A Vile Season

August 12, 2024
To regain his lost powers, a vampire must win a duke’s hand in this tense queer gothic romance from Ferraro (The Alchemy of Moonlight). Centuries-old English vampire Lucian Cross narrowly escapes hunters after they drive him from his castle. As recompense for Lucian’s disappointing near capture, the vampire god Vrykolakas demands that Lucian prove himself “worthy of being a vampire” and turns him human, promising to restore his immortality if he can win a Bachelor-style competition to marry conceited Duke Ambrose Harclay. Determined to both complete the quest and uncover his hunters’ identities, Lucian accepts. Yet as he connives to seduce the duke, human emotions overwhelm him, and he finds himself growing attached to the duke’s youngest brother, Maxwell. While helping Maxwell look into the disappearance of the middle Harclay brother, Lucian also develops friendships with the other competitors. But his and Maxwell’s investigations are complicated by a vampire turned by Lucian, whose arrival threatens to expose his past. Unexpected twists add grit to Ferraro’s sophomore effort, an inventive blend of reality-dating and queer-normative high society that has supernatural flair. Characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Eva Scalzo, Speilburg Literary.

August 15, 2024
A vampire-turned-human vies for the hand of a future duke. After Count Lucian Cross is driven from his castle by vampire hunters, Vrykolakas, the god of vampires, turns him back into a human as part of a revenge plot. In his mortal form, Lucian, who's cued white, can compete in the "marriage games" and court the future duke, all the while secretly sussing out which of the noteworthy families of the men and women also in the competition have connections to the monster hunters. If he's successful in his tasks, Lucian will be rewarded with the return of his immortality--and more power than ever. Being human brings a slew of emotions that Lucian didn't foresee, though, and he finds himself making friends, regretting past actions, and developing unexpected romantic feelings. Propelled by unfolding mysteries and shifting alliances, this story gets off to a slow start as Ferraro introduces the large cast, which is diverse in race and sexual orientation, and sets the scene. Patient readers are rewarded in the latter half, however, when the action and drama amp up. In the world of this story, which is set in England during a time reminiscent of the Regency era, racism and homophobia are nonexistent, allowing the tension to focus on the clash between humans and monsters. The side characters are mostly forgettable, but Lucian is a captivating romantic hero. Despite some unevenness, an enticing and satisfying blend of genres.(Paranormal. 13-18)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2024
Grades 8-12 Having contracted a case of incidental humanity while meeting with a vampire god, Count Lucien Cross needs to regain his vampiric immortality. All he needs to do is seduce Ambrose, a duke's heir, and locate the register of local vampire hunters. Falling for Maxwell--the younger brother of Ambrose and very human--was not in the plan. Yet, despite near-deadly betrayals, a suspected kidnapping, and the high-society trials set forth for the young men and women competing for Ambrose's hand, it is Lucien's romantic interest in Maxwell that jeopardizes his plan to return to undeath as a vampire. The fascinating twists of the many plotlines aside, each one is given the exact amount of attention necessary to lead it to a satisfying conclusion. Similarly, despite a large cast, Ferraro gives each character enough dimension to heighten the stakes as they inevitably trip into mortal peril. This gothic mystery with a touch of Bridgerton and an unexpected vampire redemption arc will convert more than one reader to the joys of period fantasy.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 8, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Bridgerton meets The Bachelor meets vampires in Ferraro's latest novel. Count Lucian is one of the most feared vampires around, or at least he used to be before he was returned to his human state in order to infiltrate a contest for the hand of the future Duke Ambrose, at the request of Vrykolakas, the god of vampires. Amid heavy competition of the finest suitors, Lucian becomes enamored by not the future Duke, but rather his younger brother Maxwell, a young man concerned with finding his missing brother, Emmett. Lucian must balance romancing Ambrose with trying to help the man he is quickly falling in love with find his brother while reconciling with his violent past as a coldblooded killer. This novel is certainly enjoyable, but at nearly 400 pages, the story is all but guaranteed to drag at some point, and it does. However, the end result is a mixture of romance, mystery, and the supernatural that is delightfully satisfying. Count Lucian, Maxwell, Ambrose, and the majority of suitors are coded as white. Zachariah, one of Lucian's allies in the competition, is Black. Sexual orientation seems to be fluid for most characters in this universe. VERDICT The main character's arc from villain to antihero to lovestruck romantic makes this a worthwhile addition to YA collections.-Zach Basler

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.