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The dice are rolled at midnight.

As the twenty-one-year-old heiress to the Le Spyre fortune, my life should consist of strawberry mojitos and golf carts. Right?

But I’m determined to forge my own path.

Desperate to escape the meaningless games of the rich, I flee my family’s estate.

Secret alias—check.
Place to sleep—uh, kind of?
Job—crap!

I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but that’s the least of my worries.

My city is a giant board game. The players are supernatural— freakin’ vampires—including an overbearing crown prince whose unwanted attention could spell my demise.

Now, I must play their deadly game, or my grandmother and best friend will pay the ultimate price.


If you can’t get enough of books by K.F. Breene, Annette Marie, Shannon Mayer, CN Crawford, Leia Stone, Jaymin Eve, and Laura Thalassa then lower your fangs and step into Vampire Towers. You’re heading to Level 66!

486 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2019

3484 people are currently reading
7519 people want to read

About the author

Kelly St. Clare

66 books3,241 followers
When USA Today bestselling author, Kelly St Clare is not reading or writing, she is lost in her latest reverie.

Books have always been magical and mysterious to her. One day she decided to start unravelling this mystery and began writing.

The Tainted Accords was her debut series. The After Trilogy is now available.

A New Zealander in origin and in heart, Kelly currently resides in Australia with her soon-to-be husband, a great group of friends, and some huntsman spiders who love to come inside when it rains. Their love is not returned.

Find out more at her website, and claim a free paranormal dystopian short story, coloring book, and free bonus chapters from The Tainted Accords.

http://www.kellystclare.com/free-gift

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5 stars
4,648 (48%)
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3 stars
1,338 (13%)
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253 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 888 reviews
Profile Image for Helen 2.0.
472 reviews1,659 followers
June 12, 2023
This isn’t among the best or smartest urban fantasies I’ve ever read, but it definitely ranks among the most entertaining.

Basi is the heiress to the Le Spyre family, one of the wealthiest families in the world. However, she gets tired of the games rich people play (whatever that means) and decides to strike out on her own with the help of her “poor” best friend Tommy.

Really, Basi? Why would you think this was a good plan?

You might gather from that premise that Basi sucks. She does. She’s spoiled, rude, and totally out of touch. However, when she takes a job at a real estate firm that turns real sketchy real fast, she meets Kyros, a vampire crown prince. Kyros is also spoiled, rude, and totally out of touch, with an extra touch of aggressive possessiveness.

They clash in a very fun way. It was satisfying to see Basi and the vampires all meet their match in each other. It takes until about 40% for the action to get started, but once it does, I had lots of fun reading. Basi is just a helpless human and yet she is such a grade-A bitch that all the vampires have no choice but to listen.

Image description: Basi facing down ancient vampires like the crazy bitch she is

I was quite surprised to find out this wasn’t Kelly St. Clare’s debut. The writing style and dialogue are both really confusing, as if not enough beta readers and editors went over the manuscript. I had to reread many passages and sometimes I still didn’t understand what the characters were talking about. Also, despite all her flaws, Basi has some special snowflake vibes, which is usually a trope authors grow out of as their writing skill expands.

In any case I tend to rate for enjoyment, so four stars it is, even though there’s lots to improve on.

Thank you to my RHR gals for a great buddy read!
Profile Image for Ronda.
890 reviews179 followers
August 6, 2022
So I discovered early on that the Shifter books I've just finished were out after these books, but reading them in the wrong order has not made the slightest bit of difference - I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

I can see where the shifter book got the ideas from but then again they are all in the same world so it does make sense - this book is the vampire editions. I loved the world building, I like how this was kind of integrated into the storyline with little effort. The characters are amazing and like the shifter books the plots, characters and history dealt me an abundance of emotions...

I can't wait to start the next book - bring it on!!!!
Profile Image for Rhiannon Chillingworth.
833 reviews220 followers
December 3, 2019
I. LOVED. THIS. SO. MUCH.

