I went into this without knowing anything other than it was about vampires and it was sapphic. While the start was very lore heavy and seemed hard to follow, once I got into the meat of the story, I was fascinated by the characters and the world the author had created. If you enjoy stories about angry, petty gods, different kinds of vampires, and characters who will battle for a future that includes love (both familial and romantic), you are going to really enjoy this book!💗

As someone who was a huge vampire nerd growing up (even before twilight ahah) vampire books just haven’t been hitting for me in YEARS! When I read the summary for Where Shadows Meet, it sounded so unique! Not the typical vampire kind of read where they’re always lurking in the dark and drinking unsuspecting victims blood. The vampires from this book were from a “ancient race” who just so happened to need blood to survive lol. I don’t know, it sounded unique and cool to be with the added fact of seers and goddesses.

Instead, I felt very info dumped. Like extremely so, where I literally JUST finished reading the book and I feel like I can honestly tell you nothing about the world. Which also, for all the info being dumped, I felt like there was very little world building? I couldn’t picture it in my mind and every time I sat down to read the book, I felt confused and still more confused the more I read lol. It could most definitely be a personal problem but I’m honestly shocked with myself that I didn’t DNF it sooner but that’s just because I truly wanted to love it and see it get better.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me, but maybe current vampire lovers can find a love for it?

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.25
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes/Themes: Vampires, Gods, Witches, LGBT, Lesbian, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal

Okayyyy this was cute! It took me a bit to get into but overall it was a fun story. I think the vision for this book was great, it’s just in need of some fine tuning to really reach its full potential.

Pros:
- Unique take on vampires
- Diverse characters
- Multiple sapphic romances

Cons:
- A lot of POV/timeline jumping between characters with difficult to remember names
- FMCs are all a bit whiney?
- Not enough world building

I really enjoyed the take on vampires in this novel, especially as someone who generally avoids vampires due to the repetitiveness. I would have liked to dive more into the lore of the gods/vampires to build this up, and wish some of the POVs (mainly Fevre on the island) had been spent building on this.

The story also does a ton of jumping around between the 3 main characters, sometimes jumping back in time, and with the names being difficult to pronounce and remember it was pretty difficult, especially at first, to keep track of where we were and with who. I feel like if you plan to have multiple POVs you need to spend a bit more time building up each character to make them memorable in the reader's mind.

I really did enjoy the budding relationship between Najja and Leyla though and I will likely continue with this series when the next one comes out as I really do think the story and world hold some great potential.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this after reading the premise and being intrigued by the sapphic vampire fantasy plot. As the story went on, the vampire aspect started to take a backseat. We learn in the beginning that vampires can’t go in the sun because they start to burn. That gets thrown out the window later when Leyla says multiple times that she wants to leave in the morning, doesn’t want to travel in the dark, etc.

The book starts with a huge info dump of a family tree, all about the different kinds of vampires, and an author’s note stating that this book is just a “morsel” of what’s to come. Why would we want to keep reading if the author is promising that the book is only groundwork and the real action will come in the future? The first half of the book is so full of world building with barely any actual story. The main action doesn’t even happen until about 45% of the way through.

The writing felt clunky and at times trying too hard to be poetic. Characters would say weirdly prose filled sentences right before saying “my bad”. There was no cohesive style throughout. I also hope the many spelling errors will be fixed before the final printing.

Finally, I don’t believe either main love story we’re shown. Najja and Leyla are supposed to be a slow burn, but we don’t see any tension or even how their relationship progresses. The story skips ahead at times, so we’re just told things instead of seeing them for ourselves. I also can’t really believe Favre and Thana’s “love”.

I DNFed after continuously feeling confused by the number of characters/places/timelines/events that were thrown at me.

Where Shadows Meet sounded like such a unique story with cool vampires and a sapphic love story. Unfortunately, I think my expectations were a little too high. I haven’t read a book in a long time that left essentially no lasting impression on me. I am as neutral as one could be when it comes to this book. Nothing stood out and none of the characters meant anything to me as the reader. If you asked me about a single thing that’s really happened in the story, I don’t know if I’d be able to tell you much. Where Shadows Meet was super boring and as mild as one could get for a book. The entire book felt like a bunch of rambling and massive amount of info dumping with little payoff. I most likely won’t keep up with this author, but believe there’s definitely an audience out there that would like this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and the author for sending me an early copy.

