Vampires terrorize the human citizens of Mavazem, but Kazan Korvic refuses to cower. She is an expert blacksmith, able to craft and use weapons designed to kill the vampires. When a group of them steal her magical weapons, her skills aren't enough. She is forced to become part of the vampire court and act as Queen, culminating in an extravagant feast where they plan to devour her.

Kazan is a liar but an excellent blacksmith; it takes a lot of skill to work with silver and live wood to create weapons to kill vampires, and she makes weapons that are both practical and useful. She intends to sell an exquisite sword, which unfortunately puts her into the path of vampires who rely on having a human play king or queen for three days prior to their gruesome death as part of a magic ritual meant to keep their Citadel in prime condition. She's up against three major bloodlines of vampires all coming together for this ritual, many of whom have their own secrets and plots that they have been working on for decades.

The idea of a castle full of vampires and the human that they can't kill yet is a fascinating one, and leads to an incredible amount of tension throughout the book. She tries to find an escape route, build alliances, and even converse with ghosts that are created when vampires kill humans. The vampires can't see them, a neat little world building detail, but can still be affected by them in some ways. The vampires are still characters full of agency even if their humanity by definition is gone. Their morals are not the same as humans any longer, and Kazan's shift back and forth. She acknowledges that she lies all the time and is a coward, interested in saving her own life. It happens multiple times, and the vampires are just as self serving. This makes her very relatable.

I guessed a few of the plot points along the way and was surprised by others, making it very interesting and fun. The bulk of the novel takes place over the three days of the party in the Citadel, and we see those shifting alliances at work on each day. I couldn't put the book down, because I had to see what happened next, and the finale was a fitting surprise.

The Hunter's Gambit has an incredible portrayal of vampires. Think Baldur's Gate 3 vampires though, not typical YA vampires. They are brutal and have lost all humanity and they take and do what they want. Unfortunately, the vampires are the only part of this book that really worked for me.

Our main character, Kazan, is a blacksmith by trade and has made a weapon that would be vital to the Wardens who fight vampires. But when she (and her sword) are captured by vampires and taken to their main dwelling, The Citadel, she has to fight for her life to escape before she is sacrificed at the end of a lush and extravagant three day party. We are introduced to two love interests, who both appear to reciprocate her interest but also have a connection to each other. Spoilers for the next bit where I talk about why I didn't end up enjoying the book.

The main plot is an impossible situation and a lot of the book is Kazan going in circles trying to find ways out of the Citadel, and failing. She demands help but is really bad at actually accepting it when offered. She always does her own thing, often to her detriment. I found her incredibly frustrating and a lot of the story really repetitive. There was also just no believable or functional chemistry between her and the love interests. Maybe a bit with Adrius but none with Reya. And the chemistry between Adrius and Reya also didn't seem very believable given their stations and situations. The ending of the story was a mess and it wasn't satisfying but I'm also not sure there would have been a way to make it work for me. What's really unfortunate is that the world building and magic is so good and could make such an interesting story, but this wasn't it.

There was a good amount of world building which made the story fun. I enjoy getting an understanding for the fantasy world I am diving into when reading.

The last vampire story i read was Twilight over 10 years ago. This was the perfect re-introduction to vampires. I loved the human/vampire cross that was very much the Twilight vibes I needed.

4,5 Stars!

This was such a surprise for me. Reading the blurb and the first few chapters, I thought I knew how it would go. But this was so much more than that. It was so much fun, left me desperate to keep reading and overall I absolutely loved it. The most pleasant of surprises. I hope there's a second book!

“But where’s the fun in telling the same lie twice?”

“The Hunter’s Gambit,” by Ciel Pierlot

Kazan has made weapons designed for killing vampires. When travelling she is captured by them and taken to the vampire Citadel. She is forced to act as their Queen for the season for three days until they kill her. Trying to escape she might have to put her trust in two vampires that could help her.

