<b>ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review</b>

<b>Actual rating 2.5 stars</b>

If I was basing this review on only the first 1/3 of the book, the rating would be much higher. I was intrigued at first by the opening action and the tension of the choosing ceremony and the twists, but after that things just became...<i>meh</i>.

<b>The Good:</b> I found the world very interesting, and the idea of a vampire-run society kind of cool, although not entirely original. I also liked the political conflict side of the story, and the fact that different vampires in different countries would have opposing views on the treatment of humans. As mentioned, the beginning action hooked me, but things slowed to boring very quickly.

<b>The Bad:</b> Like I said, the last half (and maybe even more) of <i>A Violet Fire</i> just really didn't do it for me. The actual violet fire room was interesting but also very confusing and i didn't think it was presented the best way it could have been. I also found myself not really caring about any of the characters. No one seemed developed enough to merit further thought IMO.

<b>TL;DR:</b> While there are some interesting concepts here, there are also many other "vampire society" novels that are more entertaining (<i>The Immortal Rules</i> by Julie Kagawa comes to mind) and I just found <i>A Violet Fire</i> to be lacking that <i>Je ne sais quoi</i> that keeps me reading happily.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and D&B Management for the opportunity to R&R</i>

Dark and intriguing, Kelsey Quick’s A VIOLET FIRE is a tale of passion, oppression and the power of the human will to survive against all odds, even if it means death. In a world where vampires rule, humanity is bred and enslaved as a food source, one teen, a rarity among the “herd,” knew freedom and is determined to find it again. What Wavorly did not expect was to share an emotional attraction with her master that overstepped all boundaries and clouded her vision of escape.

Steeped in rich detail, raw in its darkness, this tale is magnetic in its edgy telling, and trust me, these vampires ae the things of nightmares, nothing sparkly about them as they use and abuse their human sheep. Prepare to wonder how such complete subservience can overtake the spirit of survival in humanity and revel in the audacity of one girl who dares to make her feelings known.

Is Wavorly destined to be more than a blood slave? Is she meant to be the beginning of a new world order where freedom is everything?

Kelsey Quick has done a remarkable job of creating a world that rides on the razor’s edge of hell. Stark and foreboding, see each scene in your mind and feel what the characters feel. Find good among the evil and the strength of one human to test and go beyond the limits of her captivity.

In a world of dark fantasy, where A VIOLET FIRE may not be an original tale, its presentation is fresh and riveting. If you like your vampires to be the thing of nightmares, beautiful, yet deadly and your heroines to hold tight to an inner flame that burns for freedom, even as they question some of their own emotions, then this is a must read and Kelsey Quick should be on your list of go to authors! Hard to believe this is her debut tale!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from D&B management. My review is completely honest and voluntary.

Series: Vampires in Avignon - Book 1
Publication Date: December 9, 2019
Publisher: Kelsey Quick
Genre: Dark Fantasy / YA
Print Length: 398 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Would you give your blood to a vampire in need? Even if it left you bedridden for hours, could you find yourslef selfless enough to do so?

A dystopian world where vampires are the majority and humans have become the minority.
The humans have been bred and raised within an academy, only learning what they need to know to serve one of five vampire rulers of the Stratocracy as a submissive servant, giving blood when needed or being sent to the reproduction house where their only role is to reproduce for the benefit of the vampires food supply. Waverly-a feminist symbol trying to break the chains of servitude-is one of few humans not bred in Cain. She remembers the taste of freedom and is determined to feel it once more. Upon graduation from the academy, she is assigned to Master Zein's supply unit alongside her two friends, Katarii and Savvy, where she becomes a favorite of blood tastes to Zein. She starts to have troubling feelings as with each feeding she learns more about Zein and falls for him. Think a creepy Stockholm syndrome.

A slave house with shelter from the rain, and a slave house without shelter from the rain are still slave houses.

But when Waverly stumbles upon a mysterious violet door, she starts to question if there is more to be known under Zein's shelter.

The Setting Sun this world giveth and taketh away, hope's light stripped from malice, virality, hate, grace subdued on the Sun's brightest day. Jerusalem's tempest, a century reborn, again and again, forevermore. Sacrifice for sacrifice, thousands spared, thousands torn. The damned claw and forever warn. The heir apparent, the violet judgement, unleashing wrath of the angels forlorn. Jerusalem's tempest unleashed, again and again, forevermore.

