wow i adored this book. it was the 1872 New Orleans vampire romance Moment i didn’t know i needed! we follow Celine Rousseau who has just come to New Orleans from Paris in the hope of leaving her dark past behind. she soon meets Sebastien Saint Germain, the wealthy, brooding and very handsome leader of the mysterious Court of Lions. when bodies start turning up all around Celine accompanied by mysterious symbols, she has to start figuring shit out before the people she cares about become targets. the setting was so atmospheric and vivid and i really felt like i was there in the city with Celine as she fell more in love with it. the romance was an enemies-to-lovers situation which i always love and i just wanted more of it!!! Celine and Bastien really had beautiful chemistry and i relished every scene they had together. Renée Adhieh has a beautiful style of writing and her characters were so special to read about. i loved the way everything was described and how the characters spoke like they were from 1872 while still being funny and relatable. the one-liners in this book were absolute gold and i loved the feminist messages we consistently got from our main characters. the ending was so heartbreaking yet juicy and i seriously cannot wait to read the next book even tho this one isn’t even out yet 😩😩 i’m already a big fan of this series and i’m totally ready for vampire YA fiction to make its comeback. the vibe of this book kind of reminded me of a Stalking Jack the Ripper/Caraval combo as well those flashback scenes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer when all the vamps are out in the streets in the olden days living their best lives 🤷🏻♀️ could just be me tho