I devoured this book, it was so much fun, and an original story while still touching on the popular tropes we see in romantasy. This book is a dark fantasy which sits on the edge of dark romance without committing to dark romance tropes. Other than its dark themes, I believe it is marketed as YA.

Loved it!

The perfect tension, character arcs and pacing with an intriguing plot that doesn't falter. This vampire romance was perfect and everything I ever wanted. Enemies to lovers takes a new turn when two sisters are separated when one is kidnapped by the undying king.

I adored the writing. It was gorgeous and the characters had so much depth. The pacing itself was fantastic and I was addicted to reading this the more I dived deeper in this world. This is such a good dark romance with very strong fantasy elements with no info dumping. I wanted to stay in this world!

Such an addictive read with a sizzling romance! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this book. The dark fantasy elements (vampires) were well mixed with the historical elements (the Ottoman Empire). It’s so enjoyable to read a book where an author can take an actual historical setting and turn it into a fantasy. F.M Aden did a great job at this! Aden delivered on the Castlevania vibes, and the romance is the perfect start for what’s to come. Thank you NetGalley, Northern Light Press, and F.M. Aden for the ARC of this book!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Northern Light Press for the digital ARC for "The Court of the Undead" by F.M. Aden... and apologies for my terribly late review.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. This is not just because I am a huge fan of Historical Fantasy... but also because the rise of the Ottoman empire is rarely a setting I see in fiction books. The religious/superstitious take was fantastic, and adding the vampir to the mix just made it better.

Both Yara and Aylin's stories were equally engaging, and once I started reading I could not put down the book. I will admit I was more drawn to Yara's story because of the machinations in the vampir court, and determining who the true villain of the story was.

I am already so impatient for the second book.

5/5

I'm that person that loves nice covers, good titles and vampires.

Really liked this book. Struggled a bit with the slow pace in some parts, but was able to feel the tension and adrenaline in the fast pace parts...

The writing was a good surprise and loved the characters plotline

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I enjoyed it once I got into the story, it took me a bit for the story to actually pick up to capture my attention.

With a premiss of vampires, enemies to lovers, diverse characters and a historical setting I thought this would be right up my alley. Unfortunatley, the pacing really killed it for me. After reading about 50% of the book it started to pick up but that is, according to me, a bit late for a book to pick things up. I had hoped for a bit more but overall just an average 3 star read.

4.5 ⭐️
0 🌶️ True YA - no spice

The story centers around two sisters who live at the courts of the Ottoman empire. Yara, the traditional feminine sister and Aylin, the "tomboy" who would rather train than be a lady. They were always told stories as children of the things that go bump in the night, just writing them off until one of the sisters, Yara, is kidnapped by flesh traders and sold to The Court of the Undead, a Vampire Kingdom hidden amongst humans. Yara is sold as a blood slave originally to two brothers. Being raised in the Ottoman Courts, she is no stranger to political movements and seeks to improve her station and possibly escape.

While this happens, her sister Aylin, is the main one willing to search to the ends of the earth to save Yara, knowing something terrible must have happened. Aylin leaves on a journey to join Vampire Hunters in order to save her sister. In order to keep herself safe and alive while training with the hunters, Aylin poses as a boy to achieve her goals.

This book is darker as a whole and makes you question which characters you wish to root for. The Demirci Brothers are the epitome of morally grey and dark, but like real people they do still have redeeming qualities. I adored nearly all of the chapters following Yara within the Court of the Undead, however, I felt like Aylin's chapters were not nearly as entertaining. They do converge towards the end, but it wasn't something I was excited to learn more about mainly as Aylin grows closer to other side characters on her journey.

Muslim Main Characters
YA Dark Fantasy
Vampires
Historical Setting (Ottoman empire)
Dual POV
ENEMIES to Lovers
Love triangles
Bully romance <i>if you squint</i>
Forbidden romance
Political intrigue

<i>“I want to see my jewels on your throat when you sing for me. I want everyone to know that you belong to the Demircis.
- Your Beloved” </i>

I have no clue why there are so many low/dnf reviews on this book. I adored it!

Thank you Netgalley, Northern Light Press and FM Aden for the gifted advance reader copy of The Court of the Undead.

