his book is the definition of enthralling. Firstly, the writing style was so captivating and descriptive, making it both easy to devour and transporting. The set up of the court system and world building took some adjusting but it was so interesting that I never got bored during explanations. The author is not afraid to dig into the dark and gritty nature of the characters from the very start. I LOVED how inclusive the vampire culture was concerning the (many!) queer characters. It was very natural but refreshing in a fantasy like this one for sure. It was so magical arriving to Courtsheart and seeing Fin discover her strengths through the vampire schooling and tasks. This story has Dark Academia, castles, vampires, slow burn romance, court systems, murder mystery, ballroom dancing, and so much more! I have read a lot of books about vampires and this is definitely one of my favorite versions, from the "turning" process and the maker/novice set up, it was so GOOD and unique! My main takeaway from reading was how atmospheric this novel was. I was sucked into a new world and I really felt like I was there. While I am still recovering from the ending, I think this book could be perfect for so many fellow readers! Imagine Zodiac Academy mixed with Vampire Academy and a touch of A Court of Thorns and Roses? If you like the sound of that, definitely check this one out!

Thank you, NetGalley and McMillan Children's Publishing Group!
I can definitely see where the comparison between Sarah J. Mass and a deadly education comes from with the story. I wanted a dark queer YA novel, and that was exactly what I got. This fits into the dark academia category really well: the castle school really pushes that fantasy academia vibe, and the vampires really push that dark tone. Overall I think the use of vampires was really unique, and the author did a good job of taking such a popular topic and putting their own twist on it to keep it interesting. With the different powers and courts, there was more than enough the war to keep it engaging and enjoyable.

Vampires in an academic setting? Yes please! Definitely gives you a Sarah J. Maas meets A Deadly Education kind of vibes and I'm all for it!

4.25 stars

I read very little dark academia, as it’s very hit or miss for me. As you can see by my rating this one was a hit. I really loved the castle school setting, and the lessons that the students learn were fascinating (as were the instructors). There were a couple of twists that were very well done and I did not see coming at all, so that’s always a plus.
We get some romance, some mystery, some suspense, some horror…what else could you need?

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun read!

I love vampires, so this was an automatic request for me and I'm glad I requested it.

The book is by no means perfect, however, it's still really enjoyable. My overall complain is that I just wanted more. I never felt like I was fully in the world that was being described, and the writing voice just wasn't great. but all the raw elements are excellent.

If there’s anything that’s true, is that if AM Strickland writes it, I’m going to love it and give it 5 stars. And of course, Court of the Undying Seasons was no exception! I absolutely love the world that they built. I love Fin and I love this take on vampires!! I loved all the dark elements to the story and couldn’t get enough! Vampire school + queer characters will ALWAYS get me! Amazing book!

I absolutely loved this book and it is easily one of my favorites of 2023 so far. It's queernormative, has vampires, is a murder mystery, and is just so addicting.

There are so many twists and there are even twists within twists. I don't know how to talk about this book without going into spoilers, but I highly recommend it if paranormal books are your thing.

Also, if there is not a sequel, I may cease to exist. I need more of Fin and how much of a bafmc she (they?) are.

I'm so conflicted by my rating here, because it was a rollercoaster of a book! There were parts of this book that were beautiful and mesmerizing. It is dark and moody, and disturbing! I'm definitely in my vampire romance era, so I did really enjoy that part of it! I also really liked the ending!

On the flip side of it, I think that the pacing was really off in this book. There were too many "slow down" moments that broke up the tension just when it was getting good.

3.5 stars rounded up!

Vampires are sort of classic figures in books, and I remember there was a huge saturation in the book world about 15 years ago thanks to the Twilight Saga craze and all that. Granted, yes, vampires had been at a steady popularity before that craze and since that craze, but still. You can generally find vampire stories with relative ease, but it felt like the hyped up focus of story types shifted for a while. Now I’m starting to see more prominence in vampires again…and I’m not saying this as any sort of complaint or anything. Vampire stories retain their popularity for a reason. And obviously, I loved this book. I gave it 5 stars, after all.

This is either my second or third A.M. Strickland book, and I’ve been blown away by all of them. I love the characters and the way the descriptions weave together and the way the plot points meet and intersect and intertwine. These stories have a lush and dark and eerie quality to them, and it just draws me in. Strickland also has a way of weaving in a diverse spectrum of characters in a way that feels completely normal and everyday, as if they all just exist…and that’s honestly the way it should be.

For example, in this book, vampires can change their shape. Therefore gender fluidity is common and simply accepted as a natural concept. It makes complete sense considering the way this world has been built.

Fin was an interesting character, and I loved her fierceness and determination. And the allure of Gavron was certainly intriguing. Honestly, love them or hate them, I was fascinated by all of the characters, and wanted to keep reading to learn more about them.

Plus the plot…I’ve read like two or three books in the past month or so that have been sort of fantasy murder-mystery, and that’s a bit of a surprise to me. I don’t mind mystery and intrigue, but I typically don’t gravitate towards those sorts of stories when those elements are the primary story.

