If you like dark found family fantasy books with morally gray characters than this is the book for you. This book has some great bits but I didn't adore it. I liked the queer elements and the way the author handles gender and identity in this without making it a big deal or the a characters only trait. The thing is this book just wasn't all that memorable. It was great while I read it but this isn't a book I'll still be thinking about and hyping up weeks or months from now.

I really enjoyed this book! At times, it did feel like two books in one because so much was going on, but Strickland carries you through the multiple plots with obvious respect for the reader. Fin is a delightful protag who feels real and complicated, as does the family she finds along the way. I enjoyed the fluidity of gender and sexuality present in the book, written as simple, lovely fact without overt emphasis-- by this, I mean that it didn't feel performative. Definitely worth picking up if you like stories with morally grey characters and a mysterious plot.

I am a sucker for vampire stories and this one offered quite a a bite!
In a world where humans and vampires live amongst each other, every winter the vampires arrive at villages to take a Foundling back with them to Castle Courtsheart. The Foundlings get to train and attend classes with the hopes of being turned into a vampire at the end and joining one of the houses. If they don't pass, they spend their life as a human thrall acting as a servant to the vampires. Fin offers herself up as a Foundling to save her love interest. She meets her unwilling vampire maker, Gavron, and discovers a mystery unfolding as bodies start turning up. Will she be able to solve the mystery of who is killing these Foundlings or will she be next?
The story offers romance, suspense, dark academia, and fight scenes. Queer romances are accepted and a normal part of this world which is wonderful.
I enjoyed Fin's story and how she evolved throughout the story.
This was a different take on a dark fantasy vampire story than what I've read previously and I did not see the end coming.
If you are a fan of vampire stories, do yourself a favor and read this book!
#CourtoftheUndyingSeasons #NetGalley

I haven't read a vampire novel in a long time but this one has bite.

I enjoyed it, but that's about the extent of my love for this book--I'll likely forget about it in a few months. But that's okay, because as I've read a few of this author's work before, I am invested enough to see what they will write next. Filled with blood, intrigue, and queer representation, A.M. Strickland delivers on the darkness, and think readers looking for that will be appreciative.

A strong step up from her "pseudo-Greek" previous novel.

Thoughts

Is this book in the running for best read of the year? No, not really. But I had a lot of fun while reading it. Sure, I wanted more than I got, but I'm not going to complain at the end of the day.

Pros
Atmosphere: The first thing that Strickland nails here is the atmosphere. The cold Nordic nights, the impoverished fishing village, and the rumbling vampire carriages that open up this novel play stark contrast to the flashy vampire fashions in their gilded court. The aesthetics are classic and fun. It's the perfect type of vampire landscape to get lost in.

Sorting Hat Book: Though a staple in YA, there's always something so fun about characters being sorted into "houses" or "courts" or "factions." Each court here has its unique alure, its talents, its skills. Sure, this has been done before, and it will be done again. But it's still fun to read, and it's been a bit since I've read a book like these. These "undying" houses have their mottos, their colors, and their communal personalities, and that's great. It's always nice to have a new magic school to latch onto.

Beasts of the Night: There are no vegetarian vampires here. The last few YA vampires I've read didn't have much bite, which is unfortunate. Bite is a big part of vampires, after all. But these vampires don't hold back. Sure, they're (usually) cordial to one another, but they're particularly anti-human. Humans are beneath them. Humans are food. And that sentiment doesn't change by the end. They don't "learn better." They use humans as cattle. They rip and tear without remorse. They do as vampires should. And I appreciated that.


Cons
Clunky Mechanics: Since I read an ARC copy, this issue very well might be fixed before the final version hits the shelves. It did affect my reading experience, however. A lot of the sentences felt less-than-polished. Wording was repetitive. Information was repeated. The sentence structure would be clunky, pulling me out of the story while I puzzled over what might have been meant. This is a fiddly critique, but it was still a detractor for me.

Vengeful Waif: Fin is a very archetypical character. Not that character archetypes are a bad thing. They exist for a reason. But this book definitely gives off A Court of Thorns and Roses vibes (in a bad way). Strickland builds on this character in new and different ways, sure, but Fin still channels many of her YA predecessors in a stereotypical and generic way. Which is also unfortunate.