Where Shadows Meet is a sapphic vampire fantasy romance that felt different from other vampire stories I've read. The story is told from several POVs, from the past and present, which made it confusing to follow at some points. I really enjoyed the MCs, Leyla and Najja, their chemistry and interactions were great. A good portion of the middle of this story felt like the two FMC were just walking and talking, getting to know each other, where not a lot else was happening and it felt like the story was slogging along and then the ending felt a little rushed. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The queer black vampire renaissance is ongoing and I’m so here for it. Patrice did an amazing job at keeping me invested and wanting to know what’s was happening. I loved the romance and the MCs and I can’t wait to read more from her!

This novel weaves together two timelines: the origins of the vampire line, born from a goddess princess and her wife, and the present-day journey of Vampire Princess Leyla and her oracle-like love interest, Najja, as they set out to rescue Leyla’s kidnapped friend.

The representation and strong female characters make this story stand out, offering a refreshing take on romantasy. However, the pacing felt uneven. While the beginning and end were engaging, the middle dragged with too much dialogue and not enough action. Younger readers might not mind the slower pacing, but it felt lacking at times.

Despite that, the book sets up an exciting foundation for the sequel, which promises a faster pace. With its blend of mythology, vampires, and new adult themes, Where Shadows Meet is an intriguing start to a fresh fantasy series.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the ARC.
Where Shadows Meet was as beautiful as it was devastating.
A Black sapphic dark fantasy that had me emotional from the prologue alone.
Three POVs, three inner turmoils, two romances, and a lot of mommy issues.
The mental health and chronic illness representation felt real and was handled with respect. It felt relatable, and as someone who has chronic pain and mental health conditions this made me feel seen.
I loved the slow burn romance. The characters slowly learning more about the other and how maybe they might not be too different.
The unique take on vampire lore was interesting. The magic being give and take was satisfying. The self discoveries witnessed were bittersweet.
I can’t wait to read more.

3.5 stars!

When I read the premise with Black sapphic vampires, I was immediately like yes please! I thought the world created by Patrice Cardwell was super interesting, and this book was a very quick read. I also thought Favre was a super intriguing character, and I liked reading about her both in the past and present. I think what I didn't exactly love was the pacing. It seemed like for the most part things moved extremely fast with not a lot of questioning from either of the main characters, but the middle had a lot of meandering that I did not care for. That being said, I think the plot and the world were very strong, and I would be interested in reading the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Based on the cover and blurb for Where Shadows Meet, I had incredibly high, maybe too high of expectations. Staring with what I liked about this book - I loved the representation that Caldwell brought to this story. I’m also a huge fan of morally grey characters which Caldwell used well in this story. I also appreciated that Caldwell leaned into the darker and more violent nature of vampires. There were also parts that fell flat for me. I felt there was a mixture of both trying to do too much and also not doing enough depending on which element we’re focusing on. For this being a fantasy book, I wanted way more world building and the lore established earlier in the book. There just wasn’t enough world building for me in general but maybe that was by design since it’s the first in a series. I also felt like the book was all over the place with how the story was introduced - it jumped between story telling perspective, characters, and using journal entries to get information across. I did feel that this book ended on a high note that sets up book 2 quite well. For the audiobook, I did love the choice to use multiple narrators. With how the story was told, I think it would’ve been impossible to keep track of everything had only one narrator been used. I also felt that the narrators were captivating in how they told the story making for an enjoyable listening experience.

3.5 ⭐️

The book follows two timelines. We see the story of the Princess of the gods and her wife and how they leave the realm of the gods and begin the vampire line in the living realm. That story is interspersed throughout while also following the “present day” story of the Vampire Princess Leyla and the oracle-like love interest named Najja as they set off on a journey to recover Leyla’s abducted friend.

