#love immortal

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Love Immortal by Kit Vincent

Release date: 22 October 2024

Genre: adult romance fantasy

If you like: dark academia, vampires, slow-burn romance

Synopsis

Jonathan Evergreen is a talented sophomore at a prestigious, isolated college in Vermont, who dreams of a career in book conservation. But Jonathan’s life isn’t as rosy as it may appear. Disowned by his family after they caught him with another boy, he struggles to overcome heartbreak and support himself through his studies. To make matters worse, his advisor and the only ally in the institution run by old money and family connections mysteriously vanishes, and a new enigmatic professor, Dacian Bathory, takes his place.

Even though Jonathan is instantly drawn to Dacian, feeling a deep, intense connection between them, Dacian’s hot and cold behavior leaves him puzzled. But things change when Dacian unexpectedly helps him secure a job at the college’s Rare Books library from which an antique book recently went missing—a book that Dacian seems to have a deep interest in.

As their attraction grows, sinister events start to unfold around people disappearing in the dead of night, a group of legacies showing signs of increasingly disturbing behavior, and a dead body washing up nearby, completely drained of blood. Plagued by unsettling dreams that feel too close to reality, Jonathan suspects that some of these events might be connected to Dacian.

With the stakes escalating and his own life on the line, can Jonathan unravel the truth about Dacian and confront the darkness before it consumes them both?

Content warnings

Death, murder, suicide, violence, (past) war

Blood, gore, body horror

Homophobia, outing

Racism, xenophobia

Classism

Misogyny

Bullying

Sexual content

Fire

Drugging

Review

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

This was a captivating read from start to finish.

The prose was easy to read and engaging, and the pacing was perfect; from the gradual build-up to the climax, everything was flawlessly executed.

The romance was more of a slow burn than I had anticipated, but when it finally got there, it was SO worth it! The characters have great chemistry. I do not typically like brooding love interests (sometimes they veer too far into edgelord territory), but I found Dacian to be just the right amount of cold and mysterious.

For readers who may be worried about the age gap/teacher-student relationship, I feel that their relationship is as respectful and consensual as it could possibly be, although there are some bits that are, somewhat dubious.

I also found Jonathan to be a compelling main character. I appreciate how his (tragic) backstory ties into his desire to preserve texts, as well as the narrative about the importance of preserving history.

I appreciate how the author dissects class privilege in the narrative in regards to academia; I find that a lot of "dark academia" novels tend to focus more on the aesthetic than on critiquing academia. Privilege is one of the overarching themes in this book; whose stories are valued enough to be preserved and who gets to have their voices heard?

Not gonna lie, vampire romances/dark academia books are not really my thing, especially when combining the two. However, I think this book pretty much nails the balance between the academia aspect as well as the romance, with both elements being sufficiently well-developed.

Overall, a compelling, well-written dark academia romance.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3/5

Book Blurb:

Perfect for fans of vampires, romantic fantasy, and dark academia.

Jonathan Evergreen is a talented sophomore at a prestigious, isolated college in Vermont, who dreams of a career in book conservation. But Jonathan’s life isn’t as rosy as it may appear. Disowned by his family after they caught him with another boy, he struggles to overcome heartbreak and support himself through his studies. To make matters worse, his advisor and the only ally in the institution run by old money and family connections mysteriously vanishes, and a new enigmatic professor, Dacian Bathory, takes his place.

Even though Jonathan is instantly drawn to Dacian, feeling a deep, intense connection between them, Dacian’s hot and cold behavior leaves him puzzled. But things change when Dacian unexpectedly helps him secure a job at the college’s Rare Books library from which an antique book recently went missing—a book that Dacian seems to have a deep interest in.

As their attraction grows, sinister events start to unfold around campus: people disappearing in the dead of night, a group of legacies showing signs of increasingly disturbing behavior, and a dead body washing up nearby, completely drained of blood. Plagued by unsettling dreams that feel too close to reality, Jonathan suspects that some of these events might be connected to Dacian.

With the stakes escalating and his own life on the line, can Jonathan unravel the truth about Dacian and confront the darkness before it consumes them both?

