Did someone say QUEER VAMPIRE SCHOOL??!🧛🏳️‍🌈😍

I was dying to read this (pun intended 🤣), so a BIG THANK YOU to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and NetGalley for the ARC!

You’ll love this book if you’re into:

🖤 young adult dark fantasy
🔪 murder mysteries
🩸 morally gray vampires

Court of the Undying Seasons is anticipated to be published on May 16, 2023.

Content warnings (from the author): Blood drinking (both voluntary and forced), Violence, Gore, Death/murder, Child abuse, Child neglect, Mind/body control, Consent issues, Uneven relationship dynamics, Death of a queer character (but most are queer), Parent death (off-page), Mentor death (on-page), Substance use (alcohol, mushrooms, and vampire blood), Mild gender dysphoria, Mild body horror

This was so good! Another added to my favorites!

At a Finding, nineteen-year-old Fin took the place of someone she loved to attend a vampire school. At Castle Courtsheart, humans either successfully become vampires or fail. When they don't succeed, they become human thralls or perhaps even end up dead.

With a revenge in mind and determination to kill the vampires, Fin has to participate in being a student at the school while also looking out for ways to kill them. However, she learns that there are vampires and allies who may be likable as much as they are hateful.

As she learns more about herself and gain powers she never had before, she discovers that murders are happening that could cause a huge and unwanted change. Her life and others were at stake.

This was such a good dark romantic novel with a great modern touch on the classic vampire tropes. I loved the twists, the romance, the stakes, truths being uncovered, and the characters as well.

Note that at first, there were certain characters that didn't seem very likable but eventually that changed! Some of them definitely grows on you and some may not, but that's fine!

All in all, I really loved reading this. I haven't read any novels with vampire tropes in a long time and to get the chance to read this really makes me happy that I did.

I really recommend adding this to your TBR and purchasing it.

I’m not sure how I first stumbled across this book, but I requested it to review because I’m still a fan of vampire books, even though it seems they’re going out of fashion. This one definitely carries unique attributes which set it apart from others, mainly the ability to shapeshift. It’s a vastly different trait from typical vampire lore, and I appreciate the author’s willingness to step out of the box.

I think we, the reader, are supposed to cheer for Fin, but I found her distasteful. She’s selfish, manipulative, and obsessive and chases leads that make no sense but refuses to see reason. It makes her a bumbling heroine. And why is she pining for a village that refused to care for her or feed her a decent meal? One person stepped up, and even then, Fin was constantly starving. The attachment to the village doesn’t make sense. But she shows some character growth and doesn’t stay wholly stagnant throughout the book.

But I can dislike characters and still enjoy a book, and I think the unique spins on vampire lore are where this book shines. I also super appreciated that the storyline finished within the length of one book, with no cliffhangers and a year’s wait for another cliffhanger. That you get a complete story in one book deserves 4 stars alone. But this is a fun read and a unique take on some of the lore. Thank you, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, for sending this over.

Fin hates vampires. Being picked to learn how to become one is her worst nightmare. Yet when she has the chance to save her friend/crush from that fate, she takes it. Fin is immediately removed from her village and put in the care of Gavron at the vampire school known as Castle Courtsheart. Gavron and Fin have an intense and powerful connection from the moment they meet, but Gavron is both hostile and elusive. When a novice is found murdered, it soon becomes clear that something is wrong in the courts. Fin must work with her friends to find the killer before Fin is targeted next…

Court of the Undying Seasons is a lush and escapist dream of a book. A.M. Strickland is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me! The opening chapter was so compelling, I couldn’t put it down! I was enthralled by the complex world-building, especially the different vampire courts and their skills. I loved the ensemble cast, especially Marai, Kashire, and Jaen. Kashire in particular was hilarious with his love for chaos. Almost all of the vampires are queer, which Strickland brilliantly portrays. Gavron and Fin have passionate chemistry, though I would’ve liked to see just a little more romance. Strickland’s writing is witty and includes plenty of spooky moments that will make you jump (it is vampires after all!).

Court of the Undying Seasons tells a dark and stunning tale of power, revenge, and shadowy secrets. I devoured it and hope to read more from this world one day! I would highly recommend it to anyone! Readers who enjoy Hannah Whitten (For the Wolf), Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House and Six of Crows), and Amanda Foody (Ace of Shades) need to check this book out!

Thank you so much to A.M. Strickland, Feiwel & Friends, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

I really enjoyed this dark twist on the usual vampire fare especially among YA books.

