The Hunter’s Gambit by Ciel Pierlot
Expected Publication Date: 25 June 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The city of Mavazem is plagued by aristocratic vampires who terrorise the human citizens. But Kazan Korvic refuses to cower. As an expert blacksmith with a sharp grifter’s eye, her specialty lies in crafting, and using, weapons designed to kill the vicious creatures. But, turns out, sword skills aren’t quite enough when a whole group of vampires attack her and steal her magical weapon. Kazan is captured and forced to attend the Vampire Court where she is forced to act as their ‘Queen’. For three days she will waited and doted upon, until the lavish party where her reign will end in extravagant feast… and Kazan as the main course! Kazan plans to find her sword and get out, except with no allies in the castle, Kazan can feel the walls closing in. But she soon realises that she is not just trapped with these bloodthirsty bastards, they’re trapped with her too. And they’re not prepared for just how far she’s willing to go to survive.
Kazan is a fighter through and through so when she finds herself taken against her will, she fights tooth and nail to be free. She is an interesting character and managed to hold my attention, but we learn so little about her. We don’t know about her relationships be they familial or romantic. We don’t know about her childhood or how she got into blacksmithing. We don’t know anything beyond her making special swords and not liking vampires. We get to see a bit more of what makes her tick as the book goes on and she becomes a little more open, but it just wasn’t enough for me. Even after major events, we still didn’t get a changed or elevated Kazan. She just seemed to remain the same.
I’ve never really been one for vampire stories but the blurb for this book really caught my eye so I figured I would give it a go. The plot was okay but definitely felt drawn out. This story takes place over three days but it felt almost as if it could have been three weeks! I appreciate truly setting the scene and seeing Kazan’s desperation to escape but it felt like time suddenly had no meaning. The characters could have been a little more fleshed out. We stick with Isla so know her best but when we get a lot of time with other characters, we should be able to understand them more. They just felt a bit one-dimensional to me for a lot of the story which was such a shame. There wasn’t a huge deal of romance but that there was, I did enjoy. The spice included wasn’t too bad either. It wasn’t something I had expected to encounter or enjoy but I did! The ending itself felt a little incomplete to me. We wrap up the story but it’s left so open ended that I almost felt … uncomfortable? I was hoping for a firm ending, not something so up in the air.
Overall, The Hunter’s Gambit is a vampire story that just missed the mark for me.
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Thank you again to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advanced copy of this book.
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