Stars: 4.5 Stars
Start Date: 8/04/24
Ending Date:  08/17/24
Genre:  Dark Academica Fantasy
Form:  E-ARC/ Audiobook
Page Count: 432 pg.
Publishing Date: 09/03/24
Point of View:  3rd Person
Setting: Uxlay University
Content Warning: Violence, Blood , Death, Sexual

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the E-ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This review is way overdue but life gets in the way so here it goes.

Since it was overdue, I'm just going to say a few things and keep it going.

First of all, I love this book to bits and it was one of my favorite reads of last year,2024.

Second of all I recommend this book if you love the following things.

Real Enemies to Lovers- like they were actively trying to kill each other until they finally got a mutual understanding of each other. It's still nowhere near to lovers. Almost Friends but a lot of sexual tension.

Dark Academia- Will question your morals and ethics.

Muder Mystery Plot

Vampires- They are so interesting how they work in the world. How they interact with humans. I am writing this review at the perfect time since the Movie Sinners with Michael B Jordan just came out.

World Building- The world that is the school, the different houses and the lore between Vampires and the humans and why it's a pact between them. Girma did an excellent job on her world building so far.

The Story itself- It feels a fresh take on Vampires and Dark Academica woven together. Even though for some reason it gave me the show Wednesday Vibes. I do have to say around the 70% mark of the book it does start to drag and feel like it needs to start wrapping up.

Badass Female Main Character- Kidan is a really good female character but just bare with her until she finally gets some sense and character Development but she is good. She does make you say " Kidan No!", " WTF Kidan?" " Leave that Man alone Kidan!" a whole bunch of times but she does finally get it together somewhat. She has a complexity to her and she has inner turmoil that makes a good leading character. All she is trying to do is find out who has her sister and she has to navigate through a university that she didn't know even existed.

Badass Male Main Character- I love me some Susenyos! There were a couple times in the book where I was like " I know you are tired of Kidan but just bare with her. Don't kill her yet!" I wonder if he got grey hair in his locs because of her.

Awesome Side Characters- I need to spin off books with each one.

Black Black Blackity Black- I'm rooting for everyone that is black.

After that ending, I need the next book like right now! Like shit is going to hit the fan next book.

Which I would like an arc copy of the second book please?? lol

IMPECCABLE. I loved this so hard, SO fast.

Sweet, bloody, dark academia, this book is everything I could have asked for. Immortal Dark’ is surprisingly dark for a YA novel, the characters are brutal, sharp, and truly morally ambiguous. The setting is atmospheric. The twist on vampire lore unique and fleshed out. And the plot from the very beginning is a hook to the gut that won’t let you stop until you’ve eked out the next secret.

I went in relatively blind to the plot particulars and wouldn’t have changed the experience for the world, so I’ll leave it at this: A badass heroine, dragged into an elite university to study the arcane arts required to maintain the delicate balance between humans and vampires. There is murder, there are secrets, and absolutely wicked tension all the way through. Please read this book.

This was a highly anticipated read for me which unfortunately did not live up to it. This story felt hard to follow, it was very convoluted from the very start, I attempted starting this book maybe 3x before I got into any kind of flow with the story but even then I struggled. The world building felt muddy, I never felt like I had a great handle on the time and place of the story. The atmosphere is definitely this stories strong suit.

I'm conflicted about this one. I loved the premise, but I feel like the execution was a bit of a miss? Vampires, dark academia, and secret societies: all things I love, but they just were not written in a compelling way here. I felt like a large part of this book was info dumping, which made it really hard to get through at times, and honestly made things quite boring as it bogged down the pacing. The lore was fascinating and some of the characters were interesting, plus the narrator was great, but overall it just was not a story that clicked with me.

My Selling Pitch:
Dark academia vampires with a banging enemies to lovers romance, but it’s a messy debut with major pacing and plotting issues. Still worth picking up if you’re a Ninth House and or Twilight fan.

Pre-reading:
Black History Month means picking up black vampires. I've heard good things! I'm excited. I still haven’t read The Cruel Prince, but I have read Ninth House and I love that shit. Cover is gorg.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Audiobooks need a skip content warnings, I think they're spoilers button.