In this world, vampires rule over humans, and once a year they go on a ritual called the Finding and travel to different villages to select humans that will have the opportunity to become vampires. These selections drift between human and vampire, becoming something not quite one or the other as they learn vampiric history, skills, and push themselves to avoid the dreaded fate of becoming a Thrall. Which is what awaits them if they fail to get at least three of the five vampire courts to pass them.

Fin is a malnourished, neglected, and angry orphan when we meet her.. At her village's Finding, she takes the place of her crush to save her from what she views as a fate worse than death. However, it is this decision that launches Fin into a world she never anticipated liking...much less feel like she belongs to. It is a betrayal of her species and all her values!

Which is why it was so satisfying to watch her character arc unfold as she finds a new purpose. This book is full of political intrigue, mystery, and romance and I'm very excited for what the ending sets up for future books in this series. It also takes the typical vampire lore and really builds it out into a fully fleshed out world, with vampire courts and a bloody, dark academia setting. With my favorite trope of found family, charmingly devilish characters, and abandoning old beliefs to carve a new way forward, this was a solid four star read! I can't wait for more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Honestly, I think this one just was not for me, which is a bummer. I loved In the Ravenous Dark, which I read in 2021, and Court of the Undying Seasons shares a lot of qualities with it: a dark, brooding atmosphere; queer characters abound; found and fought-for family; and a world-shattering mystery that the main characters must uncover while protecting themselves and each other. And Court of the Undying Seasons does all of these things well enough, but I just couldn't help but bounce off of it.

The central relationship between Fin and Gavron, for example, is one of the book’s strong points—it’s compelling, and their dynamic is unique in how vastly it shifts throughout—and yet I found myself routinely uncomfortable with certain aspects of it. There’s a vast power imbalance at play for a large portion of the book, and furthermore, they seem genuinely toxic to each other a good portion of the time. And that’s fine, honestly, and certainly a feature of this book and not a bug, but it just wasn't what I wanted. That’s far from the fault of the book (or the author, for that matter), but it still was a small thorn in my fluffy romance-loving side that kept me from getting everything out of this one that I’d wanted to.

So, as I said, not precisely for me. Still, there’s a lot to like here between the mystery, the atmosphere, and the cast of fun and compelling characters, and I would absolutely still recommend this to anyone looking to scratch the “brooding and bloody vampire romance” itch. (It’s a specific itch, but we’ve all been there.)

🌹🖤 Court of the Undying Seasons ARC Review 🖤🌹

Thank you so much to AM Strickland, NetGalley & Macmillan Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book!!

Court of the Undying Seasons is a queer YA dark fantasy novel! Every year, the vampires travel to the local towns and select humans in a ritual known as the Finding. These humans never return. When her secret love is about to be chosen, Fin volunteers herself to save her. Before she knows it, Fin is whisked away into a world of mystery where she quickly learns that those who succeed in the Undying Season become vampires themselves, and those that fail become thralls for the vampires

This book was such a great read! I loved the new twist on vampire lore in this book and the Undying Season is such a cool concept! Fin was a wonderful character and I loved watching her grow throughout this book! Kashire and Gavron were wonderful characters and I loved their dynamics throughout the story. There’s also a murder mystery plot intertwined with this story that was super fun!

Overall this was a solid 4 star read for me! I had a blast with this book!! This was definitely more of a YA read so it was lighter on the spice, but there were a few kissing scenes - so one flame for spice

If you enjoy YA books with enemies to lovers, queer dynamics, found families, unique and sexy vampires, and fun mysteries, then absolutely pick this one up!

Review will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

DNF'd at 20%. I tried to get into this, but between the hunger games-esque beginning, admittedly lackluster writing, and terrible cover, it just wasn't worth finishing for me.

I really enjoyed Court of the Undying Seasons. It did take me a few tries to really get into it, but once I did I was off to the races. I loved the setting and the characters were very well done. Fin is such an awesome character you can't help but root for them.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e arc of this book!

"Family is what you carve out with your teeth."
When Fin is taken from her human world and trained to be a vampire--or, if she doesn't succeed, an enthralled servant to them--she has one desire: kill them. But as she drifts further into their world and meets others she realizes that vampires, like humans, are just...people. People with far too much power.


I loved this! Please give me all the queer vampire stories because I want them so much. Fin is incredible and I love dark and broody Gavron and I also loved Marai and Jaen and most surprisingly Kashire. So many great characters that start as enemies but become family and all the bloody gory vampire staples besides!

