#think vincent was caught and disappeared like that!!! i love my plot

[aurorangen]

It was late into the night and Renee was back at the station. She needed to find the problem with Vincent's phone and why his messages didn't send. Renee relayed all the information Vincent told her and he emphasised using the hospital wifi. They figured his phone was hacked this way and someone was spying on him, preventing him from making calls or messages. With the cyber security knowledge of Captain Vazquez, they tracked the IP address of the device used to intercept Vincent's phone. And the location was Strangerville.

Now Renee had all sorts of thoughts in her head. Despite it being late at night, she found the whole process fascinating. And all the links to Strangerville. The police may be the only way to uncover more about the place and find out what the hell is going on there. Perhaps she should switch from her history course to criminology and become a detective. Yes, she will do that. Renee doesn't like history as much as she did anyway and she liked the idea of solving crimes.

[nautilus1954]

When/how did you first come up with Vincent and Ava? How long did it take to develop their story?

Oh ho ho *cocks lore gun* we're gonna have fun tonight >=]

So as to when, I really don't know to be honest. It was all by chance on how I came up with the story.

I love the concept of becoming something your not. Like "what if there was a gun, that didn't want to be a gun" sorta story. I wanted a story like that, so... I thought of a ghost story.

Simple concept, ghosts, haunted house, which you can still read the concept idea for in the first story of Vincent lurking in the house. Vincent was originally supposed to be a ghost, along with three other ghosts that also lurked in the house with varying personalities, but it's Vincent who has relations with the "Visitor" (aka Ava wasn't made at this point)

It was a bit drab and dull, and a bit cleashae, but I still edited the plot, took out the three ghosts, and just had Vincent. He had a much softer, less cheeky form of personality. Soft spoken, wise, not scaring the shit outa preists, and actually upset of who he is, and that's how it was...

...until I found the existence of Alastor

I absolutely LOVED how Alastor acts in terms of speech, movement, and personality. That and he was a demon. So much more badass. With a ghost, the unnatural abilities are very wonky in my opinion. They can't pickstuff up in one movie but in the next they can? Cam they pick stuff up or not? That and a few other things. With Vincent's design however, he can fly, produce fire and electricity from his fingertips, the whole shebang.

From then on he was a demon, you will see later that he regrets and is sorrowful of what he did in the past, and how little he thinks he has changed, but from what he did, he changed a vast amount, he just had a moment is all.

*takes deep breath* right, now for Ava.

Ava was the simple sorta dansile in distress sorta scenario, someone for the hero to save and get married to in the end... but there's more to her than a plot like that... a lot more.

In Ava's original design plot, she was an adult. Simple as that. But I wanted to get into depth with DEEP things to really put tension in the plot like, hard-core bullying, cheating, and strait-up suicide because it somewhat reflects the life I lived through... more or less that is. And I thought making Ava a grown ass adult wouldn't cut it, which meant her backstory had to be cut.

Her original story was that she was being s##sualy abused by some drunk pervert, chased her into the woods, came upon the house, hid in it, he eventually finds her, and prepares to do some shit I don't even wanna think about, then Vincent shows up and strait up snaps this guy's neck in an 180 degree angle like John fucking Wick. Ava is scared the shit out of her mind and Vincent tries the comfort her by saying idk something like "don't worrie my dear, your safe now" and uses his demonic magic to put her to sleep. She then wakes up in her car the next morning, she goes back to the house and that was the beginning of the story.

In honesty I didn't like this concept, it seemed a bit... much, and now that Ava's 16 it was over the top, so I changed the story that Ava is with her father during a thunder storm, when a drunk driver knocked them of the road and they went tumbling down a hill. Her father died and Ava had severe injuries. By chance, Vincent was lurking not to far from where the crash happend. He took the girl, brought her in the house for shelter and healed her wounds the best he could whilst providing heat with his demon form (aka demons can radiate natural heat from themselves)

The next day Ava only caught a small glance of Vincent before he disappeared from the sound of authorities searching for Ava. They found her and were taking her to the hospital, but before they left, Ava caught a quick glance of a figure in the attic window. And the rest is really empty space for now.

That and- HOLY SHIT HOW LONG IS THIS!

Yeah I just love lore dumping, and it helps me with how the plots work out and such. Hope this answered your question. Hope I see more soon =3

[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.

[nov-the-book-dragon]

My Top Four YA Fantasy Sets

City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments)

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know.

