Dhampira

by Amy Pennza

A long-lost noble of the ruthless vampire court discovers she might not need to choose between her two suitors in this blood-pounding new romantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of the Bitten and Bound series.

Corinthe has spent a lifetime longing for excitement outside her sleepy human village. As a dhampir born of a human mother and vampire father, her unique abilities make her desired by those who lurk across the Feyline—the boundary that keeps the magical realm in perpetual twilight where vampires hold dominion. To stay safe, she’s concealed her supernatural strength and taste for blood from her human neighbors, but when her yearning for excitement accidentally exposes her gifts, she is captured to sell to the highest bidder.

Terrified, she expects the worst. But rescue comes in the form of Vander, a handsome stranger who whisks her from the auction stage and across the Feyline . . . where he reveals himself to be a vampire knight of King Rasimir’s court. Notorious for his cruelty, the deranged king is determined to extend his rule to the farthest reaches, and Vander has been tasked with delivering Corinthe to him.

Now a pawn in the vampire court, Corinthe learns that Rasimir intends to marry her off to the arrogant Prince Lorcan and exploit her daywalking abilities for his own gain. But a wedding isn’t the only obstacle in her path to freedom. While Vander burns with dangerous charm, Lorcan watches her with hungry eyes. And both men claim they can help her—if she can trust them.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Romantasy, Adult, Paranormal, Why Choose

496 pages, Paperback

Expected publication June 16, 2026

About the author

Amy Pennza is a USA Today Bestselling Author of steamy fantasy romance. After becoming a lawyer because everyone insisted writing wasn’t a “real job,” she stubbornly wrote anyway—and is delighted to have proved them wrong. She’s grateful to spend her days crafting dirty, swoony books about magic, swords, and unforgettable characters. She lives in the Great Lakes region with her husband and five children.

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Reviews

[Sophie ❦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe a 5 star book finally found me!!!

This was, in a word, perfection. The writing, the characters, and the plot hit every single mark for me. If you love high-stakes vampire courts and incredible chemistry, you need to read this!

The relationship between Corinthe, Vander, and Lorcan was my absolute favorite part, obviously. What really made the book for me was the depth given to everyone. Lorcan’s backstory was completely heartbreaking, and seeing the complexity of Vander’s connection to Rasimir added such a great layer of tension.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ yes, it’s explicit and yes, it’s plentiful! These scenes were so spicy, but they still felt layered and so meaningful. I absolutely loved watching them build their bond through those moments. The wedding night, in particular, was everything.

I’m already desperate for the next book. After that ending, I’m crossing my fingers that we add the werewolf to the romance mix because that would be an absolute dream.

Tropes: Why Choose | Arranged Marriage | Forced Proximity | Deranged Villain

─ ✦ ────

✎ᝰ.┊ pre-read: I don’t think I ever read a Why Choose before, and I’m curious to know what I’m missing! Plus I’m in a major vampire mood right now. Why have one brooding vampire when you can have two?

⬫ ⬪ ⬫
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

[Liana Gold]

A dhampir is one born of a human mother and a vampire father. Corinthe possesses supernatural strength and unique abilities that make her desired by many. She is captured to be sold to the highest bidder. From hungry eyes and dangerous charms, she becomes a pawn in the vampire court.


Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group and the author, Amy Pennza for an early copy.

Publication date: June 16, 2026

[☀︎El In Oz☀︎]

DNF at 28%

Thank you so much to Berkely and NetGalley for the e-arc!

While starting off with an intriguing premise, I found Dhampira to be very YA feeling. Although this isn’t an issue for some, it was for me. I felt that the story had too many coming of age fantasy clichés already and it wasn’t gripping me with any depth.

Corinthe held a lot of possibility but her naïveté was quick to grate on my nerves. She kept showing all of her cards and doing everything her mother told her to NOT do time and time again. She’s given advice and usually does not heed it. I wanted her to be cunning and smart, but she was woefully out of her depth here. Again, this may be a story some enjoy, I just don’t.

The two love interests haven’t done much yet so I can’t speak on their characters.

The writing is very nice and smooth, with some gorgeous descriptions of nature. I enjoyed it!

Overall, this is by no means a bad novel, it’s just too YA feeling for my own personal enjoyment.

[Amy Bergesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in a trilogy, Dhampira begins the tale of Corinthe, a 25-year-old woman with a secret: her father was a vampire. When her secret forces her to flee her home, she discovers a completely new world where magic reigns— as does evil. Corinthe must discover her own magical powers to avoid not only her own death, but the death of the entire magical realm of Nocta.

Pennza’s usual spice is tamped down to a slow burn in this MMF romantasy where world-building takes center stage. I’m looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Vanessasbooksta]

A bloody good time!

A super fun, fast-paced read that left me eagerly wanting the next in the series!

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy read!

[Athena of Velaris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dhampira was precisely the kind of book you would expect it to be. With instant-connection turning into love, vampire politics, and a dash of danger, no element of the story particularly surprised me but I enjoyed the story nonetheless. It was predictable, fun, and intriguing enough to keep me reading. The FMC had a good amount of growth, the MMCs probably could have been combined into one single character, and the villain was almost cartoonish in his evil. Honestly, this was a YA plot with a few romance scenes thrown in, but it was still a fun time.

An e-ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.

[Brit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley

(Spoiler...ish)
This was compulsively readable, despite being longer side (500pgs) I flew through it in about 3 days.

While this novel isn't reinventing the wheel (early to mid-twenties woman learns she harbors mystical and/or unprecedented power, is sought by evil figure for insidious purposes, trained/guarded by X flavor of MMC, comes into her power, etc.), it was still incredibly fun, well written, and truly delightful to read.

For me, Corinthe definitely falls on the more tolerable side of fantasy FMCs. She's flawed. She isn't perfectly poised, amazing at subterfuge, skilled at everything and successful immediately. She genuinely fails and struggles for most of the book to simultaneously discover who she truly is, while hiding her real emotions and intentions in a very dangerous world. There is a sincerity to a main character struggling like this that a lot of fantasy seems to lack. In other books we see a lot of instances where our FMC just picks up swordplay and fighting in a week and it's incredibly annoying and unbelievable.

I was obviously down bad for Vander immediately. A charmingly mischievous and overprotective redheaded man? I'm there. I expected to hate Lorcan and ended up loving him so much. Again... a dark, stoic, traumatized prince with a tragic backstory, who is soft only for the people he loves? Was this written specifically for me? (And if he just so happens to love being dommed by the aforementioned redheaded Captain of the King's Guard... I'm seated).

