This book was SUCH an enjoyable read. The three main characters are a delight, and the progression of their relationship just as much so. Poly vampire romance my absolute beloved - I especially loved just how casual Malekh's bisexuality was. The buildup to the romance and the romance itself was absolutely the highlight of the novel, though I was also really fond of some of the familial and platonic relationships shown. There was really a lot of life in the characters and relationships.

Apparently this was fanfic for Netflix's Castlevania in a different life - as someone with only a vague understanding of the video games, that was clear in one thing and one thing only and I don't know if it otherwise had a big impact on the book. 

The world was interesting, and the fantasy terms felt natural. More than once, I went to look up a word and it turned out that yep, that was totally made up for the novel. And it worked really well!

For me, it fell down just a little in the timescales - occasionally weird, occasional character inconsistency - particularly with Naji, and the book simultaneously feeling a little too long but rushed at the end. That said, it was a super enjoyable read and I'm pumped to read the sequel at some point.