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The Hunter's Gambit
From the award nominated author of Bluebird comes a riveting, spicy fantasy, featuring malevolent vampires and a locked-room escape adventure, perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.
The city of Mavazem is plagued by aristocratic vampires who terrorise the human citizens. But Kazan Korvic refuses to cower. As an expert blacksmith with a sharp grifter’s eye, her specialty lies in crafting - and using - weapons designed to kill the vicious creatures.
But, it turns out, sword skills aren’t quite enough when a whole group of vampires attack her and steal her magical weapon. Kazan is captured and forced to attend the Vampire Court where she is forced to act as their ‘Queen’. For three days she will be waited and doted upon, until the lavish party where her reign will end in an extravagant feast… with Kazan as the main course!
Kazan plans to find her sword and get out except, with no allies in the castle, Kazan can feel the walls closing in. But she soon realises that she is not just trapped with these bloodthirsty bastards; they’re trapped with her too. And they’re not prepared for just how far she’s willing to go to survive.
The city of Mavazem is plagued by aristocratic vampires who terrorise the human citizens. But Kazan Korvic refuses to cower. As an expert blacksmith with a sharp grifter’s eye, her specialty lies in crafting - and using - weapons designed to kill the vicious creatures.
But, it turns out, sword skills aren’t quite enough when a whole group of vampires attack her and steal her magical weapon. Kazan is captured and forced to attend the Vampire Court where she is forced to act as their ‘Queen’. For three days she will be waited and doted upon, until the lavish party where her reign will end in an extravagant feast… with Kazan as the main course!
Kazan plans to find her sword and get out except, with no allies in the castle, Kazan can feel the walls closing in. But she soon realises that she is not just trapped with these bloodthirsty bastards; they’re trapped with her too. And they’re not prepared for just how far she’s willing to go to survive.
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2024
About the author
Ciel Pierlot
3 books97 followersCiel Pierlot is a disaster bisexual from the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s also a giant nerd and no, you cannot stop her from bragging about her lightsaber collection. When she’s not writing SFF novels, she’s busy being a digital artist and a hardcore gay-mer. Bluebird is her debut novel.
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April 8, 2024Will read this for the dedication only
“Dedicated to everyone who read Twilight and thought: ‘Why are these vampires so Mormon?’”
“Dedicated to everyone who read Twilight and thought: ‘Why are these vampires so Mormon?’”
June 4, 2024
I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not having enjoyed this book as much as I wanted to.
I'm a sucker for vampires and this book had an interesting take on them. The FMC is an incredibly morally gray character, who lies her way through life to get the upper hand on the everyday life.
She's a talented blacksmith and her adventure in the book begins when she travels to another village to sell her vampire killing sword.
She then gets captured by vampires and becomes their queen for three days, when she's offered everything in terms of food, parties, clothes. But at the end of those three days she would have too die and be feasted upon.
The setting, the world building, and the plot is all very interesting, but it kinda fell flat for me, unfortunately. The dialogue was off, the plot at the end was rushed. There was not much interaction with the love interests and it would have been nice to see some more of it. I was disappointed with FMC at a certain point, she kept promising stuff to Reya and Adrius but then she just didn't keep her word, she lied to them of course even though she didn't realised it, destroying the plans these two have had for years.
The epilogue then was not what I expected and I did not like it.
Still, thank you NetGalley and angry robot for the opportunity to read this arc for an honest review.
I'm a sucker for vampires and this book had an interesting take on them. The FMC is an incredibly morally gray character, who lies her way through life to get the upper hand on the everyday life.
She's a talented blacksmith and her adventure in the book begins when she travels to another village to sell her vampire killing sword.
She then gets captured by vampires and becomes their queen for three days, when she's offered everything in terms of food, parties, clothes. But at the end of those three days she would have too die and be feasted upon.
The setting, the world building, and the plot is all very interesting, but it kinda fell flat for me, unfortunately. The dialogue was off, the plot at the end was rushed. There was not much interaction with the love interests and it would have been nice to see some more of it. I was disappointed with FMC at a certain point, she kept promising stuff to Reya and Adrius but then she just didn't keep her word, she lied to them of course even though she didn't realised it, destroying the plans these two have had for years.
The epilogue then was not what I expected and I did not like it.
Still, thank you NetGalley and angry robot for the opportunity to read this arc for an honest review.
Read
February 15, 2024comparing your vampire book to Jay Kristoff is not the flex nor the promotion you should want for yourself.
May 21, 2024
“The hunters gambit” is a fantasy book perfect for vampire lovers (I feel like vampires are really getting their time in the lime light again and I’m loving it!)
We have a strong willed female lead, locked room attempted escape trope, vampiresque castles, lots of action, adventure, gore, fights, spice and more.
I feel like there could have been a little more world building, however this book definitely focuses on the shock factor and there’s a lot of that which keeps the reader distracted on the events unfolding.
Read if you like empire of the vampire.
Thank you to Angry Robot, Ciel Pierrot and NetGalley for the EARC!
Publish date: June 25th
We have a strong willed female lead, locked room attempted escape trope, vampiresque castles, lots of action, adventure, gore, fights, spice and more.
I feel like there could have been a little more world building, however this book definitely focuses on the shock factor and there’s a lot of that which keeps the reader distracted on the events unfolding.
Read if you like empire of the vampire.
Thank you to Angry Robot, Ciel Pierrot and NetGalley for the EARC!
Publish date: June 25th
March 29, 2024
This book strikes the perfect balance of seductive yet dangerous vampires. It’s a really exciting read. The vampires are smart, capable and attractive, not just mindlessly violent or animalistic. Nor are they sanitised to the point there’s no tension in the book. These are powerful and cruel beings.
Our MC is a blacksmith who is travelling to sell a powerful sword she’s created that can kill vampires. While travelling they are attacked and she’s captured by vampires who take her to their fortress where she awakes at a lavish party to find she’s been crowned vampire queen. She has three days trapped at this party before they plan to kill her and use her blood to maintain the fortress through an old ritual. She’s in the middle of a sumptuous and debauched celebration desperately trying to find a way out and everyone there wants to drink her blood.
The setting was amazing, she has free reign of the fortress because there’s no way of escaping it. It’s a huge isolated building and she really is trapped at every corner. The juxtaposition of the lavish party with the constant danger worked so well too! With the MC encouraged to partake of the revelries and enjoy her last hours of life.
Our MC is strong and resilient and determined to survive and we watch as she attempts cautious alliances with those who may be willing to help her to fulfil their own agendas. Yet can she really trust them?
This was a fantastic vampire novel, tense, exciting. Would recommend!
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.
Our MC is a blacksmith who is travelling to sell a powerful sword she’s created that can kill vampires. While travelling they are attacked and she’s captured by vampires who take her to their fortress where she awakes at a lavish party to find she’s been crowned vampire queen. She has three days trapped at this party before they plan to kill her and use her blood to maintain the fortress through an old ritual. She’s in the middle of a sumptuous and debauched celebration desperately trying to find a way out and everyone there wants to drink her blood.
The setting was amazing, she has free reign of the fortress because there’s no way of escaping it. It’s a huge isolated building and she really is trapped at every corner. The juxtaposition of the lavish party with the constant danger worked so well too! With the MC encouraged to partake of the revelries and enjoy her last hours of life.
Our MC is strong and resilient and determined to survive and we watch as she attempts cautious alliances with those who may be willing to help her to fulfil their own agendas. Yet can she really trust them?
