Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. I enjoyed the writing style and the story for the most part. The worldbuilding was beautiful, and I liked some of the characters. However, I didn't like some of the characters and some parts of the story were a little boring to me. But I want to continue with the series and find out what happens next.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is hard to follow, but i did really enjoy it! The characters were intriguing, and I've read a book by this author before, so that was fun to sort of see the differences in their writing! Pacing, characters and power dynamics were done really well!

I had high hopes for this book the premise is amazing, and really original.
In the end it wasn't for me, there was some wonderful world building. Some people really love worldbuilding, hell I'm one of them but this was probably 90% of the book, and by the end it was a close call as the whether i was more bored or confused.
2 tips for this one, don't skip the timeline, and start with the appendix.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

Interesting concept but I struggled to finish this, just didn't quite connect with the story or characters.

This book was quite a struggle to read and get into. Perhaps it's because of how heavy the worldbuilding is and how confusing it can get sometimes. However, I love the concept, the protagonist, and how the book was written. The writing style of the author really suited me but there were times where I would just get lost and distracted, which really was a turn off and a struggle for me. For me, the book is a 3/5.

Interesting story drew me in, but I did get a bit confused at times. I loved the atmosphere, and I will definitely check out the sequel.

I DNF'd this book at 22%.
I'd read reviews before starting this story so knew that it was possibly going to be hard to get through, but I was still optimistic. One review I saw had a great suggestion, flick to the back of the book and read the timeline before starting the actual story. I'm so glad that I did this otherwise I would have absolutely no clue what was going on or who anyone was. So please, read the timeline first because it really helps set the story and the world up and eliminates some confusion.

I was really trying to push through with this story, I hate DNFing ARCs, but I just couldn't do it. The only character I cared about was the dog, Basil. Even though I had read the timeline, which helped immensely, the story was still very convoluted and hard to follow, I probably could have gotten past this and ended up following the story fine, but the pacing just killed it for me. We weren't going anywhere and the story line just felt very messy. So unfortunately for me, this is going into the DNF pile, the idea was a great one, futuristic world where vampires are king, and the vampires are written how they should be, vicious, unpredictable and terrifying, however, this story is just not for me.

I'm going to be real honest with you guys: I couldn't really get into the book. In a perfect world with the perfect circumstances, I might be able to sit down and force myself to read it, but I'm beyond the age of forcing myself to read things. This isn't an assignment; this is something fun. And I truly wasn't having a lot of fun straight from the get-go. I'm still intrigued by the premise, and I firmly believe that every book has its audience. It could just be that I'm not the intended audience. And that's okay!

What kept me from enjoying this book was just the fact that nothing in the beginning hooked me. Nothing drove me to keep reading. I got two pages in and felt myself slipping away to check my phone, to pet the cat, to see what my sister was doing, etc. When I felt myself forcing my attention on the book instead of naturally being drawn, I knew that it was a lost cause.

But like I said, there is an audience for every book. I can't demand that I be part of every single one. I'm sure someone else felt the intrigue and got pulled in when I didn't. Sorry guys.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I really loved this book. It has really incredible world building and a great, fast paced, fun plot. I love love love Basil! He is the best! Overall this book was an super fun read and I will be eagerly anticipating future intallments of this series.

When I read the blurb for this novel, I was all excited and well and truly ready to wade into the world of the Hierophant. After around 5% I gave up thinking it was because of the current stressed frame of mind I was in. I picked it up again yesterday and alas it was not.

So this novel is essentially an alternative history where vampire type creatures from another world come and take over the Earth. The Hierophant is the head of these alien vampires and stands in direct opposition to the Lazarenes who are headed by Lazarus (yes, its a religion thing!). These differing sects compete because, well, I don't actually know why, but its the basis for the whole story.

If you like endless (and occassionally pointless) descriptions of things then this is the book for you. I feel like it is maybe 75% scenery and descriptions of things and 25% narrative. If that's your thing, great! If not you are in for a bad time.

The aforementioned narrative jumps all over the place with flashbacks written in such a way that I was eternally confused as to who was doing what in which part of the timeline - in the appendix of the final copy there is a timeline so you can keep up so thats a plus. It felt extremely rushed but also like nothing was happening all at once and I realise this seems bizarre but its actually a thing.

