The Curse He Chose

In Aeternum trilogy #1

by Allison Regina Gliot

When Elizabeth's friends go off to college and leave her behind, she thinks things can't get worse. Then she stumbles into a fight between vampires and realizes … they definitely can. Forced on the run with Christopher, a vampire outcast who might be in even more trouble than she is, Elizabeth is left to rely on nothing but her faith in God and Christopher’s impulsive choice to protect her. But the more time they spend together, the more Elizabeth realizes that Christopher is close to breaking in more ways than one. As their bond deepens and their enemies close in, Elizabeth must find a way to save him and herself—before it’s too late. This riveting, genre-bending first installment of the In Aeternum trilogy unites the suspense of urban fantasy with the Christian drama of sin, grace, and redemption. Recommended for ages 14+.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Catholic, Vampires, Christian, Christian Fiction, Fiction

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2025

About the author

Sr. Allison Regina Gliot FSP (@sister_allison) has always loved reading and telling stories (the more fantastical the better). She fell in love with Jesus in college and became a Daughter of St. Paul after graduation to spend the rest of her life with him. Since then, she’s had many adventures, the most recent of which involves serving as an editor for Pauline Books & Media, the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul. She spends her free time writing books and looking for lizards in the convent backyard.

She is the author of The Book That Changed Everything, dubbed a 2025 "Backlist Beauty" by the Catholic Media Association; Eli's Quiet Friend, winner of the 2025 Excellence in Publishing Award in Picture Books from the Association of Catholic Publishers; Forgiven: A Guide to Confession and the Examen Prayer, winner of the 2025 CMA Book Award in Books for Young Adults; and The Curse He Chose, the first of the In Aeternum YA trilogy.

Reviews

[Nashelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a Catholic-curious Protestant who seldom reads young adult or horror. And yet, this is the book God chose to have the biggest impact on me this year. I could tell you that this book is well-written, that it's a page turner, that I was completely invested in our two main characters and what would happen to them - all true. But this book is, at its heart, about faith - raw, authentic, grappling faith.

This book is for those who have so much regret over past paths taken that they feel they have forfeited the right to take a new step forward. It is also for those who have experienced a ceaseless series of rejections, losses, and disappointments, and who have so much profound grief buried within them that the thought of even acknowledging it feels like they might disappear underneath it forever. Above all, this book is for those who's brokenness and desperation have kept them bound by the throat, afraid and unable to admit that, alongside the grief and regret, there abides an anger towards the God they love and know they need.

The Curse He Chose brought me to tears. It uncovered in me things I need to take to the cross. I needed this book. I pray it makes it into the hands of others who need it, whether they are friends with God already, or whether they have yet to meet Him.

Sister Allison Regina's beautiful story shows us the true heart of Jesus - that he desires an ever more intimate relationship with us and that he longs to heal our deepest wounds, even when the pain is directed at Him.

[Abby (Reader of Clean Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5✨

I was incredibly intrigued by the fact that this is a Catholic vampire book. I had no idea how it was going to be pulled off. I'd say that Sr. Allison succeeded.

I really like how there was a Bible verse for each chapter.

Is it just me or does it seem kinda weird that a sister wrote a paranormal romance? How would a sister know anything about being in a romantic relationship? But then again St. JPII wrote the Theology of the Body so what do I know?

I love the cover. It’s so coooooolll. The color scheme? The rosary? Yes pleaseeeee.

I really like how Sr. Allison was able to have vampires and the Catholic faith coexist in the same story without contradicting each other.

The “Fact or Fiction” section in the back was great. I’m glad that it was there. Just in case someone was confused about something you know?

There was one thing I didn’t like about this. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Whenever talking about God, “him” or “he” or “his” was never capitalized! I get it if maybe it’s forgotten to be capitalized a few times, but it wasn’t a few times. It was the whole gosh darn book.

Anyways, this was really good, and I definitely would recommend this.

