dnf @ 9%
i did genuinely try with this book but every character was so insufferable. it has a really interesting premise but i think the execution needs a lot of polishing.

firstly, our fmc aileen has no clear cut personality. she’s not well fleshed out and instead her characterisation leans heavily into her past trauma, but in terms of her personality she goes back and forth between being a bold white knight and then being a submissive helpless character.

then it comes to her friends, who are the most surface level characters i’ve ever read about. no idea how she justified being friends with them because there wasn’t a single time where they seemed to care even a little bit about her.

lastly, the way this li was introduced was so cliche. instantly described as some hot brooding man who gives her the gut instinct to run and never return but there was no build up to this tension at all. and why tf was he quizzing her on talents and hobbies as soon as she wakes up from turning.

the dialogue between all the characters was cringeworthy and felt very juvenile. it gets 2 stars because the writing was bingeable and easy to get through but the story has no substance for me, i think it would need a lot of reworking to add more build up and character establishment in the first few chapters before the pacing of the books speeds up so quickly.

thanks to netgalley and the author for this arc in exchange for my review!! 🤍

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal story. When Aileen goes to save her friend, Cassidy, Ragnor Rayne, Lord Vampire, imprints Aileen and changes her into a vampire. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and riveting story capturing the reader's attention from the first page until the last page of the story full of anticipation for the next story in the series by the phenomenal author, Sapir A. England.

Oof this was a mess. Where was the editor? The grammar mistakes, the run on sentences.. the writing in general. DNF

It took me a little bit to get into this at first. I was drawn to it as it was based around vampires, and anyone who knows me knows I can't resist an ARC to do with vampires... but in the end, I rated this ARC a 3/5 stars.

The story itself seemed like it was a Hogwarts type academy for newly-turned vampires, which, I had no issues with. The issue itself I felt was the main character. Aileen. Aileen was not a main character I was keen on throughout, for the majority of the time. Aileen was turned to a vampire because of her "best friend" Cassidy. Cassidy, was not "best friend" or even "friend" material. She was self-centered, and cared more about herself than her so-called friends. She did not give a care in the world about Aileen from the get-go. The other issue? Aileen accepts being treated badly by Cassidy and EMBRACES it, simply because she has past trauma with being treated horrendously...EXCUSE ME?!?!! No. This was not a vibe I was rooting for. One thing I did like about Aileen was that she truly, but unfortunately, did care for Cassidy's welfare. Aileen was coming across as someone who was a caring, and somewhat loving friend. But, the least of her worries was that she was turned into a vampire, then kidnapped, and practically held hostage to some extent in this underground, military vibe, Hogwarts bunker-type environment, and all she could think about was Cassidy? NO. Just NO. Girl, you have just been turned into a vampire against your will, and kidnapped...yet all you give a shit about is your "best friend" who couldn't give two shits about you? No thank you.

As soon as she "woke as a vampire", the dude that turned her was instantly asking what her interests were, did she have any talents? Did she have any hobbies? Excuse me?? You just turned this girl into a vampire and now you're chatting and getting to know her? Turns out, he was going to auction her and other newbies off any way to other cult-like vampire academy places.

Aileen started off as some shy, quiet, wanting to fit in type girl whilst she was human who willingly lets her "best friends" treat her like absolute garbage... Then as soon as she woke up a vampire? She instantly turned into this badass wannabe, bad mouthing, sarcastic-smirking, back-chatting bitch who thinks mouthing off to the vampire who changed her and his "staff" is a good idea? Girl. Make it make sense? The use of the word "noob" seriously bothered me. Noob. Who even says "noob" now? Please god no I never want to read that word again.

Despite the majority of this pointing out the evident things I disliked, I did somewhat enjoy this ARC. Behind every main character there are faults, each reader sees things differently. But overall, the concept and storyline was somewhat good. The author had (what I consider to be) a brilliant idea. Newly turned vampires at some type of Hogwarts-esque academy? Yes please! Although, please, reduce the amount of times "noob" is used...I beg.

A big thank you to NetGalley UK for allowing me to read this novel as an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Great characters with a relatable spark and a unique setting make Cloak of the vampire stand out in the romantasy and PNR genre. I am seriously already looking forward the next book by the author.

Well that was a fun read! First time with this Author but not the last. Easy to read, great flow and the premise is outstanding. Very excited to find out where this leads.

Cloak of the Vampire by Sapir A. England
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
POV: Multiple POV
Tropes: Vampires, enemies to lovers, secret societies.
Release Date: 18 June 2024

I was drawn to this book immediately by its cover. Hey, I’m just one of those girls who will pick up a book and read it based solely off of its cover. And let me tell you this, this book did not disappoint! This book was a refreshing new take on vampires and I loved it.

Don’t let the other reviews get you in a negative headspace about this book. Although slow to start, with a bit of an info dump in the beginning, it definitely built up from there. The plot constantly evolved and issues that mattered in the beginning meant nothing by the end.

We meet the almost boring Aileen who is turned, not by choice, by a vampire named Ragnor Rayne.

There is so much about this book that kept me glued and I wish I could write about them here, but I don’t want it to be a spoiler for anyone.