I loved this book so much. The story line is unique and mysterious. The vampires were so interesting, and I couldn’t decide if they were cool, or if I hated them (because they are seriously evil). The main character is strong despite being a human and the love interest and her interactions were really good. This book reminded me a lot of the Cruel Prince in the twisted and depraved nature of the vampires. 5out of 5 stars, so good.

-Vampires
-Forced Proximity
-Kidnapped
-Bi

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Deadly Vampires
Spicy
Violent
Gruesome


Kazan is kidnapped by a hoard of vampires and is crowned their queen for three days. She is the main attraction for their despicable entertainment and deadly ritual which ends by her being consumed by hungry vampires.
Kazan is determined to be the only person to ever escape the Citadel with her life and has three days in which to escape.
I was immediately drawn by the fact that this is a book about vampires, the fact that the main character has to escape the vampires made this book absolutely thrilling and adding gorgeous, sultry allies made this a book I would defiantly want to read again.
The only down side to this book is that I feel that it could have been longer. I was not ready to have the book end and I feel that this could have been one of those 800 page novels.
If your love a good violent vampire book with all the gore then this is an excellent choice.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot Books for a copy of this e-copy in exchange for this honest review.

It was so unfortunate for me to say I was struggling to fully immersed in the plot. We follow Kazan Korvic, who’s a great blacksmith, and a morally grey great liar, being captured by a group of vampires and mysteriously want her become their queen for three days. This book is about how Kazan unveiled the mysteries in the Citadel and tries to stay alive and escapes the Citadel. Full of vengeances, lies and twist, also romance.
However, all of these prompts intrigued me so much, resulting my disappointment for this novel. This book was full of actions and cool world, and yet the plot felt underwhelming. I didn’t see great chemistry between the characters, the romance wasn’t capturing my heart. The completion part seemed rushed and unsatisfied me.
Meanwhile the writing was comprehensible and I think I was quite fond of it, so I’ll expect her next novel would be so much better.

Thank you NetGalley, Angry Robot, and Ciel Pierlot for the ARC in exchange of an honest review!

3 stars. The Hunter’s Gambit has an I ntriguing plot that draws readers into a world of mystery and adventure. However, the story occasionally drags with overly detailed descriptions and repetitive scenes that slow down the pace. Despite these lulls, the book offers memorable characters and a satisfying conclusion.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

I was so excited to be selected to read this book. It has been a while since I read a good vampire book! I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the plot of this book. It definitely kept me entertained and was a fun spin on the normal vampire style of book. I wanted to rate this book 4.5 so bad due to the plot. However, I struggled with some of the characters and occasionally was confused on what was going on. I didn't feel like I really knew the characters and wasn't as invested in them as much as I wanted to be. I also would have liked more explanation on what some terms were and how they fit into the book. Last I will note there is a spicy threesome scene, in case that is a problem for anyone.

The Hunter’s Gambit follows Kazan’s journey as she finds herself elected as the queen of the vampires, despite being human. After three days of her reign she will be ripped apart and eaten by her “subjects.” Kazan is determined to find a way out though, no matter what it takes.

This book is so gory and brutal… and I loved every second of it! 😂 I’m not even a huge vampire fan but I was hooked from the beginning! The banter between Kazan and everyone was so fun! I love a fmc who’s not afraid to talk back to people! I also loved how morally grey Kazan was. All she cared about what surviving the three days no matter who or what it destroyed.

I think this book would’ve benefited from a lack of romance. The focus should’ve been mainly on Kazan’s desperation towards surviving instead of her love life. I never really felt connected to the love interests, and I didn’t understand why they were so interested in Kazan. I think they would’ve worked better simply as allies instead of people for her to fall in love with.

Overall I really enjoyed the book when it didn’t focus on the romance. Thank you to @Angryrobotbooks for sending me an arc via netgalley in exchange for an honest review ❤️

This book was the best kind of surprise! The dedication for a start had me howling, we went straight in to the story from the start and it was odd with a bang.

The premise of the story is not something I've ever read before and I really enjoyed it. Considering the story takes place over 4 or so days, so much happened but it didn't feel rushed or too much!