So what I can compare it to is maybe Altered Carbon (which I loved by the way) but if you put an eternally pining vampire lady running from her fake dad in the lead and had a bunch of random, kind of non sensical stuff happen. I appreciate Sullivan has a cult following but unfortunately after reading this, I feel like she is definitely not my thing.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I thought the book was good, confusing at times, but a good story line. There's a lot of mixed up religion involved, and there are some really good moments between the MC, Dominia, and the people she meets on her way to find Lazarus. At times though I found it a bit confusing to follow.

I had to stop reading this book 20% of the way through. I really wasn’t connecting with the writing and everything was just a bit confusing. I really enjoyed the premise though so I’d like to come back to it at some point.

I think this type of writing is just not for me. I admit that the worldbuilding is intriguing and it seems very well-written. The problem is that it's quite horrific. I just can't read such dark and disturbing stories these days. I barely got through any of this story before I realized that I'd strayed into a genre that is not to my liking.
3 stars because this book isn't for me, but I'm sure it's quite good if you're into that sort of thing...

The Hierophant's Daughter is a good - but initially confusing - story. Without spoilers, there is a huge amount of world building here, with a thorough alternative timeline as a basis. Layered on top is a complex and well-written tale that combines dark fantasies, dystopian horror, shocking scenes and all kinds of emotional turmoil.
An initially difficult but rewarding read, with a nice setup for book 2. Recommended if it sounds like your thing!

As much as I wanted to enjoy this, I just haven't been able to immerse myself in the story on the occasions I've picked it up. The world-building is intriguing, the story has a lot of promise and I'd love to return to it someday, but for now I'll be leaving it unfinished.

Dominia’s character was refreshing: a lesbian war veteran who still loves her family, but refuses to compromise her own goals or values for them any longer. The Hierophant’s Daughter includes blunt opinions on some very timely themes—chief among them the almost inevitable slide from keeping people in camps, to genocide. It doesn’t stop there, however, with the book also examining sexism, homophobia, class and race divides and the long-term impact of military and childhood trauma. It also has a scene that is the most effective inclusion of graphic violence that I’ve ever read. The Hierophant’s Daughter makes sure to use outlandish violence to reinforce character motivation and world-build, all at the same time.
While the book was generally entertaining and effective, several of the more outlandish details built into the world (cannibalism and teleportation, to be specific) at times distracted from the well-built, entertaining futuristic world and society. The timeline included at the end of the novel highlighted one of the few flaws of the book, with the seemingly unnecessary renaming of key cities, countries or regions, for the seeming sole purpose of differentiating the world in which The Hierophant’s Daughter is set from our own. This is a minor complaint however, and doesn’t really impact the readability of the novel.
I really enjoyed the well fleshed out idea of robotic limbs and prosthetics in the novel, and the all-too likely intrusion of advertising in day to day life. The representation of gender and sexual minorities in this book was likewise a great addition.
The male-domination of the novel (despite the female lead) is probably my biggest problem with the book. A lot of the men in Dominia’s life hold more sway over her decisions than I would like, and despite having a storied military career and her own (independently developed) morality and goals, Dominia still ends up following their lead the majority of the time. Dominia is capable and sympathetic, haunted by her past, but not rendered useless by this guilt. She is a strong character, and I only wish we had a better cast of female characters for her to interact and contrast with.
Her only true sidekick in the novel, Miki, is a far more entertaining foil than the multitude of men in Dominia’s life, and I wish we had seen more of her. I fully expect the next novel in the series though to have more hints at Miki’s life and motivations, and hopefully there will also be more learnt about the Red Market, and the mysterious Lady.
Basil was definitely a great addition to this novel, and the comic relief provided by him (and various other characters in this book) truly helped the book shine, allowing for serious matters to be addressed without the whole book feeling overly heavy or serious.
Lavinia is an interesting character, if somewhat two-dimensional, and her mysterious origin has, I think, almost too-obvious an explanation. I could be wrong however; I’d have to read any further novels in the series to be sure, something I would absolutely enjoy doing because despite my complaints I did enjoy The Hierophant’s Daughter quite a bit. Overabundance of pushy men aside, Dominia was an interesting and fully-formed character, and one I would enjoy reading more about. The world created in this novel was interesting, with ample room for social commentary and that all-important factor in sci-fi: the ability to draw believable but exaggerated conclusions about the future and/or human nature.
I only wish that the antagonists in this book were as well-developed as Dominia and her allies, because at several points in the novel I felt that the antagonists lacked sufficient motivation for their actions. The Hierophant, Cicero and the Lamb make a nigh-invincible trinity (in some not at all accidental or subtle imagery, if you’re religious and easily offended, despite the differentiation between the Christian faith and the characters in the novel, chances are you’ll still be offended); yet a lot of tension the book relies upon is hampered when this fact becomes apparent. The Hierophant—the clear villain of the piece—pops in to visit Dominia along her way, and it really didn’t help the pacing of the novel.
There are several points where information that had been included previous is abruptly forgotten by characters, a few eye-roll inducing scenes where characters possess a too-convenient power, and a couple of threats that crop up and are dealt with too quickly to really feel their impact, but other than these few teething issues, the book is solidly written and interesting. The ending of this book was abrupt, and I was surprised that a key character was cut out of the conclusion pretty abruptly. There was no clear ending for this novel, and the conclusion that I had assumed the book would have did not eventuate, suggesting (to me) that this may be the end point for the series, rather than the novel as I had originally assumed.
All in all, the well-written, sympathetic characters; entertaining and believable family dynamics and unique, interesting world make The Hierophant’s Daughter a book well worth the read, despite the surface-level issues I had with it. The Hierophant’s Daughter was too unique to truly remind me of any other series, but there were slight similarities to NK Jemisin’s Hundred Thousand Kingdoms series, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy and even a little bit of VE Schwab’s Shades of Magic books. I’d suggest this book to anyone who enjoys character-driven science fiction, and who doesn’t shy away from political and religious commentary in their fiction.

