It has been several years now since I introduced myself to Phobos, the scifi series by the French author Victor Dixen. I believe that this series partially has been translated to English as well. Now, all those years later, there’s a new series by this author and one that sounds interesting by the premise alone. The first book in this Vampyria Saga, The Court of Shadows, will be out in the US on September 19, so this review is solely based on my Dutch copy which already got published in June. The words “vampires” and “Versailles” on one blurb triggered me, because this is nothing I’ve seen before in a young adult book. Was it worht all the anticipation?
About the book
But guys, LOOK AT THIS DUTCH COVER!!!!
- Title: The Court of Shadows
- Author: Victor Dixen
- Translator: Francoise Bui
- Series: Vampyria #1
- Publication date: September 19, 2023
- Publisher: Amazon Crossing
- ISBN: 9781662505706
- Number of pages: 381
- Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
A fiery heroine seeks vengeance against a royal court of deadly vampires in this epic alternate history set in lavish Versailles.
Louis XIV transformed from the Sun King into the King of Shadows when he embraced immortality and became the world’s first vampire. For the last three centuries, he has been ruling the kingdom from the decadent Court of Shadows in Versailles, demanding the blood of his subjects to sate his nobles’ thirst and maintain their loyalty.
In the heart of rural France, commoner Jeanne Froidelac witnesses the king’s soldiers murder her family and learns of her parents’ role in a brewing rebellion involving the forbidden secrets of alchemy. To seek her revenge, Jeanne disguises herself as an aristocrat and enrolls in a prestigious school for aspiring courtiers. She soon finds herself at the doors of the palace of Versailles.
But Jeanne, of course, is no aristocrat. She dreams not of court but of blood.
The blood of a king.
My review
Before reading
I can’t even remember when this book was announced, I believe it was sometime early this year. Nevertheless, I was curious and excited straight away. I love love love vampire novels and at least these creatures seem to be the classic evil ones instead of the shiny sparkling ones (I see you, Edward Cullen). Also, the setting is very interesting since Versailles is a very well-known palace in France and – at least in Europe – we are taught about King Louis XIV and this palace during history class. So, when the publisher announced a masked ball, partnering with a book store in Amsterdam in celebration of this book’s release, I bought my ticket for this event. Mid June, the book and ball were there and I still was excited. After I heard the interview with Victor Dixen I even got more excited to pick this book up, because everything seemed to be mapped out so well. The gothic fantasy vibe is something we barely see in YA, so even more reason to pick this book up very soon. To say I dove into Jeanne’s story with high expectations is quite an understatement.
Characters
The year is Shadowyear 299, almost 3 centuries since King Louis XIV died in 1715. At least, he did in the real history. In this alternate version, he has transmuted instead and rules Magna Vampyria with an iron fist. This whole emperium is not only set in France, but other countries are under his rule as well. The “normal” citizens have to provide the vampire aristocracy with blood. After Jeanne’s family has been murdered, she wants to seek revenge. She travels to Versailles to attend the academy for aristocrats. But she’s not born one of them. Will she survive or will her mission end before it has even started?
To be honest, I didn’t know what to think of Jeanne. At first, I felt sympathy for her since her family is brutally murdered and her being the only suvivor. however, this sympathy faded away quite quickly. Jeanne is doing everything to succeed in her mission. That’s admirable, but at the same time she is hurting people who genuinely care about her. Also it seems she’s not showing her true feelings and emotions. Every now and then, it’s stated that she misses her parents and brothers, but it’s just stated. It seems like she’s not able to act and feel like she’s missing them. It’s just a quick thought and she moves on. Therefore, she is quite two-faced. However, I also believe that we might see a different Jeanne in the next books in this series. Or at least, I hope we will. I hope she will be able to reflect more on herself and on her actions, so she will show some more layers of her personality. Now, I just didn’t connect to her really.
Writing
The writing however felt smooth to me. Of course I can’t compare to the French version, because my French is not that fluent that I’m able to read an entire book. However, once I started this book, I nearly finished the first half within a day. Unfortunately, I had to put the book down due to other commitments and I had a bit of a tough time picking it back up. Fortunately, the story scuked me in again once I actually was able to continue reading.
Plot
The plot was interesting. Especially the atmosphere. All the famous parts of Versailles were mentioned: the gardens, the stables and of course the Hall of Mirrors. This was interesting to see. However, the vampires were not extremely dominating in this first book. The etiquette et cetera were more important. It felt like the story was the start of so much more though. However, I struggled a little with the predictability of the whole story. Plot twists and revelations came just at the right moment every single time. Therefore it felt all too coincidential. Despite this, I still was intrigued because I wanted to know if Jeanne would succeed in her mission or not. Well, to be continued I suppose!
Final thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed reading The Court of Shadows by Victor Dixen. The writing was smooth, the setting and atmosphere intriguing. However, I missed some character development in Jeanne, but I hope that will be for the next books. Also, the plot felt a little predictable at times, it sometimes was all too coincidential. I still am curious for the next adventures in Magna Vampyria though!
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