I refuse to believe that this is the sequel to one of my favorite books of all time. Rin Chupeco is and has been an auto buy author for me but this just fell flat. I need time to process this. I just have no words.

I am very grateful to have been given the advanced copy of this much anticipated sequel to the hit Silver Under Nightfall a story with a highlight on polyamory relationships. The first book was very well written and left you wanting more, however I struggled chugging through this sequel and did not find myself as excited reading this finale.

The continuation and most satisfying conclusion to the story that began in Silver Under Nightfall is action-packed, full of intrigue, and a pleasure to read even though the fun parts have gotten a lot less descriptive.
Remy Pendergast going from a reluctant but highly effective vampire hunter to madly in love with two of the most powerful vampires in the land happens so organically that you don't doubt anyone's feelings. Seeing him find peace, support, and a place to call home with those he was raised to believe were horrible, unthinking beasts hit all my happy romance spots while still having the dark edge of danger that an all-out battle against evil needs.
Special props to Chupeco for creating a very accurate representation of a polyamorous relationship where they all interact differently depending on who they're with. It's cute to see Remy, Malekh, and Xiaodan show different sides of themselves.
I do think you need to read the first book to understand this one not just because it starts right where the last one left off, but many of the main character dynamics are straight from what happens in that one.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for the most excellent read!

Court of Wanders is the highly anticipated to sequel to Silver Under Nightfall. I loved Silver Under Nightfall. The characters, the action, the plot was top-tier. But the sequel was vastly different from it's predecessor. The storyline is confusing and characters are inconsistent. I was very excited for this ARC, but it fell flat for me.

DNF at 21%. One of my IG/Tiktok mutuals and another IG/Tiktok book reviewer that I respect deeply both had given this low ratings before publication. I was shocked, because one of them was the whole reason I picked up Silver Under Nightfall in 2023 and it was a five star read for me -- I literally got the Goldsboro SE, sold it because I was meh about the premise, and then was pissed because I read it and loved it. But all that aside, I have *no idea* what happened from SUN to this book, it's not even really the same story anymore? The banter and shining fantasy moments I *still* think about 16 months after reading SUN are completely missing from this book. I desperately wanted my mutuals to be wrong, but they're not. And I'm sad. :( Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Court of Wanderers is a sequel that dares to ask: What if we put everything good about the first book on the back burner and instead added in a bunch of unnecessary, poorly done worldbuilding and politics? (The answer is nothing good). I would describe this as a SJM-esque romantasy with queer and poly main characters, so if that’s your jam, maybe you’ll enjoy the whole duology. It is not my jam, and I would recommend stopping after book one.

My least favorite part of Silver Under Nightfall was by far the end fight, so it is unsurprising that I found the fight scenes to be poorly done, but on top of that a bunch of politics and worldbuilding was added that didn’t really make sense and felt silly to add in a last book. There was so much going on at all times but I couldn’t connect at all emotionally. A lot of stuff that was brought up was also brought up for the first time in the same chapter it was resolved which lessened the stakes significantly for me. I felt no tension in any of this book and was just waiting to start caring.

The biggest issue I have with this book was the complete 180 one character made between books one and two (which was weird especially considering this one picks up right where book one ends). Every time this character was shown in a positive light and Remy interacted with them in, I wanted to be sick. The development was incredibly poor and nothing they had done previously done that could’ve redeemed them this much. I cannot go into spoilers, but if you know you know and it’ll probably make you angry too.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Remy and the Night Empress and found it to be incredibly compelling. While I have some issues with how the Night Empress was depicted, their interactions were raw and had the most emotional impact. I also enjoyed Malekh a lot in this book, but found myself wanting to see the development of his and Remy’s relationship beyond just sex. Where Silver Under Nigthfall had great relationship dynamics, Xiodan, Remy, and Malekh’s relationship relied too heavily on sex in general during this one. There was no forward motion with their relationship, just sex. It was disappointing to see especially since their relationship was my favorite part of book one.

It’s always disappointing when a really enjoyable book has a disappointing sequel, but I would still recommend reading Silver Under Nightfall as a standalone. Where this book fell flat, that one really did excel.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc

It pains me to have to say this book did nothing for me. If not for receiving the ARC, I may well have DNF’d. Personally, it feels like a wholly unnecessary sequel. There doesn’t seem to be anything in it that couldn’t have been wrapped up in the first book, apart from the redemption arc.

I did enjoy the relationship dynamic at the start. It was nice to see Remy and Malekh find their stride separate from Xiaodan. It made the relationship feel more cohesive instead of both men existing in separate bubbles with Xiaodan pulling them together. I also liked getting to see the other courts and learn more about the wider world and politics.

The biggest let down for me was the pacing. I spent most of the book waiting for the plot to ‘start’ even as things were happening. There were also several points that felt like they could be an end but it kept going, which made it feel like it was dragging even more.

