I am quite sad that the ending to the series was quite disappointing. I loved Silver Under Nightfall and had Court of Wanderers as my most anticipated reads.

Not that I didn't finish it just that it didn't tug at my heartstrings or make me feel as much as book one did. What I did enjoy was Remmy and his relationship with his vampires, i think I just needed more of the spark that made book one so special.
Overall 2.5/3 stars and I am still intrigued to see what else Chupeco writes in the future and I will be shouting about Silver Under Nightfall from the rooftops but as a standalone.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

As this is a sequel, inevitable spoilers for book one, but none for book two...

Remy, Xiaodan, and Malekh won the battle against the Night Empress in book one but at the cost of Xiapdans powers. They must all seek refuge at the infamous Court of Wanderers.

Remy must pose as Little more than the couples familiar, all the while they all come to realise they mean much more to each other than all that (like we didn't know this already)

But with the Night Empress entering Remys dreams, and tensions between the Courts, what will our trio have to get through to have their ending...

I loved this sequel, I loved the politics and the action and most of all the dynamic between the characters, especially the main three.

Was an enjoyable end to this story but I would dive back into this world in a second if given the chance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodderscape for the review copy... out now so you can binge this duology in its entirety

Court of Wanderers is the second book in Rin Chupeco’s duology, Reaper. The first book, Silver Under Nightfall, is a phenomenally dark and gothic vampire book. Overall, Court of Wanderers had heaps of potential but fell short in delivering what the first book did.

The strength of this book lies in the way the relationship between Remy, Xiaodan, and Zidan develops. They remain one of my favourite relationships in any book, full of tension, sexiness, and also gentle love. The tender moments we see more of from Zidan specifically healed my heart and the intimate moments were also a chef’s kiss.

I think where this book went wrong was in trying to fit enough world-building and plot for a trilogy into just a duology. The number of new magic elements, characters, and history that were introduced in this book was overwhelming and confusing, which left me with questions by the end. The leaps of logic happening were hard to follow which was frustrating.

Unlike most people, I actually enjoyed the court politics in this book. I thought the blend between action and politics was entertaining; it just lacked in execution. I wish we spent more time in this book on the historical elements and getting more depth to the world at a slower, more manageable pace, with the third book being focused on a lot of the action in the last third of Court of Wanderers.

Overall, I don’t regret reading the second book in this duology, as I wasn’t ready to let go of Remy and the rest of the characters yet. I would still recommend picking up Silver Under Nightfall as it is a masterpiece, and then decide if to follow up with the second book.

3.5 rounded down. I absolutely loved the first book for the atmospheric vibes and of course the main throuple so I was suuuuper excited to see how the developments would go for book 2. While the continuation of the relationship was okay, it lacked the depth I was hoping we would get. The focus was way too much on the court politics in this book, and I didn't feel invested in basically any of the new characters. The atmospheric vibes that I loved in the first book didn't really continue here, imo, either.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

I have inhaled this duology over the last three days, I think I'll be seeing this universe every time I close my eyes for quite some time.

These books really had everything. They were bloody and horrible and teeming with fantastic villainous plots and at the same time so smart, sexy, and heartfeltly funny that I couldn't help but fall in love. The dynamics between Remy, Zidan, and Xiaodan were the best - the way Remy's unease grew into care in Book 1, to transform into this beautiful relationship that we saw in Book 2.

I'm so torn between wishing the review date had been further away because I would've loved to savour the two books, but also I'm so glad that this is now out for everyone to read. If you read and enjoyed Book 1, I think you'll love this - there's a focus shift away from Aluria and towards kindred court politics and the various histories associated with Remy's family. If you haven't read Book 1, or any of Chupeco's work for that matter, I highly recommend it. It has all the necessities of a gritty fantasy, but with particular twists when it comes to the romance and also horror aspects!

I felt like I could see every battle happening in front of me as a play by play which raised the tension further and further. After all the stress and hours that I put into this series, I felt like it really paid off and the ending was so special. Just such a joy to get so stuck into such a fantastic duology.

I love Rin Chupeco’s writing so much and thought that this was such a good sequel to Silver Under Nightfall. I was so captivated by these stories and these characters and I am in awe at the way the author is able to continue a story so well

4/5.

