It’s just okay. There’s really nothing about Court of the Undying Seasons that makes it stand out. It’s off to a strong start in the beginning but quickly falls apart because it’s so redundant.
If this book had been published a year or two ago, I think it could have been a hit. It checks all the boxes of tropes and cliches. ACOTAR is a good comp… but Court of the Undying Seasons lacks the character development and slow burn that makes ACOTAR so popular.

A human girl forced to become a vampire apprentice in a world in which humans are taken into the court of vampires and trained to become part of one of the five different houses and eventually a vampire themself. Fin is a 19 year old who volunteers in the place of their crush when vampires come to select the human that would be taken back to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students study and train to become vampires or fail and end up as human thralls... or get killed off. Fin absolutely hates vampires but thinks what shes doing is to save her crush... only to realize that she has been sorely mistaken. Fin’s one mission now is to learn how to kill vampires and get revenge for her mother who was taken years ago by vampires. Yet Fin finds herself barely surviving due to not only her stubbornness over being forced to study to become a vampire but her complicated relationship and feelings for her handsome and hostile vampire maker Gavin. It doesn’t help that there is a killer killing off humans from each house and Fin is determined to find out who it is... but something much darker is going on and a ritual is underfoot. She’ll have to hone her skills and unravel the secrets of the courts if she wants to make it out alive. I adored the author’s previous books, in fact, they were both 5 stars from me, and I was excited to read this one but it fell flat and completely missed the mark for me. It had everything I would normally love: vampires, queer individuals, court/academia setting, enemies to lovers, murder mystery... and I still like it. Fin is irritating, let me just say that, I disliked her and honestly found some of her decisions to be so dumb that I have to constantly remind myself: she’s 19 she’s young its FINE. (Its not). She wants revenge but gives it up like 25% into the story???? Then there was the whole “romance” with Gavin and that didn’t even work for me, seriously what was that. They dont have any chemistry, and honestly I would have preferred if she ended up with Marai instead, at least they had chemistry and actually made sense as. a couple. The mystery was meh, and the whole arc of Fin’s character journey and progression to becoming a vampire was lackluster. Seriously, i was so disappointed i didn’t like this one. Despite this review, I will be reading the author’s future works, I loved their previous works so maybe the next book will be a better fit for me. Overall, if you’re into a vampire school setting with a student falling for their mentor ( a la Vampire Academy sort of) with court politics and a murder mystery, give this one a go, maybe it’ll be right for you.

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an ARC. Here is my voluntary review:

I enjoyed Strickland's Court of the Undying Seasons so fully, that I'm ready for my reread now. I love the depth of the vampire lore and how it's carefully set up like a school so vampires are not created so fast, but in time. Those that don't make it...horrific and I love it and it kept me on the edge of my seat as Fin worked to figure out who was murdering off the vampires.

I'm entirely unsurprised that I loved this book. It's got vampires and Strickland's amazing character work and work building. It's a complex plot, twisted relationships and friendships, and so much heart. I love the mix of angst with passion and sexual/gender freedom. I wish there wasn't a villain monologue that uncovered the entire plot toward the end, but despite that, I really did love it.

Fin is a strong character with complex emotions and connections. Her motivations were always clear and made sense to me. Her complicated feelings for her friends and family made her an easy to care for character. While I loved Gavron as a broody outsider among the vampires, I never felt like I understood him that well. I wish there was more proof of their affection for one another (i'm not talking spice-i'm talking simple everyday things). A lot of the time it seemed like blood was the only thing they liked about one another. I know that's not true, but seeing more proof of that would have been nice.

The only other thing I have to say is Kash and Jaen and Marai are amazing side characters! honestly, adored them! As always, it is the characters I will miss with Strickland's books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I was not a fan. This is an perfect example of stellar idea, bad execution. Both the characters and the plot weren’t anything special, outside the open LGBT rep.