Quotes! ⬇️

“I would rather get hurt believing the best in others than see evil everywhere, even where it’s not. I know evil is real. I just don’t see it here. I don’t see it in you.”
(Page 179)

“Ther are some things we always carry with us. Our mistakes, our regrets, the wrongs we’ve done. Our scars. Nothing can change the past; it’s written in stone.” My finger stilled as I looked up to see him watching me intently. “In that sense, you’re no different from the rest of us. Everyone carries that baggage, Christopher. You may have collected more of it along the way, but we all have it.” I glanced at his hand again, lightly resting mine atop his. “The question is, what do we do with it? Do we carry it until it breaks us? Or do we let go of the weight by sharing it with another, by asking for forgiveness?”
(Pages 181 & 182)

“But God doesn’t want to give us what we deserve. He wants to give us so much more. You’re one of those children he died to save, don’t you see? Just because you’ve stopped counting yourself his son doesn’t mean he ever stopped counting himself your father.”
(Page 182)

(Referring to the Prodigal Son) “What mattered wasn’t what the son had done. It was that he came back. That’s the important part. And that’s what you can still do.”
(Page 183)

[Claire]

I had a great time! A YA vampire book with overt Christian themes and religious characters, this was a fun read! It was written by a nun so the explicit faith themes made sense. I enjoyed the Catholic perspective and how vampires would navigate the Eucharist, especially. Sister Allison and I are in sync in this, lol.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly could not put this book down. The romance in this novel is similar to how the romance of Pride and Prejudice “oh my gosh he held her getting up into the carriage” felt. This is the romance teens (and truly all of us adult gals) should be reading these days. A nice Catholic girl who prays and goes to Mass and falls in love with a vampire, and even tells God about it. How relatable. The reality of the Eucharist and prayer and the name of Jesus is highlighted over and over again in this book and that is pretty cool. Again, cannot believe a Catholic nun is writing these teen romance novels. I’m VERY supportive of this trilogy.

[Kelsey Gietl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read! I don’t typically read vampire books, but “Catholic vampire novel written by a religious sister” was too intriguing to pass up. I figured if anyone could write a vampire story that actually stayed true to the Church, it would be a nun. And this book absolutely does. Faith and fiction fit together so well that everything seems absolutely logical and emotions run high throughout. Both main characters were complex with one of my favorite scenes being when Elizabeth realizes we can both love God and be angry with him at the same time. I also loved the way the author framed Christopher’s complicated being, a creature trapped between past, present, and future, between what he desires and what he feels he deserves. If I could pre-order the next book right now, I absolutely would.

[Natalie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

So amazing ! There needs to be more Catholic fiction for YA !!!!

[★*☆♪Ev★*☆♪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 STARS!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Oh my goodness, this was so good! A Catholic vampire story? I was a little skeptical, but I am so happy how it turned out! I read this in about 4 hours. I could not put it down! I highly recommend this book!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being Catholic, this book may mean more to me than most, but even non-Catholics could greatly benefit from the read. It was fast paced and engaging. I am very excited about book 2!!!

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to jump on the teen Catholic vampire novel written by a nun train. This was a very average book with some not so average concepts. I cannot say I’ve ever thought about how vampires and the Catholic faith would mix, but let me tell you that now that there is now a division of neurons in my brain tackling this topic. I enjoyed the prayer life of the main character, the defeat of evil by good, and the desire felt by the “undead” to become more alive. Overall, if you are or were at one time in your life a Catholic pre-teen/teenage girl, I think you will find enjoyment in this. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here

[Keris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow! So good! I’m hooked and must continue reading to find out what happens!

[Matthew Lauderdale · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5. In the show Arrested Development, there is a scene where Michael opens the freezer and finds a bag in it that says "DEAD DOVE. DON'T OPEN." So Michael opens it and sees a frozen dead dove inside and says, "I don't know what I expected." When I finished reading this book, I had the exact same thought. Let's get the most obvious fact out of the way: this book's intended audience is 14 year old girls. I am not a 14 year old girl. I was setting myself up for failure here. But even though I am significantly outside the targeted demographic, I decided to give this book a chance since it was written by a religious sister with the Daughters of St. Paul and was marketed as a fantasy vampire book with Catholic elements. Let's get the good out of the way first. This book has a lot of very interesting ideas as to how vampires would intersect with the Catholic faith. Things like how sacred spaces, objects, and prayers would affect them, or wondering what would happen if a vampire consumed the Eucharist. I like the concepts here quite a bit but unfortunately that's the last of my positives here. For every one step forward the book took with an interesting idea, it took twelve steps back with other aspects I didn't like. Things like the repeated usage of the main character suddenly realizing how close the vampire's face is to hers, or how their arms are suddenly touching, or thinking about his charming smile, and basically just every stereotypical thing you'd expect from a romance novel geared towards preteens/teenagers. I think the biggest emotion I felt while reading this book was hard cringe. And here's what really bothers me; for all of the interesting ideas that were floated with how Catholicism might affect a vampire, NONE OF IT WAS PAID OFF. NOT A SINGLE THING. This was *extremely* frustrating because it was the best part of the book!! Not to mention that the villains were extremely one dimensional, the fight scenes were boring, and the most basic plot of the book was boring. MAJOR caveat here: I want to reiterate that I am a 34 year old Catholic man. I am not the intended audience for this book. I believe that there are probably tons of young Catholic girls that would love this book. If you liked the Twilight books but wanted them to be less racy and more Catholic, you will probably enjoy this. But this one, again, obviously, was not for me.

