This was a really fun slow burn bisexual poly vampire lock-room escape type fantasy with a strong willed, vengeful FMC that will do anything to escape and survive. I do wish there was a little more depth to the love interest and romance but overall this was a story of self preservation from being the main course in a feast of the vampire court whilst unravelling the mysteries of the fortress in which she’s trapped in

The Hunter’s Gambit by Ciel Pierlot is a dark fantasy novel that plunges you into a world of aristocratic vampires and a gripping locked-room escape adventure.
The story centers around Kazan Korvic, a skilled blacksmith with a vendetta against vampires.
Kazan must navigate a treacherous environment to reclaim her stolen weapon and escape before a lavish feast!

Kazan's interactions with other characters, particularly the vampires, are tense and charged with emotion. Kazan’s ability to adapt and think on her feet makes her a formidable protagonist. She is not a traditional hero, but her flaws and fierce will to survive make her relatable and compelling.

The plot serves as a cat and mouse game, with a fraught and suspenseful atmosphere, the constant threat of violence and betrayal lurking around every corner.

Overall, The Hunter’s Gambit offers a thrilling and darkly captivating experience, perfect for fans of vampire lore and intense fantasy adventures.
Thank you to @cielpierlot and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this amazing Arc

I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it fell really flat for me. I found the characters rather two dimensional and the plot left me wanting so much more. I have a lot of questions and wanted so much more from what was a great premise.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Angry Robot for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

Although I loved this author's first book I found it difficult to get through this one, I was initially intrigued by the idea of vampires but I just didn't enjoy how it was executed. As I only read 56% I didn't feel like continuing until the end.

This book was honestly weird to me personally. I don't necessarily see the parallels made between this and Twilight.
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I spent most of this book utterly confused. And I'm not sure what I think of it. I didn't dislike it, but I can't exactly say I liked it either.
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This book came out a couple of months ago, and I've only just gotten around to reading it, which I feel a little bit bad about. I enjoyed the writing style, and the way the characters were written and developed. I'm just not sure I was fully on board with the plot. I think the issue is primarily that the book wasn't to my taste and not really to do with the book.
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Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

I wasn't keen on the main character, the dialogue was lacking depth and the pace of the book wasn't as I'd expected

▸⭐ 4.5/5
▸🌶️ 2/5
▸ genre: fantasy

The Hunter's Gambit is a standalone and let me tell you about how exciting it was for me! I haven't read a lot of vampire books and this was a good one, where the vampires are the bad guys (but sexy) 🧛 and the fmc is morally grey and a survivor. It's interesting because she lies constantly to others, but then she doesn't lie to herself in the sense that she knows that she is a bit cold hearted and selfish. The premise was intriguing because I hadn't read anything similar yet and the book was packed with action left and right. I was always waiting to see what would happen next and really enjoyed the quick pace of the book - most of the book is over a span of a few days and in the vampire's stronghold. You get to see how the fmc feels and changes throughout her 3 days at the castle.

There is minor "romance," and to be honest, it was more like lust than true romance. Nonetheless, I wanted more, but also understand what environment she was in. I adored the good vampires and wanted more from their pov or to learn more about them! I was just a tad disappointed in Kazan as she made things a bit messy towards the end, but things happened due to mistrust and I understand that that is a part of her character also. I didn't quite love the ending, because the book ended on a slow and lukewarm note, which was such a huge contrast to the majority of the story so I felt like I was ending the race at a snail's pace. I appreciate the quick and "to the point" parts of the book, but also find myself wishing the book was a bit longer. Mainly because I wouldn't mind knowing more details about certain aspects of the story and the characters, because although I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I didn't have an unhealthy obsession with the main characters after finishing. 🤣

I received this as an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Please check trigger warnings!

TLDR: Interesting plot with a quick pace and loaded with action so I enjoyed it, but didn't have an unhealthy obsession with the characters.

There's a lot of potential and I loved the beginning. After the first part I felt a bit bored and wasn't a huge fan of the end.
I will try to read again in the future.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the third book I’ve read recently featuring vampires and I’m pleased to say this was my favorite of the bunch (which is saying a lot since the others were fantastic too!) The Hunter’s Gambit gives us the classic vampires, the ones who tear humans apart and feed from them, not the sparkly ones that will bring you teddy bears and feed you soup when you’re sick. ⁣
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Kazan is a human locked in a house with hungry vampires and she has 3 days to escape, lest she be dinner. I loved the trapped feeling this book gave me and the overall feeling of impending doom as we wait and see if Kazan will remain alive. There’s also a fair bit of romance and spice, which I enjoyed, making this an overall fun and exciting read. Definitely pick this series up if you enjoy:⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣⁣➽ Vampires ⁣
⁣⁣⁣➽ Locked room mystery⁣
⁣⁣⁣➽ Morally grey characters ⁣
⁣⁣⁣➽ Spicy romance ⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣➽ Impending feeling of doom and gloom