Waverly must escape the world of Cain, but can she succeed when she starts to feel stirrings of love for the one person she swore she would never even like?

Romance, fantasy, and an amazing plot twist, I can't begin to recommend this enough!

I have tried reading this book several times. I've decided it was not for me. I am not the attendant audience for this genre. Tried reading something outside my comfort zone and just couldn't get into it. Sorry.

In the Stratocracy of Cain, vampires are the ruling class and humans, of whom there is a shortage, are seen as nothing more than supply units of blood. Wavorly Sterling was born outside of Cain and doesn't agree with the status quo and has dreams of escape.

Quick's vision of a world where vampires are another species and rule with cruelty is an intriguing one however the writing was a little archaic in places as well feeling as though there were too many elements to the story. I found the beginning very difficult to get into as Wavorly did not have a believable voice, despite her view that humans were more than just "supply units", she constantly referred to them as such. As I got into the story, I found myself really enjoying it (and using the dictionary function on my Kindle also helped!) and I was into the cliche romance. Then... then, *sigh* the whole book was turned on its head with barely 15% left of the book. Suddenly nothing is quite as it seems and there is a bizarre prophecy and superpowers? I mostly felt disappointed as I had no idea that this book was the start of a series.

I honestly don't know if I will be reading further novels in this series; on one hand I didn't enjoy it as much as I had expected but on the other hand, I feel invested in the romance and am intrigued about what is to come.

Ahhhh I needed a vampire book so bad. It does have many of the YA vampire book tropes but I have to admit I still enjoyed it. The enslavement was somewhat troubling though and I had a difficult time during those parts. However, the twist at the end has me DEAD!!!!

This book was fast-paced, full of steamy slow-burn romance, and action! So much action! I was into Wavorly and her strong-willed personality from the moment she appeared on the page. Zein was angsty and mysteriously, and was everything I was looking for in a broody vampire love interest. I need the next book immediately!!!

Unfortunately I don't think this one is for me, and is currently a DNF. I may come back to it at a later date, but I'm really not clicking with the writing style, and currently I have no idea what is going on with the plot, and have no real attachment to the characters. This is obviously something that would come further into the book I'm sure and I think other people will definitely love this one, but for me right now, I'm not enjoying it enough to continue.
The premise is interesting and there have been a few interesting moments, so, I may pick it back up, and I hope other people love it more than I am!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy of A Violet Fire by Kelsey Quick in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I found this book very quick to get into and hard to put down. Wavorly Sterling is a human held captive in Cain for the purpose of providing blood to vampire Anton Zein. Things are not always as they appear and this book is not without it's surprises.

Wavorly is enslaved to the vampire who killed her family, but it's complicated. Or IS IT? In Quick's world, vampires rule, and humans are supply units. They were bred to it, though, so they don't mind. They consider it a duty, or even an honor. But Wavorly wasn't raised that way, and she considers it slavery, even if she feels close to her captor, Zein. Zein appreciates Wavorly's independence. Do they love each other? Is that possible in such an unequal relationship? These are the questions brought up in Quick's vampire series. Maybe not the newest concept, but one that is openly and questioningly explored.

Loved reading the fabulous and fantastic first book in the Vampires in Avignon series. Waverly, a blood bond servant, has one goal, to escape the vampires of Cain, but when Anton Zein takes her into his castle as one of his special blood bond servants, Waverly's goals aren't so clear. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, full of suspense and action, and a must read paranormal story. Can't wait to read the next book in the series.
I reviewed a copy of the book through NetGalley.

Not sure what this says about me, but I wasn't appalled by the idea of a future world ruled by vampires. Kelsey Quick did a decent job of creating a fairly believable world. It wasn't a stretch to believe in synthetic blood, breeding farms to supply fresh blood to elite vampires, vampire politics. Unfortunately, she didn't make a heroine that I really liked, not a rebellion I could really stand with.

Woah! These are not your sparkly vampires!

Vampires rule over humans. Having turned humans into an endangered species, vampires now breed humans and keep them in compounds, where they are trained how best to serve their vampire house as a ‘supply unit’. Waverly, our heroine, is one of the few humans who lived free before being brought to the compound by Lord Zein. She understandably struggles with this enslavement and despite attempts to train her to be a good supply unit, she remains determined to escape to be free again. Although at times I thought subtlety might serve her better, I admired that she was able to stay true to herself. She was gung ho and prepared to act, despite possible consequences to herself. She’s absolutely prepared to take risks to do what she believes in. Other interesting characters are Gemini, Savvy and Zein.

