4.25 stars rounded down to 4

This book was an intense roller coaster of emotions from beginning to end. Exploring the complexities of relationships between a vampire and their sire/master and a vampire and their fledgling/thrall, the book sunk its hooks into me early on and didn't let go even after I finished.

More character focused, we got to see Ardeola's life as a one-hundred-year-old vampire in the present day, after being 'cured' and turned human again, as well as her past in flashbacks. She wasn't a very in-depth character, but it was interesting to see how she behaved in the past compared with the present, to see her humanity stripped away and then slowly returned to her. It was so fascinating to see the way she shifted and grew and how these changes were influenced by the two she loved the most, master and thrall.

The author did a fabulous job with this exploration of love and loyalty, and the toxicity those types of relationships can have. I was a little frustrated with the slower pace of the book, but I can also recognize that it was necessary to show the different experiences Ardeola had in her long life.

Even with the slower pace, I found myself still very much enmeshed within the story and I enjoyed it a great deal. I would recommend this to everyone as I feel that most could gain something from this.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an eARC.

this was a fantastic vampire novel! quite a bit different than the ones i’ve come across before. i enjoyed all the characters and found the book to be quite emotional too! definitely a book to be on the lookout for!

I ended up enjoying this book a lot more than I thought I would, I am usually ambivalent about Vampire related books but I really enjoyed this take on it. The characters and storyline were strong, although I wish we got more of the second half of the book. The entire resolution of the book felt a little rushed and I was begging for more. Overall, an enjoyable read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it.

I always enjoy a read with an unreliable narrator, and for most of this novel, that’s what Ardeola (Elizabeth?) is! I greatly enjoyed slowly uncovering the past piece by piece along with her.

This is not written like a typical vampire novel, and I love that!

I really enjoyed this I was hooked from the concept of a vampire being turned human again and this did not disappoint. It had that overall feel that I was looking for in the genre and how the characters were used to tell the storyline. I enjoyed getting to know Ardeola and her story in this and getting into the facility that she was captured in. It was everything that I was wanting and enjoyed the way this was written. Katie Cunningham has a great writing style and though the use of horror was perfectly done in this universe. I'm glad I was able to read this as it was everything that I was hoping for.

for a short ish book this was absolutely so good. i read it so quickly and it flowed so well, will definitely buy a copy when it comes out !!

A little sad I can't put 1/4 or 1/2 stars in the review as this is a good example of a 4.25 / 5 star book.

I was drawn into the novel fairly quickly and couldn't put the book down once I was in. Cunningham's use of vampires getting forcibly turned back into humans to explore how trauma can leave you stuck in place and how its not quite so simple to just undo the trauma. The way Cunningham shows the slow drip of losing the last dregs of humanity to justify their actions for survival is satisfying. Now the vampires are having to face the music as they slowly transition back into humanity.

Cunningham's writing is intriguing and full of great character interactions. You can definitely tell the author has a background in comics with the way she hones in on the character connections and general way characters are speaking. The characters are very well defined and quite well rounded with the exception of the MC. Our MC is purposefully left a little underdeveloped comparative to the rest of the cast. Bold choice for a first novel, and it works. You very much learn how the MC's past affects her choices in the current day, and how her relationships also kept her from learning and growing in healthy ways. Her choice at the end of the novel is just a frustrating as it makes perfect sense.

Now for the not as not perfect aspects... I felt some of the worldbuilding was underdefined. My main complaint is that I couldn't quite grasp the laboratory setup or how the characters had so much unrestricted time to talk amongst themselves while also being supposedly being monitored. This novel would have benefited from describing slightly more information about the lab or have more staff woven throughout the novel to just watch the group. It knocked a little of the suspense out for me as the staff were very M.I.A. without a crumb of their motivations to be even doing this research in the first place.

Pros:
* Very Character oriented
* MC is unreliable & it works
* Consistent theming and purposeful storytelling
Cons:
* Slow pacing
* Weak setting details
* Ending is rushed

If you are looking for a more character focused novel, this is the book for you. If you are looking for plot heavy focus, this is not going to be for you.

Incredible concept and I loved all of the twists and turns! I've never read a vampire book like this one, so it was exciting to go between the two different timelines where she's a vampire in one and a newly remade human in the present. I had such a fun time with this one and I will be patiently awaiting its release!

Something to Live For by @katiecunningham71
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Can we ever really be ourselves when we’re tied to another so irrevocably?

After spending a century as a vampire, Ardy is forcibly returned to her humanity. She’s so consumed with finding her way back to Roman that she hardly recognizes her own transformation along the way.

The lines between love, obsession, and enthrallment continuously blur and shift as fragments of her forgotten past resurface, challenging everything she believes about herself and the relationships that have defined her.

What a journey it becomes for both Ardy and the reader. I found myself moving through judgment, disgust, compassion, and eventually even pride as Ardy’s layers slowly peeled away.

Initially, her revulsion at being human again is almost palpable. After a century of viewing people as masters or thralls, she’s forgotten how to recognize their worth beyond power, status, or usefulness.

I especially loved how Katie used Ardy’s dreams to unravel her past while allowing her present self to evolve. Watching her recognize the complexities of others, develop genuine empathy, and discover a selflessness she never truly had the opportunity to explore was easily my favorite part of the story.

This wasn’t necessarily a book I couldn’t put down. I read it over about two weeks, but I always wanted to return to it. It was the perfect atmospheric read for those late nights when I couldn’t sleep or found myself awake way too early. What better time to deep dive into a dark exploration of identity, relationships, and what it truly means to experience the world, living or dead.

Thank you to @deadskypub and @netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book sounds like it was written for the part of me that loves dark, messy, unsettling horror with complicated characters who aren't easy to love.

Ardeola has spent a century as a vampire, and now she's been turned human again against her will. She's desperate to get back to the person she loves, but the holes in her memories make it difficult to know who she can trust or even how much of her own story she truly understands. I love a story that makes you question what's real and keeps you wondering what secrets are still waiting to come out.

What really interests me is the exploration of monstrosity, identity, love, and the damage people carry with them. I especially love horror that challenges the idea of who the real monsters are. Add in the gothic atmosphere, complicated relationships, and queer themes, and this sounds like exactly the kind of dark, character-driven horror I gravitate toward.

I'm always drawn to stories that aren't afraid to get uncomfortable and explore the uglier parts of being human. Sometimes the most frightening thing isn't becoming a monster. It's realizing what you've had to endure to survive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Katie Cunningham for the opportunity to read this book.

A fascinating and unconventional take on vampire fiction that kept me invested in Ardeola's story. The concept of a vampire being turned human again immediately caught my attention, and I loved exploring what that meant for someone who had spent so long living as something entirely different.

I particularly enjoyed the way the story explores humanity, love, loyalty and the toxicity that can exist within relationships. The dynamics between Ardeola, her master and her fledgling added so much complexity to the story, and I found it really interesting seeing how her experiences shaped her over time.

The flashbacks were a great addition, slowly revealing more of Ardeola's past and allowing us to understand the differences between who she was and who she was becoming. There were some fascinating themes woven throughout, particularly around morality, empathy and what it really means to be human.

Although the pacing occasionally felt a little slow, and I would have loved more time with certain parts of the story, I still found this a compelling read. It's a different take on vampires that goes beyond the usual tropes and gives you plenty to think about.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it to anyone looking for a character-focused vampire novel with emotional depth, darker themes and an interesting exploration of humanity.