I received this title as an ARC on Net-galley in exchange for a honest review. Thank you Entangled Teen for the copy!

The Good
I'm a Buffy the Vampire Slayer addict so a story with a black vampire slayer is perfect for me! I loved Raven from the beginning! I loved that she was southern, her rage bubbling below the surface, and her snark. Khamari was a sympathetic figure. I loved his relationship with his brother Kraven and how far he was willing to go to save him. I do have some complaints about aspects of the lore, but the magic system and this version of vampires overall was very interesting. The villains in this book were also very compelling. I liked how it wasn't good vs evil but shades of grey in every character.

The Bad
The world building felt a bit campy. I didn't like the need to tie so many historical events to vampires and slayers. Like Alexander the Great being alive during the civil war and impregnating someone? JOAN OF ARC?! It felt silly to me. I wish the relationship between Raven and Khamari was developed better. It was very insta-love which I don't mind if it's developed well from there. But all I felt in their connection was lust, 50% through the book they were yearning for each other so hard and I didn't get why they liked each other so much.

Format:
Ebook — Netgalley

The Rating
I give this book a 3/5