The premise of The Vampire of Kings Street is quite compelling! Greyling illustrates prejudice through an alternate history that makes way for the implausible: Vampires are an accepted (although with disgust) part of society, and some are the wards of wealthy white folks. She adds an extra layer to this by making the main character a female attorney in America from East India. What makes the setup especially entrancing is that a vampire is accused of murder, which suggests that they are generally surviving through unconventional means. They are, along with vampire blood addicts, viewed as the lowlifes of society, so it’s easy for the police to set their sights on a vampire target without carefully investigating the crime.

Greyling‘s story makes a statement about class and discrimination. I love what she used to represent these issues, and I think the story is meaningful because of it, but I was more invested in the mystery and pitch perfect gothic tone than anything else. The murder suspect, a vampire named Evelyn More, was quite likable, as well, and this had me rooting for an outcome in his favor.

My only complaint is the repetitiveness, which was present more in the first half than the second. While this novel is on the shorter side, I think some of the redundancy surrounding why Evelyn chose Radhika specifically for representation and where things stood once the matriarch of his home stepped in could have been shaved off. These things only needed to be established once to remain effectively understood. Regardless, it was still an easy book to fly through, and I was sufficiently hooked by the time I hit that halfway point.

I am immensely grateful to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

A gothic debut perfect for spooky season. Vampires are the paid pets of the upper class. When one approaches a lawyer desperate to clear his name of a murder he didn't commit, a dark underworld comes to light.

This alternate take on paranormal history is an engrossing read. Time slips away as the story's vivid language takes the reader on a thrilling ride.

This was a really solid historical fiction/fantasy novel. While it took me a bit to get into (mostly due to the formatting of the ARC itself, at least on my own kindle) I found myself really enjoying the characters and the world, and especially the narrative voice that the author cultivates throughout the story. While I wish there was a little more backstory and meat to the vampire side of things, this gave me such a (perhaps misplaced) sense of nostalgia and cold, long late-fall evenings that I just ate it up. I'm really looking forward to more from this author and maybe more....in this world? (PLEASE)

Other than the proofreading errors, the formatting of the book, and the abrupt ending this was a very interesting story. I enjoyed reading this very much.

The story takes place in the 19th century in New York City where the very wealthy "owned" vampires as their butlers or housekeepers. They are tolerated by society, but they have no rights nor wealth of their own. When Evelyn More, a vampire who was turned not by choice in the late 1600s, seeks out a lawyer to represent him; no one will do so for money. They want some of his blood as payment. Vampire blood heals the sick, helps with pain, and slows down aging. But Evelyn is very protective of his blood, refusing to help anyone. He hates being a vampire. The wealthy Frost family rescued him after he turned over 200 years ago, ever since then he's lived and worked for them.

When Evelyn goes to Miss Radhika Dhingra, a female attorney trying to establish herself in a man's world, she cautiously takes him on as a client. Radhika is a daughter of immigrants, she knows what it's like when society refuses to accept you as you are. Evelyn comes to her to write up a will, but there's more to the story. He believes that he will be arrested for a murder he didn't commit the following day. When Radhika is summoned to the prison the next night, Evelyn is in silver shackles being accused of murdering a woman he raised since she was a child.

Radhika is determined to find out the truth, even after the Frost matriarch fires her because of her heritage. With the help of a journalist and the detective on the case, she won't stop until justice is served. What started out as a attorney/client relationship turns into a friendship both Evelyn and Radhika had never had before. One out of deep respect for each other.

A great read!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I uploaded my review to Goodreads. I will upload my review to Amazon on publication day.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Asha Greyling for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Vampire of Kings Street coming out September 17, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love vampire stories, and I enjoyed that this was set in the past. It was interesting to see the dynamic between the vampires and humans. I think they were supposed to be viewed as sort of monsters And less than humans. There weren’t too many people who admired them besides Radhika. She seemed to want to help them because she knew what it was like to be an outsider and different than other people. I loved that she was had Indian heritage and was different. There weren’t a lot of women lawyers at that time. I was hoping there would be a little more backstory for the vampires. A lot of the rules came at the end, so it felt a little rushed. I think the book was also lacking a little chemistry. I wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be more romance. But this is a debut book and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely check out more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys vampire stories!

The Vampire of Kings Street by Asha Greyling is a wonderful debut!
I enjoyed this historical fiction fantasy novel.
It was intriguing and well written. With great characters.

