Immortal Dark is torture to read: The book NO ONE could finish

[@kimilynP]

If you're interested in black vampires you've probably heard about This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings. But just in case you haven't: it's about black lesbian vampires in 1920s New York. It's a debut that just released in august and is the first in a series

[@wolflover306]

You had me at sapphic ❤

[@jostinaluver]

That book was terrible too!

[@billiep1603]

Black lesbian vampires????? Totally need to check that out

[@chellyfishing]

Sarah J. Maas was also originally classed as YA despite the explicit sex and violence. I have to assume this is due to people tending to market books by women as YA even when they’re not. Having said that, I’ve noticed a lot of really buzzy new releases by young debut authors that are explicit also read really young, if that makes sense, like you can tell they were written by a relatively young person with little experience whose biggest influences are usually YA. Those are just my observations though. Props to you for sticking the book out. Spite is always a valid motivator for life.

[@Baby.Puss.In.Boots.]

A big critic I have with almost every book I've read that released this year is theyre all to long. Theyre trying to do so much and yet not enough at the same time. You know how theres the whole rule that every scene in your book should serve a purpose? I think more authors need every scene to serve two purposes or drastically edit down their books.

[@Baby.Puss.In.Boots.]

And I LOVE long books, when said books actually have the meat to make a long book.

[@Ana_Rexy_Fool]

If I was a vampire in this book I would never make a new vampire. Because um logic and I'd be immortal and why would you give somebody else it in return you lose yours. Like what? Why?

[@sheepsdog]

exactly and the rule that people who master houses can’t enter other mastered houses 😭 like what an odd rule

[@GhostsMcGee]

You might feel differently after a few centuries. Even if you wouldn't, a lot of people would. Do you really want to live forever, or do you just not want to die? Edit, I kind of think it might be intended as a parallel to having children. You have to make a lot of sacrifices to properly raise a child, effectively giving up much of your life for years. It's not as complete or as permanent as the vampire life exchange, but "making sacrifices to raise someone to take your place" is a common theme. I have the same reaction to having kids that you have to the idea of the vampire life exchange 😅

[@Ana_Rexy_Fool]

@@GhostsMcGee oh I suppose I never thought of it like that. But no one really wants to die either so... I do like the parallel for children.

[@prettymelanin4870]

Some vampires also feel like forever is a long time to be alone.

[@thedarkestkinghtstar]

​@@Ana_Rexy_Fool I feel that's because "this" life is short. But living hundred to thousands of years might change that in. People get suicidal in this life. It can be argued if they want to die or not in the actual moment, but people do kill themselves. So, it wouldn't be unusual if an immortal felt similar. I mean, every myth/story of vampires includes how they can be killed.

[@ashcraft555]

I genuinely wonder what is up with publishers these days. Have they cut their budgets so much that they just don't employ any developmental editors? Are they having trouble hiring qualified editors? Do they just not care because they know people will read things anyway? I can't think of any traditionally published books I've read from the past handful of years that didn't need a good editor. It's disheartening - so many of these books have some great premises but just need guidance to shine.

[@itscjrodgers]

I still have TWENTY SIX HOURS left in the Gone With The Wind audiobook. It's not even about if I like it at this point (I don't), it's about CONQUERING the damn thing!

[@Listen2Kristen_]

You are a trooper I had no idea that book was that long 😭😭😭 good luck

[@itscjrodgers]

@@Listen2Kristen_ It was originally FORTY NINE HOURS. I am finishing this damn thing even if it takes me the rest of this year plus next!

[@Jessica-og4iq]

You’ll never get that time back 😭

[@vapiddreamscape]

this is a left field rec for a lot of reasons bc theres def some big cw for the book (read them first for sure!) but def check out Fledgling by Octavia Butler for some really interesting and very weird Black vampire stuff. silvia moreno garcia has a mexican vampure novel from like 2015 ive had on my shelf for ages (i think velvet is the night but I will double check and report back)

[@carolinefloyd3298]

Certain dark things! Just read it recently, the main characters are super endearing and the world of vampires is very unique!

[@vapiddreamscape]

@carolinefloyd3298 thank you!

[@kayri687]

KRISTEEEEEEN so excited for this video. you only be putting out bangerz

[@fannisland]

I read the smex scene several times and even after the fifth re-read I wasn't sure if they had smex or just grinded on each other. I asked my bf tor read it, he was also confused. Maybe we just can't read, but in general I felt confused so many times during this book. :D

[@wolfwatch9731]

actually glad you made this video because i was seriously considering buying this book with my employee discount since we recently got it in at work. even just hearing you describe the worldbuilding changed my mind, before anything else.