It was absolutely awesome and I can't believe I have to wait 5 weeks for the next one. I am seriously sad right now.

Basi is an heiress to a fortune, but on the run. Sick of the game playing and the rut her life has become she decides to turn her back on her privileged and wealthy world and try her luck living like a regular person. She is pretty hopeless and naieve at the start, but she has good intentions and her heart is in the right place. She knows she has no clue how regular people live and she wants to know to understand, to have the satisfaction of knowing she has earned something through her own work and not because of the privilege she was born into.

I will say, as other reviews have, the first 25% is a little slow. Basi is trying to start her new life and this gets established in the first 25%, as well as the fact that Basi is completely hopeless, bless her, despite having a heart of gold.

Desperate for work, she applies for a job at a fancy real estate firm and, despite the strange feeling she gets from the workers, and the fact that they never seem to hire, they take her on.

After making a mistake not of her fault, she makes a discovery about her new coworkers, and Kyros, her terrifying and alluring boss, that means her lift is altered forever.

Seriously guys, this book is awesome. I cannot remember the last time I read a vampire book I enjoyed this much.

Basi really unveils as a character as the book progresses, and she has a core fierceness and goodness that just makes you root for her. Her life is completely turned upside down, but she doesn't give up.

And Kyros. Well, what cna I say about him apart from the fact that he's now in my top 5 favourite fictional vampires ever list, and that's a pretty major statement. I loved that, despite still being gorgeous, he was monstrous at times, an apex predator who was barely in control of his baser instincts. He was dangerous.

His and Basi's relationship had everything I love in this type of book. Reluctant attraction, sort of enemies to sort of something else, a bond that develops over time, but is always one step forward, two step back, but in the lost delicious of ways. The teasing and the tension is STRONG in this book, but in the best of ways.

The world holding was also original and somwthjng I've never seen before, which is a tela feat!

Seriously, I am so sad this is over and I cannot recommend this highly enough. One of my favourite books of the year!
Profile Image for Lien.
296 reviews242 followers
March 7, 2022
“I won’t say anything,” I managed, the lingering adrenaline shaking my voice. Everyone but Angelica laughed quietly.
“Why do they always say that?” Business Shoes asked.
My head snapped up. I glowered at the sandy blond. “Because I want to live, you fucking dumbass.”

I can definitely see why many enjoyed this book but unfortunately, I'm not one of them.
Don't let this deter you from reading this book though, the ratings are insane and mine is an unpopular opinion.

A few things (ATTENTION, SPOILERS POSSIBLE!):

What I liked
+ The plot was interesting because it's different from anything else I’ve ever read.
+ The book had some fun banter and entertaining moments.
+ Basi's and Kyros' chemistry. At first.

What I didn't like
– It takes 30% until the plot really begins and this book has nearly 500 pages so...
– I have some very mixed feelings about the heroine. She had spunk and was kickass in a way that had nothing to do with literally kicking ass but gosh she had that naivité that didn't sit well with me sometimes...
And I'm sorry but what was up with her hair? The fact that it was brought up so many times and at the most random of times only made me see her as vain. Did it have some special meaning other than seducing the H? I don't think so.
– What kind of romance is this when she's not even interested in him? Because was she really? To me, she seemed more indifferent than attracted. The physical pull only happened when they were in very close proximity (yes, due to the thrall) but what about otherwise? The only indication was when she checked him out, but these few meager instances weren't enough for me. Most of the time he was more like a big nuisance to her than a real love interest. Or, you know, maybe I just didn't get it. 🤷‍♀‍ It was fun at first but her aversion to him turned me off so much over the course of the book that in the end, I didn't feel any chemistry between them anymore. It didn't help that there was ALWAYS an audience (of siblings) around them whenever they made out and that she repeatedly sought out another interested male.
Yeah, I'm not sure I'm rooting for this couple. They were just too dysfunctional for me.
– I bet the majority of readers will find it very entertaining but I thought that many situations were a bit over-the-top, and got pretty lame and repetitive after a while (i.e. her nakedness, his siblings setting them up all the time,...).
Profile Image for Hetal.
804 reviews112 followers
December 2, 2019
me going in: I'm so tired of the same old urban fantasy gig.

