This book was the best kind of surprise! The dedication for a start had me howling, we went straight in to the story from the start and it was odd with a bang.

The premise of the story is not something I've ever read before and I really enjoyed it. Considering the story takes place over 4 or so days, so much happened but it didn't feel rushed or too much!

I normally struggle with books written in the third person but this didn't even flag in my mind. I loved Kazan but a couple of her decisions are times felt rash but also so might mine have been in her situation.

Adrius and Reya were epic and I'd love to find our more about them. I loved the parts they played in this book and would love another exploring more of them and their past!

All in all great read, 4.5 for sure!

Is anybody else returning to their vampire fantasy era? You might want to with this upcoming release…

The Hunter’s Gambit is spicy, action packed, has mystery elements and features an absolutely badass female lead. Set in a secret vampire castle, we see Kazan captured and then attempt to escape from a hellish “party”, in which she is to be the meal on the third day. The vampires completely underestimate her will to live and this makes for some shocking twists, action scenes and unexpected alliances.

Although I wish there was a little more worldbuilding, the themes of fighting for your own survival, path in life, and self acceptance shone through the story and I loved that! The pacing was brilliant and the shock factor was too. When I finished reading this book, I immediately said “we better bloody get a book 2!” So that says everything really, doesn’t it?!

“The Hunter’s Gambit” has been quite the surprise. Reading the blurb, I knew the story wouldn’t be set in contemporary times, but it was different from any book I had ever read (and I haven’t read many historical paranormal romances).

When I entered this world full of aristocratic soirées, dresses, and costumes I didn’t even know how to describe with proper words, and dialogues in a language slightly different from the modern English I was accustomed to, I was amazed. Fascinated, just as Kazan was with vampires, and impressed, just as De Vere was with Kazan.

I read this book in a few days, feeling it was a multiple first-time experience for me. And I will tell you why.

First time reading of a century I have only studied classics about, which left me with a great hunger for this particular setting. In particular, if fantasy elements are into it, and vampires are THE creature I love the most.

First time reading of a female main character who’s this selfish, carefree turncoat, despicable liar, and yet still having this strong connection with her.

First time reading a third-person, single POV writing, and never ever feeling like I was losing track of who was speaking or like I missed other characters’ perceptions or thinking.

First time reading about a quite explicit consensual threesome. Yup, you heard that right. Above all, where the attraction among the goers is not only physical.

The story is simple and develops in a less than a month. With all the main actions condensed in three days.

Kazan is somehow taken hostage and made Queen of a Vampire Court, in which she has three days to enjoy a parade they all put up. Between a derisory party and some ritual, Kazan has a ticking clock in her head, reminding her hours are limited. When it’s her time will come, the whole Court will eat her whole.

She has three days to understand how to survive all this. To manage and pull the right strings in the messy, toxic, and power-led connections linking all the Houses.

One thing is sure, she has to kill him. Dasar, the House of Gambit’s chief.

I overall quite enjoyed this book. There was not a lot of romance, apart from the threesome scene and some tension at the very beginning, but the whole violent, gore action, mystery, and unexpected decisions and plot twists compensate for any missing elaboration of romance.

In spite of having a thing for Adrius, seeing how Kazan was attracted to Reya as well, made me realize this Platonic and hidden love they all shared felt appropriate. I would have personally preferred having more scenes, but it is just my opinion, and I totally accept the lack of it.

The third part to the ending, though, left me with a bittersweet taste. I would love a less chaotic and more firm and consistent actions.

I think this book has all the fantasy and technical elements to be a 10, but there was something missing. The ending was left open, and we don’t really understand if there’s more to come.

Regardless, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy reading about vampires, not as what we usually see on TV shows or other, but beastly creatures who lure and savagely kill, with some exceptions, of course.

I will probably be reading more books from the author, because I really loved the narrative, and the premises of this book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Ciel Pierlot, and Angry Robot for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a bit disappointed in myself for not having enjoyed this book as much as I wanted to.

