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.
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After a heavy advertising campaign, NBC aired the reboot of the 1966-1971 Dark Shadows soap opera in January 1991, but only this time it was aired in primetime instead of daytime. The series followed the basic plot of the original with Victoria Winters (played by Joanna Going) traveling on a train to Collinsport where she has taken a job as governess at the Collinwoods. She’s really there to take care of David (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who claims to see ghosts at the “old house.” While this is happening, Willie Loomis breaks into a crypt looking for jewels, but instead he releases the vampire cursed Barnabas Collins (played by Ben Cross). 
I stumbled upon Dark Shadows: The Best of Barnabas part of The Greatest Episodes Collection at my local Wal-Mart for under ten dollars. Dark Shadows aired from 1966 to 1971 normally in the late afternoons. At the time of it’s peek Dark Shadows had around twenty million viewers, which is an incredible number compared to the low ratings of today’s soap operas (Sadly, there are only four on the air.). And it was known for having errors, such as actors forgetting their lines; stagehands walking in the background; microphones where in the frame shot; etc, because of the tight filming schedule demanded by ABC.
