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Blood So Deadly Divine
A Hallowed…
Born with a soul that unites realms, Elara, the Hallowed, has lived a life that has never been her own. Trapped within a web of divine rituals and spiritual duties, she's more a vessel than a person. With a power that has the dual edge to purify or defile, the weight of the realm's hopes rests on her shoulders. But when her sheltered existence among the Druid sect is shattered by a friend's brutal murder, she's compelled to peel back the layers of deceit that have long ensnared her.
A Hunter…
Ivan Dantan, known in hushed tones as "The Hunter", is the cold embodiment of lethal precision and power. With a mask that strikes terror and a legacy stained in blood, he is duty-bound to the High Council. But when Elara, a beacon of light and defiance, enters his life, the lines between duty and desire blur. He challenges her, stirs her spirit, and draws her to the precipice of the forbidden.
A Realm…
Latheria, poised on the knife's edge of dark magic and ancient pacts, stands threatened by forces that wish to shatter its delicate balance. As the shadows of treachery loom large, the distinctions between ally and enemy, right and forbidden, begin to fade. Elara and Ivring find themselves at the heart of a realm teetering on the edge of upheaval, where the ties that bind them could be the very threads that unravel the fabric of their world.
Born with a soul that unites realms, Elara, the Hallowed, has lived a life that has never been her own. Trapped within a web of divine rituals and spiritual duties, she's more a vessel than a person. With a power that has the dual edge to purify or defile, the weight of the realm's hopes rests on her shoulders. But when her sheltered existence among the Druid sect is shattered by a friend's brutal murder, she's compelled to peel back the layers of deceit that have long ensnared her.
A Hunter…
Ivan Dantan, known in hushed tones as "The Hunter", is the cold embodiment of lethal precision and power. With a mask that strikes terror and a legacy stained in blood, he is duty-bound to the High Council. But when Elara, a beacon of light and defiance, enters his life, the lines between duty and desire blur. He challenges her, stirs her spirit, and draws her to the precipice of the forbidden.
A Realm…
Latheria, poised on the knife's edge of dark magic and ancient pacts, stands threatened by forces that wish to shatter its delicate balance. As the shadows of treachery loom large, the distinctions between ally and enemy, right and forbidden, begin to fade. Elara and Ivring find themselves at the heart of a realm teetering on the edge of upheaval, where the ties that bind them could be the very threads that unravel the fabric of their world.
631 pages, ebook
Published November 1, 2024
197 people are currently reading
4792 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
April 29, 2025
OMG MY LIFE HAS BEEN ALTERED BY THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK. 😭 Where is book 2?!
I am not going to lie and say this book captured me from page one, this was a very slow start. Like the first almost 50-ish% was hard. But omg the last half made it so worth it. The romance payoff was excellent!
The romance was beautiful, and a slow burning tension, with a broody warrior MMC who is desperately obsessed with her, and an FMC who is naive and controlled by someone powerful.
The way this storyline weaved was SO good, moving, and heart wrenching.
4.5 stars ⭐️
I am not going to lie and say this book captured me from page one, this was a very slow start. Like the first almost 50-ish% was hard. But omg the last half made it so worth it. The romance payoff was excellent!
The romance was beautiful, and a slow burning tension, with a broody warrior MMC who is desperately obsessed with her, and an FMC who is naive and controlled by someone powerful.
The way this storyline weaved was SO good, moving, and heart wrenching.
4.5 stars ⭐️
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June 28, 2025Gothic romantasy? fav. sign me up
August 21, 2025
⭐️ 4.5 - I loved this! The unknowns, the mysteries, the questions... it hooked me completely. And the tension… THIS is how it’s done. The characters are phenomenal, and I’m such a sucker for an enigmatic love interest. This one was executed so well. I kept wavering between the two, but in the end… I’m firmly Team Ivan. <3
This book is long, but honestly? I still wanted more. That’s how deeply it pulled me in.
Tropes & Vibes:
🔥 Slow Burn
👑 Hallowed FMC
🚫 Forbidden Romance
🕯️ Gothic Atmosphere
🎭 Masked MMC
✝️ Oppressive Religious Society
🖤 Dark Magic
🔗 Magical Bonds
🚀 Sci-Fi Leaning
🧠 Memory Loss
🕵️ Mystery
💃“Dance With Me” moment
✍️ Gorgeous Prose
⚔️ “Touch Her and Die”
Spice: 🌶️
This book is long, but honestly? I still wanted more. That’s how deeply it pulled me in.