I normally struggle with books written in the third person but this didn't even flag in my mind. I loved Kazan but a couple of her decisions are times felt rash but also so might mine have been in her situation.

Adrius and Reya were epic and I'd love to find our more about them. I loved the parts they played in this book and would love another exploring more of them and their past!

All in all great read, 4.5 for sure!

Is anybody else returning to their vampire fantasy era? You might want to with this upcoming release…

The Hunter’s Gambit is spicy, action packed, has mystery elements and features an absolutely badass female lead. Set in a secret vampire castle, we see Kazan captured and then attempt to escape from a hellish “party”, in which she is to be the meal on the third day. The vampires completely underestimate her will to live and this makes for some shocking twists, action scenes and unexpected alliances.

Although I wish there was a little more worldbuilding, the themes of fighting for your own survival, path in life, and self acceptance shone through the story and I loved that! The pacing was brilliant and the shock factor was too. When I finished reading this book, I immediately said “we better bloody get a book 2!” So that says everything really, doesn’t it?!

“The Hunter’s Gambit” has been quite the surprise. Reading the blurb, I knew the story wouldn’t be set in contemporary times, but it was different from any book I had ever read (and I haven’t read many historical paranormal romances).

When I entered this world full of aristocratic soirées, dresses, and costumes I didn’t even know how to describe with proper words, and dialogues in a language slightly different from the modern English I was accustomed to, I was amazed. Fascinated, just as Kazan was with vampires, and impressed, just as De Vere was with Kazan.

I read this book in a few days, feeling it was a multiple first-time experience for me. And I will tell you why.

First time reading of a century I have only studied classics about, which left me with a great hunger for this particular setting. In particular, if fantasy elements are into it, and vampires are THE creature I love the most.

First time reading of a female main character who’s this selfish, carefree turncoat, despicable liar, and yet still having this strong connection with her.

First time reading a third-person, single POV writing, and never ever feeling like I was losing track of who was speaking or like I missed other characters’ perceptions or thinking.

First time reading about a quite explicit consensual threesome. Yup, you heard that right. Above all, where the attraction among the goers is not only physical.

The story is simple and develops in a less than a month. With all the main actions condensed in three days.

Kazan is somehow taken hostage and made Queen of a Vampire Court, in which she has three days to enjoy a parade they all put up. Between a derisory party and some ritual, Kazan has a ticking clock in her head, reminding her hours are limited. When it’s her time will come, the whole Court will eat her whole.

She has three days to understand how to survive all this. To manage and pull the right strings in the messy, toxic, and power-led connections linking all the Houses.

One thing is sure, she has to kill him. Dasar, the House of Gambit’s chief.

I overall quite enjoyed this book. There was not a lot of romance, apart from the threesome scene and some tension at the very beginning, but the whole violent, gore action, mystery, and unexpected decisions and plot twists compensate for any missing elaboration of romance.

In spite of having a thing for Adrius, seeing how Kazan was attracted to Reya as well, made me realize this Platonic and hidden love they all shared felt appropriate. I would have personally preferred having more scenes, but it is just my opinion, and I totally accept the lack of it.

The third part to the ending, though, left me with a bittersweet taste. I would love a less chaotic and more firm and consistent actions.

I think this book has all the fantasy and technical elements to be a 10, but there was something missing. The ending was left open, and we don’t really understand if there’s more to come.

Regardless, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy reading about vampires, not as what we usually see on TV shows or other, but beastly creatures who lure and savagely kill, with some exceptions, of course.

I will probably be reading more books from the author, because I really loved the narrative, and the premises of this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Ciel Pierlot, and Angry Robot for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not having enjoyed this book as much as I wanted to.

I'm a sucker for vampires and this book had an interesting take on them. The FMC is an incredibly morally gray character, who lies her way through life to get the upper hand on the everyday life.
She's a talented blacksmith and her adventure in the book begins when she travels to another village to sell her vampire killing sword.

