Book Review: Vow of Eternal Night by Lily Crozier
ARC Review: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review. As always, all thoughts here are my own.
Published: August 4, 2026
Series: N/A (Standalone)
Genres: Adult // Romance, Paranormal
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Open Door)
Quick Thoughts: A Beauty and the Beast retelling with vampires is pretty much an automatic yes for me, so I went into Vow of Eternal Night with high expectations. While it didn't end up being as good as I hoped, due to issues with pacing and characters, it kept my interest enough to finish. Overall, I’d still consider this a decent debut!
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What is Vow of Eternal Nightabout?
Clara Wagner has always known that monsters are real, and the worst of them is Prince Raleigh of Rostenburg. But when he decides it’s time to marry, Clara inadvertently finds herself at the center of his attention.
Forced to accept Raleigh’s proposal, Clara would do anything to escape her fate. So when the prince provides an ultimatum―lift his vampiric curse before the end of the year, or become his bride for eternity―Clara knows what she must do.
Heal the prince. Stay alive. Try not to fall in love.
Vow of Eternal Night Review
A Beauty and the Beast retelling with vampires is pretty much an automatic yes for me, so I went into Vow of Eternal Night with high expectations. While it didn't end up being as good as I hoped, it still kept my interest enough to finish.
What I liked
I definitely enjoyed the first half more than the second. The enchanted house is a delight, and the inspiration from Beauty and the Beast is clear from the start. The author has a great sense of humor, and it comes through in Clara's inner dialogue and her banter with Raleigh. This was probably my favorite thing about the writing throughout.
Pacing
After that, though, there were more misses than hits. For a standalone, I expected the plot to keep moving, but a little bit of plot would happen, then the story sat at a standstill for a while, then started up again. The pacing ends up feeling slow, and the story gets a little boring at times.
Characters & Romance
I found the characters frustrating and a little flat. You'd think a forced marriage to the vampire who murdered your mother would generate some real enemies-to-lovers tension and angst, but there was none of that here.
The romance didn't work for me either. It's a slow-burn, and a few of Clara and Raleigh's moments together are cute, but Clara seems put off by Raleigh being a vampire right up until she suddenly confesses her love for him. I wanted to see them spend more time getting to know each other, and watch Clara gradually shift toward accepting what Raleigh is, instead of flipping a switch.
I also needed more from Raleigh's side. He clearly cares about Clara, but he doesn't have much of a personality. He comes with this fearsome reputation but doesn't have any other defining character traits. If he's supposed to be threatening, give me a "touch her and die" moment, or some other high-stakes threat, to make the slow-burn wait feel like it's worth something.
So, should you read Vow of Eternal Night?
Even with all that, this is a decent debut. If you're after a standalone vampire romance, especially one inspired by Beauty and the Beast, it's worth a look.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Vow of Eternal Night FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Potential spoilers ahead ⚠️
Recounting past abuse, including sexual abuse
Misogyny
Death, including of a parent
Grief
Terminal illness
Abduction
Betrayal
Vengeance
Feeding from humans/drinking blood
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Potential spoilers ahead ⚠️
Beauty and the Beast retelling
Enemies to lovers (or hate to love)
Slow burn
Forced proximity
Arranged / forced marriage
Captive heroine
Vampire love interest
Tortured hero / cursed hero
"Cold hero" who's secretly a "sweet hero"
Age gap
Royalty and political intrigue
Found family
Love triangle
No third-act breakup
Gothic castle setting
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Yes, Vow of Eternal Night by Lily Crozier is a standalone.
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Yes, Vow of Eternal Night is a 3 out of 5 on the spice scale or open door. That means readers are in the room for the spice scenes but they aren’t told in too much explicit detail.
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The one spice scene of Vow of Eternal Night is in Chapter 29.