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A review by swordvampire
King of Hell by Morgan Dante
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Alex bait!!!! literalllllly written for ME
Disclaimer: I received an eArc from the author.
Morgan Dante delivers yet another cleverly crafted romance that, despite its dark journey, encourages an earnest hope and desire to survive. King of Hell follows the vampire—Laurențiu—and King of Hell—Paimon—in a dystopian future on a mission of revenge against Laurențiu’s ex-lover. Sure, it’s a road trip, but it's also an expert physical manifestation of a quickly-paced romance, and it works so well.
Dante’s character work was such a delight. The softer moments contrasted with the absurdity of the violence, the delightful amount of tension that tied the characters together, and just every small detail to build them out all cumulated in a story worth devouring. Despite the potential of clutter, with so many things happening, the novel feels grounded, balanced out by the character moments that allow the plot to breathe and continue forward.
As a Romanian-American myself, it was truly a delight to follow along a sarcastic and hopeless vampire that moved beyond the cliche and leaned into the cultural background. Although it would be a little insincere to act like I’m shocked, since I personally helped Dante craft the character, it still meant a lot to me to have such a complex queer Romanian-American character.
And, my beloved Paimon. A capricious, sensitive, violent creature who says the most absurd things. I was utterly delighted by him. I never laughed out loud as much as I did reading his POV and off-hand comments. He worked to balance out Laurențiu’s more somber energy, bringing out the humor underneath the depressing silence. The two worked so well and had some fantastic banter.
A perfect spooky read for all your Halloween needs, I implore every reader with a taste of vampires, and even those without, to pick up this delicious bite of a read.
Disclaimer: I received an eArc from the author.
Morgan Dante delivers yet another cleverly crafted romance that, despite its dark journey, encourages an earnest hope and desire to survive. King of Hell follows the vampire—Laurențiu—and King of Hell—Paimon—in a dystopian future on a mission of revenge against Laurențiu’s ex-lover. Sure, it’s a road trip, but it's also an expert physical manifestation of a quickly-paced romance, and it works so well.
Dante’s character work was such a delight. The softer moments contrasted with the absurdity of the violence, the delightful amount of tension that tied the characters together, and just every small detail to build them out all cumulated in a story worth devouring. Despite the potential of clutter, with so many things happening, the novel feels grounded, balanced out by the character moments that allow the plot to breathe and continue forward.
As a Romanian-American myself, it was truly a delight to follow along a sarcastic and hopeless vampire that moved beyond the cliche and leaned into the cultural background. Although it would be a little insincere to act like I’m shocked, since I personally helped Dante craft the character, it still meant a lot to me to have such a complex queer Romanian-American character.
And, my beloved Paimon. A capricious, sensitive, violent creature who says the most absurd things. I was utterly delighted by him. I never laughed out loud as much as I did reading his POV and off-hand comments. He worked to balance out Laurențiu’s more somber energy, bringing out the humor underneath the depressing silence. The two worked so well and had some fantastic banter.
A perfect spooky read for all your Halloween needs, I implore every reader with a taste of vampires, and even those without, to pick up this delicious bite of a read.