I ain't never looked at a map and I’m not about to start.

OH HELL YEAH. THAT’S A BANGER LINE TO START AN INVITATION WITH. YOU ARE HUNGRY AND I RESPECT HUNGER. How are you not gonna let me highlight that jfc.
“Darkness is a gracious guest. It eats at you slowly.”

Oh, I’m sat. This IS Ninth Housey.

I know it’s not, but my brain keeps reading Drainiacs like maniacs.

Like snuff films or horror movies bc very different animals there, babe?

Ooo and mixed media! That's fun. (Just for like a chapter, so don’t get excited.)

Oh, this is interesting world building. I'm in.

35 is a LOT for two girls to support.

Oh shit, do I smell forced proximity? And then he turns her into a vamp and forced separation to keep her house because baby, I am DOWN.

Oh interesting, like shape synesthesia.

Like an actual whale? No, can't be. (Sometimes this book’s imagery just did not work.)

So like the basement. Is it in the basement? (Could not have been more wrong.)

This book is so interesting!

Dude, this book fucks.

This is the skin of a killer, Bella!

OH GIRL, I’M SAT. YES MOTHERFUCKIN PLEASE. WE GON GET FED TODAY.

Sorry to this man but his name is only Sussy in my head aka Sussy took sissy for some sucky and if you're like Samantha, leave, god, I wish I could.

I thought the sister said there were 35 vamps? Where's the other 34?

I'm assuming her family is being killed off because they want to expose vampires to the rest of the world? (Like basically.)

Okay, so he got a Cullen house, copy that.

You know, babe, that's kind of on you for exploring without recording or a chaperone. Like you have a cellphone.

Hell yeah, girl! Here's Johnny.

I love enemies to lovers.

I like how violent girlypop is.

I hate the mental illness is actually magic trope.

It’s very odd pacing sometimes. People just walk away to mentally spiral. That's my only complaint so far.

Is this cook the goddess lady in disguise or something?

See, like this pacing is so weird. It’s like oh conversation done? Scene over. And everyone's just chill with that.

But like how did he get her bed up there? (Never explained.)

Can we get an explanation for how these vamps are defying gravity? (Nope!)

The whine in but I practiced on the audiobook made me giggle.

If this school has been going on for so long and they have so many graduates, how would they not know that only one person is allowed to graduate the class and also that doesn’t seem economically feasible

My brain hurts. This is a lot to take in with zero explanation.

I don’t want to participate in this class lmao.

Is her word revenge because it should be. (Negative.)

How do you forget to wear clothes? Is she undead or something? (Uh, ask me again in book two.)

I asked that chapters ago! Keep up!

I’m sure homeboy would love my running unsubstantiated commentary haha.

You can’t seduce the unwilling.

Is this…gay? Homegirl’s been very into the women in this book. (No, but damn if it don’t read like it sometimes.)

How do you go from farming to music? Some pied piper shit? (Ask again in book two.)

Some of the metaphors in this book confuse me. She’s calling human statues rats? Also, that’s like a very common design? Not limited to vampires. Like this description doesn’t make sense to me.

Impalas are a new one. There’s a supernatural joke in there somewhere.

Autocorrect is brutal on this book’s names.

I’m so, so interested in this book’s world and plot, but holy shit, would I be lost if I wasn’t taking notes to do an unhinged summary.

Don’t know what I expected the rule to be but not that.

I’m so into this.

Is the raspberry candy so she doesn’t smell like death? (Ask again in book two.)

Spot the Ridoc requisite comedic relief. I love it.

A vamp naming you? Ew to the submissive.

Is that a where the hell have you been, Loca? joke because I think it is.

How do periods factor into this world? (They don’t.)

Man, I can’t wait for them to have angry sex. (I think I’m still waiting.)

Sometimes the melodramatic descriptions piss me off.

That does not seem like a suspicious number of deaths to me, a Capricorn. But like go off. I’m just like eh, gotta crack a few eggs.

Maeve Fly has entered the chat.
The way I sat up.
This should not be a kink, Samantha.