For content warnings please visit https://www.kitvincentbooks.com/loveimmortal

Review:

A modern day take inspired by Dracula but filled with dark academia and a queer love story? Here we go! Jonathan Evergreen is a student at a prestigious isolated college in Vermont and dreams about becoming a book conservationalist. Jonathan is still recovering from a relationship gone tragically wrong and when the new semester starts and a attractive but mysterious literature professor named Dacian arrives... Jonathan cannot deny the attraction he is feeling. Dacian also takes an interest in Jonathan but its constantly switching from hot to cold... but when he unexpectedly helps Jonathan secure a job at the college's Rare Books Library things take a turn. Dacian is looking for a rare book... the same book that has gone missing in the library. Things only get stranger around campus as students begin to go missing and a sign of legacy students begin to act very strange.... and did I mention that there was a dead body found completely drained of blood... oh and the fact that Jonathan has begun to have extremely strange dreams that feel too close to reality. Jonathan knows these events might be connected to Dacian.. but how or why he does not know and it only complicates his growing attraction to the mysterious professor. This is going to be one heck of a school year. This was definitely a very interesting dark academia story with inspiration from Dracula and a touch of queer romance. It had quite a bit going on but felt slow too. It's not a bad book but it just feels like it was missing something to make it absolutely stand out. I love dark academia stories and I adore Dracula stories... so this should have been a home run for me but it just felt okay at best. Dacian and Jonathan just were lacking a spark or chemistry that would make them stand out and its definitely a slow slow slow burn so know that if you are going into it.

Release Date: October 22,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[pagesandpothos]

Love Immortal by Kit Vincent

Official Blurb:

Perfect for fans of vampires, romantic fantasy, and dark academia. Jonathan Evergreen is a talented sophomore at a prestigious, isolated college in Vermont, who dreams of a career in book conservation. But Jonathan’s life isn’t as rosy as it may appear. Disowned by his family after they caught him with another boy, he struggles to overcome heartbreak and support himself through his studies. To make matters worse, his advisor and the only ally in the institution run by old money and family connections mysteriously vanishes, and a new enigmatic professor, Dacian Bathory, takes his place. Even though Jonathan is instantly drawn to Dacian, feeling a deep, intense connection between them, Dacian’s hot and cold behavior leaves him puzzled. But things change when Dacian unexpectedly helps him secure a job at the college’s Rare Books library from which an antique book recently went missing—a book that Dacian seems to have a deep interest in. As their attraction grows, sinister events start to unfold around campus: people disappearing in the dead of night, a group of legacies showing signs of increasingly disturbing behavior, and a dead body washing up nearby, completely drained of blood. Plagued by unsettling dreams that feel too close to reality, Jonathan suspects that some of these events might be connected to Dacian. With the stakes escalating and his own life on the line, can Jonathan unravel the truth about Dacian and confront the darkness before it consumes them both?

My Thoughts:

Love Immortal by Kit Vincent is a new queer paranormal romance about a young man and the centuries-old vampire that he becomes enthralled by. It's juicy and almost impossible to put down. It also has lots of fun gothic references and great Dark Academia vibes.

The book is mostly set in 1987 and focuses on Jonathan Evergreen. He's in his Sophomore year at Camden University and is dealing with some past trauma (a forced outing while in high school) and blatant class-based favoritism in his school.

He soon meets Dacian Bathory, the new professor of his Gothic Literature class. Mr. Bathory seems to have hot-and-cold feelings toward Jonathan until they bond over Jonathan's love of old books and his desire to pursue a career in book conservation.

The story is a slow-burn romance between Dacian and Jonathan but it also has a mystery that plays a central role in the plot. I thought the resolution of the mystery was a little obvious but I still enjoyed reading how the characters figured it out. Plus, the book still had a few surprises I didn't see coming. The story always felt propulsive with many chapters ending with cliffhangers or a daunting bit of foreshadowing that made me always want to keep reading.

One of my favorite elements of the story is the class and political issues that are addressed. I also really enjoyed all the gothic references. There are several quotes and mentions of some of my favorite gothic classics. Some even play a role in the plot.

The author of Love Immortal clearly loves books and that shines through in this book. If you also love gothic novels, Dark Academia, or are interested in a vampire romantasy, I recommend trying this. I found it to be a quick and fun read!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tropes/Tags: queer, Achillean, romantasy, vampires, paranormal romance, gothic, dark academia, slowburn

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5. There are a few spicy scenes that are descriptive.

Content Warnings: Here is the list of warnings provided by the author: blood, violence, death, gore, sexual content, drug and alcohol abuse, disturbing dreams, confinement, bullying, mentions of suicide, racism, homophobia, misogyny, abandonment.

If you liked this I think you will like Love Immortal: The Lost Boys, gothic novels

Links: Storygraph | GoodReads | KitVincentBooks.com

Love Immortal was released on October 22, 2024, and is available to order!

I received an advanced copy of this book for free thanks to NetGalley. The above are my honest feelings about the book provided. I don't have any affiliate links in this post and I do not make any money from my reviews. I review books simply because I love to read.