Tropes & Vibes:
🔥 Slow Burn
👑 Hallowed FMC
🚫 Forbidden Romance
🕯️ Gothic Atmosphere
🎭 Masked MMC
✝️ Oppressive Religious Society
🖤 Dark Magic
🔗 Magical Bonds
🚀 Sci-Fi Leaning
🧠 Memory Loss
🕵️ Mystery
💃“Dance With Me” moment
✍️ Gorgeous Prose
⚔️ “Touch Her and Die”
Spice: 🌶️
January 2, 2025
MY FIRST EVER 6 STAR READ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
J.M. Grosvalet is a force to be reckoned with. (😏)
Blood So Deadly Divine is a captivating and immersive fantasy romance with
✨ gorgeous, descriptive writing
✨ a lush, dark, atmospheric world that sucks you right in
✨ elemental and dark magic
✨ an FMC that is fierce and resilient, yet also vulnerable and beautifully human
✨ a masked, broody MMC that absolutely destroyed me
✨ tension, yearning, a SLOWWWW BURNNN that will have you screaming
✨ another language with translations in the back
✨ characters and relationships that will have your whole heart
✨ I could quite literally go on forever 😭
It is a MASTERPIECE.
Torturous slow burns and achingly beautiful romance aside, the resounding theme of this book for me was 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. of herself and others. It was so incredibly powerful and impactful. 🫶🏼
This is the kind of book that makes you fall in love with reading all over again. Being so immersed, going along for the ride, and feeling all the emotions so so deeply. It is so richly layered, detailed, and complex. Everything is so well thought out and intentional, I can’t even wrap my head around the level of skill and talent it takes to write something like this.
It was truly a journey that I never wanted to end- filled with mystery and twists and turns, you really have no idea where it will go next.
I can’t put into words how much this book means to me. It feels like a privilege that I stumbled upon it and got to experience reading something like this.
This book took a part of me with it and also became a part of me— and more than anything, left me so hungry for more.
I am seriously considering going back and reading it all over again. and I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT BOOK 😭😮💨
•••
I don’t think my words can even do it justice. There is so much more I want to say 😭 I finished this book on December 20th and I am still reeling and unable to form coherent sentences. I think I will continually come back to add to this as I think about it more over time because I know I will never stop thinking about it 🖤
J.M. Grosvalet is a force to be reckoned with. (😏)
Blood So Deadly Divine is a captivating and immersive fantasy romance with
✨ gorgeous, descriptive writing
✨ a lush, dark, atmospheric world that sucks you right in
✨ elemental and dark magic
✨ an FMC that is fierce and resilient, yet also vulnerable and beautifully human
✨ a masked, broody MMC that absolutely destroyed me
✨ tension, yearning, a SLOWWWW BURNNN that will have you screaming
✨ another language with translations in the back
✨ characters and relationships that will have your whole heart
✨ I could quite literally go on forever 😭
It is a MASTERPIECE.
Torturous slow burns and achingly beautiful romance aside, the resounding theme of this book for me was 𝒍𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. of herself and others. It was so incredibly powerful and impactful. 🫶🏼
This is the kind of book that makes you fall in love with reading all over again. Being so immersed, going along for the ride, and feeling all the emotions so so deeply. It is so richly layered, detailed, and complex. Everything is so well thought out and intentional, I can’t even wrap my head around the level of skill and talent it takes to write something like this.
It was truly a journey that I never wanted to end- filled with mystery and twists and turns, you really have no idea where it will go next.
I can’t put into words how much this book means to me. It feels like a privilege that I stumbled upon it and got to experience reading something like this.
This book took a part of me with it and also became a part of me— and more than anything, left me so hungry for more.