Although unlike a previous reviewer I did realise this was the first in a series, I agree with them that the overarching plot of the series took a while to emerge, but in the meantime there was a lot of very compelling world building to engross the reader. A good read.

I love some vampire books and just don't like some of them. It is not my favorite genre but when I find a series I like I go all in. I found this with 'A Violet Fire". While it does have some of the typical worldbuilding we would associate with vampires, there are some new ones that I did not see coming, Wavorly is a blood slave one of the humans who has been bred for generations to provide blood for the rich. As she faces her fears and doubts and her emotions towards her master, this book takes you on a fantastical journey.

**Thank you to Kelsey Quick and Netgalley for an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

Welcome to the world of Cain, where vampires are in charge and humans are blood slaves called "supply units" that are bred from birth to be pliable, submissive, and utterly in love with the vampires. I mean serious brainwashing here. There is a limited supply of supply units so only the greatest of vampires are able to own them. Wavorly used to be a free-roamer, a human from a separate colony, unmarred by vampires. When her whole town is slaughtered by vampires, she is saved and brought to the Nightingale but a seemingly "nice" vampire. The Nightingale is a school meant to teach supply units how to be better at their job of feeding vampires and being utterly enslaved.

Wavorly is the only one who doesn't agree with how life is going for humans. She is the opposite of pliable, submissive, and in love with vampires. But, her owner, Lord Anton Zein continues to keep her alive even with all her attempts to escape. When she is brought to live in Zein's castle, she starts to have empathy for vampires and her feelings begin to change. However, things are not always as they seem...

I'm generally always a fan of vampires books, and I definitely enjoyed A Violet Fire. Wavorly is feisty and doesn't have a filter for what she says at all. She makes mistakes, but she owns them and that's about all you can do. She is trying to make the best of a situation that she has no control over but desperately wants to change.

The plot was solid, however I felt the love story was too quick and happened abruptly. Very much the enemies to lovers trope for those who enjoy that, I know I do. There was a good cliffhanger on at the end that leaves you questioning what is real and what isn't - and I'm sure Wavorly is too.

If you love enemies to lovers and vampire stories, A Violet Fire will be for you.

Whoever said that the Vampire genre was over - was wrong.

A Violet Fire by Kelsey Quick is everything I love about a good vampire book and has a refreshingly realistic take on vampires as a species.

Moving away from the gentle, peace loving, just trying to 'fit in' vamps of recent books A Violet Fire takes us to a world were Vamps have taken over and rule with iron fists (or fangs). They mongered war until they almost hunted humans out of existence, leading to a blood shortage and then the need for human breeding and blood laws. They maintain their power through manipulation and brainwashing and I am a huge fan of authors that use that as a method for keeping the masses down in their books because it's so true to life!

Plus I'd take a blood thirsty, intelligent, manipulative, slightly unhinged vampire overlord over a sparkly, shy, gentle vampire any day of the week.

A Violet Fire reads a little like a fan fiction (and this is in no way an insult) in that it has gratuitous blood drinking, human slaves, a class system that creates forbidden love, and the age old troupe of enemies to lovers, swiftly followed by multiple betrayals.

And I am here for it! It keep me guessing the whole way through.

Honestly, I was addicted from page one and immediately wanted Zein and Wavorly to get it on, even though we don't actually meet Zein properly until page 41!

I ship Zevorly!

Zein is the kind of character where his decisions blur lines between villain, anti-hero and hero so much that you can't pick just one to label him with. All I know is that he may be a fearsome war lord who might of have done the most heinous and evil things but I just really like him! It's his wry sense of self and scheming that won me over.

Wavorly on the other hand both frustrated me and made me feel for her. I think the thing that irritated me the most was her relationship with Savvy. There were a few times when she was on the receiving end of Savvy's brainwashed anger that made want to throw Savvy to the Fallen myself. But this being said, I also understand that the humans who are born and bred under in Cain will be suffering with Stockholm Syndrome and so I have to give Savvy a pass and by extension Wavorly too, because Savvy is her only 'real' friend. And it would take a lot of strenght to be the only 'normal' human amongst all the cattle in Nightingale.

What I did love about Wavorly was her lack of self control when it came to telling the Vamps what she really thought of them , I love a gal with a impulse control issues, who is witty and scathing all in one breath. And that is our Wavorly.

To her own detriment in fact - which I think is a very realistic character trait. We've all been there; said and done things we know will land us in a world of trouble but we think 'fuck it' and do it anyway! Sometimes you've just got to let it out and Wavorly does that often, especially, in fact, when she shouldn't.

The backdrop of Cain is a brilliant dystopian/magical world that enchants you as a reader - note to Kelsey can I please have a Basten for Christmas along with a Triltree magical lamp, thank you.

For Wavorly Nightingale is a torture chamber, Lord Zein's residence (in the Sabbanthian territory) is a prison and Amaorin's castle in Isshar (Cain's capital) is her last hope. For me as a reader I'd of happily behaved myself just to go back to the safety of Zein's sweet digs! But then I don't have the fate of the world balanced in my hands (and let's hope I never do!)

All in all I sped through this novel and am desperate for the follow up - I'm team Zein all the way and hope that he endures all! I feel he has more surprises up his sleeve and I want to know which side of the fight he really believes in.

I did notice a few typos in the text (grammar and word choice wise) but I was advised in advance that the author will be making final edits before it publishes on the 9th December 2019, so I'm not worried about this at all.

If you like old school vamps, enemies to lovers, manipulative romances and neck biting then this is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kelsey Quick for letting me read this in advance.

DNF at 39%
I received this book as an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. all thoughts and opinions are my own!
I was obsessed with vampire books back in Twilight days, so I thought I'd give this one a try, and Netgalley was kind enough to gift me an e-ARC. I had no problem with it in terms of prose - in my opinion, Quick is a good craftswoman, and Wavorly's voice is distinct, but I did not find her dilemmas compelling.
Wavorly was born as a free human in a world in which most of humanity is bred since birth by vampires to be their blood supply. she was captured as a little girl by Zein, one of the most influential vampires of Cain, and then raised in a school of "supply units", amongst those other humans favoured by the high and mighty. we see glimpses of Wavorly's past life in flashbacks and memories, and she even speaks French with her only friend, Savvy, an indication of her life before, but I simply could not bring myself to care about her and everything she was going through. the worldbuilding also wasn't my cup of tea - I thought it was too dark and grim for only Wavorly to take notice, and the book gave me the impression that it will be largely about female rivalry, which irks me a little,

Apparently vampires are making a comeback? Anyway this was a better example of those who went on to combine Twilight with a dystopian setting (although don’t believe it compares to the Handmaid’s Tale – that is a bizarre comparison.) I confess I wasn’t massively invested in the characters but I enjoyed the story for the most part. I think if you’re looking for something to scratch the Twilight itch then this would do it.

I was intrigued by the publisher note that this book was twist on insta-love, vampire genera (my guilty pleasure; I blame Twilight). While I enjoyed some aspects of book, I ultimately felt much of the plot both underdeveloped and rushed. There was magic/ chosen one plot that seemed to materialize out of nowhere, and certain background plots were given in info dumps. Mostly, I wish the main relationship was given more development because it is the most interesting part of the book. It had a good foundation, and I truly believe the author was exploring how in realistically intsa-love stories are abusive and manipulative, but I really couldn't find any reason why Wavorly ( the MC ) would would fall for Zein as quickly as she did. I guess you could say, "but you're reading a insta-love story", but I just thought/wished it would have delve a little more deeper into the tropes of genera than it did.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm not sure what I was thinking when I read the synopsis, at first it did look something that intrigued me and honestly I'm trying to remember what first attracted me to this book but in truth, I requested the book quite a long time ago.
In all honesty, this book was different from other vampire books I had read before, however, it still fell sort of flat for me. While I was reading, it felt almost like the author had taken whatever had been popular for the last few years, for example, vampires, dystopian and manipulating partners that are meant to be so romantic and the perfect person for you, and successfully attempted to mash them all together. I felt like there was too much trying to go on.
I wasn't keen on the main character, Waverly and at a time throughout the novel felt so frustrated by her lack of change, I don't know if this was intentional but I don't like novels like that. The only reason that I gave this book three stars was for the novel's setting, it seemed quite interesting. As well as that, I believe that this book had a lot of potential but it just fell flat for me.