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The Blood Bride
Valis Nyxera Aefbain, queen of the snow elves, must find a consort of magic blood as soon as possible. A dangerous secret slumbers beneath her palace and only a powerful ritual can keep her kingdom safe.
Brynn Woodwarden, a wood elf with misfiring magical abilities, hates the snow elves. They killed her brother, Darrow, while poaching unicorns. But dangerous creatures prowl her forest home - twisted, rotted things that infect anyone they bite. The wood elves can't fend them off alone.
Only Brynn's unique blood is suitable for Valis' ritual. Only Valis has the soldiers and alchemists Brynn needs to stop the rotted creatures. An arranged marriage is the perfect solution... but such a union might be more than either of them bargained for.
Brynn Woodwarden, a wood elf with misfiring magical abilities, hates the snow elves. They killed her brother, Darrow, while poaching unicorns. But dangerous creatures prowl her forest home - twisted, rotted things that infect anyone they bite. The wood elves can't fend them off alone.
Only Brynn's unique blood is suitable for Valis' ritual. Only Valis has the soldiers and alchemists Brynn needs to stop the rotted creatures. An arranged marriage is the perfect solution... but such a union might be more than either of them bargained for.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2023
7 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Rae D. Magdon
28 books281 followersRae D. Magdon is an author of queer lesbian fiction. Her stories celebrate lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women falling in love, and she cares deeply about including characters of color in her work. In addition to publishing novels about all kinds of women and their adventures, she has an extensive fanfiction collection available for free online.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 7, 2023
4 Stars - good Sapphic fantasy, loved the ending
Would you marry to save your people?
We have elves and giants. A mysterious Rot plaquing the southern forests. A magic ritual that requires blood to bind that Which Lies Beneath. Who is good? Who is not what they seem? A snow elf queen and a common wood elf. They have chemistry but can they find love?
Fun read with a great ending. Highly recommend.
Would you marry to save your people?
We have elves and giants. A mysterious Rot plaquing the southern forests. A magic ritual that requires blood to bind that Which Lies Beneath. Who is good? Who is not what they seem? A snow elf queen and a common wood elf. They have chemistry but can they find love?
Fun read with a great ending. Highly recommend.
October 29, 2023
Arranged Marriage Done Right!
So well written! My attention was captured right from the beginning and stayed engaging through to the end! There’s magic, arranged marriage to help each species? of elf, lots of feelings, protection, sentient knives, some spice that moves the plot along, some twists you don’t expect and some that you do and are glad for them. The MCs are well developed and grow in themselves as well as with each other. Dual pov keeps us in tuned to that growth and has you sometimes wanting to shake that character, lol. There’s frost giants, snow elves, wood elves and many more that weave a wonderful story!
So well written! My attention was captured right from the beginning and stayed engaging through to the end! There’s magic, arranged marriage to help each species? of elf, lots of feelings, protection, sentient knives, some spice that moves the plot along, some twists you don’t expect and some that you do and are glad for them. The MCs are well developed and grow in themselves as well as with each other. Dual pov keeps us in tuned to that growth and has you sometimes wanting to shake that character, lol. There’s frost giants, snow elves, wood elves and many more that weave a wonderful story!
April 11, 2024
What a romantic proposal, Your Majesty! So full of feeling! No woman in her right mind could resist you.
i generally despise the romanticization of arranged marriages in any way, shape or form, but the premise of this book intruiged me with the promise of a political alliance turned romance. i also have a soft spot for characters who are devoted to duty to their own deriment, it's a compelling character conflict.
and sure, it's not the worst thing i've read; valis' characterization even managed to catch my interest ... before the book pivoted to elf racism.
i really wish white people would stick to writing about wizard romances and magic orbs or whatever and stop injecting milquetoast race politics and fantasies of saviorism into their books because deer lord, this is embarassing. the whole frost giant colonialism plot is a drag; none of the main characters are frost giants, except krall, who is barely developed beyond an appendage to valis. it really only exists for valis' Nice White Ally behaviour to get brynn's pussy wet because as you know, us
my favourite character was actually the Snarky Sentient Sword of Colonialism because i'm a contrarian like that and it was kind of funny.
it's a shame because this book did have elements for a promising romance but i had to read 250 pages of a bad analogy for colonialism that is clearly a fantasy of being a Good White Ally TM instead of like, character development and romantic tension.
the "blood of maidenhood" sentient sword sex shit was also deeply weird, especially for a f/f novel.