It's been a while since I’ve read anything by Cassandra Clare but in the past I have laughed and cried and loved in her world. I got the first Mortal Instruments book some time ago as a gift and it lay unread on my shelf for some time until my family went away for a week and Mum said I could only bring books I hadn’t read before (Troy by Adèle Geras and The Girl In The Mask by Marie-Louise Jensen were the others; also excellent books). I devoured it. I sat down and absolutely lost myself in Clare’s New York and the world of the Shadowhunters. I have since collected most of her books and read the original series at least three times fully through. It’s powerful and drags you right in even if you’re a stubborn thirteen-year-old determined to hate it. I know it’s gotten a lot of hype and that often puts me off but in this case it’s because it’s magic. It does get a bit confusing in the third and fourth book, but all makes sense in the end.

Even the prequel and sequel sets are enjoyable and draw you in. I didn’t think I would like the Clockwork series because of how much I’d loved the original characters and their little nook of life but once again Cassandra Clare proved me wrong. I highly recommend these books but do expect to get your heart at least a little bit broken.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (The Morganville Vampires)

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?

Probably one of the first sets on this list that I read. The Morganville Vampires is filled, once again, with a group of close friends. Claire a sixteen-year-old science student, Eve a goth coffee shop employee, Shane a chilli cooking video game lover and Michael an up and coming musician.

The complex love-hate relationship between the human and vampire inhabitants of Morganville is often a cause for conflict and suspense.

I will admit that the plot starts to get a bit far fetched nearing the end but then again, there is fifteen books so it can’t be easy coming up with storylines for all of them. The ending is a classic happy ending I am glad to say.

One thing I really love about Morganville is the number of characters with questionable morality, those who you are never quite sure whose side they’re on. There’s nothing I’m such a sucker for as eccentric characters, grey morality and platonic love so it’s no wonder that I like these as much as I do. And really, who couldn’t love a character with vampire bunny slippers and a giant pet spider called Bob?

My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent (The Soul Screamers)

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally. Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

I found the fifth book in the library and absolutely loved it. However, I wouldn’t recommend starting with If I Die because it’s a major turning point in the series, the first book is probably a better starting place.

Kaylee is a complex heroine who never wanted to be in the limelight, she just wanted her family and friends to be safe. She goes through so much development as a character throughout the series and emerges stronger than ever at the end. You finish the series feeling proud of what the main characters have achieved and a tinge of sadness for those that didn’t make it.

These books are a prime example of slotting fantasy elements into our world – it is bone chilling because it’s so easy to see how it could be real and how easy it would be to be one of those clueless, helpless humans. The scariest things are those which are very close to something normal but just slightly off.

The thing that really stands out about the Soul Screamers is that the supernatural beings are varied and not just your bog-standard vampires and werewolves. The diversification of urban fantasy is something I love and one of the reasons why I love it so much.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love happy endings as much as the next man – characters deserve happiness and perfection. However the bittersweet ending of this series feels right and not forced or realistic.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a mortal vampire with a rare gift for harnessing the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest vampires - the ones who never die. The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making Lissa one of them. After two years of freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for vampire royalty and their guardians-to-be, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. But inside the iron gates, life is even more fraught with danger . . . and the Strigoi are always close by. Rose and Lissa must navigate their dangerous world, confront the temptations of forbidden love, and never once let their guard down, lest the evil undead make Lissa one of them forever . . .

I read the first one a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it though didn’t go looking for more. However, when I found the next three in the charity shop last year I had to read on. I devoured the and read the entire set of six in four days. I will admit that my homework suffered that week. They begin slowly, getting you used to the world of Moroi, dhampires and Strigoi – all words used to describe creatures in Romanian folklore and not words made up by Richelle Mead as I first thought. But good grief when it gets started, it really goes for it. Rose is a firecracker and incredibly loyal to her best friend. Dimitri is a rock, trustworthy and ever dependant. Just a rock with a stake. Mead writes in a way that even if you don’t like a character first off - *cough* Adrian *cough* - you end up thinking of as one of your favourite characters. They take twists and turns that you never see coming – and a couple you do, with an ominous churning in your stomach.

Even the sequel set Bloodlines is excellent. I didn’t have high hopes initially after the joy of the Vampire Academy but I was surprised. It’s not as good but still highly enjoyable.

The only negative I could highlight is that the main romance in each set follows the same ups and downs. It gets to a point where it’s almost predictable.