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Empire of Eternal Night #1
The Vampire's Bargain
New York Times Bestseller Jasmine Walt is back with a brand-new vampire-witch fantasy series, set in a dark world filled with celestial magic, deadly alliances, and forbidden romance... Kitana Nightshade is the most powerful witch in Valentaera. A fierce defender of witchkind and humanity, she stands as a bastion against the vicious threat of the vampire kingdom, rising to become the deadliest vampire hunter the world has ever known. That is, until her lover betrays her in cold blood, sealing her in away in a magical prison so he can take her power for himself. For fifty long years, Kitana has dreamed of nothing but vengeance. But when she is finally freed from her magical prison, it is not by a fellow witch, but an enigmatic and dangerous vampire lord. The bargain he offers her is simple—assassinate the vampire king, and in return, he’ll help her take back her coven and enact her revenge. Normally, Kitana would never ally with a vampire. But the world she left behind fifty years ago has changed. The sun has disappeared, the vampires have conquered the human kingdoms, and the witches are nowhere to be found. The only person Kitana can truly trust in herself… yet, in this new realm shrouded by darkness and abandoned by the gods, that may not be enough. And when a shattering truth is revealed, Kitana must decide what is most vengeance, or the price of her heart?
406 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
February 16, 2024
Review 4.5 stars!❤️
I’ll convince you guys to read this book with one quote: “Are you scared of me, Kitten?😈”
Imagine a world where the sun is gone and society lives in pure darkness. In this post-apocalyptic world vampires rule over humans, who are their “pets”💀 This is the world that the skilled vampire-hunter Kitana wakes up to after being 50 years imprisoned in a tomb. Worse is.. she is rescued by the very enemy she has sworn to defeat: a vampire. Not just any vampire, the heir to an important vampire house. Their dynamic is perfect for those who enjoy banter, knife to the throat moments and reluctant allies!
tropes included:
- sworn enemies must work together
- a fierce FMC vampire Hunter
- slow burn romance
- multiple POV
- touch her and I’ll 💀you
- post apocalyptic vampire world
Imagine Moon Touched meets Vampire Diaries with lots of amazing worldbuilding, found family and political intrigue! One of my favorite elements (besides my newest book boyfriend Max) was the development of the vampire society and how they have established themselves. The ending has a major plot twist that I did not see coming and I can’t wait for the sequel 😍😍
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review
I’ll convince you guys to read this book with one quote: “Are you scared of me, Kitten?😈”
Imagine a world where the sun is gone and society lives in pure darkness. In this post-apocalyptic world vampires rule over humans, who are their “pets”💀 This is the world that the skilled vampire-hunter Kitana wakes up to after being 50 years imprisoned in a tomb. Worse is.. she is rescued by the very enemy she has sworn to defeat: a vampire. Not just any vampire, the heir to an important vampire house. Their dynamic is perfect for those who enjoy banter, knife to the throat moments and reluctant allies!
tropes included:
- sworn enemies must work together
- a fierce FMC vampire Hunter
- slow burn romance
- multiple POV
- touch her and I’ll 💀you
- post apocalyptic vampire world
Imagine Moon Touched meets Vampire Diaries with lots of amazing worldbuilding, found family and political intrigue! One of my favorite elements (besides my newest book boyfriend Max) was the development of the vampire society and how they have established themselves. The ending has a major plot twist that I did not see coming and I can’t wait for the sequel 😍😍
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy for review
February 20, 2024
4.5 stars!
THIS book is my newest obsession 😍 I was gripped from the very first chapter and look forward to reading time all day because I can’t wait to see what Kitana (our vampire hunter FMC) and Maximilian (our vampire lord) are up to 👀 this book is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, epic worldbuilding, and found family…and def perfect for fans of touch her and 💀.
Thanks to the author for gifting me a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
THIS book is my newest obsession 😍 I was gripped from the very first chapter and look forward to reading time all day because I can’t wait to see what Kitana (our vampire hunter FMC) and Maximilian (our vampire lord) are up to 👀 this book is perfect for fans of enemies to lovers, epic worldbuilding, and found family…and def perfect for fans of touch her and 💀.
Thanks to the author for gifting me a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 5, 2024
3,5/5
Had a blast reading the book ! I guessed the ending, and I'm a bit confused as to where the book ended (there's a cliffhanger and there's ending in the middle of a scene), but still it was a good read. The romance was on point, and the banter between Kitana and Maximilian was fire. Max is the equivalent of Rhysand, so if he's one of your book husbandos, you'll love our vampire.
The enemies-to-lovers was well down and the slow burn wad well executed. The world building was fully fleshed out and some plots were very intriguing. There were some spelling mistakes here and there but not too much. I was a bit weirded out by the POV's though. During the first half of the book we only get Kitana's, but the other half we get Max and Casimir POV's as well.
My biggest complaint would be Kitana, the FMC. She's the typical "I'm a badass vampire huntress and legends are written about me" but then proceeds to never use her one brain cell and keeps acting rashly. She's a damsell in distress and I hated it.
A great book about vampires (thank god they are so hard to find) and a very fun adventure overall !
Had a blast reading the book ! I guessed the ending, and I'm a bit confused as to where the book ended (there's a cliffhanger and there's ending in the middle of a scene), but still it was a good read. The romance was on point, and the banter between Kitana and Maximilian was fire. Max is the equivalent of Rhysand, so if he's one of your book husbandos, you'll love our vampire.