This was a fantastic vampire novel, tense, exciting. Would recommend!
I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.
June 21, 2024
Thank you, NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing the arc.
"– the truth gets you scraps and
vulnerability; lies get your needs met."
The plot was something dark fantasy with a little bit of romance. the setting of the Citadel and the whole vampire scene were lovely and the world-building was amazing. I loved all the descriptions of the knives and blades that the characters wielded. All of the action scenes were very dynamic. The fights were pictured perfectly and had fun reading all the action going on throughout the book.
"But now that she has broken that rigidity, even
slightly, she can’t stop breaking. Like glass shattering in on itself, sharp
pieces compacting and squeezing, filling her lungs and choking her. The glass
claws at her insides, shredding and tearing and crushing."
The cast of characters was outstanding, with our protagonist Kazan being a standout. Reya and Adrius as our love interests were great as well. Only wished that the romance was a bit lacking and would have loved more into that topic. With all the political maneuvering in vampire society, it was great to see the differences lined out in the personalities and actions of the characters. The development of the characters was at its best.
"A thousand shingles can form a roof, but it only takes
one sliding out of place to let the rain in."
I’m only sad this book wasn’t longer so the author could explore the vampire playground some more. Several vampire houses were given lip service but these worldbuilding fangs failed to break the reader’s skin. There’s so much more I wanted to read about how the vampire houses differ and interact that wasn’t included here. The importance of the Citadel and the need to keep it intact was understandable enough but the vampires’ motivations and underhand politics left me a little thirsting for more.
"No one has loved Kazan since her father, and she can barely remember
what that felt like. She doesn’t need love. She doesn’t."
"– the truth gets you scraps and
vulnerability; lies get your needs met."
The plot was something dark fantasy with a little bit of romance. the setting of the Citadel and the whole vampire scene were lovely and the world-building was amazing. I loved all the descriptions of the knives and blades that the characters wielded. All of the action scenes were very dynamic. The fights were pictured perfectly and had fun reading all the action going on throughout the book.
"But now that she has broken that rigidity, even
slightly, she can’t stop breaking. Like glass shattering in on itself, sharp
pieces compacting and squeezing, filling her lungs and choking her. The glass
claws at her insides, shredding and tearing and crushing."
The cast of characters was outstanding, with our protagonist Kazan being a standout. Reya and Adrius as our love interests were great as well. Only wished that the romance was a bit lacking and would have loved more into that topic. With all the political maneuvering in vampire society, it was great to see the differences lined out in the personalities and actions of the characters. The development of the characters was at its best.
"A thousand shingles can form a roof, but it only takes
one sliding out of place to let the rain in."
I’m only sad this book wasn’t longer so the author could explore the vampire playground some more. Several vampire houses were given lip service but these worldbuilding fangs failed to break the reader’s skin. There’s so much more I wanted to read about how the vampire houses differ and interact that wasn’t included here. The importance of the Citadel and the need to keep it intact was understandable enough but the vampires’ motivations and underhand politics left me a little thirsting for more.
"No one has loved Kazan since her father, and she can barely remember
what that felt like. She doesn’t need love. She doesn’t."
June 29, 2024
summary & overall impression:
i went into, ‘the hunter’s gambit,’ with high expectations but i was sorely disappointed. i don’t typically read vampire fantasy, but this did catch my eye on netgalley. it had a lot of potential with the introduction of blood magics combined with the ongoing vampire vs warden conflict. this novel centres around a blacksmith called kazan who gets her life entangled with a renowned bloodthirsty vampire seneschal, adrius de vere. after being kidnapped by the vampire king, dasar, and his hunting party, she is trapped in their citadel to serve as queen. this is part of a yearly tradition where one human is sacrificed at the end of a 3 day celebration to prevent the destruction of their home.
main characters:
kazan was a very hyperactive haphazard character. when she wasn’t being a pathological liar (which was 85%) of the time, she was busy running around dasar’s castle trying to escape. this situation can only be compared to going to the grocery 10x to buy eggs, when you already know there’s none. she’s also supposedly this mostly self taught fighter, but i still don’t know how she was able to defeat aged vampires with her skillset. this was just unrealistic. kazan is also very selfish and i didn’t fully understand her motives most of the time. for example, after she was accidentally turned into a vampire and her replacement was brought in for the sacrifice, she didn’t even care to find out if he was alive after ruining adrius & reya’s plans. her excuse being she’s a bad person?? her also eating the king’s heart when she didn’t want to be a vampire in the first place is also weird to me but pop off queen.
reya is a one of kazan’s love interests and a very one dimensional character. her most interesting aspect was being able to transform into a black cat. i feel she didn’t really do much except being described as pretty and being able to do some super powerful magic which wasn’t even described in depth.
adrius was most definitely the most well thought out character but there were still so many flaws in his actions. it didn’t seem very consistent of him to excuse kazan’s several lies so easily. his fight scenes were very cool though, i have to admit.
critques:
- none of the side plots were very well developed e.g when kazan teamed up with the geist, alphonse, who was adrius’ brother that he killed accidentally. those scenes just felt all over the place and predictable.
- there was definitely too much back and forth between the reya & adrius vs kazan, with the who trusts who and who’s lying to who. it just felt like that couple would always choose each other over her based on their dialogues. then they would spin around and always save her when she did something stupid. very contradictory.
- isadora, kazan’s lady in waiting was killed so brutally and quickly like she wasn’t even part of the book was just a bit unnecessary and dramatic.
- her decision to not go to glassdow at the end in order to live her life as a human felt rushed and like she didn’t really make that choice for herself. they just booted her out the carriage. this felt like she was being forced to follow the vampires’ plans once again with no real mind of her own. after that, kazan then randomly decided she’s trading her whole house for a horse to go find them. like please be for real.
1⭐️ & 0/5🌶️
i went into, ‘the hunter’s gambit,’ with high expectations but i was sorely disappointed. i don’t typically read vampire fantasy, but this did catch my eye on netgalley. it had a lot of potential with the introduction of blood magics combined with the ongoing vampire vs warden conflict. this novel centres around a blacksmith called kazan who gets her life entangled with a renowned bloodthirsty vampire seneschal, adrius de vere. after being kidnapped by the vampire king, dasar, and his hunting party, she is trapped in their citadel to serve as queen. this is part of a yearly tradition where one human is sacrificed at the end of a 3 day celebration to prevent the destruction of their home.
main characters:
kazan was a very hyperactive haphazard character. when she wasn’t being a pathological liar (which was 85%) of the time, she was busy running around dasar’s castle trying to escape. this situation can only be compared to going to the grocery 10x to buy eggs, when you already know there’s none. she’s also supposedly this mostly self taught fighter, but i still don’t know how she was able to defeat aged vampires with her skillset. this was just unrealistic. kazan is also very selfish and i didn’t fully understand her motives most of the time. for example, after she was accidentally turned into a vampire and her replacement was brought in for the sacrifice, she didn’t even care to find out if he was alive after ruining adrius & reya’s plans. her excuse being she’s a bad person?? her also eating the king’s heart when she didn’t want to be a vampire in the first place is also weird to me but pop off queen.
reya is a one of kazan’s love interests and a very one dimensional character. her most interesting aspect was being able to transform into a black cat. i feel she didn’t really do much except being described as pretty and being able to do some super powerful magic which wasn’t even described in depth.
adrius was most definitely the most well thought out character but there were still so many flaws in his actions. it didn’t seem very consistent of him to excuse kazan’s several lies so easily. his fight scenes were very cool though, i have to admit.
critques:
- none of the side plots were very well developed e.g when kazan teamed up with the geist, alphonse, who was adrius’ brother that he killed accidentally. those scenes just felt all over the place and predictable.
