Court of the Undying Seasons

March 20, 2023
In this alluring queer fantasy from Strickland (In the Ravenous Dark), during a ritual called the Finding, teens randomly draw lots to be trained in vampirism by vampires from Castle Courtsheart before either being turned or subjugated, depending on their observed potential. Nineteen-year-old orphan Fin has despised vampires ever since her mother’s selection in the Finding years ago. Her lone friend and secret crush Silvea has taken care of Fin over the years, so when vampires visit their village and Silvea nearly draws the incriminating lot, Fin claims it first. Fin plans to spend her time at Courtsheart learning to kill vampires, but instead forms attachments, particularly with her brooding mentor, Gavron, and enthusiastic fellow novice Marai. When someone begins exsanguinating those around her, Fin must make a choice: continue scheming to avenge the family she lost, or embrace her new life to protect the one she’s found. Witty dialogue and arch antagonism keep the character dynamics breezy, while high-stakes action and fraught romance imbue the narrative with urgent pacing. Strickland further employs complex mythology and a bombshell-laden plot to interrogate issues of choice, consent, and identity. Fin cues as white; the supporting cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 15–up. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Lisa Dawson Assoc.

May 1, 2023
Grades 10-12 Every year, vampires who are revered like royalty (and feared for the threat of death they bring) come to six villages to choose a handful of teenagers for their school at Castle Courtsheart. Those chosen for the Finding will attend the school and learn to become vampires; if they fail, they'll become mindless servants. Fin, who tricks the vampires into taking her over her true love and best friend, expects she will do neither; instead, she'll likely die for not meeting the vampires' high expectations. When she learns her friend never wanted Fin to take her place, she's galvanized to succeed at the Castle, no matter what it takes. But as her transformation into a vampire begins after a near-death experience, she becomes more sure she wants to kill all vampires for what they've done to her. Strickland (Beyond the Black Door, 2019) is a practiced writer of dark fantasy, as evidenced by their previous books. As the vampire trend rises again, this may catch the eye of legions of renewed Twilight fans.

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May 1, 2023
When it is time for the annual Finding, an orphaned 19-year-old girl volunteers to be the sacrifice from her village to join a vampire school--with extraordinary consequences. Fin's mother was taken by vampires, and now that she is at Courtsheart as an initiate, going in place of the girl she loved, she sees it as the opportunity for revenge. At the same time, she hopes to avoid the fate of becoming one of the beings she despises. But the more she learns about the undead and the different courts they belong to--five Houses, each with their own rules--the more she becomes seduced by their temptations and by the delicious blood she drinks from Gavron, her maker. But if she fails to pass the harrowing lessons, she will become a mortal thrall instead of a vampire. And that's when a string of mysterious murders commences. A welcome return to the world of suitably dark, thirsty, wholly inhuman vampires, this is a story that pays homage to classics and plays with boarding school and murder-mystery tropes in an original, inventive way. Fin's own journey into power along with the medieval-esque setting, heart-stirring romance, well-rounded secondary characters, and found family make it a delectable read indeed. White bisexual Fin is exploring her sense of gender in a world with ample diversity of race, gender, and sexuality. Abso-bloody-lutely brilliant. (guide to the undying Houses) (Fantasy. 15-adult)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-Nineteen-year-old Fin lost her mother to vampires, but misplaced chivalry pushes her onto the bloody, brutal path of becoming one. At color-coded "Houses" in Castle Courtsheart, not-yet-full vampires like Fin study fighting, shapeshifting, seducing, drunken revelry, and more. Failure means enthrallment as a servant. Unlike the others, Fin also studies with the Black Court, the only House whose members can kill other vampires-and also the House of her resentful, devastatingly handsome Maker, Gavron. Will Fin's unexpected love of drinking his blood distract her from her ultimate goal? But Fin is not the only plotter at Courtsheart, and soon she is involved in a deadly intrigue threatening the very heart of the vampire world. This book's deliciously dark and twisty plot, rife with betrayal and murder, inhabits an intricately built world; one that juxtaposes supernatural and sensual beauty against ruthless, casual brutality-and, of course, buckets of blood and a distinct lack of consent. Fin is an empathetic character as she struggles with these gray shades of morality, especially in her slow-burn romance with Gavron, and in her new abilities and desires. For violence, abuse, and sexual themes, recommend to high school vampire fans who love blood and complicated ethics. Characters have varied skin tones, sexualities, and gender identities. Fin and Gavron are both cued white, cisgender, and bisexual. Fin's best friend is cued Black and lesbian. VERDICT Hogwarts meets Twilight meets Lord of the Rings elves (with fangs) in this well-written vampire thriller.-Rebecca Moore

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