Ugh, this book’s pacing is so weird! The scenes are so good and juicy but they never reach a natural conclusion. It’s so choppy. Like people stop talking because the author has no more words not because the conversations reach natural conclusions. It’s really spoiling my time. Because the plot is interesting. The enemies, bangin’. Like this could be so, so good, and it’s falling flat.

My brain keeps autocorrecting her to Ramen. That’s so bad.

So big bad vampire has a weave? Like a mane as a crown is just a wig lol. Like he bald. Count Orlock ass

Their history is sounding pretty gay.

I’m assuming her house is digging up the artifacts so that they can break the bonds so that the vampires can have all their powers again. (Like basically.)

Also, the math isn’t mathing on that. If you can kill vampires, but you can’t make more vampires without the current vampires dying… like they would be so easy to kill off? How are they not exterminated?

Oh the glee in me from that line. Samantha, your Catholic upbringing is showing again.

GIRL. This shit horny.

Hello? It’s weird dialogue again. Like the scene never finishes. We just move on, and it pisses me off.

They said every 30 days you get to sample vampire DICK. Oh, this is horny haha

Oh, sign me up. I’ll be a vamp chew toy.

GIRL.
He said watch me fuck this other bitch in front of you.

Dude I’m so IN. Enemies to lovers is ELITE. I love characters with AUDACITY. This is HOT.

No. Don’t. Let him. What’s he gonna do? Straight to the dean if he touches her.

BOOOOOO.

Literally I would never. Bring it on, leech boy.

This college needs an HR department so bad. Oh here’s my homework assignment. It’s Edward Cullen’s thong. I’m wheezing.

Can she present his fangs that she already has because she should do that?

Hell yeah! I’m so happy to be right.

I LOVE ENEMIES TO LOVERS.

Girl, everything in this is horny.

The scenes never finish. It’s so annoying!

These fuckers are gonna have the kinkiest sex.

Exegesis

Oh, the jars genuinely made me laugh.

OK, but actually, what the hell because how do you go from a panic attack that never gets resolved to a different chapter. I’m getting so annoyed by this.

We got a whole lot of book left. I’m intrigued.

That was a hell of a bar about Slen.

That’s a bar for Yosef too.

This has to be the slowest crime lab analysis.

Is a vampire June Ramyn’s killer because I’m sus.

So public so that no one questions if she’s actually dead and then she’s not dead? (Ask me in book two.)

Ma’am, what do you know is a better question.

Try a rotten tomato.

Lmao okay, Beauty and the Beast.

Give me some goddamn answers.

the book: they’re being violent again!
me: hold on tight, spider monkey

Girl, this book is too vague sometimes!

Why is this cook bitch still here. If she’s not some disguised goddess, I’ll shit. (Ask me again in book two.)

Book still hasn’t given me a good reason for why the uni needs to be a secret.

Are you kidding me? She’s gonna record another thing and we couldn’t solve the beginning of this book with a recording? Are you kidding?

I mean the deans are literally always evil in dark academia so…

Girl, my brain also hurts. Can we get all the facts before you keep moving?

I respect Slen.

Don’t like their mind melding now. Feels premature.

The bleeding grapefruit feels like a Twilight reference.

That smells an awful lot like dean motivation. Two magic houses at her disposal? Convenient.

But like what would they do if she didn't accept? Seems dumbbb

Oh, he wants her on his knees alright lol.

Girl switched up real quick.

Should NOT be down for this, but HOO BABY. Mark me down as scared and horny lmao.

Does she not get red eyes because she's a reincarnation so she's already pledged or did her parents like already pledge her to vamps?

The house would think you're united for sure if you actually united. Wink wink.

THIS IS HOW YOU DO FEMININE AND MASCULINE ENERGY WITHOUT MAKING FEMINITY SUBMISSIVE. THIS BOOK IS GOD TIER TENSION.

This is like 5 star characters and chemistry with some sloppy debut plot holes, major pacing issues, but like girl, I am SAT, I am being FED.

Dude, they're naked and quoting horny toxic books to each other. Slay.

I cannot be reading this at work omg. This book is SIN.

I don’t remember being told about this scar before and that is not fair. It’s not a fair play mystery if we weren’t told about it until now. (I’m too lazy to look back to the beginning to see if I’m just slow or if the book’s unfair.)