Bad Ass girl with tragic past and family is an FBI agent or supernatural bounty Hunter and meets rougish supernatural who turns her into lusty lucy

Blood Trials is...NONE OF THAT!!! HOORAY!!! No more, I won't have it! I don't care how many sassy best friends they work with.

I was positive what this book was going to bE about your typical vampires. I was equally hesitant (bc the UF genre has not been particularly great for me lately), and equally excited (because I pretty much live EVERYTHING the author, Kelly St. Clare writes. )

Boy was I not dissapointed. I am literally left YEARNING to know what will happen to all the characters here; not just the main character. Everyone is in such a vastly different headspace at the end of book 1 that it's hard to predict what will happen next exactly, aside from the glaring issues Basi and Kyros must explore as a direct effect of the end events in book 1.

Kelly brings the heat. she plays with sexual tension like a cat with a string and I look at Amazon everyday just to see if by some magic the second book is out WAYYY before the release date.
Profile Image for Saint Fitz.
270 reviews
December 8, 2019
I loved this book! Fabulous chemistry between Basi and Kyros. Basi and Tommy were a much needed breath of fresh air—for once a female friendship that wasn’t toxic or competitive. The book had me snorting-laughing at times, heart pounding, excited, sad...it was a lovely book.

I wish it were better paced—the beginning dragged until about 23%, at which point things exploded. While Basi’s plight adjusting to the real world was nice to read about, it went on just a bit too long. I also feel like the ending was a bit too hastily-written in order to set us up for the second book. I understand why it has to happen but...ok. Things just went from bad to worse for her. The entire game-framing still feels a little confusing for me as a plot point. I might have to go back and reread when it was introduced. It just didn’t feel very important when it should have, as it’s the main driver for everything in the book. Still, the focus of most chapters was Basi and Kyros...and they had chemistry for days, so I can’t say i am disappointed!

Profile Image for Niki {Still a Widow but reading more}.
809 reviews345 followers
January 24, 2021
Okay Listen....

I really liked the story. I enjoyed the different take on the vampire lore. I liked Basi; she's naive, quirky, sassy, and loyal. I loved Kyros who was protective and loyal to all those he had care of.

With that being said don't make me read 475 pages without someone putting a P in a V, mmkay?

Image result for shaking finger no gif

Especially when you got them so wound up they are trying to f*ck through cage bars in a middle of a fight!!

I was a smidge aggravated because and all her excuses fell flat: she was scared of Kyros...uh but not too scared to back talk and disrespect him constantly and run to him when he's having tantrums to calm him down. Then she wants to talk about him keeping secrets when she kept her own right along with him. Sheesh she was such a hypocrite!

Image result for pot calling the kettle black gif

Okay sorry about my slow burn rant....I guess I got all worked up with no relief just like Basi and Kyros

Image result for rant over gif

Alright I'm okay now it's out of my system. Anywhoo, of course I'm off to read the next one with that cliffhanger, gotta see what shakes out now that both their secrets are coming to light.
864 reviews12 followers
December 8, 2019
Disappointed..

I thought this was going to be an awesome read but it was poorly executed. The storyline didn't make sense. It was boring and confusing. Rich girl trying to live as a poor person then on and on description of her poor life. Didn't get an explanation and I couldn't continue anymore when it was at 30%. Meeting the vampires were weirdly introduced and the romance was weak. I didn't feel the chemistry. DNF....
Profile Image for ★Me Myshelf and I★.
292 reviews552 followers
December 8, 2019
This is just exactly what I needed right now.

Funny. Vampires. Sexual tension. A really likeable and original FMC

The only weird part was the world/city it’s based in and the vampire games that took place there. It was hard to buy into that idea.