I'm a sucker for vampires and this book had an interesting take on them. The FMC is an incredibly morally gray character, who lies her way through life to get the upper hand on the everyday life.
She's a talented blacksmith and her adventure in the book begins when she travels to another village to sell her vampire killing sword.

She then gets captured by vampires and becomes their queen for three days, when she's offered everything in terms of food, parties, clothes. But at the end of those three days she would have too die and be feasted upon.

The setting, the world building, and the plot is all very interesting, but it kinda fell flat for me, unfortunately. The dialogue was off, the plot at the end was rushed. There was not much interaction with the love interests and it would have been nice to see some more of it. I was disappointed with FMC at a certain point, she kept promising stuff to Reya and Adrius but then she just didn't keep her word, she lied to them of course even though she didn't realised it, destroying the plans these two have had for years.

The epilogue then was not what I expected and I did not like it.

Still, thank you NetGalley and angry robot for the opportunity to read this arc for an honest review.

Thank you to Angry Robot, Ciel Pierlot, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Hunter's Gambit in exchange for my honest review.

The Hunter's Gambit tells the story of Kazan, a blacksmith who is taken by vampires. While on a journey to sell her sword, Kazan is taken by a group of vampires and made their queen. However, calling Kazan their queen is a bit of an exageration. Kazan is to be treated "well" and to get "whatever she wants" over the course of three days. At the end of the three days? She is killed. Kazan is a headstrong character. She mostly knows who she is and what she wants in life. She is determined to make it out of this situation alive, while also recognizing just how difficult her predicament is.

This book is very much focused on the plot and keeping the readers on their toes, rather than the world building or having great character development. For some readers, they are going to love it, and for others, they are going to be left wanting more. Personally, I wish that there had been a little bit more world building and a smidge more character development. This is a great concept for a book and the plot was clearly well thought out. I truly enjoyed myself while reading it, even while wishing for more. The book moves fast and I did in fact read all 400 pages in a day. I just think that there is a lot of potential for this story to have done more. I would not call this book a fantasy romance, and outside of one scene, I would not consider it to be spicy. This is a fantasy book with romantic elements at times, but it should not be advertised as a fantasy book. For that reason, as well as the limited world-building, I did rate this book four stars. I just was left wanting more. Yes, I enjoyed the story, but it also could have been so much more. There is so much potential there. Maybe Pierlot is planning on writing more in this world or maybe it is a one and done. I would suggest that everyone give this book a shot before making their final decision about whether or not they want to read it in full. Every reader likes a different fantasy style. What I struggled with in this book (the world-building and the lack of the stated romance) might be something that someone else loves. It all comes down to preference. And clearly, I liked it enough to rate it four stars and read it in one sitting.

Thank you to netgalley and angry robot for the arc of this book, the cover is beautiful and really caught my eye. I do want to start off by saying I loved the dedication in this book and the first chapter and premise definitely had me intrigued. I liked the fact that Kazan was a blacksmith and I really wish the plot allowed for us to see that more as I found it a unique quality in a main character.

Unfortunately this book did fall flat for me, at times I found the dialogue to be awkward and the plot felt rushed toward the end but slow throughout. I would of liked to have more interaction with the love interests and had one or two more intimate scenes with them. I also think fleshing out the vampire vs human world would of been good as well as at times I felt the plot was a bit repetitive. I think more fear factor of vampires would of been beneficial in the beginning, and having more dangerous situations with the vampires to really solidify how dangerous they could be despite the circumstances of the situation.

I liked the fantastical elements of vampires and geists, it would of been interesting to explore them more and have our main character interact with them more as a plot point. I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to get into vampire books and romance as I do think it would be a great entryway into those genres and that it is still an enjoyable read.