[@jrkin]

What world building? There was no world building, there was the school and the properties, everything else related to world building in this video is Vampire rules lol.

[@sablestar1956]

I DNF’d the book at page 105. It was awful. I wanted to like Immortal Dark so bad. I love dark academia and the idea of each House with its own magic ( you find that out early so not a spoiler) but it was just good “ideas” but not fully developed. It needed some very critical eyes to read it.

[@realnookes6482]

I would say that it makes sense to spend quite a bit of time in lessons and in a school setting seeing as it's a "dark academia" book. I can see why that may not appeal to some but it does make sense and adds to the story/atmosphere

[@Itzaric]

My mum's maiden name is Bañuelos so every time I heard "Susenyos" my brain kept autocorrecting it to "Ba-bañuelos"

[@burnt-croissants]

I recommend This Ravenous Fate in case anyone's looking for vampires!! Plus, the main characters are also black and lesbians with a friends to enemies to lovers romance lol

[@yaz_theythem]

I loved This Ravenous Fate.

[@caspiansvensson]

A new rant from Listen2Kristen. I am here for it.

[@dwftmyearth6166]

Glad you did a review cause as a black reader I was deeply considering to get this book after hearing about black vampires. But the first red flag to me was how all positive reviews on booktok started to mirror how I saw praises for other meh books. It’s sad cause I did want to get into this book but with the limited time I have in the day to read, this book is not the one I want to spend it on

[@kylamay20495]

as a black reader i can tell you i LOVED this book. literally every character in it was black and i loved the world building.

[@dwftmyearth6166]

@@kylamay20495 glad to hear you enjoyed it! I have heard other black readers enjoy it which is why I noticed it in the first place. I just don’t think the book matches what I had hoped for anymore but glad to see others still found it entertaining.

[@prettymelanin4870]

​@kylamay20495 I liked it too. It was my first dark academia, enemy to romance book. I gave it a 4 stars. It's also a trilogy, so hopefully some of my questions is answered in the next.

[@leonis5664]

Losing a little about students in this universe going to a class and studying about killing someone for pleasure......

[@QueenJucee]

The difference between the 80 and the 12 families if i remember correctly is that only 12 out of the 80 agreed to live by the terms of the last sage and the rest chose not to or something to that effect. I dont think this qas mentioned until nuch much later on in the book

[@Listen2Kristen_]

THANK YOU for the life of me i couldn’t remember why it was different only that it confused me 😭😭

[@prettymelanin4870]

It also explained who the non- participaring families are, and how they relate to the main character's. A lot of things isn't mentioned or fleshed out until later on in the book. I think some people may be giving up on the book to soon. I'm a visual type of person, so I have to read a book first before I could listen to the audiobook.

[@QueenJucee]

@@prettymelanin4870 Agreed to a point. The 12 families were definitely explained in parts throughout the book but I meant I don’t think the rest of the 80 families were mentioned in depth until near the end when the nefrasi was brought up at which it became kinda necessary to explain them. My issue was that if all of this was explained early on then the progression of things would’ve felt more organic and easier to remember if that makes sense. I don’t blame ppl for dnf’ing early on because to me things were not making proper sense until 65-75% into it and then all of a sudden new info was being thrown in to kinda move the plot to the end. I only finished it because of stubborn curiosity tbh and cuz I wanted to see if it would be worth reading the second book when it comes out

[@prettymelanin4870]

@@QueenJucee I think it's just a lot of info needed to connect the dots, and it is slow to unpack and could have had a change in pace, but I didn't mind. I wasn't bored with the book. I get it is a whole lot of things happening in that world that it may be overwhelming to some ppl, so I could see some ppl not finishing it. I still do have some questions that need to be answered, so hopefully, the sequel is more fleshed out and answers everything.

[@QueenJucee]

@@prettymelanin4870 I agree the pacing was off for me. I don’t know if I was bored so much as it was the pacing kept throwing me off so the book did not hold my interest consistently. The flow of action often felt disjointed for me

[@EgyptianLemon]

I really want to see your opinion on Mistress of Lies by K.N. Enright. I feel like everyone either loves or hates that book

[@Listen2Kristen_]

I am actually next in line for this book on Libby i can’t wait

[@alicemae99]

I'm finishing the book out of spite too but it's genuinely so bad. like soooo bad. I literally gasp when someone tells me they liked the book. like HOW?

