So this is a 3.5 stars rating but I had serious mixed thoughts about this.

What I liked - it’s dark and gritty. Like dark dark. I love enemies to lovers and this feels like they are really enemies. I like the dark academia aspect. I like that this is a different take on vampire lore - didn’t think it would be possible to do something new with that but the author surprised me. I love the Ethiopian slant - go diversity! I love the main characters - Kidan is loveably demented (like Jinx in Arcane) and Yos is yummy in every sense. That fight scene on the Cossi night .., amazing!

What I didn’t love - the pacing. Parts of it bored me to tears and nearly turned me off but I reread and pushed through and it got good again. I hate a miscommunication trope - the absolute worst. I get trust issues etc but sooo freaking much could have been avoided if people just spoke to each other. It made for an overcomplicated plot. There is a thin line between complicated and convoluted- unfortunately this tips over the edge.

This has a good balance of all the elements - world building, character development and plot. If anything a bit too heavy handed on the plot but for the first book in a series, a very good balance. I can’t wait to read the next book.

Oh and oddly this book is equally steamy (almost literally hahaha - there are some bath scenes) and not spicy at all at the same time. I can’t actually tell if the characters had sex or not but I don’t care. I loved it anyway. Can’t wait to see where things go in the next book.

This book was so much darker than I thought it was going to be. It’s definitely a dark academia, vampire fantasy romance!

For a girl that doesn’t like dark academia I definitely enjoyed this one; there was so much romance. And when I say romance I mean sexually suggestive scenes and a LOT of sexual tension.

Some of the scenes where it got to blood drinking were very heated ❤️‍🔥

Aside from the romance the plot was very gripping as there was murders, mystery, betrayal, found family, lost family, vampire politics and fighting. I think this is why it was so gripping - there was so much action I needed to know what was going to happen next!

Another thing I loved about this book was the short chapters and the letters from the main characters aunt - I love a good letter in a book.

The only 2 downfalls for me were:
That it was dark academia I do prefer a lot of the fluff and romance when it comes to a vampire story.
And some of the characters I found really difficult to pronounce so I’m not going to lie I gave them different names in my head

I’ve been excited for this book ever since I saw the author first talking about it online. Were well overdue a vampire comeback and this was IT! Immediately I was invested in Kidan’s journey and the prose was lush.

I was really looking forward to reading this and it had a good premise and loved that the lead was from Ethiopian heritage. I could understand Kidan's anguish and doing anything in her power to get her sister June back as it must have been an awful shock. The hatred and anguish between Susenyos and herself is understandable as both have strong reasons behind their behaviour towards each other, especially with the rules at Uxley and you could feel the rising animosity between them until it reached its peak. I was also shocked with what happened to Ramyn. I thought it was an enjoyable read with a good premise but I did feel as though (in my own personal opinion) that it was a bit repetitive throughout with Kidan strong feeling to just want to kill everyone and Susenyos playing childish games however looking at the characters individually their actions are to be expected based on the circumstances that have led up to the point of the book and what they have to lose/gain but my personal reading experience fell a little bit short of my own desired expectations. This is not a reflection on what other people will take from reading it and I would definitely recommend to other people to read. I am still looking forward to reading the second book in the trilogy!

I really tried to get into this story but it just wasn't clicking for me. I have to review every book I get or I won't hit 100%, sorry!

Unfortunately it wasn’t what I was expecting. I didn’t engage with any of the characters & found the world building a little confusing

Was a tricky ready, some bit were great and gripping but some elements were long and drawn out making it really hard work to stick too, some bits were overly confusing or over written. Had a great theory just didn’t meet my expectations.

I had to slow down and savour this book, hence the late review, but it was so worth savouring.

This book had a very shocking start, I had to process the beginnings of Kidan's decent into Uxlay because bloody hell it was so brutal. You slowly come to understand her decisions and I will say I support her rights and wrongs.

I cannot wait for book 2 because that ending left my jaw hanging on the FLOOR!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Hodder and Stoughton for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review. 


TW: death, gore, murder, parental abuse, torture, suicidal ideation, violence, fire

This is such an atmospheric book and one of the most original takes on vampires that I’ve read, with vampires originating in Ethiopia. However I struggled with the main character of Kidan and found the other characters to be inconsistent and a little underdeveloped. I had really high hopes for this because it started so well but it was ultimately not for me.

A delicious and dark read spilling over with vampires and mystery.

Kidan Adane is suddenly pulled into the thrilling world of Uxlay University on her mission to find her missing sister June. Kidan is sure that the house vampire of the house belonging to her family is behind it all, Susenyos. To keep her place at Uxlay Kidan must graduate her classes in order to claim her house and not let it go to the scary yet alluring Susenyos. But when a murder takes place on campus Kidan realises that it seems to mirror June's disappearance. Soon she is completely swept up with trying to find her sister and really get to the bottom of what is happening.

Whilst I found a few parts slightly too long I felt that the overall pace was good! I was intrigued and wanted to find out more. Also black vampires? YES PLEASE! This world of Immortal Dark has such a rich history and lore that I can't wait to explore it even more in the next book. I enjoyed this and I will be looking forward to the sequel!

