In a world where vampyres are banned from blood banks, Amala’s undead life sorta drags.
Write a blog article. Dodge her ex’s advances. Visit Carmilla—Deep Ellum’s hottest blood club.
Rinse. Wash. And repeat.
Yet Amala doesn’t show up to Carmilla three times a week for the sultry ambiance. She goes to visit Kammy, her favorite human that she may or may not be in love with. Though she’d prefer a stake to the heart before being that forthright with her feelings.
When Kammy doesn’t show up to Carmilla after their latest quarrel, Amala’s mundane world goes off-kilter. Is the woman simply avoiding her, or is there something more sinister at work?
Amala’s unbeating heart screams foul play. So after forging a friendship with Blake, another blood club worker, they join forces to investigate.
What Amala and Blake uncover is a divisive secret that could damn them all.
Plagued by memories of Kammy along the way, can Amala save her lover’s life and the other missing humans before it’s too late?
Of Amity and Blood is an adult novella full of sapphic yearning and tortuous regret. Discover Deep Ellum—a paranormal playground for all things that bite and sulk in the night.
Ashleigh Martin (she/her) is an occasionally proud Texan and an always proud cat mom. When she’s not working as a librarian, you can find her reading, crafting, or writing something sapphic. Her short fiction has been published in various anthologies. She is also a Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Fellow and a We Need Diverse Books Black Creatives Workshop participant. Siren’s Last Song is her debut novel.
“I’d give her the sun, even if it blistered my hands.”
If you’re looking for a paranormal mystery:
-Black sapphics -1 POV -vampyre x human -blood night clubs -missing persons -found friendship -based in Dallas, TX -200 pages
There are not enough vampyre books that center Black sapphics! The premise of the story sold me. A 200 year old vampyre frequents a blood night club to visit her favorite human. A soft infatuation turns into a mutual romance. After a falling out between the two, the human goes ghost. Was the budding chemistry too much or is there more to it? As a reader who loves a solid mystery I couldn’t wait to find out.
The story was engaging from start to finish. There were a lot of unique differences from typical vampyre lore that I enjoyed. From the Texas laws, bans on blood & the ways that the undead can relish in their vices added a fresh spin to the story. It was a slow burn to get to the mystery but, the story quickly picked up pace thereon after.
The vampyre FMC Amala’s determination to find answers was commendable. She was unrelenting, focused & devoted. However, a lot of her choices had me wishing that some of the common vampiric personality traits & powers found her. She was on the borderline of being an ethical vampyre which confused me. The entire premise centered finding Kammy. I expected Amala to go through hell & high water to do so. For the majority of the book she seems extremely unsure & overthinking. A moment of her turning off her humanity would’ve elevated the story. Sapphic novels always have effortless yearning & while this novella does too, I expected a stronger pinpoint especially with vampyre’s having notorious devotion.
I enjoyed the blood club vibes, the found friendship for Amala & the fast paced chaos that brought us to a quick end. Unfortunately, there were moments that left the story lacking to create a stronger ending & epilogue to Amala & Kammy’s story.
There were vital pieces of the story that got a lackluster finish, from the insufferable antagonist to the cult to the answer regarding Kammy’s whereabouts to who the villains were. I anticipated revenge and a sense of finality that ultimately ended in what seems to read as a rushed ending. Novellas are hard to nail especially when trying to give a well rounded story. The characters that deserved consequences also deserved a complete demise. The lack thereof felt like I was reading a young adult mystery.
Overall, this was a really solid concept. This is the authors 2nd novel & I am fond of her creativity. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for her catalog.
thank you to the author, Ashleigh Martin, for this advanced reader copy free of charge. this is my honest, voluntary review.
black sapphics, vampyres, set in dallas, tx AND it's a mystery? i jumped, skipped & hopped right on over to the ARC application! 🤸🏽♀️
the concept of an alternate reality where vampyres and humans not only coexist, but have a mutually beneficial relationship where vampyres aren't expected to deny their need for blood is super creative! i've yet to read anything where the existence of vampyres is common knowledge amonst the gen pop, and it's a unique spin that's fresh and intriguing.
as someone who's in the DFW, i really really enjoyed the concept of both carmilla & blood moon, the differences between the two and the set of Texas laws/codes. 🤭 shit, i'd be at carmilla's or blood moon too if i was a vampyre!
