rin chupeco – Tea Rex Reads

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Book: Court of Wanderers

Author: Rin Chupeco

Pages: 448

Source: Gallery/Saga Press, NetGalley

Publisher: Gallery/Saga Press

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, LGBTQ+

Publication Date: April 2, 2024

Summary:

Remy Pendergast and his royal vampire companions return to face an enemy that is terrifyingly close to home in Rin Chupeco’s queer, bloody Gothic epic fantasy series for fans of Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree and the adult animated series Castlevania.

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.

My Review:

I received a free advanced review copy of Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco courtesy of Gallery/Saga Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Gallery/Saga Press!

A quick warning – do not read this review if you haven’t read the first book! Events in Court of Wanderers follow directly after the ending of Silver Under Nightfall, and it’s just not possible to discuss book two without spoilers for book one! You have been warned…unless you like spoilers…stop reading!

If you need a quick refresher, read my review for Silver Under Nightfall here.

The end of Silver Under Nightfall was full of revelations for Remy, Xiadon, and Malekh. First, Remy found out that his own father is responsible for The Rot – the name for mutations that have infected some vampires turning them into grotesque monsters that are only truly killed by sunlight. Lord Pendergast has been using his own son’s blood to create the mutations and to control them. He believed it was the only way to get the upper hand against the Night Court vampires, and he uses it as a means to draw the Night Empress out. Which is when Remy figures out the Night Empress is his mother, and Lord Prendergast still holds quite a grudge against her for leaving him.

These are not the only shocking revelations for Remy, though. Apparently, the Night Empress has her own mutations now, and she uses them in battle against Lord Pendergast’s mutants right outside of Elouve. Luckily, the good guys win, but not without loss. Unfortunately, winning didn’t lead to any answers either, and now both humans and vampires have a much bigger problem to deal with than before.

Almost any vampire can be infected by The Rot, and the resulting mutations can cause a lot of death and destruction with few ways to stop them. So, all the leaders of the remaining vampire courts have decided to meet, form an alliance, and plan a way to stop both The Rot and the Night Empress and her court for good.

Now, Remy, Xiadon, and Malekh must travel to the Allpriory, a place of great importance and history for all vampires. Remy must hold his own in a group of the very creatures he used to kill, and they only know him as a Reaper. So, when there are mysterious deaths, he is the first to be blamed. However, when there is an attempt on Remy’s life, it becomes clear that more is at work in the Allpriory than first appeared. Remy, Xiadon, and Malekh must survive on multiple fronts while seeking answers to the problems of The Rot and the Night Empress, and it does not go the way they will expect at all.

First of all, my favorite thing about this book was the vampire lore. Rin Chupeco has crafted a really unique world with rich cultures and traditions. The vampires and their courts are no exception. In fact, they have more complex cultures than the humans do. Each court has it’s own rules and ways as dictated by its leader, but there are a lot of things the vampires hold in common. One such custom involves familiars. Anyone who reads a lot of vampire books will already have an idea of what a familiar is, but in The Reapers duology, being a familiar has a whole new connotation. It’s a role of subservience, and not all vampires treat their familiars as people. They’re more like pets. This is what Remy has to emulate while he’s with Xiadon and Malekh in the Allpriory.

Luckily, it’s not as difficult as Remy thought, since he has such a great relationship with Xiadon and Malekh at this point. This was another part of the book I really enjoyed. Just like in book one, the romance is mostly secondary, but Rin Chupeco does such an amazing job at using the romance to enhance characterization. It all felt real, and it all helped the reader understand each character in more depth. There’s is one scene about 3/4 of the way through the book where Malekh is discussing he and Xiadon’s relationship with Remy with Lord Pendergast that perfectly encapsulated Malekh’s character, and I could not get enough of it!

On top of that, I also enjoyed all the mysteries and subplots this book had. Parts of the story that take place at the Allpriory are almost like a locked room mystery, and it was done extremely well. Then, there’s the mystery of how Remy’s mother became the Night Empress, and what she is trying to tell him in his dreams. There’s also the mystery of whether or not all the vampire courts are actually capable of working together long enough to thwart all the threats they face. Finally, there’s also the question of whether or not the vampires and humans can forge a lasting alliance in the aftermath of all these events.

There are so many twists and turns in this book. I was able to guess quite a few of the twists in the first book, but I barely saw any of the twists in this book coming. The only negative thing about The Reapers is that there isn’t another book! I would at least like to have a short story or novella in the future regarding a certain engagement that happens in the book, but alas, this is a duology. I will just have to re-read them instead.

My Rating:

I gave Court of Wanderers by Rin Chupeco four out of five stars. It is a great sequel, and it managed to continue building the world introduced in the first book. I loved all the mysteries, character relationships, and additional lore introduced in the book. I wish there was a bit more to read, though. The ending felt a little rushed, and I don’t feel like the epilogue explained enough about what happened after the events of the book. This is the only reason I knocked one start off, and it was still an amazing read. Sometimes a short duology or stand-alone book is easier and less intimidating to keep up with, and if you’re looking for something like that definitely give The Reapers a go!