I just said whoa out loud. I did not have blood sucking, titty fucking on the bingo board for this book but-
Why did I think this was YA????

me bopping along thinking this is some YA dark academia shit:
Chapter 46 hitting like a semi-truck.

Are they not allowed to ask other graduates for like their study notes or advice on how to pass the class? Like it doesn’t make any sense.

This is the weirdest fucking class. The way I would never pass because there’s no clear objectives or assignments.

The only other vampire I can think of to be the killer is the professor, and then they’ll make it seem like he’s betraying the dean, but it’s actually still just the dean being evil. If it’s some rogue NPC, I’m gonna be pissed. (SIGH.)

Man, this book knows how to reel me in. Like I’m so curious.

Why are they plotting to kill this Rufio wanna be again? Because he won an art contest? This is dumb.

Goddamn, this book has bars.

‘cause baby, we were born to die 🎶

But like he has a vampire nose. Won’t he be able to like smell you on the letter or like he knows your handwriting?

What are we doing here? This is not Divine Rivals.

Is this not their manipulation to kill the rival? (Nope! Really gave these characters way too much long game power playing credit.)

Like people don’t act like this. Why is no one speaking? None of these scenes make sense sometimes. It’s so irritating!

Anyone else sitting over here like cool motive, still murder?

Oh, there’s that Helen lady again. I still don’t understand the relevance of Ramyn having different parents. Like I don’t know the families enough to know why it’s relevant.

Guys, we can’t just go around killing people! Like what? It’s not just an accident to kill someone, especially when there’s motive behind it. These are like very clear murders. It is not manslaughter.

How are you introducing us to a new character in the 13th hour of this book? Yes, I recognize the irony of calling it the 13th hour. I want a fair play mystery or it’s not fun!

Thigh meat is sinful? Copy.

Not to nitpick the world building, but like can you really have sin in vampire world the same way that we have it in Catholicism? Is it different? Like what’s up? (Never answered.)

I mean his frontal lobe wasn’t developed. He’s permanently a horny teenager.

The dialogue ends so weirdly sometimes. Like this just isn’t how scenes would end. And it’s not just me being a yapper. It’s just like they don’t ever finish a conversation.

This plot could use some work. I think what’s so annoying to me is like this story is there. There’s a five star book in here. It’s just mangled. Where was the editing? This should be so much tighter. A lot of this musing should just be cut.

I feel like my final rating for this is gonna be a 3.5 but I’ll round up to a four because it deserves its flowers, but like the editing of this is so disappointing. It’s not the author. It’s the editor.

Oh, do vampires eat? Why would they eat? (Unclear!)

OK, but like going on campus during vampire immunity day sounds like a blatant trap, and then her dumb boyfriend is gonna have to rescue her and kill vampires to save her.

That sign can’t stop me because I can’t read! That’s girlypop all book.

What if you like handcuffed her so she couldn’t attack you in the room, buddy boy? I feel like we’re not taking all the available solutions. Someone put a Capricorn in this book for fuck’s sake. Everyone’s so goddamn Aries coded.

And then it’s literally pointless to tell us that the day is weeks away because we time jump right to it!

And it’s time for the requisite YA fantasy masquerade ball.

How would they not smell that she’s human?

Does that mean I’m right about her being reincarnated but then why does he hate her so much at the get-go?

Are foul children maybe kids born of two houses and girlypop and her sister are one and that’s why they had to flee? But what would the other house be?
Oh look, I’m right. I’m glad I figured that out.

Oh, you know homeboy‘s gonna kneel and eat her out. (Not in this book though.)

It’s not a fair play mystery if you introduce new characters this late in the game.

How could they not smell her human blood? Like they’re so tuned into it all book and now it doesn’t matter on the only day when everyone on campus is supposed to be a vampire. That doesn’t make any sense.

How come the vampire guards don’t get a night off? When do they get a chance to relax? Like the rules don’t make sense. Also, why is homeboy so powerful? Why are the other vampires such bad fighters? Why does no one have any self preservation? Like I don’t understand some of this. It could be thought out so much better. (Her editor really just needed to tell this author to pause, take a breath, and explain some basic world rules.)