February 1, 2025
3.75/ highkey a 4.0
Off the bat. When it comes to any fantasy world, I wish this had a a term bank as I don’t know much about elves (the is my first read regarding these creatures).
From there, I was reeled in to the world and our characters pretty quick and the set up was fluid and well.
I can say that there is some small inconsistencies in the story. Such as capital beginning sentences on some chapters and not all, Brynn’s mom being rarely there but knowing so much (I kept forgetting she didn’t go back home so many times), and switches between Brynn’s eye color (perhaps it’s indicative that they’re hazel idk 😂). I also wish that the distinction between inner thoughts/convos and narration was more clear.
Moving along, the action scenes in this story were very immersive and author’s writing wasn’t unsatisfactory at all!
This was a story that balanced both the romantic and the fantasy/conflicts very well in 200 pages. Both characters are lovable and have depth within them.
A very cutesy and— may be surprising to some to hear— a cozy read. It didn’t have too much stressful aspects and the soft moments were nice blankets to said aspects.
Some departing thoughts
The dagger as an instrument is definitely…something.
I was NOT expecting ____ to be the villain!
Wish we got to see Brynn use her bird :(.
Also wanted another epilogue to know what happened with the Hydraonyx egg and the rot. Or the 3 month skip to be life after such so we can know.
Off the bat. When it comes to any fantasy world, I wish this had a a term bank as I don’t know much about elves (the is my first read regarding these creatures).
From there, I was reeled in to the world and our characters pretty quick and the set up was fluid and well.
I can say that there is some small inconsistencies in the story. Such as capital beginning sentences on some chapters and not all, Brynn’s mom being rarely there but knowing so much (I kept forgetting she didn’t go back home so many times), and switches between Brynn’s eye color (perhaps it’s indicative that they’re hazel idk 😂). I also wish that the distinction between inner thoughts/convos and narration was more clear.
Moving along, the action scenes in this story were very immersive and author’s writing wasn’t unsatisfactory at all!
This was a story that balanced both the romantic and the fantasy/conflicts very well in 200 pages. Both characters are lovable and have depth within them.
A very cutesy and— may be surprising to some to hear— a cozy read. It didn’t have too much stressful aspects and the soft moments were nice blankets to said aspects.
Some departing thoughts
The dagger as an instrument is definitely…something.
I was NOT expecting ____ to be the villain!
Wish we got to see Brynn use her bird :(.
Also wanted another epilogue to know what happened with the Hydraonyx egg and the rot. Or the 3 month skip to be life after such so we can know.
May 25, 2024
Rae D. Magdon
The Blood Bride
Brynn is deeply saddened and feeling lost following the tragic death of her twin brother. She is grappling with grief and concerns for her family and the people in her village. In an effort to seek assistance for their village's troubles, Brynn is sent to meet with the queen. She is chosen for this important task.
As a first-time author, I am currently captivated by the fantasy genre, so I was pleasantly surprised and highly intrigued by this truly unique narrative.
Brynn emerges as a resilient and remarkable character, bearing a heavy burden of pain. Similarly, the queen herself carries a great deal of sorrow. Both women have experienced profound loss, and it becomes evident that they need each other, even though they may not realize it at this point in the story. Queen Aefbain is both tempted and apprehensive of Brynn.
I appreciate the way the story beautifully unfolds, allowing Brynn and the queen to find healing amidst their past pain. The connection they forge is truly magical, and they discover the love they had been seeking within one another. I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating tale, and I highly recommend it. It is now available on Amazon, and it is certainly a worthwhile read.
The Blood Bride
Brynn is deeply saddened and feeling lost following the tragic death of her twin brother. She is grappling with grief and concerns for her family and the people in her village. In an effort to seek assistance for their village's troubles, Brynn is sent to meet with the queen. She is chosen for this important task.
As a first-time author, I am currently captivated by the fantasy genre, so I was pleasantly surprised and highly intrigued by this truly unique narrative.
Brynn emerges as a resilient and remarkable character, bearing a heavy burden of pain. Similarly, the queen herself carries a great deal of sorrow. Both women have experienced profound loss, and it becomes evident that they need each other, even though they may not realize it at this point in the story. Queen Aefbain is both tempted and apprehensive of Brynn.
I appreciate the way the story beautifully unfolds, allowing Brynn and the queen to find healing amidst their past pain. The connection they forge is truly magical, and they discover the love they had been seeking within one another. I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating tale, and I highly recommend it. It is now available on Amazon, and it is certainly a worthwhile read.