i enjoyed the author's writing style, descriptiveness, and the development of the mystery. i appreciated the flashbacks into mal & kammy's relationship, and how they gave insight & clues towards solving the mystery of kammy's disappearance. the relationship developed between amala & blake was fun, though they stressed me out, lol.
i do think this read more like YA than an adult mystery, which is more so about the complexity of the mystery, amala's strength, abilities, and actions as a vampyre, and the conclusion.
while amala was very dedicated to finding kammy, she tended to behave in a humanistic way rather than like vampyre who was hellbent on finding her missing lover. i personally expected more displays of strength, ability, and violence from amala. kaine was so clingy and insufferable, so his involvement with the cult didn't come so much as a surprise to me. the epilogue was also very open ended... the cult disappears, kaine is nowhere to be found, lucy faces no consequences... i wanted them to pay in BLOOD.
there were some things that missed the mark for me, but overall, of amity and blood remains a really cool concept. i look forward to reading siren's last song and the author's future work! i also preordered the ebook before i had the opportunity to apply for an ARC, and i look forward to collecting my finalized trophy once it publishes on Nov. 12 🙌🏽
This is the first book by the author but it won’t be the last! I am so interested in the world that she has created in Of Amity and Blood. The laws are so interesting and I love seeing how authors depict vampyres.
This was a novella so it was a fast read. it also flowed really well, so I do feel like it went faster due to that not necessarily due to page count. So much is packed into this story but the author does a phenomenal job at this! That being said, I wanted a little more at the end. I’m hoping there’s a sequel because there are some lose ends I’d love to see tied up. With how it ended, it would be easy to write a follow up to this and I would read it in a heartbeat!
Of Amity in Blood by Ashley Martin ⭐ 2.75 Stars | ARC Review Release Date: November 12, 2026
First off, thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!
I was immediately intrigued by this book because, ONE, it’s a sapphic vampire romance, and y’all know I love me some vampires! Add in the fact that it’s written by a Black author, and I was even more excited to dive in!
Unfortunately, this one just fell a little flat for me.
The story follows Kammy and Amala. Amala is a vampire who has fallen in love with a human, Kammy. Now, mind you, Amala LOVES Kammy! There’s no question about that. But she’s scared. She’s already experienced a blood bond with her maker, one that she never fully understood or appreciated, and she doesn’t want to find herself in that kind of situation again. Kammy, on the other hand, wants Amala to turn her into a vampire so they can be together forever. And I could understand both sides of that situation!
Then Kammy goes missing, and the story shifts into Amala’s desperate search to find the woman she loves.
Now, I will say there were some really good mysterious moments throughout the book! I was intrigued by the disappearance and wanted to know who was responsible and how everything would play out. But somewhere along the way, the story just lost me.
⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD ⚠️
Once Amala finally finds Kammy, she’s practically on the brink of death, leaving Amala with no choice but to turn her. And then…that’s pretty much it?
I was sitting there like, WAIT A MINUTE! 😂
What happened to the rest of the story? What about Amala’s maker, who was basically involved in Kammy’s disappearance? That entire situation felt like it just vanished into thin air! There were so many opportunities to dig deeper into the characters, their relationships, and the consequences of everything that happened, but instead, it felt like the story just wrapped up without really resolving much.
I understood the concept. I understood the love story the author was trying to tell. I even appreciated the mystery woven throughout. But the execution just didn’t deliver what I was hoping for.
Another thing is that this definitely read more like a YA paranormal romance than an adult sapphic vampire romance. I was expecting a little more depth, intensity, and emotional development, especially considering the themes of blood bonds, love, betrayal, and immortality.
Overall, I really wanted to love this one! The premise had so much potential, and there were definitely moments that kept me interested, but by the end, I was left feeling like something was missing.
I’m settling on 2.75 stars. While I enjoyed certain aspects of the story, I felt that the characters and plot deserved more development, especially toward the end. I appreciate what Ashley Martin was trying to accomplish with this story, but ultimately, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. I would still be interested in exploring more of the author’s work in the future.
thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this arc and give my honest review.