Mercurial Emotions: Character relationships shift so, so quickly. Romantic entanglements happen fast. Admiration becomes something more in the blink of an eye. And vice versa: any hint of betrayal ("betrayal" being a rather melodramatic term here) means that romantic attachment disappears. Death threats are imminent. I get it, to some extent. They're vampires or soon-to-be vampires. Things work differently for them, and I definitely don't need a slow burn. But the ups-and-downs, twists-and-turns here were so sudden and sharp that it was exhausting.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy will enjoy this fresh take on vampire schooling. Those who enjoyed Elissa Sussman's Stray will love the dark entanglements of this court intrigue.

I love that vampires are really having their moment right now. I think I have read maybe...three or four YA arcs that have vampires in them, and they were all pretty good! Vampires always remind me of the frenzy surrounding Twilight, so it's always fun to get new vampire stuff. I don't want to give too much away, because I was genuinely surprised by the villain/end reveal so I want y'all to have that same experience, but this was really fun! I liked it a lot. The characterizations were also so good, each character felt well-realized and believable. My only gripe with this story was that, even though the whole thing was good, the ending was definitely an information dump and a lot of telling not showing.
Overall, a fun take on romantic vampires that gives the cozy familiarity of the trope with well-written, fresh moments. With well-done characters and a reveal/ending that genuinely surprised me, I would definitely recommend giving this a read when it comes out!

Vampires are definitely having a moment right now and this is a great addition! I loved it. It was a very cool story and I was very shocked by who the villain was. Fin's character is well thought out and wonderful. I love how much she grew in confidence and I especially love that she did that for her. Her trauma and responses made sense and the way she worked through them was done so well. I love the way the LGBT rep was done as well! There is tons of it and its all wonderful! Also I would fist fight Fin's ex-bestie in a waffle house parking lot.

I was absolutely absorbed into this epic dark fantasy. Personally, I've always felt a little different, weird even, and stories surrounding dark, twisty tales with creatures and magic, speak to my soul. I'm drawn like a moth to a flame when stumbling onto an author who looks beyond just the dark romantic legends, and crafts something so unabashedly their own. This story is exactly that. A slow burn that is completely unique and enthralling to the reader. If this is the start to a series, I need, More.

The author has stated they were also a fan of Anne Rice's works and you can feel it all throughout Fin's tale. As a fellow bookish teen who read many of the darker stories when I was too young to really understand all I was reading, I absolutely love finding authors who have similar history. I will be reading other titles from the author, I'm hooked!

I was rooting for our heroine Fin from the first description of her character, all the way through her finding her strength. Completely epic. I loved all the diverse representation and inclusion, as well. Queernormative hearts aflutter! Strickland not only created a well written story, but her atmospheric descriptions of the characters and plot made it easy to envision.

Thank you to A.M. Strickland for writing something that is sure to stay with me. I happily stayed up late, reading deep into the night, and would do so again in a heartbeat. Thank you to NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends for the opportunity to read and review this ARC ahead of publication. I have purchased a tangible copy so that I may return to this world to read again.

I really don't know how to feel about this book. I really loved some parts of it, but others felt kind of... I don't know... basic? Boring would be the wrong word, because this book is definitely very entertaining, but many elements and plot points were very predictable. It reminded me very much of some YA fantasy books from the early 2010s, but with queerness.

This was such a dark and romantic story full of all my favorite vampire tropes. The author did a great job of giving us a story that felt familiar through the known vampire lore but also fresh and new by writing such a loveable cast of queer characters. All the romances were swoon worthy, though did leave me wanting a bit more. The ending/explanation felt a bit like an info dump but overall this was a very enjoyable story packed with some of my favorite things (gay vampires).

I loved this book. I’ve missed vampire stories. I’m sure they’re out there, but no where near as many have been coming out as 10 years ago. I loved the world building here. I loved that it was also a murder mystery rolled into a fantasy romance. Jaen was my favorite character. I need to go back and reread this because I know I missed so many of the good little details. Highly recommend you grab this book!!

This one I just couldn't make it through. I tried a few times but it seems it just wasn't for me.

Will try again at a later date.

This book is awesome. The world building is amazing. The characters are wonderful. I didn't want to put it down.