But everything else

5 stars.

Really enjoyable and I can’t wait for the next.
Profile Image for Soph .
246 reviews39 followers
December 11, 2019
Holy shit I really didn’t think I was going to LOVE THAT .. the first 25-30% was boring and a bit of a slog but once you got the ball rolling the book SUCKS YOU IN!!!! I am keen AS to read the next one.


So Basilia was a urban heiress with a conscious who ditches her families money to live out in the real world with her best friend tommy. When basi Accidently ends up being employed by vampires the drama unfolds. However this is NOT a typical MC. Basi honest the god stands up for herself she sets boundaries and freaking sticks to them , she shoves the love interests face in his own ego and power and calls him on his shit over and over. I was utterly and completely sold on this MC. She has guts and heart and smarts and a god dam self will and conscience.

I don’t hate the Love interest at all Kyros... he is written as a vampire- completely unaware that he causes trauma and is scary and breaks trust ... he has to then own up to that shit. There is a magical
Bond and some “body betraying me business” but it’s quickly set straight by basi.


This was a brilliant read- honestly .... I can’t wait for book 2!
Profile Image for Emma.
2,677 reviews1,085 followers
October 12, 2021
Totally loved it in a brain candy way! Basi should have been quite an annoying character but somehow wasn’t. Same with Kyros. His brothers were funny too. I really liked the concept of the game being played between vampire clans. I went into this book with low expectations and was very pleasantly surprised. Will definitely be continuing the series.
Profile Image for Christa.
901 reviews82 followers
January 10, 2020
The only thing scarier than a mindless beast was a cultured one.

In this riches to rags story, Basilla (goes by Basi) walked away from her family obligations and inheritance to slum it on the streets.

She’s living with her best friend Tommy and takes an entry job working at Live Right Realty. She’s soon entangled into a whole new world where monsters are real.

I love the humor in this book. Basi had the potential to be really unrelatable due to her privileged upbringing. But her humor and naivety make her charming instead of grating. I loved the back and forth between her and Kyros. There’s a lot of tension there, I can’t wait to see where book two takes them.

This is a great start to an urban fantasy series. It was fascinating how the vampires are playing literal games with mortals. It took me a while to figure out what was going on, but I was hooked quickly enough.

And that’s what I hated about games. They weren’t real, and yet real people got hurt when others played them.

Recommended if you’re in the mood for a new adult urban fantasy with vampires. Free on kindle unlimited.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Amara.
598 reviews68 followers
January 30, 2020
Interesting and different take on vamp mythos

I enjoyed this book and the characters a lot after the first 20% or so. I look forward to reading the whole series. Gonna start the next book today.
Profile Image for Jeanny.
2,047 reviews171 followers
February 5, 2020
The book was an absolute bore filled with the minutia of a rich girl struggling to live as the poor do for a little over 30%. If I wasn’t warned prior to reading the book I wouldn’t have soldiered on. Thankfully, I was prepared. After that the book picked up slowly & eventually kept up a steady pace. I enjoy the characters & story arc. I look forward to Vampire Debt in Jan 2020. I cautiously recommend the series to UF & maybe even Dystopian readers willing to endure an excessively slow start. 3.5 stars
Profile Image for Jena .
2,313 reviews2 followers
May 26, 2023
DNF 50%
I had it, this is literally my “most boring book of 2023” (so far).
I kept reading even though I wanted to DNF by 20% because all the reviews said it gets better, that it’s slow burn.
Well, if a book bores you to death into 50%, then it’s a terrible book!

This story is silly and immature. I can’t believe I wasted my time on such nonsense.
💩Some rich girl doesn’t want to be rich, so she runs away to live as a poor person, and she almost get run over by a vampire H. There’s insta hate (and she has no reason to hate him but that he’s soooooo hot), zero, and I mean ZERO chemistry between the MCs. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

I found this through Reddit romance, someone said it’s a dark vampire story… wow, what a laugh.
People are so sensitive these days. It’s not dark, it’s cheesy.