(there will be spoilers towards the end of this review,i will put a warning before hand)
i would like to start with saying i was very excited to read this since it is a black sapphic vampire mystery, especially because i’ve been trying to get more into mystery’s this year. i found it interesting how in this universe the vampires and humans coexisted, and the concept of the blood clubs where humans voluntarily allowed vampires to feed from them rather than the vampires having to take it. i also liked the concept of the laws around vampires differing from state to state.
now i understand that this is a novella so you can only put so much into the story but i do wish that instead of just immediately starting with kammy being missing we got a chapter or 2 giving just a base to their relationship and the argument that continued to get brought up throughout the story. i did like the flashbacks of their relationship throughout the book but having just a bit of that in the beginning would’ve made me connect more with the characters in my opinion.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
there were 2 things that brought my score down for this book. one being kaine and amala’s decisions regarding him. it may have been because as a reader it was blantantly obvious that he had something to do with kammy’s disappearance, but i did not understand why amala kept getting him involved even though she continued to say that she wouldn’t. she was fully aware of his obsession with her and jealousy towards kammy and after she FINALLY friendzoned him she even said that she saw anger in his eyes. so what i don’t get was after that when he texted her asking where she was why she would text him her location while simultaneously saying that they need space from each other, and then again at the end when she went to save kammy what made her decide to send him her location knowing how obsessed he was of course he was going to immediately come to wherever she was with a text like that. amala was just too trusting towards kaine in my opinion and it was fustrating at times.
the second thing was the conclusion of the book, it felt very unfinished which was a bit disappointing. the cult just disappearing so we know they’re continuing to torture people in an attempt to make these vampire anomalies, kaine and his lover not getting any repercussions, kammy taking a break from school because of the judgement. i hope there is a second book to finish off these lose ends i need amala to get her revenge and the cult to be shut down. i especially want kammy to finish her schooling it just made me sad that that’s how it ended.
i will say if there’s a second book i would for sure read it and i did enjoy the writing style so i wouldn’t mind reading more from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thank you to the author, Ashleigh Martin, for an ARC!
The main characters are Amala, a sapphic, later-in-life Black vampyre blogger/journalist and her partner Kammy, a Masters degree student, library worker, and “Drink” living and making a life in an all too real, intolerant Texas.
They are navigating the nature of their relationship as there are many personal and legal ramifications to a vampyre x human pairing in this world. And at very different stages of their lives, there is much to parse about what eternal commitment looks like.
The story takes shape as Kammy goes missing from her part-time job at a vampyre blood club and Amala launches into an investigation into her whereabouts, as she reflects on the moments that have lead them to the present. With the help of a mutual friend, Amala uncovers a sinister plot that has dark implications for humans and vampires alike.
There were many enjoyable and interesting facets to this fast-paced novella! It has Black Sapphic love, an examination of legal threats to personhood, a centuries-old vampyre grappling with mortality, foreboding secrets, humor, and friendship. It was at times funny and heartwarming, but also gory, reflective, and tense. I was immediately invested in the love story, as the characters felt genuine and complex right from the beginning. Watching their relationship through flashback worked very well, interspersed with present day, so that you were untangling the threads of the relationship concurrently with the mystery of Kammy’s disappearance.
I admit to being a little disappointed with the antagonists. I believe that the nature of the novella format gave the story limitations in how the conclusion was handled. In a novel the author would have had more time to develop the villains and the consequences of their actions.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this take on vampiric lore and complicated love stories. I read it in two sittings. And I will happily seek out more work from this author.
amala and kammy meet in carmilla, one of deep ellum's hottest blood clubs. everything is going well until right after they have a big argument, kammy goes missing. she doesn't show up to work at carmilla and no one knows where she could be.
amala forges a friendship with blake. he is another carmilla employee and a big fan of amala's blog. I absolutely adore Blake. he is the best gay sidekick a girl could ever want. he isn't always helpful, but he trues and is pretty great comedic relief.
can we please leave kaine [amala's ex] out in the sun till he completely disintegrates? also dunk him in silver and give him a silver iv drip. to say he gave me bad vibes from the get go is an understatement and I'll leave you to learn the rest when you read the book yourself.
