The Hunters Gambit

When it comes to vampires, I understand that there is a rich tapestry of versions you can now read about, but I like mine to have that old fashioned appeal. The type of vampire that does not want to talk about their feelings or act like the average tween, but instead wants to wear lace frills and suck the blood of humans. In The Hunter’s Gambit author Ciel Pierlot has their neck and bites it, in a modern feeling story told among the old fashioned undead. 

Kazan Korvic is a renowned blacksmith and a consummate liar. Her inability to tell the truth has gotten her into plenty of trouble in the past, but also into plenty of opportunities. She will have to use all her guile and lies when she is caught during a Vampire hunt. She wakes up in a mysterious castle to discover that she is now their Queen, but this is a post that only lasts three days. On the third night, she is on the menu. Can Kaz fight, manipulate or fluke her way out of this one? 

There is a lot to enjoy in Gambit and most of this stems from the excellent character of Kaz. She is not willing to compromise on much, even when she is surrounded by Vampires who are treating her as their plaything. She will fight to her last breath to get revenge. What makes her so interesting is that she is not that nice a character herself, openly admitting to lying and ignoring the pain and suffering of others to survive. She will have to do a bit of that if she is to make it out of this castle alive. 

For a book that has more than its fair share of bloodletting, it is great fun. Pierlot has clearly decided to make entertainment the main drive of this novel and I am all for that. There is Kaz, but also a cast of ripe and entertaining Vampires from different Vampire families all vying for power. Kaz uses this mistrust to her advantage by stirring the pot. 

Pierlot is not afraid to drive the action forwards and make Kaz do what is necessary to survive. She is aided/thwarted by aristocratic vampires who may be on her side or manipulating her. We just know that Kaz is not beyond manipulation people herself. I loved the Vampires in this book, they have that classic narcissistic, pleasure-seeking style I prefer. They do not care a jot about the people they are eating, they simply seek pleasure in all its forms. 

Speaking of pleasure Gambit has plenty of that and even has one that is over several pages. I am not always a fan of a fruity scene, but this one informed the story and the characters. You can tell a lot about how characters interact with one another when it involves a bit of a threesome! Told you, old school vampire antics! 

Gambit takes the ‘romanticised’ version of vampires and plays up the camper notes, but that does not mean there is no darkness. Kaz is surrounded by psychopaths who could turn to violence at any point. She is constantly looking for an escape route. This makes the book a page turning thriller. 

With its high action, violence and a touch of camp, Gambit is one of the most entertaining novels and enjoyable books I have read this year. It made me want to go back and finish the book quickly to see what happened and that is testament to Pierlot’s writing. Too many modern Vampire books are set in the present day with moody undead lamenting their deaths, Gambit is a joyous book that has all the gore and the glory that should come with a vampire tale.