I also read this fairly quickly. It was one of the books I read during my Memorial Day Long Weekend of Reading at the end of May. I had a day where I was just really feel the urge to read some vampire books, so I read Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland and then Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco (review for that coming later this month).

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience reading this book, and I am definitely keeping A.M. Strickland on my need-to-read list, because I need to know what she’ll come up with next.

I loved this spin on vampires. It had all the classic elements with a really unique twist. This book was definitely quite dark at times and there are some heavy topics but the characters and premise were all there for me. I loved the drama, the action, and the romance plots.

This was my first A.M. Strickland books and it will definitely not be my last!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Court of the Undying Seasons” by A. M. Strickland. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story and plan to look into the author’s previous titles. This was just a good vampire book for me. It hit a lot of the feelings a vampire book should and it didn’t feel like a story I’d read a hundred times before (and I have read a lot of vampire books!). In the beginning I struggled a little to identify the different courts and their abilities. I would read another book set in this world. It would be interesting to see characters in the other courts too.

What kept this from being 5 stars was that the vampires could read minds and Fin was constantly thinking about learning their weaknesses and killing them. It seemed like a too much of a stretch of the imagination that one of the other vampires wouldn’t just get rid of Fin rather than let her go through all that schooling. I did like that the lessons and abilities didn’t come easy for Fin. The different court abilities were intriguing to read about.

I would highly recommend this book to vampire fans. While I was reading, I just kept pausing and reflecting how the story was just working my inner vampire fan. I would happily pick up more books set in this world!

4/5 stars

I really enjoyed Beyond the Black Door by this author last year which made this read one of the reads I was most looking forward to this month.

With notes of Dark Academia, YA angst, significant #lgbtq representation and of course Vampires (!!) , there is a lot to like here.

A few drawbacks I found though - this one is heavy on the teen angst, and I’m not kidding. It had my eyes rolling a time or two. The pace was up and down. Lots of activity to begin with and again at the end but lots of down time in the middle. I also didn’t really enjoy the MC’s but that’s just a personal preference.

If you read all things Vampires then definitely pick this one up.

And I still highly recommend Beyond the Black Door for fantasy lovers.

This book throws you into the world right from the first page. While I think it took a while for it to find its footing, I loved the diversity of the cast. It felt like my queer friend group but in a gay vampire school, which I absolutely loved. Full of action, blood, and betrayal, this book is certainly one that stands out against the surge of vampire books coming back to the shelves!

I'm actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I thought that the characters were well-developed and I really enjoyed the story. Bonus points for queer representation!

I loved this take on the vampire tale. The dynamic range of characters and opposing motivations really made for a unique journey. This book really dives into the questions of who we are when we're given a choice and how far we can go to get what we think we want. With diverse characters that show growth throughout, I think this is a great addition to the YA fantasy world.

I’m late but wow. Just wow. This book was amazing! Must read. Vampires? Queer? Sign me up! I just loveeeee the lgbtq+ representation!!

I loved this story! I think the story was engaging and interesting and gripped me from cover to cover. The queer representation throughout was genuine and varied and I appreciated the effort put into portraying them. While the pace was slower it did not lack in intrigue which was great.

Court of the Undying Seasons
A.M. Strickland
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5)

spoiler free

summary/plot: Court of the Undying Seasons follows Fin, who picked the white feather in the Finding. If you're chosen during the Finding you go to Courtsheart, where you then go through classes and training. If you succeed you become a vampire, those who don't become a thrall. After spending some time at Courstheart, Fin discovers a trail of bodies, and is bound and determined to figure out what happened. Overall Court of the Undying Seasons is phenomenal, and it really drew me in.

characters: I loved seeing the character development of Fin, you really get to see her grow and realize who she it and what she wants. Besides her being a little clueless sometimes, she's also very likeable. I was very iffy on Gavron, and honestly i'm still not sure how to feel about him. I understand his character, but also i'm just not sure. On the other hand Marai, Jaen, and Kashire my beloveds <3

what i liked: I loved how normalized queer characters were in this book. It wasn't made into a big deal, and there were so many non straight and non cis characters. The twists! oh my god, the twists! I had ideas but nowhere was i 100 percent sure where it was going and i love that in a book. I also just love vampires and was one of the reasons why i was so excited to read this book, i most definitely did not disappoint.

what i didn't like: It's probably just me being picky but I wasn't fully convinced in the romantic aspect with the main character. I understood the relationship, but it just wasn't my favorite. I did like seeing the tension though.

final thoughts: Overall Court of the Undying Seasons is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend giving it a read.



Thank you Netgalley and Fierce Reads for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah J. Maas meets A Deadly Education in A.M. Strickland's lush, queer YA dark fantasy novel.

Court of the Undying Seasons is a wonderful vampire fantasy. Fin is an isolated villager who has been chosen to train to be a vampire. However, she's always wanted to kill vampires for revenge but there's a killer in the vampires' court and it throws a wrench in her plans. Fin finds her found family as she tries to unravel secrets while learning to become who she is destined to be.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanusa for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of court of the undying seasons. i love to see lgbtq represented in ya books that is such a cool thing.