Again, I understand the horny, but like time and place. Maybe don’t fuck for the first time in a room full of murderous vampires on a day when they’re immune from punishment.

Are they fucking or just dry humping? It’s unclear.

I can’t take his nickname seriously-not that mine is any better. I’ve been calling him Sussy.

Is this some heart on your sleeve bullshit? Is the shoulder for a loving memory because-

I think they were just dry humping which like fucking cop out.

Also, what’s the word on vampire human relations? Like can they get each other pregnant? Like we’re missing a lot of necessary detail here. Also, you gotta tell me what they do on their periods. It’s been months. Like she would’ve had to have her period. Do they all just go feral?

Why does this world have cars if they literally live on a college campus and don’t leave? How did he get a driver's license? The money in this world also doesn’t make sense. Like no one has a job but they all just have money.

Honestly, missed opportunity for it to be a Volvo.

The chapter endings are pissing me the fuck off.

Lowkey that is a serial killer keeping trophies.

Don’t friendship is magic me.

Does that mean I’m correct in diagnosing her Aries because they’re into spring semester? (Unclear. They say there’s green grass but then GK’s diary is like lol it’s January, and Samantha buffers in New Englander.)

You know, that’s what you get for keeping trophies.

He doesn’t need to tell anyone because whoever got his life got his memories though?

Oh, I mean, there were definitely other routes to take.

Where are we going with this messaging? I don’t agree with it at all. What’s going on?

And then how do you just drop in a bar like that?
The world punishes girls who dare to hope, but I’ll worship them, like come on. That’s so good.

Is the servant not Taj? (Apparently not!)

They better not be the last sage and the demon vampire king reborn over and over again, and it’s just the assumption that the last sage was a dude, and it’s actually her, the girl, and they were in love. Oh my god, if I just solved this book, I’m gonna be pissed. (Sigh, ask me again in book two.)

What was the point of the book telling me that he wasn’t lying if he was in fact lying other than not playing fair?

You’d really think he wouldn’t leave his vital prop to his evil plan just lying around in a trinket dish for her to swipe. Like put some security on that.

This book is so annoying.

You know earlier I was like I can round up to a four star, but like the messaging is getting so annoying that it’s dropping into a three for me.

Why do we need these journal entries if we already know all this plot?

So she’s a Jan birthday? This girl’s NOT a Cap. I can see Aquarius with like the I’m so different no one will ever understand me while being the most cliche person ever.

She’s the tear in my heart 🎶

I don’t even know how to summarize that scene. Like we’ve really lost the plot here. We’ve had so many conversations of like you can’t be suicidal. Yes, I can! No, you can’t! I’m so done with it. I don’t think this book knew what it wanted to say.

So if they know there’s only one hall where you can talk to rogue vampires, why wouldn’t they have 24/7 security on that to ensure that no one was making deals with rogue vampires? Like this book doesn’t make sense!

I’m team Slen.

This book needed to cook longer.

Ayyy a Sam! (Unhinged summaries get so much harder when I can’t third person myself.)

I like how she went from not knowing you could bring dead humans back to life to knowing exactly how to do the ritual to bring them back to life, even though she has no experience and no research on the subject. Cool cool cool.

You realize all of this could’ve been solved with an email? Hey sis, not dead or kidnapped. TTYL!

The character motivations in this book have not been thought through enough.

This ending really fell off.

OK, the premise that vampires can only drink blood from murderers, very fun. Horrible way to get that message across.

Do I smell a throuple because I’m DOWN.

Oh cool, and it can’t stand on its own. I get that it’s a duology, I get wanting to end on a cliffhanger, but you need to give me a complete arc.

Post-reading:
God this book is frustrating!

I want to like it. I do like it. But it makes me wanna tear my hair out because it could be so much more.

The enemies to lovers part of this book? Bangin’. Hit like a semi-truck.