I couldn't put this one down. I read it in 2 days only because I had to go to sleep and work in between reading. It is an engaging page-turner for sure, albeit not without flaws
A pet peeve of mine is when characters spend significant time planning something only to have things go awry. I know things are not going to go according to plan, but why take the time to go over it in any detail when the action is going to be so different. And our antihero is dependably unreliable at following through on promises and plans. I counted at least four times when a plan was introduced to only fall through, and I'm not even including all the failed escape attempts.
The plot was predictable, and there was something very realistically unlikeable about the aforementioned antihero. I didn't understand why anyone at all liked her, yet unlikeable people do tend to have loyal friends. Definitely believable for a vampire blood magic party.
What I really want to know is what happened to Alphonse?!
Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The city of Mavazem is plagued by aristocratic vampires who terrorise the human citizens. But Kazan Korvic refuses to cower. As an expert blacksmith with a sharp grifter’s eye, her specialty lies in crafting, and using, weapons designed to kill the vicious creatures. But, turns out, sword skills aren’t quite enough when a whole group of vampires attack her and steal her magical weapon. Kazan is captured and forced to attend the Vampire Court where she is forced to act as their ‘Queen’. For three days she will waited and doted upon, until the lavish party where her reign will end in extravagant feast… and Kazan as the main course! Kazan plans to find her sword and get out, except with no allies in the castle, Kazan can feel the walls closing in. But she soon realises that she is not just trapped with these bloodthirsty bastards, they’re trapped with her too. And they’re not prepared for just how far she’s willing to go to survive.

Kazan is a fighter through and through so when she finds herself taken against her will, she fights tooth and nail to be free. She is an interesting character and managed to hold my attention, but we learn so little about her. We don’t know about her relationships be they familial or romantic. We don’t know about her childhood or how she got into blacksmithing. We don’t know anything beyond her making special swords and not liking vampires. We get to see a bit more of what makes her tick as the book goes on and she becomes a little more open, but it just wasn’t enough for me. Even after major events, we still didn’t get a changed or elevated Kazan. She just seemed to remain the same.

I’ve never really been one for vampire stories but the blurb for this book really caught my eye so I figured I would give it a go. The plot was okay but definitely felt drawn out. This story takes place over three days but it felt almost as if it could have been three weeks! I appreciate truly setting the scene and seeing Kazan’s desperation to escape but it felt like time suddenly had no meaning. The characters could have been a little more fleshed out. We stick with Isla so know her best but when we get a lot of time with other characters, we should be able to understand them more. They just felt a bit one-dimensional to me for a lot of the story which was such a shame. There wasn’t a huge deal of romance but that there was, I did enjoy. The spice included wasn’t too bad either. It wasn’t something I had expected to encounter or enjoy but I did! The ending itself felt a little incomplete to me. We wrap up the story but it’s left so open ended that I almost felt … uncomfortable? I was hoping for a firm ending, not something so up in the air.

Overall, The Hunter’s Gambit is a vampire story that just missed the mark for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

Imagine waking up during a sumptuous yet totally debauched feast to discover you have just three days to live ! Surrounded by Vampires who are only too delighted to describe how they intend to tear you apart for your blood, marrow and bones and they sneer, taunt and generally pixx you off .That’s what Kazan is faced with but this Queen is never going down without a fight so party goers beware !
I really enjoyed this and had absolutely no idea how it would end which only added to the fun . Now I say fun but honestly these are not cute or sparkly but heinous, vile creatures who deserve all that’s coming their way . Our heroine is absolutely determined and brave and it was oh so easy to get behind her . It’s a new to me author but certainly one I’d love to read more from .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from NetGalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Thank you for choosing me as an arc reviewer! I truly appreciate and I want to make sure I give a honest review
The first half of the book was almost too slow and too fast at the same time ( which I know sounds extremely contradictory) . I felt like there were a lot of introductions to character without letting us the readers bond to them but at the same time the text drags on without giving any substantial reason.As someone who loves to feel emotionally attached to characters, whether it’s anger or love towards the characters, I honestly felt nothing towards these characters. I had to keep a list going on my phone of the characters who they were.
The writing, I felt, was very descriptive and eloquent but I also felt like it lacked emotion and that spark that makes readers not want to put down a book. I’m not one of those reader that is truly going to dissect a book and look for plot holes. However, I am the type of reader that reads for entertainment and I read for pure enjoyment. Overall I didn't enjoy this book and it honestly didn't meet my expectations.