What I loved about this story was the representation (this isn’t your typical romantasy cast), the female empowerment, and the lessons shown.

What I felt needed improvement was the pacing. The beginning is fine as you’re always a little lost while diving into a new fantasy world and assimilating to the world building. The end speeds up and I enjoyed it. The middle chunk was a bit of a slog to get through as there just isn’t much action and felt like the characters were just having conversations meant to for you to get to know them instead of showing you through the story telling itself. A big chunk is just the girls walking and talking, which perhaps as this is marketed a bit more YA/NA that pacing won’t bother a younger audience but felt lacking to me.

I would love to see where this story is building though and it does feel the book leaves off in a very good point for book two to be faster paced.

The content is a bit bloody to be real YA but half the characters are meant to be like 18ish so new adult lenses are applied to the story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy of Where Shadows Meet.

I will admit that I know that sapphic stories are not my thing, so that unfortunately led to me having a negative reading experience. I tried to read this story as a critic and I had a lot of thoughts.

This was a really enjoyable read! The lore for the vampires and the universe was really cool and interesting. I can't wait for the sequel!

Three POVs, Simple to follow black sapphic romance!

It took me a while to get into, but once I got through the first few chapters, at least for me, I really started to enjoy this. I may have wished there was more worldbuilding, but it wasn't terrible to create my old world added on to what was built in this book. As the first book in a series this book was very good! I can't wait to see what else this author comes with when it comes to this series. I will be on the look out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Where Shadows Meet is a captivating young adult fantasy featuring vampires, gods, and seers known as yamaja, with a central sapphic romance that drew me in. The worldbuilding was amazing, especially with the unique take on vampires and their origins, which is a refreshing change from the usual urban fantasy setting. The use of myths and legends adds depth, and the exploration of fate versus free will is thought-provoking.

I also enjoyed the contrast between the two sapphic romances—one healthy and the other toxic—adding complexity to the relationships. The author’s immersive worldbuilding eased me in without confusion, and I’m excited to discover more in the sequel, especially about Thana.

This book begins a new series with vampires, goddesses, and a prophecy. There are multiple points of view and two timelines. This bouncing around meant I found myself not connecting with any of the characters and it did not hold my attention. It was a slow start with more action leading up to the cliffhanger end.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

Where Shadows Meet was a great, quick read! Telling the tale of two young women with very different pasts, converge on a journey together for differing regions. I really enjoyed the world Caldwell created, and the characters seemed very well formed. I do think the political storyline did outweigh the other storyline, but I found myself breezing through this. My one fault was that I feel the ending came very abruptly. Spoiler -free, but the 'journey' was nearly 90% of the book and the ending was 10%. Although I know this is a duology and there will be further opportunity to explain the lore and what is happening, it did feel quite rushed. The conflict between the characters seemed like it came out of nowhere with an explosive reaction to a very small incident.
Overall, I certainly did enjoy the story and would pick up the next one, but the pacing did seem to lose traction at the end of the story.

Where Shadows Meet is a three POV, vampire fantasy. Long ago, Favre fell for Thana, a young goddess she sacrificed everything for. But their choices led to Thana’s destruction and Favre has been biding her time to resurrect her love. A thousand years later, the crown princess, Leyla, must travel to the Island of the Dead to save her best friend. Najja, a seer with secrets and an ulterior motive, joins her on the treacherous journey where they could lose everything.

This was a really interesting first book in the series. It didn’t fully hit for me. I would’ve liked more world building as the vampire system was super interesting and what we did see was so fascinating. The prose was beautiful and the author had lovely descriptions of everything. I am curious to read the sequel as so much is setup in this book and the ending leaves things really intense. I also quite enjoyed the journal entries at the start of some chapters!

The cast of characters was quite good. Favre and Thana have the most toxic love story but also one I’m rooting for. Everyone is quite morally grey and I really enjoyed that factor. Leyla and Najja were good leads. I enjoyed their interactions together and budding romance. Love all the sapphic relationships in this novel!!

Overall, if you like vampires and sapphic romances, I’d recommend checking this one out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.