DNF’d at 50% unfortunately.

I didn’t like any of the characters and found them to all feel rather stiff and one dimensional. The dialogue was rather cringey to read which is a term I usually hate using, but it feels apt here.

Also quite frankly not enough vampires for a supposed vampire story.

The mystery element was interesting but moving at far too a glacial pace to keep me invested.

A Vile Season by David Ferraro delivers an unusual vampire tale that stands out for its slightly ridiculous premise -- vampire loses powers to take part in a regency-style contest for the hand of a duke is a queer normative world, where vampires are kinda know about. While the beginning felt a bit chaotic and it took Lucian a while to find his voice, once he did, I found him to be a well-rounded and engaging character. His personal arc was one of the more interesting aspects of the story, coming to gripes with the acts he'd done as a vampire in a very Angel-esque manner!

That being said, the book has its rough edges. The game show element, for example, felt unnecessary and could have been cut without affecting the story. Some of the side characters also felt a bit redundant and could have been combined to streamline the narrative. And while the general plot was fine, the villain was a bit too predictable for my taste, and there were a few plot holes that even a YA book shouldn’t overlook.

Still, A Vile Season offers a light, entertaining read with a fun, if imperfect, vampire adventure. It doesn’t aim for historical accuracy, but if you’re looking for something a little offbeat and out of the ordinary, this one might be worth picking up.

3.5* rounded down.

A vampire turned human is tasked with winning the hand of the future Duke in order to regain his immortality in this truly enjoyable regency marriage-game YA fantasy.

Although I was able to guess a lot of the reveals, it was still plenty entertaining following along the different mysteries in play.

I think I overall would like it better if it was an adult fantasy title as opposed to YA but as it is, A Vile Season is a fun read.

received an e-ARC for an honest review at my own free will :)

well, firstly, seeing a book talked about as bridgerton with queer vampires immediately held my attention, then to find out it releases on my 21st birthday? truly felt like fate, and held up to that as well. i’m a HUGE fan of vampires. buffy, what we do in the shadows, interview with a vampire, case study of vanitas, renfield etc, re: dracula, lost boys. i’m most definitely forgetting some, but it’s always been a favorite genre (if you can call ‘vampires’ a genre). i got a new phone today, which required me to not be able to use it for like 3-4 hours so i sat and read most of this and can’t put into words how enjoyable it was. i can’t explain what exactly i mean by this other than it felt very right reading this book. i’ve been incredibly sick recently, chronically ill, with severe brain fog and migraines making any sort of reading way harder than it should be. but ‘a vile season’ was a very lovely read that gave me no stress. i think that’s the major thing, the lack of stress i felt while reading. lucian is such an intriguing narrator that, even though i usually don’t like first person POV, his charm (or lack thereof) made up for it. this is also one of the best written books ive read in regards to side characters. they were all introduced and fleshed out so well i never forgot who someone was or was confused why they were there, which is a large feat for me. i’ve waited this long to talk about the romance in hopes people avoiding spoilers wouldn’t read this far, but good god i just adored maxwell and lucian’s relationship. i loved how lucian took account for his actions and lying, and maxwell was given time to be upset with him while still maintaining that devotion he felt for lucian. just because he was blindsided doesn’t mean he was unable to keep the feelings he felt towards lucian. and how, as the book carried on, lucian’s violence in the narrative was lessened more and more, but not in a way that made the reader aware of it.
i greatly enjoyed this book, and can bet this will be a queer classic

It had an interesting premise with some interesting characters. I just had a hard time getting into it.

A fun, gay, vampire filled, Victorian YA thriller. Though the plot twists were a bit predictable, the diversity in characters more than made up for it.

Great queer vampire story .. the romance was captivating and had me wanting more

I did feel it was aimed towards a younger audience

One of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and David did not let me down! The Alchemy of Moonlight had set the bar very high and A Vile Season absolutely reached it, if not surpassed it. This book was as equally captivating and thrilling (at no point did I know where their little brother was) but with so much more emotion. The last few lines even had me tearing up. I loved Maxwell's and Lucian secret pining energy and the tension throughout the book was amazing. I will be reading anything David writes!

Thank you to Page Street Publishing, Page Street YA, and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a tough one for me to rate because I don't think I'm the right audience for it. This is a fun YA novel that is heavy on the supernatural/classic vampire elements. It's unapologetically queer, camp, and fun, while balancing a serious tone. I love the concept of a vampire turning back into a human and the complexities that come with that.

That said, it felt quite young for me and the characters felt a bit two-dimensional. This definitely wasn't a story written to redefine genre rules or be a think piece and it does exactly what it sets out to do. And while I recommend this to YA readers, I wouldn't recommend it to those picky about their YA books/like YA books that skew older.