This book had all of my favorite tropes in it- forbidden romance being one of them. I loved the vampire backstory in the midst of Eurasian / African culture. The pacing was off at points, but the love of a sisterly bond held true despite the romance that encircled both of them as well. Would recommend for those who are fans of dark romances and paranormal romances.

Thank you to NetGalley and Northern Light Press for the eARCH in exchange for an honest review.

This was marketed as a dark gothic fantasy set during the rise of the Ottoman Empire + vampires.
I really liked this book. I hadn't read a vampire book in years and I've started two more after starting this book because it got me HOOKED. I genuinely had such a fun time reading this. This book had Muslim representation, queer representation and a plus size badass mc that had the vampire court eating out of the palm of her hand. I thought both sisters were so tough and driven and relatable. I thought the banter was wonderful and had me laughing out loud especially between Aylin and Ilyas. Side note: that relationship was the only pining that I've read this year that didn't make me want to throw up and I really want to see more of them in book 2. I think every character (despite some being truly awful depraved people) was understandable. There were a lot of morally grey characters and some that were just straight up villains and I liked that tbh. I feel like some authors try to make villains likable and it isn't always necessary. I liked that I didn't know where it was going at any point. Characters that originally hated each other would end up allied or interested in each other. Characters you started hating would suddenly become the most interesting part of the story. There was SO MUCH backstabbing. You could never trust your original judgements. The atmosphere was also a 10/10. The descriptions of the court were breathtaking. I also rarely enjoy all of the POV's equally and this book had me falling for every character and looking forward to each of their POV's.

My very short list of complaints:
I do wish we learned more about Volkans imprisonment because that was the one part that confused me.
I also don't think this book should be listed as YA. I think it's way too dark and violent and the relationships are WAYYY unhealthy.

I would definitely read more books by this author and I am 100% going to continue this series and recommend it.

YA vampires set in the Ottoman Empire? What’s not to love?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fresh take on a classic - hard to do for a vampire tale, but this book is proof it can be done!

Vampires? YA? Count me in! Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this!

YA Fantasy and Vampires, count me in! I liked how we get the story from Yara and Aylin’s point of view. I also thought this book had good representation. I really liked the premise of the book, but sometimes it was challenging to get through, as some parts really dragged. However, when it did start to pick up, it was hard to put down. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, and I look forward to reading the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and Northern Light Press for the ARC!

I love the representation in this book. This opened me to a culture other than my own, and I loved it. Beautiful world building, and a top notch Romantasy book!

I wasn’t sure what I was thinking going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised!! There was a lot of tension and as a big fan of tension and angst I definitely dove right in. The relationships are really what ties the whole book together, especially the sisterhood. The way certain ones grow and change throughout the story really helps the writing and characters unfold.

The only difficult thing for me was the pacing. Sometimes it was fast and other times it felt slow. Sometimes I couldn’t put the book down, and other times I struggled to pick it back up.

All in all, a solid 3 star book for me.

A special thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Okay, I have never read anything like this before and I can confirm I devoured this!! It’s YA fantasy but THE TENSION oml.

Pros: there was a ton of diversity! The story was like Game of Thrones meets vampires which I loved. I liked seeing the developing separate stories of Yara and Aylin. Aylin's guy is possessive, to say the least, and she starts to cave right at the end so I’m so excited for book two. We also see Volkan choose Yara over Eldar at the end which isn’t super surprising but I’m anxious to see Eldar get knocked down by karma.

Cons: the beginning was a bit hard to get into but that’s about it.

The story progresses pretty quickly and it’s super interesting and unique. I recommend it!

actual rating: 2.5

this clearly has an audience who love this story based on the reviews so don't dismiss this book if it interests you. my big issues were the writing style (mainly because it took me forever to get into the story and by then it felt too late) and the romance. there is not a lot of romance in this but all of the love interests made me uncomfortable, none of these men were decent or worth wanting. enemies to lovers but the men are just cruel, not for me.

due to the writing style (i usually enjoy whimsical, flowery purple prose) i could not connect with these characters and found myself bored and uninterested in either pov. yara was the better perspective because of the vampires and politics but still didn't work for me. men, ew.

the plot is interesting but nothing new. the worldbuilding wasn't there enough for me. the pacing was off for me, some parts very quick (the ending) while other's that really drag (the first half). but this isn't a bad book just could've used another draft or two to flesh out more. i think this author will only improve from here and i'll be interested to check out some of their future works, i mean cover for their 2024 release is stunning!