I am seriously considering going back and reading it all over again. and I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT BOOK 😭😮💨
•••
I don’t think my words can even do it justice. There is so much more I want to say 😭 I finished this book on December 20th and I am still reeling and unable to form coherent sentences. I think I will continually come back to add to this as I think about it more over time because I know I will never stop thinking about it 🖤
March 24, 2025
4.5 If a unique dark fantasy romance with stunning descriptive writing, a tragic FMC coming into her own, a masked morally grey MMC, a SLOW SLOW BURN with exceptional tension, elemental magic, political and court politics, plot twists and more sounds intriguing to you, PICK THIS UP!!!
Overview:
Before I get into our characters, I want to set the scene for the world that we are about to journey to. This realm, Latheria, is a dark realm poised on the edge of dark power and ancient pacts, and it is threatened by forces that want to shatter this balance.
Latheria is extremely religious and basically the entire society blindly follows the High Council, specifically their dark and cruel leader, Lord Osin. There are also a lot of Celtic aspects infused into this story, including pieces of the Irish language with translations in the back that the author worked with a Gaeilgeoir on, which I think adds so much and is incredible.
We follow our FMC, Elara, known in this realm as the Hallowed. The Hallowed is essentially more of a vessel than a person and her life has been a never ending series of divine rituals and spiritual duties. She has no freedom, no real life, and at the beginning of this story she seems Everything changes when one of her friends is murdered, and her grief spurs her to look into the layers of lies and deceit that surround her life and her kingdom.
Enter our MMC, Ivan, known as the Hunter. Ivan is the physical embodiment of lethal precision, he is cold, calculating and feared throughout the realm. Ivan is duty bound to the High Council and more specifically, Lord Osin. After the Hallowed begins to uncover some of the deceit and treachery of her world, the Hunter and the Hallowed's lives become a bit intertwined and the line between duty and desire absolutely begin to blur. It becomes clear that nothing in this world is as it seems and that their realm is on the edge of upheaval, and they realize the ties that bind them, may just be what unravels their world.
I will also say, the twists at the end of this book had me screaming, like I could not believe it and it is hands down the most creative and heart wrenching take on magical bonds I have ever read in my entire life.
Standout Themes:
First off, the magic system and world building found in this book is exceptional. There is elemental magic in this world as I said, and blood is used as a catalyst for transcendence, specifically the Hallowed's blood. It is used as a key to unlock power, bend space and to unravel the limits of the physical world. As the book progresses, the magic system is very scientific and well researched, which I found extremely fascinating. There is also a very interesting history of the goddesses that we learn about.
The societal commentary and overarching themes added so many complex layers to this story that I adored. There is a lot of discussion surrounding religious extremism and people's blind faith in religion as well as the psychology of indoctrination and liberation. We see this psychology play out while Elara is uncovering the layers of deceit found in her realm.
This book also touches a lot on how groups in power thrive off of the oppression of others and the never ending fight against it. Reading Elara's journey of resistance was stunning and inspirational, which leads me to my next point, Elara's journey and character development was stunning. Elara's journey was heartbreaking, emotional, moving and inspiring and was done so well throughout this book. Elara begins this book as a shell of a person, who has essentially resigned herself to nothing and we watch her come into her own, fight against her oppressors and become liberated from the chains that have been holding her down her entire life.
Speaking of character development, my god there is more to Ivan than meets the eye trust me. His journey of defiance and selflessness was one of the most tragic I have ever read.
Of course I will be including their relationship together as well. If you know me, you know I love a slow burn and my god did this deliver. The tension in this book was insane and the chemistry was palpable throughout the entire story. This is going to be one of my favorite romances ever, even though it ends in the most insane, heartbreaking and literally life altering manner in this book.
I truly do not know where we go from here because god damn...but I will say I have never been more excited for a sequel.
I am not kidding when I say I am barely scratching the surface of this story. It is so layered, detailed and immersive and truly made me feel more than a lot of books have.
Overview:
Before I get into our characters, I want to set the scene for the world that we are about to journey to. This realm, Latheria, is a dark realm poised on the edge of dark power and ancient pacts, and it is threatened by forces that want to shatter this balance.
Latheria is extremely religious and basically the entire society blindly follows the High Council, specifically their dark and cruel leader, Lord Osin. There are also a lot of Celtic aspects infused into this story, including pieces of the Irish language with translations in the back that the author worked with a Gaeilgeoir on, which I think adds so much and is incredible.