I also honestly considered stopping this book at about the 80% mark only because I knew there would be a cliffy and as this book isn’t even released yet, I couldn’t bear the thought of having to wait for the second instalment.

If you’re a fan of Alyson Noel and Stephanie Meyer, then this one is definitely for you.

This was the best book !!! It had all the things a story should have. You get a good share of laughter with a great story line to keep you reading with a good feeling till the last word. Please enjoy like I did.

Cloak of the vampire despite being 350 pages was a quick read. A little rocky at first but with the two words I am about to give you that had me rolling on the floor with laughter it's worth getting through it. VAMPIRE NDA. Now I'm gonna be honest. The first few chapters is rocky. It may be anf for others and fine for me as someone who reads a lot of what people may consider subpar writing. The main character is in a situation that gives fanfiction or wattpad vibes. But.. as chapters fly by you learn more of the world and it draws you in.
Eventually giving you an anxiety ridden ride to the finale of the book. Leagues of vampires all bidding on who they want under their reign. Who will buy the main character? Will she be saved by the one she begrudgely loves? What is the mystery of her past? I found it to be a great joy filled read. One should read for the emotions and escape not just for impeccable writing. I wish I had book two immediately.

I don't think I've ever read a description of a book, got so excited and had my expectations literally get demolished.

The plot and ideas are good, the execution and writing are just not it.

For example, some things I had an issue with:
- The second paragraph of the book is one giant run on sentence. It felt like reading a bad Wattpad story with no depth.
- The main character's personality goes from shy and traumatized to badass with unlimited confidence in 5 minutes after being a vampire.

I just could not find anything enjoyable about this. DNF at 40%.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!

Aileen is turned into a vampire by Lord Ragnor. She plots revenge but ends up falling for him. He is attracted to her too... This is good for readers who likes vampire stories. The main leads have terrific chemistry. Love their scenes together. It's dramatic- like all vampire stories. A fun escapism.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

DNF'ed at 17% (Chapter 6)

An absolutely ridiculous story that seems like it should have been published in 2013 on Wattpad. The plot of this is essentially vampire hogwarts and/or vampire academy but just, not good.

Our main protagonist is called Aileen and she is the most one-dimensional character I have ever read about. She gives Elena from 'The Vampire Diaries' but 100% worse.

Here are some points that I found so ridiculous that I had to pause and stare out into space:
- The whole reason Aileen gets turned into a vampire is because of her "best friend" Cassidy. I put "best friend" in quotations because Cassidy does not give one flying fuck about Aileen. We're told that Aileen is aware that Cassidy treats her badly but that's the way she likes it because of her past???? Just insane. Also when she first gets turned all she can think about is Cassidy's safety and if she's alright when again, this girl does not give a fuck if you give or die and treats you like shit, and also, you just got turned into a vampire! You've been kidnapped! There are more pressing issues than Cassidy.
- Found it freaking insane that the first minute after she awoke as a vampire, Ragnor Rayne (the love interest and the most basic copy paste of every other vampire lord ever), is asking her about hobbies and talents because apparently that's protocol?? I'm crying why is that important??
- For the first chapters (I think 3 including the prologue) that we see Aileen as a human, we are told that's she's shy, the underdog, meek, wants to blend in, because of her past or what not. Also why she let's her "friends" treat her like shit. The second she's turned, she suddenly has sass?? Smirking, being sarcastic, acting like she's a bad ass to vampires who are older than her and can kill her?? Make it make sense.
- One of the vampires uses the word noob way to often. Is this a Roblox chat room.
- So apparently another way you get turned is by being put on a waiting list. So many questions regarding this. How do humans know about the waiting lists, does this mean humans are aware vampires exist? That doesn't make sense. Are there any requisites or anyone would do? How do these humans know so much about the leagues they want to join beforehand. Is the government aware? lmao
- As mentioned, there are apparently 'Leagues' that one can join. This is where the hogwarts theme comes into play. Their essentially houses than one joins with different lords that rule over them. Also, newly turned vampires have go to school and essentially live in some kind of boarding school to learn stuff idk didn't get that far. So Aileen, our 21 year old high school drop out, dies and now has to go to vampire school. I would want to die (pun not intended)

The list could go on but this is just so bad. I should have known from the blurb and the title but I saw vampire and was intrigued. Save yourselves, there are much more compelling and well-written vampire books on Wattpad or on AO3.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for this ARC! 

3.5/5 ⭐️ 

Release Date: 18 Jun 2024

📖: enemies to lovers, dual POV

Aileen appears to be an unassuming and plain woman. On the surface, she lives a low-key lifestyle and keeps to herself, but we soon discover she is full of secrets, concealing a dark past. After awakening as a vampire, she seeks revenge on the vampire who forced this change and fights to keep up her rouse in hopes of keeping her past behind her. 

I have so many questions. This is book 1 in a series, and I am itching for answers. There was a lot of world-building, outlining the hierarchy of the vampire community, as well as political stances within the community legions. I enjoyed the breakdown of the different types of vampires and the hint of other creature existence. While Aileen seems meek, she is anything but. Much like Ragnor, she has alpha tendencies and can hold her own. I will continue this series since I need to know what happens next!