Having a resident vampire is just the thing for upper-class New Yorkers–besides being a status symbol, they make excellent butlers, tutors or housekeepers. The only thing they require in return is a drop or two of blood and a casket to shut out the dawn’s early light. Tolerated by society only if they follow a strict set of rules, vampires are seen as “less than”–and as the daughter of immigrants, Radhika knows firsthand how this feels. Accused of murder, her undead client Mr. Evelyn More, knows that the cards are stacked against him. With the help of a journalist friend and a diminutive detective inspector, Miss Dhingra sets out to prove her client’s innocence and win his freedom. Failure will mean Mr. More’s death, the end of her dreams of becoming a successful attorney, and the loss of the vampire Miss Dhingra has begun to call her friend.

This debut novel from this author was excellent! I was entranced from the very first page. I adored both the vampire Mr. Evelyn More, and the attorney Ms. Radhika Dhingra. The mystery kept me guessing until the very end. The author did such an excellent job describing everything that I felt like I were actually there watching everything unfold, in real time. I am looking forward to reading many more books by this very talented author. If you are a fan of fantasy fiction, or mysteries or both, then you will adore this book. I highly recommend it!

I’m going to be frank: I didn’t enjoy this book, but I was prepared to give it a pretty average rating until about 65% of the way through. It was at this point that The Vampire of Kings Street really unraveled for me and started to feel like the author had lost control of the plot and her characters.

It’s just a very uneven book. It has a terrific premise, but the execution just isn’t there and the book really could’ve used another pass with structural editing and developmental editing. Radhika, our protagonist, is fickle and mercurial, which isn’t endearing in a character who’s a lawyer and very annoying in how Asha Greyling has written her. Evelyn More, the titular vampire of this story, spends so much time off-page we end up learning most of his story in a large info-dump, which makes the author’s clumsy attempts at romantic chemistry between Radhika and Evelyn even more painful to read.

The third act is just a series of misadventures and events that felt like they came from nowhere, and not in a good way. They came in from nowhere, with no foundation laid or foreshadowing told. I found myself very confused and saying, “How the heck did we get here?”

I hope this novel finds its audience and I wish Greyling the best for her next book.

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher and the author via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Reviews rated three stars or under will not be shared on my social media channels. Thank you.

File Under: Historical Fantasy/Historical Mystery/Mystery/Vampire Fiction

📔: The Vampire of Kings Street-a standalone

✍️ By: Asha Greyling-debut author

📃 Page Count: 264

🗓️ Publication Date: 9-17-24 | Read: 9-11-24

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Paranormal. Mystery, Fantasy, Historical, Gothic, Adult Fic

🌏Setting: 19th century New York

Tropes:
🧛🏽wealthy family
🧛🏽vampires
🧛🏽Indian h


⚠️ TW: racism, sexism, murder

POV: 3rd person

💭 Summary 💭 Lawyer Radhika is contacted by vampire Evelyn requesting she represent him as he foreshadows his demise. They both face discrimination and deep dive into the world of vampirism.


Heroine: Ms. Radhika Dhingra-an Indian lawyer, 1st vampire client accused of murdering a woman

Hero: Mr. Evelyn More-vampire is an indentured servant, works for the Frost family.

Side cast: Jane-journalist, Hitch-little person on police force, The Frosts-Sarah, Michael-Sarah's son, Henry, and Meredith


My Thoughts: I liked this mystery and all the strict rules vampires were subjected to. Radhika dealt with sexism and racism by the wealthy. I enjoyed the side characters Jane, Fitzgerald, and of the Frost family.

Range of emotions: 😬🤔🙄
🌶️: Spice 0/5
😭: Emotion 4/5
❤️: Couple n/a
⭐️: Rating 4/5

Radhika Dhingra is an Indian woman at the close of the 19th century who has chosen to turn to law in what—at times—seems to be a misguided hope in providing justice to those who need it most. Her only client is a vampire named Evelyn who comes to her in desperation with nowhere else to turn, and nothing to offer her by way of payment, except for a ring he has had for centuries. He is facing a charge of murder for the killing of a girl he knows, and the law always treats vampires who have committed crimes in the same way—with death.