[Paulina Rae]

I… don’t really know what to say about this book.

It’s a vampire book written by a Catholic nun. It’s pretty much exactly what you would expect. It has a glossary of religious terms, if that tells you anything. Each chapter starts with a Bible verse. The Eucharist plays a major role in the conflict. I frequently had to put it down because the cringe was too much.

That said, I did enjoy this take on the vampire genre. To be fair, I probably would also burst into prayer and head for a church if suddenly faced with undead monsters. Maybe I can’t laugh at the characters too much.

I will be finding the second book when it comes out. I will probably laugh about it with my Catholic friends, but I’ll read it and probably have a good time.

[Kayla E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vampire novel from a Catholic worldview was not on my bingo card but WOW I LOVED this book! The faith thread is so well done, and this is a book I would have gone crazy for as a young adult.

A must read for fans of supernatural stories and fans of Tabitha Caplinger’s Chronicles of the Three series and The Castle Rose!

[Jessika Caruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never read vampire novels and did not even pick up the Twilight books once in my life, even though everyone in my grade was reading them. But the premise of this novel was too intriguing to pass up; I really wanted to see a theologically accurate portrayal of vampires!

And this story did not disappoint. It was so riveting, suspenseful, and action packed! So dramatic and touching — I loved all the characters, especially the narrator, Elizabeth. It is such a unique novel overall and I would recommend everyone give it a try! I found myself tearing up a few times.

Also, some loose ends were not tied up so I eagerly anticipate book two!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She was right that the consecrated ground should have killed me. But it didn’t. The moment I set foot in here, my bloodlust disappeared—that’s why I stopped attacking you.”

This is my first read in the Catholic fiction genre, and Sr. Allison's book is a heartfelt novel that blends the mythology of vampires being a direct rejection of our inherit humanity, and Catholic motifs such as the power of the Eucharist, free will, and how our faith with the Lord helps us deepen our humanity.

Elizabeth was a solid character with her strong faith and belief in God, however, I was more drawn to the character growth of Christopher throughout the story and wished that we could have seen more of his inner thoughts.

Overall, a solid novel, and I am intrigued to see where the story develops from here!

[Kyrie :-) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start… I LOVED this book!! If middle school Kyrie would’ve had this book, she would’ve eaten it right up! It’s a great depiction of Catholicism, and about vampires?! AND it’s written by a religious sister?! *CHEF’S KISS* This book kept me on my toes and each chapter left me wanting more! I cannot wait for the next book to be released!! Sr. Allison Regina Gliot knocked it out of the park!

[Maria Dateno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazingly great story! Full disclosure: it is written by a sister of my religious community, and published by our publishing house. But I really loved it and recommend it, whether you're usually a van of urban fantasy or not!

[Gemma At The Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, this book was not half bad as I thought it would.

I have a Catholic background, but for personal struggles I usually avoid reading about religious themes, let alone Christian literature that promotes religion in any way.
But when I read Catholicism and vampires, I could not say no to this book. And I was positively surprised!

This book has all the YA-elements that I like. Supernatural themes, a broody male protagonist, angsty romance and action! The writing could be improved, especially the dialogues. They sound very stiff and not natural, and Elizabeth “teenage friends” do not at all sound like teenagers. It would have been a nice touch to let them speak a “modern” language and let Christopher use a more formal one, just to mark the difference. However, the story flies well, and the plot sits.

I don’t know what to think about a religious girl as a protagonist. It felt… strange? Because these kinds of protagonists are so rare in YA-books, and her continuous praying and referring to her faith felt borderline forced in some scenes, when I think every teenager would have let out a curse or something similar. To be honest, she fell a bit flat, but I was very intrigued by Christopher! And I know that the second book will be from his pov, but I want more now!! Especially, I want to know about his thing with holy objects and holy places. Why doesn’t he react like others do? I would have loved to know more.

