31 Reads of Terror: 'Immortal Dark' by Tigest Girma

I do my utmost to resist the siren song of hyped-up books, especially those shoved into the limelight by pampered social media influencers and the infamous BookTokkers. If someone pipes up with, "They're not being paid," I just roll my eyes. Let's be real: in one way or another, many of these "recommendations" come with a paycheck—it's hard to believe that most of these influencers have actually read the very tomes they peddle. Now, I’m not here to dis on reviewers or book bloggers—at least, in my experience, we're not cashing in directly. Of course, we might manage to snag an ARC or two along the way, enticing little previews that dangle like forbidden fruit. But let’s be clear – my opinions aren’t for sale, not now, not ever. If I'm not enamored with a book, I won't bite my tongue or sugarcoat the truth. I’ll be as blunt as an axe in a horror flick, ready to carve out the honesty you crave. After all, a shoe might fit a prince, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to feel good on everyone’s foot!

So, let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we? Today’s entry into the 31 Reads of Terror is Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, a book that flaunts a cover so breathtakingly gorgeous it might just lure you in with its beauty alone. There was a deluge of buzz surrounding this book upon its release last year, which ultimately led me to shell out my hard-earned cash for a copy. Like a treasure lost in an unkempt attic, it joined a pile of other unread tomes until, in a fit of guilt, I wiped off the dust and forced myself to read it for today's post.

The plot? Well, imagine a mash-up of The Cruel Prince and Ninth House woven into a dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy. Here’s the hook: a lost heiress must infiltrate a shadowy society while cozying up to the very vampire she suspects of murdering her family and abducting her sister. Intrigued? Don’t be too quick to jump in.

Kidan Adane, our orphaned heiress, grew up far removed from the arcane society that birthed her—where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship, no less. When her sister, June, mysteriously vanishes, Kidan is convinced it was the eerie vampire bound to their lineage, the cruel yet captivating Susenyos Sagad, that snatched her away.

To unravel the mystery of June’s disappearance, Kidan must worm her way into the elite Uxlay University, an institution where students study to maintain the delicate balance between humans and vampires, all while ensuring their own legacies live on. Unfortunately, Kidan’s living situation includes none other than Susenyos himself, who seems determined to push her away, even as their shared darkness entices Kidan to embrace her own violent tendencies.

And just when you think things can’t get messier, a murder that mirrors June’s disappearance jarringly shakes Uxlay to its core. As Kidan plunges headlong into the treacherous underbelly of vampire society, she inches perilously closer to uncovering a centuries-old threat—one that could put her sister right at the center of it all. To save her sister, Kidan must either bring Uxlay to its knees or come to grips with her own dark desires—the entanglements of love that are as bloody as they are intoxicating.

Modern authors, it seems, have swallowed a hearty dose of Harry Potter and Twilight, and instead of crafting original tales, they primarily recycle ideas that play like fanfiction. It’s no wonder that the market is bursting at the seams with lackluster vampire romances masquerading as young adult fiction but crafted with an adult audience in mind. Have you ever seen a teenager trolling the YA section in a bookstore? I certainly haven’t; it's always a middle-aged woman on a quest for her next guilty pleasure—even if that escape is cloaked in the shoddiest prose imaginable.

Enter Immortal Dark, yet another tale of forbidden vampire love draped in a cloak of an uninspired fantasy setting. Girma's prose is drenched in an excess of overwrought description—yes, I just went there. Don't misunderstand my love for rich imagery; there's a fine line between poetic flourish and drowning the reader in a sea of words. It feels like Girma aimed for the elegance of Gothic literature but fell flat, faking it instead of fully realizing the mastery of the greats.

I'll give credit where it's due: the world-building here is intriguing, and there's potential lurking within the shadows. However, the tedious narrative, one-dimensional characters, lackluster dialogue, and clichés piled high rendered it almost impossible for me to muster any fondness for it. Overall, Immortal Dark felt like a black hole of wasted time and energy—not outright trash, but close enough to make my literary heart groan. Some folks may find solace in this kind of fantasy fluff, but for me, it was a bittersweet betrayal of expectations. ╌★✰✰✰✰

〜B.J. Burgess