She then gets captured by vampires and becomes their queen for three days, when she's offered everything in terms of food, parties, clothes. But at the end of those three days she would have too die and be feasted upon.

The setting, the world building, and the plot is all very interesting, but it kinda fell flat for me, unfortunately. The dialogue was off, the plot at the end was rushed. There was not much interaction with the love interests and it would have been nice to see some more of it. I was disappointed with FMC at a certain point, she kept promising stuff to Reya and Adrius but then she just didn't keep her word, she lied to them of course even though she didn't realised it, destroying the plans these two have had for years.

The epilogue then was not what I expected and I did not like it.

Still, thank you NetGalley and angry robot for the opportunity to read this arc for an honest review.

Thank you to Angry Robot, Ciel Pierlot, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Hunter's Gambit in exchange for my honest review.

The Hunter's Gambit tells the story of Kazan, a blacksmith who is taken by vampires. While on a journey to sell her sword, Kazan is taken by a group of vampires and made their queen. However, calling Kazan their queen is a bit of an exageration. Kazan is to be treated "well" and to get "whatever she wants" over the course of three days. At the end of the three days? She is killed. Kazan is a headstrong character. She mostly knows who she is and what she wants in life. She is determined to make it out of this situation alive, while also recognizing just how difficult her predicament is.

This book is very much focused on the plot and keeping the readers on their toes, rather than the world building or having great character development. For some readers, they are going to love it, and for others, they are going to be left wanting more. Personally, I wish that there had been a little bit more world building and a smidge more character development. This is a great concept for a book and the plot was clearly well thought out. I truly enjoyed myself while reading it, even while wishing for more. The book moves fast and I did in fact read all 400 pages in a day. I just think that there is a lot of potential for this story to have done more. I would not call this book a fantasy romance, and outside of one scene, I would not consider it to be spicy. This is a fantasy book with romantic elements at times, but it should not be advertised as a fantasy book. For that reason, as well as the limited world-building, I did rate this book four stars. I just was left wanting more. Yes, I enjoyed the story, but it also could have been so much more. There is so much potential there. Maybe Pierlot is planning on writing more in this world or maybe it is a one and done. I would suggest that everyone give this book a shot before making their final decision about whether or not they want to read it in full. Every reader likes a different fantasy style. What I struggled with in this book (the world-building and the lack of the stated romance) might be something that someone else loves. It all comes down to preference. And clearly, I liked it enough to rate it four stars and read it in one sitting.

Thank you to netgalley and angry robot for the arc of this book, the cover is beautiful and really caught my eye. I do want to start off by saying I loved the dedication in this book and the first chapter and premise definitely had me intrigued. I liked the fact that Kazan was a blacksmith and I really wish the plot allowed for us to see that more as I found it a unique quality in a main character.

Unfortunately this book did fall flat for me, at times I found the dialogue to be awkward and the plot felt rushed toward the end but slow throughout. I would of liked to have more interaction with the love interests and had one or two more intimate scenes with them. I also think fleshing out the vampire vs human world would of been good as well as at times I felt the plot was a bit repetitive. I think more fear factor of vampires would of been beneficial in the beginning, and having more dangerous situations with the vampires to really solidify how dangerous they could be despite the circumstances of the situation.

I liked the fantastical elements of vampires and geists, it would of been interesting to explore them more and have our main character interact with them more as a plot point. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to get into vampire books and romance as I do think it would be a great entryway into those genres and that it is still an enjoyable read.