We follow our FMC, Elara, known in this realm as the Hallowed. The Hallowed is essentially more of a vessel than a person and her life has been a never ending series of divine rituals and spiritual duties. She has no freedom, no real life, and at the beginning of this story she seems Everything changes when one of her friends is murdered, and her grief spurs her to look into the layers of lies and deceit that surround her life and her kingdom.
Enter our MMC, Ivan, known as the Hunter. Ivan is the physical embodiment of lethal precision, he is cold, calculating and feared throughout the realm. Ivan is duty bound to the High Council and more specifically, Lord Osin. After the Hallowed begins to uncover some of the deceit and treachery of her world, the Hunter and the Hallowed's lives become a bit intertwined and the line between duty and desire absolutely begin to blur. It becomes clear that nothing in this world is as it seems and that their realm is on the edge of upheaval, and they realize the ties that bind them, may just be what unravels their world.
I will also say, the twists at the end of this book had me screaming, like I could not believe it and it is hands down the most creative and heart wrenching take on magical bonds I have ever read in my entire life.
Standout Themes:
First off, the magic system and world building found in this book is exceptional. There is elemental magic in this world as I said, and blood is used as a catalyst for transcendence, specifically the Hallowed's blood. It is used as a key to unlock power, bend space and to unravel the limits of the physical world. As the book progresses, the magic system is very scientific and well researched, which I found extremely fascinating. There is also a very interesting history of the goddesses that we learn about.
The societal commentary and overarching themes added so many complex layers to this story that I adored. There is a lot of discussion surrounding religious extremism and people's blind faith in religion as well as the psychology of indoctrination and liberation. We see this psychology play out while Elara is uncovering the layers of deceit found in her realm.
This book also touches a lot on how groups in power thrive off of the oppression of others and the never ending fight against it. Reading Elara's journey of resistance was stunning and inspirational, which leads me to my next point, Elara's journey and character development was stunning. Elara's journey was heartbreaking, emotional, moving and inspiring and was done so well throughout this book. Elara begins this book as a shell of a person, who has essentially resigned herself to nothing and we watch her come into her own, fight against her oppressors and become liberated from the chains that have been holding her down her entire life.
Speaking of character development, my god there is more to Ivan than meets the eye trust me. His journey of defiance and selflessness was one of the most tragic I have ever read.
Of course I will be including their relationship together as well. If you know me, you know I love a slow burn and my god did this deliver. The tension in this book was insane and the chemistry was palpable throughout the entire story. This is going to be one of my favorite romances ever, even though it ends in the most insane, heartbreaking and literally life altering manner in this book.
I truly do not know where we go from here because god damn...but I will say I have never been more excited for a sequel.
I am not kidding when I say I am barely scratching the surface of this story. It is so layered, detailed and immersive and truly made me feel more than a lot of books have.
June 16, 2025
DNF at 50%
I tried so hard to like this and the authors writing, the world building and her characters really would have made it easy for me...
but the story was sooo slow.
at 50% I still waited for the introduction to pick up some speed and dive into the story.
after 300 pages there still was no drive to the plot. New characters kept popping up, and I kept waiting for the romance to kick in. The love interest I thought we had did not romance anyone and the author introduced every other male side character as if he was becoming the next great thing.
This could have been excellent, would it not have been 300 pages of waiting for the story to begin.
I tried so hard to like this and the authors writing, the world building and her characters really would have made it easy for me...
but the story was sooo slow.
at 50% I still waited for the introduction to pick up some speed and dive into the story.
after 300 pages there still was no drive to the plot. New characters kept popping up, and I kept waiting for the romance to kick in. The love interest I thought we had did not romance anyone and the author introduced every other male side character as if he was becoming the next great thing.
This could have been excellent, would it not have been 300 pages of waiting for the story to begin.
January 10, 2026
“take care of her.” i was then stabbed 57 times.
—
this book is definitely for the higher fantasy girlies. the magic system and world building takes a minute to get into but things start to click as you read. the romance was such an insane slow burn i wanted to pull my hair out and was BEGGING for even a hand graze.
the writing was absolutely beautiful and the overall story was empowering for our fmc elara. we also meet quite a few other strong female characters that i can’t wait to see more of in the future!
the ending was absolutely diabolical. what do you mean i’m supposed to pick one?? but also maybe not?? idk i’m feeling so very conflicted and need the second book rn before i crash out.
“𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅—𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒑, 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚.”
—
this book is definitely for the higher fantasy girlies. the magic system and world building takes a minute to get into but things start to click as you read. the romance was such an insane slow burn i wanted to pull my hair out and was BEGGING for even a hand graze.
the writing was absolutely beautiful and the overall story was empowering for our fmc elara. we also meet quite a few other strong female characters that i can’t wait to see more of in the future!
the ending was absolutely diabolical. what do you mean i’m supposed to pick one?? but also maybe not?? idk i’m feeling so very conflicted and need the second book rn before i crash out.
“𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅—𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒑, 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚.”
January 5, 2025
2/10. I saw an edit for this book on TikTok that made me excited for the release, but sadly the book didn’t hold up. I ended up skimming the majority of it.
For starters, the storytelling is really bogged down with unnecessary words and descriptions. I had no idea what was going on, and didn’t particularly care to learn either.
Second, the plot was kind of all over the place. I cannot overstate, this book needs the excess fat cut off it. I felt like I was trudging through mud just to get to the point.
Third, the tension between the love interests was nonexistent. Big boo on that one.
And of course, the punctuation and grammatical errors that we see in self published books were there. I cannot even begin to describe how irritating it is to be ripped out of a story because you didn’t space a letter after a period.
2 stars because the book has potential, but it’s most definitely a debut book.
For starters, the storytelling is really bogged down with unnecessary words and descriptions. I had no idea what was going on, and didn’t particularly care to learn either.
Second, the plot was kind of all over the place. I cannot overstate, this book needs the excess fat cut off it. I felt like I was trudging through mud just to get to the point.
Third, the tension between the love interests was nonexistent. Big boo on that one.
And of course, the punctuation and grammatical errors that we see in self published books were there. I cannot even begin to describe how irritating it is to be ripped out of a story because you didn’t space a letter after a period.
2 stars because the book has potential, but it’s most definitely a debut book.
June 30, 2025
This is what I want and crave from a Romantasy book. AND THAT ENDING, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
You get this beautiful gothic world with an oppressive religious society. Then you add in a naive/controlled FMC, Dark magic, magical bonds, a masked MMC which leads you to epic plot, a forbidden romance with the most excruciating tension and slow burn.
The beginning of the book is filled with a lot of world building which I love and appreciate, so I was intrigued right away. Overtime you slowly learn more of what is actually happening and all the secrets start unfolding. At the beginning the FMC is so timid and it's just ingrained into her that this is the way life is for her, but J.M. did a beautiful job with her character growth and she really ends up coming into her own.
I was completely shocked by the ending and I will absolutely be picking up book 2 the moment I can have it in my hands. Also sorry, I may become insufferable over this book.
You get this beautiful gothic world with an oppressive religious society. Then you add in a naive/controlled FMC, Dark magic, magical bonds, a masked MMC which leads you to epic plot, a forbidden romance with the most excruciating tension and slow burn.
The beginning of the book is filled with a lot of world building which I love and appreciate, so I was intrigued right away. Overtime you slowly learn more of what is actually happening and all the secrets start unfolding. At the beginning the FMC is so timid and it's just ingrained into her that this is the way life is for her, but J.M. did a beautiful job with her character growth and she really ends up coming into her own.
I was completely shocked by the ending and I will absolutely be picking up book 2 the moment I can have it in my hands. Also sorry, I may become insufferable over this book.
July 14, 2025
(4.25/5) While I'm a sucker for a gorgeous book cover, I'm an even bigger sucker for a gothic romantasy with a forbidden romance—and Blood So Deadly Divine delivers.
What to expect:
🖤 Gothic fantasy romance
🖤 3rd person POV
🖤 Førbidden romance
🖤 Dark magic
🖤 Magical bonds
🖤 Political intrigue
Spice rating: 🌶 (SLOW burn)
J.M. Grosvalet builds a beautifully gothic world full of dark magic, political tension, religious extremism, and plenty of mystery. The pacing is slow (especially in the first 50%, which leans heavily into the world building), but I ended up appreciating the depth and detail that went into setting the foundation for the series.