Pros:
The h is not a virgin.
Profile Image for Tracy D..
364 reviews54 followers
December 1, 2019
4.5 stars.

Basi is an heiress that's running from her fortune in favor of making a life of her own, on her own merit. Her naivete is painful, but her heart is BIG. That was her saving grace for me. Fortunately, she has a best friend that's able to help her navigate the basics of starting out on her own. What Basi never counted on was leaving the petty games that rich people play and stumbling into a game of Life and Death. A game played by vampires.

An interesting take on creatures of the night. Intense, heart pounding, and addictive story telling with a deliciously dominant hero to boot. Can't wait for Vampire Debt!

Received an ARC copy from the author. This does not influence my reviews.
Profile Image for Caroline.
539 reviews169 followers
August 23, 2024
This was soooo entertaining, but there were so many plot holes and aspects that didn't make sense. Honestly the entire premise of this rich girl running away for no reason except that she wanted to "make it on her own" just didn't make sense at all. However, the entertainment factor is just so super high that I read this book at lightning-speed. It's not a good book, but I couldn't put it down. Does that make sense? Lol
Profile Image for Melliane.
2,073 reviews350 followers
March 22, 2021
4.5/5

Mon avis en Français

My English review

J’avais beaucoup entendu parler de l’auteure, mais je n’avais pas encore eu l’occasion de lire un de ses romans. Alors quand j’ai vu la traduction de celui-ci en français, je n’ai pas résisté et je me suis lancée avec plaisir. Et je dois dire que je suis ravie ! C’était une très belle découverte. Le plus ? C’est une trilogie !

L’auteure nous présente Basilia, une jeune femme qui a décidé de quitter sa cage dorée et de découvrir le monde. Mais le monde n’est pas aussi gentil et doux que ce qu’elle pensait et elle va devoir très vite trouver un moyen de gagner de l’argent. Le boulot qu’elle trouve enfin dans une agence immobilière semble parfait et pourtant, elle ne s’attendait pas à ce que sa vie soit bouleversée à ce point. Elle va découvrir un tout nouveau monde, où les vampires coexistent avec les humains. Mais elle va aussi découvrir Kyros, un vampire très puissant qui l’énerve autant qu’il l’attire.

C’était vraiment un super roman. J’ai passé un très bon moment avec cette histoire ! L’auteure propose une nouvelle interprétation du vampire et j’ai trouvé ça très sympa d’avoir quelque chose de ce genre, c’est différent. Basilia est une jeune femme qui est désireuse de découvrir ce que c’est que de vivre au milieu des autres, sans être une grande héritière, mais elle ne s’attend pas à ce que ça soit aussi difficile. Elle est avide de liberté et refuse de se laisser contraindre par qui que ce soit, et encore moins par Kyros.

J’ai hâte de lire le second tome et je ne sais pas si j’attendrai la traduction du tome 2 ou si je le lirai en anglais, tellement je suis curieuse.
Profile Image for Andrea.
2,138 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2023
I def didn't know I was in the mood for a vampire romance, but this book was a fun surprise!

description

However, this isn't the normal vampire mythos. In this book the "vampires" are actually a race of strong near death predators with extraordinary powers who sometimes rely on blood to sustain them called Vissimo's.

They aren't affected by sunlight, nor do they lurk in the shadows- but instead they are titans of industry placed strategically around the city.

description

This is how our h-Basil first enters this strange world. After running away from her family and fortune she finds herself working for a prestigious Real Estate company where everyone has piercingly bright eyes and extremely good looks.

But landing the job of her dreams might ends up being a real nightmare.





spoiler review:


So, just want to say this first- I really enjoyed Basil as a character.
She was a wonderful dichotomy of clueless and savvy, caring and bitchy, weak and strong as hell- she might be lost in where she wants to take her life, but she knows who she is and doesn't take shit from anyone.

description

I mean, at one point in the book, after the first thrall, I made the note - i mean jesus, this girl has a spine made of fucking steel

I was also glad when she was talking with Angelica that she stood up for herself and didn't taking shit from her (after her obvious ploy to get her and Kyros together)- I hate when main characters crumble at the first sign of an apology. If someone messed up big time you're not obligated to accept their apology.