The overall story was good. Kazan, the main character, decides to not only get mad when she is kidnapped by vampires, but get even too. While the story moved well, some parts felt awkward. The main spicy scene felt like it was added and not really a part of the story. The last couple of chapters were actually the best in the whole book. The title doesn't seem like it fits the story. The cover fits the story really well. Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for sending this electronic book for review. All opinions are my own.

This book really did not go as expected.

The best description of how I felt while reading is that it’s a fantasy, vampire-filled ball akin to ‘The Masque of the Red Death’, with the unexpectedness of ‘The Cabin in the Woods’. Because yes, there are vampires, swordfights, heroes and villains, but it is definitely not predictable in any way whatsoever.

And it’s an absolute ride.

Kazan is a female blacksmith seeking revenge. Unfortunately her cunning plans don’t quite go as anticipated, as en route to enact them, she’s ambushed - apparently at random - captured and held in a castle with the world’s most powerful vampires, crowned Queen for three days before she will be their sacrifice.

She is, quite naturally, rather confused at this.

Of course, she tries to escape and overcome her grisly fate, and repeatedly discovers that no, she is effectively doomed.

That’s the start.

Our protagonist is not The Chosen One. She’s not a beautiful heroine, nor a brave warrior - she’s a woman with a very specific skillset, there’s nobody she can really trust, and all doors (real and metaphorical) are locked and barred at the top of a cliff.

I’m not going to say any more, because I found myself turning the pages faster and faster and would very much like you to as well. What would I do in this situation? Would I even last the three days? Nothing’s like the romance novels; these vampires are extremely deadly and laugh in the face of the tropes.

The scenario, which is essentially a lethal escape-room with a ticking clock, is beautifully drawn, and the characters are engaging and multifaceted. I found myself trying to think ahead, to see around corners, pick up the breadcrumbs and solve how Kazan will survive each day while working towards her freedom, but the author is as cunning as Agatha Christie - solutions are blocked one after the other. The tension is constant, only allowing pauses for breath when our heroine has to sleep, which are thus ‘lost’ hours she’s not able to spend trying to escape.

This is a brilliant, original adventure, and while clearly a standalone, I’d love to see what the author does next. Definitely recommended.

Overall, this is not normally the type of fantasy I enjoy but this one really did it for me. It was gritty, suspenseful, and EVERYONE is morally gray! We love to see it.

My one hangup is the list/description at the start of the novel. I think I was more confused at first trying to utilize that reference rather than going in without one.

* Spoilers *

Kazan is not a typical FMC but I came to adore her in the end. I loved her determination and stubbornness, her deviating from basically every plan she was involved in, and her almost “descent into madness” in the end. At first I didn’t like that she became a vampire, but she retained so many human qualities and became so savage in the end I felt that decision made more sense by the time I finished.

Last thing, thank you for the FMF threesome, always a fan. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

“Dedicated to everyone who read Twilight and thought: Why are these vampires so Mormon?”
 
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

With a dedication like the above, I was sold on this book. The Hunter’s Gambit is a story surrounding one woman caught by a clan of vampires who plan on k*lling her at the end of her three day “reign” as vampire queen. However, the FMC, Kazan, is not someone to be messed with. She is a liar, a blacksmith, and downright feisty woman. She ends up finding herself with no allies, except an alluring pair of vampires, but can she really trust them?  

Overall, Ciel Pierlot created a beautifully captivating vampire book with a touch of spice that keeps you interested in what Kazan might do next to get out of her situation!
 
You should read this if you like: 



⚔️ Enemies-to-Lovers
⚔️ Court Politics and Intrigue
⚔️ Vampires
⚔️ Why Choose Romances

💬 What book release are you looking forward to this year? If you are not sure, what book can you not wait to read from your TBR?


𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘗𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

Thank you for the ARC! I loved this story, it was extremely well written. Will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author!

While my expectations were high for 'The Hunter's Gambit,' I ultimately found myself not fully engaged with the story. Despite its promising elements such as vampires, a strong female main character, magic, and high stakes, I struggled to connect with the prose and overall narrative. Although the premise intrigued me, the execution fell short of my expectations. While others may find merit in its concept, unfortunately, it did not resonate with me personally.

Ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time, then inadvertently be crowned the Vampire Queen, to live in luxury, dress in glamour, where every night is a party?
Me neither but Kazan has, she gets 3 days of life as the Vampire Queen and all the luxuries it has to offer before she is torn to pieces and devoured in a sacrificial ceremony. There's always a catch!

What follows is 3 days of struggle, scheming and survival, think an escape room with the added pressure of being torn to shreds if you don't get out. The stakes are high.
Kazan is selfish, sly and a liar. Skills that she will need to utilise to survive her reign as she plots her escape from the treacherous court of cunning and cruelty that is the Vampire Citadel.

The vampires are not simply monsters, but a society with their own complex rules, rituals, and motivations. Although they are common within the world this is set, they are still feared and acknowledged as the threat they are. I liked the Houses and their Seneschals set up the author has chosen, this added to the levels of distrust as they all try to conspire against each other.

I loved how the main character is not a good person, and I don't mean she's a little flawed, I mean from start to finish she is not a good person.
It was a good choice to acknowledge that, let's face it if you want to avoid being mauled to death your moral code might have to disappear. It's a desperate struggle for survival, no matter the cost. There are no heroes here.

It's got blood-thirsty vampires, rituals and revenge. What more could you need?

Thank you, NetGalley, Ciel Pierlot, and Angry Robot for the advanced copy.

This was an intriguing read and struck me as something that could form part of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. It was refreshing to read about vampires fully embracing their blood thirsty violent selves. I didn't feel any chemistry between Kazan and the two semi love interests however. The vampire politics were an interesting concept if a tad complicated. Kazan was a likeable lead, strong and capable of fending for herself (most of the time at least). Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the advanced copy.

A dark fantasy book with devious vampires? Yes please!

This is not your typical fantasy book. This is not a love story between a vampire and a human who beat the odds and save each other. This is a gritty tale of survival, anger, selfishness, and revenge and I loved it!

We follow Kazan who is a skilled blacksmith who gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds herself in a fight for her life. It's her against a castle of vampires determined to eat her.

Kazan is haughty, selfish, quick-witted, and most notably a liar. However, in her story, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. She uses her skills to survive the best she knows how while she navigates her escape from the vampire castle.

This book had twists and turns everywhere you look and I found myself gasping out loud on more than one occasion. There was one twist that I didn't see coming so much that I had to reread the section several times to make sure I read it right, and then read a few chapters back to see how I missed it (and yep, it was so cleverly hidden I definitely missed it).

This world was incredibly unique in a way that made vampire society a common occurrence though still feared. There is a solid world set up here that could allow sequels and side stories to emerge....I know I definitely want to see more from a handful of characters.

The characters that Pierlot wrote were amazingly flawed. No one is a hero. No one claims to be. This is not a tale of good vs evil and it's riveting because of it. The writing was smooth and flowed so easily that I lost myself in the story.

Overall: recommend!

2.5 rounded up

I loved the protagonist and the setting, but the plot and pacing just fell apart after the 40% mark. A fun concept without direction.

For a book that takes place over a period of just three days it felt like Kazan spent weeks wandering the vampire manor, aimlessly. She seemed to have a lot of strong feelings about survival but rarely acted upon them except to flee from one hallway to another when a scene needed to come to a close.

I liked the love interests but the chemistry was lacking, there didn't really seem to be a believable reason why they took an interest in Kazan, other than that they flirted with her a few times and she reciprocated. The motivations behind their political allegiance felt equally shallow.

I am sure this book will hit the right note with others - the worldbuilding is fun and grisly, the weaponry especially. Kazan is an interesting character, a little morally grey, and she is satisfyingly perceptive. The writing was easy to consume and in some places beautifully descriptive. For me though, this one really lacked depth and despite it being fairly short I struggled to stay invested.

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My rating system:
✧✧✧✧✧ - loved it, no complaints
✧✧✧✧ - loved it, some technical flaws
✧✧✧ - liked it
✧✧ - disappointing
✧ - unenjoyable