The enemies-to-lovers was well down and the slow burn wad well executed. The world building was fully fleshed out and some plots were very intriguing. There were some spelling mistakes here and there but not too much. I was a bit weirded out by the POV's though. During the first half of the book we only get Kitana's, but the other half we get Max and Casimir POV's as well.
My biggest complaint would be Kitana, the FMC. She's the typical "I'm a badass vampire huntress and legends are written about me" but then proceeds to never use her one brain cell and keeps acting rashly. She's a damsell in distress and I hated it.
A great book about vampires (thank god they are so hard to find) and a very fun adventure overall !
February 28, 2024
Oy vey. This book was fine. Very forgettable. I felt as though I couldn’t find it in me to suspend my disbelief for so many plot elements. Not to mention that it was set up as a revenge story and there was quite literally not a lick of revenge. Kitana is in a coffin for 50 years and when she’s finally released she’s mostly fine? She has like a tiny bit of PTSD but then she wills it to go away and it does?? Not to mention she’s supposed to be this amazing vampire slayer and yet she gets caught in every single attack she tries.
The romance was also lackluster. I love a slow burn but Jesus Christ these two main characters had zero chemistry. Plus the second act switch was weird and I didn’t care for the new POV.
Oh and did I mention how teeeny tiny Kitana is? She’s so small and fragile and her tiny teeny little waist is soooo tiny. Oh but don’t worry she also has ample curves despite being soooo teeny tiny. Bleh.
The romance was also lackluster. I love a slow burn but Jesus Christ these two main characters had zero chemistry. Plus the second act switch was weird and I didn’t care for the new POV.
Oh and did I mention how teeeny tiny Kitana is? She’s so small and fragile and her tiny teeny little waist is soooo tiny. Oh but don’t worry she also has ample curves despite being soooo teeny tiny. Bleh.
February 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this author’s Of Dragon and Fae series so no one is more surprised by this rating more than me.
⭐️⭐️
I loved Part 1 and the final pages of this story.
The rest… there’s just too much for me to type… it wasn’t my favorite.
Every character in this book was compelling, interesting, and different… except Kitana who, for all her alleged wisdom, acted like an ignorant child and it was not endearing to read.
The other gripe I had was that when Part 2 began, we got a time skip, a POV switch, a romance skip, relationships being escalated, and a whole plethora of issues that did not add anything to the plot. It felt like Part 1 and Part 2 were two separate entities that were only joined together by character names. Too many plot threads started in Part 2, each more confusing than the last, but I guess it’s supposed to excite you for the next book yet for me, I was just confused on why these plot points were important now (such as Casimir’s POV). Part 2 should’ve been in Book 2, not the first book.
I lost interest at the 70% unfortunately but I did finish the book and the ending was good but still kind of out of left field.
There’s a lot I thought was rushed or not well-thought out and sadly that’s why it got a lower rating than I initially wanted.
⭐️⭐️
I loved Part 1 and the final pages of this story.
The rest… there’s just too much for me to type… it wasn’t my favorite.
Every character in this book was compelling, interesting, and different… except Kitana who, for all her alleged wisdom, acted like an ignorant child and it was not endearing to read.
The other gripe I had was that when Part 2 began, we got a time skip, a POV switch, a romance skip, relationships being escalated, and a whole plethora of issues that did not add anything to the plot. It felt like Part 1 and Part 2 were two separate entities that were only joined together by character names. Too many plot threads started in Part 2, each more confusing than the last, but I guess it’s supposed to excite you for the next book yet for me, I was just confused on why these plot points were important now (such as Casimir’s POV). Part 2 should’ve been in Book 2, not the first book.
I lost interest at the 70% unfortunately but I did finish the book and the ending was good but still kind of out of left field.
There’s a lot I thought was rushed or not well-thought out and sadly that’s why it got a lower rating than I initially wanted.
October 26, 2024
4.5🛐
Extrañaba leer un libro de vampiros y este me sorprendió mucho, ME ENCANTÓ!!!
Es la primera vez que leo a Jasmine, ya tenía mucho tiempo que quería leer libros de ella, y cuando salió este libro, me animé a leerlo y mas porque es de un vampiro y una cazadora de vampiros, ME ENCANTAAAAA, brujas, vampiros, dioses, caos, muerte, guerra….etc etc omg ESTA MUY BUENO TODO.😮💨
Me gustó mucho que tenga multiple pov!! No solo el pov de ella, si no también de Max y otro personaje secundario que es importante.✨
Me encantó la historia de inicio a fin, esta muy entretenido y muy adictivo de leer, también no podia parar de leer, se lee rapido.🛐
Las interacciones de Kitana y Max, amo amo, no solo la tensión de ellos, si no todo en general, también con el grupo de amigos que fue conociendo Kitana cuando Max la despertó, me encanta.✨
Estoy amando que esto sea un slowburn, aunque tuve un poco de burn entretenido este libro, pero mucha tensión entre estos.👀😈
Tenía mis dudas de si sería un RH o un Triangulo amoroso pero no, que buen final, mientras iba avanzando en la lectura me veía venir una cosa y le atiné jaja me gustó ese final ESTA MUY EMOCIONANTE NECESITO EL SEGUNDO LIBRO!!✨
Extrañaba leer un libro de vampiros y este me sorprendió mucho, ME ENCANTÓ!!!