I love the inclusion of amala's blog posts! they add so much more to the lore. it could have been easy to just give a summary of them, but instead we are given the whole thing! it gave so much more lore to the world.
considering that this is a vampyre book with a lot of underground activity going on, I expected this book to be a lot darker than it actually is. not a bad thing at all, just didn't hit the mark of what I expected. i also very much so wish that there was just a little bit more to the story. things do wrap up nicely, but it left me craving more. i also just really want to see the baddies burn 🌞🔥 instead of it being summed up in a paragraph okay? okay.
black sapphics, vampyre x human, paranormal mystery, late in [eternal] life lesbian, missing persons, blood nightclubs, sherlock shenanigans
thank you to ashleigh martin for the arc in exchange for an honest review
This is my arc review offered by the author in exchange of an honest review!🩸🖤
In this we’re following 200 year old vampyre Amala, who frequently visits a blood night club to obviously feed but also to see her favorite human Kammy. She is immediately enamored by this human and a soft infatuation begins. But after a a certain fight between them happens, Kammy goes missing and Amala is hell bent on finding her because she knows there’s more to it than meets the eye, and so the mystery begins.
This was my first time reading by this author and I really enjoyed it. But honestly this read more like a YA mystery than an adult novella, and I felt like there were some aspects that I would have liked more details on because it kind of felt incomplete 🤔
I really enjoyed the nightlife aspect of this and the mystery, I also liked the sleuthing that was happening throughout the entire book.
Amala’s character was really sweet but at times I felt like she was acting more human than vampyre and honestly I wanted to see her more in that element but it was still nice seeing how she hadn’t lost her human side after so many years of being a vampyre.
I also really liked Kammy’s character even though we don’t see much of her in the story. Now one character I absolutely loved was Blake, he was the kind of friend you absolutely want in your corner!!
Overall it was a great novella and first impression for me.
🩸sapphic yearning 🩸vampyre x human 🩸Dallas nightlife 🩸blood night club 🩸sleuthing x1000 🩸late in (eternal) life lesbian 🩸poc representation 🩸novella
‧˚꒰🍷꒱༘‧— “We both had a trial of little deaths, didn’t we?” ‧˚꒰🍷꒱༘‧—
𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝗺𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲 and 𝐁𝐥𝗼𝗼𝐝 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝘣𝘺: Ashleigh Martin @ashleighmwrites Read from: 11/07/2026 - 11/09/2026
‧˚꒰🍷꒱༘‧—
Such a great time!
I was invested early on in this one. There’s a dash of a YA vibe in places and it’s wrapped in this smooth overall mysterious feel. I was definitely locked in for this ride. It felt unique and fresh while still feeling familiar.
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬: • 𝐕AMPYRE X HUMAN • SAPPHIC PARANORMAL • AMATEUR SLEUTHING • 𝖫𝖠𝖳𝖤 𝖨𝖭 𝖫𝖨𝖥𝖤 𝖫𝖤𝖲𝖡𝖨𝖠𝖭 • DALLAS NIGHTLIFE • NOVELLA • BIG YEARNING ྐ❤︎
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐯 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝟐𝟎𝟎-𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 ྐ❤︎
𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: ”𝐈’d give her the 𝐬𝐮𝐧, even if it blistered my hands.” ྐ❤︎ ‧˚꒰🍷꒱༘‧—
If there was one quirk for me- it would be that I wanted more from the BIG BAD. And, maybe a bit more depth- but, that could have been a ‘me’ thing & not a book thing.
I enjoyed this fast paced sapphic novella with a fresh take on Vampyre / Human dynamics. The Blood Nightclubs sounded soooo very cool, I liked the whole concept of the different vibes and the different 'drinks packages' they offered.
The mystery aspect of the story was a lot of fun, and I really liked Amala, our Vampyre MC. What I really enjoyed about her was that she seemed quite human at times. Her wants and needs (aside from blood lust) were quite basic and relatable. I really loved her found friendship with Blake, he brought in a lot of humour and was probably my favourite character.
The authors writing style and descriptions were fantastic, my hatred of Kaine and how creepy and obsessive he is, is a testament to how well written he is. However I was left feeling somewhat disappointed with what felt like a rushed ending, with the villains of the story not getting their karma. Hopefully we may see a sequel in the future to rectify this.
