The Court of the Undead Book Review
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!
When Yara is stolen from her home and purchased by the trueborn vampirs, her sister Aylin does not hesitate to give chase. Joining a band of hunters, Aylin does all she can to find her sister. Meanwhile, Yara is drawn into the vampir court. She may not be a warrior like Aylin, but she knows court politics. Yara begins to weave a web of manipulation around the vampires, making promises to whoever will grant her freedom.
There are a few situations this novel delves into that will make some readers uncomfortable. Yara’s storyline deals with Stockholm syndrome. She is subjected to increasing displays of violence and violation, causing her to become attracted to those who show her even a hint of leniency. And Aylin is put into situations with domineering personalities who seek to harm and humiliate her consistently.
Yara’s story was the most captivating as she manipulated her way through the vampiric court. She used both her beauty and the skills she had attained through her home court to weave her way through the various families. And as the risk continued to grow, she became desperate to find any possible safe haven. However, vampires are nothing like humans, and she was one false sense of safety away from death.
The intent of this novel is to unsettle readers, but having one storyline focus on this would have been more than enough for the novel. With two female leads being abused in different ways, it made this an extremely difficult book to read. There was no inkling of hope thrown in to encourage readers along. Even the smallest bit would have helped the overall story and balanced it better. While this is a dark fantasy, it hovers closer to grimdark with the situations the characters endure.
At times the writing was also repetitive. Aylin has such a fiery temper, and will not hesitate to fight with either weapons or words. This is a great characteristic to have in her character as she journeys to bring her sister back from the vampir. However, her choice of words and insults were always the same. There may have been a few variations of vocabulary, but she also threatened in the same manner. Using body language, or physical acts, would have helped solidify her character. Granted she does cause some fights with her temper, but the insults weren’t always needed. The writing relied too heavily on what she said versus what she did.
The Court of the Undead is for readers who are looking for a darker twist on the love triangle theme. There is a hint of romance in the story, but it predominantly explores the ways both sisters have to endure their dangerous situations to find one another again.
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