Es la primera vez que leo a Jasmine, ya tenía mucho tiempo que quería leer libros de ella, y cuando salió este libro, me animé a leerlo y mas porque es de un vampiro y una cazadora de vampiros, ME ENCANTAAAAA, brujas, vampiros, dioses, caos, muerte, guerra….etc etc omg ESTA MUY BUENO TODO.😮💨
Me gustó mucho que tenga multiple pov!! No solo el pov de ella, si no también de Max y otro personaje secundario que es importante.✨
Me encantó la historia de inicio a fin, esta muy entretenido y muy adictivo de leer, también no podia parar de leer, se lee rapido.🛐
Las interacciones de Kitana y Max, amo amo, no solo la tensión de ellos, si no todo en general, también con el grupo de amigos que fue conociendo Kitana cuando Max la despertó, me encanta.✨
Estoy amando que esto sea un slowburn, aunque tuve un poco de burn entretenido este libro, pero mucha tensión entre estos.👀😈
Tenía mis dudas de si sería un RH o un Triangulo amoroso pero no, que buen final, mientras iba avanzando en la lectura me veía venir una cosa y le atiné jaja me gustó ese final ESTA MUY EMOCIONANTE NECESITO EL SEGUNDO LIBRO!!✨
January 24, 2025
3.5 stars
Was this the greatest book I ever read? No. But I had fun and tbh that’s all I wanted
Was this the greatest book I ever read? No. But I had fun and tbh that’s all I wanted
April 27, 2025
Açıkçası çok daha iyi beklediğim bir kitaptı. Bir süredir okuma listemdeydi ve vampirler her zaman favori türüm olduğu için oldukça heyecanlıydım okumak için. Kitapta benim için eksi puan olan şeyler sanırım yazarın yazım tarzı da olabilir, betimlemeleri falan biraz okurken sıkıldım. Hadi artık iç diyalogları bitsin de bi olay ya da bi gelişme okuyalım istedim. Dünyayla ilgili bilgileri vermek istemiş yazar tabi ama bunu okumak nedense bu kitapta beni sıktı. Onun dışında ana kadın karakterimiz Kitana da çok hayal kırıklığına uğrattı beni. Kitabın açıklamasını okuduğumda böyle çok güçlü, soğukkanlı, bilge, mantıklı, stratejik bir cadı gözümde canlanmıştı. Mental olarak da güçlü bir karakter okuyacağımızı düşünmüştüm. Ancak okuduğum Kitana duygularıyla hareket eden, herkesin düşman olduğu ve zayıflık aradığı bi dünyada davranışlarının önünü arkasını düşünmeyen çocuk gibi bir karakterdi. Bunu belki sonraki kitaplarda düzeltir, belki bir geçiştir bilemiyorum ama okurken çok sinirim bozuldu. Onun dışında hikaye güzeldi yani muhteşem diyemem ama merak ettirdi. Erkek ana karakterimiz Max baya iyiydi bence. En çok onu sevdim. Hatta diğer karakterler de baya iyiydi. Kitana dışında herkes çok ilgi çekiciydi 😂 Max ve Kitana daha çok vakit geçirsin istedim çok az diyalogları vardı bence. Aynı ortamda bile çok az bulundular. Neyse 2. kitabı okurum sanırım. Max için en çok 😂
January 25, 2024
Let’s start with this is my first ARC and maaaan, I got lucky!
It’s got humans, witches, and vampires struggling to live in one world, need I say more?
Yes, yes I do because it’s SO MUCH MORE than that!
I will not lie, this took me a bit to get into. It’s that new world building that gets me all overwhelmed. The book starts off with having everything broken down, I was nervous that it would be just too much. But it WASN’T like that! Jasmine does a great job introducing the characters and their world throughout the book. It is a slow burn romance/spice that is a bit predictable but still so cute! “Max” will have you swooning over him throughout the book! Kitana of course was all sorts of bad-assery but showed the other side of how much we all crave human touch, in the safety of being behind closed doors. I loved her familiar Jinx and what she brings to the table/book. When things do finally get spicy…it does not disappoint. I loved the political aspects and the other characters throughout the book as well. My favorite character I think is Casimir though! Totally thought it was going to be a different ending which I especially love because now I’m just itching to read the next book!
So don’t hesitate, read the book!!! 😍
It’s got humans, witches, and vampires struggling to live in one world, need I say more?
Yes, yes I do because it’s SO MUCH MORE than that!
I will not lie, this took me a bit to get into. It’s that new world building that gets me all overwhelmed. The book starts off with having everything broken down, I was nervous that it would be just too much. But it WASN’T like that! Jasmine does a great job introducing the characters and their world throughout the book. It is a slow burn romance/spice that is a bit predictable but still so cute! “Max” will have you swooning over him throughout the book! Kitana of course was all sorts of bad-assery but showed the other side of how much we all crave human touch, in the safety of being behind closed doors. I loved her familiar Jinx and what she brings to the table/book. When things do finally get spicy…it does not disappoint. I loved the political aspects and the other characters throughout the book as well. My favorite character I think is Casimir though! Totally thought it was going to be a different ending which I especially love because now I’m just itching to read the next book!
