I always appreciate a new idea of vampires and their lore. This take on it of a banished god, increasingly paranoid and mad, and the dangers of love and obsession was a great addition to my vampire book collection. The world building was detailed and all the characters drew me in. The pacing of the romance of the 'present day' characters felt a bit off, but not so much that I was transported out of the story. If you enjoy Tamora Peirce or the Noble Dead Saga by Barb and J.C. Hendee you might enjoy this series too.

I really loved this romantic, fun, and lush story. This book was on my highly anticipated list and I am so thrilled, not a piece of it dissapointed.

I honestly tried to pick this book up and read it over and over again. I just couldn't get into it. I first ally put it on my paused book list after a month. I hope I can pick this book up again in the near future to give it another shot. Right now I just wasn't captivated by the characters or the storyline. The blurb about the book sounds super interesting, but for me it's not delivered in a way that is catching my attention.

I have no submitted a review anywhere publicly because I do not feel it's right for me to leave a review on a book I haven't finished yet.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I REALLY tried to love this- the premise sounds amazing. Sapphic Vampires, Gods, a war with humans.

Unfortunately, it felt like the world building and the massive cast of characters were not fully fleshed out. I knew when the book started by front loading information in the form of a giant family tree that it would be a difficult read. There was a massive amount of info-dumping and with the constant changing of timelines (the POV's switch from past to present) I couldn't keep up. This could be a "me problem".

I just kept wanting for more. More development of relationships and the characters (especially Favre) to be more interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this incredible book.
All I have to say is the vampire novel resurgence is the best thing that could have happened to me. I really enjoyed this book and SAPPHIC VAMPIRES?!?!? Best thing ever.

This was a really quick read. While it started out confusing trying to figure out the different characters and some of the time jumps, i fell into it and it flowed nicely. Im excited to get onto the next book whenever that is published. I wish we had a little more from Favre. But i loved our other two heroines.

I will be purchasing a physical copy as soon as it is released.

Between this, Immortal Dark, and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil I am SO please to say that VAMPIRE NOVELS ARE BACK BABY!!! Caldwell's sapphic vampire story--like all excellent vampire stories delves into the questions of sacrifice, but in a very new way. There is definitely a lot of information you need to digest, don't let that deter you! I promise it is all necessary and not only that, it's wonderful history to learn! I loved this one and I am just so excited for more!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, I'm usually not the biggest fan of vampires, unless they're the ones in Holly Black's The Coldest Girl in Cold Town. But these ones were *chef's kiss*.

Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell is a YA fantasy novel that is a queer vampire fantasy. Once long ago, a girl named Favre sacrificed her wings for love. Thana, the young goddess she so willingly gave them up for, sacrificed that same love for power. But everything has a cost. Favre never got over the loss of her wings. And Thana’s choices led to a life of eternal night, and later, their destruction. Favre has bided her time ever since, waiting for the chance to resurrect the girl she loves who turned her into the creature she hates. Now, a thousand years later, Leyla, the crown princess of the malichora—an ancient race that survives on human blood —must travel to the Island of the Dead when her best friend is captured during an attack on her nation’s capital. Along with Najja, a fierce, beautiful seer, and the last person she expected to help her, Leyla forges down a dangerous path, intent on saving her friend. But nothing is as it seems. The closer she gets to her goal, the more she risks awakening an ancient evil and destroying everything she holds dear. Set in the aftermath of a war between vampires, humans, and the gods that created them, Patrice Caldwell’s devastatingly romantic fantasy debut, Where Shadows Meet, centers the heart-wrenching pain of loss and the struggle of self-discovery to ask: do we choose our fates, or do our fates choose us?

The thing I loved most about this book, was the way Caldwell combined her love for mythology and vampires, which you don't often see in any sort of book, much less a romantic fantasy. I just thought this was utter perfection, in that the reader got a dichotomy of vampires and gods and the mortals trapped between them. It was really cool worldbuilding that I wish more authors would pursue.

Regardless, one little thing I had a problem with was the general pacing. I feel like the story slowed a little too often, or sped up to a pace that made it a little too hard to discern what was really happening. But that's really the only thing I had a complainant about.

Overall, this is a fantastic book. I loved every second of it, and I can't recommend it enough. Read this book now!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this incredible book.

I have been waiting for the book and was so excited to read it! Did not dis.

It was a fantastic read!!! Highly recommend this one!

There was a lot going on in this book and at times the POVs were hard to keep track of. I did enjoy all of the details in the story and how everything came together in the end. I really enjoyed the POV (Favre) that talked about how the first vampire came to be. I adore anything with vampires so this was right in my wheelhouse. I appreciated the story and characters overall and I am really hoping to see where this story may go next if there is a second one. Or even just a continuation. Thank you for letting me read it!

