice but I love first reactions to all the crazy Sci-Fi stuff.

Tad too easy an ending for Joanna: The Anti-Vamp killing her "vamp" but not her human side is a little bit tooooo much of an easy win for me, not enough to take away from my enjoyment but did cause a slight eye-roll for me.