So don’t hesitate, read the book!!! 😍
January 23, 2024
"She moved with an ethereal grace, her former a mesmerizing blend of shadow and radiance, as if she'd been woven from the very fabric of the night sky."
Arc review!
This story is a combination between Arcane and Discovery of Witches. Full of advanced technology mixed in with old folklore and gods. I was fascinated that aether and lunar engery played such a large role in making the timeline futuristic. I felt part one and two needed more natural flow between characters and the plot.
In part one, I enjoyed the world building, but it needed more character development. Many of the characters are quickly forgotten about when more of the focus could've been on Kitana and Maximilian.
Part two is where I felt the story really should have started off and craved more from the jump. I was so much more invested in part two. You get to know so much more about Kitana; her true backstory, her shadow magic, and her vulnerability. You also see the real connections she starts to form, and it felt a lot more genuine in part two.
I'm looking forward to book two!
Arc review!
This story is a combination between Arcane and Discovery of Witches. Full of advanced technology mixed in with old folklore and gods. I was fascinated that aether and lunar engery played such a large role in making the timeline futuristic. I felt part one and two needed more natural flow between characters and the plot.
In part one, I enjoyed the world building, but it needed more character development. Many of the characters are quickly forgotten about when more of the focus could've been on Kitana and Maximilian.
Part two is where I felt the story really should have started off and craved more from the jump. I was so much more invested in part two. You get to know so much more about Kitana; her true backstory, her shadow magic, and her vulnerability. You also see the real connections she starts to form, and it felt a lot more genuine in part two.
I'm looking forward to book two!
February 24, 2025
DNF at 60%. I couldn’t finish this book because it was so bad, and especially because I just couldn’t tolerate the protagonist’s stupidity any longer. Kitana, the so-called living legend, known for being "clever,” “bold,”and above all, "the best vampire hunter,” is actually portrayed as a woman with childish and ignorant attitudes, incapable of using her brain for even thirty seconds. Truly unbearable.
Additionally, I have to mention that I felt no chemistry between the protagonists. The scene where Kitana, injured, asks Maximilian “to stay” felt completely out of place; all I felt was secondhand embarrassment, since they had exchanged no more than two conversations for the “super powerful witch” to be begging in this way. Pathetic. I even dare to say that the protagonist had more chemistry with Sparrow than with the MMC.
Another issue I had is that I read just over half of the book, and absolutely nothing happened. That’s another reason I didn’t finish it—I was simply getting bored.
Additionally, I have to mention that I felt no chemistry between the protagonists. The scene where Kitana, injured, asks Maximilian “to stay” felt completely out of place; all I felt was secondhand embarrassment, since they had exchanged no more than two conversations for the “super powerful witch” to be begging in this way. Pathetic. I even dare to say that the protagonist had more chemistry with Sparrow than with the MMC.
Another issue I had is that I read just over half of the book, and absolutely nothing happened. That’s another reason I didn’t finish it—I was simply getting bored.
February 23, 2024
The genre of fantasy romance has had me in a chokehold for going on 2 years now. This is the first book I've encountered SO MUCH world building that I was overwhelmed at times. There is a lot going on and a lot to remember. That being said, once the plot line picked up, it PICKED UP and I couldn't put it down. This enemies to lovers, slow burn, shadow mommy (instead of our usual shadow daddies 😏) book is everything you love to see in fantasy romance (though I can always go for more spice!!!). Max had me falling for him right away with how caring and charismatic he is. Kitana is such a firey personality, and she had me pulling at my own heart because of her trauma. When we're introduced to Casimir? He brings in the element of surprise, the plot twist, and well, the cliffhanger. I will definitely be reading the next book when it's available!
Thank you, Jasmine and team, for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for a review! 😊
Thank you, Jasmine and team, for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for a review! 😊
Read
September 10, 2024DNF @30%.
"I'M A BADASS VAMPIRE SLAYER. MY HANDS ARE STAINED WITH THE BLOOD OF THOUSANDS!"
Meanwhile...
"Oh mister Vampire sir, I know we've had like two conversations but um...will you snuggle with me? 👉👈🥺"
Listen I know it's a romance but goddamn let it simmer a bit, you're burning the pasta.
"I'M A BADASS VAMPIRE SLAYER. MY HANDS ARE STAINED WITH THE BLOOD OF THOUSANDS!"
Meanwhile...
"Oh mister Vampire sir, I know we've had like two conversations but um...will you snuggle with me? 👉👈🥺"
Listen I know it's a romance but goddamn let it simmer a bit, you're burning the pasta.
March 21, 2025
Не моя історія, продовжувати не буду. Повороти сюжету досить примітивні та передбачувані, відчувається якась простота сюжету, і що все це розтягується силоміць.
3/5 тільки за непогану лінію кохання між героями.
3/5 тільки за непогану лінію кохання між героями.
May 6, 2025
The FMC is wack. She does not live up to the hype of being this badass vampire slayer.
March 10, 2024
Spice rating: 1.5
Okay, this book is one of the coolest vampire books I've come across recently!
THE VAMPIRE'S BARGAIN's follows Kitana, a witch/vampire hunter who has been imprisoned for 50 years in a tomb, and is now freed by Maximilian, a vampire lord who wishes to ally with her and offers a simple bargain: she unalives the vampire king, and he helps her enact her revenge on the coven that betrayed her.