August 16, 2023
A good story.
There were some things by the end that I think should have been explained more, because they felt a little rushed and unfinished to me. But oveall I enjoyed it.
The originality was refreshing, no witches, vampire or werewolf mates, this time we get elves, frost giants and mysterious blood rituals.
Valis was an Ice queen with a soft side and Brynn was gentle and lacked filter when talking, they made a good team (I just wish their romance developed a bit earlier) the push and pull is always taxing for me, it takes too long and by the time heroines confess they love for each other, I've already seemed to lost interest. But thats just me.
I definately recomend this book. If you want to delve into the world of elves, solving a generations old mystery trying to figure out who is behing it all and enjoy some romance on the side, this is a sory for you!
Note: Brynns eyes keep changing, being described brown/amber half the time and emerald green the other half. But that's just me nitpicking.
There were some things by the end that I think should have been explained more, because they felt a little rushed and unfinished to me. But oveall I enjoyed it.
The originality was refreshing, no witches, vampire or werewolf mates, this time we get elves, frost giants and mysterious blood rituals.
Valis was an Ice queen with a soft side and Brynn was gentle and lacked filter when talking, they made a good team (I just wish their romance developed a bit earlier) the push and pull is always taxing for me, it takes too long and by the time heroines confess they love for each other, I've already seemed to lost interest. But thats just me.
I definately recomend this book. If you want to delve into the world of elves, solving a generations old mystery trying to figure out who is behing it all and enjoy some romance on the side, this is a sory for you!
Note: Brynns eyes keep changing, being described brown/amber half the time and emerald green the other half. But that's just me nitpicking.
October 5, 2023
Unique and fresh fantasy! 4.5 stars.
I love the world Magdon created here. I'm a fan of taking the old school fantasy races and turning them on their long, pointy, ear.
The Blood Bride has two different characters with similar goals, which is to help their people. What happens when you put a great author in charge of an arranged marriage, magical mayhem, betrayal, love, and lots of steamy sex? A one-day binge read and new fantasy book to add to my favorites pile. I kind of wish I hadn't plowed through it so fast.
Bottom line: Read the book if you like original fantasy, sapphic fiction, lots of diversity, and a well-written tale that drags you along until it's satisfying conclusion.
I love the world Magdon created here. I'm a fan of taking the old school fantasy races and turning them on their long, pointy, ear.
The Blood Bride has two different characters with similar goals, which is to help their people. What happens when you put a great author in charge of an arranged marriage, magical mayhem, betrayal, love, and lots of steamy sex? A one-day binge read and new fantasy book to add to my favorites pile. I kind of wish I hadn't plowed through it so fast.
Bottom line: Read the book if you like original fantasy, sapphic fiction, lots of diversity, and a well-written tale that drags you along until it's satisfying conclusion.
August 25, 2023
interesting story!
This story was different enough for other spec fic stories I’ve read to be quite interesting. Liked the main characters. Liked the concept requiring a marriage of convenience. Really liked the way the mains grew into each other. Enjoyed the resolution of the conflict. Good story!
This story was different enough for other spec fic stories I’ve read to be quite interesting. Liked the main characters. Liked the concept requiring a marriage of convenience. Really liked the way the mains grew into each other. Enjoyed the resolution of the conflict. Good story!
March 28, 2024
Such a great story
This book has everything I love about magdon's writing; smut, fluff, humor, cool fantasy worlds, assassination plots and more! Worth the read if you want an arranged marriage to lovers story. A wonderful read.
This book has everything I love about magdon's writing; smut, fluff, humor, cool fantasy worlds, assassination plots and more! Worth the read if you want an arranged marriage to lovers story. A wonderful read.
August 19, 2024
There was a lot of plot left to be fleshed out but I can respect the overall picture. The world building was alright, not too heavy but enough to understand the repercussions the mc and love interest were faced with.
4.5 stars.
4.5 stars.
Read
October 14, 2023DNF
December 13, 2023
Wow!!
I want more. This novel had me spell bound. Their world is amazing. I would like to know what happens next especially with the frost giants
I want more. This novel had me spell bound. Their world is amazing. I would like to know what happens next especially with the frost giants
December 4, 2024
A decent sapphic low angst fantasy. We have elves, humans, and giants living together. There’s an ancient evil, a forced marriage and a snarky talking knife. Overall I enjoyed this and the 🌶️ didn’t disappoint. The climax felt thrilling with some twists I didn’t see and the ending was sweet and wrapped up nicely. 🎁
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews