I really wanted to enjoy this book. I was so captivated by the description that I dove right in. I feel like it could have been a fabulous story if the execution were refined. The story was rushed, the characters didn’t feel well developed, and I wanted more. Sometimes it felt like things happened just for the sake of having some filler, when there was an opportunity to build the back story instead.

Honestly was stoked to get this early read, but unfortunately it fell flat to me. The idea was excellent in theory, but the whole story left me craving for more. More adventure, more spice, more romance. Overall, not a bad read, I just wanted more.

I absolutely love the premise of this book and it only taking place over a span of three days. The FMCs unreliableness added so much to the book and she always had me questioning what she was actually going to do with her situation. I can't wait to see what else the author will publish in the future!

I am quite saddened to give this 2⭐️ to be honest, considering I was really excited and looking forward to this vampire novel.

Honestly, the start was good, I did like it. Everything just went downhill after Kazan became the so-called vampire queen and the poor executive storyline of the vampire characters.

I would say the plot development and characters were lacking. It lacked that vampire feel to it, the mysteriousness of the character and the intrigued of the vampire content as well as the background or supporting details to make it convincing.

I would say I'm disappointed in how the 60% of the novel went. The potential was wasted. Kazan was disappointing, I was expecting more of her the same with Adrius. I could also say the same with Dasar and Ezelind.

Overall, it was honestly disappointing.

I requested a copy of the ARC from the publisher, ANGRY ROBOT BOOKS, and was approved in exchange for an honest review. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.

There were two things in the book description that caught my eye about THE HUNTER'S GAMBIT: vampires and locked-room escape adventure. I just had to read it. As soon as I cracked it open and read the dedication, I knew I'd made the right choice.

The day I started this one, I meant to just read the first chapter, get an initial impression of the story and the author's writing style, but when I looked up, I had read 6 chapters! Ciel Pierlot wrote this as if she herself is a vampire: I was just as curious and fascianted as Kazan with her chance encounter with Adrius De Vere, the aristocratic vampire in the city to conduct a mysterious business transaction. I was mesmerized by the subtle attraction and building tension between the two, their banter and playful jibes. When Kazan finds herself a captive of the Vampire Court and only 3 days left to live - I was completely hooked! Kazan is a character that is resourceful, uses the power of her mind and takes inspired action.

Almost the entirety of our tale takes place inside the Citadel, a powerful vampire stronghold. The author keeps readers from getting bored with Kazan running circles around the castle, looking for a way to escape with some magnificently written moments, or scenes. I wouldn't describe Ciel Pierlot's style as purple prose, I feel it's very accessible and easy to follow, but she has some moments where she describes with crystalline detail of what's happening to deliver intense impact. There was one chapter where I reread the same 2 paragraphs 5-6 times because it was so insanely good. (It's the beginning of Chapter 30 for any wondering.)

Now I'm sure you noticed in the genre list that romance is listed, so I do feel compelled to give my opinion on the level of spice in this book. It ranks as a level 2 on my Spice Rating scale, which means there were 1-2 descriptive intimate scenes and mild language. I was a little surprised it was so mild since the dedication in the beginning threw a little shade at the Twilight series.

What makes this book stand out from the countless others I've read containing vampires is the reason behind this game of crowning a Vampire King or Queen every year and the blood magic invoked and practiced by the vampires.

I had such a great time with this one. I've already purchased the other book published by this author, Bluebird, so keep an eye out for that review in the coming months!

3.5 ⭐️
I enjoyed the main 3 characters within this book. I was invested in their relationship and enjoyed the build up to it. I liked the progression of the book and the struggle of the main fmc. At times it felt long but I understand it was necessary for the ending. However at times I found the amount of characters to be overwhelming and didn’t enjoy the way some were introduced without context. Forcing you to rely on the index of characters at the beginning. I would have enjoyed a more organic introduction without having to rely on the index so much. I think having a map would have also been helpful for this book due to the amount of places mentioned throughout.

The Hunter's Gambit surprised me.
I was all excited to read this one but then saw some reviews that made me a bit apprehensive. I should have ignored those reviews and read this earlier.
I loved it!
Kazan is a very flawed human, and that's ok. I love that she admits to being about self preservation and in it for her. She isn't perfect, but she is more real because of this. Reya and Adrius surprised me but I am a bit disappointed that there isn't more.
I feel like there is a lot more of this story to be told and I sincerely hope that we have more books in this world coming in future.