The first half of the story is a bit slower as all the elements are set up, but there were plenty of interesting things to appreciate. First of all, the world building, which unites modern technology with fantasy and celestial magic. There are several names to keep track of, but I loved the fleshed out politics and the quirky vampire magic. It was also nice to discover things alongside Kitana, who is quite unfamiliar with her surroundings after having spent 50 years in a tomb.
The first half of the book is also where we get to meet a lot of the characters! Maximilian fits really well in that category of morally gray MMC who is charming and seems like a villain, but is actually a good person with the good of his people at heart. He won me over pretty much from his very first scene, and I love his banter with Kitana! Kitana, instead, will appeal to people who love their ladies fiesty and impulsive. I enjoyed her, although there were instances where I would have liked her to be a bit more reflective before acting. I also really enjoyed the glimpses we got of the secondary characters, and I hope we will be able to see them more in the sequel!
The part of the book that I really loved though was the second part. Here we get a few extra perspectives, including Maximilian and another character that was honestly a big surprise for me. This second part really dives into the political intrigue of the plot, and it did not lose momentum for one second! There are so many plot twists happening, and for a moment I even thought we would be getting a love interest before the author hit me with that plot twist that completely blew my mind! (and no, it's not polyamory and it's not a reverse harem either).
As far as romance goes, this one is a slow burn and it shows. We definitely have attraction between Kitana and Maximilian, but most of it doesn't leave the physical sphere yet. There is one spicier scene, but nothing too explicit. I'm personally looking forward to seeing them interact more in the second book.
Cannot wait for the sequel!
Thank you to the author for gifting me a physical copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
Okay, this book is one of the coolest vampire books I've come across recently!
THE VAMPIRE'S BARGAIN's follows Kitana, a witch/vampire hunter who has been imprisoned for 50 years in a tomb, and is now freed by Maximilian, a vampire lord who wishes to ally with her and offers a simple bargain: she unalives the vampire king, and he helps her enact her revenge on the coven that betrayed her.
The first half of the story is a bit slower as all the elements are set up, but there were plenty of interesting things to appreciate. First of all, the world building, which unites modern technology with fantasy and celestial magic. There are several names to keep track of, but I loved the fleshed out politics and the quirky vampire magic. It was also nice to discover things alongside Kitana, who is quite unfamiliar with her surroundings after having spent 50 years in a tomb.
The first half of the book is also where we get to meet a lot of the characters! Maximilian fits really well in that category of morally gray MMC who is charming and seems like a villain, but is actually a good person with the good of his people at heart. He won me over pretty much from his very first scene, and I love his banter with Kitana! Kitana, instead, will appeal to people who love their ladies fiesty and impulsive. I enjoyed her, although there were instances where I would have liked her to be a bit more reflective before acting. I also really enjoyed the glimpses we got of the secondary characters, and I hope we will be able to see them more in the sequel!
The part of the book that I really loved though was the second part. Here we get a few extra perspectives, including Maximilian and another character that was honestly a big surprise for me. This second part really dives into the political intrigue of the plot, and it did not lose momentum for one second! There are so many plot twists happening, and for a moment I even thought we would be getting a love interest before the author hit me with that plot twist that completely blew my mind! (and no, it's not polyamory and it's not a reverse harem either).
As far as romance goes, this one is a slow burn and it shows. We definitely have attraction between Kitana and Maximilian, but most of it doesn't leave the physical sphere yet. There is one spicier scene, but nothing too explicit. I'm personally looking forward to seeing them interact more in the second book.
Cannot wait for the sequel!
Thank you to the author for gifting me a physical copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 24, 2024
I was given this ARC to give an honest review.
I want to start out by saying this is my first ever ARC review. I’m very honest about things, so I am not giving this a 5 star just because.
But man, I feel like I just ruined all ARC’s in the future for me. I have never read a Jasmine Walt book before, however I did have her books on my TBR without knowing it until I looked this book up. I did stay away from spoilers, I just wanted to mark it as ‘currently reading’ on my Goodreads.
This book was great. I forgot I was reading an ARC like 75% of the time. The writing was phenomenal. I loved the characters. I loved the side characters. It’s obviously the first book in a series so there was a TON of development and lore that was put out. But even with all of that going on, it still didn’t feel too overwhelming (I will say, some of the names were a lot, and I wish she would have started calling the MMC Max, lol)
The world building is good. There is so much potential for so many future stories, even with multiple characters.
The romance was good. There was a bit of a time jump, so I take that into account when writing this. There was a lot of time spent between the MC’s in that time jump that we didn’t get to see.
There is a great guide in the beginning that explains who everyone is, and what everyone does. I LOVED that it’s witches/vampires/humans. I love Fae, but it was nice to get a little break from them being the main characters.
There was a twist at the end I did not see coming that blew my mind. I’m usually pretty good about predicting twists and such, but not this time. I’m so glad this twist happened because I was worried for a little bit that it was going down a road for a certain trope that I’m not a huge fan of. But nope, complete 180.
I actually liked the way it was first person the first half, then switched to third and first person switching POV the second half. It was a nice change in book writing.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series!! It ends on SUCH a cliffhanger, I am eager to read the next one!