At almost 700, this is a long first book in a series, so I do feel there were a handful of scenes that could have been shortened or cut to reduce the length. That being said, I very much appreciate the level of detail and care that went into exploring the balance between society, politics, and religion within this world.
Elara is a resilient and relatable FMC who goes THROUGH IT in this book. Our masked MMC is duty-bound to the man Elara hates, and, unsurprisingly, I fell in love with him the moment his character appeared.
The slow burn within this book is SLOW. I genuinely have no clue what is happening between these two—and I LOVE that. The tension is unpredictable in the best way, and I'm still guessing who's endgame.
The twists within this book are fantastic. There are plenty of bread crumbs that lead you to what is happening, but it doesn't feel spoon fed.
THAT ENDING?! This was me processing the end of this book: 🤯🤬😭 Give me book 2 now, please.
A sincere thank you to the author, J.M. Grosvalet for gifting me a physical copy of Blood So Deadly Divine.
What to expect:
🖤 Gothic fantasy romance
🖤 3rd person POV
🖤 Førbidden romance
🖤 Dark magic
🖤 Magical bonds
🖤 Political intrigue
Spice rating: 🌶 (SLOW burn)
J.M. Grosvalet builds a beautifully gothic world full of dark magic, political tension, religious extremism, and plenty of mystery. The pacing is slow (especially in the first 50%, which leans heavily into the world building), but I ended up appreciating the depth and detail that went into setting the foundation for the series.
At almost 700, this is a long first book in a series, so I do feel there were a handful of scenes that could have been shortened or cut to reduce the length. That being said, I very much appreciate the level of detail and care that went into exploring the balance between society, politics, and religion within this world.
Elara is a resilient and relatable FMC who goes THROUGH IT in this book. Our masked MMC is duty-bound to the man Elara hates, and, unsurprisingly, I fell in love with him the moment his character appeared.
The slow burn within this book is SLOW. I genuinely have no clue what is happening between these two—and I LOVE that. The tension is unpredictable in the best way, and I'm still guessing who's endgame.
The twists within this book are fantastic. There are plenty of bread crumbs that lead you to what is happening, but it doesn't feel spoon fed.
THAT ENDING?! This was me processing the end of this book: 🤯🤬😭 Give me book 2 now, please.
A sincere thank you to the author, J.M. Grosvalet for gifting me a physical copy of Blood So Deadly Divine.
August 12, 2025
so that was insane?? are we joking the ending pls what was that??!!!
the whole magic system and plot was so interesting and different then what i’ve read before!! our fmc elara literally goes through hell everyday and i’m just happy to see her develop and become the smart badass woman she is!!
THE SLOW BURN WAS BURNING BUT did i eat it up in the end??? 1000% i was 🔥🔥
the mmc was broody and mysterious and ughhh the tension made this romance everything!! the ending of this book had me felt like i was left on read bc i need answers now. he literally was crawling to her ok that’s it that’s all i have to say
the whole magic system and plot was so interesting and different then what i’ve read before!! our fmc elara literally goes through hell everyday and i’m just happy to see her develop and become the smart badass woman she is!!
THE SLOW BURN WAS BURNING BUT did i eat it up in the end??? 1000% i was 🔥🔥
the mmc was broody and mysterious and ughhh the tension made this romance everything!! the ending of this book had me felt like i was left on read bc i need answers now. he literally was crawling to her ok that’s it that’s all i have to say
September 16, 2025
This is less of a review and more of a love letter to a new all-time favorite.
SO SO SO GOOD. Mind-blowingly good! I had to slow wayyy down to process and annotate the hell out of this book to make sure I can go back to all of my favorite parts over and over again because I know that this book is going to be a long-standing favorite of mine. I can't stop thinking about it. I have never read anything quite like this and oh BOY do I love J.M. Grosvalet for it!!!
For those of you who love romantasy and who love high fantasy but who also love dark gothic reads too... this is written for you. To compare this book to a couple other books that you may have read (even though they really aren't the same because these authors all write very differently, but just based on vibes here) Throne of Glass series for the types of characters and the traumaaaa omg the trauma, Hollow Heathens for the gothic nature of it (and maybe a tiny bit of the writing style, but again still really different).
