Book Review - A Duel with the Vampire Lord by Elise Kova

A Duel with the Vampire Lord by Elise Kova

This book is an installment to the Married to Magic series by Elise Kova which are each standalone novels set in the same universe. I had previously read A Deal with the Elf King which I thought was a quick enjoyable read. 

This book follows Floriane, the forge maiden of Hunter's Hamlet. As a forge maiden, it is her responsibility to forge the alloy that is responsible for killing vampires, and Floraine's family has been responsible for producing this alloy for generations. Vampires cross over into the human realm every month, but only every 500 years, the vampire lord crosses the Fade into the human realm with his knights to attack during the Blood Moon. During the attack, Floraine attempts to save her brother but ends up being taken by Lord Ruvan (the vampire lord) to the vampire castle. There, she is forced into an arrangement in which she’d be protected in exchange for her help breaking the curse on vampires. Throughout her time in Midscape, where the vampires live, she learns that everything she thought she knew about vampires was wrong. They aren’t bloodthirsty monsters, but rather souls tortured by an ancient curse. 

I love the plot of this book. The story was so intriguing and kept me interested right to the end. I was shocked when it was revealed who initially put the curse on the vampires. It was so unexpected but made perfect sense. I also really liked the character development in this book. Floriane grew so much as a character and grew into the best version of herself. I wish we had the same level of growth from Ruvan, but I still enjoyed his character. One of my favorite characters in this story was Ventos, one of Ruvan’s trusted knights. He started off as such an unlikable character, but grew into such an admirable one. 

I really enjoyed this book, and will look forward to reading more of the Married to Magic series.