This was my first read of the year after having a baby at the end of 2023, and I can say it set expectations very high.
I want to start out by saying this is my first ever ARC review. I’m very honest about things, so I am not giving this a 5 star just because.
But man, I feel like I just ruined all ARC’s in the future for me. I have never read a Jasmine Walt book before, however I did have her books on my TBR without knowing it until I looked this book up. I did stay away from spoilers, I just wanted to mark it as ‘currently reading’ on my Goodreads.
This book was great. I forgot I was reading an ARC like 75% of the time. The writing was phenomenal. I loved the characters. I loved the side characters. It’s obviously the first book in a series so there was a TON of development and lore that was put out. But even with all of that going on, it still didn’t feel too overwhelming (I will say, some of the names were a lot, and I wish she would have started calling the MMC Max, lol)
The world building is good. There is so much potential for so many future stories, even with multiple characters.
The romance was good. There was a bit of a time jump, so I take that into account when writing this. There was a lot of time spent between the MC’s in that time jump that we didn’t get to see.
There is a great guide in the beginning that explains who everyone is, and what everyone does. I LOVED that it’s witches/vampires/humans. I love Fae, but it was nice to get a little break from them being the main characters.
There was a twist at the end I did not see coming that blew my mind. I’m usually pretty good about predicting twists and such, but not this time. I’m so glad this twist happened because I was worried for a little bit that it was going down a road for a certain trope that I’m not a huge fan of. But nope, complete 180.
I actually liked the way it was first person the first half, then switched to third and first person switching POV the second half. It was a nice change in book writing.
I cannot wait for the next book in the series!! It ends on SUCH a cliffhanger, I am eager to read the next one!
This was my first read of the year after having a baby at the end of 2023, and I can say it set expectations very high.
May 12, 2024
4.5/5
Loved this new witch-vampire story with twist, turns, political intrigue, and deadly bargains.
Kitana is a fun FMC, who has been trapped by her ex-lover, entombed for eternity. Until she is free my Maximillian (our vamp FMC). In exchange for her freedom, he asks for her help to overthrow the current regime.
I loves Kitana’s flippant sass and take no prisoners attitude. Max is a fun MMC who borders on devious with spots of morally grey. I can’t wait to see what is in store for these two next.
I loved the fun turn at the end and can’t wait to see how the plot to assassinate the vampire emperor goes next.
Loved this new witch-vampire story with twist, turns, political intrigue, and deadly bargains.
Kitana is a fun FMC, who has been trapped by her ex-lover, entombed for eternity. Until she is free my Maximillian (our vamp FMC). In exchange for her freedom, he asks for her help to overthrow the current regime.
I loves Kitana’s flippant sass and take no prisoners attitude. Max is a fun MMC who borders on devious with spots of morally grey. I can’t wait to see what is in store for these two next.
I loved the fun turn at the end and can’t wait to see how the plot to assassinate the vampire emperor goes next.
May 19, 2025
Maximillian was boring, there I said it. Kitana had a really cool back story, but I felt she was nerfed the whole time. The plot twist was not it for me, seen coming a mile away. It wasn't bad, but I don't think I'll be waiting in line for the second installment.
April 23, 2024
could not finish this book
April 24, 2024
~This was given to me as an ARC read under the conditions that I post my honest review on GR/Amazon. I've never read anything from this author before and I intentionally avoided reading reviews of their other books. I'll do my best to tag spoilers.~
3 "there were a lot of fantasy buzzwords and tropes but I don't feel like the rest of the story was fleshed out enough" stars
I think this really could have been a 5*, but there were a lot of things that distracted me enough from the concept (which was really intriguing) to make it so. If the author is reading this, please know it is out of the love in my heart that I make these critiques. I'm gonna organize this in terms of plus (I liked)/delta (I would change or work on) points.
Delta: Worldbuilding
Reading a fantasy book inherently begets being plopped into a new world where you need to find your bearings. From the jump, I felt very disoriented in the world. I kept trying to get my footing but I couldn't find something to latch onto that would help ground me. Take this with a grain of salt if this isn't something you tend to notice or care about: there was conflicting modern vs fantasy-esque vernacular (not necessarily a bad thing), but no context for differing modernity and cultural sites. "Ex" and "waxed poetic" are very modern sounding words (which again, not necessarily a bad thing!), but it flows into my next point as to why I took issue with it.
The FMC is a witch, and many of the things she encounters in the technologically advanced human realm are new to her. and it's really cool to see through her eyes the way she's experiencing these things for the first time. But I felt like I'm missing a lot of opportunities for connection with her bcs we get no context for what her own realm is like. Do they use mage lights? Do they rely on the use of candles, lanterns, torches? The backstory of our FMC is meant to be shrouded in mystery, which cool yay let us slowly find out more about her identity and the conflicts that arise out of it being a point of discovery for us as the reader, but I feel like it almost went too far bcs we know literally nothing about the world in which she grew up.
This is such a specific and personal gripe, more of a neutral one, so please take this with a grain of salt, but.. the map.
Massive spoiler:
Delta: Characters, Connections, Relationships
I felt completely blindsided by . I didn't see enough of MMC either for me to get a good read on what he's actually like, it's all information by proxy. It continuously felt like we were seeing a stock morally-gray MMC solely in the periphery, but honestly he wasn't even that morally-gray.
