The Book of Blood and Roses

By Annie Summerlee
** Publication Date 13 January 2026 **
​4 stars




If you had the opportunity to attend a university that was previously only open to vampires, would you? As a human would you risk your own life to live and study amongst them? Knowing that they are humane vampires. They drink synthetic blood. They do not feed from humans. Would that make you more comfortable with your surroundings?


Rebecca Charity is a vampire hunter who is going to attend such a university. As an undercover agent of Callisto, the vampire hunting organization, Rebecca is going to try to find a mysterious book. All of this she will do because she wants to know who killed her parents. It was vampires after all. 


Only what undercover Rebecca is going to find, is a vampire roommate that she finds herself attracted to, rather than repelled by. She finds vampires and other humans that are more like friends than anything she’s ever had. Which will definitely lead her to be very confused and unsure about her previous mission - locating this mysterious book and possibly doing away with the people she’s befriended.


Really amazing novel that while dealing with vampires vs humans, really shows us that underneath the labels are still people. Rebecca and the strikingly beautiful Aliz will tread dangerous ground as enemies and maybe even frenemies and more. It will make you think about the labels that are ascribed to us, which sometimes don’t describe us at all. They just lump us in with everyone else. It will make you question the motives of people you think are your friends, even family, when they ask you to do something.


This novel leaves us on a cliffhanger, which can only mean there is a second novel coming. Not an easy ask as this cliffhanger is a doozy.


Definitely recommend.