Tigest Girma’s The Immortal Dark refashions the beloved gothic vampire genre by delving deeper into what it means to love the monster beneath the human. Girma focuses on classic genre characteristics such as morally grey characters and an enemies-to-lovers trope.
In 2022, debut author Girma went viral on TikTok with a teaser for Immortal Dark, the first installment in a thrilling new Black vampire trilogy. The Cruel Prince meets Ninth House in this dangerously romantic dark academia fantasy, where a lost heiress must infiltrate an arcane society and live with the vampire she suspects killed her family and kidnapped her sister.
Hidden in our world, a society of vampires originating in Africa are bound to twelve human Houses. Each House represents a bloodline more cutthroat than the next. To ensure peace and inherit their House legacy, human children of these elite families must study at an elite secret university. Lost heiress Kidan Adane grew up far from Uxlay University. When her twin sister, June, disappears, Kidan believes a vampire stole her—her own House vampire, to be exact, the alluring-yet-dangerous Susyenos Sagad. To find June, Kidan must study at Uxlay and live with Susyenos. It doesn’t matter that Susyenos’s violence speaks to her own and tempts Kidan to surrender to a life of darkness. She will find her sister and kill him at all costs.
When a murder mirroring June’s disappearance shakes Uxlay, Kidan sinks further into the ruthless underworld of vampires, risking her very soul. While fighting not to lose herself, she discovers a centuries-old threat. And June could be at the center of it. To save her sister, Kidan must bring Uxlay to its knees. She must either break underneath the horrors of her own actions or embrace the dark entanglements of love. And the blood it requires.
The debut novel brings what readers love about the vampire narrative to fruition but uses the representation never found in the genre as a focal point. Immortal Dark portrays vampires in a new light by describing them as ancient creatures of the night hailing from East Africa, using African lore as the foundation for the fantastical world of Uxlay University. The intricately crafted lore-based world features a deeply rooted political system that readers become entranced by thanks to compelling prose.
Sometimes there is an overload of information of the politics and lore happening that becomes confusing, steering away from the main mystery of June’s disappearance. Regardless, the amount of secrets and the way it is written make it all the more impressive that this is a debut. A compilation of handwritten letters and book passage excerpts develop the archaic dark academia world Immortal Dark is all about while adding intrigue to the secrets lurking beneath.
Besides the vampires and misunderstood male lead that scream Gothic literature, one of the most subtle notes of the genre is the misogynistic comments older men say during uncertain times when a female is a target of atrocities such as murder. “It’s a dangerous time for young girls” seems like a harmless enough comment to make post-murder yet can be interpreted differently. Especially to readers who’ve read enough Gothic literature to know comments like these are “warnings” to women who need to “watch their back” instead of focusing on catching the person responsible.
Kidan’s strong-willed and determined character is a breath of fresh air in this reworked version of the vampire genre. In other, lesser stories, the heroine is helpless and frail. It is through the thought and details of her character via her backstory of what happened the night her sister disappeared and more that give readers a sense of fulfillment when it comes to dealing with rage, loss, revenge, and all things immortally dark for those who crave it. Add in the seductive and dangerous, morally grey lead, Susenyos Sagad, and you have an authentic enemies-to-lovers romance. The well-paced scenes create tension between the couple that makes readers hold their breaths and not want to look away from this dark academia soaked book filled with danger and allure, perfect for those seeking a delicious taunt.
Immortal Dark is available now for purchase.
REVIEW RATING
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Immortal Dark - 8/10
8/10
Sabrina Blandon has a Bachelor of Arts in English & Creative Writing from New York University. Avid reader herself and literary advocate, she has interviewed over 60 authors from New York Times bestselling ones to debut authors for Her Author Spotlight blog series for Her Campus NYU and Her Campus Hofstra. She loves exploring everything New York City has to offer and is a major foodie. She is currently working at the Entertainment Group for Rubenstein Public Relations with aspirations of learning the tricks and trades of the media world.
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