Really loved this book just like I loved the first one. Wished that it had a bit more action in it like the first one did, as this one was a little slower and more political. But I did really enjoy the action scenes that we did have in this one. Sad its a duology bc I would love more from this world/these characters

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with both an e-arc and an e audiobook Arc for this title. It's the second in a series so I rushed out to read the first one before embarking on this journe. I did find the writing style and pace of this book was difficult for me to get into, although I did really like the plot and the characterisation. There was really good representation as well with bisexuality polyamory Etc so I did persevere through, however, i rated that bookbetween a 3 and 3.5 star but again this isn't a criticism of the author this is just my enjoyment of the writing style. Then I started Court of Wanderers and I did feel the same about writing, I just couldn't get into a groove with it. However I then switched to the audiobook and wow what a difference! The narrator was absolutely brilliant and brought the text alive for me. I was immediately captured and sent crashing back into that world with a totally different outlook on it. Again, I really enjoyed the characterisation and the story and this really did bump the book up to a solid four to four point five stars for me. If you are a vampire fan, this is another take on vampire and human relationships, heavy on the consent and equality and it was definitely an interesting read. I will look out for more books from this author, in fact I had quite a few my TBR but will probably look at audiobooks as either a companion or is the sole read.

I enjoyed this book as much as the first book. Rin Chupeco is quick becoming an auto-buy author for me.

Hoping for the same magic as "Silver under Nightfall," I eagerly awaited its sequel. However, while the dynamic between Remy, Malekh, and Xiaodan remained, the plot failed to captivate me. Perhaps a revisit to the first book could have reignited my interest, but alas, this sequel left me disappointed. I am determined to revisit both books, though.

Rin chupeco is always a guarantee! I loved the first book , but I loved this one even more! I loved the discovery of family secrets and and it was great to find out more about the politics of the various courts and the characters involved. Also the murder mystery part was very intriguing and the romance part was well done!

In conclusion I must say that it was a good sequel and that I was satisfied with the responses I received!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Net Galley for providing me with an Arc.

Rin Chupeco's 'Court of Wanderers' seemed to be an intriguing sequel to the Reaper series, which details the journey of Remy Pendergast, a vampire hunter and his unexpected vampiric companions, Lady Xiaodan Song and Lord Zidan Malekh. I was eager to read more about their conflicts against the vampiric courts and Court of Wanderers, and what else would happen with the Night Empress. I would say that the things that I enjoyed most in this novel were the characters of Lorien and Riones, who I felt had interesting development compared to how they were before.

Though the first one had flaws as well, I felt as if they were more apparent in this sequel. The development of the relationship between Remy, Xiaodan and Malekh felt very shallow and was what made the constant sex scenes feel awkward as I did not feel like there was not any more mention of their romantic relationship. I would also would have liked to have seen more development of Xiaodan and Malekh as individuals, rather than simply as romantic partners of Remy, and any development being an extension of him.

Though the world-building and politics were interesting to read at first, I felt that this novel was too expositionary for a sequel. There was a lot more world knowledge that felt more like info dumping than important components of the plot. Not having this information from the first novel, makes these extra concepts feel random and out of place.

Though there were new pieces of lore brought into this novel that had the potential to be riveting, I feel like the novel spent too much time exploring this rather than development of other characters or plot, which slowed the pacing and made it hard to read through.

DNF at 35%

Continuing on from Silver Under Nightfall, Remy Pendergast is travelling with his companions Lord Zidan Malekh and Lady Xiaodan Song after their recent fight with the Night Empress. On their way to the Court of Wanderers to try and save a severely injured Xiadon, it’s clear this journey isn’t going to as quick as it needs to be, and some secrets are just dying to be revealed.

I absolutely loved Chupeco’s The Bone Witch series, so I knew I’d enjoy their writing style, and Silver Under Nightfall left me wanting more. Yet this didn’t deliver. I kept waiting for it to get good, for something interesting enough to hold my attention, and whilst bits did happen, it wasn’t enough for me to keep reading.

There was so much just dumped on the reader in these great big massive chunks, and some things from the first book seemed resolved so early on that this didn’t help me cling to the desperation that it would pick up soon. It was so slow in places I could have skipped pages and it wouldn’t have made a difference, and not only that, but the pacing is neither here nor there, it’s so inconsistent.

It’s such a shame this one was a DNF, and I don’t think I’ll come back to it to attempt to finish it just to see what else happens.



Did I like the book? I wanted to in the beginning.

Did I love it? No. Far from it.

Would I recommend it? No. Unless you can forgive extremely slow pacing and lots of info dumping. Maybe.

