Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

When Yara is stolen from her home and purchased by the trueborn vampirs, her sister Aylin does not hesitate to give chase. Joining a band of hunters, Aylin does all she can to find her sister. Meanwhile, Yara is drawn into the vampir court. She may not be a warrior like Aylin, but she knows court politics. Yara begins to weave a web of manipulation around the vampires, making promises to whoever will grant her freedom.

There are a few situations this novel delves into that will make some readers uncomfortable. Yara’s storyline deals with Stockholm syndrome. She is subjected to increasing displays of violence and violation, causing her to become attracted to those who show her even a hint of leniency. And Aylin is put into situations with domineering personalities who seek to harm and humiliate her consistently.

Yara’s story was the most captivating as she manipulated her way through the vampiric court. She used both her beauty and the skills she had attained through her home court to weave her way through the various families. And as the risk continued to grow, she became desperate to find any possible safe haven. However, vampires are nothing like humans, and she was one false sense of safety away from death.

The intent of this novel is to unsettle readers, but having one storyline focus on this would have been more than enough for the novel. With two female leads being abused in different ways, it made this an extremely difficult book to read. There was no inkling of hope thrown in to encourage readers along. Even the smallest bit would have helped the overall story and balanced it better. While this is a dark fantasy, it hovers closer to grimdark with the situations the characters endure.

At times the writing was also repetitive. Aylin has such a fiery temper, and will not hesitate to fight with either weapons or words. This is a great characteristic to have in her character as she journeys to bring her sister back from the vampir. However, her choice of words and insults were always the same. There may have been a few variations of vocabulary, but she also threatened in the same manner. Using body language, or physical acts, would have helped solidify her character. Granted she does cause some fights with her temper, but the insults weren’t always needed. The writing relied too heavily on what she said versus what she did.

The Court of the Undead is for readers who are looking for a darker twist on the love triangle theme. There is a hint of romance in the story, but it predominantly explores the ways both sisters have to endure their dangerous situations to find one another again.

It was the blurb of The Court of the Undead that first caught my interest. The story sounded very much my cup of tea, so I decided to request it and give it a try. Unfortunately, it didn't really live up to my expectations.
I admit, I struggled with getting into the book at first. Around 35% of the way in I got really invested amd decided to keep going. The beginning has a lot of telling and building before it got into a groove. Very common from a debut book though and it's worth finishing.
The last 30% is when the book truly came together and everything got interesting. Aylin began to have real problems and Yara was becoming too much more entangled in court politics than she ever should have. The stakes were raised and I began to truly care for the sisters, worried about what would happen to them next. This is also when the love triangles each began to officially form.

Thank you NetGalley for this copy. 🤩

I always like a new story of vampires. Not the typical ones like you are used to.
There is a huge point made in the book about religion. That seems a little bit out of contest regarding the rest of the story.
But i guess if the era is ottomans court and the crusaders its a valid point.

This story is about two sisters, Yara and Aylin raised in the ottomans court. They grew up with tales of the vampir whispered to them in the dark by their superstitious nursemaid.

They always believed it was a bedtime tale to tell small children so they got scared in the night.

It isn't until one day Yara gets kidnapped and is brought to the fortress of the undying king that she realises al the stories are true.

Aylin goes out on a mission to get her sister back home. She joins up with a group of trained vampir hunters, crusaders more like it, so she can get her sister back.

Okay, so here's me about to disagree with the status quo here STRONGLY. The Court of the Undead has had mid reviews, but it's far from a Mid book. Actually, its a legitimately unique take on romantasy and one of the first romantasy book's I haven't hated. This book SLAPS and y'all just have bad taste. I'm also extremely upset to see SO MANY REVIEWS express irritation at the "confusing" Muslim elements of the book. Can we leave the weird xenophobia back in 2010 please?

Lets get into it.