I received an advance review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Blessed to have received this ARC! It got me out of a reading slump and I couldn’t wait to read. I absolutely loved this book! Finished in a weekend and I was left jaw on the floor, hanging on to every page. My first vamp read and I was not disappointed. I loved the dynamics between characters. Amala, a yearning vampyre who finally feels like she’s living after several years on earth. Blake, a witty friend to Amala during a hard time. Kammy, the light to Amala’s new world. The pacing was perfect, which kept my anticipation to keep reading up. If you enjoy vampire stories, mysteries, plot twists and sapphic themes, you would absolutely devour this book. I will be reading much more from Ms.Martin, that’s for sure! Happy reading and buckle up!
Unique vampire romance! Thank you to the author for an advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
When I saw a new Black sapphic vampire romance, I couldn’t wait to read it! I was not disappointed! I loved (and hated!) the unique take on vampires from the laws, restrictions and also the ‘clubs’ ;).
Amala, or Mal was an interesting character. Being on the younger side of just under 200 years old, she was more human like with her thoughts and feelings, anxieties and insecurities. She was determined in her quest to find the missing Kammy, her face human.
Once the mystery got going, the story really took off. I would have liked more consequences or retribution but overall I enjoyed the creative direction of the story.
What a treat! I absolutely loved every minute of this. I devoured this book in a single day. Of Amity & Blood is a sapphic love story with a mystery and tons of longing. The world building is exquisite, even as it’s set in a fictional area of the real city of Dallas. In the search for Kammy, we get to spend time with Blake, a fast friend of our main character Amala. It’s a beautiful story about choice and found family, about what we sometimes have to do to survive and what we’re willing to risk for love, life, and the pursuit of happiness. I would gladly read more from this universe and will definitely be awaiting more of anything from Ashleigh Martin in the future.
I received this book as an ARC read from Ashleigh and I have to say it made up for the vampire book I read with my book club in October. I thoroughly enjoyed this writers writing style and the conceptualization Of the story and the flow. I went into this ARC read blind only with knowledge of Queer, Vampyre/Human love story. I did not expect a mystery aspect so that was a pleasant surprise! I do not want to give spoilers since it has not officially dropped yet but I would definitely recommend.
A bit of a slow burn which is not really my thing but once we got to it it was worth it.
Thank you again Ashleigh for choosing me for an advanced readers copy I thoroughly enjoyed myself!!!
I enjoyed the word building. How the life of a vampyre is restricted and controlled by certain laws. They are dealing with regular day stuff like taxes and having to buy blood in the supermarket.
I enjoy Blake, who is the light in this story. Amala's ex Kaine is a whole mess and gave me the ick from jump. The mystery had me hooked. I kinda had an idea who the blood workers were going missing. That didn't take away from the intrigue. I feel like the reveal and ending felt like there were loose ends. It wasn't as satisfying as the mystery itself.
I enjoyed this book and loved Blake the most! I haven't read many vampire books, but this was such an easy read that was engaging and funny with a hint of mystery.
I only have 2 cons, I didn't feel like the ending was satisfying. Personally I was hoping we'd get some insight into Amala's "next steps." I also wouldn't loved to learn how Amala's and Kammy's love flourished. We get bits and pieces throughout, but I felt like there were still some loose ends.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC!
Received an ARC from the author. All reviews are voluntary and freely given
I got an eARC of this book from the author and loved it. This had a sapphic romance between a vampyre and a human who ends up going missing. It was a mystery that kept me on my toes because I couldn't guess it. Amala search for Kammy shows that even for a vampyre, that life's meaning is often found in connection, adventures and those we choose to have those adventures with. ✨️✨️✨️
Thank you to the author for providing the ARC of this new release.
This book was a quick read with only 200 pages but I don’t think the story was too fast. While I would have liked there to be more depth to some of the scenarios Mal faced while searching for Kammy, I don’t think that it was incomplete.
Kaine can kick rocks. I hated him since his first scene. I hope he gets what he deserves!
Overall I had an enjoyable experience and I think I would definitely read more by this author!
I love how much mystery and drama this book contained! I was intrigued the entire novella! So much yearning and love and some lightheartedness with funnies. I’m honestly sad it’s over, I want more of Mal and Kam!! I loved it so much!