The plot? Oh baby, she is underdone as hell. The pacing of this book is so, so choppy. Ruinously choppy. Scenes and dialogue never reach natural conclusions. Twists never get room to breathe. It’s not a fair play mystery. The audience has no hope of figuring out what’s going on when major players don’t even exist in the book until the 70% mark. It’s going to frustrate a lot of the general public. It’s a limited subset of readers that are willing to trust the process and vibe along without knowing what’s going on and retain that information for long enough that they can pick up on it again when it finally becomes relevant. It’s punishing.

This book never felt info dumpy, but it also felt unfinished. You can’t have a campus of horny vampires and not address periods. Vampires only reacted to blood when it was plot relevant. Technology existed only when it was plot relevant. Money existed only when it was plot relevant. Parents barely existed. Their vampire curriculum made no sense. They have siblings and family members who have passed this class. Why did no one think to ask them? Humans don’t have extended lifespans. It doesn’t seem economically feasible for only one student to pass a class a year and there still be enough humans for the vampires to feed off of. The sentient magic house? Really hard to understand. It’s taking mind palace to the extreme. The magic system needs way more explanation. Why are the house rules not humans live forever inside of them? We were never given a good explanation for why the college needs to be separated from the rest of the world. Like there’s just so many basic questions that are never posed let alone answered.

The suicidal ideation and self love messaging? Super murky. Burgeoning on indecipherable. The reader is gonna get whiplash going back-and-forth between whether or not this girl wants to live. The messaging is also a little hinky for me. It’s not your love interest’s job to teach you to love yourself. It’s not your love interest’s job to convince you not to kill yourself. Go to therapy. It canonically exists in this book and not a single one of them took advantage of it despite there literally being dialogue telling them to at the beginning of the damn book.

The premise that vampires can only feed on murderers? Beyond fun. Felt original. The idea that they would manipulate unwitting humans into killing so that they could feed on them? Also really, really good. The execution of that- Girl, I wouldn’t be surprised if people didn’t pick up on it. Talk about burying the lede! Part of this book felt like it was preaching that murder is always an accident. Really disliked that. I’m not a good for her girlie. I’m very much a cool motive, still murder girl. The book kept trying to act like murder was the only option these kids had, and I’m just over here like there were so many alternate routes.

But every now and then this book would throw in some absolute bars. And then the rest of it was repetitive angsty adolescent melodrama. And I understand that to some degree because the characters are college students, but it made the book read very YA until all of a sudden something would happen like somebody’s tit getting bitten and you would be like this is firmly not a YA book.

And yet I’m still sitting here like give me book two now. I’m invested. I wanna see how this all turns out. I kind of smell a throuple on the horizon, and I’m so down. I struggle to rate these messy debuts because I wanna give them their flowers. I wanna reward good, original concepts, but then the books on the whole are so annoying. And I sit back and I blame their editors. These authors had five star book potential and didn’t get the editing they deserved. I think this book is flawed enough that people don’t need to go out of their way to read it, but I’m also not gonna advocate against reading it. I think if you’re a concept reader, you will get something out of this. I think if you like a violent enemies to lovers schtick, you’ll get something out of this. I just also know that’s not most readers.

Who should read this:
Ninth House fans
Twilight fans
Enemies to Lovers fans

Ideal reading time:
Fall/Winter semester. It’s a dark academia book. Did you expect something different?

Do I want to reread this:
I wouldn’t be opposed to rereading it, but I’m glad I took notes so that I can hopefully just jump into book two when it comes out.

Would I buy this:
Hesitantly yes? If the sequel sucks, I don’t think you need to buy the series. If the sequel’s good, I will be putting it on my shelves.

Similar books:
* Court of the Undying Seasons by A. M. Strickland-same book, different font. Vampire college, enemies to lovers
* Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo-firmly adult, dark academia urban fantasy
* Vita Nostra by Maria and Sergey Dyachenko-dark academia
* The Witch and the Vampire by Francesca Flores-queer vampire fantasy romance
* Thirst by Marina Yuszczuk-queer historical vampire romance
* Lucy Undying by Kiersten White-Dracula retelling, queer romance
* Sun of Blood and Ruin by Marley Lares-historical fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, emperor love interest, reincarnation

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect when starting this book. I was pleasantly surprised. It is well written and I would definitely recommend to my friends. I hope this continues as a series!