"The Hunter's Gambit" by Ciel Pierlot is a wild ride through a vampire-infested world with a twisty plot and morally grey characters. Kazan, our cunning and deceptive protagonist, navigates this dark landscape with a flair for lying and surviving against all odds. The political intrigue and unpredictable alliances kept me hooked from start to finish.

If you're looking for a romance, you might want to look elsewhere. While there’s a spicy scene and some bisexual vampires, the focus is more on action, adventure, and the unpredictable nature of the vampire world. This book is perfect for fans of dark fantasy and those who love a strong, untrustworthy lead character. Dive in for a fun and thrilling read!

“Why are these Vampires so Mormon?”

The dedication immediately piqued my interest. However the book fell short of what it could have been. The pacing is well-balanced, but could have used more world building. It has twists and turns, and I enjoyed the shock factor, but I was still left longing for more.

✔️Vampires

Kazan had good character development, but I was looking for more change from our FMC by the end. Overall, a decent vampire book.

Overall, This book is a good read. Fans of Vampire fantasy will enjoy this and I would recommend this to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. It had a good premise but it was not the story for me. The world was very interesting but I was pushing myself to continue rather than wanting to. It was just not connecting to me.

I’m so sad that I didn’t love this as much as I thought I would. The idea of vampires, and not the domesticated sparkly kind, is so intriguing!

Our MFC is a blacksmith who gets herself captured by a group of vampires whilst on the road to the next village to sell one of her swords. These vampires are giving her three days of being treated like their queen, before times up and they feed on her.

And although the premise, and the world building was something I usually gobble up, there was something missing. I felt myself constantly losing attention and my interest in the outcome of the character was drifting away. As a mood reader this could be a case of to trying this book at the wrong time.

Thanks NetGalley for an arc coly in exchange for an honest review!

Did not finish but got through 50%, needed more world building, the premises was interesting but it fell flat for me, it was difficult to get into without getting bored unfortunately, I think it needed to be more fast paced with more character development of current characters rather than introducing lots of new characters. I have read lots of vampire books but sadly this fell flat for me. I liked the blood magic explored but wish the side plots were less confusing

Ver fun and fast read filled with vampires!!

Our FMC, Kazan, is a blacksmith who sells swords and weapons made to kill vampires. One day she gets ambushed and kidnapped by vampires and taken to their court, where she is forced to be their queen. Her being queen may sound nice but these vampires plan to sacrifice her and use her blood. Being in the court with a bunch of vampires who want to kill her, Kazan must find a way out and escape.
Overall rating: 4/5
I did enjoy the book but there were a few things that I wish were explained better and I wish that the book was longer hahah

I’m a little late to my review, but I am so happy to have received this book. I went and purchased the published book bc this book was everything to me. So happy to have gotten to read this book before all the readers thank tou

Thank you to angry robot and net alley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a afun take on the typical vampire story and, if this was to continue, I think short, novella type tales of life before Kazan or between kings/queens would be a great addition. The world itself is intriguing and the pacing and writing enjoyable. With that being said the romance is what let this book down as, while the reader is led to believe that there is an insane chemistry between the three main characters I found this to be incredibly lacking. I did enjoy Reyes though.

Thank you for providing me with an ARC copy of this book. This book has an interesting set up and story. I liked that the main character was a blacksmith who forged their own sword that can kill vampires as this is not something I’ve read elsewhere. I enjoyed the world building and thought that overall it was a good read. Was slightly rushed in places and would have liked a little more information but overall a good book.

I ended up DNFing this book about half way through. I could not get past the FMC's pathological lying. I really wanted to like this book but just couldn't.

Thank you NetGalley and Ciel Pierlot for the chance to read this. I might try in a few months to give it another shot and see if I can get further.

Struggled to get into this one, unfortunately! I loved the concept of someone crafting weapons to kill vampires ending up becoming their queen and sacrifice, but didn’t think the build up was a strong as it could have been.

Lots of interesting characters, but not enough to grip me. I would recommend it for those who enjoy books like The Foxglove King, which mix romance and threat with an outspoken and feisty main character. Also if you’re here for something spicy, tense and bloodthirsty I’d definitely recommend picking this up.