- there was definitely too much back and forth between the reya & adrius vs kazan, with the who trusts who and who’s lying to who. it just felt like that couple would always choose each other over her based on their dialogues. then they would spin around and always save her when she did something stupid. very contradictory.
- isadora, kazan’s lady in waiting was killed so brutally and quickly like she wasn’t even part of the book was just a bit unnecessary and dramatic.
- her decision to not go to glassdow at the end in order to live her life as a human felt rushed and like she didn’t really make that choice for herself. they just booted her out the carriage. this felt like she was being forced to follow the vampires’ plans once again with no real mind of her own. after that, kazan then randomly decided she’s trading her whole house for a horse to go find them. like please be for real.
1⭐️ & 0/5🌶️
May 20, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read this book!
Looking for something with a female protagonist that throws together the Strahd campaign from D&D with Castlevania? You have this book.
This story is a quick read, but a good one in terms of vampires and escaping fate. Our female lead is a blacksmith, she has past dealings with vampires. She seeks out a woman who she wishes to sell one of her swords to, a sword for killing vampires. While waiting to see this female (think of her like a broker), she meets a vampire. This vampire is undercover and is actually a pretty nice guy. They strike up a bit of a friendship and soon after they both get their respective visit with the broker, they part ways. The broker tells our female lead she should try selling the sword out of town, and that she should leave with a caravan of vampire hunters. She leaves with the caravan, it gets attacked, she escapes, and ends up in a party of vampires who fight her, and sic their skilled vampire fighter on her - the vampire she just struck a friendship with, She is overtaken and ends up as a 'queen' in their castle. There she discovers for three days she has to put up with their revelry and debauchery until midnight of the third day. That's when they kill her.
This book is pretty gruesome, and involves a lot of fighting, swearing, blood, gore, and fucking. Vampires are regal, yes, but they do have needs and desires and urges which make them feral. Our female lead is alone, and she has to figure out how to escape, how to get her sword back, and how to kill these vampires or die trying.
95% of the story takes place in this castle, and I liked that our female never strayed for her goal. She was out for business, out to protect herself, and in return she got to know herself more than she ever did before. I liked that the author made her a flawed human (saving / savior / what constitutes as a death and sparing a life, etc.) and how decisions she makes either doom or give strength to her. I also liked that the vampires and how one becomes a vampire has other alternatives (people that die without being turned are spirits that roam the halls, and can possess you too).
The reason I ranked it down a star is that the world building was kind of bare outside of the vampires, and that I felt like I was missing something. Is there other stories to be had in this world, or other stories that came before this?
Otherwise, if you're looking for the above in a story you'll want to read this.
Looking for something with a female protagonist that throws together the Strahd campaign from D&D with Castlevania? You have this book.
This story is a quick read, but a good one in terms of vampires and escaping fate. Our female lead is a blacksmith, she has past dealings with vampires. She seeks out a woman who she wishes to sell one of her swords to, a sword for killing vampires. While waiting to see this female (think of her like a broker), she meets a vampire. This vampire is undercover and is actually a pretty nice guy. They strike up a bit of a friendship and soon after they both get their respective visit with the broker, they part ways. The broker tells our female lead she should try selling the sword out of town, and that she should leave with a caravan of vampire hunters. She leaves with the caravan, it gets attacked, she escapes, and ends up in a party of vampires who fight her, and sic their skilled vampire fighter on her - the vampire she just struck a friendship with, She is overtaken and ends up as a 'queen' in their castle. There she discovers for three days she has to put up with their revelry and debauchery until midnight of the third day. That's when they kill her.
This book is pretty gruesome, and involves a lot of fighting, swearing, blood, gore, and fucking. Vampires are regal, yes, but they do have needs and desires and urges which make them feral. Our female lead is alone, and she has to figure out how to escape, how to get her sword back, and how to kill these vampires or die trying.
95% of the story takes place in this castle, and I liked that our female never strayed for her goal. She was out for business, out to protect herself, and in return she got to know herself more than she ever did before. I liked that the author made her a flawed human (saving / savior / what constitutes as a death and sparing a life, etc.) and how decisions she makes either doom or give strength to her. I also liked that the vampires and how one becomes a vampire has other alternatives (people that die without being turned are spirits that roam the halls, and can possess you too).
The reason I ranked it down a star is that the world building was kind of bare outside of the vampires, and that I felt like I was missing something. Is there other stories to be had in this world, or other stories that came before this?
Otherwise, if you're looking for the above in a story you'll want to read this.
May 12, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
First of all the dedication had me won over already.
This story follows Kazan a human woman just trying to make a name for herself by forging weapons to use against vampires who reign supreme in this fantasy world. With a turn of bad luck and trickery she ends up trapped in a web of schemes and plotting right in the heart of the vampire stronghold.
The world building in this novel is great, the description of people and places was delightful and it has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a gritty vampire story. The novel is prosed in third person format and is only from the POV of Kazan herself, however I think it would have been great to get other POVs throughout the novel, just to give more insight into other characters and their backgrounds and dive into the mcs relationships throughout.
If you’re a fan of more plot based than romance based novels then this would be for you, even though there is romance and superbly slow-burn, the main premise of the novel is based around the MCs endeavours!
This was a really enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to see where Kazan’s future goes in further editions.
✨ Thank you so much for this ARC copy for my honest review ✨
First of all the dedication had me won over already.
This story follows Kazan a human woman just trying to make a name for herself by forging weapons to use against vampires who reign supreme in this fantasy world. With a turn of bad luck and trickery she ends up trapped in a web of schemes and plotting right in the heart of the vampire stronghold.
The world building in this novel is great, the description of people and places was delightful and it has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a gritty vampire story. The novel is prosed in third person format and is only from the POV of Kazan herself, however I think it would have been great to get other POVs throughout the novel, just to give more insight into other characters and their backgrounds and dive into the mcs relationships throughout.
If you’re a fan of more plot based than romance based novels then this would be for you, even though there is romance and superbly slow-burn, the main premise of the novel is based around the MCs endeavours!
This was a really enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to see where Kazan’s future goes in further editions.
✨ Thank you so much for this ARC copy for my honest review ✨
June 10, 2024
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.
This book was not for me. As an avid reader that eats up everything and anything vampire, I was disappointed. The story just did not make sense to me at all, kept getting more and more characters introduced and made it hard to keep up with was what happening, and ended up DNFing around 55%.
This book was not for me. As an avid reader that eats up everything and anything vampire, I was disappointed. The story just did not make sense to me at all, kept getting more and more characters introduced and made it hard to keep up with was what happening, and ended up DNFing around 55%.
June 26, 2024
Review originally on JamReads
The Hunter's Gambit is a standalone dark fantasy novel written by Ciel Pierlot, and published by Angry Robot Books. A highly atmospheric locked room escape adventure that explores how far our main character Kazan will have to go to survive among the hedonistic vampires of the citadel, and that gifts us excellent and brutal action scenes and a more classic focus into these creatures.
Kazan Korvic's past is marked by vampires; orphaned after a vampire raid, she became a blacksmith with a special attention on creating weapons that can kill them. However, all that skill won't be enough when she's attacked and captured by a group of vampires; without her new weapon, she's forced to assist to their Citadel and their feast, being revered as their Queen. Doted and revered, the Queen of vampires is killed at the end of the celebrations to renew the Citadel strength, the main course of the feast.