FMCs actions in the first half of the book are super inconsistent. One line she's blowing up about how she needs to sabotage things to mess with the rein of the vampire king, then is beat down with the perspective and context that it would just put more humans in danger which she's actively trying to work against, and then immediately turns around and is trying to sneakily do things with what seems like the intention to do something to fuck with it. I couldn't keep up with it. She's hotheaded, impulsive, and reckless with her actions and emotions. She's constantly told how her doing what she's actively doing with negatively impact the exact people she's trying to help, but everything she's doing indicates that she doesn't listen or care. She employs absolutely no strategical planning or action, which is weird for someone who says that there was "plenty of planning and recon" when she was a vampire hunter and apparently she was a really good one. She exhibits none of those traits in the present when the danger is infinitely more acute and the stakes are astronomically higher. It gets better in the second half of the book for sure, which I was really thankful for.
Plus: The Magic
While I wish we got more info about it, the magic system was really cool. FMCs ability to wield shadows, the telekinetic/blood bending/shadow fire wielding abilities of the vampires, and the crystal-power harnessing of the humans was fucking sick. I can't wait to see more of it in the next book.
Plus: the second half of the book
I had such a great time in the second half of the book with the multiple perspectives. The aspects of getting to see everything unfold towards the climax of the story kept me really engaged. Loved the big reveals and can't wait to see how it continues to play out.
Overall
Not to say that I didn't enjoy this book, but I really wanted to enjoy it more than I did. I thought there were some interesting takes on the fantasy themes we're seeing flooding everywhere on booktok and bookstagram, but I didn't feel like I had enough context or worldbuilding to make me feel truly connected to anything. Again, if you're the author, I say this out of love. I think your writing is good, it just needed more.
3 "there were a lot of fantasy buzzwords and tropes but I don't feel like the rest of the story was fleshed out enough" stars
I think this really could have been a 5*, but there were a lot of things that distracted me enough from the concept (which was really intriguing) to make it so. If the author is reading this, please know it is out of the love in my heart that I make these critiques. I'm gonna organize this in terms of plus (I liked)/delta (I would change or work on) points.
Delta: Worldbuilding
Reading a fantasy book inherently begets being plopped into a new world where you need to find your bearings. From the jump, I felt very disoriented in the world. I kept trying to get my footing but I couldn't find something to latch onto that would help ground me. Take this with a grain of salt if this isn't something you tend to notice or care about: there was conflicting modern vs fantasy-esque vernacular (not necessarily a bad thing), but no context for differing modernity and cultural sites. "Ex" and "waxed poetic" are very modern sounding words (which again, not necessarily a bad thing!), but it flows into my next point as to why I took issue with it.
The FMC is a witch, and many of the things she encounters in the technologically advanced human realm are new to her. and it's really cool to see through her eyes the way she's experiencing these things for the first time. But I felt like I'm missing a lot of opportunities for connection with her bcs we get no context for what her own realm is like. Do they use mage lights? Do they rely on the use of candles, lanterns, torches? The backstory of our FMC is meant to be shrouded in mystery, which cool yay let us slowly find out more about her identity and the conflicts that arise out of it being a point of discovery for us as the reader, but I feel like it almost went too far bcs we know literally nothing about the world in which she grew up.
This is such a specific and personal gripe, more of a neutral one, so please take this with a grain of salt, but.. the map.
Massive spoiler:
Delta: Characters, Connections, Relationships
I felt completely blindsided by . I didn't see enough of MMC either for me to get a good read on what he's actually like, it's all information by proxy. It continuously felt like we were seeing a stock morally-gray MMC solely in the periphery, but honestly he wasn't even that morally-gray.
FMCs actions in the first half of the book are super inconsistent. One line she's blowing up about how she needs to sabotage things to mess with the rein of the vampire king, then is beat down with the perspective and context that it would just put more humans in danger which she's actively trying to work against, and then immediately turns around and is trying to sneakily do things with what seems like the intention to do something to fuck with it. I couldn't keep up with it. She's hotheaded, impulsive, and reckless with her actions and emotions. She's constantly told how her doing what she's actively doing with negatively impact the exact people she's trying to help, but everything she's doing indicates that she doesn't listen or care. She employs absolutely no strategical planning or action, which is weird for someone who says that there was "plenty of planning and recon" when she was a vampire hunter and apparently she was a really good one. She exhibits none of those traits in the present when the danger is infinitely more acute and the stakes are astronomically higher. It gets better in the second half of the book for sure, which I was really thankful for.
Plus: The Magic
While I wish we got more info about it, the magic system was really cool. FMCs ability to wield shadows, the telekinetic/blood bending/shadow fire wielding abilities of the vampires, and the crystal-power harnessing of the humans was fucking sick. I can't wait to see more of it in the next book.
Plus: the second half of the book
I had such a great time in the second half of the book with the multiple perspectives. The aspects of getting to see everything unfold towards the climax of the story kept me really engaged. Loved the big reveals and can't wait to see how it continues to play out.
Overall
Not to say that I didn't enjoy this book, but I really wanted to enjoy it more than I did. I thought there were some interesting takes on the fantasy themes we're seeing flooding everywhere on booktok and bookstagram, but I didn't feel like I had enough context or worldbuilding to make me feel truly connected to anything. Again, if you're the author, I say this out of love. I think your writing is good, it just needed more.