[@jessiemayfield6749]

This would be absolutely suck for the kids of these houses. Like imagine being raised in a cult dedicated to being juice boxes? You can’t choose to go to an out of state college? Or make a KZbin channel? Or just exist?

[@EgyptianLemon]

I usually agree with all your vids but im halfway through Immortal Daek and i kinda love it lol. 😂 I only watched part of the video because I didnt want spoilers so i plan on coming back once ove finished. Also to add, i think this book is more abought grief than anything 🤔

[@EgyptianLemon]

Coming back to say I loved this book. It's way more dark academia/fantasy than romance tbh. If you've ever been angry at the world or have a lot of grief that manifested as just being angry, I think you'd like this book a lot. All the characters are morally grey. It does feel long (idk why, the chapters are short) but it was fun to read. Plot can get wild but I think it's because we're supposed to focus on Kidan's character growth in those moments. 🤔 Also about the "smut" scene... I could even tell it was a smut scene. Its very... Not explicit? I feel like this book is ok for a 16+ audience. Anyway that's my two cents 💕

[@courtneythompson6179]

@@EgyptianLemonI enjoyed the book too. This was my first dark academia book and I enjoyed though a lot of the literary stuff probably went over my head when I was listening on audio. Also her describing the scene im pretty sure he bit her on her thigh so definitely not as smutty as the video says.

[@jrkin]

First off, thank you for hitting the nail on the head! Word of advice though always listen on 1.2x or more speed. All books sound better. Knocks off 2 or 3 hours off. 3.5 stars for me. I've read worse, fourth wing *cough , cough* but, the world building is a bit lacking. And i also didn't understand this 17hr book.

[@Listen2Kristen_]

if you can believe I was even hitting this book at 2.5x speed that’s how desperate I was to finish it 😭 I typically keep it at 1.5x speed just so I don’t feel like i’m going to fall asleep

[@courtneythompson6179]

I’m pretty sure he drank blood from her thigh. Cause it said certain body parts show you different things. Unless you zoned out listening I’m not sure how you’d think it was somewhere else? I was confused about them passing the class but maybe it’s not that students have to do a crime to pass but in doing so revealed the answer to the philosophical question? It makes me wonder if the professor knows if they’re responsible for the incidents on campus and maybe it’s pointing to all vampires being morally gray. Maybe because I finished Children of Anguish and Anarchy and that was undercooked, but I didn’t mind the length of this book. I also don’t think 17 hrs or Lengendborn was lengthy? I enjoyed the literature bits as a lit major even though it probably went over my head with trying to understand by audio which isn’t the best.

[@forthelowpriceof4.99]

Hi all, I'm ready to suffer :3

[@TobiasBlack-w9d]

Good lord the plots keep coming Lool

[@ladyloud8796]

This review was my thought exactly. I’m struggling.

[@QueenJucee]

I feel that the book had all the elements of being good in that it had all of these interesting elements in the lore and world building but it was too much going on at once with the plots, the lore, the characters etc etc. And because of that alot of things did not feel properly explained or developed which is wild given the length of the book. I want to feel like if it had stuck to one or two major plot points and then establishing the world building then it couldve been a great first book in a series

[@okaythenlolz]

im sorry this is off topic but your eyeliner looks soooo good I'm halfway through the video and it keeps distracting me fkjdjsks

[@Listen2Kristen_]

THANK YOU 😭😭❤️❤️❤️

[@mime4623]

gosh, I felt like I was taking crazy pills after reading and watching other reviews for this book. It's genuinely awful and I struggled to get through it. It reads like the publishers did a few light copy/edits but otherwise provided no developmental edits to a story clearly lacking in many aspects. It sucks because I'm a Black reader and was really excited for this, but it was a huge letdown. Beyond the nonsensical plot, the characters were lackluster and did not have any interesting or endearing aspects.

[@AlwaysSadé]

This book made me so angry I dnf. I had such high hopes with the premise but geez, they needed to do better with the in between and character building

[@LadyJ95]

Have you ever done a bookshelf your? It’s some books on your shelf that I really want to see but can’t quite 😭😭. Like that house of Hades. And the books under.

[@cafebrianna]

I thought it was just me. I have been struggling for a month and I felt so bad because I love the concept and the ideas that get introduced but then I’m losing plot lines and character motives and I don’t feel like I know anyone other than Keedan

[@Katniss777]

i was thinking about buying it, glad to have stumbled over your review! i was skeptical bc it was one of those books where tiktokers never really said much and just talked about the main tropes of the book (i'll refrain from those books from now on..)

