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!