I really wanted to like this book and the premise sounded so promising. Unfortunately, it fell so flat for me. It takes a lot for me to rate a book 1 ⭐️ and to contemplate DNF-ing it, but this came close. The dialogue was off, the story didn’t go anywhere really, and the characters weren’t particularly likable. There were a few enjoyable moments, but they were few and far between. The best thing about this best was the dedication page unfortunately. It was rough to get through. I don’t normally like giving negative reviews, but this book was just not for me.

i think this book had so much potential for it to be something i loved. polyamorous vampires in an extravagant palace setting with political games and secret rituals. what isn’t there to like? (apparently a lot of things, unfortunately).

our main character, kazan, well to me her only character traits were that she lies a lot and she has this *huge* scar across her face that makes her “so ugly” and “unattractive” and literally all that anyone says to her. and well… she was just incredibly boring to be following inside their head. i would definitely agree that she’s quite smart and is able to navigate the vampire world she’s dropped into fairly well. but truly, the only defining things about how she makes decisions is based off of those two “traits” that i stated. and after 300 pages, to me, it just became difficult to trudge through unfortunately.

you could also argue that her third personality trait was brought upon by an incredibly magical sword that can kill vampires (seemingly without leaving a trace). most of how she moves throughout the vampire palace is to find that damn sword. and it hinders her ability to think through things more than once. it’s sadly true that there was more personality in either of the love interests than the main character. and not only that, but their personality was supplied with some very interesting lore that i wish were learned way more about than the passing paragraph or two we got from them.

objectively, i think this story could have been so much better. had we had another pass through to flesh out these characters. to pace the story better, because that last 1/3 was rushed for sure. to build out this vampiric society just a tad more. we were not given enough! i’m only slightly curious to see what ciel has in store next, but it unfortunately won’t be one i’m reaching to pick up first.

and side note: it’s never a flex to have your story compare to jay kristoff. that man is problematic through and through.

original review:
full review to come when i'm not jetlagged lol.

A fantasy novel about vampires that doesn't take itself too seriously starting with the amazing dedication “Dedicated to everyone who read Twilight and thought: ‘Why are these vampires so Mormon?’ I thank the author for the list of characters at the beginning of the book. I would love for all fantasy authors to do this as sometimes these creatively named characters in the worlds they are building can all start running together. I really enjoyed that the main character was morally grey. Not all hero's need to be bright shining stars for all that is good. The book had surprise twists and a great ending that left me wondering will there be more from these characters?

Thank you to Angry Robot and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest review.

A vampire lovers dreeeaaammmmm!!! I enjoyed this book quite a lot to be honest, wasn’t expecting to. The writing was so descriptive that I could see what was happening like I was watching a movie and that’s always a great read for me when that happens. Only reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me was I struggled a little bit with the characters, but that’s a personal problem.

I have absolutely loved some other books put out by this publisher (Angry Robot), so I had a good feeling that this one had the potential to be another five star read from them. I was hopeful (especially because vampires) but, sadly, it ended up being a DNF for me. While the premise sounds exciting and intriguing, ultimately the execution just all fell a little flat for me. I’m disappointed. I think the bones of it were there and maybe with another few rounds of edits it had the potential to be something great. I just needed more from it.

Thank you so much Angry Robot and Ciel Pierlot for the ARC.

This was a 3 star read for me. It reminded me of the movie Ready or Not, in a good way. The vampires were definitely realistic, cruel, egotistical, apathetic. I did find myself interested in the plot and seeing it through to completion.

But, I felt like it was missing something and there were moments that I felt took away from the book. Some of the plot devices seem a bit too rushed or convenient. And I don’t often say this, but the I think the romance that was in this book took away from it and could’ve been omitted. I also had some frustrations with our main character. She was praised for being smart throughout the book but felt she missed some pretty obvious clues and it just took me out of the moment in the book.

In the end, it felt like there weren’t any real stakes either. Some of the resolution just seemed too convenient. It just needed something else either with the final action scenes or with the closing out scenes.