I couldn't put this one down. I read it in 2 days only because I had to go to sleep and work in between reading. It is an engaging page-turner for sure, albeit not without flaws
A pet peeve of mine is when characters spend significant time planning something only to have things go awry. I know things are not going to go according to plan, but why take the time to go over it in any detail when the action is going to be so different. And our antihero is dependably unreliable at following through on promises and plans. I counted at least four times when a plan was introduced to only fall through, and I'm not even including all the failed escape attempts.
The plot was predictable, and there was something very realistically unlikeable about the aforementioned antihero. I didn't understand why anyone at all liked her, yet unlikeable people do tend to have loyal friends. Definitely believable for a vampire blood magic party.
What I really want to know is what happened to Alphonse?!
Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The city of Mavazem is plagued by aristocratic vampires who terrorise the human citizens. But Kazan Korvic refuses to cower. As an expert blacksmith with a sharp grifter’s eye, her specialty lies in crafting, and using, weapons designed to kill the vicious creatures. But, turns out, sword skills aren’t quite enough when a whole group of vampires attack her and steal her magical weapon. Kazan is captured and forced to attend the Vampire Court where she is forced to act as their ‘Queen’. For three days she will waited and doted upon, until the lavish party where her reign will end in extravagant feast… and Kazan as the main course! Kazan plans to find her sword and get out, except with no allies in the castle, Kazan can feel the walls closing in. But she soon realises that she is not just trapped with these bloodthirsty bastards, they’re trapped with her too. And they’re not prepared for just how far she’s willing to go to survive.

Kazan is a fighter through and through so when she finds herself taken against her will, she fights tooth and nail to be free. She is an interesting character and managed to hold my attention, but we learn so little about her. We don’t know about her relationships be they familial or romantic. We don’t know about her childhood or how she got into blacksmithing. We don’t know anything beyond her making special swords and not liking vampires. We get to see a bit more of what makes her tick as the book goes on and she becomes a little more open, but it just wasn’t enough for me. Even after major events, we still didn’t get a changed or elevated Kazan. She just seemed to remain the same.

I’ve never really been one for vampire stories but the blurb for this book really caught my eye so I figured I would give it a go. The plot was okay but definitely felt drawn out. This story takes place over three days but it felt almost as if it could have been three weeks! I appreciate truly setting the scene and seeing Kazan’s desperation to escape but it felt like time suddenly had no meaning. The characters could have been a little more fleshed out. We stick with Isla so know her best but when we get a lot of time with other characters, we should be able to understand them more. They just felt a bit one-dimensional to me for a lot of the story which was such a shame. There wasn’t a huge deal of romance but that there was, I did enjoy. The spice included wasn’t too bad either. It wasn’t something I had expected to encounter or enjoy but I did! The ending itself felt a little incomplete to me. We wrap up the story but it’s left so open ended that I almost felt … uncomfortable? I was hoping for a firm ending, not something so up in the air.

Overall, The Hunter’s Gambit is a vampire story that just missed the mark for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

Imagine waking up during a sumptuous yet totally debauched feast to discover you have just three days to live ! Surrounded by Vampires who are only too delighted to describe how they intend to tear you apart for your blood, marrow and bones and they sneer, taunt and generally pixx you off .That’s what Kazan is faced with but this Queen is never going down without a fight so party goers beware !
I really enjoyed this and had absolutely no idea how it would end which only added to the fun . Now I say fun but honestly these are not cute or sparkly but heinous, vile creatures who deserve all that’s coming their way . Our heroine is absolutely determined and brave and it was oh so easy to get behind her . It’s a new to me author but certainly one I’d love to read more from .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from NetGalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Thank you for choosing me as an arc reviewer! I truly appreciate and I want to make sure I give a honest review
The first half of the book was almost too slow and too fast at the same time ( which I know sounds extremely contradictory) . I felt like there were a lot of introductions to character without letting us the readers bond to them but at the same time the text drags on without giving any substantial reason.As someone who loves to feel emotionally attached to characters, whether it’s anger or love towards the characters, I honestly felt nothing towards these characters. I had to keep a list going on my phone of the characters who they were.
The writing, I felt, was very descriptive and eloquent but I also felt like it lacked emotion and that spark that makes readers not want to put down a book. I’m not one of those reader that is truly going to dissect a book and look for plot holes. However, I am the type of reader that reads for entertainment and I read for pure enjoyment. Overall I didn't enjoy this book and it honestly didn't meet my expectations.