Review by Booklist Review
Kazan Korvic has always been obsessed with vampires despite the scar they left on her face way back in her childhood. Her life's work has been making weapons that can kill the bloodthirsty creatures that haunt her world. But when she's abducted by immortal royalty and declared the next great sacrifice to keep their Citadel standing, she has just three days to save herself from becoming vampire food. She has to hope that her talent for stealth, her connection with her tenuous ally, Lord De Vere, and her razor-sharp wit can somehow save her from the clutches of an entire court of hungry, plotting, often-cruel vampires. Sensuous and dramatic, The Hunter's Gambit is everything vampire lovers enjoy, equal parts bloody and sexy (Pierlot dedicates the book to "everyone who read Twilight and thought: "Why are these vampires so Mormon?"). Fans of romantasy and paranormal romance will enjoy the spicy queer action, the gothicesque finery, and the heroine who is determined to survive, no matter whom she has to kill or betray to do so.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Vampiric violence, sex, and a locked room escape story come together awkwardly in the rushed latest from Pierlot (Bluebird). Kazan Korvic has been fascinated with vampires ever since she survived a vampire attack as a child. She's now a skilled blacksmith who specializes in vampire-killing weapons. While traveling to meet a prospective buyer for her newest creation, a magical sword, Kazan is attacked by a group of vampires who take her to the vampire castle, the Citadel, where she'll be the guest of honor in an annual ritual in which a human is named "Queen of the Vampires" and presides over a three-day party. But tradition dictates that the third day will mark the end of both her reign and her life. Kazan is desperate to escape, but first she has to survive. As she plays court politics, weaving an intricate web of lies, she finds allies in a pair of vampire seneschals, Reya and Adrius--but can she trust them? The compressed time frame leaves little space for character development or worldbuilding, and readers will have more questions than answers about Pierlot's interpretation of vampire lore. Additionally, the plot moves so quickly that readers may feel blindsided by Kazan's unexpected vampiric relationship, which gives way to some heated love scenes. The result is a spicy, blood-soaked whirlwind without much room to breathe. Agent: Lauren Spieler, Folio Literary. (June)
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