Do you plan to read The Reapers duology? What about other books by Rin Chupeco? Let me know in the comments!

My Review:

Silver Under Nightfall is the first book in the Reapers duology by Rin Chupeco. It primarily takes place in the fictional country of Aluria in a setting reminiscent of the 19th century Europe with Asian influences. Unlike the real Europe of that era, though, the humans of Aluria and the surrounding countries live in constant fear and vigilance. You see, in this world, vampires are not only very real, they are organized and powerful. The climate of Aluria, with its perpetually overcast state, creates the perfect place for vampires to thrive, but humans have their own ways of fighting back.

One of those ways is through the Reapers, hunters and killers of vampires specifically trained to be lethal to the undead. Remington Prendergast is not only one of the best Reapers in Aluria; he is also the son of one of the best Reapers in Aluria’s history. Unfortunately, his father and his family have fallen into disgrace due to Remy’s mother leaving his father for one of the very creatures he hunted for years. It doesn’t help Remy’s case that he was born just after his mother was killed by said vampires. Thus, while Remy is an excellent Reaper, he is rejected my most of his fellows and society in general.

His mother’s death also gives Remy a purpose, though. Through his father, Remy knows his mother was mixed up with the First Court vampires, and the emergence of the Night Empress has Remy chasing any lead he can to discover what really happened with his mother. Remy’s father uses this need to force Remy to secure information from other members of society. The choice of method is what I had an issue with, and it’s what made me absolutely loathe Remy’s father. Needless to say, Remy comes from a troubled family life that leaves him emotionally stunted, traumatized, and with an intense distrust bordering on hatred of all vampires.

So, when Remy first meets Xiadon Song, daughter of the Third Court’s leader, and Zidan Malekh, leader of the Fourth Court and Xiadon’s fiance, he is understandably less than trustful of them and their motives. He simply doesn’t believe they are really trying to forge a truce and peace between vampires and humans. Unfortunately, when a new nasty emerges that poses a threat to vampires and humans alike, Remy is grudgingly forced to work with Xiadon and Zidan to discover the source of these new mutations, known as the Rot, and for a way to stop them.

This forced proximity is what brings about one of my favorite parts of this story, the polyamorous romance. In my opinion, Silver Under Nightfall gets romance in a fantasy setting right. The story itself is the focus – the hunt for the Night Empress, Remy’s search for answers regarding his mother, and most of all, the search for a way to stop The Rot. Meanwhile, the romance is secondary, but it’s woven into the story in a believable and natural way. Plus, the emphasis on consent didn’t hurt at all, especially considering the ways in which Remy had been used in the past. It also served as a source of characterization in the story, which is another thing I enjoyed.

This book also had a unique take on vampires that I haven’t seen in other vampire books (and boy have I read a lot of vampire books). The vampires are organized into courts. Each court has a leader, and they each have their own characteristics. Just as the Third and Fourth Courts wish to have peace and coexist with humans, other courts such as the First Court and Second Court wanted only to subjugate and rule them. I enjoyed the demonstration that most vampires used to be human, and just like humans, they are all different and can’t be pigeon-holed into stereotypes so easily.

Finally, I loved how Silver Under Nightfall addressed and acknowledged trauma. Remy has had an extremely difficult upbringing, and he’s mostly shunned by society for the circumstances surrounding his birth. This is completely unfair because it’s not like Remy could control when and how he was born. Also, Remy’s own father forces him to sleep with women of powerful men in the hopes of gaining intelligence he is no longer privy to. Remy has so much trauma that his trauma has trauma, but the relationship he forges between two other characters couldn’t be more different. They constantly make sure he is alright and verbally consents to everything. It goes a long way in helping Remy with his trust issues and other hang-ups.

Obviously, I really enjoyed this book. It admittedly had a slower start, but once the momentum got going I had a hard time putting it down! The world is so unique, and the characters are so relatable. I truly cared about what happened to Remy, Xiodan, and Zidan. I felt like everything that happened in the story mattered. I also really enjoyed that everything that happened either served to move the plot forward and to build a character’s personality. The lack of that and info-dumping are the main reason I haven’t gotten into “romantasy” in general, but I don’t feel like this book fits that category anyway. I definitely see myself revisiting this book in the future.

My Rating:

I gave Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco five out of five stars. This was an action-filled romp through a beautifully crafted world filled with fleshed-out characters. Oh, and it also had vampires. The romance worked with the plot instead of overtaking it, and the story is filled with twists and turns that had me gasping. If you’re on the lookout for a new vampire book, then definitely read this book!

Have you read anything by Rin Chupeco before? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!