But my love of the characters aside, there was a lot I liked about this. Parts of the magic system and some of the creatures were truly whimsical and unique. It's nice to be a seasoned fantasy reader and still be surprised by original character or creature concepts, or little twists on magic systems. Rasimir was villainous in every sense of the word, which I appreciate. I hate when villains are just painted as surface-level evil without delving into the specifics of how groups of people are affected by their tyrannical actions.

The smut was smuttin, and I truly appreciate a scenario where our FMC's boyfriends are boyfriends. But that aside, we got some truly lovely non-sexual intimate scenes in this. The wedding and wedding night were so beautifully written. My heart broke for Lorcan, learning about his past was so sad and it made their bond that much more special. The relationship between the three of them was very sweet and I can't wait to see more of it in the next book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. I hadn't read any of Amy Pennza's work previously, but I had a bunch on my TBR. So, when this popped up on NetGalley I figured WHY NOT?! Very glad I got to read an ARC copy. I will now be going back and reading a bunch more of her work and am very excited about it.

[Cassie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy Pennza always seems to surprise me with how she’s able to have so many similar elements across her books, while still being able to keep them novel. I was afraid that this would be too similar to the Bitten & Bound series, but Pennza changed things up a great deal with this one. I really appreciated how unique her world-building was here, with a magic system that felt fresh compared to other books I’ve read about vampires, werewolves, and witches. Also, her use of descriptive language is honestly more than I would expect from a romantasy novel like this, and it really brought that world to life. The romance between the characters also was something I thought was done well, as it had time to develop. I felt like, compared to her other books, we got to see the build-up more, before getting to the more intimate scenes, which I thought was actually nice here. Of course, for those who enjoy the spice in Pennza’s books, fear not, there’s plenty, but it’s a bit of a delayed gratification compared to others.
I do think that maybe a bit was lost in this book because Corinthe is the only POV character. In a lot of her other books, each of the MCs gets POV chapters, which I feel lets the reader get to know them better. Here, we really get to know Corinthe, but I would have liked to dive a bit more into Lorcan and Vander’s perspectives, too.
Without going into spoilers, I both surprised by and appreciative of the fact that Pennza was able to resolve the main conflict within just this singular novel. While she definitely leaves some threads open for further development, I like that there seems to also be the possibility that we’ll be following the stories of different characters in this universe.
Many thanks to Amy Pennza and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and leave this honest review.

[Ayla Shoulders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
THE 👏🏼 BOYFRIENDS 👏🏼 ARE 👏🏼 BOYFRIENDS 👏🏼
THIS WAS SO GOOD!!! CORINTHE WAS SUCH A GREAT *flawed* FMC. She truly struggled throughout the story. She was so intelligent and strong but also acted like a real person. It was quite refreshing to be honest. She is a Dhampir (human mother/vampire father) who is learning to harness her powers when *no spoilers* happens 😂

Lorcan and Vander, The Prince and the Captain of the Kings Guard 🥵The relationship between the 2 of them and Corinthe was just so special. What a fucking beautiful bond they share. *chefs kiss*. The spicy scenes were on point but the romance didn’t overpower the plot. It had a bit of a unique twist on vampires and their abilities which I really enjoyed. The political aspect of the book was intriguing. It’s full of mythical creatures and world building and war.
I found the plot to be a bit predictable, but it was still such a fun read. It’s been a while since I’ve read a really great fantasy book with a villain that you will actually HATE. I was left with a lot questions at the end … which will definitely bring me back to this world for book 2. But, I wish, after reading 500 pages (why was this so long??) we would have gotten a few more answers at the end. Especially about some of the other wars going on and I would have liked a little more about the MC’s backstories.

I loved the authors writing style. Everything flowed and was really easy to follow.

[Zephorah Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, I loved this.

Since I read this digitally, I didn't realize the book was about 500 pages. I kept waiting for the moment where a cliff hanger would happen but the story kept going. I liked not having to wait.

There are still a million questions I need answered but I loved that we got the build up and execution in this one volume. Things weren't dragged on for longer than necessary (besides the mom plot, in my opinion). I have words, some nice and some mean. Mostly they're all rooted in frustration of forced ignorance.

The MFM plotline? Yes, yes, yes yes yes. That's all I can say without spoiling or sounding pervy.

This is my first work by this author and I'm very impressed with the world building, characterization and overall storyline. There is a lot more than can happen with our FMC and I'm excited to see how she matures.

I'd for sure recommend giving this a read if you enjoy poly relationships (this counts, right??) , fantasy, world building, and... (I'll add the last part closer to publishing).

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It had been a while since I read anything with vampires but the premise was intriguing and it did not disappoint. I thought the world that was created within this book was unique and interesting. The magic system was different than any other fantasy book I’ve read which I loved. This was definitely a slow burn but I loved the relationship between Corinthe, Lorcan, and Vander and can’t wait to see how it progresses. Although you hate Rasimir as a reader, he was written so well, which really helped the plot as his evil was truly believable. I also feel like this was just the tip of the iceberg, and there’s so much more to learn about Lorcan, Vander, the werewolves, the witches and so many other things, that I can’t wait to read the next book.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an MMF vampire menage with vivid imagery, tons of whimsical creatures, and lots of magic!

I really enjoyed this book! Corinthe is strong and brave and genuinely good and I loved watching her become a powerful badass to top it all off. Speaking of character development, Lorcan and Vander were beautifully written MMCs. There were moments in the beginning where I wasn’t quite sure about either of them honestly but by the end of the book they more than won me over. I also really appreciate that this story is complete but the ending is open. I didn’t topple off a cliff at the end. That is always refreshing!

[Demetri · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mirror Teaches the Monster to Read Herself
In Amy Pennza’s “Kiss of the Basilisk,” inheritance, desire, and courtly terror converge in a romantasy where survival depends less on brute force than on learning who controls the meaning of every touch, vow, and reflection.
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | April 14th, 2026


At the tower threshold, Corinthe stands between captivity and emergence, the dragonstone glow at her waist turning the book’s courtly terror into a question of whether power can be read before it is wielded.

The deepest fantasy in Amy Pennza’s “Kiss of the Basilisk” is not immortality, dragonstone, or even the obscene promise of keeping stolen magic rather than merely borrowing it. It is the fantasy of reading a room correctly.

Pennza has written a blood-soaked court romance about succession, witchcraft, dynastic greed, and desire, but the book’s real obsession is legibility. Who can tell threat from seduction before the hand closes around the throat. Who can tell performance from disclosure, rescue from capture, devotion from possession. Who understands, before it is too late, what a kiss, a command, a punishment, a wedding rite, or a mirror was actually saying. From the first threat to the last reflection, survival here depends upon reading the scene before the scene devours you.