This may be the most misleadingly marketed book of the year. If you're reading this for the dark academia label, don't.

First off, one of the things I did like: I loved that we had a completely unhinged, angry female MC. Kidan was ready to do anything to save her sister and I found it admirable that the author didn't soften Kidan's anger or her mental health struggles. Her inner monologue read like that of a sociopath at times which was a ballsy choice for a YA book. I also liked the exploration of literal and inner demons and the posed question of what evil truly is.

Speaking of hatred and evil, this could qualify as true enemies to lovers. Kidan and Susenyos truly loathed each other for the majority of the book and tried to murder each other multiple times. We love to see it. However, thinking back on it, the romance did feel a bit lackluster to me. This was mainly due to the fact that we did not truly get to know the love interest until the middle of the book and both of them were far too guarded and distrusting to truly work together. By the end, it felt more like enemies to lust to begrudging trust (maybe). As a result, the emotional scenes didn't catch me and I wasn't buying into them truly having feelings for each other.

Moreover, as I already hinted at, my main gripe with this book was the dark academia label. The structure of the vampire university was nebulous at best and there was barely any academic pursuit. We see Kidan meet up for study groups, which usually get interrupted, and attend "vampire philosophy" classes which she needs to solve riddles for which end up as vehicles to push the romance. Since the book failed to resemble actual academia, it also failed to criticise academia in any meaningful way. There was some influence from Donna Tartt's The Secret History, mainly the unhinged murder friend group, but that was all the academia I could parse. The murder friend group shtick was also pushed to ridiculous dimensions to the point where I felt like it may have been satire. Similarly, the setting felt more like a theatre backdrop than a real place. If the book had been set in, say, a Gothic vampire castle à la Dracula, not much would have changed. Reminiscent of Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, there were some secret societies on campus. Sadly, they had really low stakes goals, which was a shame. Like the campus itself, its secret societies were a bit nebulous and I couldn't quite grasp what their goals were or how they were organised.

What I did like was when the book veered into the thriller genre. Kidan trying to solve her sister's disappearance and possible murder was easily the most engaging part of the book and also I felt like when Kidan's character came truly into her own. The female rage was raging and I was eating it up, thank you very much. Delicious, give me ten more. Still, it appeared as if the book couldn't decide what genre it wanted to be - thriller, fantasy romance or dark academia? Adult or YA? As a result, it ended up in a weird in-between space.

The quality of the prose varied - some turns of phrase I found really beautiful, others made me cringe. The dialogue was a similar case. There were some phrases I knew the author included to have quotes for marketing or social media, or ones that were supposed to be "deep" but didn't work. As Girma is a debut author, I'm cutting her some slack. Prose is usually the area that authors most improve in after writing a few books, so we're turning a blind eye to the prose here. I definitely saw potential in her writing.

The ending felt really convoluted to me and around three quarters in, I lost all motivation to continue. Since this was an ARC, I felt obligated to finish and review it, but had I bought it, I would have likely DNFed.

Now, I have already seen many positive reviews and I'm truly happy there's a crowd who loves this. This will probably be big with the TVD Klaus Mikaelson girlies. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me and I probably won't continue the series.

Immortal Dark is an absolutely captivating masterpiece that breathes new life into the dark academia subgenre. It is the sort of book that grips you from the very beginning and leaves you entirely consumed by every little detail. If there's one new novel that must be on your reading list this autumn and winter, it needs to be this one!

Kidan is such a compelling and multi-layered character. I adored her moral ambiguity and just how unhinged she could be. True enemies to lovers is at its finest here. Other reviewers have mentioned this but Immortal Dark reminded me a lot of Ninth House and The Cruel Prince. Combine both of those novels' strongest elements and you get Immortal Dark.

The setting felt so real and atmospheric and I was deeply impressed with how creative the story was, particularly to its nods to East African folklore. I am desperately in need of book two and I cannot wait to see how this series develops. Tigest Girma has an exciting career ahead of her.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

- Vampires
- Enemies to lovers ish
- Family
- Friends
- Dark academia
- Violence
- Magic

This book I've been looking forward to all year and omg did it not disappoint. This was amazing.

The lore in this is detailed and deep and had me gripped. The rules within this world is very cool and unique( to me anyway)

The main characters are indeed enemies from the start and it's so deep. The sarcasm and feelings between the characters is so gripping and really grabs you.

Honestly can't recommend this enough if you like vampires, dark academia and the darker side of books think of the level of the Scholomance trilogy.

I would say this is on the darker side of YA I wouldn't recommend this to anyone on the younger side, it reads more adult that YA with the main character being in the YA age range.

I cannot wait for the next one in this trilogy.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Children's Group for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Amazing, absolutely loved this. A great mix of dark acamdei and vampires. The world and the structure of the school and houses is unique and keeps you interested in the characters and what their motives are. Will definitely be continuing the series.

An amazingly unique take on a vampiric world that will bring any vampire lover to want to read every book this debut author will write

This was such a deliciously dark, mysterious and brilliant book. I couldn’t help but be swept up by the history and complex ways of Uxlay University - and its inhabitants - and the writing style was just incredible. There’s nothing I love more than a woman hellbent on revenge, and Kidan was just that. Her trauma and sisterly loyalty was intoxicating, as was her angry, inquisitive and relentless nature. I loved her!!!!