The metaphor of the vampire as the sinner who searches God and Elizabeth as the good Christian that helps him is very much on the nose. But the author is also a sister, so I imagine it was her point all along.

I can´t believe I´m writing this… but I think I will pick up the next book.

[Margaret Gaffney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three words: Catholic vampire novel. *chef's kiss*

I loved this book, and I can hardly wait for the sequel. The story follows 18yo Elizabeth, who is doing her best despite being emotionally closed off from her sister, her friends, and frankly, God. Life circumstances leave her feeling alone while her friends go off to college, until she runs into a mysterious guy, who turns out to be one of the blood-sucking horrors of the night Bram Stoker introduced the west to a few hundred years ago.

Well, Christopher (as Elizabeth names him) isn't all that bad. He's called the Half-Drinker, because he doesn't suck his victims dry, and he doesn't seem to enjoy being a vampire. But when Elizabeth intervenes to save his life from some dangerous competition, suddenly they're both in danger.

The story mixes an engaging narrative that never gets dull with characters who are relatable in their brokenness. Both Elizabeth and Christopher have unacknowledged spiritual baggage, but God uses them to bring out the best in each other.

I'm not surprised, given that this is written by a consecrated sister, that the theology and description of Catholic practice is spot on. Van Helsing made ready use of the Eucharist in Dracula, and the emphasis here is even better, especially in the way receiving Jesus gives life. (Chapter 20 and 21 were insane, by the way...in the best way.) We need more depictions of confession in books, because movies have had the monopoly, and they are so often inaccurate. Seeing a character go to confession for qualms about what she had to do in fantastical situations makes my little heart laugh.

Like I said, I can't wait for the sequel, and though I want more of our MCs here, I would understand if Sr. Allison Regina decides to take the focus of the story elsewhere.

[Holly Walling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, as far as Young Adult fiction goes, I enjoyed this book. When I read Twilight I remember thinking “well, that was entertaining, but it lacked substance.” I think this book certainly didn’t lack substance, and it was as entertaining a read as I’ve thought of any vampire fiction I’ve read (given, it is not my favorite genre).

All the stars because it really does paint Catholicism in a bright light, literally and figuratively. I appreciated that the main character had a prayer life that didn’t make me cringe like some Catholic Fiction authors of my childhood, but there were elements of this that were like, a mix between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a Hallmark movie, that I just didn’t love as much. I go back and forth between 3 and 4 stars so I’m landing on 3. It’s good, I’d recommend it to teens who love a vampire story, and I loved parts of it a lot, just in a hallmark movie/wait should I actually pray about this that’s kind of deep/wow I’m impressed this is actually decent kind of way.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book while scrolling through Instagram. It looked interesting so I decided to read it. It took me a few chapters to get invested in the characters, but then I could not put it down. I loved the story and I can't wait to see what will happen next!

Another plus, for me, for this book is that it is age-appropriate. It is YA 14+. When my kids get to the right age, I will have no problem handing this book over to them for them to enjoy!

Thanks to the author for the great story!

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautifully written and deals with the human condition through a Christian lens, which is refreshing.
As one reads it, one is drawn closer to Jesus because he’s always there, guiding and loving us even when we believe we don’t deserve it.

[Alexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolute fire!!! never thought I’d see the day I’d read Catholic YA about vampires, but so here for it. Jesus and Sr. Allison COOKED here!

[Catherine Witzaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read!

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book. As sometime who read the Twilight series in my teens, I thought it might be a fun nostalgia trip and I was curious to see how a nun would handle something like a vampire story. She did not disappoint! I especially enjoyed the Catholic religious elements she incorporates into the story. It doesn’t feel forced or preachy. And the romance is my favorite type—slow burn and not too sappy. But still satisfying. Highly recommend!

[geekoutonreading : Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a Catholic, but I absolutely loved this Catholic vampire story!

I've not read a vampire story quite like this one - filled with such redemption, hope, mercy, and grace-the fact that it was written by a Catholic nun gives it even more credibility.

The story is fast paced, action packed and filled with heart. There was a time near the end where I teared up.

I feel like the story can be enjoyed by anyone, whether you're a Christian or not, or a Catholic or not, but it obviously has strong Church vibes - scripture, talks about God, etc.