Also, I'm so glad we finally got a h who knows she's attracted to the main H, but doesn't fall all over him despite him being bad for her. (not counting the thralls) I mean the ole "my body betrayed me" kind of thing. Basil knows she can't trust Kyros, and although she likes him at certain points- she's knows that being with him will only make things more complicated, and she can control herself.

Also...Kyros...I'm def a tad suspicious of him. I know he's lied to her about the affects of the blood exchanges, but my question is does he really not know who she is?

description

I mean I literally thought before the second thrall happened that she needed to get her grandmother to disown her because the vamps would take everything from her if they could. They were the ones talking about how they couldn't get an in with the elites- so I'm wondering if Kyros or his family started pushing them together because if they mated she basically she can't escape- so what's hers will become his. If not...its all pretty convenient.

description

Hope to find out in the next one.
Profile Image for Clarabel.
3,832 reviews59 followers
August 15, 2022
Quelle surprise ! D'abord pour de l'urban fantasy, l'univers autour des vampires est original et présenté dans les règles de l'art. Puis pour de la romance, c'est du slow-burn teinté d'électricité. Mais surtout, c'est drôle ! L'héroïne se moque et multiplie les sarcasmes. C'est franchement inattendu mais le cocktail est savoureux. J'adore ! ❤️


Après avoir adoré la série des Accords corrompus, j'avais envie de découvrir d'autres romans de Kelly St. Clare. Le hasard m'a conduite vers cette saga avec des vampires (et oui, sans surprise, j'ai beaucoup aimé).

AVIS COMPLET sur le blog : https://vu.fr/yHds

Je recommande fortement cette saga. Comme je conseille furieusement de découvrir la Tatuma Olina et le roi Jovan des Accords corrompusKelly St. Clare est mon idole. Merci pour ces heures de lecture qui m'ont fait rire et glousser comme un dindonneau.
Profile Image for Natalie  ~ The Biblioholic.
2,713 reviews1,419 followers
Read
June 3, 2020
I feel like I was reading a different book from the one that garnered all of those four and five-star reviews I've seen. I don't get it. Maybe it's because it was told from the heroine's pov. Maybe it's because the heroine was suffering from poor little rich girl syndrome while knowing and acknowledging and obviously not caring that she was suffering from poor little rich girl syndrome. I really don't know.

The writing itself, without the baggage of the heroine, was fine.
Profile Image for Noe.
490 reviews25 followers
December 23, 2020
2.5 stars

(Note: I have now finished all three books and have to amend this review slightly. Although Basilia starts of immature, she grows into a great character throughout the books and I did enjoy reading them! Give this one a chance because you will like the other 2 more!)

I am having a hard time rating this book because the beginning was so bad, but the middle and end were good. So like any good college discussion post, here are my 2 pros and 2 cons.

Pros:

1) Premise is super cool and unique.
Basil has found her self in a bit of trouble. In rebellion, she has decided to leave her riches behind and try living like "peasants" as she calls them. She gets involved with vampires, that aren't your typical take on vampires and they go by a different name. These vampires are live-action playing monopoly with the city in a grand game that will decide a very permanent fate (death) if one of the royal vampire families loses. The city itself is set up like a game board, with certain sections deigned a color and with varying levels of worth. They even have a designated time-allowance per turn and roll the dice at midnight. I thought this high stakes game plot was interesting and not something I have read before.