The very end felt incredibly tidy and I don’t think it gave the emotional weight that was potentially intended. It read as ‘this is all a big misunderstanding’ that was pretty easily forgiven. In that way I think it undermines some of the tougher feelings grappled with in the first book.

As a whole it’s not a terrible book. I guess I just fail to see what it was meant to accomplish beyond that one arc.

I really enjoyed this! It was definitely more politics heavy than the first book but i enjoyed seeing the other courts and seeing the vampire rulers of other groups. Remy is the best and I love him so much, he is a major himbo and it makes me so happy. I really enjoyed how this story wrapped up and I think that Xiaodan, Malek and Remy are the absolute best.

I’ll start by saying that I adore Remy, Xiaodan and Malekh and would reread this series for them. However, I did come away from this book feeling like something was missing, and felt I needed more character POVs to understand their relationships and character growth. Would’ve loved to hear their inner monologues or private conversations to understand their decisions better.

This book focuses heavily on the politics and has a LOT of world building, but then sped through some of the relationship building I so loved in book 1! I think I would’ve preferred a character-driven rather than plot-driven story if there aren’t more books intended for this series. I almost hope there’s at least a novella (or several?) to give us more about the characters.

Similarly, I would’ve liked getting to know the other courts we’re introduced to, and POV from Remy’s father given some sudden character changes that could’ve used with some further explaining. In all I think things were tied together too quickly to move the story along and in doing so lost some of that connection with the characters themselves.

I’m so sad I’m not giving this book 5 stars, but I’ll still recommend Silver Under Nightfall.

Thank you Net Galley and Saga Press Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

After much anticipation, I was delighted to read the follow up to 2022’s Silver Under Nightfall Court of Wanderers was a thrilling continuation.

I am so sad I didn’t love this, because Silver Under Nightfall is a favorite of mine.

The first half of the book was decent, with good banter between Remy and Malhekh. The relationship is the only saving grace, but without the same tension from the first book. Remy was too self-deprecating the entire book, I think as a way to add some drama into the relationship. That being said, the relationship was the only thing that kept me interested enough to keep reading. Most of the plot is court politics, but badly done. A ton of new characters are introduced from different courts, but are not well developed, so it was extremely hard to tell them apart. All of the battle scenes are short and too easily resolved. The science aspect is kind of left by the wayside. Overall was extremely disappointed after loving the first book.

***Thank you to Saga Press for providing a copy of Court of Wanderers via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I think a lot of people who enjoyed the monster hunter vibes of Silver Under Nightfall will be extremely disappointed with Court of Wanderers. There wasn't nearly as much action in this book, and the mutated creatures that featured prominently in the first story did not have as much of a role to play in this one. Instead, the emphasis was on vampire court politics and the mysteries behind the return of the First Court. I enjoyed those aspects of the book, though, at least until we got the answers. It was all unnecessarily complex, and the slow pace throughout really took some work to muddle through.

That being said, I enjoyed the additions to the world-building in Court of Wanderers. I loved the history of the vampire courts and all of their political squabbling. The lack of depth to the courts was one of my main misgivings about the first book, and it was definitely remedied here. I also enjoyed how much perspective the additional information gave about the events of the first story. So much of the vampire lore was tangled up in Remy's history in ways I didn't expect. I just wish it had come together in a way that wasn't so convoluted. I'm not sure if the lack of clarity was a product of bad writing, plot holes, or both.

Other than all the cool lore, my favorite thing about Court of Wanderers was the characters and their relationships. Remy's arc of learning to accept being loved was given more depth, and the polyamorous trio were fantastic together. It was such a caring, loving relationship, and I adored all the scenes with them together. The tense dynamic from the first book blossomed into a truly beautiful and reciprocal relationship. Remy also had a bit of an identity crisis and had to make big decisions about his future. He learned a lot about his heritage and even had a reckoning with his father. The other characters didn't have quite as much depth, but I still enjoyed them, too.

All in all, Court of Wanderers was a very different book from its predecessor. In some ways that was good, and in others it was not. The slow pace, decrease in action, and borderline incomprehensible resolution of the plot will likely put some people off. I was totally there for the vampire politics and the great polyamorous rep, though, and did enjoy those aspects of the book. I would love to get more stories in this world, and I will definitely be re-reading this duology to see if I can make a bit more sense of all the twists and how everything fits together. Therefore, I give Court of Wanderers a rating of 3.25 out of 5 stars.

I’m being generous with 3.25 stars to be honest. It pains me to say that because I loved Silver Under Nightfall so much and I’ve told so many people to read it! and I still will…but as a stand-alone

The first half of this sequel wasn’t too bad, I was enjoying the banter between Remy and Malekh a lot. It was a tad spicier (still relatively closed door or just not graphic) but we do head into kink territory! The throuple relationship truly is the one saving grace in this book. However there wasn’t a ton more development persay, and there definitely wasn’t the same tension here from the first book.