I can't even tell you how many times I wrote "oh, Elara" in there or "OMG" or "WTF" this book took my breath away and stole my heart!!!! I cried, I laughed, I was so angry! This book gave me so many emotions. We have not only Ivan but also Reynnar (!!!!!!! My personal favorite) as MMCs for you to fall in love with... buckle up.
And the ENDING tore me UP, gurl...JULIE!!!! I have words for you 💔😭 omg I cannot wait for book 2!!!
Tropes and topics you'll find in this book that you might like:
Fantasy
Romance
Gods/goddesses
Magic
Amnesia
Masked MMC
Fae/fantasy people
Multiple worlds
Fantasy Map!!!
Second language
Fated mates
War
Trauma
Feminine rage
Some quotes I really loved:
"If pain becomes the lens through which all beauty is seen, does it not taint everything?"
"She couldn't control the pain inflicted upon her, but she could control her response to it."
"'If only it were that simple. The game doesn't end until you start playing it.' 'What the hell does that even mean?' 'It means that pretending you're not involved won't save you. It means the rules were set long before you had a choice.'"
"She would learn, grow, and then turn the game on its head. She'd make them pay. Every single one of them."
"It had always felt like access to knowledge came with conditions."
"This was how kingdoms rose and fell--not in grand battles, but in quiet rooms like this, where decisions were made over feasts and wine, where the game was played with lives, and no one at the table ever got their hands dirty."
"No, let him choke on his wicked feast, let him find her spirit indigestible, a morsel too stubborn to swallow down. Let her mettle be the bone that lodged itself in her throat, her resilience the flavor that soured upon his tongue."
"But that's the thing with power. It has no loyalty. It takes, consumes, and when it's through with you, you're left searching for who you were before it claimed you."
"Soon, his entire world would crumble, and she would be the one to watch it burn."
"She'd help as many as she could. But then... what about her? [...] What did freedom even mean for her? What came after the dust settled?"
"She'd die before she let him take one more piece of her. In that moment she was more than herself; she was the embodiment of every silent fury, of every suppressed scream, of every ounce of strength mustered in the face of insurmountable odds. 'I belong to no one.'"
"The world may have seen her as broken, but it was time they realized--broken things can be sharp, deadly."
SO SO SO GOOD. Mind-blowingly good! I had to slow wayyy down to process and annotate the hell out of this book to make sure I can go back to all of my favorite parts over and over again because I know that this book is going to be a long-standing favorite of mine. I can't stop thinking about it. I have never read anything quite like this and oh BOY do I love J.M. Grosvalet for it!!!
For those of you who love romantasy and who love high fantasy but who also love dark gothic reads too... this is written for you. To compare this book to a couple other books that you may have read (even though they really aren't the same because these authors all write very differently, but just based on vibes here) Throne of Glass series for the types of characters and the traumaaaa omg the trauma, Hollow Heathens for the gothic nature of it (and maybe a tiny bit of the writing style, but again still really different).
I can't even tell you how many times I wrote "oh, Elara" in there or "OMG" or "WTF" this book took my breath away and stole my heart!!!! I cried, I laughed, I was so angry! This book gave me so many emotions. We have not only Ivan but also Reynnar (!!!!!!! My personal favorite) as MMCs for you to fall in love with... buckle up.
And the ENDING tore me UP, gurl...JULIE!!!! I have words for you 💔😭 omg I cannot wait for book 2!!!
Tropes and topics you'll find in this book that you might like:
Fantasy
Romance
Gods/goddesses
Magic
Amnesia
Masked MMC
Fae/fantasy people
Multiple worlds
Fantasy Map!!!
Second language
Fated mates
War
Trauma
Feminine rage
Some quotes I really loved:
"If pain becomes the lens through which all beauty is seen, does it not taint everything?"
"She couldn't control the pain inflicted upon her, but she could control her response to it."
"'If only it were that simple. The game doesn't end until you start playing it.' 'What the hell does that even mean?' 'It means that pretending you're not involved won't save you. It means the rules were set long before you had a choice.'"
"She would learn, grow, and then turn the game on its head. She'd make them pay. Every single one of them."
"It had always felt like access to knowledge came with conditions."
