Book Review: Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

  Spooky Season is in full swing at my house!  I'm so pleased to have finished Immortal Dark! 

This novel has been on my radar since it came out in 2024. It made a big splash across "Booktok"  and I thought this was going to be sort of a Book Tok fluffy vampire book with some nods to Ethiopian culture,  and boy was I wrong. I honestly am left wondering if I read the same book as the bubbly enthusiastic reviewers did. 

   Not that it isn't good.  It IS very very GOOD.  It just pretty much transcends the usual Book Tok tropes and has a lot more depth than what is normally on offer. (and yes, we do all create our own algorithims) ...

   Our protagonist, Kidan is one tough woman. She and her sister were raised outside of the Vampire/Human society they were born to. In order to protect herself and her sister, Kidan has done some unspeakable things. When we meet Kidan, June (the sister) has disappeared and Kidan is searching frantically for her. Kidan is given an opportunity to locate her sister, while reclaiming her familial house on the famed Uxlay campus. The house (which indeed is sentient!) is occupied by Susenyos- a Vampire with a checkered past. The two are instant enemies, and like all good romances, the enemies soon find they have more in common than they have differences. 

   We have all likely read our share of vampire novels. Immortal Dark is a bit of a new take on the well worn vampire tropes. Her novel brings in pieces of various African cultures, entwining this with classic vampire stories. For me, the balance between familiar vampire themes and the African highlights was perfect, each augmenting the other and fitting together seamlessly. 

   What struck me about this novel is that none of the characters are particularly likeable. I intermittently found myself cheering for Susenyos and in the next minute deciding that I was more for Kidan, and often deciding that I really didn't like either's scheming, difficult personalities. This leaves all sorts of space for discussion of morality, loyalty, the cost of deception. I was compelled to find out what happens and read for 4 hours straight to get to the end.  I'm lining up for book two now. Will Kidan and Susenyos reject their prior bad acts or will they choose to fall deeper into the dark? I can't wait to find out. 

   Great read for Spooky Season! 

First Published : 2024

Pages: 448

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: parental death, SI, violence, strong language, blood drinking, death, murder, parental abuse,  

Not a full TW list, please read responsibly. 

Book Review: Sargassa by Sophie Burnham

   I'm starting this post off with a huge thank you to DAW books  for sending me a copy of Sargassa in it's new cover!  This is an exclusive edition which will go with the second book- Bloodtide- which is due out in October 2025. 

I was OVER THE MOON  when this arrived.  

The old cover was fine:

But I have to admit the new cover has a finesse and luxe appearance that the first one is missing.  

 That said, I really had not picked up this novel before.  The Roman Empire- is not my Roman Empire- if you will!  but of course, I pulled out the trusty audiobook,  and started on an immersive reading journey. 

This book grew and grew on me.  Initially, I was overwhelmed by the moving time line, and multiple multiple characters.  I admit, I also started reading at a time which for me, personally- has been pretty bleak, which made it a bit hard to concentrate. That said,  I was able to stay on track with the audiobook- which would be fantastic as a multi-cast production! All of a sudden, I was immersed in a society that grew up as the Roman Empire never fell- adventure, high- and low- society, action, complicated messy relationships that we all love, powerful semi-magical kind of weapons and more. This is an adventure to savor. My absolute favorite character is Theo Nix.  The ending is a gentle cliff- hanger with a promise of more to come, without the dreaded jolt that many cliff hangers give. 

The only thing missing - and I can't believe I'm writing this- is a map.  I desperately need a map for this one. 

I will be picking up the next book Blood Tide as soon as it's out!  I'm excited to see what happens to all the characters, but especially Theo Nix! 

 

First Published : 10/2024 

Pages: 416

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: death, parent death, drug use, blood, medical situations, violence, murder, mental health situations. 

Not a full TW list, please read responsibly.