The description is as true as they come. An interesting twist on vampires while still following the basest of vampire rules (as a Die-Hard Twihard I don't *need* my vampires to follow the rules but it is nice when they do). Every character is well developed and it is hard to not become instantly attached to each and every one of them to the point where you don't know who you want to win. I haven't decided how satisfying the ending was, but I want a million spinoffs of each of the characters and their lives beyond the ending.

I think this will be a good option for young readers looking for romance with a supernatural/fantasy bend.

If you mixed Bridgerton, a bit of The Bachelor, a ton of gayness, and a good helping of vampires, you'd get this book. This was a fun ride from start to finish. Our main character Lucian loses his vampiric powers after entering into a bet with his higher-up that he can successfully woo and win the future duke's hand during the duke's upcoming competition to find a mate. What Lucian doesn't anticipate, however, is the emotions that come with being human.

Lucian was a great character to follow. We get to see how he starts to question his decisions and actions as a vampire now that he is human and starts feeling emotions. Despite his violent past actions, I found myself rooting for him and the romance.

This didn't have much actual game/competition if that's what you're hoping for, but it does have a missing persons plot that our main character has to try to solve. Overall, a great and entertaining read.

I received an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing read! It's giving the selection and throne of glass but make it gay and with vampires. Love the character development so much. MC is giving Astarion from BG3.

On paper this sounded like a perfect read for me - a historical queer normative setting with vampires and mystery.

It’s a really cool concept - a vampire is turned back into a human for a mission and to prove himself to the vampire god. Loved the idea of the marriage games and it was fabulous to have both men and women competing for the duke’s hand. Then there’s also an investigation into the disappearance of one of the Duke’s brothers.

There’s some really awesome characters! Mainly the side ones if I’m honest…I particularly liked Zachariah! He was so full of life and captivating. Maybe I’d have liked this more if he was even more central to the story.

It’s pretty hard to pinpoint why, but I just didn’t overly connect with the book or feel invested. There’s nothing obviously wrong with it, just didn’t click with me and found that I was forcing myself to pick it up. I’m thinking maybe there wasn’t enough depth for me. There’s quite a lot going on in terms of plot, but not much deep character development which is more what I’m into. The main character, Lucian, just felt quite arrogant and shallow and I didn’t really feel the romance between him and Maxwell.

However, I’m sure lots of people will enjoy this. It’s a fun concept and story. One of those reads where I can see it’s good, but just not for me.

I love it when an author takes well-worn tropes and twists them just enough that the resulting novel simultaneously feels comfortingly familiar and unexpected. Make no mistake—this is exactly what David Ferraro achieves with A Vile Season.

Told in the first person from the perspective of Lucian, a vampire-made-mortal who's tasked with gaining information and winning the hand of a rising duke to regain his immortality, A Vile Season is perfectly balanced between plot- and character-driven. There are enough scenes of pursuit and attack to satisfy a vampiric bloodlust without ever overshadowing Lucian's character development as he wrestles with how the return of his humanity affects him. The novel is also really well-paced, never dragging or seeming needlessly bloated. Every scene moves the plot forward, and every character adds nuance.

My one complaint is that some of the third-act developments felt rushed. Not bad, per se, but much too abrupt and tidy for the overall feel of the novel.

Still, I wholeheartedly recommend A Vile Season for anybody seeking a fresh take on vampire fiction, for gothic fiction lovers, and for those who appreciate clean romance.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

A Vile Season, by David Ferraro
★★★★★
400 Pages
1st person, single character POV
Content Warning: mentions of assassination, kidnapping and murder, violence, arranged marriage, declining physical and mental health, occult activities, betrayal, secret societies and forbidden love, mentions of killing family members


A Vile Season is a softly romantic adventure novel with a vintage style and a unique twist on a classic trope. There are strong romantic suggestions but nothing explicit, while the novel keeps to the traditional aspects of classic vampire tropes: sleeping in a coffin, staking, no reflection, powers and a superior attitude etc. Ferraro manages to give the entire concept a uniqueness by having openly LGBT attitudes, and a world where humans are aware that vampires exist, while challenging the limits of the traditional tropes.

I loved everything about this book – from the gorgeous cover and interior, excellent use of flashbacks at appropriate times, the original plot, every twist and turn, the incredible ending, the individuality of each character, and even Beezle the cat! I loved that, even though I guessed the big twist early on, I enjoyed how it was revealed and the impact it had on the characters.