This book was pretty good. It deals with racism and othering by paralleling Radhika’s experience in struggling to be taken seriously with the vampires being seen as inferior, as servants with only the property they can keep on them, forever tied to families as a symbol of status. They’re feared and hated, not unlike the immigrant experience. I liked the classical use of some vampire tropes, such as crying tears of blood, needing permission to enter, and turning to smoke and vanishing. I enjoyed the cast of various characters, such as Radhika, Jane, the intrepid reporter who wears men’s clothes, and Hitch, the little person with a physical disability who works on the police force. I understand some people are eye rolling over this, but we’ve got vampires. If we can suspend disbelief for the undead, I think we can believe a few people could claw their ways into positions that would ordinarily be closed to them.

I think my major gripe would be that the book was advertised as Radhika becoming friends with Evelyn, but that “friendship” didn’t really start to happen until VERY late in the book—at 2/3 of the way through, Radhika and Evelyn had only interacted twice, once at the beginning of the book and then in prison. So it definitely was not as strong as I would have hoped, but it did have sweet moments.

Anyway! It’s got a mystery in the form of the murder (I guessed one person and then switched to the correct person) and would be a perfect little cosy read to curl up with in October.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful debut novel from Asha Greyling!
The Vampire of Kings Street is set in an alternate 19th-century New York where vampires exist in society but only as possessions of the wealthy city elite. Our story begins at the office of Radhika Dhingra—a new, young lawyer trying to establish her own legal practice within a society that is still skeptical of women in her profession, especially women of color. When the vampire of an influential family, Mr. Evelyn More, shows up at her office door asking for her help and saying he thinks he will be accused of murder, Radhika is drawn into a sprawling murder mystery full of family drama, sordid secrets, and forgotten history.
❤️ What I loved: For me, his was a quick, compelling read! I enjoyed the way that the mystery unfolded, I found myself really wanting to unravel the layers of secrets and lies to find out what was going to happen next. I thought there was a great cast of characters in this story, with Radhika an interesting and likable lead.

💔 What I didn’t love: I wish there had been a little more—both in the development around the society (particularly the ways vampires operated within it) and some of the character development. However, for a short book, I think it was just enough for me to make it a success overall!

I would definitely recommend The Vampire of Kings Street to fans of paranormal fiction, particularly with gothic or historical settings. I would love to see more in this world, so I hope Greyling continues Radhkia’s story in the future.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)

Acknowledgments & Disclaimers
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Asha Greyling, and Crooked Lane Books, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

I'm not well versed in vampire lore but that didn't matter. This is an engaging and entertaining mystery that pairs two outsiders- Radhika and Evelyn- as they fight to prove that he is innocent of murder. An odd couple, to be sure given that he's a vampire, but after a bit you can sort of forget about the implausibility of the situation and go with it. They're lucky to have some good friends who help them and that Radhika is a clever and thoughtful attorney. Racism and otherness looms large but it makes everyone more human. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Vampire of Kings Street.

I love the author's unique take on the popular vampire storyline; in her world, vampires are not sparkly, cool, and the dominant species but indentured servants.

When a vampire is falsely accused of a murder, it's up to Radhika, a young, inexperienced lawyer to discover the truth.

But will it be at the cost of her own life?

I like the historical, gilded-age like setting, and the old school feel.

Radhika is a likable, relatable character; the child of immigrants who don't fit into the typical mold the patriarchal society expects of her.

She's educated, unmarried, an entrepreneur, and living in a not so great part of the neighborhood.

And she knows what it's like to be disregarded.

Evelyn More was less interesting, which was disappointing, since he's the vampire in the title of the book. He didn't come across as compelling or interesting.

He doesn't have to be incredibly charming or alluring, but interesting would be nice. I can't say I wanted to know more about him after I finished this.

I wished I liked the story more but it was more cozy than I anticipated.

The pacing dragged, it was mostly exposition, and I wasn't a fan of the diary excerpts, which is all telling and no showing.

Also, I realize my expectations were very different.

When I saw 'vampire' in the title, I thought of horror and true terror, but the narrative was pretty tame.

This wasn't bad, but I expected more bite (pun intended).

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book, but it just cannot hold my attention. DNFing. Extremely slow moving, and I just don't care about the characters the way that I should.