I have recieved this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is very hard trying to figure out how to exactly rate this book. I really enjoyed the audiobook and thought the narrator did a fantastic job. However, parts of this book felt so long that I would think I was farther into it than I really was. Other than that, the main characters were just okay overall. I get that people could think of them as the next Jude and Cardan, but they felt so childish to me for most of this book. Which threw me off when one of them is like 300+ years old.

That being said, it was still an interesting book that I only had to pause a few times due to real life. The world-building and how fragile everything was between humans and vampires did keep me wanting to know more. It just felt like this had so much going on outside of all that. For example, we get twelve houses with their own rules, complex heirarchy, and so many mysteries going on that it was hard to follow the strings. Then again, it could just be me feeling that way, and maybe I should write it all down while I'm listening to a book. That way I might be able to keep track of everything.

In the end, I'm not sure what the next book will be about, but I will definitely dive into it whenever it's available. I see so much potential for this series, and I'm intrigued to see where things will go moving forward.

I will give the trigger warning first with the idea that if you are not a fan or are disturbed by suicidal ideation, self-harm, descriptive murder, and gore then this book is not for you. However, if you are still here and interested in YA dark academia fantasy with hauntingly beautiful vampires, a tortured FMC, and rich Ethiopian mythology then this is the book for you. I loved the mystery and suspense in this unforgettable story. Kidan and Susenyos are electrifying their enemies into lovers (Idk if I would even call it lovers exactly) journey to uncover the threats that they have coming for them and to each other. The Narrator was brilliant in this and I adored their voicing which kept the atmosphere of the book. All in all, I loved it. I look forward to the next part of the series. Many thanks to NetGalley & Hachette for the review copy of the audio.

Immortal Dark was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and unfortunately one of the most disappointing for me. The writing was lush and the setting vivid, but the characters felt at times intriguing and others incoherent, particularly our main character, which was frustrating as the world filtered through her. I was looking forward to a book about rage and revenge, but it was difficult to immerse myself when it felt like characters made decisions with very little reasoning or context. I'm not sure how much the narration affected my perception of the plot, as it too was at times passionate and others repetitive; it made it difficult to immerse myself in the story. Overall, I did not enjoy this, but I finished it, and I can see how others may definitely like it. I think it was a case of once I noticed one issue, I couldn't stop noticing it.

As per my policy, I will not post this review on social media. Thank you very much for the chance to read and review this book.

Thanks to Hachette Audio for an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review!

I devoured the audiobook! I was immediately intrigued by this dark vampiric world with Uxlay University at the center thanks to Jordan Cobb's narration. She made Tigest Girma's writing easier to parse through and understand, to feel Kidan's grief and anger as well as her wants and desires. Cobb's narration made it easier for me to differ between the characters in any given chapter so that I would never feel lost. Even though Kidan made rash decisions, I never thought she was annoying. I quickly understood her grief and sorrow for finding her sister and losing her will to live without her. Susenyos was the most intriguing character for me. He held so many secrets, and I felt frustrated for Kidan because of it. Although, I could hate him because he kept challenging Kidan in her worldview of vampires, darkness, and herself. Reading Kidan and Susenyos' back-and-forth was really entertaining and intriguing.

The world-building was well explained and one of the most unique ways to add vampires into a dark academia setting. My main issue with this book as a whole was its pacing. There were many scenes and chapters where I felt like there was something missing in between. Not much was seamless between scenes, so it was jarring to go from an emotional scene to a scene full of dread in between chapters. Overall, this was a strong debut novel and a great start to a trilogy. I look forward to "Immortal Dark #2"!

A very creepy book with amazing description and an immersive world. I appreciated the new take on vampires and the way they might integrate into a human society. I have never seen anything like this before, and I love how it really set the stage for a discussion on power dynamics.
I always thought I would only be able to get enemy to lovers in high fantasies, which I no longer read, but then this book came along and gave you an insane backstory between these two and family dynamics. I was gasping as they progressed.
Above everything else is the way this book took something I'm familiar with (dark academia, vampires) and incorporated elements I didn't know. By incorporating Ethiopian culture into the world building and the story, it gave it an edge over other vampire books that came out because it was so new to myself and that really helped engulf me in the world building.