I could not take the writing style seriously and dialogue was very juvenile - for 19+ year olds (and vampires), they spoke like 15 year olds. The world building was also very confusing; I don’t mind info dumping but this was even too much for me.

Thank you, Macmillan Childern's Publishing Group, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Nothing against this book but it wasn't for me. I do like a good vampire story but this one was not for me. I didn't really connect with the characters. The writting was geared towards Young Adults. I didn't really understand the courts.

Amazing worldbuilding with dark twists, COURT OF THE UNDYING SEASONS is a riveting story about finding oneself in the shadowy places in this world. Great set of diverse characters, too!

It's 2023. I need more vampire books. This book came into my NetGalley account exactly when I needed it. I am so glad I got an ARC of Court of the Undying Seasons! I love A.M. Strickland's writing. This was such a unique example of the vampire myth and I found myself so curious about the world. I was absolutely sucked in, I can't wait to be able to recommend this to people!

I have bee a fan of A.M. Strickland's other works and I have also obtained ARC's for them. I enjoyed them and as an asexual reader, she has been among a select few that write books within my spectrum.

With this book, I knew I was going in with vampires and more or less a Shadow and Bone vibe. Yet, I think that's what kind of destroyed this book and made it absolutely a chore to read. I only made it to 80% where I knew I didn't care how the book ended, I just wanted it to end.

I feel that on one hand the main character is strong and determined, she became way too attached and abandoned her mission of getting revenge by 25% into he book. Her and Gavron are probably up there in terms of Edward and Bella of how much they talk about wanting to stay away from one another but hilariously and annoyingly keep coming back to simp for one another.

The plot itself is very so-so and it leans heavily on the fact that 'vampires are sexual, therefore, lets give the reader lots of swoony moments'. So the agency (and also the motivation for the main character) takes a bad seat. I started skimming 60%ish into the book and by 80% I abandoned it.

While it started out strong, it became a chore and one slight on the writers list of books. I still enjoy and like her other two books but I really think this one is a mess in terms of plot.

This book was incredibly lush and magical! I adored the darkness that Strickland was able to impart in this novel while keeping the MC enjoyable to read and the magic understandable.

Thank you MacMillan Children’s Lublishikng for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be released May 16,2023

Welcome to another vampire book but this time it is not sparkly vampires, cringey angst or over the top questionable ethics of romances betwixt immortals and teenaged girls.

This is a book I would buy and give to myself and say read it. The vampires aren’t gross. Yes there is romance but it is brutal. It is high stakes edge of your seat. There’s mystery in it. Honestly it’s the first vampire book I have enjoyed in a really long time.

Now this was totally different from the normal. I fell in love with it! I think this was amazing.
I just reviewed Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland. #CourtoftheUndyingSeasons #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL

Court of the Undying Seasons is a really unique take on vampires -- pairing that with a murder mystery slant is a dream! I really enjoyed the pace and digestibility of this novel -- and the that twist had me literally gasping aloud.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC.

Ah, I love A.M. Strickland! This book did not disappoint! It's gay, romantic, vampire, and dark academia...so perfection. The storytelling and world building was done really well BUT I wish there would have been more details on the classes and courts and some characters because I feel like they could have been fleshed out better. Overall, this book was intriguing and exciting from the start and I loved it.

This book was great. Very romantic and very gay (in a good way). I'm a sucker for a good vampire story and dark academia and this was a delicious blend of both. Highly recommended.

This was such a fun read!

As an avid vampire genre lover, I can see the author’s similar adoration all throughout this book. There’s traditional gothic elements and some nu-goth vibes scattered throughout, as well as a twist on academia with the Courts and their specialties. It checked so many boxes for what I love about vampire novels! And NO COFFINS!

While it took a bit for the mystery/true conflict to settle in, that time was spent giving us amazing characters like Kashire (he’s my absolute favorite, hands down). Gavron is such a morally grey, conflicted pretty boy, and the way his and Fin’s dynamic kept shifting was so interesting. The queer aspects were not some big revelation - they were simply there, unbothered, and accepted in stride with the storytelling. I appreciated that immensely as a member of the queer community.