I had such a hard time following this plot. There were a lot of new characters from different vampire courts introduced, but none of them felt distinct from each other so I couldn’t keep track of who was who and where their political loyalties were. It felt like there were multiple kind of plot twists (for lack of a better word) happening and the plot got really convoluted. I love political fantasies, but this was poorly done because it moved very slow and felt like a really different world almost from the first book. Idk there was a lot of new world building which seems strange for the second book in a duology.

The action scenes, which were so fun to read in the first book, in this were sparse and very quick. Every conflict seemed to be resolved too easily (this was a bit of my critique in the first book as well, but was exacerbated here). Monsters like weren’t the focus anymore??

It also definitely could’ve been at least 100 pages shorter.

Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Dementia, Genocide, War, Sexual content, Colonisation, and Death
Minor: Abandonment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship (discussed from a side characters past)

Overly excited to see this e-arc show up on my kindle! Although half way through the hype sorta died down for me.
The majority of the plot lines felt out of place for me, there was almost zero build up or set up from book one so these scenes felt completely odd to me. I loved the character dynamics of the relationship between Remy, Malekh, and Xiaodan. I do love a good smutty scene, for some reason, the pacing of those scenes were too much and added no value to the plot.
Scenes that should have seamlessly advanced the plot instead felt out of place, failing to captivate me as book 1 did.
Despite these shortcomings, there was one aspect of the book that managed to shine: the dynamic relationships between Remy, Malekh, and Xiaodan. This trio's interactions are no exception. Remy, You deserve everything!
Overall this was a fairly decent ending to the duology. I will miss these characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

When I tell you this was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, I am not exaggerating! Silver Under Nightfall was one of my favorite reads of 2023 and when Court of Wanders was delivered to my mailbox, I’m pretty sure I squealed! It has everything you could ever want in a fantasy novel - epic battles, dangerous adventures, VAMPIRES, doom worthy mysteries, heartfelt emotion, lovable characters, mayhem, PIGEONS, comedic relief, romance….oh and did I mention VAMPIRIC PIGEONS!!! As someone who is obsessed with both pigeons and vampire books - this duology is a must read!!

🫶 Found Family
🧛🏻‍♂️ Vampires
🧬 Mutating Genes
🖤 Polyamorous Romance
🗺️ Adventure
🔍 Mystery
❤️‍🩹 Emotional
📜 Politics
⚔️ Action
💀 Gothic Epic Fantasy

I absolutely loved this just as much as the first and cannot wait to see what Rin Chupeco will come up with next!

Thank you so much to Saga Press for the advanced copy!

3/5

Thank you so much to Saga Press and Netgalley for providing me with the eARC. All opinions are honest and my own.

This is the sequel to Silver Under Nightfall and one of my most anticipated reads of this year. I was absolutely ecstatic when I was approved for the ARC. Unfortunately this just didn’t pack the punch that its prequel had.

This book is rather heavy on the Court politics, which is quite the deviation from its predecessor. While some of the action retained the dynamic imagery and scene writing that I loved about the first book, most of the action scenes felt messy. The politics also felt messy, not inherently because of the writing, but because of the lack of set-up from the first book. It honestly felt like I was reading a different duology sometimes. The worldbuilding just doesn’t quite match. Or there was just too much worldbuilding in this book for a world that was largely built already.

The relationship between Remy, Malekh, and Xiaodan was one of the best parts of Silver Under Nightfall, driving the story with their interplay. However, it feels like that tension and complexity was lost in this book, replaced by ill-timed sex scenes (not poorly written, just out of place and overdone). The excitement from the first book had also disappeared into thin air by this point, and new characters were introduced as an afterthought.

Despite its flaws, I did enjoy diving back into this world and seeing their evolving relationship dynamic. And while the politics felt messy, it wasn’t confusing. I truly loved the prequel (gave it 5 stars), and just really wanted to love this one too.

Honestly, I'd recommend treating Silver Under Nightfall as a standalone. Or maybe treat this one as a standalone since comparison seems to be the root of all disappointment.

Rin Chupeco is one of my favorite authors! The way they weave this romance, the intricate world building and political intrigue, and the funny banter is hilarious. Absolutely adored this one !!!

This book was definitely one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and I am more than thankful to have gotten an ARC of this book. Truthfully it held true to many of the aspects that made Silver Under Nightfall so good including the inclusion of polyamorous relations, action, 3 dimensional characters, and the use of politics as a means to drive the story forward. And at moments it had me feeling all sorts of emotions ranging from sadness to pure joy at just what transpired in the story. As what can I say Xiaodan, Malekh, and Remy are just so entertaining to watch as they go on their adventures. Truly the only thing I can knock this work for is that I felt that the godflame was kind of a ass pull at times and wish it was done better. I don't know it kinda just left a sour taste but it did also add to the shock value of the story so this conniption might just be a me thing who knows.

I liked the action. I liked the family interaction for Remy. His parents were not all bad. Still do not care for the thrumple.

3.5 rounded up to 4. While not having quite the same bite as its predecessor, Court of Wanderers was a decent close to this Castlevania-inspired duology.