Vow of Eternal Night (Lily Crozier, Penguin)

Lily Crozier’s debut, Vow of Eternal Night, reads as if it were written with a deep love for the romantasy genre and for those who consume it. (A Mr Darcy–like hand flex is a knowing wink to romance devotees everywhere.) In this Beauty and the Beast retelling, Clara lives with her father in Orlfen, a town on the verge of famine and under the rule of a vampire, Prince Raleigh of Rostenburg. Clara’s life is upended when her father abruptly agrees to her betrothal to Raleigh and she is forced to live in the prince’s enchanted castle. Clara must help him break his curse, or he’ll make her his vampire princess for eternity. Crozier has penned a refreshing romantic adventure with endearing characters. Clara learns to shed the masks she has carefully constructed to become her own person and consider a future of her own making. While readers may long for more romantic moments between Clara and Raleigh, the yearning is foregrounded (and satisfyingly so). With minimal spice on the page, the story may suit both adults and older YA audiences. For lovers of sweet romance with vampiric fairytale vibes or for a slightly gentler story in the same vein as Olivia O’Flynn’s Ever Blessed and Tigest Girma’s Immortal Dark, Vow of Eternal Night is an immersive read full of slow-burning young (and ancient) love.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Jasmin McGaughey is the editorial and production coordinator at Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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