Alone on her own, Kazan plans to find her weapon and get out; no allies, but soon she will find that not everybody is dancing to the music, and desperate situations make strange friends. She's ready to do anything in order to survive, and establishing dubious relationships is just the tip of the iceberg.
With Kazan, Pierlot gives us a morally grey character, ready to lie and with more than enough reasons to hate vampires; being trapped in the Citadel is just the situation that pushes her towards her limit, and even further. She's been hardened by life, and it's a prime example of somebody that has nothing to lose.
In comparison, I would say that ironically Adrius and Reya are more human in that sense that Kazan. Their target is to change vampire's hierarch; their unlikely bond with Kazan ends gifting us some steamy scenes that fitted perfectly with the whole setting. Ambitious, but also caring for others.
I absolutely loved the setting, and the "return" to a more classical vampire archetype, bloodthirsty but also hedonistic; pleasure and enjoyment are a substantial part of what makes the feast at the Citadel special. Humans are no more than disposable animals for them, a fun thing to hunt; and the Queen is just the piece needed to keep the Citadel for another year.
With Kazan's situation, Pierlot takes the opportunity to write an action-packed story, full of violent scenes, a great example of the motto "you are trapped with me". Not only that, but we see how to survive, Kazan will renounce to what makes her human; the time running out perspective only reinforces the desperation she's suffering. The pacing is absolutely amazing, with a great prose that fits perfectly with our story.
I absolutely loved The Hunter's Gambit, as it was all I was expecting from this kind of book; a dark fantasy that returns to classical vampires with a main character that is far from being a heroine, with blood and some steam. Fans of EotV, you want to pick this excellent novel by Ciel Pierlot.
The Hunter's Gambit is a standalone dark fantasy novel written by Ciel Pierlot, and published by Angry Robot Books. A highly atmospheric locked room escape adventure that explores how far our main character Kazan will have to go to survive among the hedonistic vampires of the citadel, and that gifts us excellent and brutal action scenes and a more classic focus into these creatures.
Kazan Korvic's past is marked by vampires; orphaned after a vampire raid, she became a blacksmith with a special attention on creating weapons that can kill them. However, all that skill won't be enough when she's attacked and captured by a group of vampires; without her new weapon, she's forced to assist to their Citadel and their feast, being revered as their Queen. Doted and revered, the Queen of vampires is killed at the end of the celebrations to renew the Citadel strength, the main course of the feast.
Alone on her own, Kazan plans to find her weapon and get out; no allies, but soon she will find that not everybody is dancing to the music, and desperate situations make strange friends. She's ready to do anything in order to survive, and establishing dubious relationships is just the tip of the iceberg.
With Kazan, Pierlot gives us a morally grey character, ready to lie and with more than enough reasons to hate vampires; being trapped in the Citadel is just the situation that pushes her towards her limit, and even further. She's been hardened by life, and it's a prime example of somebody that has nothing to lose.
In comparison, I would say that ironically Adrius and Reya are more human in that sense that Kazan. Their target is to change vampire's hierarch; their unlikely bond with Kazan ends gifting us some steamy scenes that fitted perfectly with the whole setting. Ambitious, but also caring for others.
I absolutely loved the setting, and the "return" to a more classical vampire archetype, bloodthirsty but also hedonistic; pleasure and enjoyment are a substantial part of what makes the feast at the Citadel special. Humans are no more than disposable animals for them, a fun thing to hunt; and the Queen is just the piece needed to keep the Citadel for another year.
With Kazan's situation, Pierlot takes the opportunity to write an action-packed story, full of violent scenes, a great example of the motto "you are trapped with me". Not only that, but we see how to survive, Kazan will renounce to what makes her human; the time running out perspective only reinforces the desperation she's suffering. The pacing is absolutely amazing, with a great prose that fits perfectly with our story.
I absolutely loved The Hunter's Gambit, as it was all I was expecting from this kind of book; a dark fantasy that returns to classical vampires with a main character that is far from being a heroine, with blood and some steam. Fans of EotV, you want to pick this excellent novel by Ciel Pierlot.
June 15, 2024
I am quite saddened to give this 2⭐️ to be honest, considering I was really excited and looking forward to this vampire novel.
Honestly, the start was good, I did like it. Everything just went downhill after Kazan became the so-called vampire queen and the poor executive storyline of the vampire characters.
I would say the plot development and characters were lacking. It lacked that vampire feel to it, the mysteriousness of the character and the intrigued of the vampire content as well as the background or supporting details to make it convincing.
I would say I'm disappointed in how the 60% of the novel went. The potential was wasted. Kazan was disappointing, I was expecting more of her the same with Adrius. I could also say the same with Dasar and Ezelind.
Overall, it was honestly disappointing.
Honestly, the start was good, I did like it. Everything just went downhill after Kazan became the so-called vampire queen and the poor executive storyline of the vampire characters.
I would say the plot development and characters were lacking. It lacked that vampire feel to it, the mysteriousness of the character and the intrigued of the vampire content as well as the background or supporting details to make it convincing.
I would say I'm disappointed in how the 60% of the novel went. The potential was wasted. Kazan was disappointing, I was expecting more of her the same with Adrius. I could also say the same with Dasar and Ezelind.
Overall, it was honestly disappointing.
June 4, 2024
Thank you to netgalley and angry robot for the arc of this book, the cover is beautiful and really caught my eye. I do want to start off by saying I loved the dedication in this book and the first chapter and premise definitely had me intrigued. I liked the fact that Kazan was a blacksmith and I really wish the plot allowed for us to see that more as I found it a unique quality in a main character.
Unfortunately this book did fall flat for me, at times I found the dialogue to be awkward and the plot felt rushed toward the end but slow throughout. I would of liked to have more interaction with the love interests and had one or two more intimate scenes with them. I also think fleshing out the vampire vs human world would of been good as well as at times I felt the plot was a bit repetitive. I think more fear factor of vampires would of been beneficial in the beginning, and having more dangerous situations with the vampires to really solidify how dangerous they could be despite the circumstances of the situation. The stakes unfortunately didn’t seem very high to me for any of the characters.
I liked the fantastical elements of vampires and geists, it would of been interesting to explore them more and have our main character interact with them more as a plot point. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to get into vampire books and romance as I do think it would be a great entryway into those genres and that it is still an enjoyable read.
Unfortunately this book did fall flat for me, at times I found the dialogue to be awkward and the plot felt rushed toward the end but slow throughout. I would of liked to have more interaction with the love interests and had one or two more intimate scenes with them. I also think fleshing out the vampire vs human world would of been good as well as at times I felt the plot was a bit repetitive. I think more fear factor of vampires would of been beneficial in the beginning, and having more dangerous situations with the vampires to really solidify how dangerous they could be despite the circumstances of the situation. The stakes unfortunately didn’t seem very high to me for any of the characters.
I liked the fantastical elements of vampires and geists, it would of been interesting to explore them more and have our main character interact with them more as a plot point. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to get into vampire books and romance as I do think it would be a great entryway into those genres and that it is still an enjoyable read.
June 16, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the eARC! The Hunter’s Gambit was a pretty fun and wild read overall. I finished the majority of it in one day because there were so many twists and turns and I needed to know what happened!