I love this book. It’s a dark academia with mentor/student trope and found family. It has a slow build with lots of world building and a complex magic system.
Fin (MC) joins the Court of the Undying Season to save her best friend from the fate of becoming a vampire. Her mother had been chosen to join the court when Fin was very young and saw an opportunity to avenge herself for the loss of her mother. In comes Gavron, reluctant maker and friend to Fin. He quickly finds himself drawn in by this stubborn, tough novice that’s been thrust upon him. Throw in a heaping of vampire politics, a saucy best friend, a violent frenemy, and murder, and you have the recipe for a mighty good read.

Read COURT OF UNDYING SEASONS by A.M. Strickland if you love supernatural schools with houses, interesting vampire lore, genderf*ckery, an abundance of queerness, knives, blood, transformations, finding yourself, revenge, justice, cinnamon rolls who can kill you & surprises.

A dark & unpredictable vampire story with a unique magic system and a diverse cast of characters. It follows Fin as she’s taken from her village to the vampire court to learn their ways - if she succeeds, she becomes one of them, if not, she becomes a thrall. A vampire named Gavron becomes her soon-to-be maker and teaches her the ways of the mysterious Black Court. When humans and vampires start to turn up murdered, Fin sets out to discover the sinister reason behind it.

I thought the concept of having to learn different vampire skills before being turned was really interesting, as were the different courts with their unique abilities. I pretty much didn’t expect anything that happened toward the end and the twists were great. I liked Fin and Gavron, but I’m not sure if I was 100% sold on the romance. Nevertheless I would recommend this if you’re a fan of vampire books.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the ARC!

This book is the only thing that's been able to pull me out of my two-month-long book slump. Everything, from the characters to the plot, pulled me in and didn't let me go until well after I finished.

Fin's character development was very obvious and well-written. Her gradual transition from human to vampire was well done along with her developing relationships. I especially loved her scenes with Gavron, who may just be my new favorite book boyfriend. There were plot twists I didn't expect and a great ending.

5/5 stars!

This book was so freaking amazing. I can't even put it into words how good it was!! Please if you haven't you need to read this. ASAP run don't walk.

I just love vampire books and when I saw this on the list of books available on Netgalley for the Trans rights readathon I clicked it right away.
I'm so happy I did!
This book was dark and brutal and beautiful. I just loved all the relationships between the houses and the chemistry between Fin and Gavron.
Fin has been fighting her life just to survive. When They come for the Finding she sacrifices herself in her friends place. She's taken to their court and immediately tested. She's paired with Gavron who is handsome and helps her but then keeps staying away from her.
Fin has to take lessons so that she can pass tests to be accepted by the houses if not she will become a thrall and she really doesn't want that.
There are lessons, sword play, dead bodies, blood swapping, alliances, backstabbing, kisses, cool magical abilities and more.
Omg and Kashire is quite the character still not sure if I love them or hate them. Ok I love them.

Thank you macmillanusa for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review

4/5 stars for the book with a unique twist on the vampires we know.

How angsty is this book? A list of content warnings is posted on the book's GoodReads page - recommend checking that out before reading. There are dark themes, of course, and the MC has a lot of thoughts and feelings to work through, but mostly I was focused on the action of the story. For a book that is very wrapped up in the “Undying” and with a strong murder plot the angst doesn’t pull too hard. Personally, I had a hard time emotionally connecting with the MC as she definitely moved back and forth between ideas and feelings pretty quickly. I don’t think this detracts from the story because the plot was so engaging.

4/5 screams for the ending. The story moves itself along to an ending that feels familiar to the reader until you realize you aren’t that close to the end and then the book does a 180 and suddenly you know nothing about what’s going on - which was perfect for a book with a strong mystery plot. I loved how unpredictable it was.

How fast did I gobble this book? It moves in a way that keeps the reader consistently engaged.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like:
- Morally grey characters
- Murder mystery
- Magic/vampire school system
- Queer normative world

Overall, I thought this was a fun read. The author said, this book is the “most fun, escapist thing I’ve ever written,” and I can totally see it. The vampire culture, history, magic, and of course the entire school was just really cool and unique. I loved all the different houses and the details about what makes them special. The worldbuilding is interesting without feeling overwhelming or overburdening.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the incredible opportunity to read this book as an E-Arc.