January 26, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
This was my first book from Jasmine Walt, but after that ending- it won’t be the last.
The Vampire’s Bargain revolves around our witchy FMC, Kitana, and vampire lord MMC, Maximillian. Maximillian rescues Kitana from a decades long imprisonment, but her freedom comes with a cost: become allies with her nemesis in exchange for her return home.
But what starts as a reluctant agreement, turns into a slow burning romance that neither of them saw coming.
As with any new fantasy book, the beginning was a lot of world building and character introductions, so it took me a bit to get into. However, after finishing the book, I wish parts 1 and 2 would have been meshed together rather than being two separate entities. Had it have been, I think the plot would’ve felt a bit more well rounded; because I much preferred part 2 due to the cohesiveness of the plot and the introduction of key characters that helped me understand Kitana’s story better.
Regardless, it was a fun read and it has a good baseline to build a strong sequel from. I’m looking forward to reading it, and seeing more from Kitana and Max 🥵
Huge thanks to Jasmine for giving the chance to read the ARC! 🤍
This was my first book from Jasmine Walt, but after that ending- it won’t be the last.
The Vampire’s Bargain revolves around our witchy FMC, Kitana, and vampire lord MMC, Maximillian. Maximillian rescues Kitana from a decades long imprisonment, but her freedom comes with a cost: become allies with her nemesis in exchange for her return home.
But what starts as a reluctant agreement, turns into a slow burning romance that neither of them saw coming.
As with any new fantasy book, the beginning was a lot of world building and character introductions, so it took me a bit to get into. However, after finishing the book, I wish parts 1 and 2 would have been meshed together rather than being two separate entities. Had it have been, I think the plot would’ve felt a bit more well rounded; because I much preferred part 2 due to the cohesiveness of the plot and the introduction of key characters that helped me understand Kitana’s story better.
Regardless, it was a fun read and it has a good baseline to build a strong sequel from. I’m looking forward to reading it, and seeing more from Kitana and Max 🥵
Huge thanks to Jasmine for giving the chance to read the ARC! 🤍
February 14, 2024
I really had a such a great time reading this on KU. I saw it mentioned in a Facebook fantasy/romance group and decided to give it to shot to mix up the genres I was reading. It didn’t disappoint. Somehow old world and futuristic at the same time. I loved the world building of it all. The FMC was a little frustrating at first but I liked her character development. The MMC was fantastic and I wish there was more of him. Some odd things: part one was told solely in first person from the FMC then switched to multiple POVs in part two which threw me off. Despite taking place in a fantastical world, some of the language used was super modern which threw me off a bit. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the story and didn’t expect the twist at the end! I’m excited for the sequel in October!!
February 11, 2024
2.5 stars.
I liked the beginning of the book and the end wasn't too bad. The middle was slow for me. In theory I liked a lot of aspects of this book! My favorite part was the world building. I think the relationship building fell flat, and the main couple was kind of Insta – lovey. Also, there were just many things in this book that confused me, such as a new character and point of view showing up more than halfway through the book. Kitana's character seemed inconsistent to me, and fun side characters I loved disappeared at the end. I also just don't know if I know anything about Max. Overall, I'm not sure if I'd read the second book of this. I usually love Jasmine Walt's books, and I really wanted to like a lot of this. So, we'll see! This is a definitely an awesome world, so you never know.
I liked the beginning of the book and the end wasn't too bad. The middle was slow for me. In theory I liked a lot of aspects of this book! My favorite part was the world building. I think the relationship building fell flat, and the main couple was kind of Insta – lovey. Also, there were just many things in this book that confused me, such as a new character and point of view showing up more than halfway through the book. Kitana's character seemed inconsistent to me, and fun side characters I loved disappeared at the end. I also just don't know if I know anything about Max. Overall, I'm not sure if I'd read the second book of this. I usually love Jasmine Walt's books, and I really wanted to like a lot of this. So, we'll see! This is a definitely an awesome world, so you never know.
March 16, 2024
It was good, but fell flat on relationship building but I did like what ended up happening. I think in part two the author finally found their rhythm and it began so blossom. I am looking forward to book 2!
July 16, 2024
Enjoyable
I adore Jasmine Walt and have read many of her books. Kitiana has had a rough last 50 years and the whole world has changed while she was imprisoned. She has a hard time trusting, but finally comes around. Looking forward to the next book?
I adore Jasmine Walt and have read many of her books. Kitiana has had a rough last 50 years and the whole world has changed while she was imprisoned. She has a hard time trusting, but finally comes around. Looking forward to the next book?
November 24, 2024
I was so excited to read this and I still enjoyed it but I wish just more happened. you are told she's the biggest baddest vampire hunter witch ever, however all you see her do is get herself into more and more trouble for being dumb. I dunno, I liked where the story was headed and I did like this but I don't know if there is enough there to keep me invested in this story. I do like Jasmine Walt writing though and will try other series of hers for sure.
December 8, 2024
Yes what a ride. It took me a long time to read this book after getting distracted by Halloween thrillers but I'm glad I went back to it. 3.75 stars. I am excited to read the next one and love the world she built.
April 16, 2024
i absolutely DEVOURED this book
i need book 2 so bad 😭😭
i need book 2 so bad 😭😭
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