That said, the reason I’m not rating this book higher is because I felt that the overall plot was underdeveloped. There was also a lot of convenience with the main character Kazan eavesdropping and two of the vampires taking such an interest in her so quickly. Plus, I feel like the beginning of the book to the bulk of it were two completely different stories rather than exposition setting us up for rising action. The ending also felt very convoluted and that the book should have finished up much sooner than it did.
This did have some badass and frightening vampires. Some of them felt like caricatures, but I was also okay with that. It gave charm to a really dreary premise haha. I also appreciated Kazan and her two love interests being openly bisexual and exploring that with one another, though the romance did happen quite quickly.
Overall, I’d definitely read another book by this author, and this book is a refreshing one in the world of vampire literature.
That said, the reason I’m not rating this book higher is because I felt that the overall plot was underdeveloped. There was also a lot of convenience with the main character Kazan eavesdropping and two of the vampires taking such an interest in her so quickly. Plus, I feel like the beginning of the book to the bulk of it were two completely different stories rather than exposition setting us up for rising action. The ending also felt very convoluted and that the book should have finished up much sooner than it did.
This did have some badass and frightening vampires. Some of them felt like caricatures, but I was also okay with that. It gave charm to a really dreary premise haha. I also appreciated Kazan and her two love interests being openly bisexual and exploring that with one another, though the romance did happen quite quickly.
Overall, I’d definitely read another book by this author, and this book is a refreshing one in the world of vampire literature.
June 29, 2024
I really enjoyed this gory, violent book. as soon as someone's head got lopped off I knew it'd be the book for me. the only thing I didn't quite like was the ending and the romance is lacking. but everything else....love. I was definitely feeling the "ready or not" mivie vibes and all the action scenes were so satiafying.
I received an ARC copy through netgalley but all thoughts are my own.
I received an ARC copy through netgalley but all thoughts are my own.
July 1, 2024
This book was a mess. Main character was awfully bland and inconsistent and while for the plot you should not be able to predict everything, but at least something? The only way to describe the plot is as a chaotic zigzag that didn't connect to the "end game" or the resolution as not even the main character had substance or purpose. The dedication was what drew me in, but it was NOTHING as expected. I feel so bad but this book just was one of the worst reads I took the time for this year.
July 6, 2024
4.5 ⭐️ this was really fun! Not sure why so many people hated it but i enjoyed a lot. FRTC
May 13, 2024
4.75/5
This was brutal and I honestly loved it.
The dedication was right, these vampires definitely aren't Mormon.
The human main character ends up trapped as a play thing for vampires in a big fancy citadel, knowing that at the end of three days of parties, she'll be eaten by them.
But she's pretty badass herself and is determined to find a way out.
There's definitely a "locked room" kind of vibe to the story and you feel the desperation of being trapped in this situation surrounded by these violent beings who are smugly careless of human life.
There's lots of political intrigue, it kind of reminds me a bit of Cruel Prince, if it was written by Jay Kristoff. Everyone's morally grey at best, including the main character. If you need at leastsomeone in your read to be a nice person, you won't find that here. But if you don't mind something a bit angry and wicked, you might find this a guilty pleasure.
The climax is pretty graphic but disturbingly satisfying. Oh and speaking of - there's a vampire threesome, if that's your jam.
The very finish of the story is quite open ended, which does feel a little unsatisfying as reader, but at the same time, I think it suits the story. I don't think anything else would have fit very well, and it's not really "tied in a neat bow" kind of tale.
I smashed through this in a couple of days, after taking weeks to drag myself through my last read. It was dark, propulsive and addictive, and I genuinely enjoyed it very much.
This was brutal and I honestly loved it.
The dedication was right, these vampires definitely aren't Mormon.
The human main character ends up trapped as a play thing for vampires in a big fancy citadel, knowing that at the end of three days of parties, she'll be eaten by them.
But she's pretty badass herself and is determined to find a way out.
There's definitely a "locked room" kind of vibe to the story and you feel the desperation of being trapped in this situation surrounded by these violent beings who are smugly careless of human life.
There's lots of political intrigue, it kind of reminds me a bit of Cruel Prince, if it was written by Jay Kristoff. Everyone's morally grey at best, including the main character. If you need at leastsomeone in your read to be a nice person, you won't find that here. But if you don't mind something a bit angry and wicked, you might find this a guilty pleasure.
The climax is pretty graphic but disturbingly satisfying. Oh and speaking of - there's a vampire threesome, if that's your jam.
The very finish of the story is quite open ended, which does feel a little unsatisfying as reader, but at the same time, I think it suits the story. I don't think anything else would have fit very well, and it's not really "tied in a neat bow" kind of tale.
I smashed through this in a couple of days, after taking weeks to drag myself through my last read. It was dark, propulsive and addictive, and I genuinely enjoyed it very much.
March 26, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the eARC!!
I loved this book! The writing flowed easily and even with all of the different threads of storylines, the book flowed well and all threads wove intricately together. You can feel the love and passion that Ciel Pierlot poured into this book from page one.
Kazan is a blacksmith, who has vowed to fight vampires as they torment humans in this magical world. Kazan gets captured and locked in the castle full of bloodthirsty vampires. She feels trapped, stuck, and scared...until she realizes that the vampires are, in fact, stuck in the castle with her. Can she fight her way out...?
The anger, the power, the fighting, all of it was a great adventure. It was also a breath of fresh air to read about court intrigue and politics in a new way, and Ciel Pierlot did this amazingly! Between all the vampire clans and unique character plots, his world sucks you right in and you have no choice but to hold on as the roller coaster twists up and down and side to side.
AND THAT ENDING??? HOLD ON TIGHT!!
I think my favorite part of this book was the character development of Kazan...it was great to read about a strong woman character bursting out of her shell, letting herself feel the anger, and destroy her shell. To learn that it's okay to go after what you deserve and want...as long as you're ready to face what comes after... *cue evil laugh*
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves vampires, rioting adventure, epic battle scenes, court politics, and a fantasy adventure with a dash of romance!!
I loved this book! The writing flowed easily and even with all of the different threads of storylines, the book flowed well and all threads wove intricately together. You can feel the love and passion that Ciel Pierlot poured into this book from page one.
Kazan is a blacksmith, who has vowed to fight vampires as they torment humans in this magical world. Kazan gets captured and locked in the castle full of bloodthirsty vampires. She feels trapped, stuck, and scared...until she realizes that the vampires are, in fact, stuck in the castle with her. Can she fight her way out...?
The anger, the power, the fighting, all of it was a great adventure. It was also a breath of fresh air to read about court intrigue and politics in a new way, and Ciel Pierlot did this amazingly! Between all the vampire clans and unique character plots, his world sucks you right in and you have no choice but to hold on as the roller coaster twists up and down and side to side.
AND THAT ENDING??? HOLD ON TIGHT!!
I think my favorite part of this book was the character development of Kazan...it was great to read about a strong woman character bursting out of her shell, letting herself feel the anger, and destroy her shell. To learn that it's okay to go after what you deserve and want...as long as you're ready to face what comes after... *cue evil laugh*
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves vampires, rioting adventure, epic battle scenes, court politics, and a fantasy adventure with a dash of romance!!
March 5, 2024
This really scratched the vampire itch I had going on! Ciel Pierlot has crafted a whole world overrun with boujie, upper-class vampires and I am obsessed. I felt like the wait for that *one* spicy scene was agonising, but mostly worth it! The character arcs were well fleshed out for each of the three MCs and I grew to love them despite their moral discrepancies.
The ending was the dark, 1-to-100 craziness that I wanted, however there were a few tidbits of information I wanted to know but didn't find out. Like: what happened to the humans after that final big event?
