August 8, 2022
YA author Chupeco (The Bone Witch) makes the vampire genre feel fresh in their sensual and thrilling adult debut. Alurian vampire hunter Lord Remington “Remy” Pendergast is cast out by his own troop, the Reapers, thanks to rumors that he may be half-vampire, clan politics, and his arrangement with the leader’s wife, whom he sleeps with for information. His circumstances change even more unexpectedly when vampire nobles Zidan Malekh and Xiaodan Song visit Aluria to establish an alliance with the kingdom. As word spreads that dead vampires are being revived and controlled by some unknown dark force, the noble couple solicit Remy’s help to investigate—and both develop an infatuation with him. Now it’s up to this polyamorous trio to stop the evil and forge a peaceful alliance between vampires and humans. Chupeco’s multilayered gothic world is packed with political intrigue and treachery in both human and vampire realms and a delightfully queer cast. Gory action, exciting plot twists, and steamy love scenes keep the pages flying, but the author still makes time for a delicate, sensitive exploration of trauma and recovery. This stands out among the crowded vampire fantasy field. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Reese Literary.
Starred review from September 9, 2022
DEBUT Welcome to Aluria, a world where the sun seldom shines and the lands are split between vampires and humans with each hating, fearing, and hunting the other. When a deadly plague of rotting zombies threatens both peoples, Remy Pendergast is caught in the middle as the disgraced son of a famous vampire hunter--turned--liaison to two vampire courts. But the threat is larger than anyone imagined, and Remy and the two vampires Malekh and Song must learn to trust each other absolutely if any of them are to survive the coming onslaught. Remy, Malekh, and Song have a darkly delicious queer relationship that will make gothic readers swoon, while the political skullduggery twists perceptions of heroes and villains into complex knots of speculation and betrayal. VERDICT Readers who love sinking their teeth into an absorbing story of vampire politics along with the perils of romancing the undead will find much to savor in this adult debut from YA novelist Chupeco (An Unreliable Magic). The epic saga will hold appeal for both horror and fantasy readers.--Marlene Harris
Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.