Thanks to publishers for this ecopy

The Hunter's Gambit has vampires, power struggles, humans and a plot that has twists and turns, what's not to enjoy.
This book is written really well and I loved the characters and the lavish descriptions that built this story up. The way the twists played out made it a fantastic read.

I chose this ARC for something slightly different from my normal read. I enjoyed the overall story, but had some difficulty with the main character. I didn’t dislike her, but I felt like I could have used a bit more development. I found myself not caring whether she lived or died. There was just something off for me. I did however love Reya and Adrius and would have loved to see some of the story from their points of view.

The ending was a major disappointment for me. It left me wanting more. I thought the story was going to go one way and then all of a sudden, it felt like she was just thrown another direction and it left me confused and irritated. I needed them all together and would have enjoyed more about what they were going to do next. But maybe I’ll get a second book.

I would definitely pick up a book by this author again. Though it wasn’t my favorite story, I did finish it within a day. I think I would have felt different about the story if I had been attached to our main character.

This was an amazing book! It was such a unique story and it transported me into the world. The main characters were very well written.

The Hunter's Gambit was an unexpected surprise for me, intrigued by the synopsis and immediately grabbed by the hilarious foreword. The novel is a great mix of dark fantasy with some much needed humour to balance it out at times. The romance is complicated to say the least, no simplicity when there's lots of lies & omissions of truth, along with being locked in a castle full of vampires with days left to live....

The cast of characters were outstanding, with our protagonist Kazan being a standout. Reya + Adrius as our love interests were great as well. With all the political manoeuvring in vampire society it was great to see the differences lined out in the personalities and actions of the main + supporting cast.

The writing flowed really well & the Citadel was a great setting with easy to imagine visuals. The magic and geists were also well thought out and really helped flesh the world out. Overall, a really enjoyable read and I hope to see more of the world & Kazan's story!

Thanks to Netgalley & Angry Robot for the arc.

This is such an interesting story full of rich and vibrant world building, unique characters, and a familiar yet refreshing take on vampires!
Quite a lot of this story read like something from Castlevania which i enjoyed immensely. There was just the right amount of sarcasm/wit, and awful characters that made for some really interesting, if not tense scenes between the humans and vampires.

I was intrigued the moment i started reading this and loved how morally grey Kazan was right from the start. All of her interactions were incredibly self serving, manipulated and fabricated that it was hard not to find her the most compelling character out of the whole bunch. I liked especially that she knew who she was as a character, meaning that there wasn't an awful lot of change that made her unrecognizable at the end (which is one of my biggest pet peeves with some books).

I also adore with every fiber of my being when a story/plot takes place (for the most part) in one location. As soon as i read that Kazan was going to be held captive in a gilded cage for 3 days before being sacrificed as 'The Vampire Queen' i was sold.
The sole setting element just makes everything so much easier to understand/follow for me personally, especially when there is so much happening and so many new characters constantly being introduced. You're able to just focus more on what the characters are all saying and doing, and form a deeper connection with them too, so when something bad happens (like being sacrificed) it has a much bigger impact, which is always immensely more enjoyable!

A particular part of the book i really liked and don't think i've seen anywhere else are the vampire stakes. For them to be effective at killing vampires the wood has to still be 'alive'. How cool is that?!?!! Means that they have to carve and use the stakes almost immediately or they won't have any effect at all!

This story didn't just give everything away either. There was a lot of plot twists that i didn't see coming at all, and others i knew were imminent, and i was so happy when i was proved right! The pacing and spacing between these twists and turns was just right i think too. They weren't forced on us too quickly, but spaced out just enough that the characters began to relax a little before something else happened.
If you're a fan of fast paced books with action immediately and continually happening, sarcasm, whit, spice, morally grey characters and a unique world, then this will definitely be the right book for you!
Overall a great book that i enjoyed immensely
Thank you to Netgalley, Angry Robot and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book!!!.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was not for me. As an avid reader that eats up everything and anything vampire, I was disappointed. The story just did not make sense to me at all and ended up DNFing around 55%.

I am dnfing this book as, despite the interesting premise, I am struggling to read the clunky dialogue and awkward storytelling. Nothing about the story is reeling me in since the characters are not enticing nor fleshed out enough to hold my attention, sadly.

