Review: Court of the Undead (Trueborn #)
Pre-order at Bookshop.org Available December 1, 2023
3/5
For fans of: Castlevania, From Blood and Ash, vampires, murderous politics, sister MCs, enemies to lovers, toxic relationships
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? Fantasy, Romance
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? The vampires are supernaturally hot as usual, Ilyas blooms from scrawny teen to rugged soldier, Yara is a curvy goddess with the voice of an angel
Is it spicy? Lots of heavy kissing, but nothing more
Is it violent or gory? Oh yes, vampires ripping each other apart in all their bloody glory
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you like vampires, borrow it!
“If he comes near you again, I won’t be held responsible for what I do.”
Synopsis: From a young age, Yara and her sister Aylin grew up on tales of the vampir whispered to them in the dark by their superstitious nursemaid. It isn’t until the fateful day Yara is kidnapped and brought to the fortress of the Undying King, that she realizes that she is far from the safety of the Ottoman court. Tucked into the high mountains of Wallachia, the court of the undead is home to the trueborn vampir, their sired vampir flock, and their miserable hoard of blood slaves.
While Aylin joins a group of trained hunters to bring her sister back home. Yara finds herself trapped between a set of beautiful and manipulative twin brothers who intend to use her for their own amusement and deceptions. Caught between the free-spirited and obsessive Volkan and the power-hungry and villainous Eldar, Yara must betray them both if she ever hopes to make it back home alive.
As tension builds at the vampir court and the hunters start their march, Yara must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.
“And if he threatens you again, I won’t be held responsible for what I do.”
Review: 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.