It still gets 3 stars from me because it kept me entertained and it had some great elements.

2.75

I had really enjoyed Pierlot's debut Bluebird when I read it in 2022 so I had kept her on my radar and I was really excited when I saw that her next project was going to be a poly vampire fantasy. Unfortunately, this was a pretty mixed reading experience.

The book follows Kazan, a blacksmith who is attacked by vampires and then captured to take part in a ritual where she is forced to act as "Queen" for three days and then will be sacrificed. I generally love books that have some sort of time limit or countdown element because it increases tension and I love isolated settings but despite having both of those elements, I mostly found myself bored. Kazan is doing what she can to survive and ends up making alliances with some of the vampires but I struggled to believe some of the leaps of logic and I'm not sure if it's because a lot of the worldbuilding felt flat or if it's because I didn't like Kazan as a main character and none of the side characters were really present enough on the page to make a mark. Which after loving both the world and the characters in Bluebird, I am really disappointed about my apathy for them here.

Overall, I didn't hate this but I think I went in with expectations that were too high. That being said, I do think there is an audience for this book and I love that 2024 seems to be the era of queer vampires.

A little lax on plot with a less than likable main character, The Hunter's Gambit is exactly how the vampires in Twilight SHOULD have been. Not to the mention the fact that THAT sex scene was incredibly hot.

I was really excited for this book, but it didn't really stick out to me. It felt like any other vampire romance, and I found it to be a little boring.

Thank you netgalley, this was a good vampire novel. It kept me hooked throughout the whole book. The book has a nice balance of adventure and spice. I look forward to reading more from Ciel Pierlot.

First off, what a beautiful cover! I am new to reading about vampires, so was very excited to get into this book. Ciel did a great job of setting up the world and atmosphere. I did feel as though the plot was rushed at times. Thank you for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my review.

3.5 stars
Honestly I'm a sucker for a vampire book (no pun intended) so I couldn't resist requesting this one as I loved the sound of it. I really liked the premise of this one and I really liked the setting!

Kazan is an amazing and morally grey character. She's strong, resilient and she also has flaws, making her a more realistic character. I liked getting to know her story and seeing how she navigated the situation she found herself in.

I liked the love interests in this one and found them to be interesting characters in their own right. I would have loved to have gotten to know more about them! While I enjoyed the romance I do wish that there was more of it and it was a bit more developed between them.

This was a quick read that I found myself enjoying and could have easily read another 100 pages with these characters and this world.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The beautiful cover of this book grabbed my attention immediately and made me want to apply for this ARC.

I did want to preface this by saying that while I did like the book, I did not love it. There was potential in the story line, but then the story just became a mess and stopped making sense. The characters didn't really stand out to me and Kazan was unremarkable as a main character. She was not the kind of character that I would like to read the story of.

The more I read, the more I felt myself just wanting to finish the book to get done with it.
 
Thank you to Ciel Pierlot, NetGalley, and Angry Robot for the copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I’ll be honest, the reason I wanted to read this was because I saw a TikTok that just showed the dedication. Overall I was not disappointed! This was a solid vampire read. I would have liked a bit more world building. I loved the FMC. This one will keep you on your toes with the action. I really enjoyed this book.

I’m sorry have i missed the memo where this books was half mff and i was unaware or what?
But that should be the least of my worries since this book felt like a fever dream
I was very intrigued by the premise and the aspect of vampires BUT NON OF THEM HAD ANY POTENTIAL Except adrius and you make them a threesome of some sort??????????? Girl some things should be left only jn romance books. In case some of the authors don’t know we read fantasy because of the fantasy not the other way around

Unforch this a a very big no
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc

After reading The Serpent and the Wings of Night, I reignited my love for vampire novels (a node to my sixth grade self and Twilight) but alas, I was pretty disappointed with The Hunter's Gambit and I'm pretty upset with that :(

It had an interesting take and I thought there was a lot of promise in the beginning but then just kind of lost its way as the story progressed on. The tropes were promising (I love a locked-room trope) and I appreciated the FMC. But that's kind of where it ends for me, unfortunately.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review :)

3.5 rounded up! This was my first vampire read in a while. Honestly, the dedication had me really intrigued. Some of this story was really great and well written and some of it fell really flat for me personally. Kazan’s character got a little annoying at times but overall I liked her. I really loved Adrius and Reya though. The plot is twisted and things get pretty intense towards the end then just falls off pretty abruptly. I honestly have no idea if this is a one stop shop or going to be a series? The ending was left pretty open. If you enjoy vampire tales, give it a whirl!

