A Review of Victor Dixen's "The Court of Miracles" (audiobook)

Victor Dixen’s “The Court of Miracles” is the follow-up to “The Court of Shadows.” In an alternate reality, King Louis XIV became a vampire. Three hundred years after his transformation, he still rules France and a great deal of the rest of Europe. A few determined humans are attempting to fight back. One, Mademoiselle Diane de Gastefriche, has made it into his closest circle, that of his squires. He sends her and two others into the underworld of Paris in a bid to flush out a new vampire that may be a threat to him. But Diane has her own agenda. Who will succeed?

Though this was clearly a sequel, I was not lost at all as far as the world-building or character relationships went. The author did a good job supplying enough background information without overburdening the text with exposition. I enjoyed the main character, her drive and the conflict she faces. In addition, the mix of magic and science was entertaining, as was the idea of a world in which the Sun King still rules. The only thing that threw me off a bit was some of the language which seemed anachronistic to the setting. This may be the fault of the translation. In this alternate reality, there are no cars or television, but the speech of the young people sounded an awful lot like modern American.

The narrator, Carlotta Brentan, did a great job with the first-person narration. Her voice worked well for the young Diane, and there was plenty of variety with the other characters as well.

This was a fun listen and a welcomed addition to the world of vampire literature. I look forward to the next installment. I received this book from NetGalley.

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Writer and Editor C.B. Calsing/ G.G. Royale

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