This is a book about vampires and humans. The FMC, Kazan, is a very strong willed character, and she was very charming. I enjoyed her wit and sass. This book takes place over the span of four days, so there is a lot of stuff crammed into a very short time frame. The story is good. It is very gory so be aware of trigger warnings. I was not a fan of the ending. It felt like you were built up for one thing to happen, and then it did not happen. I know that you can possibly assume what happens with the ending, but I like to have it spelled out for me. The ending was possibly one of the biggest disappointments of the book. It wasn't bad, I just wanted more details.

A whirlwind of danger, twists, and laugh out loud moments. This book keeps you gripped all the way through. Exploring the morally grey concept in a different way where self-preservation is the only goal. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone wanting to get out of a reading slump.

The Hunter’s Gambit is a perfect read for anyone looking for a paranormal romance/ revenge plot that features Vampires ACTUALLY ACTING LIKE VAMPIRES. I feel like after the Twilight phase we all went through as a society every vampire lore book has been so predictable. It’s a rare treat when I finally read vampire literature that shows their nature according to original myth. This book was paced very well for a standalone novel, and all the chapters were a good length. The main characters always keep you guessing, and the strength Kazan acquires throughout her journey is incredible to read. The only thing that bothered me a bit was the ending, I understand it leaves it somewhat to the reader’s interpretation, but I feel like an end scene with the main three characters would have been a stronger ending. I am very thankful to Ciel Pierlot, her publishing team, and NetGalley for giving me this ARC.

The Hunter’s Gambit is described as ‘A tale of seduction, sadism, and survival…’ and there should be no surprise that there are no innocents or heroes of the hour in this story. This is a story of dishonesty, deception, plots, morally grey characters and a world that has accepted and survives the co-existence of humans and vampires. The vampires terrorize Mavazem, and Mavazem protects itself with a core of Wardens trained to fight and defend the citizens with weapons and coins of silver. That’s where the world-building pretty much ends, this is a plot based story, there are key characters but, the plot is the story.
Kazan Korvic is a blacksmith, an orphan, a liar and will do whatever it takes to survive. She became a blacksmith when she was rejected as a warden and uses her skill to craft silver based weapons with the sole purpose of killing vampires. Kazan is fascinated and repulsed by vampires and through a series of events finds herself in their hands and named as the Queen of Vampires, locked in the Citadel with only 3 days left to live before she is sacrificed.
Of course it isn’t that simple and Pierlot creates a sense of suspense with the plot, the vampires can’t touch the defenceless Kazan for three days until the culmination of their feast, and Kazan will use this time to desperately claw her way free of the castle and the terrifying vampires. Of course like any society, there are factions and kingdoms within the kingdom of vampires, and these politics and tensions overspill to create plots within plots, with all told from Kazan’s perspective. The plot itself is very fast paced and very quickly brings in other key characters that are central to the story, Dasar, the dastardly and terrible ruler of the vampires. Adrius a scorned vampire, rejected and feared by the majority of the vampire community and the lovely Reya, who has her own agenda and skills that you will discover as you read.
Kazan’s morally grey nature is truly what draws you to her, she is very self-aware, she knows she’s a liar, she knows that she manipulates situations and stories to advance her own needs but, she also has her own sense of morality, and this makes her so much more relatable. Pierlot also explores the nature of vampire society, morality and the conflict that this creates between the factions, albeit putting greater emphasis on their self-involved and selfish nature for the majority, except for when they join in purpose, for example not eating the human until the conclusion of the Feast at the end of the third day.
As I’ve said the plot is very much the focus of the story and it flows very quickly, those who are more focused on the world-building or character focus of a story may be a little disappointed. I read this book in less than a day and was intrigued about what would happen next, with some twists definitely taking me by surprise. If you like a fast paced book that does deliver some spice, not a huge amount, and moves at pace towards its conclusion then this is most definitely the book for you.
Huge thanks to Bookbreak UK, Angry Robot Books and NetGalley for the arc of The Hunter’s Gambit by Ciel Pierlot in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
3.75 stars

Thank you netgalley for the ARC read.
I almost gave this 5 stars,
And honestly it was the dedication that had me.
If a book has a Witty or funny dedication, most of the time the book will slay.
This was 100% on point.
I'll be telling everyone about this book!

I really wanted to love this book, but it fell flat for me. The premise was great and I enjoyed the characters. I would have liked to see more interactions between the romantic interests and to have explored their backgrounds a little more. It also would have been interesting to have a few chapters from one of the vampires’ perspectives.