Also this is kind of like a training school trope? Ish? Omg I loved every minute of it.

I wish this book had used labels for the queer characters but it seems like Fin is pan, Claudia is aromantic, Jaen is bigender, Revar is nonbinary, Marai is lesbian, and I think Kashire might be gay but hard to say for sure? Either way, lots of great queer rep!

CW: blood, death, abandonment, alcohol, kidnapping, torture

Everything I could've wanted from a novel where the premise is "fantasy vampire academy." Bloody, sexy, dark, and atmospheric. Fin is an excellent, spiky MC to travel with, and the extended cast of characters hit me right in the found-family feels.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is fast paced, mysterious and compelling. It has world building, politics and great development of characters/relationships and twists.

Overall, recommended!

Court of the Undying Seasons was an absolutely PHENOMENAL read for me. I loved that it didn't follow your typical vampire trope other than the setting being at a creepy secluded school. This story had me hooked from page one. There was always something going on and it was quite honestly a brutal story about survival. I really enjoyed all of the characters and the author wrote them all in a way that felt like you knew them as you read the story. The world building and magic system was so intricate and intriguing and I absolutely loved that. This was definitely a dark read and I really appreciated that in a YA book. This book is really like no other vampire story I have ever read and I think readers are absolutely going to die for this one!

Fin goes to Vampire School against her will, hoping to destroy the creatures that took her mother. As she trains, she learns that not all vampires are alike, and humans can be just as bad. This book establishes a system much more complex than the usual vampire lore. There's murder and historical mystery-solving as well as a series of complex relationships Fin must navigate with friends, potential lovers, mentors, and family. If readers can process the complicated exposition and keep up with the plot twists, they will meet truly memorable characters.

I think if I had read this years ago as a teenager, it would have been my new obsession! Vampires, romance, intrigue… if those are things you like, this book is for you!

Strickland does atmospheric so well. It has a dark and romantic vibe from the very first page that carries through the novel and Castle Courtheart. An imaginative tale about a vampire society and what it does to a girl and her mother.

Court of the Undying Seasons is an exciting, dark fantasy book that follows Fin, as she is forced to participate in the undying seasons at Courtsheart. Whether she succeeds or fails will determine if she becomes a vampire or an enthralled servant. Overall, the book has everything one would want in a YA/NA dark fantasy revolving around vampires - good world building, morally gray characters, mysterious murders, and excellent villains. Gavron and Kashire are by far my favorite two characters; however, Fin makes a decent main character/POV. I thoroughly enjoyed the school system and learning about the different courts. There were quite a few twists that I did not see coming, which kept the book exciting. The ending felt a bit rushed/forced. With some editing on the writing and repacing of the ending, this could easily be a five-star read! I'll be recommending Court of the Undying Seasons to anyone looking for a good vampire fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. This was a great read, and I loved the paranormal worldbuilding. P

I've loved the other books by A. M. Strickland very much and hold them very close to my heart.

This one features Fin, a human chosen to become a vampire during an event called "Finding" along with some other humans. She goes in with the intention of killing vampires and I think most of us can guess what would happen next.

The world is rich, luscious with some new elements to the vampiric world. I think the intricateness of the world, the powers that vampires have is what impressed me the most. I loved the world more than anything else.

That said, the characters felt a bit surface-level which is why I didn't really care what happened to anyone. I also found the plot predictable except for the twist at the end.

I would still highly recommend it to people who love queer vampire stories.

Actual rating: 3.5

This book has everything I could want from a queer, dark fantasy book. We have hot vampires, a whole host of queer characters, some slow burn romance, complicated relationships (no seriously.. COMPLICATED relationships), and of course some mystery.

There are so many characters that we are introduced to in this book. Many of them I love and some of them (I’m looking at you Silvea) I loved to hate, but the main character Fin absolutely captured my heart. Fin starts this book as an outcast, trying to sacrifice herself for someone that she thought was her friend, and really just unaccustomed to being treated with kindness. But, throughout the book we see her grow in her confidence, explore the way she expresses her gender and her gender identity, and really just grow to love the vampire she’s becoming. We also get a healthy dose of vampire found family from Fin which I will always love.

The world building is great, the dark academia vibes just work, and the story never drifts into that land where it’s just school. There is always some action, some twist, something waiting at every turn to keep you on your toes and make you wonder who you can trust. Oh and everybody is morally grey, everybody. I have no complaints.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted eARC of this book. This is my honest review.