The serpent-framed mirror stages the novel’s central ordeal: the self first appears not as essence but as interpretation, inheritance, and dangerous recognition.

That is what gives the novel more bite than its premise first suggests. Yes, there is a half-vampire, half-witch heroine. Yes, there is a sadistic king, a hidden lineage, a magical war, and enough blood to float a barge. But Pennza is not just arranging the familiar rigging of magical succession, bloodline panic, and romantasy peril. She is building a story in which power belongs, again and again, to whoever can interpret a room before submitting to it.

Corinthe arrives in Nocta as prey. Rasimir, her father and the vampire king, wants her as heir, weapon, womb, and solution to his own limits. He has spent centuries stealing gifts from other beings, especially witches, and now believes his daughter may be able to retain and pass on those powers more permanently than he can. The Drakhold, his fortress, is one of Pennza’s smartest inventions. Not because it is grand, though it certainly is, but because she understands what a court is for. It is a theater built to dress sadism in velvet and call it protocol. This one runs on blood-wine, dungeon prisoners, public kneelings, whispered surveillance, erotic humiliation, and a monarch who treats atrocity as etiquette.

That courtly machinery matters because Pennza never mistakes cruelty for mere backdrop. Rasimir is not evil in the vague, high-fantasy sense. He is managerial. He stages obedience. He calibrates fear. He makes every dinner a test, every corridor a listening device, every ceremony a trap. He is less a father than a regime in human form, which is why the novel’s politics feel sharper than the usual wicked-king setup. Corinthe is not just trying to survive a villain. She is trying to survive an interpretive order in which every gesture may be used against her.

At first Lorcan and Vander seem built for that order. Lorcan is Rasimir’s cold adviser, all discipline, title, and sharpened edges. Vander, captain of the guard, appears looser, warmer, almost humane by comparison. Pennza is too alert to equate warmth with innocence. Both men are compromised. Both are morally scorched. Both have spent centuries helping to preserve the very regime they are secretly trying to undo. More important, both are already bound to each other by blood exchange, erotic loyalty, dependence, resentment, history, and care. Corinthe does not step into an empty triangle. She steps into a structure already charged.

That preexisting charge is what gives the romance its unusual strength. The triad is not decorative heat. It is the novel’s most persuasive emotional and political invention. Corinthe is not simply choosing between men. She is trying to understand what kind of life might be possible inside a bond already marked by secrecy, old wounds, unequal power, mutual rescue, and strategic performance. Pennza wisely refuses the easy arrangement in which one attachment is ornamental and another is “real.” No single bond gets sole custody of truth. Each relation revises the others. Each changes what the next touch, order, or silence means.


In the Everless, secrecy loosens into alliance, and the hidden geometry among Corinthe, Lorcan, and Vander becomes the emotional architecture the court above cannot permit.

That is also why the erotic material earns its place. Pennza writes explicit scenes with confidence, but heat alone is not the point. Sex here is not where the plot goes soft. It is closer to truth serum. Desire reveals hierarchy, fear, tenderness, strategic dependence, and forms of trust the court cannot permit in daylight. A dance becomes a public exam. A wedding becomes a humiliation ritual. A bed becomes the one place where command, consent, memory, grief, and longing can all speak at once.

No body in this novel enters a room innocent. Bodies arrive already carrying title, coercion, shame, appetite, danger, and inheritance. Corinthe’s body is heir, hostage, bait, symbol, breeding prospect, and political instrument all at once. Pennza never lets us forget that. Her sharpest scenes understand that a hand at the throat, a command in bed, or a mouth at a vein can be erotic, political, diagnostic, and tactical in the same breath. This is one of the book’s underdiscussed strengths: it grasps that intimacy is not an escape from power but one of the places where power becomes legible.

Pennza is especially good at scenes where desire and danger are pumping through the same vein. The best of them have a little of the erotic seriousness of Jacqueline Carey’s “Kushiel’s Dart,” though Pennza is faster, rougher, and less invested in ceremonial luxuriance than in the tactical uses of desire. She is also less interested in ornate world explanation than in what happens when three damaged people, all compromised by violence, begin to recognize one another anyway.

The prose helps. Pennza writes in a brisk, serviceable register that can suddenly turn lush at the point of contact. She knows where sensation belongs. Ash, leather, stone, silk, glass, blood, smoke: these are not decorative garnish. They do narrative work. The writing knows where to put the fang, the bruise, the shard, the hand. At its best, it makes heat mean lust, fury, magical activation, or danger, sometimes all at once. That range gives the novel more tonal authority than a setup like this might seem to promise. Pennza is not a radically original stylist at the sentence level, but she is a shrewdly effective one. She understands propulsion. She understands how to let tactile imagery carry emotional argument. Most important, she knows when to stop explaining and let a charged object or gesture do the work.

The structure knows what it is doing too. Pennza builds the novel around repeated movement between Drakhold, forest, and Everless – coercion, transit, reprieve, revelation, training, return. The rhythm could have become mechanical. Instead it becomes thematic. The Everless is not just refuge. It is the one place where performance briefly drops. There the prince becomes a damaged king. There the captain becomes more than the king’s polished enforcer. There Corinthe starts to understand that what she has been told about herself is not identical with what she is. Pennza parcels out revelation greedily, and almost every answer arrives just in time to make an earlier scene mean something sadder, harsher, or stranger.


The wedding advances as spectacle, humiliation, and desire at once, a ceremony in which empire tries to script intimacy and instead reveals the violence inside its pageantry.

The mirror system is the book’s boldest formal choice and, finally, its governing image. Mirrors do not remain symbolic. They become active. They witness, duplicate, transmit, unlock, accuse. In a novel built on staged meanings, reflection becomes infrastructure. That shift from image to mechanism is one of the book’s cleverest moves. By the end, the mirror is not merely a motif about self-knowledge. It is a route through the castle, a medium of communication, a magical technology, and the final proof that perception here is not passive. To see accurately is to act.


When the shattered mirror reforms and answers Corinthe’s grief with power, reflection stops being a trap and becomes the instrument through which she can finally act.

Where the novel loses some force is in the kingdom beyond its charged rooms. Pennza is superb on enclosed social pressure: the punitive dinner, the ballroom spectacle, the dungeon, the weaponized wedding, the way a room full of onlookers can become part of the apparatus of cruelty. She is less exacting when she has to render Nocta as a fully peopled political world beyond the court. The witches, especially, often register first as antagonistic force and only second as culture. Their internal life, their ordinary textures, their civic or social reality, remain thinner than the material devoted to the triad and Rasimir’s court. The werewolves fare better, largely because Kristoff and pack politics introduce a more persuasive sense of constituency and risk, but even there the world is strongest when it narrows to live confrontation.