[chloesimaginationthings]

Man this scene in FNAF 2 movie is gonna be wild-

[pacipinka]

*taps mic* is this thing on? Yeah okay so every vampire in the vampire chronicles is turned at critical a moment in their lives and beyond just the body they are in when they are turned, their mentality stays at that standstill for their entire immortality, Lestat was turned against his will, he was clinging onto Magnus begging him to be freed, so he’s constantly seeking freedom and only finding loneliness and thus turning back to people again and again, however he can’t STAND being told what to do, since he desires agency in his life so desperately, Armand was turned after years and years of abuse and lack of control but such a desire for genuine love, by a man he ‘loved’ so wholly who he felt was barring his love from him, he needs control in his life, he needs a ‘master’ but he does not desire it, it does not fulfill him, he is trapped in a room but the door is unlocked! Louis was mourning his brother, he felt like an utter failure and so he’s always seeking family, seeking people he can care for, he can coddle, he can prove he is good too, but he loves people who either cannot stand coddeling and need a sense of looseness to live (Lestat) or people who grow out of coddling who prove to Louis he will always fail the people he loves (Claudia), Claudias turning, in many MANY ways mirrors lestats in that it was against her will, she was stolen from her home, and in her immortality she desires freedom but unlike Lestat does not have the agency/ form to get it, she will always be small, she will always be looked down on, even by Lestat who cannot deny how much she is just like him *taps mic* ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!! NONE OF THEM CAN BREAK THE CYCLE!!! TO BREAK IT WOULD BE TO UNDO THE VERY FIBER OF THEIR IMMORTAL SELVES!! THE CYCLE IS THE BLOOD THEY DRINK IT IS THE HEART IN THEIR CHEST AND IT ROLLS AND ROLLS DOWN THE MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS OF THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER AND IT CAN NEVER BE STOPPED BECAUSE THEY WILL NEVER STOP LOVING EACH OTHER!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cutetanuki-chan]

did Cytherea even knew how to crochet

or she was doing whatever with that yarn on the veranda and Gideon barely ever saw crocheting in her life before

[bruciemilf]

As a reward for helping with a problem, John Constantine wants to give Bruce a chance to talk to his parents. “I can only do one at a time, thought, so, who’s first?”

Bruce sweats, “That won’t be necessary.”

The batkids watch like ??? they’ve seen Bruce in every state a man could succumb and raise, but they’ve never seen him scared. Alfred calmly steps forward, “Please do.”

“No. Don’t.”

John “I don’t want peace, I want trouble, always” Constantine smells some opportunity for chaos and grabs it.

The result of that is the very angry spirit of Thomas Wayne fixing Bruce with the glare of the year, “You dropped oUT OF MED SCHOOL?!” The entire mansion seems to tremble.

Bruce yelps like a scolded cat and runs around the dining table, “I was busy with BATMAN—“

“ Che cazzo è un Batman, — Get back here! You were there a year, — Che cazzo fai, CHE CAZZO FAI?! Pack your bags, you’re going back.”

To the batkids’ absolute horror Bruce starts to cry, face watery and bright, and they finally understand what Alfred meant by tantrums. “Non voglio tornare indietro, papà!”

“Non mi interessa, cazzo, — wait till your mother hears about this, Harley graduated with HONORS. What exemple are you giving to my grandkids? Don’t — Don’t run, GET BACK HERE!”

Tim sweats in high school dropout, Dick sweats in cop, Jason sweats in drug lord, Damian sweats in art kid, and Stephanie just sweats in general.

“Should, uh… Should we help?”

“Are you kidding? I haven’t seen Jason this happy since the Queen died.”

[shirecorn]

Cadance and Shining Armor || The Bride and the Ugly Ass Groom my @skyscrapergods AU || AU Cadance Tag

[technically-human]

The infamous puppy debacle of '94

[happyheidi]

𝖵𝗂𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗏𝖺𝗇 𝖦𝗈𝗀𝗁'𝗌 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗌𝗌𝗈𝗆𝗌

1- 𝘚𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴. 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘨𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 1888 2- 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮. 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘨𝘩, 𝘚𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵-𝘙𝘦́𝘮𝘺-𝘥𝘦-𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 1890 3- 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮. 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘨𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 1888 4- 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘖𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘝𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘨𝘩, 𝘈𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 1888

[mischievous-thunder]

Some freaky idiots don't know how to deal with their romantic attraction

[moonlit-typewriter]

The fact that Percy’s default response to talking about mortality as a 12-year-old is just “¯\_(ツ)_/¯” is so funny

[vogelspinne]

The enlightened ones

[qifreyplushie]

to wuming, hua cheng, san lang;

happy birthday, dearest a-hong. 🦋💘

DESSERT LATER !!!!!!!! 🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹🧹(WHACK WHACK WHACK)

[chloesimaginationthings]

The FNAF Mikes and Vanessas watch Immortal and restless

[kyouka-supremacy]

Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita (1967) Kafka Asagiri, Bungo Stray Dogs chapter 114.5 (2024)