3.5 stars

A unique sapphic vampire romantasy that weaves a story between three vampires, starting 1,201 years ago and merging with the present. The POVs definitely take some getting used to and there’s a lot of information presented right off the bat. Favre’s POV detailing the creation of the first vampire and the start of the human/vampire war was the most intriguing to me and I thought her character was very complex and well done.

Leyla and Najja’s stories were interesting but their POVs were harder for me to tell apart. There was a small amount of romance between them which could have used some more development. I did appreciate the way the three stories came together and the theme and love and sacrifice. I feel like I wanted more from the ending, but there’s definitely potential for the story to get more exciting in the next book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in change for an honest review.

Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell is the first book of a fast paced sapphic vampire romantasy duology.

We follow the perspectives of Favre, Leyla, and Najja — Favre gives us diary entries and takes a through the past through the present as her lover, the Vampire Goddess Thana has been locked away for centuries and there is a prophecy that will set her free. Leyla is a vampire princess descendant of Thana who is on a mission to find her best friend Danai who has been captured — and Najja is a yamaja who is able to see spirits who helps the Princess Leyla find her captured best friend.

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book - I felt captivated by each of the main female characters and curious to learn more about them and their motivations. I enjoyed Favre’s diary entries and seeing how her relationship with Thana shifted over the years. I did love the SLOW BURN romance that we got from Leyla & Najja, and I hope that the next book will get a lil spicier and satisfying.

I will say there are some plot holes and overall confusion with the story, but overall I had a fun time reading it and I would recommend it to vampire romantasy lovers & I am invested in the series. I would love to read more from Patrice Caldwell.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & St Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The premise was interesting, but ultimately I felt like there was too much going on in this book for it to really pull me in, and I had trouble differentiating between the different voices. Thanks very much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Patrice Caldwell’s Where Shadows Meet is a haunting tale of love, betrayal, and sacrifice. Set in the aftermath of a war between gods, humans, and vampires, it follows Favre, a wingless immortal seeking to resurrect her lost love, and Leyla, a vampire princess on a perilous journey to save her best friend. While I loved the concept, the book just did not fully deliver for me.

Black vampire princess! What more do you need? This story was so engaging. The fantastical elements and world building was chef’s kiss

Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell is a great concept! I really enjoyed it, a really great novel.

This was a really beautifully written story. I loved that it really focuses in on the sacrifices and how we choose way to give for what we love.

**Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC of Where Shadows Meet by Patrice Caldwell. Expected Publish Date April 1st, 2025.**

After reading the description of this novel on NetGalley, I was intrigued. I love vampires, and vampire stories and lore - so I was really excited to dive into this book!
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This Sapphic, dark fantasy romance story takes place in the aftermath of a war between vampires and humans, and the gods that made them. We follow a vampire princess on her quest to find her best friend who has been taken in an attack on her kingdom. The princess must travel to Nekros (the Island of the Dead) to find and save her friend. Said princess meets a fate weaver on her journey, and finds an unexpected love in this new relationship.
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This was an enjoyable read for me. I don't read a lot of YA novels due to the naivety of the characters sometimes, but the characters in this novel were written maturely enough that I didn't roll my eyes or laugh at the things they said and did. The book flows very well, and keeps a steady pace. You are greeted with a huge family tree in the beginning of the book- which can seem daunting - but I felt the information was doled out throughout the book, not in one long chapter- which makes it easier to digest.
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The story is written in past/present form with three viewpoints - which can get confusing sometimes - but I felt the author did a great job at keeping the story and viewpoints concise. All in all, this was a fresh take on the vampire/human war theme - throw in some power hungry gods and fate weavers and you've got a fun, easy to read, dark fantasy book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This story combines gods / mythology and vampires. The majority of characters and relationships throughout are queer. The overall premise of this book and the POC / queer representation intrigued me.

Overall I enjoyed this book! I did find it to be a little slow in places and it took me awhile to get through. I thought about it a lot of the time when I wasn’t actively reading and couldn’t wait to get back to reading it.

I didn’t really see the build up for the main relationship in the book; it felt like it happened out of nowhere to me (versus the slow burn it’s described as). I did love all the strong female characters throughout the book.

I am looking forward to reading the second book in this duology!

I loved Where Shadows Meet! The dark world of vampires and gods pulled me in right away, and the romance added such a nice touch. The setting was so vivid, I felt like I was right there. Some parts of the character development could have been stronger, but overall, it was a captivating read with plenty of twists. If you enjoy dark fantasy with a unique vibe, this one is a great pick!