14 March 2025
Immortal Dark By Tigest Girma Review And Book Club Questions
Reviewed by: Melissa Ng
Quick Facts
Book Publication Date: 3 September 2024
How I Read It: Borrowed from my local library
Where You Can Find Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma: Amazon Australia* | Kobo US* | Kobo Canada*
Trope: Enemies to lovers
Content & Trigger Warnings: Parental abuse, blood drinking, death, gore, murder, sexual content, coarse language, suicide ideation, violence, teeth pulling, animal death
Immortal Dark Summary
Orphaned heiress Kidan Adane has spent her life far from the arcane society she was born into — a world where human bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship.
When her sister, June, mysteriously disappears, Kidan is convinced that their family's very own vampire, Susenyos Sagad, is responsible.
Determined to find June and kill Susenyos, Kidan infiltrates Uxlay University, a prestigious institution where humans and vampires coexist (uneasily) while studying their shared magic.
But living with her family's immortal vampire companion proves to be slightly more complicated than anticipated.
Susenyos is cruel.
When another murder at Uxlay mirrors June’s disappearance, Kidan realises she may be in deeper than she thought.
As she delves into the ruthless underworld of vampire politics and family legacies, she’s forced to confront the truth:
To find her sister, she may have to become just as monstrous as the creatures she hunts.
Is Immortal Dark Spicy?
Not really. There’s some mild spice but nothing explicit. It’s the only thing YA about this book.
Immortal Dark Review
Before we get into this review, let’s set the record straight:
📌 This book is not YA. Goodreads and even my library have classified this as young adult, but with the amount of blood, murder, and general horror, this should definitely be labelled adult. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under 18.
📌 The premise? Incredible. Dark academia, a missing sister, an elite university, vampires, a secret society, and morally gray characters? Yes, please. This book had all the makings of a five-star read for me.
📌 The execution? Not so much.
What I Liked:
✔️ The supernatural elements were interesting. The vampire lore, family secrets, and the sentinel house were all compelling. I liked the idea that humans and vampires had these long-standing partnerships and that Uxlay was meant to keep that balance.
✔️ Susenyos Sagad was the most intriguing character. His backstory and motivations made him the standout. I could have read more about him.
✔️ The different representations. This book includes a variety of Black characters and Ethiopian influences, which was refreshing to see in a fantasy setting.
✔️ The atmosphere. If you love gothic aesthetics and dark academia vibes, this book delivers on that front.
What Didn’t Work For Me:
❌ None of the characters were likable. Now, I love a good morally gray cast, but the problem here was that I didn’t care about anyone. Girma isn’t afraid to kill of characters and when she did, I didn’t care.
❌ The pacing was slow. Despite the high-stakes plot, the book dragged in places. It took too long to get to key revelations, which made it feel like the urgency of Kidan’s mission wasn’t actually urgent.
❌ The romance was… lacking. Marketed as enemies-to-lovers, it was more like enemies to slightly less enemies. There’s plenty of desire and lust tied to the blood drinking (naturally), but it didn’t feel like a fully developed romance. If you’re reading this expecting a strong romantasy element, you might be disappointed.
❌ The world building was confusing. Uxlay students are supposed to complete a series of tests to graduate the class, but these weren’t well explained and felt like they added in to fulfil the academia part of dark academia.
❌ A pronunciation guide at the start would have been helpful. If you’re struggling with the names, you can find one on Girma’s Instagram here: 📌 Pronunciation Guide
❌ It just didn’t grip me. I love dark, gritty fantasy, but this one didn’t emotionally hook me. I wanted to feel something — anger, excitement, heartbreak — but instead, I mostly felt detached.
Final Verdict:
I love the concept of this book, but the execution fell flat. I won’t be continuing the series, but if you love dark academia and vampires, Immortal Dark might still be worth checking out.
Memorable Immortal Dark Quotes
It never failed to amuse him when his students quoted his lessons back to him. Especially when they lived long enough to understand their true meanings.
You don’t put a leash on evil. You kill it.
Immortal Dark Book Club Questions
- What were your favourite and least favourite moments in the book?
- What did you think happened to June when you started the book? Did your prediction change throughout the book?
- How did you feel about Kidan as the main character? Were her decisions justified?
- What did you think of Kidan and Susenyos’ enemies-to-lovers romance?
- Would you be interested in reading more of Susenyos’ backstory?
- This book covers heavy topics – were there any content warnings that were particularly difficult to read?
- What did you think of the magic system and Uxley University?
- How did you feel about the secret society within Uxley? Can they be trusted?
- Do you think humans and vampires can coexist peacefully forever?
- Did you connect with any of the side characters?
- Were there any reveals that genuinely shocked you?
- What do you predict will happen between Kidan and Susenyos in Eternal Ruin (Book 2)?
- Will you be continuing the Immortal Dark series? Why or why not?
- If Immortal Dark was adapted into a movie or TV series, which actors would you cast for each character?
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