Overview:

☪️ Muslim main characters
♥️ Slow burn romance
🙌 Epic bond between siblings
♥️ Vampire Romance
♥️ Love triangles
♥️ "Darker" romance
😍 Corruption arc
😍 Redemption arc
🫰 Interesting side characters

The Court of the Undead is like taking And I Darken and slapping it together with the tropey elements of The Red Queen with a dash of The Vampire Diaries. The book follows two sisters, Yara and Aylin. Yara is a model wealthy Ottoman girl; she is well-behaved, feminine, and respectful. Aylin is a tomboyish firecracker. The two couldn't be more different, but their bond is powerful. One day, Yara is taken by a powerful vampire family as a slave at the whim of two brothers who wish to use her for their own gain.

As Yara learns to navigate the twisted vampire court, Aylin will travel with a band of vampire hunters to save her.

This is a duel POV that focuses on the two sisters but occasionally throws in a third POV of Eldar, a conniving vampire using Yara to spy for him so he can ascend the ranks of the vampire court.

Yara’s POV is easily the favorite, and I think will be for most people. The court politics and twisted relationships the vampires all have with each other are excellently done and very well written. The author sprinkles in a lot of great side characters into her arc. It has elements of romance without being overwhelming and reminds me a lot of popular vampire fiction in the 2000s. I don’t recommend this book to folks uncomfortable with ‘problematic romance’ for this reason. Yara’s story is very dark, and while the elements never fall back on adult “dark romance” tropes, she is flirting with and tempting fate with literal monsters who want to use and abuse her; and this makes her a harder, more complex character as a result.

I have less to say about Aylin’s POV. I still enjoyed it, but it is more of a straightforward adventure story with a slightly healthier/banter-heavy romance thrown in there. Aylin’s POV also shows a few more traditional Muslim and Ottoman elements of the book and is awesome from a representation perspective.

The Court of the Undead’s biggest and best trait is its use of morally grey characters and straight-up villains. There are only one or two truly morally good characters in the story. Some main characters are truly atrocious, and it’s extremely fun to follow them. FM Aden does not screw around in giving you baddies to root for (or against)

All of the characters are interesting and fun to follow with loads of development. Neither Aylin nor Yara are the same person at the beginning of the book as they are at the end. The vampire characters are all sloppy, morally complex people who will surprise you- it isn’t always clear who is the most monstrous person in the story.

I also loved how slowly the romance moved. All of the characters had to earn their feelings for each other, it wasn’t an instant obsession. Even by the end of the book I was unclear who was actually going to get together. The love triangles were masterfully done- providing awesome scenes for the pairings without committing to one in particular. It was a breath of fresh air in a world where most romantasy books are the same carbon copy experience every single book AKA everyone just does a Sarah J Maas and goes home.

I strongly recommend The Court of the Undead to fantasy readers who like dark romance, Damon/Elena shippers that miss their dynamic, readers looking for vampire stories written by women of color, and anyone who loves slow burn stories where the main characters are human beings beyond their romantic entanglements.

The Court of the Undead takes place during the Ottoman Empire. It not only is a story of vampires, but also immerses you culturally into the time period. I personally do not have a lot of knowledge of that time period and the Ottoman Empire, but it was fascinating to learn more about it.

But if you are looking for a vampire book that has two strong female characters that will do anything to survive and save/return to each other this the book you're looking for.

This was a very interesting take a the Dracula legend. It was dark, sexy and intense. Highly enjoyed it. I liked that instead of Vlad and Radu it is Aylin and Yara. Two sisters instead of brothers. I honestly cannot wait for book two

3.5/5 (rounded to 4)

Where do I even begin? For one, this book series has the potential to be incredible. From love triangles to forbidden romances, I felt like the relationships had me in a chokehold. They were one of the main reasons I continued the story when it was dragging a bit.

One of my more significant “issues” with the book is it felt fast-paced sometimes, and other times it felt a little slow. The beginning of the book seemed to also drag on more than I would have liked it to. Books do need set-up, though, so I understand there was world-building that was necessary. It did not seem to pick up for me until about halfway through, but when it did, I was hooked. The first half took me a few days, but the final half took only a few hours.

