Faith, immortality, and prejudice collide in Immortal Gifts, creating a fresh vampire narrative rooted in identity and moral complexity as it explores prejudice, survival, and what it means to be monstrous in a world already shaped by hate.

What This Book Does Well Katherine Villyard demonstrates a strong command of vampire lore and historical detail. The 19th century sections feel grounded, shaping Abraham's internal and external conflicts in meaningful ways. The timeline shifts smoothly across centuries, and the musical references add texture and personality to the narrative.

Most notably, the novel offers something genuinely fresh within vampire fiction. Abraham's Jewish identity is central to the story's psychological and moral framework. The integration of vampirism with Jewish faith, theology, and lived identity feels organic. Instead of relying on familiar tropes, the novel interrogates what it means to be "monstrous" in a world already shaped by bigotry.

The antagonist is compelling and persistent, embodying generational hatred that adds emotional weight beyond standard supernatural conflict.

Where It Fell Short For Me The multi-POV structure felt somewhat unnecessary. Abraham's perspective is so strong that the additional viewpoints occasionally diluted the narrative rather than deepening it.

Similarly, the romantic arc between Abraham and Destiny supports the novel's themes around immortality, but I didn't feel fully invested. Some of their conversations read more like early-relationship conflicts than those of an established marriage.

Most of the action-heavy moments arrive near the end and feel slightly rushed compared to the novel's otherwise measured pacing. This really wasn't an issue for me personally, but since the book blurb describes this a "pulse-pounding" I wanted to note it.

Craft & Writing Quality Villyard's greatest strength lies in psychological nuance and thematic ambition. Abraham's evolution across centuries feels earned, and his struggle with self-perception as a Jewish vampire addes philosophical depth that elevates the novel beyond genre expectations.

The prose supports the contemplative tone of the story, and while there are moments of repetition, it felt understandable to me within a narrative spanning centuries.

To me, this is a character-driven vampire novel first, and a suspense-driven fantasy second. Readers drawn to moral complexity and thematic exploration will likely find more satisfaction than those expecting nonstop action.

Narration & Audio Quality Abraham's narrator delivers a PHENOMENAL performance in particular! However, the audio production and performances are uneven, with some sections having lower clarity, occasional static, and moments of dead air that interrupted the story for me. The storytelling itself is strong, but the audio execution in it's current state could be improved.

Who I Would Recommend This To Readers who enjoy character-driven vampire fiction that leans into history, faith, and psychological complexity. Those looking for psychological exploration and cultural nuance within vampire lore will likely find a lot to love here!

Final Thoughts & Opinions Overall, I genuinely enjoyed Immortal Gifts. Abraham is a compelling protagonist, and the novel's exploration of faith, identity, and prejudice sets it apart within vampire fiction.

While I'm not entirely certain where the series will head next, I would be open to continuing the series depending on future installments and I would absolutely read more from Katherine Villyard!

Because this was an audiobook, my overall rating reflects the narration and audio quality issues as well as the story itself (see scoring breakdown below for details).

My thanks to Netgalley, Flower Feather Press, and Katherine Villyard for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Scoring Breakdown Personal Enjoyment: 4/5 Execution (Did the book do what it set out to do?): 4.5/5 Writing & Craft Quality: 4.25/5 Narration & Audio Quality: 3/5 Characters: 3.75/5 Plot: 4/5