As a self-identified vampire slut, I knew I was going to love this book. I mean vampires in a dark academia setting? With different courts? And an enemies to lovers romance? Sign me up!

General Writing/Atmosphere:
I really enjoyed the writing, particularly the way Strickland wrote a very dark, atmospheric vibe that transports you right into the story.

Plot/Pacing:
Overall, the pacing was very consistent which I appreciated. The plot itself dragged a bit for me in the middle, but the last 30ish% really made up for it.

Romance:
This romance has everything I look for in a fantasy novel: enemies to lovers, a mysterious & morally grey LI, and fantastic tension. If any of these are your thing, definitely check this one out.

Characters:
I struggled some with the characters - particularly Fin. She was incredibly stubborn and single-focused, which got to be incredibly frustrating. Particularly when the entire book is revolving around her trying to prove a character guilty who, as the reader, you can tell won't be the bad-guy in the end. Overall, I understood why the people in her life started to get annoyed with her because, same. That said, she did really grow towards the end and I think I will like her more in book two.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm excited to see where the story goes from here!

---- 4/5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun vampire book for anyone who likes dark vampire romance books or dark fantasy.

The vampire world is part of their daily lives since the vampires are their government system. Fin is from a village where they are taking a tribute to the vampires this year. When her best friend is set to be chosen, she takes the tribute position. This sets her up to be a new vampire, one of the 5 houses of vampire. Each house has their own methods, skills, and motto. She must master multiple of these skills in order to graduate and become a full vampire. From within the system, she wants to extract revenge on those who take children from her village, use mind control on humans, and who took her mother. However, she has to learn enough skills and navigate vampire politics to be able to become a full vampire to do so.

This book had vampires, prep school vibes, murders, mysteries, and a nice romance. Something about this book that I loved is how queer the vampires were. Most of the main characters are bi or pan in some way, one of the teachers is bi-gender, there is a polyamorous couple, and there is so much more queer representation. This was a really fun book and it had some really great plot twists and mysteries.

Cw: sex scene, a lot of blood, blood drinking, death, coercion (involuntary mind control), child abuse, torture, child neglect, off screen parent death, parent being forced to leave, drug use, forced alcohol drinking, consent issues, cutting open people to heal them, cutting open people and vampires, etc. (a lot of blood)

WOW I could not put this one down!! I am hooked. 5 Stars all the way lord I need more! Like I don't even know what else to say for this book other than to read it!!

This was one of my most anticipated 2023 releases because I have loved everything AM Strickland has released so far; their books hit the dark shadows of my soul and give a perfect place for angry, messy, violent girls (or not-girls, as the case may be). Unfortunately my brain would not cooperate for the longest time, but once I was able to get into this book, gosh, just as amazing as I anticipated!

The beginning is a little slow with a lot of world setup. While it’s all interesting and this is a unique, intriguing world, it took about a third of the book for me to be truly, wholly hooked. Fin is a phenomenal character, so full of rage and a desire to avenge the mother she feels was stolen from her. Seeing her progress through the Seasons and the different lessons, while learning to accept that if she wants to kill monsters maybe she must first become a monster herself was so good. I just really love the darkness and viciousness in this book.

And the reveals! Oh my gosh! I was not expecting the way things turned out, and that last quarter or so was super intense and I found it hard to put the book down! This is such a great vampire book, and takes the familiar vampire tropes and twists them into new, fascinating shapes.

All around, Strickland has done it again! This book, despite my struggles with the beginning, was amazing and perfect and exactly what I wanted and needed!

Welcome to my stop on Turn the Page Tours' book tour for Court of Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland! To celebrate the release of this book, I will be sharing my review, but head over to my blog post (link in bio) for some of my favorite quotes from the book as well!

While I know many readers in the community went through a vampire phase at some point in their reading history, I was never truly taken with a vampire story until Court of the Undying Seasons. This book did for me what Twilight and Vampire Academy just couldn’t quite manage- it pulled me fully and completely into the world of the story, immersing me in a vampiric fantasy that I didn’t want to escape. Court of the Undying Seasons had the same dark, exciting writing that made me adore the other book I’ve read from A. M. Strickland, In the Ravenous Dark, officially cementing her place as one of my instant-buy authors. She has more than proven that worldbuilding and plot twists are tools she has mastered, and I cannot wait to see where her writing will go next!

My Recommendation:
Even if you didn't go through a vampire phase, Court of the Undying Seasons is not to be missed! I would especially recommend this book to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Strickland's earlier release, In the Ravenous Dark!

Enjoyable, great pacing, exciting settings kept me hooked. Fun novel that will be the perfect to lose yourself in. Thank you Net Galley for ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I know there will be people that claim this book is just like every other late 2000s/early 2010s YA fantasy/dystopian novel. “Vampires? And they’re divided into houses based on traits?” they may scoff. And to them I say:
1) There was a reason all those books were successful back then and are still popular to this day in the HS library I work at, and
2) This was one is fun and intriguing and absorbing without being overly derivative, so…
3) Shut up and just let people like things, ok?

I also like that with the vampire… not quite trend but maybe revival that you see now, authors are unafraid to not just code their vampires as queer, but outright state that they ARE queer. And why wouldn’t you be after being alive for hundreds of years? I love it!