The relationships, specifically the sisterhood, in this book felt very well done to me. Yara and Aylin had a love for one another that transcended the places where they were. This was an excellent aspect of the book and effortlessly drove the plot. Regarding romantic relationships, Ilyas and Aylin were overshadowed by Yara and her relationships with the vampire brothers, Volkan and Eldar. I thought the balance between the two POVs was great, but sometimes I wanted to speed through Aylin’s POV to get to Yara’s.

With all that being said, I still liked this book! I thought that the pros outweighed the cons (hence the rounding up), and I think many people will enjoy this when it comes out. “The Court of the Undead” is released on December 20th, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Northern Light Press for the ARC.

I liked this book. The characters were great, and I really liked the plot. The world was what truly attracted me in, and I had a strong want to understand more about it. I truly want to go explore into its world deeper. Although I felt the story was very brief and we didn't really get any answers.

This book is a multi pov and it's good because we get to see into the minds of the characters more. Sometimes I get irritated with the leads with their bad communication and decisions, but I am looking forward to their character growth.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC💕

While it took me a little while to really get into the book, once I did I was hooked. I absolutely devoured it! I love Aylin and Yara’s devotion to one another. I’m dying to read more about the potential relationships, hoping for some enemies to lovers. The cliffhanger is killing me, I need The King of the Damned to be released as soon as possible!

As a fan of both vampire fiction and historical settings, I was intrigued by the premise of The Court of the Undead, a vampire book set in the exotic backdrop of the Ottoman Empire. While the novel had its captivating moments, it also left me with some mixed feelings.

The Good:
The author's choice to set the story in the Ottoman Empire was refreshing and provided a fresh perspective on vampire lore. The historical details were well-researched and added depth to the narrative.

The sisters, Yara and Aylin, were well-developed and had an intriguing backstory. The supporting characters also added layers of complexity to the overall plot. The brothers, Volkan and Eldar were also well-developed and had distinct personality traits and stories.

The Not-So-Good:
The pacing of this book led for a very very slow read for me. 200 pages seemed to stretch on forever, especially the first 120 pages. The second half was where the story got interesting and the end seemed very rushed.

The romantic subplot felt underdeveloped and lacked the emotional depth needed to truly invest in the characters' relationships.

Overall, The Court of the Undead had the potential to be an exceptional vampire novel with its remarkable setting and intriguing characters. However, I don’t see myself grabbing a sequel or recommending this book to others.

A young adult vampire fantasy that follows dual points of view of two sisters separated and trying to find their way back to each other. One sister is trapped in a vampire court and the other with an army of vampire hunters.

This book has some interesting aspects and the world it’s set in is diverse and different from what we usually see. Overall initially the premise of this book really drew me in but unfortunately the book fell a little short for me. One of the sisters I found insufferable at times and the books pacing was off as the whole book felt like it was just a set up for a second book with really not much happening.

There is very little romance in this book, despite there being many love interests, which I personally found frustrating as I did want to see a little pay off to the hints of romance throughout.

Overall it was an okay read, but I’m not sure I’d reach for the second book.

I found the story of this book to be quite engaging and it really held my attention. However, it seemed like many of the characters had very abrupt personality changes throughout the book. Alyin is supposed to be a tough,.strong-willed badass, but she comes off more like a whiny chd throughout most of the story. Yara is supposed to be sweet and naive, but suddenly she is able to bring the Court of the Undead it's knees with almost no effort? It just didn't sit well with me. Also, this book is listed as a romance, but there is very little romance in this book.

The Court of the Undead takes place at the Ottoman court and follows two sisters, Yara and Aylin. They grew up hearing stories about ghastly, blood-sucking animals and assumed they were nothing more than fairy tales. But after hearing stories that Yara was abducted by a vampir, Aylin decides to search for her beloved sister after she vanishes.

Overall, I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I initially thought I would. The book begins out a bit sluggish and heavy, feeling more like historical fiction than fantasy. Especially since I don't know a lot about Ottoman history it was sometimes difficult to follow without referring to the glossary. However, the story picks up quickly at around 35% which is when things begin to become interesting.

