Book Review: ‘Court of the Vampire Queen’ by Katee Robert
If ‘Court of the Vampire Queen’ by Katee Robert isn’t on every spicy booktok or book smut list already then something has gone terribly wrong with the bookish alogrithm.
Everything about this book is both brilliant and awful. And if you’ve read any of mine, or Sophie’s, previous reviews of spicy and questionable reads then you know I saw “awful” with the upmost love and respect.
Sometimes you just need this kind of book. You can’t spend too long analysing the ethics or the morality of it. Don’t even begin to look at the gender politics. It’s all on the wonk. But what it does provide is fast and filthy fun.
It’s like getting a Maccys, you know? It’s doing nothing good for your body but oh yeeeeaaah it’s feeding your soul.
Here’s the summary for ‘Court of the Vampire Queen’:
“Three Powerfully Alluring Vampire Men
And One Queen to Rule Them All
All Mina ever wanted was to escape her father's control. Half human, half vampire, she lived eternally torn between two worlds, never fully experiencing the pleasures of either—until her father chose her as the pawn in his latest political move, gifting her to the darkly powerful and dangerously seductive Malachi Zion.
Malachi is not a vampire to be trifled with. He rules with an iron fist and has a reputation for the darkest of sins. But the longer Mina spends with him, the more she realizes he's not the monster she first thought—and as fear bleeds into lust, then trust, then something more, Malachi opens Mina up to a world she never knew could be hers for the taking: including the love of Malachi's two closest friends and companions.
Now surrounded by all three men, the center of their shockingly seductive world, Mina may finally have the power to face down her father and take back the life—and crown—that by all rights should be hers.
LONG LIVE THE QUEEN.”
I mean… It sounds pretty perfect right?
As usual, I urge anyone to check out Storygraph for the content warnings before diving in. To be fair, the content isn’t overtly graphic. The usual sexually graphic scenes, some blood and violence (but hello? Vampires!)
I found ‘Court of the Vampire Queen’ a lot of fun. It leans heavily on certain tropes, and while I’m not usually very accepting of the “woman must be protected by a legion of dudes because they’re strong and she’s weak” kind of vibe, I thought that Mina retained just enough agency and logic for me to let it slide. Like, the circumstances allow for a bit of looming bodyguard business, you know?
Romance?
We end up with 3 love interests here, Malachi being the main squeeze, and while I like him, he’s a bit… beige. I appreciated his consistancy and how he continued to put Mina first, but compared to the other two he’s a bit bland? It works within the dynamic, however, and I guess he does offer Mina comfort and stability in an incredibly instable environment.
Rylan, vamp lover number 2, he’s got a bunch of barely bridled rage. Still waters, and all that. I loved his brooding, mardy-arse act.
Wolf. Now, Wolf is the one for me in this book. He’s cheeky, full of mischief, dangerous, but also the kind of bad boy that if he’s on your side you’re golden, you know? He reminds me of a BDSM verion of Lestat de Lioncourt. Don’t ask me why, it was just the Brat Prince vibes.
Plot
The plot is a both intricate and vague at the same time. I really enjoyed that this was more like the good old days of PNR, in that the naked-times don’t supercede the plot, but the narrative arc was a bit wavy. There were a few plot bumps in the road (not quite holes, but enough to make the read less smooth) and I would love to spend some more time exploring Mina’s character.
Overall
I enjoyed it. I gave it three stars on Goodreads because it was just what I needed at the time. I can see the hype, I get it, I’m with you.
Written by Sarah