Susenyos - I wanted to hate him but it was impossible. There were so many points in this book that I wanted to knock Susenyos and Kidan’s heads together!

The action? Immaculate. The tension? Continuous thrilling. The complex world building and lore? Incredibly done. The twists? My head is still spinning. The dark academia vibes? PERFECT for this time of year. I actually can’t believe it’s over and can’t wait to return to Uxlay…

Let me know if you’ll be reading this one, or if you’ve already fallen right into the grasp of these complex and bloody incredible characters. I certainly have.

How wonderful to see another new author coming through with such a superb first book? A story full of adventure, romance, tension and magic - my students are going to adore this!

We’re starting off the ninth season of The Dark Academicals podcast with a hyped new release that we’ve both been so excited to read - Tigest Girma’s Black vampire fantasy debut, ‘Immortal Dark’.


I’ve said an embarrassing number of times how glad I am that vampires are back and going from strength to strength, and nothing makes me happier than that. There’s a whole host of possibilities with vampires and their lore and ‘Immortal Dark’ takes it in a direction that I’ve never seen before.

Hidden in our world, a society of vampires originating in Africa, can only feed from select human bloodlines. Each bloodline represents a House more cutthroat than the next. To ensure peaceful co-existence and inherit their legacy, human children of these families must study at an elite university before choosing a vampire companion.

Lost Heiress, Kidan Adane grew up far from Uxlay University. She is obsessively protective, mildly nihilistic, and willing to do anything to save her loved ones. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her - the alluring yet dangerous Susenyos Sagad, the same vampire bound to her own House.

To stay in Uxlay, Kidan must study an arcane philosophy, work with four enigmatic students, and survive living with Susenyos - even as he does everything to drive her away. It doesn't matter that Susenyos' violence speaks to her own and tempts Kidan to surrender to a life of darkness. She must find her sister and kill him at all costs.

When a murder mirroring June's disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. Here, she discovers a centuries-old threat. And June could be at the very centre of it.

The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House in this dangerously romantic dark academia debut, where a lost heiress must infiltrate a secret society and live with the vampire she suspects kidnapped her sister.

Within only a few pages of this book I was completely absorbed by the atmosphere. It’s dark, tense and instantly foreboding, and that atmosphere lasts for the entire novel which is a serious feat. Atmosphere is one of the most important things for me, especially in dark academia, and ‘Immortal Dark’ completely nails it. I was on the edge of my seat every time Kidan and Susenyos interacted and the tension wracked up consistently, particularly in the last quarter of the book.


Most of that tension is because Kidan is so consistently angry all of the time. It never lets up. Never. It’s exhausting to spend nearly 500 pages with Kidan as she’s just a roiling ball of anger with nothing else ever really overtaking that anger - it’s always at the forefront of every interaction she has and every decision she makes. It clouds her and makes her very young and naive which adds to the confusion that I felt over the age range that this book falls into. It’s marketed as and published by a YA imprint, Kidan reads younger emotionally, but everything else about her reads older, and the intimate scenes push the age range even higher.

It was a big issue for me while reading as it’s something that I’m noticing in YA a lot more recently with the rise of BookTok and the nuts approach to spice being a requirement in every single book. It’s a very dark and intense novel and there were a few scenes between Kidan and Susenyos that felt rather uncomfortable in the light of this being a YA novel and I almost wish that it would have been published as an adult novel and leaned into that space.

The slow build between Kidan and Susenyos is a really solid way to move from true, mortal enemies to reluctant allies to possibly friends with benefits to the possibility of love. They’re complex characters, okay? I didn’t always feel the attraction between them because Kidan is so, so angry that there often didn’t feel like she had enough room for her to feel anything else when it comes to Susenyos. I wanted more from him as there’s so much in his history and so many secrets that are begging to be unravelled.

‘Immortal Dark’ by Tigest Girma is a rich, atmospheric and dark vampire fantasy with a bold and new mythology. I’m very much looking forward to how Kidan and Susenyos handle the revelations of the end of the novel as the trilogy progresses.

Written by Sophie

3.5 Stars

The book started out a little slow, but after about the halfway mark, I felt it picked up. I enjoyed seeing the underlying mystery unfold and I did not expect the twist at the end.

The characters were all quite lovable, and I enjoyed seeing their relationships grow. I loved the enemies-to-lovers (ish) relationship between Kidan and Susenyos. Overall I did enjoy this book and I am intrigued to see what happens in the next one, I think this was a great start to a series.

TIigest Girma is the moment! Like yaaaaaaaas give me more black vampires! I can't describe how it feels to see characters who look like me depicted in popular tropes that had the world in a chokehold (Twilight) and it's so much better that this isn't a "love letter" to those kinds of books it's just BLACKITY BLACK BLACK with no apologies.

Now, I did think Kidan was annoying AF, but Susenyos!!! HONEY he was sooooo amazing! Give me book two neeeeoooow