After the way Silver Under Nightfall stole my heart, you know I had to read the sequel. And while it took me a LONG time to get to Court of Wanderers, I finally did it! If you want to know how I felt about one of my most anticipated sequels, keep reading this book review of Court of Wanderers.
Summary
Remy Pendergast, the vampire hunter, and his unexpected companions, Lord Zidan Malekh and Lady Xiaodan Song, are on the road through the kingdom of Aluria again after a hard-won first battle against the formidable Night Empress, who threatens to undo a fragile peace between humans and vampires. Xiaodan, severely injured, has lost her powers to vanquish the enemy’s new super breed of vampire, but if the trio can make it to Fata Morgana, the seat of Malehk’s court—dubbed “the Court of Wanderers”—there is hope of nursing her and bringing them back.
En-route to the Third Court, Remy crosses paths with his father, the arrogant, oftentimes cruel Lord of Valenbonne. He also begins to suffer strange dreams of the Night Empress, whom he has long suspected to be Ligaya Pendergast, his own mother. As his family history unfolds during these episodes, which are too realistic to be coincidence, he realizes that she is no ordinary vampire—and that he may end up having to choose between the respective legacies of his parents.
Posing as Malek and Xiaodan’s human familiar, Remy contends with Aluria’s intimidating vampire courts and a series of gruesome murders with their help—and more, as the three navigate their relationship. But those feelings and even their extraordinary collective strength will be put to the test as each of them unleashes new powers in combat at what may be proven to be the ultimate cost.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I love this chaotic trio. I was so excited to be with my faves all over again. Of course, I love Malek’s rough nature and way he shows he cares with action and protection. And I love Xiaodan’s fiery nature and the ways she has this balance of softness and strength. My favorite elements of Court of Wanderers had to be that we really get to see some fun scenes of their domesticity. We have these precious snippets of interactions between them, lazy mornings, and new conversations. Plus the spice was spicing. But I was pretty lost by the action plotline.
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There’s PLENTY of action in Court of Wanderers almost which makes the book feel a bit like sprinting and walking. I would read about a whole book of just the three of them chilling, but with Remy’s mother in Court of Wanderers, I lost the thread. There were some elements, and threads, which never really got tied up in certain ways. Some elements felt hasty, while others felt drawn out? This sequel struggled with pacing in a way the first didn’t. While I still enjoyed the character and relationship development, I’d read for the characters and secondary for the plot.
Find Court of Wanderers on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.