The dual POV didn't bother me as much as reading from multiple POV's usually does. I think since the POV's from both sisters happen in different places, so rather it feels like reading two stories happening at the same time. However, I will say that I found Yara's POV much more interesting than Aylin's, both because she is the one abducted into the court of the undead and Aylin simply didn't feel as fleshed out and was therefore lacking a bit.

All in all, the story has a lot of potential, which I hope will be further explored in a second book of the series.

I enjoyed this one. I liked all of the historical aspects.. The details. I liked that it was part history lesson, part Dracula. There was sexual tension, love, violence… a little bit of everything in one novel. Vampire fans will love this one! Historical fiction peeps who want a little bit more will love this one!

3.5/5 stars! Ty NetGalley for the ARC.

It took me a minute to really decide how I felt about this book—especially because I found the first half of it to be very slow. Like very slow, and I struggled to get into it. That being said, I loved the concept and storyline. Ottoman Empire meets vampires?? Oh hell yeah. Aden’s creativity with this is quite amazing, while it has flavors of books I already know, such as twilight (vampires..duh), acotar, etc., I found this book to be very unique particularly because the dynamic of the love triangles and the two storylines of the sisters.

My main complaint, and the main reason I’m giving this 3.5 stars is that I never really felt attached to the characters. Like in my head, I want to feel really passionate about the sisters but something in my brain just didn’t click. It wasn’t until the ~very~ end that I really started loving Yara’s character, but I never really felt much towards Aylin. And of course there’s the morally grey Volkan and Eldar, the latter not even truly morally grey (he’s kinda just the worst in my opinion lol). Volkan kinda gave himbo vibes towards the end which honestly? Good for him, mans is just obsessed with his woman.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It definitely felt a lot longer than it was, which definitely made it challenging at times for me to get through. However, I love a good vampire moment.

Thank you NetGalley and F.M. Aden for the opportunity to receive an ARC for this review in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly loved everything that I read in the blurb for this book. Vampires and their hunters, political drama, and betrayal. Starting this book felt so easy, I was immediately pushed into this rich world full of culture and politics. I was intrigued by the relationship between Aylin and Yara, how connected they seemed in spite of how different they are.

Around 20% into the book, I realized the pacing felt slow, nothing was really going on and it suffered a lot from telling and not showing. I wanted to see more action and movement, more qualities that make Aylin and Yara come alive as separate people.

The ending was my favorite part. It was full of everything I was searching for the entire book. Fast-paced action, filled with vigor, and characterization. If the next book stems off from that, I'm very excited!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. The blurb really got me: hot vampires, Ottoman Empire, sisters torn apart, political intrigue, hot vampires. Lots of checks here. Overall, it’s a lot of fun. It’s fast-paced, lots of flirty banter between Aylin and Ilyas, plus vampires being murderous vampires.

I’m not the biggest fan of toxic relationships AND love triangles, so whatever insanity is going on between Yara, Volkan, and Ender, I did not enjoy it at all. I did, however, enjoy Yara doing whatever she needed to do and using whatever she had to survive and THRIVE. Girl’s loyalty is to NO ONE but herself, and in a court of vampires, I respect that. The history and politics of the vampire court kept me interested. Spies among spies among spies. Warring houses and their twisted histories are my jam. There is definitely a lot of potential here as the series continues and this is a solid start to a bloody epic story.

The premise of The Court of the Undead (along with the cover) captured me immediately. The setting is interesting, but so much of the writing is "telling" and not showing and that really took away from the quality of the book as a whole.

I still enjoyed this book quite a lot but I wonder how much more amazing it could have been if it had been given some more time.

With its atmospheric prose and unexpected twists, “The Court of the Undead” is a must-read for fantasy enthusiasts seeking an enthralling adventure with a dark and alluring charm. F.M. Aden’s debut novel promises an unforgettable journey that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. This book is unbelievably amazing. I have not read any vampire books in so long and this definitely made me fall back in love with the supernatural. Aden’s writing is lyrical and easy to fall into. The sisterly bond was beautiful. The love interests ,though at times cruel, were swoon worthy. If you like enemies to lovers, atmospheric writing, the supernatural, and strong female characters, this book is PERFECT for you.