I'm excited to read the next book in the series!!

[Kate Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved that this book took classic vampires and mixed them with essential truths about God. The messages about God's love and forgiveness combined with the action of a classic vampire novel had me on the edge of my seat! I'm looking forward to the next book!

[Eva Kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cried. i laughed. i got goosebumps. this book was better than i could have ever imagined.

[Monica David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and true to the Catholic faith.

[Fatixareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not catholic, I'm not even christian, but I am somewhat religious and when I saw this paranormal romance with heavy catholicism themes written by a catholic nun, I knew I'd have to read it. And listen, it's really something. I enjoyed seeing where my faith and the catholic faith are similar and where they differ, and I was really happy to finally see a religious main character who doesn't get jaded by the events of the book into abandoning her faith. The opposite, actually. It's been nice to see Christopher find God.

However.

Do I wish he could've found him differently rather than getting "fixed" by the angelically flawless and brave main character? I'd be lying if I said no.

I mean, I get it. It's easy to fall in the trap of the perfect religious girl character. Religious women are never, ever, ever allowed to be flawed; not in fiction, not IRL. Men get to sin and repent all they want but the idea of a religious woman sinning is simply inconceivable; this "no true Scotsman" fallacy is genderly unilateral : if a religious woman is flawed, she's no longer religious.

Elizabeth starts out already squeaky clean, and the only development she gets is just strengthening her already rock-hard belief. She has no real flaws, a smidge of fleeting doubt, and is so passive that everything just kind of happens around her. It seems to me her only role in the story is to expediate Christopher's religious arc, as I get the impression that if she didn't exist, he would've still found God, maybe somewhere in rock bottom, which is where most people do. What's the point of her, then?
Alternatively, what does Christopher do FOR her? What does he teach her? How is she a better person for having met him?

Speaking of Christopher, his story often leaves me scratching my head. Why did he randomly gain immunity over holy objects and places? Why did he find out about it the same time that we did? You're telling me that in the two hundred years that he's been around, he's never touched a crucifix? not even out of curiosity? He's never met Christian vampires who told him about his nifty blood substitute called the Eucharist? I find that really hard to believe. We need more clarity about his past, but that's hopefully gonna be in the sequel, I think, so that's okay.

I don't want to talk about the final showdown. It was nonsensical. The name of God IS powerful, yes, but come on. COME. ON. Pleasd don't do this to me again.

Phew, okay. hope that wasn't too harsh. Despite everything, this has been exactly what I was looking for in terms of a paranormal main character; self-hating, passively suicidal, guilty, and aching to be human. I love Christopher's characterization so much that it's hard to put into words, so much that it makes up for the not-so-good parts of the story and rounds this up to a strongly positive experience. Like, seriously. really did enjoy this book, I devoured it in like two days and I still miss it. Great read

[Klaudia Janek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: The Curse He Chose "The Curse He Chose" is a captivating blend of urban fantasy and Christian drama, following the story of Elizabeth, whose world is turned upside down when she discovers an altercation between vampires. Elizabeth was already bummed out because her friends are leaving for college and she has to stay back to work and help her sister keep their household together after their parents died. Elizabeth finds herself on the run with Christopher, a vampire outcast. Together, they navigate a world filled with danger, relying on Elizabeth’s faith and Christopher’s impulsive protection. Their growing bond reveals Christopher's inner struggles, and Elizabeth must find a way to save both of them before it’s too late. This first installment of the In Aeternum trilogy intertwines suspense with themes of sin, grace, and redemption, creating a riveting narrative for readers.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I loved this book! It has a unique combination of vampire lore and elements of Catholic theology. The novel offers an authentic exploration of faith, grappling with complex emotions like anger and regret in the context of a thrilling supernatural adventure. The characters are richly developed, making it easy for readers to become emotionally invested. Both Elizabeth and Christopher have secrets that are weighing them down. They both face danger and have to take a deep look at the choices they make. In a school library, this book could serve as an engaging resource that encourages discussions on faith, morality, and personal growth, while also appealing to fans of fantasy and the paranormal. Its blend of action, spiritual inquiry, and relatable character dilemmas make it a great addition to any young adult collection. A must for any Catholic high school library. The cover art is gorgeous. There is a useful glossary at the end. Very Catholic focused that I think fills a void for readers looking for something like this.