DNF @ 12%

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I could immediately tell that I didn't like the main character, and I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of it.

This on the as a bit of a flop for me. Flat characters, lacked world building and pacing was all over the place. I didn’t like that the only way we found out information was from dialogue alone and I think it really hindered the world building. The characters could have been fleshed out way better. Overall I was just bored and lost interest so quickly every time I hit play.
I did think the narration was good though.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in advance.

First of all, Trigger Warning. If you have trouble with suicidal ideation, self harm, murder, gore, or abusive relationships, this book isn't for you. No ifs, ands, or buts. This book is rough and brutal and the characters do not shy away from their violent tendencies.

When Kidan's sister is kidnapped, she doesn't have to guess who did it. She knows without a doubt who was the culprit- the only remaining Drain Ache in her family's ancestral home, Susenyos Sagad. In order to get the answers she needs, we follow Kidan as she infiltrates the Human/Vampire academy to discover the truth behind her sister's disappearance; even if she has to join forces with the enemy to do it.

This book does a great job of giving our main characters duality as well as making them unlikable. Our characters Kidan and Susenyos have issues that can't be solved with a "woo-sah" and are willing to do that needs to get done to get what they want. They are no-nonsense characters and that's how I like it.

The story was easy to follow even in the parts that were more philosophical. The author made sure that even if we didn't understand what was being said, someone was reiterating it in a manner that was more palatable.

Can't wait to see what might be in store for these characters.

I tried and tried with this one really! But this book was not for me. It was childish and our FMC was very annoying to me. She wouldn't stop and listen and take in what was actually happening around her.

However, I LOVED the narrator. They really were able to convey all of the emotions in the book. which made me really solidified in my distaste of the book. This was a DNF but no on the narrators part. If it was not for the narration I wouldnt have been able to get through as much as I did.

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma is an intriguing and atmospheric tale that blends supernatural elements with deep emotional exploration. Girma’s haunting prose creates a dark, immersive world, while her complex characters navigate themes of identity, immortality, and belonging. This novel is a gripping journey for fans of dark fantasy with a touch of introspection.

A captivating and chilling read that will keep you hooked until the last page.

Immortal Dark an enthralling blend of dark academia, romance, and gothic intrigue. Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane plunges into the perilous halls of Uxlay University to rescue her missing sister, June, facing a ruthless underworld of power and betrayal. Standing in her way is Susenyos Sagad, the cruel yet captivating vampire tied to her family, whose wickedness tempts Kidan toward her own dark desires.

With a richly atmospheric setting, morally gray characters, and a simmering “enemies to lovers” dynamic, the story masterfully explores themes of identity, vengeance, and the seductive pull of darkness. Fans of A Dowry of Blood and The Atlas Six will revel in the novel’s intensity, razor-sharp prose, and unexpected twists.

I really enjoyed this one. The audio mixing was fantastic, and the narrator did a really fantastic job of convey what was going and imparting personality to the characters they were voicing. My biggest frustration is probably the fact that this was marketed as YA, with the context of the book I feel that it probably should have been marketed as NA instead. Very much looking forward to the sequel

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for a free advanced listener’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a slow blooming flower, the world building in the beginning felt hefty and blunt and was honestly hard to get through but as you go through the book, reaching the 30% then the 40% mark it absolutely sucks you into this dark and fun world made for those people who’ve always wanted main character to just takes power for herself. For those people who’ve thought that the MC should become the villain and just stop being a goody two shoes about everything, that’s who Kidan is and while she was hard to love at first, she has my whole heart now. She’s a messy character who sabotages herself just as much as she sabotages her enemies but that soon became half the fun of watching the mystery of Immortal Dark unfold.

Jordan Cobb really did an amazing job the whole book, embodying the seething rage hiding around every corner and keeping the ambiance present and heavy. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and am excited to see where the series takes us.

Most addictive novel ever!!!
I flew through this audiobook so fast. I just needed to know what was gonna happen next all the time!
A real page turner. Characters were amazing, the whole plot fabulous, twists were crazy!
If you love vampires you need to get your copies!!!