This is the book’s central limitation. Pennza can generate extraordinary room-scale intensity, but the wider kingdom is less vividly peopled than the dangerous interiors in which she does her best work. The result is a novel whose emotional and erotic intelligence sometimes exceeds its sociological thickness. Even so, the imbalance is not fatal, because Pennza is so very good at pressure. She understands what bodies do under scrutiny. She understands how shame, spectacle, and longing braid themselves together. She knows that a cruel court does not merely punish disobedience; it scripts reaction, distributes humiliation, and tries to monopolize meaning.

That is why the ending lands as well as it does. What changes is not simply the balance of power but the terms under which power can be recognized. Corinthe does not merely become stronger. She becomes readable to herself before anyone else gets to define the text. The revelation that her mother’s greatest gift was not abandonment but concealment reorders everything that came before. So does the disclosure of Lorcan’s dragon history, which gives the romance its deepest wound. By the time the book arrives at open conflict, it has quietly shifted its center of gravity. This is no longer just a story about inherited power. It is a story about whether seeing clearly can interrupt systems built on distortion.

The novel is also smarter than it first appears about what freedom costs. Rasimir dies, but Pennza does not pretend that one tyrant’s death tidies history. Marrigan remains. The witches remain. The wolves remain. Ruvien remains, with his favor still owed and his delightfully unnerving understanding of what gifts cost. The ending is victorious, but not falsely closed. Corinthe has not solved power. She has only interrupted one regime and inherited the burden of interpretation for herself.

I’d place “Kiss of the Basilisk” at 88/100, which translates to 4 stars on Goodreads: too vivid, erotically intelligent, structurally alert, and emotionally persuasive to rate lower, too repetitive and too socially thin in parts to rate higher. Its excellence is a combination of emotional, entertaining, and artistic strengths rather than pure stylistic distinction. What Pennza does best, she does very well indeed.

What stays in the blood is not only the bloodline machinery, strong as that machinery is, or even the triad, stronger than it first appears. It is the mirror. Pennza understands that before Corinthe can become queen, lover, liberator, or even subject of her own story, she has to become legible to herself before anyone else gets to define the text. So the novel ends on exactly the right device. Not a crown, but a mirror – no longer a passive surface, but witness, weapon, corridor, and the book’s last insistence that seeing can be its own form of power.


These rough compositional thumbnails test how solitude, tower mass, and unreachable distance might hold the book’s tension between captivity and emergence before any finished image hardens into form.


The underdrawing lays down the emotional scaffolding first – figure, threshold, negative space, and border pressure – before color begins to decide what kind of danger the page can bear.


This tonal study works out the divided light of the emblematic image, using shadow and pale distance to stage the split between enclosure and release long before hue enters the argument.


Here the first diluted washes begin staining the paper with the book’s weather of smoke, stone, and latent heat, while the pencil still keeps the image open to revision.

[image error]
The swatch sheet distills the review’s visual grammar into blood reds, scorched golds, and weathered neutrals, showing how the cover palette becomes atmosphere rather than mere quotation.


This border study turns dragonstone, thorn, serpent, smoke, and conquered ornament into a frame language, making the margins carry some of the novel’s menace rather than merely decorate it.

All watercolor illustrations by Demetris Papadimitropoulos.

[Tiera Aubrey]

Sadly, DNFing at 35% - I got bored.
I loved the opening and I desperately want that magical dress!!!
But the world building felt very tell versus show and slowed the plot too much for me.

🌟Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!🌟

[Yasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

***ARC REVIEW***

I've read several books from Amy Pennza before so when she announced that this series was going to be her first traditionally published one, I decided to check it out. Normally, I don't read series that aren't complete but in her newsletter she said that book 1 didn't end on a cliffhanger and had a HEA. With that, I decided to check out an arc copy to see how I liked it.

My thoughts? This wasn't her best writing imo. I read the Bound and Bitten trilogy, her first vampire romantasy series she dropped awhile back and that one was much better written. If that was because it was indie and this one is traditional I don't know but it was a much smoother read.

The big pro for this book to me was the plot. I thought the political intrigue was interesting. I enjoyed the suspense of trying to figure out what was going to happen next, who can be trusted or not and the plotting of taking down a mad king. Unfortunately, that's the only thing I enjoyed. Everything else was lackluster and weak.

The cons in the book for me are:
1. Single pov. Amy typically writes dual povs for her books, so her decision to write this book only in one character's pov was shocking and not a good move to me. Why? Because this is a poly book and who wants to read a why choose romance and not get the other characters pov. Corinthe was not a strongly written character able to carry the entire book with just her pov to me. I feel like the author did a disservice to the story robbing us of Lorcan and Vander's pov. There were several scenes I felt disconnected from because I was getting bored only reading Corinthe's pov.

2. The second con. The writing of Corinthe. I felt her character was written very inconsistent. One minute she's naive, useless and doesn't know anything, the next she's strong, assertive and capable. I felt that the writing for her didn't do a good enough job showing her as a layered person. Her powers don't even kick in until the end of the story. Corinthe fits into a trope I don't like, which is the "sheltered protagonist that was hidden away from their people and either not told they have powers or if they do know, they're not trained on how to use them so they're useless and stumbling the whole book until their abilities kick in at the end". It's a very cliché trope found in romantasy books, and just like it doesn't work for me in those books, it didn't work for me in this one.

3. The romance. Amy didn't do a good job of building the relationships between Corinthe, Vander and Lorcan imo. Out of all of these dynamics, I felt like Corinthe and Vander's relationship had the strongest writing. Her dynamic with Lorcan was a hard sell for me because most of the book, he's rude and standoffish to her. Until chapter 22, when you see their dynamic start to change after he kisses her. It was confusing to me because I personally didn't see where his attraction to her came from? He was disinterested for the longest then suddenly he likes her? The buildup was not done well. I feel like she realized she was neglecting their relationship and course corrected but by then it was too late and looks sloppily put together. Lorcan and Vander's relationship also wasn't written great. Once again, the book would've benefited greatly from having multiple povs. We should've gotten to see how their relationship started from their pov instead of finding out when they told Corinthe.