Such a great lore. The world built by the author felt authentic So few fantasy and science fiction authors manage to do. Dominia is so noticeably flawed but still likable. This blend of genres flowed quite nicely. Look forward to the next 2 books.

Ahh the relationship between fathers and daughters. Is there a more special bond than that? What if your dad is a warlord/god and you are his wayward general? What about then?
Beautifully written, amazing characters and settings, and adventure throughout, this is a story that you can really get into! However, make sure you have the time to do so, because Sullivan is never short on words. The author describes in detail what is going on in the story and it can feel quite heavy at times. However, the story keeps moving forward, even with the additional explanations. It all works together to weave a narrative that you can immerse yourself into.

It is easy to get into the head of the main character because you know her thoughts, her fierceness, her anger, and her losses. There are minor twists and turns throughout the book to keep you guessing and wanting to know more. This is definitely a “want to curl up with a good book” type of read.

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

This was such an interesting take on vampires that I really enjoyed. I've always been a sucker for a good vampire story, but there's usually only so many ways that you can follow a formula before that formula gets stale, so the fact that this story has a vampire origin that stems from a whole other planet in the solar system is very much appreciated.

It did take me longer than I would have liked to read this one, probably because, at times, it felt almost too complex for my brain to pick up and understand that I had to put it down frequently and let things sit and marinate before continuing on. The farther I moved along in the book, the easier some things became, but overall it is still a pretty complex story because you're not just being introduced to some key players here; you're also being introduced to the world, which seems kind of dystopian to me. Or maybe just futuristic? Or both.

I don't really have much else to say other than this is a really creative story, probably more original that I've ever seen, and it's the first book in a trilogy. The second book, The General's Bride is set to release later this year (maybe less than two months, actually), and I'm looking forward to reading more of what's only just the beginning.

More vamps

Vampires from another planet invaded Earth centuries ago and established themselves as a religion. They haven't been able to conquer the whole planet, nor are all of the vampire "children" happy in their lives, although it is a bit hard to understand exactly what it is they don't like eternal life. Living in darkness is part of it, as is sympathy for the common people who serve as food.

I imagine that many readers will enjoy the story of Dominia di Mephitoli, a vamp leader, who rebels against her "father" the Hierophant, the alien leader of the vampire cult. Although the world building is good, the murky motivations and inexplicable behavior of the characters did not fire up my imagination. I didn't find the book interesting and stopped reading.