Thank you to 2018 Ciel for writing this, and thank you to Angry Robot & Netgalley for the gifted e-book! I can't wait to get my physical copy so I can take lots of pretty picturessss
The ending was the dark, 1-to-100 craziness that I wanted, however there were a few tidbits of information I wanted to know but didn't find out. Like: what happened to the humans after that final big event?
Thank you to 2018 Ciel for writing this, and thank you to Angry Robot & Netgalley for the gifted e-book! I can't wait to get my physical copy so I can take lots of pretty picturessss
June 15, 2024
4.25 stars for this vampire adventure where the plot was PLOTTING (Leah this ones 4 u)
I absolutely ate this story UP! Kazan is a human blacksmith who adventures away from her small town to sell her finest sword to the High Warden in a town to the south...but is unfortunately captured by sadistic vampires on the road and made into the "Vampire Queen." This mockery of a title essentially means that the vampires are playing with their food for three days while she completes the rituals that will end with her blood spilled at midnight on the third day. But Kazan is too headstrong to allow herself to just lay down and die, or get drunk and ignore what's to come- instead she forms strategic alliances around the vampire citadel and works to change her fate.
From the first meeting we see of Kazan with a vampire, the enigmatic and infamous Adrius de Vere, we can see she is fascinated by their kind and doesn't want to fear them the way the rest of the humans do. She catches his eye, and the eyes of his close ally and lover in the citadel, and the fascination seems to go both ways (if you know what I mean). Seeing the differences in the ways she is treated by vampires that see her strength and personality vs the vampires that see her as prey helps us get a true picture of Kazan and what she values. Her independence, her freedom of choice, her willfulness, her strategic thinking all make her such a fascinating main character!
I love a romantasy book, don't get me wrong, but when a book has the plot that holds up without the romance aspect added in, I feel like that's a sign of a great book. I was so absorbed in the world and following Kazan's struggles and schemes to escape with her life, that the romantic subplot was just a nice lil fun treat (three-at ;)) on top of an already existing wonderful story!! With the way this one ended, it could be a standalone- but I have to hope that we will get more story following a certain change of heart!!
Thank you so much to Ciel Pierlot and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!
I absolutely ate this story UP! Kazan is a human blacksmith who adventures away from her small town to sell her finest sword to the High Warden in a town to the south...but is unfortunately captured by sadistic vampires on the road and made into the "Vampire Queen." This mockery of a title essentially means that the vampires are playing with their food for three days while she completes the rituals that will end with her blood spilled at midnight on the third day. But Kazan is too headstrong to allow herself to just lay down and die, or get drunk and ignore what's to come- instead she forms strategic alliances around the vampire citadel and works to change her fate.
From the first meeting we see of Kazan with a vampire, the enigmatic and infamous Adrius de Vere, we can see she is fascinated by their kind and doesn't want to fear them the way the rest of the humans do. She catches his eye, and the eyes of his close ally and lover in the citadel, and the fascination seems to go both ways (if you know what I mean). Seeing the differences in the ways she is treated by vampires that see her strength and personality vs the vampires that see her as prey helps us get a true picture of Kazan and what she values. Her independence, her freedom of choice, her willfulness, her strategic thinking all make her such a fascinating main character!
I love a romantasy book, don't get me wrong, but when a book has the plot that holds up without the romance aspect added in, I feel like that's a sign of a great book. I was so absorbed in the world and following Kazan's struggles and schemes to escape with her life, that the romantic subplot was just a nice lil fun treat (three-at ;)) on top of an already existing wonderful story!! With the way this one ended, it could be a standalone- but I have to hope that we will get more story following a certain change of heart!!
Thank you so much to Ciel Pierlot and NetGalley for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!
June 18, 2024
rating: 3.5
It’s been awhile, since I last read a book that only took me four days to read. I hadn’t expected to fly through the hunter’s gambit the way I did, and it was such a lovely surprise. If I’m to be honest, when I requested this book, I didn’t completely read the synopsis. I only saw that it was a vampire novel and it was pretty steamy but mostly plot centred and so I had to request it and I’m glad I did. Whilst it wasn’t the five star, I had hoped it was still a very enjoyable novel. I didn’t realise this would have a vampire thruple and I’m so glad that it happened because I absolutely love the three of them, Kazan and Reya in particular. It was a lot grittier and gruesome than other vampire novels that I’ve read which I really liked. I feel like we don’t get that as much when it comes to vampire novels and I hope I find more like this. Honestly if there ended up being a sequel I would definitely read it, especially with the way it ended. I could see it happening but it also was tied up very well. The main character had initially come across as pretty smart. However, there were some occasions where I wanted to shake her because she wouldn’t think things through. Luckily it didn’t happen often enough to make me dislike her. I do wish we’d gotten to know more about the world itself and the human part of it, as well as the rest of the vampire world. Then again, the book takes place almost entirely within a castle over the span of three days, so there would’ve been no time to really explore that, but if we ever got a sequel, I feel like that would be the perfect opportunity, especially with how the book ended.
It’s been awhile, since I last read a book that only took me four days to read. I hadn’t expected to fly through the hunter’s gambit the way I did, and it was such a lovely surprise. If I’m to be honest, when I requested this book, I didn’t completely read the synopsis. I only saw that it was a vampire novel and it was pretty steamy but mostly plot centred and so I had to request it and I’m glad I did. Whilst it wasn’t the five star, I had hoped it was still a very enjoyable novel. I didn’t realise this would have a vampire thruple and I’m so glad that it happened because I absolutely love the three of them, Kazan and Reya in particular. It was a lot grittier and gruesome than other vampire novels that I’ve read which I really liked. I feel like we don’t get that as much when it comes to vampire novels and I hope I find more like this. Honestly if there ended up being a sequel I would definitely read it, especially with the way it ended. I could see it happening but it also was tied up very well. The main character had initially come across as pretty smart. However, there were some occasions where I wanted to shake her because she wouldn’t think things through. Luckily it didn’t happen often enough to make me dislike her. I do wish we’d gotten to know more about the world itself and the human part of it, as well as the rest of the vampire world. Then again, the book takes place almost entirely within a castle over the span of three days, so there would’ve been no time to really explore that, but if we ever got a sequel, I feel like that would be the perfect opportunity, especially with how the book ended.
May 29, 2024
2.5 rounded up DNF at 70%
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very late DNF for me. I loved the protagonist and the setting, but the plot and pacing just fell apart after the 40% mark. A fun concept without direction.
For a book that takes place over a period of just three days it felt like Kazan spent weeks wandering the vampire manor, aimlessly. She seemed to have a lot of strong feelings about survival but rarely acted upon them except to flee from one hallway to another when a scene needed to come to a close.
I liked the love interests but the chemistry was lacking, there didn't really seem to be a believable reason why they took an interest in Kazan, other than that they flirted with her a few times and she reciprocated. The motivations behind their political allegiance felt equally shallow.
I am sure this book will hit the right note with others - the worldbuilding is fun and grisly, the weaponry especially. Kazan is an interesting character, a little morally grey, and she is satisfyingly perceptive. The writing was easy to consume and in some places beautifully descriptive. For me though, this one really lacked depth and despite it being fairly short I struggled to stay invested.
------------------------------------
My rating system:
✧✧✧✧✧ - loved it, no complaints
✧✧✧✧ - loved it, some technical flaws
✧✧✧ - liked it
✧✧ - disappointing
✧ - unenjoyable
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very late DNF for me. I loved the protagonist and the setting, but the plot and pacing just fell apart after the 40% mark. A fun concept without direction.