4. The sex scenes. Again, I don't know if because this series is traditionally published they wanted her to cut back on the filth but the sex scenes were lackluster. I'm used to Amy's love scenes being filthy and hot. That was not the case in this story. The first sex scene is between Corinthe and Lorcan. She is a virgin and though Lorcan isn't, he technically is because this is his first time with a woman. It's a big deal for the both of them and it was a very weak written sex scene. There was no foreplay at all. He stuck his finger in her and then his penis and they have sex. That's it? It was a letdown to me.

The second sex scene was group play. I didn't like that one because I wanted Vander to get his own individual sex scene with Corinthe, especially because he met and bonded with her first. Instead, his first time with her is a menage with her and Lorcan, in which he also has sex with him. Besides the foreplay from Vander, this was also lackluster. The sex scenes in Bound and Bitten were much hotter.

5. The ending. The big fight to take down Rasimir had to be the most lukewarm battle I've ever read. Everything about the fight and his end was terribly written. It wasn't good at all.

6. The grammatical errors. I know she said she had an editor but she might want to consider getting a new one because I noticed several editing issues throughout the book and it wasn't one or two spelling mistakes.

I really don't know what happened with the writing of this book. It seemed rushed to me. Like she didn't want to be late for her deadlines so she rushed the story instead of taking her time. I know I mentioned Bound and Bitten trilogy a few times before. I did that for a reason. Because like this series, that one is also a vampire why choose romantasy. The big difference is Bound and Bitten is the much better series. I do feel like it being indie had something to do with it. Not only did we get multi pov, the sex scenes were actually hot and the relationship building between all three of the characters were good. I believed that they were in love. I don't believe that the characters in Dhampira were in love by the end even though they said it. Also, even though Dhampira is the first book in a trilogy about the same characters, by the end I was confused on where the second and the third book will be going. I'm open to reading it but only if it's multi pov. I refuse to read another full length book stuck in only Corinthe's head.

All in all, the book wasn't horrible but by no means her best writing. If this is what her writing is going to look like traditionally published then she should consider staying indie. The quality was much better.

[Heather Pacella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Corinthe has led a sheltered life in the village of Derryton, the highlight of her day catching a glimpse of last season’s gowns in the window of the local dress shop. Though it’s dull, there is a reason for this simple existence - Corinthe is a dhampir, born of a human mother and a vampire father, and she possesses the extremely rare (and powerful) ability to walk unbothered in sunlight. Her mother has spent her life hiding her from the deranged vampire king Rasimir, known for “collecting” those with special powers. For years, the magical boundary separating the human realm from Nocta has protected her from the king, and Corinthe’s daywalker abilities have helped her to avoid detection among humans. However, an unfortunate encounter with a peddler suddenly exposes Corinthe’s secret, and she finds herself abducted and put up for sale to the highest bidder.

Before the worst can happen, she is rescued by Sir Vander, a handsome vampire knight, who claims he will keep her safe. Her “rescue” is short-lived however, when she realizes that she is being taken directly to the court of King Rasimir, where Vander serves in his personal guard. Rasimir has spent centuries conquering and slaughtering all who oppose his absolute rule, and he is convinced that Corinthe’s rare gift is the key to ending any remaining resistance in the realm. When she suddenly finds herself engaged to the hostile Prince Lorcan, she realizes that her escape must happen sooner rather than later. With both Vander and Lorcan claiming they can help her, Corinthe quickly learns that appearances may be deceiving in the vampire court - and she must decide who can be trusted.

Dhampira was a fun read by Amy Pennza! My thoughts on different aspects of the story can be found below.

*World-building/Plot: The world-building was the stand-out element of the book for me. I really liked that Nocta was populated with many different magical beings (elves, werewolves, witches, dragon riders, vampires, etc.), and that each group had its own unique powers and abilities - for example, witches are able to cast magic through words that they must “earn” in duels, and vampires can (temporarily) steal magic from other species by drinking their blood. The central conflict driving the plot was also engaging - there were many different resistance groups working to overthrow the king, which culminated in an action-packed ending and hinted at an expansion of the world in the next book of the series.

*Character Development: Corinthe was an empathetic FMC - though she was thrown into a world of magic she knew nothing about, and was constantly in danger, she was still kind to those around her, which I always appreciate. Lorcan and Vander were also very easy to root for, and the way their tragic back stories were slowly revealed was very well-done. Though these were all very strong characters individually, I was not quite sold on the central MMF relationship between them. Lorcan and Vander have been romantically involved for over a century, so for them to both instantly fall in love with an incredibly naive human woman whom they are constantly having to explain everything to felt a bit contrived. To be fair, there were some nice emotional moments between Lorcan and Corinth towards the end of the book, but I wish there was more of a connection established between her and Vander - they had some good time together in the first few chapters, but that was about it. Overall, I think the romantic aspects of the story needed a bit more time to breathe before everyone jumped straight to the “I love you”s.

*Pacing/Writing Style: Dhampira was a fast-paced book with an even faster-paced ending. I did appreciate that though the book itself was fast-paced, the central storyline was mainly resolved by the end of the book, without any major cliffhangers (a lot of times, cliffhangers in fantasy books feel a bit manufactured, so it was nice that that wasn’t the case here). The writing style was descriptive but flowed very well, making it a very binge-able read.

I would definitely recommend Dhampira to readers looking for a high-stakes why-choose romance set in an original fantasy world, and can’t wait to see where things go in the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley/Ace for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dhampira is dark, almost gothic tale of a young half vampire getting stuck in a world of magic and terror. If you're a fan of Netflix's Castlevania or stories like Rin Chupeco's Silver Under Nightfall, then you'll love this dark, twisted tale. Even fans of more popular stories like Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash, Liv Zander's Court of Ravens duet, or any of Melissa K. Roehrich's books will enjoy Dhampira. It has the same vibes with great worldbuilding.

The book is all about Corinthe, the daughter of a small town's healer and a secret vampire, who finds out her father is a crazy vampire king she'll either need to escape from or end. And of course, during this journey, there are a couple of love interests to help her out. Lorcan is the mysterious royal vampire who's always at her father's side, and Vander is the captain of the guard. Each of the three main characters display unique powers, and seeing their relationship form felt fairly realistic in their fictional world. They're all trying to survive the maniacal king they serve. It is a personal peeve of mine, however, when the MM part of an MMF relationship has already been formed prior to the book's starting timeline. I feel like it makes a third of the poly relationship seem less important to the story. Or maybe I'm just greedy and want flashback scenes of all the characters forming romantic relationships.