This is not the right book if you're expecting the Twilight like vampire or the sexy one.
If you want to read a well plotted and intriguing story that talks about vampires which are sort of pets with just some basic rights and how it was hard to be a dark skinned woman lawyer, go on and read it
It's not a very fast story, it takes its time to build the world and it takes some times before we get to know what is behind the story.
But Rahika and Evelyn grew on me and I was left wanting more.
I'm not sure if the comparison to Gail Carriger is the right one so read this novel if you want a well plotted paranormal mystery set in an alt-London and featuring some steam punk.
I loved it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

As much as I liked the idea behind this story, I struggled with the actual novel. Although it is a relatively short read it has a slow pace (in my opinion) and not much happens until the last few chapters.

I like alternate histories, I like paranormal stories, I like detective stories, I even like it all mixed together, but this book just didn't work for me. Maybe because most of the background information about the vampires wasn't revealed until later in the story. I'm not sure.

2.5/5 Stars

The Vampire of Kings Street by Asha Greyling follows a young woman Radhika, in the early 19th century as she is struggling to get clients for her law firm. Her first and only customer is Evelyn More, a vampire that is needing help because he feels that he is going to be arrested for murder. Yet the crime has not happened. Radhika is hesitant to take the case because Mr. More is a vampire and is not so sure that he is innocent of the crime. Now Radhika is running out of time to save her only client as the clues that she is finding is sending her in other directions. This is a debut novel by Asha Greyling and I was absoultly hook by the first chapter. I have never read a book where someone is wanting to prove the innocents of a vampire. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves both a great mystery and a vampire book. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc! 3.5/5 stars rounded up, I was holding on to the edge of my seat while I was flying through this

mystery isn't usually my thing, but the promise of vampires really lured me in. (I think it's crazy that even in fantasy worlds where vampires exist, humans still manage to find a way to oppress someone, but I digress.) I do think this story could've benefitted from the inclusion of more vampire characters - I understand why there weren't more, considering the way vampires are treated in this world, but that last little glimpse was honestly one of the more interesting parts and I was left wanting to see more. the mystery is a bit of a slower build - it starts off very quick but kinda of slows down which I think does well to build tension. you get this very frantic, desperate energy at the beginning that, though it mellows out as radhika starts to methodically piece things together, carries you through the slower parts of the plot, especially as radhika starts to uncover more pieces of the puzzle, some of which are especially interesting. the characters grated on me a bit - both radhika and evelyn both make certain choices and say certain things in the beginning that had me confused as to why they were holding back, but they still felt like real people, not just paper caricatures with no depth. I did think that teeny romance inclusion towards the end was unnecessary - I mean, it was super minimal, but I still thought there was no real reason to include that. however, greyling is a phenomenal writer - sometimes in period novels, authors will write something that just immediately takes you out of the time era in a jarring way, but greyling has all of that down to a t and very artfully fits in world building, info dumping, and character introspection in a relatively short novel in a way that doesn't jar the flow of the story. overall, a really promising debut - unsure if greyling intends to continue this as a series, but I would love to read more in this world if they plan to write it!

This is an honest review and my opinions on this read. This would an ideal read for those who love vampires, love history and enjoy a slow paced read. It begins with lawyer who isn't very popular and has had a long road with her career. Until one day a vampire walks in and hires her to represent him and plead his case to be innocents. When i say this is a slow paced read i am not kidding you don't find out much until the last few pages. Most of the time it speaks about Evelyn the vampire that could be the murderer and not a lot of the actual murder mystery. In the end the book perfect for anyone who loves gothics, mysteries, vampires, and fantasy and i hope there will be a sequel as it leaves me with many questions.

Miss Radhika Dhingra is a newly minted lawyer in New York City in this story. She hasn't been hired by any of the local firms and is eking out a living in a lower-class part of town and living in her office.

When a vampire comes to her door looking for legal advice, she is interested and afraid and conflicted. Mr. Evelyn More fears that he will be accused of the murder of a young woman who was once his ward. Vampires aren't often given the benefit of a doubt when it comes to murder.

Agnes Tomson had been killed in a particularly brutal way in her dressing room at the opera and a bloody glove belonging to More was discovered on site. Things aren't looking good for More. But Radhika is determined to find out the truth even though she's fired by the Frost family who have sheltered More for hundreds of years.

This alternate paranormal history mystery was an interesting look both at vampires and at life in Nineteenth Century New York. I enjoyed it and especially enjoyed Radhika's mixed feeling about defending a vampire.