Very interesting story about vampires, I couldn't put down my Kindle.

Aylin and Yara are the daughters of The Black Eunuch, the Sultan's second in command. Zara is beautiful, admired by all, she'll make a perfect wife. Whereas Aylin is her complete opposite, she's outspoken and likes watching the soldiers train. She befriended one when he was taken from his house to fight for the Sultan's army and they have been friends ever since. He taught her how to fight with a dagger. The girls are complete opposites.

When Zara is kidnapped one night after a concert outside the palace, Aylin can't handle the fact that her little sister is missing. So Aylin plans to go after her. With Elijah at her side, they travel to Venice to join other hunters to find her. Aylin pretends to be a guy to be accepted as a hunter.

Meanwhile, Zara is sold off as a blood slave in the Court of the Undead. She captures the attention of twin vampires, Eldar and Volkan. Volkan becomes obsessed with her while his brother is busy plotting revenge for his brothers imprisonment. Zara is slowly using her charms to climb the social hierarchy inside the Court. Singing for Vlad himself earns her some protection and one of his, and one of the princes, his brother takes a fatherly interest in her well-being. First it was to spy for Eldar's sake, but Zara realized that he was up to no good and confided to the Prince instead.

When Eldar changes for the worse, Zara warns everyone but she's too late. That's the same time her sister and the hunters storm the castle. Now one of them will pay the price.

A must read!

I adored this book. Yara was a delight, and I loved that she was a curvy girl that was described as being beautiful. Curvy girls are gorgeous, just as much as skinny girls are. Aylin was also a delight, I loved her passion for her sister and the lengths she went to protect Yara. Both girls were faced with multiple trials and I commend them. If I had been in either girl's position, I wouldn't have made it out the other side.

It was obvious that Ilyas loves Aylin but that he takes his faith very seriously. Often times I wondered if they were about to kiss and was disappointed for her when they never. Domenico has me conflicted. I feel sorry for his upbringing and the way his father treated, and still treats, him, but his behaviour towards Aylin was sickening. It infuriates me how much some men believe us as women to be their property. As if we have no autonomy and are there purely for their pleasure.

This is also why I started out absolutely hating Volkan. He was abysmal towards Yara. Of the two twins I much preferred Eldan as, while he seemed disinterested, he appeared to be the kinder of the two. Let me tell you that opinion changed so fast. Now I'm team Volkan and hate Eldan. Eldan can toss himself into the fiery pits of Hell.

"The Court of the Undead" by FM Aden offers a tantalizing journey through a world teeming with forbidden romances and intricate relationships that grip readers right from the start. From love triangles to the unyielding bonds of sisterhood, this book presents a tapestry of emotions that keeps you engaged even during slower moments.

The pacing of the story presents a bit of a mixed bag. At times, the narrative races ahead, creating an exhilarating whirlwind, while other moments drag, particularly in the initial stages where world-building takes precedence. Though necessary, this setup might test patience. However, once the tale gains momentum around the halfway mark, it transforms into an irresistible page-turner, making the second half a gripping and swift read.

The book excels in portraying the heartfelt connection between sisters Yara and Aylin. Their unwavering love transcends boundaries, driving the plot forward with an effortless grace. Yet, amidst these powerful bonds, the focus on Yara's romantic entanglements with vampire brothers Volkan and Eldar sometimes overshadows other relationships, like Aylin's connection with Ilyas.

The utilization of multiple points of view is well-balanced, offering contrasting perspectives. However, a slight inclination to rush through Aylin's narrative in favor of Yara's suggests a stronger engagement with one character's journey over the other.

In spite of its pacing and narrative imbalances, "The Court of the Undead" emerges as a compelling read. The strengths of its intricate relationships and magnetic romances outweigh the intermittent pacing issues. This book has the potential to captivate a diverse audience upon its release. Set to debut on December 20th, 2023, this novel promises an engaging exploration of love, loyalty, and the supernatural. A special thanks to NetGalley and Northern Light Press for providing the ARC.