I honestly flew through this book. That's rare for me with review copies. Not because I don't like them, but because I'm a huge mood reader, so a review book has to hit me hard to keep me obsessively turning pages over a two-day span, and Dhampira accomplished that feat. While the villain was a bit one-dimensional, which was kind of understandable given his madness, the worldbuilding overall was super interesting. There were a lot of mythical creatures, strange powers, and warring beings. The idea of a three-way war between witches, werewolves, and vampires with elves sitting in the background makes my Underworld/Charmed/Buffy/LOTR fangirl heart happy. It was pretty cool. I think a series or an even longer book could've made this an epic tale similar to Jay Kristoff's Empire of the Vampire trilogy.

The story was still a very fun time. I do think the ending was a bit chaotic and rushed, though. I'm hoping there's a sequel to settle the world back down, but I'm also not sure the story, especially the romance element, needs a sequel. Even though there were a few unanswered questions, those don't seem urgent enough to require another book. But I still want one, and I guess that's all that matters as long as the author writes it.

All in all, I am so happy with Dhampira. It made reading fun again when sometimes it just doesn't feel easy. I appreciate every book I read, but Dhampira helped me fall in love with that process again. It's such a good time with a digestible plot and fantasy world, but, at the same time, it has darker horror tones and intriguing romances to keep readers on their toes. I can't wait to add my preordered physical copy to my shelf of treasured vampire tales. It definitely deserves a place with my Jex Lane Beautiful Monsters set and my Reaper duology.

4 stars

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

[Mackenzie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, dark fantasy, the delicious taste of the taboo, the feast of the forbidden, the rise of the rebellious! Dark Fantasy is all about finding out things about yourself you never knew and experiencing things you never thought of, within the safety of your comfort zone and a book in your hand (or headphones in your ears, but I digress).

June 16th, 2026, a new addition to the dark fantasy genre will grace the shelves. Dhampira by Amy Pennza follows half-vampire Corinthe as she graces the court of Nocta, the magical realm where everything nonhuman resides. But Corinthe grew up in a small village with her mother, surrounded by humans and told to hide her vampiric lineage. Now, meeting her father for the first time, she is told to embrace it! But Nocta is not as it first appears, danger lurks around every shadowed corner, and even the trees bow to the Noctan king.

Prince Lorcan and Sir Vander are tasked with training Corinthe and helping her reach her true potential. And while both men pull her in different directions, she wonders if they hate each other as much as they seem to. It's a good thing that each of them has two hands! But what do they mean Corinthe's mother is more than she appears? Corinthe's sweet, brave, human mother who works in a small village as its only healer? That woman? Better get a shovel, Corinthe, because it's time to start uncovering those long buried secrets.

Dhampira was such a fun ride. I'm so glad I was able to get my hands on an Advanced Reader Copy. I love the dark fantasy genre and a badass FMC, and a couple of hot, morally gray MMCs don't hurt either!

Trigger warnings are important, as this is a spicy dark fantasy novel and therefore not for everyone. There is blood, gore, and death. Like a LOT of death. Specifically murder because you know: vampires! We also have a polycule that includes two guys being in love, and if that bothers you, this is not for you. There is spice! Lots of it! Level 4 of 5 on the spice scale! If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

But, if none of those things are a deal breaker for you (and let's be real, if you like spicy dark fantasy, they won't be), then you will thoroughly enjoy this book! It had me blushing, crying, and laughing out loud! I read it in 2 days as I could not bring myself to put it down (it's been a hot minute since I've seen what 3 AM looks like, thanks for the reminder, Dhampira). I'm so excited for the official release, but also, I am dying for the next book already!

Note: I was given an ARC, but I was not paid for my review ! My opinions are my own!

[Jennifer Olive · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I initially wanted to hide away from the real world just to finish it. I easily fell into the plot.

Corinthe.
Sheltered. With a secret even she doesn't know.

Vander.
Lorcan.

Both so enticing. Both sexy as 🔥.
So why choose?

The world building is deep and vivid... painstakingly developed and portrayed so it feels immersive. The first 45% of the book is spent creating vivid imagery and setting the plot. Those who immerse themselves in descriptive settings will absolutely swoon over this story.

While I became interested in the characters and the world, what didn't work for me was the repetitive nature of the plot. At times it felt as if I was a sailboat, waiting for wind to push me towards the destination, without a breeze in sight. There was little forward progress.

I silently begged the plot to move forward. I needed the characters to show more growth and become more captivating. I needed the relationships to get deeper... I needed the spice and MMF "Why choose" vibe to consume me.

Unfortunately, the relationships never truly felt genuine or deep. The smoulder and fire seemed forced, the tension and chemistry felt restrained. I didn't believe in the connection and attraction between Corinthe and Lorcan. The relationship between Lorcan and Vander came across as superficial. The only relationship I believed was Vander and Corinthe, and that was sadly, never allowed to blossom on the page the way I thought it would be.

Billed as an MMF romantasy, I expected more.

Corinthe's growth was stunted and I found myself frustrated by that. As the sole POV, I just expected more development and evolution. I longed for other POVs. I craved more dimension, more inner dialogue.


I found my attention wandering frequently as plot points were revisited and rehashed. But more troubling is that I found myself losing interest in the main characters due to their lack of depth and growth.

If there is one thing that will drag me out of a book, it's when the author doesn't trust their readers to remember key points. Honestly, if the repeated reminders of plot points were eliminated, the pacing would have felt stronger and more engaging.

I don't begrudge an author who envisions their creation spanning over multiple books (and clearly, this book is setting the stage for a longer series). That said, this book would have benefitted from tighter editing.


3 stars for the world building and the unique premise.


I received an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own and my review is completely honest.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed Amy Pennza's previous Bitten and Bound trilogy, so seeing more MFM vampire romance from her, I quickly devoured this book. Similar to Given, the MC from Bitten and Bound, Corinthe is a dhampyr--half-vampire and half human (witch in this case) and a daywalker with vampiric powers. She's quickly thrust into the deadly and mad court of her father, the vampire king, who is mad with power and will kill her if she doesn't master her own and become useful to him. She's betrothed to Prince Lorcan, vampire and former dragonrider king, but also drawn to Vander, captain of the guard who also shares a very close relationship with Lorcan despite their seeming enmity.

Corinthe is a fairly enjoyable MC, although somewhat naive since she's only in her twenties. She tries hard, wants to be kind, doesn't want to kill anyone, and hates being lied to. Vander is a charming dominant figure while Lorcan is the cold, tortured prince, and the relationship between all three of them develops at a slow simmer until it boils over into Pennza's scorching smut scenes. You will definitely enjoy all three of them together, in all possible combinations.