In just under 400 pages, Ciel Pierlot pulls the reader into a lavish, extravagant ball – one full of savage duels, sadistically saccharine vampires, and a self-centered human determined to bring them all down.

Kazan Korvic’s life has been marred by vampires – literally. Not only was she orphaned in a vampire attack as a child, but the tragedy that destroyed her family resulted in a severe scar that’s transformed her face forever. Intent on saving herself at all costs, Kazan put everything into her blacksmithing business after being denied entry to the Wardens – a tight-knit group of guards whose sole intent is to protect the human population from vampires. She’s learned to fight through cunning exchanges of skill, bits of training passed off for favors and lies and weapons, of which she makes the best around. Anointed with holy water, covered in the finest silver, and crafted with rowan, her craftsmanship is unmatched in Mavazem to the point that she can no longer make a sale within the city’s borders.

A skilled pickpocket, cunning manipulator, and trained liar, Kazan’s quite charming even if she’s not perfect. She may not be the best fighter, but she’s got a strong survival instinct and is incredibly observant. When paired with her steadfast, stubborn nature, she’s a born survivor; she’ll do anything to protect herself, even if it means backstabbing an ex-lover, thwarting a decades’ long plot for revenge, or leaving behind her travel companions and going up against an entire vampire hunting party alone. Her tendency to lie, cheat and steal to get what she wants makes her something of an unreliable and unpredictable narrator, one that is self-centered, self-sufficient, and morally grey – something not often seen in female characters, but that makes for an exceptionally well-crafted, fast-paced narrative once she’s captured, forced to fight Adrius de Vere, and her plans to sell to the neighboring country’s High Warden are thrown into tension-fueled chaos when she is forced to become Lord Dasar’s Vampire Queen instead.

What unfolds across the three-day feast that follows is addicting, exhilarating and charming, written in a deft, incredibly detailed hand that is exceptionally skilled in building layers of atmospheric detail as we run with Kazan through the halls of Dasar’s expansive castle. Add in a strong enemies-to-lovers rival in Adrius de Vere, with whom she has something of a tense, sizzling chemistry after their initial banter-filled encounter at Madam Rask’s (the merchant’s party the beginning of a downhill battle for freedom that (in)directly resulted in Kazan’s defeat and capture), and a sultry, compassionate heiress in Aishreya, and Pierlot sets the reader up for the beginning of a seductive and charming game that promises not only a spicy vampire threesome, but betrayal, manipulation, and incredible tension that propels the entire narrative forward on multiple occasions as the countdown to Kazan’s ritual death plays out.

Sultry, seductive and dark, The Hunter’s Gambit is an unforgiving vampire romp that is as beautiful as it is deadly: a gripping dark fantasy with a touch of romance that breathes fresh life into the brutal, savage nature of vampires in a locked-room adventure in the same vein as Gideon the Ninth, if Cytherea was a bloodthirsty vampire instead of a lyctor – and if Harrow, Gideon, and Ianthe were a throuple. Come for the vampires and stay for the fire that is Kazan Korvic on a self-serving mission to save her own life, whether it means betraying her new lovers or not.

This book was not for me. It was slow, boring, and couldn’t keep my attention. I finished solely because it was an ARC.

I really like vampire books and this did not disappoint. The Hunter's Gambit feels like a sexier The Invitation. I loved how Kazan was wholly in charge, even until the end. I really liked the MFF romance aspect, too, and I felt that Pierlot really did that justice.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.