2) Picks up in the last 2/3 of the book so if you get past the first 1/3 you will probably enjoy the story.
Let's, be honest. If you read my progress on this book, then you'll see that I entertained DNFing this book. (see Con #1). However, it seems like the author just needed some time to get her footing and afterwards, the book was great! These latter 2/3rds were intriguing since we get our blinders ripped off and see the true mechanisms working within the city. Romance is a slow burn too so I appreciate that because it makes a lot of sense with this book. So far they are still enemies so I will continue reading on. There's still a lot to unravel and I am interested in seeing what happens next. In the latter part of the book, I do actually begin to like Basil a little more. There's a good number of supporting characters who help add depth to the story.

Cons:

1) Odds are you will hate Basil in the beginning.
Did I say hate? I meant strangle the life out of her ignorant, privileged, snobby, disingenuous ass. Let me just list some quotes so you get an idea of how Basil is someone that I would like to throw off a cliff.

When I was with her friends, she'd say YSIS– your snob is showing... When amongst my rich friends, I'd say YPIS– your peasant is showing.

Normal people walked barefoot all the time. Right? Sure, maybe their feet weren't bleeding. But it was all about the spirit of being poor.

The stress of figuring out peasant life was getting to me...

Among these annoying traits and her constantly calling people poor and peasants, Basil also makes sociocultural and political commentary that just reeks of performative allyship and ignorance. She frequently mentions how corrupt the system is and how the rich are essentially enslaving the poor, but based on how immature she is, this sentiment does not make sense coming from her. It felt like she read about this one time in a book and then decided that she was an expert in the subject without ever talking to someone who is actually experiencing it. She does mature a bit more later in the book.

2) World-building is lacking
The author really had a good opportunity to capitalize on the world-building, but just didn't. She describes the city as almost a separate entity closed off from other locations. We don't know where it is. Is this in the US? Is this supposed to be urban fantasy with the setting kinda being modern day? Can these people just leave the city? It makes it seem that not everywhere is a monopoly game board, but what does the rest of the country think of this? Can other people enter this city if they weren't born here? There are other supernatural beings, so what are their cities like? Why don't they ever try to stage a coup? There are just so many questions about the setting that it's a bit frustrating.
Profile Image for Jacqueline's Reads.
3,100 reviews1,527 followers
March 28, 2020
4.25 A great Star stars

I was looking for a new pnr series to get into and I’m really glad I kept on going back to Blood Trial. The book is a little slow at first, there’s a lot of character building and it really worked for the book after reading everything.

The book is LONG so if you get the audio or you have a reading budget, you really get your money’s worth out of this one. I do believe some scenes could go faster, but it really made the relationship between Kyros and Basi organic.

This is a vampire book, even though you are reading 20% in and you are questioning if it is… but it is. So just hang in there.

Basi is the rich girl trying to find herself. We aren’t sure why she doesn’t want to be rich anymore, but she’s on her own and trying to make it.

I wasn’t keen on Basi at first. I found her personality a little force and a little too in your face for a character I was just recently introduced to. Once I got to know her a little more, I started to like her. You really just need to warm up to the book.

I really loved Kyros. He has the alpha-man personality I love reading in books and I think he really sold it for me for the book.

I liked the world building in this book. It’s about two clans fighting for the right to win. Everyone are cheese pieces and it was just different from other books.

Did the cover match the book? No. BUT that is okay, it’s not always about the cover.
Profile Image for Arena♡.
415 reviews746 followers
July 7, 2020
'Blood Trial' is the first book in the 'Vampire Towers' series by Kelly St. Clare.

Basilia Le Spyre is is the heiress to the Le Spyre fortune, but she is determined to forge her own path, so she leaves and with the help of her best friend Tommy and secures a job and an apartment. I'm not gonna say much to give away the plot only the things I liked and those I didn't. So.

I liked it...the writing was brilliant and there weren't ant flaws buuuttt....

I think there was too much of drama with the whole 'thrall' thing. The attraction between both the MC's was obvious, but Basi was resisting it and going around with boys too much. I mean she obviously likes him but she refuses to act on their mutual attraction, even though they can't be in person together, thrall or no thrall, because 'things' always end up happening. Not to mention the siblings. Ughhh. Kyros' siblings pop up anywhere and everywhere just like that, I mean poor me *blinks* aaanndddd they're THERE.