I will say though that the world is somewhat underdeveloped outside of these three characters--there is a whole subplot with witches and werewolves, but besides a few flashback scenes and confrontations and last minute alliances, not much is detailed about either society. The rebellion plotline definitely gets lost in favor of the romance plotline, with the last 10% being an extremely hurried resolution to the main rebellion as it stands. Definitely the Bitten and Bound series balanced both plotlines better, and I do think this novel would have been improved with more POV's outside of Corinthe's.

That being said, if you want a smutty, hot vampire MFM romantasy, definitely pick this one up. The romance is full of yearning, tension, and some very moving moments as all three characters learn about each other, and of course, tons of vampires everywhere.

[Brenna]

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the eArc of this book! I have read several of Amy Pennza's books and enjoy her books! There may be some spoilers in this reviews, so don't scroll down if you don't want to see them :)
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Corinthe lives with her Mom in a small village and is ready to move beyond her small life. She is so curious about her father, where her Mom went for a year when she got pregnant, and what more there is to her life.

She stops following her Mom's rules and meets a vendor, and her life gets flipped upside down. She is found out for being a dhampire and gets taken to the city. She is strung up and ready to be sold... until Vander swoops in and saves her. There is an instant connection between the two as they travel. (Vander is a 10/10 book boyfriend.) He takes her back to Nocta to meet her father... who is the Vampire King. Corinthe is actually a princess and heir.

Corinthe's Mom always said that her Dad was not worth knowing, and Corinthe quickly finds out she was not wrong. Her Dad is truly evil and rules through fear, terror, and brute force. He has a current heir, Lorcan (a previous King) who is very cold. Corinthe quickly finds out that her Dad is only interested in her for her potential power. He wants her to syphon power from other creatures through their blood, keep their powers, and then give the powers to him. The King truly on cares for himself.

Corinthe finds out that although Vander and Lorcan are cold and hate each out in public, they are in a relationship in private. They work secretly underground to help train Corinthe to take over and kill the evil King. They also both slowly fall for her.

The last bit of the book wraps up really quickly and end with a bang. There are lots of cute, sappy, and even badass moments. There is technically a happy ever after, but you can tell their is more to the story.

I loved that there was no cliffhanger, and I am still excited to read the next book in this series.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for this gifted ARC!

I thought the blurb for this book sounded so interesting and cool and it really didn't disappoint. It was truly a dark vampire story, their abilities were really unique for a take on vampires and I thought it was so well done. The witches and other mystical beings aspect was a really nice added element to the plot and the overall world too.

The main character, Corinthe, is a hybrid vampire (this isn't a spoiler where it's in the blurb), and because she is a hybrid she has unique abilities. But she wasn't raised to know what they are or who she truly is. Her mother hides her successfully from the vampire kingdom for about 25 years, and then she is found out. The political aspects of the book are really interesting, the villain is one that you will truly come to despise as well. He is tortuous and sadistic and just so hateful.

There are quite a few dark themes in this book. If you have triggers I would probably look them up beforehand. In the first part of the book there is a pretty dark scene of potential "human" trafficking, this is a romantasy/paranormal romance so I'm using the word human loosely. I won't list the triggers because I know some people find them to be spoilers, but please be mindful that there are themes along those lines.

The romance in this book is really fun, I loved how the author handled the whole dynamic. I am trying to be vague here because I do feel like if I list the love interest it would potentially ruin a few things. It is a pretty spicy read as well, I don't generally read a ton of spice so take that with a grain of salt. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I can't wait for more from this author! This releases June 16th!

*This ARC was given by Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley, all opinions are my own.*

[lins୨ৎ📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dhampira was a story that was not like others. If you know me, you know I am not the biggest fan of fantasy novels, but this wonderfully crafted story by Amy Pennza may have changed my mind. The world, the lore, the creatures, and everything that came with it were easy to follow and understand, and I have never been more intrigued by a book, especially a fantasy one.

The story, from the first page, had me intrigued. The sentences were written beautifully, in a way that was simple to follow. Every word formed the scene in a way that made it play out in your head like a movie, or at least in mine. I saw the world that was created and now I have to visit!

The plot was intriguing, and it never failed to make me gasp. It was quite literally a page-turner, each chapter offering a plot twist but not to the point where it was overwhelming. I had moments where I was laughing, crying and going through all of the same emotions as our female protagonist, Corinthe… Each character was relatable in their own way, none being the same but still having a pull that keeps you feeling close to them. (Vander, Lorcan and Corinthe are my close and personal friends.)

If you love vampires; werewolves; witches; elaborate worlds—that are easy to understand—with multiple types of creatures; and the light versus dark trope, then this story is for you! Think ABC's Once Upon a Time but rated R👀🌶️

Book two? I will be patiently waiting, I need answers! In the meantime, I will now be reading ALL of Amy Pennza's books because I need more novels like this one.

Thank you to @ penguinrandomhouse, @ netgalley and @authoramypennza for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Marissa La Roche · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning had such a strong start because so much is being thrown at you in what feels like a short period of time but as soon as Corinthe is in her father’s clutches things take a turn.

Let’s start with the love interests. I just don’t feel any chemistry between the male characters and Corinthe.There’s no tension build up. No subtle touches or glances. They get hot and heavy when Vander is relieving Corinthe and Lorcan of blood, but it begs the question, is this experience of intense lust supplanting false feelings of emotional intimacy? It’s giving smutty Stockholm Syndrome.

The layout of the story felt fractured in a way. How we learned new information didn’t feel organic. Like some training would happen, her father would do something terrible then the guys would sit Corinthe down and give her (ie us, the readers) more information about what’s going on/things she should (we should) know. Rinse and repeat.

There were quite a few moments in the book where I had to question the intelligence of the characters. Especially when it comes to the mother’s magic. If we knew that kind of magic existed and that Corinthe can see wards, why are we not even considering that as her vor or at the very least, her mother’s vor?

The story dragged a lot of the time. Nothing was really happening. Corinthe was “training”. Vander and Lorcan kept being duplicitous. Her father kept threatening/killing people. Throw in some sex and that was the bulk of 300 pages.

The demise of the villain felt TOO EASY.