I wanted a deeper dive into the classes and Courts themselves, which would have fleshed out the world more. The pacing was a tiny bit rushed in some places; the classes, the romance, the insight into Fin’s growth and struggles - all things which could’ve added to the reader’s emotional connection with the main character as a whole. Some of the mind reading rules blurred, and things Fin thought should have caused more problems, but that isn’t a huge dealbreaker for me.

Overall, I absolutely recommend Court of the Undying Seasons! I finished it in a day and a half because I simply couldn’t put it down. It’s a great YA read, and I would devour an entire series of this if possible!

“Family is what you carve with your teeth”

What a world! A great read if you enjoy vampires and academia. I personally loved each house motto and emblem (beautiful work). This story follows Fin, a sad scrap of a girl in a tiny, rundown village. She sacrifices herself to train with the vampires so that her friend and secret love can live. However she soon realizes her mistake (and gets her heart broken).

Along the way to the city, she encounters monsters and death. She vows to take down vampires but soon realizes her mission in life involves something else entirely.

There are some good twists and turns in the story, and I enjoyed all the different powers a vampire can do besides just being fast and strong. Shapeshifting is a great talent but I really enjoyed the idea of changing faces. What a clever skill to have. We have heard of misting and shadow shifting from stories such as ACOTAR so they aren’t as unique.

Some characters you meet along the way include:
Kastire: a crazy, hilarious vampire set on creating chaos
Gavron: sexy, dark, mysterious. Throughout the novel you love him, hate, love him. It’s complex
Revar: very intelligent. And kind.
Claudia: the epitome of vampire royalty, rude and aloft. Uncaring of how humans are treated.
Marai: daring and strong. She stays a true friend though out the book and helps Fin be herself.
Jaen: smart and kind (of course he/she was trained by Revar). A great balance in the group.

All in all, a thrilling ride.

HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T HOLY SHI*T


okay okay, so we all know I LOVE A.M. Strictland but this was phenomenal!!!!!

This book follows Fin who despises vampires with every fiber of her being. Every year vampires go to six villages and one of the children up to 19 is chosen. Fin sees that her only friend is going to be chosen and she goes instead, planning to kill vampires once she gets the chance. The plot thickens from there and there is romance, stabbing, and so much more!!!!! (lots and lots of stabbing...)

The characters were everything!!! KASHIRE KASHIRE KASHIRE KASHIRE!!!!!! I literally love that man so freaking much. I was obsessed with the characters, Jaen, Marai, KASHIRE, Gavron, and Fin, they all made their way into my heart. (Especially Kashire...) I loved the different dynamics between the characters. Fin and Kashire's had me laughing so hard at times, Fin and Gavron had me screaming. I couldn't get enough of these characters.

If you've loved an A.M. Strickland before you will LOVE this. It had me desperate to reread In the Ravenous Dark (which I might do, ngl). If you love dark fantasy and crave a good vampire story, you will devour this just as I did. Check the trigger warnings, though! There are quite a few!

Anyway 5/5 absolutely loved this, A.M. Strictland never disappoints!!

Trigger 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 my first book by this particular author and I had a lot of expectations for this book. The cover is gorgeous and the premise really stood out sounding promising and something that could hold my attention long enough to the very end.


This book was well worth the pick and I was unable to put the book down until the very end. The characters and the world were so dark and twisted that I loved it. I enjoy that these things draw you in and you feel like you are part of the story just off to the side watching as the book plays out. I love when characters are so well-written and the world-building is everything. These are the type of books that you will enjoy and be pulled into the story until the very end. I know I cannot offer any spoilers but know you will love Kashire.

Attention author, please do a book for him! A lot of us would love you!


<I>I want to take this moment to thank Netgalley, the author, and Feiwel & Friends for the chance to read this book before its release. This review is my own opinion and I am not paid for it.</i>