Overall, this is the perfect book to put into the hands of the readers you see checking out Twilight and Vampire Academy and The Hunger Games and Divergent for the twelfth time in a row, to throw a little variety at them.

I love a good vampire novel. and this was a fascinating premise, however I think the actual execution of the plot fell slightly short. It could have been fleshed out much better.

Such a FUN vampire book!! I loved how inclusive this book was, lots of lgbt rep. The school atmosphere was super cool and I've read books with like paranormal schools before, and sometimes theyre a bit meh, like lots of drama for no reason or whatever, but this was not like that at all. Also love a good slow burn romance.

Court of the Undying Seasons begins with serious "I volunteer as tribute" vibes and ends with "Underworld" vibes. It's a book that asks us about our motivations. What will we sacrifice and compromise for what we want. Who will we hurt. For Fin, she's determined to get revenge, but she quickly finds out that nothing is that simple. If you love the idea of queer vampires, a vampire who wants to be a vampire hunter, and training montages - this is for you.

A unique vampire read. Some parts were a bit complex when sleep deprived, but overall this was a really enjoyable read. I'd love to see a second one!

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillian publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very hesitant starting this book because I've reached the age where YA is too much for me, but I saw LGBTQIA+, Vampires, and school... and I felt obligated to give it a shot. I'm so glad that I did. It's so refreshing to see a book in this category have more than one character fall under the queer umbrella and to be written well/not one-dimensional.

Aside from being well written, the story itself was really interesting. The book follows Fin, who volunteers to take the place of the girl she loves to attend vampire school. Once there she's thrown headfirst into learning her new powers, court dynamics, and a string of murders that seem to revolve around her. Readers be warned, this is a slooooow burn and most definitely a dark fantasy novel. I can't wait to force my wife to read this one.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

This story had such an interesting premise - Fin becoming a vampire while trying to get revenge on vampires. But what happens when you realize you’re becoming what you hate most? Fin must contend with this while unraveling a mystery and fighting her growing feelings for Gavron. I loved the different courts and powers of the vampires, unfortunately the story moved a little too slowly for me. I think those who are fans of vampires and slow burn romances will enjoy this. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s for the arc.

I was sucked in from the very first page. I really enjoyed every moment of reading this book, and I hope to read more from this author. This was an interesting take on vampires I really enjoyed. The man character is interesting, her motives are clear, and she does what she can to learn fast. I liked her a lot.

While this book was slow in building, I knew from the beginning it was going to be worth the read and could not wait to see how the story unravels. I loved the characters and found their differing personalities to add so much to this backdrop that is darker than what we see in many vampire-related books. I honestly was shocked by the turn of events and could not read the last 20% of the book fast enough.

A stunningly romantic, pulse pounding fantasy mystery! A.M. Strickland is an unsung master of dark fantasy and Court of the Undying Seasons is no exception to their triumphant backlist. This vampiric thrill ride is exactly what I'd hoped it would be and more! Fans of Anne Rice's classic vampires will love this, as will newcomers to this bloody genre. Romantasy readers will also find themselves enthralled (pun intended) by Fin's story. I couldn't put it down!

Who doesn’t love a good vampire book?!

Court of the Undying Seasons satiated my need for a good vampire book. Fin pulls the white feather and is therefore selected to leave her village and go to live with and become a vampire. Fin is very resistant and ultimately want to learn about vampires to take them out. But as the recruits are unexpectedly dying and Fin falls for the mysterious sponsor Gavron, she begins to waiver on what she really wants. Will she be able to protect herself, pass all the tests, and become a vampire and solve what is really going on or will she stick with her original plan?

Overall, I liked the murder mystery element to the story. It added something to whether or not Fin would make it through the schooling. Fin is such a stubborn firecracker and pushes everyone away… and for good reasons. And Gavron! Yay for mysterious brooding vampires!

Another thing I really liked was the inclusivity in the characters. Everyone is accepted as they are and are just living their lives equally without making a huge deal out of what makes them them. As it should be.

If you’re in the mood for a mysterious vampire read, pick up Court of the Undying Seasons!

Thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. The review expresses my own opinions.

A vampire school with lots of dark romance and queen characters, umm yes please! It was sort of a slow story and I couldn't seem to stay in it, if that makes sense? But I did enjoy it!

Once again, A.M. Strickland delivers. I found this story to be wholly dark and delicious. While vampire stories have been done a gazillion times, this story managed to make it fresh and original. The characters were well thought out, and I found myself rooting for them. Can heartily recommend this!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t complete this book. I got 32% in and could not complete it. The premise sounded interesting, but the book didn’t hold my attention.

When I requested the book, I was under the impression that it was a fantasy book with romance elements. However, the opposite seems to be true. It is a romance with fantasy elements, otherwise known as a “romantasy.” This is not my genre, so it was difficult to get fully immersed in the book.

I also had trouble connecting with the main character of Fin. Given her circumstances, I feel like she should be sympathetic, but I ultimately didn’t care about what happened to her. Honestly, that was disappointing because I really wanted to care.

I would still suggest this book to those who can appreciate romance and the “romantasy” genres. It would definitely be right up their alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.