I do love the world and the magic is fun. I think this book had great potential but the execution was a bit off.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 🥰

[Daphne Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ebook arc. I was ecstatic when I finally got a Berkley book and I have been wanting to read this author’s books for awhile but unfortunately the story fell flat for me. The plot needs work and the whole story itself just moved too slow for me. I love vampire books and I struggled to finish this one, the fmc couldn’t figure anything out even if the two main male character liked her or not and some of the back and forth was tiring, and while the relationship of the book do get ruined for me by a Instagram ad I still expected more from it. This is definitely a slow burn where the two mmc are a couple first but more of vampire with benefits.
There was one random line in the book that could have been left out. There was a paragraph talking about how much of a tyrant the king is and then adds plus he’s just annoying. Yes we get that, the point was made in the paragraph.
The whole story is her either spending it locked in her room watching people from her balcony or training in the woods with the two male leads, but the training doesn’t harvest any results, after a few times of this even reading the training bits got old
Now the world building and the magic system I loved. The vampires being able to gain the magic of the victim by drinking their blood was a new take to me and thought it was unique. Plus the world being split in magical and nonmagical was done nicely.
I really wish the story had more to offer, an wish it had more action whether it was spice of fighting.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a blood thirsty journey Amy takes us on in Dhampira.

Corinthe is a dhampir living in the human world and when she is discovered, she is thrust into game she never asked to be a piece of. Stuck between a handsome captain, Vander and grumpy prince, Lorcan, they all must reluctantly work together in order to take down the ruthless King Rasimir.

I was immediately hooked on their story. Corinthe is new to this world and she has a lot to learn with Vander and Lorcan teaching her along the way. I loved the twist on a typical vampire tale where here they can acquire magical spell words through blood.

Lorcan plays the grumpy part well appearing to dislike both Corinthe and Vander. While Vander is forced to play the part of captain in Rasimir’s army but there is so much more than meets the eye to both of them.

Though Vander and Lorcan have had their relationship for a century, they fall hard and bring Corinthe into their world. Their relationship all together is beautiful and slowly builds throughout the story. These men will do anything they can to protect her though she is anything but helpless.

I was intrigued with all the different characters we meet especially Ruvien and makes me want to know more about a certain the mysterious elf.

By the end we see Corinthe really come into her own and leaves you wondering what could be in store next for them.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Tabitha Beach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corinthe was such a breath of fresh air for me because she is NOT out here being perfect and I loved that 😭✨ she struggles, she messes up, she’s trying to figure herself out while everything around her is actively trying to ruin her life… and it felt so real. No instant badass energy, no magically mastering everything in five seconds. She’s learning, failing, growing, spiraling a little… and I was rooting for her the entire time.

Now let’s talk about the MEN because I did not come out of this okay. Vander had me immediately. Like… charming, a little chaotic, protective without even trying?? I was already gone. And then LORCAN??? I was fully prepared to be a hater and instead I fell just as hard. Dark, quiet, carrying a lifetime of trauma, but soft in the smallest, most devastating ways?? Yeah no, I’m unwell. And the dynamic between all three of them?? I ate that UP. It felt natural, layered, a little messy, a little tender, and I need more of it immediately.

The world itself was also doing things for me. The magic system, especially how it ties into blood and abilities, felt so interesting and different, and I loved all the little twists. It still managed to surprise me! And the villain?? Actually awful. Like truly cruel in a way that made everything feel heavier and more intense, not just I’m evil for fun but real consequences kind of evil. And I truly feel like he’s not fully evil, and that he’s just absolutely made and made himself into who he is now.

And I loved that it wasn’t just tension and chaos the whole time. There were these softer, quieter moments woven in that made everything hit so much harder emotionally. The relationships, the vulnerability, the way trust slowly builds… it all just worked. Watching Corinthe start to step into who she is by the end while still feeling like her made me so excited for what’s coming next because I am fully locked in.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so thankful I got to read this book early! I love Amy Pennza and she does ménage spice so well! I think all the books I’ve read of hers have been series so I assumed this one was as well (perhaps it still will be?) so when I was nearing the end of the book, I kept thinking “how on earth is she going to drag this out for more books?!” Thankfully, the story comes to a wonderful conclusion and you aren’t left hanging. There is still room for more stories though, which i hope she continues because I really enjoyed this world!

This book is about a girl who is half vampire-half human (although you find out later this isn’t quite the case) and grew up in the normal human world. She ends up being discovered and is then abducted and then abducted again and brought to her father (she’s never met) in the magical world. Unfortunately, he is incredibly wicked and she has to navigate trying to stay alive and please him, while also trying to keep her morals and try to figure out how to use her power. She is told she is going to marry and I enjoyed seeing that relationship develop, as well as the one with her fathers sire 🔥 She is tied for enemy #1 in this world so she has wolves and witches trying to kill her and she doesn’t know who she can trust. She ultimately wants to bring an end to her father’s wicked reign, but she has so many obstacles to overcome. It’s definitely worth reading to find out how this all goes down!!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝑾𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐. 𝑺𝒉𝒆’𝒅 𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓, 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆, 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒆. 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓.”

Born of a vampire and human, Corinthe is a rare Dhampira hiding as a human to protect herself. When a trafficker disguised as a peddler comes to town, he discovers Corinthe and kidnaps her for auction. She’s purchased by the Vampire King and is thrown into a new, cruel world. Corinthe is expected to learn how to use her Dhampira powers and help the king continue to oppress all the creatures in the land.

I love the world with the various creatures and magic system. The concept of vampires drinking blood to steal magic, and that drinking someone while they are dying eventually turning them mad is such an interesting take. I also really enjoyed learning about the characters and their pasts. This book does a great job making you feel - from being disturbed at the cruelness of the king, being trapped in impossible situations, falling in love with two men trying to keep you alive, and living with tough decisions made. I absolutely loved this book, and I will have to read more by Amy Pennza! Note that it is a MMF, and has many disturbing/graphic scenes so be sure to check out trigger warnings.

Also thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

[Sidney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

2.5/5 stars.

This one started out with so much potential, but it just didn't deliver for me. The magic system was unique, and I thought the whole concept of dueling for words of power (Vor) was so cool, but it needed more. I needed more world-building, more political intrigue, and just… more. Pennza mentions all these different magical creatures and factions, but then just leaves them hanging, which left me with way too many unanswered questions to ever really feel immersed.

The biggest issue for me was that the plot felt neglected in favor of the romance between the FMC and the two MMCs. Don't get me wrong, I love a good romance, but when it’s the only thing happening, I lose interest. Plus, the plot twists were so predictable I could see them coming from a mile away. By the time we got to the finale, everything felt so incredibly rushed. The FMC was absolutely not prepared to take on the villain (like seriously, the entire book was her failing at magic until like the last 10 pages, what?!), and the way it played out was just so unsatisfying. It felt like a great idea that just didn't get the development it deserved.

TLDR: A really cool magic concept that gets sidelined by a predictable romance. The world-building is too thin and the ending was a total rush job.