For a book that takes place over a period of just three days it felt like Kazan spent weeks wandering the vampire manor, aimlessly. She seemed to have a lot of strong feelings about survival but rarely acted upon them except to flee from one hallway to another when a scene needed to come to a close.
I liked the love interests but the chemistry was lacking, there didn't really seem to be a believable reason why they took an interest in Kazan, other than that they flirted with her a few times and she reciprocated. The motivations behind their political allegiance felt equally shallow.
I am sure this book will hit the right note with others - the worldbuilding is fun and grisly, the weaponry especially. Kazan is an interesting character, a little morally grey, and she is satisfyingly perceptive. The writing was easy to consume and in some places beautifully descriptive. For me though, this one really lacked depth and despite it being fairly short I struggled to stay invested.
------------------------------------
My rating system:
✧✧✧✧✧ - loved it, no complaints
✧✧✧✧ - loved it, some technical flaws
✧✧✧ - liked it
✧✧ - disappointing
✧ - unenjoyable
June 28, 2024
I requested a copy of the ARC from the publisher, ANGRY ROBOT BOOKS, and was approved in exchange for an honest review. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.
A full non spoiler video discussion regarding my experience with THE HUNTER'S GAMBIT will be posted on my BookTube Channel on June 25, 2024!
There were two things in the book description that caught my eye about THE HUNTER'S GAMBIT: vampires and locked-room escape adventure. I just had to read it. As soon as I cracked it open and read the dedication, I knew I'd made the right choice.
The day I started this one, I meant to just read the first chapter, get an initial impression of the story and the author's writing style, but when I looked up, I had read 6 chapters! Ciel Pierlot wrote this as if she herself is a vampire: I was just as curious and fascianted as Kazan with her chance encounter with Adrius De Vere, the aristocratic vampire in the city to conduct a mysterious business transaction. I was mesmerized by the subtle attraction and building tension between the two, their banter and playful jibes. When Kazan finds herself a captive of the Vampire Court and only 3 days left to live - I was completely hooked! Kazan is a character that is resourceful, uses the power of her mind and takes inspired action.
Almost the entirety of our tale takes place inside the Citadel, a powerful vampire stronghold. The author keeps readers from getting bored with Kazan running circles around the castle, looking for a way to escape with some magnificently written moments, or scenes. I wouldn't describe Ciel Pierlot's style as purple prose, I feel it's very accessible and easy to follow, but she has some moments where she describes with crystalline detail of what's happening to deliver intense impact. There was one chapter where I reread the same 2 paragraphs 5-6 times because it was so insanely good. (It's the beginning of Chapter 30 for any wondering.)
Now I'm sure you noticed in the genre list that romance is listed, so I do feel compelled to give my opinion on the level of spice in this book. It ranks as a level 2 on my Spice Rating scale, which means there were 1-2 descriptive intimate scenes and mild language. I was a little surprised it was so mild since the dedication in the beginning threw a little shade at the Twilight series.
What makes this book stand out from the countless others I've read containing vampires is the reason behind this game of crowning a Vampire King or Queen every year and the blood magic invoked and practiced by the vampires.
I had such a great time with this one. I've already purchased the other book published by this author, Bluebird, so keep an eye out for that review in the coming months!
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Mel
A full non spoiler video discussion regarding my experience with THE HUNTER'S GAMBIT will be posted on my BookTube Channel on June 25, 2024!
There were two things in the book description that caught my eye about THE HUNTER'S GAMBIT: vampires and locked-room escape adventure. I just had to read it. As soon as I cracked it open and read the dedication, I knew I'd made the right choice.
The day I started this one, I meant to just read the first chapter, get an initial impression of the story and the author's writing style, but when I looked up, I had read 6 chapters! Ciel Pierlot wrote this as if she herself is a vampire: I was just as curious and fascianted as Kazan with her chance encounter with Adrius De Vere, the aristocratic vampire in the city to conduct a mysterious business transaction. I was mesmerized by the subtle attraction and building tension between the two, their banter and playful jibes. When Kazan finds herself a captive of the Vampire Court and only 3 days left to live - I was completely hooked! Kazan is a character that is resourceful, uses the power of her mind and takes inspired action.
Almost the entirety of our tale takes place inside the Citadel, a powerful vampire stronghold. The author keeps readers from getting bored with Kazan running circles around the castle, looking for a way to escape with some magnificently written moments, or scenes. I wouldn't describe Ciel Pierlot's style as purple prose, I feel it's very accessible and easy to follow, but she has some moments where she describes with crystalline detail of what's happening to deliver intense impact. There was one chapter where I reread the same 2 paragraphs 5-6 times because it was so insanely good. (It's the beginning of Chapter 30 for any wondering.)
Now I'm sure you noticed in the genre list that romance is listed, so I do feel compelled to give my opinion on the level of spice in this book. It ranks as a level 2 on my Spice Rating scale, which means there were 1-2 descriptive intimate scenes and mild language. I was a little surprised it was so mild since the dedication in the beginning threw a little shade at the Twilight series.
What makes this book stand out from the countless others I've read containing vampires is the reason behind this game of crowning a Vampire King or Queen every year and the blood magic invoked and practiced by the vampires.
I had such a great time with this one. I've already purchased the other book published by this author, Bluebird, so keep an eye out for that review in the coming months!
A heartfelt thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for their support towards my enthusiasm for reading and reviewing!
Special thanks to my highest level Patrons: Ev, Amanda L., Sharon, Andrew, Star, Kate, Gail, Amanda F., Tara, John, Ann, Chad K., Ashley E., & Mel
June 22, 2024
"Dedicated to everyone who read Twilight and thought: "Why are these vampires so Mormon?"
We are freaking touring y'all! Ciel Pierlot's vampiric locked-room escape adventure is literally DAYS away from hitting shelves next week! The Hunter's Gambit is a queer fantasy romance thats like a mashup of The Invitation meets From Dusk till Dawn with a little bit of Demon Knight thrown in there. Yes, I watch a lot of horror movies.
Kazan is a strong willed protagonist in this novel. She's also a blacksmith with a beautiful skill and recently crafted a deadly vampire killing sword. Her journey to sell the weapon lands her up against a group of vamps who capture her and bring her back to their court for a 3 day sacrificial ritual. It's a journey in how far one girl will go to survive.
I liked the action packed race to freedom that ensues as Kazan tests her limits (and the limits of those around her to get out of her plight. She's equal parts self destructive, impulsive and irrational in her actions but that makes her strangely relatable in her resilient chaos. She's also a compulsive liar and watching her weave her web of untruths and false promises adds another layer of depth to the tension building in this locked fortress. And it's not just vamps creaturing about in this book!
This has delicious steamy moments and high stakes drama in the midst of a vampire lair where they definitely do not sparkle. Content mentions include graphic violence, sexual content and fudgey language. A novel I'd recommend for readers who enjoyed A Dowry of Blood.
We are freaking touring y'all! Ciel Pierlot's vampiric locked-room escape adventure is literally DAYS away from hitting shelves next week! The Hunter's Gambit is a queer fantasy romance thats like a mashup of The Invitation meets From Dusk till Dawn with a little bit of Demon Knight thrown in there. Yes, I watch a lot of horror movies.