Sadly this was a bit of a disappointment. There were a few issues with the previous book, but not nearly so many as in this one. Even if you discounted all the odd quirks of English they have somehow incorporated (eg. people making landfall from... land, and somehow Xiaodan's eyes being a singular eye and many other oddities) the weird pacing and tedious court/political drama made this a bit of a slog. Also I have grown to dislike all the characters apart from maybe Elke. I hate the whole puppy trope, I think the boring yet frequent sex was unnecessary and some of the plot just didn't make any sense. How is there a whole cave temple under a lake that take a few minutes to swim down to, yet people come and go easily and don't seem to ever get wet? How did Remy et al end up on a tiny island by magic? How did Rin manage to write the most un-mysterious locked room style mystery ever? The big reveal was just kind of dull.
I would definitely try another book by them, but I'd hope for better editing for language and pacing. And either leave the sex out, or make it more fun and relevant.

This is Remys book, although the trio are just perfect together. This instalment has more sex (fade to black) with innuendos sprinkled everywhere.
I enjoyed the unravelling of family secrets, the navigating of the various vampire courts, murder mysteries and mutation slaying.
A special mention needs to go out to vampire pigeons. The book is pure entertainment with wit and blood.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

This book was so fun, I havent read a great vampire related fantasy series in ages. I love the representation and diversity in this book.

The adventure and action was brilliant, I didnt know where this story would go but god I loved the ending.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Frick.

This was one of my most anticipated releases, seeing as I loved loved loved Silver Under Nightfall.

Court of Wanderers however did not live up to that hype. Don't get me wrong, there were definitely parts of the book that were as good, if not better, than the first.

The first 200 pages were a frigging drag though. It felt like nothing was happening, except for some info dumping every now and then, and Remy, Xiaodan and Malekh moving around and settling for a while to bang, before doing the same thing all over again. There were some major events happening within those first 200 pages, but those were swept over within 20 pages? Safe to say, I was disappointed.

The last 250 or so pages were good though, like I remember Silver Under Nightfall being. Action-packed scenes interweaved with politics, just how I wanted this whole book to be.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending though, it felt so random SPOILER FOR THE END OF THE BOOK for Dr. Yost to show up at the end? He barely went mentioned throughout this whole book, except for referring to his mutations, and then he shows up and leaves Lord Pendergast unable to control them. SPOILER OVER Just felt like a frigging cop-out.

I still love my vampire and human trio, but unfortunately I did not love the rest of this book.

Bound by fate, united by darkness. A vampire hunter and his unexpected vampiric royal companions are on the road through the kingdom after a battle against the formidable enemy. All severely injured and powerless, causes the trio to seek refuge un the Court of Wanderers. Remy must confront his strange dreams of the Night Empress, a women he has long suspected to be his own mother. As family secrets unravel, they all must face heart-wrenching choices between legacies and their destiny.

Disguised as a human familiar to his vampiric royal companions, Remi naviaged the vampire courts and a series of gruesome murders. All the while the trio’s unbreakable nine id tested as they unlock new powers and each revelation exacts a new devastating toll. The cost of power may prove too high in this thrilling tale of love, betrayal and supernatural warfare.

This book makes falling into a vampire world feel almost effortless, and you’ll happily fall sway under a vampires influence. Beautiful written with a dark and gritty atmosphere that does the vampire fantasy genre novel justice. Maybe a tad slower in pace than it’s forebearer but this plot is steeped in mystery and desire. These characters grow stronger and closer than ever before with a nuance that feels real and imagined by the writer. An excellent vampire novel with royal intrigue, gruesome murders and romantic rendezvous.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳 & 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘙𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘰

The conclusion of the duology sees Remy, Xiaodan and Zidan meeting with the other heads of the vampire courts to try and defeat the Night Empress - who was revealed to be Remy's long believed dead mother. The politics between the courts plays out against Lord Penderghast (Remy's father) bringing an army of Reapers (Vampire hunters) alongside altered mutations which answer to him - or do they..? The relationship between Remy and the 2 vampires deepens and there are a lot of moments that are quite sweet when they're supporting each other in their various states of distress and injury. There are also quite a lot of pretty filthy bits of dialogue between them which is a bit jarring at times as the steamy scenes are off page but then you're dragged back into being reminded they've got a very healthy sex life between the thrupple! I thought this was a good ending to the duology, I did prefer book 1 as I liked seeing Remy come out of the shadow of his father and start to live in a way he was happy with, but his arc in book 2 was great. It was also good to see supporting characters such as Elke, Eugenie, Paolo and Riones back and expanding their roles more. I'm sad to be out of this world now its over which is always a good sign!