Today I’m delighted to share my review for Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma. Ever since I first heard the pitch for this book, I knew I needed it. Thank you to Emily Thomas from Hachette Children’s UK for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This review originally appeared on The Nerd Daily.
Hidden in our world, a society of vampires originating in Africa, can only feed from select human bloodlines. Each bloodline represents a House more cutthroat than the next. To ensure peaceful co-existence and inherit their legacy, human children of these families must study at an elite university before choosing a vampire companion.
Lost Heiress, Kidan Adane grew up far from Uxlay University. She is obsessively protective, mildly nihilistic, and willing to do anything to save her loved ones. When her sister, June, disappears, Kidan is convinced a vampire stole her – the alluring yet dangerous Susenyos Sagad, the same vampire bound to her own House.
To stay in Uxlay, Kidan must study an arcane philosophy, work with four enigmatic students, and survive living with Susenyos – even as he does everything to drive her away. It doesn’t matter that Susenyos’ violence speaks to her own and tempts Kidan to surrender to a life of darkness. She must find her sister and kill him at all costs.
When a murder mirroring June’s disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. Here, she discovers a centuries-old threat. And June could be at the very centre of it.
Publication Date: 5th September
TW: murder, death, violence, injury, gore, torture
My Thoughts:
Immortal Dark is a dark, suspenseful and seductive Dark Academia vampiric fantasy mystery with more than a touch of romance.
We follow Kidan as she infiltrates Uxlay University to seek vengeance and to inherit her house and the vampire bound to it, Susenyos. I loved this enemies to lovers relationship and how incredibly high the stakes are. From the start you know Kidan is going in to find her sister and bring a violent reckoning to anyone that has harmed her. She is somewhat haunted by her mistakes and past actions, which makes for some unsettling sequences that are driven by psychological torment. Similarly, Susenyos experiences these nightmarish visions as the house very much becomes its own character and brings a hellscape of its own to these characters. I love the Gothic concept of a place absorbing the violence enacted in it and this seems to be the case here, as well as reflecting the torments of its inhabitants. The dynamic between the two is delicious and grows fairly naturally, with the chemistry sparking off the page. At first this is fuelled by a mutual hatred that reluctantly dissipates as they are forced to work together, before turning into something else entirely. The entire way through it is charged with something electric and enticing and there remains the very real possibility of betraying everything at a moment’s notice.
I am obsessed with the Vampire Renaissance I’m seeing in YA at the moment and particularly with diverse representation coming to the forefront. This would sit so well with This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings, Mistress of Lies by K. M. Enright and A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal. Long story short, vampires are back and bloodier than ever. There is just something fascinating about the figure of the vampire and that insatiable hunger for something, which can be translated to all sorts of metaphors and messages. Authors have so many potential avenues to explore, which is why it is exciting to see a wider range of viewpoints examine this mercurial shadow of the night. Girma places vampiric history as originating from Africa, changing this often Westernised viewpoint into something different instantly. It opens up further conversations about forgotten or silenced history, something which is a prominent theme within the book. I loved the exploration of archaeology as a way of preserving a people and culture.
This is a dark tale about revenge and the lengths to which we might go to right the injustices in our lives. I loved how unapologetically bad these characters could be at times. Their actions are horrific, but have an understandable context to them that makes you know why they justify these to themselves. It’s a step beyond morally grey into downright dark territory and I loved it. Humans are messy, flawed and capable of terrible things and Girma shows this to full effect. At the same time you empathise with and connect with the core group of students as they are pushed to extremes to survive. It is primarily a story of vengeance and seeking your own justice.
The Dark Academia themes are incredibly strong as well, unpicking these power structures and their inherent imbalance. This is a place that will protect its own and its legacy at any cost. Within this, there is of course a secret society for us to learn more about and how they pull the strings behind everything. There’s an interesting throughline about inheritance, classism and legacies that weigh on the characters’ shoulders. By making these elite families the only approved companions to these vampires, it creates a power system that is almost impossible to topple. We see the Old Boys style of secret society come to the forefront of the narrative but also how this may be shifting and changing. Everything here is a power move in a much wider game than we initially realise.
Immortal Dark will be your new obsession and trust me, you’ll be left craving more.
A Short Book Lover 
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