[@SereneDancer]

I just finished the book and I only pushed through because it was for a book club. I didn't hate it but it was too long and complicated. Not sure where I stand overall

[@unavezms8167]

"Unalivings" 🥴

[@balanceis_key]

It was SUCH a painful read. I was near tears come the end.

[@balanceis_key]

It's never a good sign when you are constantly checking how many pages you have left.

[@hanb2499]

Heckin’ early!!

[@happyskull2345]

No offence but 17h is not that long. And that being your fist point of critique is kinda dumb imo, if you can't stand a longer book why even bother starting it.

[@smoore121294]

Thank you for saving me from buying this book lol the cover was drawing me in

[@writerboy1011]

I can’t wait to listen to the rest on my way home from work! ❤

[@taylorkorn6842]

Idk, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Though, almost every single one of your points can be explained away, you missed a lot of nuances. There's so many good quotes in this book too that I loved, I read 3 dark academia books back to back and this one was my favorite. Maybe I just don't subscribe to the whole book tuber rage bait-y content, I find it a little pointless and vapid. Which is what this seems like, it seems like you're just rage baiting and going out of your way to be nasty

[@lutherbrown7106]

This book was trash af! Because of the warning in the beginning you know who died and who did it. It was good at first then she drag the story im on chapter 36 and i stop reading 2days ago ima pic it up today

[@ashleydalys6449]

I'm trying to read this book but it's horrible. I'm 80 pages in and NOTHING is happening. It's breezing past events and just being vague. I do not get how it was published.

[@Beadorie1207]

Aw man...I bought this book before i saw this

[@loadingrat6057]

I'm still stuck at "why is there smut in ya?"

[@yaz_theythem]

I loved everything about this book. Thank you for encouraging me to make my own review video highlighting exactly how amazing it was. Because to get on KZbin as a Black femme, excited to consume content about another Black debut authors release---only to see the first video be a hate video---absolutely pisses me off. I wish I could block you on KZbin. LOL.

[@alkhemiaaugustine3764]

? So why are you here?

[@Listen2Kristen_]

And you know what I would happily watch that video. I would genuinely love to hear what you or anyone else liked about the book because hey, maybe I just need to see a different perspective. I am always open to hearing opposing opinions about books and I would never go so far as to say that my opinions are “correct” or that anyone should take my review as law. So feel free to let me know when you upload that review ☺️

[@yaz_theythem]

@@alkhemiaaugustine3764 Because she has repetitively shit on Black debut authors on her page. Because I can do whatever tf I want. lol. Why are you here, commenting under my shit? BFFR.

[@yaz_theythem]

@@Listen2Kristen_ this is such a fake response. Lmfao.

[@IKMTIrr]

@@yaz_theythemI mean look at what you typed. It’s nice to see a Black author but if you’re writing is bad it’s bad, your race doesn’t matter

[@HeyitsNyaHeyitsNya12347568]

well, you just saved me some time and money!

[@heyrosiebee]

when you said it read like the text version of a TV show, i pointed at my computer screen like that Leonardo Decaprio meme ;A; i don't agree with everything said here, but truly, an editor should've convinced Tigest Girma to.. prune some twigs off, so to speak, to make the plotlines clearer. maybe it's the dark academia trap of trying to make everything a metaphor, so every arc needs a parallel, but it just made the whole thing unbearable.

[@ladybugkiller123]

This seems so rage bait-y and overly mean especially for a debut author. I understand not enjoying the book, but actively bashing a book (which you are doing despite what you’re saying) is so strange, especially when theres important nuances you’re ignoring. How does your review impact people potentially picking up a book by a black female author? How will your review negatively or positively impact sales and the perception of a black books/black authors. You may be able to ignore these things under the guise of review, but your words do not exist in the vacuum of your community.

[@yaz_theythem]

She always makes videos about Black debut authors. This video is intentional. I am personally convinced that she is racist. She did the same thing for Blood at the Root.

[@alkhemiaaugustine3764]

But she explained what went wrong in the story in her opinion?

[@yaz_theythem]

@@ladybugkiller123 she also was so incredibly understanding and forgiving about that colonizer romance and problematic ass author in another video on her page.

[@ladybugkiller123]

@@yaz_theythem omg thank you for this info!!! her review just felt so personally targeted ive seen people not like the book but this was horrible

[@hanathompson6801]

Thank you for saying this. I definitely feel like this was overkill especially for a debut author. Almost felt like some sort of resentment in the mix which is weird because at the end of the day it's just a book, but it didn't deserve all this hate.