Kazan is a strong willed protagonist in this novel. She's also a blacksmith with a beautiful skill and recently crafted a deadly vampire killing sword. Her journey to sell the weapon lands her up against a group of vamps who capture her and bring her back to their court for a 3 day sacrificial ritual. It's a journey in how far one girl will go to survive.
I liked the action packed race to freedom that ensues as Kazan tests her limits (and the limits of those around her to get out of her plight. She's equal parts self destructive, impulsive and irrational in her actions but that makes her strangely relatable in her resilient chaos. She's also a compulsive liar and watching her weave her web of untruths and false promises adds another layer of depth to the tension building in this locked fortress. And it's not just vamps creaturing about in this book!
This has delicious steamy moments and high stakes drama in the midst of a vampire lair where they definitely do not sparkle. Content mentions include graphic violence, sexual content and fudgey language. A novel I'd recommend for readers who enjoyed A Dowry of Blood.
June 5, 2024
The Hunter’s Gambit follows Kazan’s journey as she finds herself elected as the queen of the vampires, despite being human. After three days of her reign she will be ripped apart and eaten by her “subjects.” Kazan is determined to find a way out though, no matter what it takes.
This book is so gory and brutal… and I loved every second of it! 😂 I’m not even a huge vampire fan but I was hooked from the beginning! The banter between Kazan and everyone was so fun! I love a fmc who’s not afraid to talk back to people! I also loved how morally grey Kazan was. All she cared about what surviving the three days no matter who or what it destroyed.
I think this book would’ve benefited from a lack of romance. The focus should’ve been mainly on Kazan’s desperation towards surviving instead of her love life. I never really felt connected to the love interests, and I didn’t understand why they were so interested in Kazan. I think they would’ve worked better simply as allies instead of people for her to fall in love with.
Overall I really enjoyed the book when it didn’t focus on the romance. Thank you to @Angryrobotbooks for sending me an arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review ❤️
This book is so gory and brutal… and I loved every second of it! 😂 I’m not even a huge vampire fan but I was hooked from the beginning! The banter between Kazan and everyone was so fun! I love a fmc who’s not afraid to talk back to people! I also loved how morally grey Kazan was. All she cared about what surviving the three days no matter who or what it destroyed.
I think this book would’ve benefited from a lack of romance. The focus should’ve been mainly on Kazan’s desperation towards surviving instead of her love life. I never really felt connected to the love interests, and I didn’t understand why they were so interested in Kazan. I think they would’ve worked better simply as allies instead of people for her to fall in love with.
Overall I really enjoyed the book when it didn’t focus on the romance. Thank you to @Angryrobotbooks for sending me an arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review ❤️
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June 21, 2024The MC is a blacksmith who in a desire to sell her vampire slaying sword, is attacked whilst travelling. She is snatched up by the vampires and taken back to their citadel to serve as their ‘Queen’ in a yearly ritual.
Stuck in their castle forced to participate in a three day party, on a countdown until her death, Kazan has three days to find a way out. I liked that she’s stuck in the castle and we have the tension of time ticking away. It’s fraught with escapes, deals, secrets and blood. It delivers us vampires drowning in excess and decadence, violent as they are seductive.
She’s trapped with these vampires and quickly starts to parse out their politics. She tumbles and fights and navigates her way through the citadel. It’s fast paced and chaotic. Our MC will do anything for her own survival and fights every second of this charade. I like the contrast of the lavish party and the high stakes danger Kazan faces. I also appreciate the ending and the that she gets the I make the choice.
However the romance was so quick, it takes place over three days so I’m not even sure I would say it is romance. There is a connection and lust and potential and it explores that but it doesn’t claim to be love. This story isn’t a romantasy in the classic sense, it’s a whirlwind of fighting and vampires, the story doesn’t go further than that and we get as much development of the characters as you might imagine over 3 days.
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. Thoughts are my own.
Stuck in their castle forced to participate in a three day party, on a countdown until her death, Kazan has three days to find a way out. I liked that she’s stuck in the castle and we have the tension of time ticking away. It’s fraught with escapes, deals, secrets and blood. It delivers us vampires drowning in excess and decadence, violent as they are seductive.
She’s trapped with these vampires and quickly starts to parse out their politics. She tumbles and fights and navigates her way through the citadel. It’s fast paced and chaotic. Our MC will do anything for her own survival and fights every second of this charade. I like the contrast of the lavish party and the high stakes danger Kazan faces. I also appreciate the ending and the that she gets the I make the choice.
However the romance was so quick, it takes place over three days so I’m not even sure I would say it is romance. There is a connection and lust and potential and it explores that but it doesn’t claim to be love. This story isn’t a romantasy in the classic sense, it’s a whirlwind of fighting and vampires, the story doesn’t go further than that and we get as much development of the characters as you might imagine over 3 days.
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. Thoughts are my own.
June 23, 2024
Thank you to netgalley and Angry Robot for the arc of this book for my honest review.
Going into this book after reading it's description I was excited, a spicy vampire book sounded right up my street. Unfortunately for me, the story just didn't capture me. The world building and the story itself just felt like it was missing something. The main character is morally grey, and normally, with those types of characters, there's at least something redeeming about them, but that was not the case here. Kazan constantly lies and makes promises she doesn't keep, especially with the 'love interests'.
For me, the spice also fell a bit flat, and there was no chemistry between Kazan and the other vampires. The epilogue/ ending to the story was disappointing and rushed after dragging out the rest of the book. Maybe I'm just too much of a happy ending lover, but I expected more from the end of the story than what we were given.
Going into this book after reading it's description I was excited, a spicy vampire book sounded right up my street. Unfortunately for me, the story just didn't capture me. The world building and the story itself just felt like it was missing something. The main character is morally grey, and normally, with those types of characters, there's at least something redeeming about them, but that was not the case here. Kazan constantly lies and makes promises she doesn't keep, especially with the 'love interests'.
For me, the spice also fell a bit flat, and there was no chemistry between Kazan and the other vampires. The epilogue/ ending to the story was disappointing and rushed after dragging out the rest of the book. Maybe I'm just too much of a happy ending lover, but I expected more from the end of the story than what we were given.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2024
Kazan Korvic - a blacksmith with a talent - has made a sword purely to kill vampires.
While on a journey to sell this weapon, the group is attacked.
Kazan fights for her life but is soon overwhelmed and knocked unconscious. When she comes to, she is a prisoner in the vampire citadel.
She's the guest of honour and has been crowned Queen of the Vampires. She will rule for three days, and then there will be a big feast. Unfortunately for Kazan she is the main course.
This wasn't what I was expecting when I picked this up, but I really enjoyed it. If you're a fan of hedonistic vampires, give this a go.
Thank you, Angry Robot, for the ARC
While on a journey to sell this weapon, the group is attacked.
Kazan fights for her life but is soon overwhelmed and knocked unconscious. When she comes to, she is a prisoner in the vampire citadel.
She's the guest of honour and has been crowned Queen of the Vampires. She will rule for three days, and then there will be a big feast. Unfortunately for Kazan she is the main course.
This wasn't what I was expecting when I picked this up, but I really enjoyed it. If you're a fan of hedonistic vampires, give this a go.
Thank you, Angry Robot, for the ARC
June 26, 2024
The overall story was good. Kazan, the main character, decides to not only get mad when she is kidnapped by vampires, but get even too. While the story moved well, some parts felt awkward. The main spicy scene felt like it was added and not really a part of the story. The last couple of chapters were actually the best in the whole book. The title doesn't seem like it fits the story. The cover fits the story really well. Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for sending this electronic book for review. All opinions are my own.
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