I would give it a better rating as this book was different than the usual urban fantasies but there was too much of drama and the author wasn't able to portray the slow burn very well.

Anyways, this was my opinion, I'd give this book around 3.5 stars and I may or may not continue ahead, we'll see.

Enjoy! x

Profile Image for Namera [The Literary Invertebrate].
1,432 reviews3,760 followers
December 13, 2020
I've decided that St Clare's talent lies in her ability to make me end up falling head-over-heels for heroines I'd have sworn I hated.

Take Basilia Le Spyre, for instance. Basi is a gorgeous, wealthy blonde who RAN AWAY FROM HOME because she was tired of just being so... rich. What a moron, right? Yet somehow, I rooted for her. I wanted her to do well. She had just enough smarts to keep me on her side. And then, over the course of the book, she grew on me.

Honestly, I'm floored. I have to hand it to St Clare - Basi has gone from being someone I thought I'd despise to someone I'm wholeheartedly behind.

Kyros was hot too. I have to admit that the actual premise of the book was mildly confusing, but I also didn't try very hard to understand it, so... make of that what you will.

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Profile Image for Katelyn Anderson.
Author 7 books41 followers
November 18, 2019
HOT. FUCKING. DAMN.
The sexual tension is real.

I'll be honest. I was a bit iffy with this book in the beginning, since it's a lot different from Kelly's usual stuff, and I struggled to connect with the main character...

But as the story progressed, I got HOOKED. So. Damn. HOOKED. I ship this ship so damn hard. And the twists. And the EVERYTHING. MY HEART HURTS AND MY EYES BURNED A LOT READING THIS.

Can't wait for the next books!!!!!!!!!
Profile Image for ✶Rachelle✶ .
266 reviews142 followers
April 7, 2020
3 stars





But I'm intrigued enough to move on to the next book so....

Profile Image for Daisy Delfin.
1,482 reviews179 followers
May 30, 2023
Thanks to the #cakeeaters to br this with me!

A while back a Che wanted to read the new Supernatural Battle series called Coven Caves. But I never read the Vampire Towers and Werwolf Dens. We ended up to start with Vampire Towers. I haven't read a Vampire book in a while, because I don't always like, how vampires are described. I went in blind, expecting nothing and ended up loving the series.

Basil is at the beginning pretty clueless. She left the comfort of her rich, safe and loving home to experience how the other people live. And that wasn't a world she expected or knew how to live in it. But her best friend Tommy helped her to find her way in this world. She finds a Job at a realtor company, not knowing that she is employed to a company owned by vampires, who are playing a game.

She learn to live in this world where she not a rich girl, but a hard working one. But the job at the realtor where her knowledge how to handle people comes in handy.

She meets Kyros a Vampire prince. The funny thing in this series is how the human girl is bossing around Vampires and they have to cope with it, while she needs to realise what she has done wrong. But she grows with every tasks and leans quickly how to handle this world and grows up quickly.

The next two books are about Basil learning more about her Grandmother and trying to walk in her grandmothers shoes.

All three books are so much fun, I binged them one after the other and enjoyed it very much.

I'm looking forward to our Werewolf Dens br!
Profile Image for Megan Hunt.
95 reviews6 followers
December 1, 2019
A new world for Kelly St. Clare, one I without a doubt recommend for any vampire/paranormal fans. For the first few chapters I was on the fence, I wasn't sure if it was the book for me. But seen as I've read all of Kelly St. Clare's other books I kept going, I'm so bloody glad I kept reading. This series is going to be extremely epic. About chapter 5 in I was hooked I read right till the end and boom the mother of all cliffhangers.
Basi is strong and sassy, Kyros is alpha male and sexy. They honestly steam those pages up.
Eager for the next book to see what happens next for Basi and Kyros and the whole empire.
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