The book begins on an incredible first line, then keeps you engaged all the way through. The concept of a vampire becoming human again, for a purpose – and that plot being clear within 6%, so that we know the who, where, what, when and why of how the entire plot is set to begin – means that it takes a truly original twist from the prospect of the vampire being the main character.

Count Lucian Cross has spent centuries as a vampire, but barely a dozen years as a human before that, and it's fascinating to watch him try to navigate the newfound emotions that come with humanity. Beyond him, there are a vast array of interesting secondary characters, who all have some impact on the plot, including the two rivals for Lucian's affections: brothers Maxwell and Ambrose.

A Vile Season was everything I could have wanted and hoped for. With evocative and emotive writing, a skilled ability at storytelling, Ferraro did a fantastic job of keeping me engaged from start to finish. Now that I'm done, I'm off to read The Alchemy of Moonlight, by Ferraro, since I have it and I can't wait to see what else they're capable of.

~

Favourite Quotes

“I would rather strangle him than stroke his ego any longer. Would it be worth sacrificing immortality to bludgeon him to death? I was debating.”

“I don't know what I would do without you. You sort of grow on people. Like a fungus.”
I chuckled. “Like a fungus. Quite the endorsement.”
“I almost said parasite, but that would have been a little too on the nose, with the sucking blood and all.”
My eyes widened. “You little brat.”

4.5 stars on Storygraph

A top tier vampire story with a twist- a fantastic YA story with everything you want in it!

The Plot:
Lucien has just been turned from vampire to human again by the vampire god Vrykolakas. In order to gain his immortality back, Lucien must find the names of vampire hunters and compete for the hand of the Duke’s heir, Ambrose. A simple task for a monster, yet Lucien finds his humanity returning, making it difficult to be as conniving and cruel as his vampiric form.

In the competition for Ambrose’s hand, Lucien finds the upper hand as he is roped into a mystery by the middle son Maxwell, desperately looking for his younger brother Emmett.

But after making it further into the competition Lucien still battles with his human emotions, starts to lose his taste for blood, and reflects on the way he became the monster he used to be. And through all of the chaos, there is a more sinister plot brewing under Lucien’s nose.

What I Liked:
The vibes of this book were outstanding. The story was told in such a way that it left me captivated, and I read the book in 3 sittings. Perfect for lovers of Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, as it gave the same slightly spooky vibes, but with all the heartfelt tellings of a YA book.

I loved the characters- everyone had their own motives, made their own decisions, and had their own voices. The cast of characters was diverse, unique, and oh so lovely to read about.

I really enjoyed the way the author wove in Lucien’s backstory- giving the reader a better sense of his motives, his personality, and his growth. And while the fast-love kind of storyline is harder for me to like in a book, I felt like this one was perfectly paced with the setting of the competition and the flirting of all the characters.

Lastly, I loved the queernormative world, the regency/historical setting, and the way Ferraro writes.

What I Didn’t like:
My only qualms to the book is that the ending seems to take a very big right turn that both intrigued me, but was a very wild ride. While I do appreciate the ending of the book and where it takes us, I felt like too much fell into place all at once (though maybe this is meant to have a second book? It certainly could).

Overall this was a wonderful YA book with just the right mix of characters, writing, vampires, and development. I look forward to more of Ferraro’s books.

"A Vile Season" by David Ferraro is a gripping thriller that masterfully blends suspense and psychological depth. The novel unravels a dark and intricate plot, focusing on complex characters caught in a web of intrigue and moral ambiguity. Ferraro's writing is sharp and evocative, creating a tense atmosphere that keeps readers on edge. The pacing is well-executed, with twists and turns that maintain suspense until the final page. Fans of the genre will appreciate Ferraro's ability to craft a compelling narrative that challenges perceptions and keeps the reader guessing.

Vampires, vampire hunters, and a vampire god. Just those few words about this book grab my attention.

Count Lucian is forced to flee his castle by vampire hunters, and as he flees, he meets Vrykolakas, a vampire god who puts Lucian to a test and makes him human again.

The rest is a great adventure to see if Lucian can regain his immortality, find love, and deal with emotions he hasn’t encountered for centuries.

The book was a lot of fun to read and definitely a book I’d recommend, especially if you are into vampires. (I loved the cover art as well).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.

This was a fun little vampire adventure, and I really did enjoy it! It wasn't life changing by any means, but I don't think it meant to be. It was a little slow to start, at least for me, but it certainly picked up. I loved the premise and I always enjoy books about vampires; they're just so fun! Overall, don't have much else to say about this. It was what I needed it to be and for that, I commend it. Some of the side characters, particularly the love interest felt a little underdeveloped, but that might just be me, someone who appreciates character studies. 3.5 stars.