"This was how kingdoms rose and fell--not in grand battles, but in quiet rooms like this, where decisions were made over feasts and wine, where the game was played with lives, and no one at the table ever got their hands dirty."
"No, let him choke on his wicked feast, let him find her spirit indigestible, a morsel too stubborn to swallow down. Let her mettle be the bone that lodged itself in her throat, her resilience the flavor that soured upon his tongue."
"But that's the thing with power. It has no loyalty. It takes, consumes, and when it's through with you, you're left searching for who you were before it claimed you."
"Soon, his entire world would crumble, and she would be the one to watch it burn."
"She'd help as many as she could. But then... what about her? [...] What did freedom even mean for her? What came after the dust settled?"
"She'd die before she let him take one more piece of her. In that moment she was more than herself; she was the embodiment of every silent fury, of every suppressed scream, of every ounce of strength mustered in the face of insurmountable odds. 'I belong to no one.'"
"The world may have seen her as broken, but it was time they realized--broken things can be sharp, deadly."
May 27, 2025
A very generous 2 stars. This was excruciatingly slow. I just don’t know how to dnf books unfortunately
September 1, 2025
I want so desperately to give this book 5 stars because it was so damn close. I feel like this had the potential to be a god tier series but it just barely missed the mark.
I have some notes 📝
First, I think this book had some pacing issues. There were times where the story got bogged down by pages and pages of info dumping. A good example of this is when Ivan, Tristan, and Elara were in the gothic mansion talking void theory. We had like four or five pages of just the most complex astrophysical smartie pants ass dialogue. Like I swear my eyes glazed over because I was so lost on what they were talking about. I definitely feel like that could have been dumb down and shorted for maximum efficiency. In the first part of the book I found the lore to be extremely convoluted and at times totally confusing. I think at one point I thought Elara and Osin were 200 years old but then I read later they had only been in power for the last ten years. I’m still not entirely sure the timeline of all the events that transpired in this book. For these reasons I can’t fully say this was a 5 star read because these thoughts were alway in the back of my mind while reading. I think if we cut about 100 pages of this book it would be for the better.
Now onto the things I LOVED about this book:
I am truly amazed at the world L.M. Grosvalet created from her pretty little noggin. Her writing style is beautiful and flowery and so descriptive that it transports you directly into the story. Like I kid you not this played like a movie in my head. This book took the seemingly tired and overused plots lines/tropes and turned them into something new and completely unique. I don’t think I’ve read anything that has made me feel quite like this book has. The plot of this book had me on a journey. One of my favorite things to do in books is make predictions and theorize. I swear every time I thought I had something figured out the plot would shock me and go in an entirely different direction. I was always on my toes analyzing every detail and everyone’s words/actions and I still was continuously gobsmacked by the plot. I can’t believe how complex and deeply woven it is. The attention to details! The way EVERYTHING was connected! The plot twists OMG the plot twist be twisting!!!! This book is a masterclass in gothic fantasy romance. It has changed the way I view fantasy romance and it has set a new standard for what I expect from the genre. Honestly, the book is CRIMINALLY under hyped and I hope and pray that this gets picked up for trad publishing. 🙏🏼
One of my absolute favorite things about this book is the overall tone and vibes. This book was dark but in the best way. It was a visceral feeling when Elara first walked through The Pit and saw the endless void of cages full of starved, broken, and battered Sidhe. When she looked upon their faces and saw despair looking back I swear I was there along side her, heartbroken and filled with rage for what had been done to them. Each scene in The Pits was so emotionally jarring and painful to read. If there is one thing I love is when a book makes me FEEL. I mean that’s all we really want as readers is to feel something right? I also really loved the overall gothic vibes of the story. Like the trio in Ivan’s gothic mansion was such a fun and atmospheric time. Those scenes of the tree of them in the library pouring over books were some of my favorite.
The characters. They really made this book for me. There is so much I want to say about each one but I will do my best to keep it short(ish). As a whole I think every character was so well developed and fleshed out. Every single character felt intentional. Each action taken by the characters felt so deliberate and thought out. They felt so human and so real.
When I say I loved every character (minus Osin of course) I really mean I loved every. single. one. The side characters in this book were fucking amazing. None of them actually felt like side characters at all and I would be ecstatic to have multiple povs in the next book. As much as Dario is a little bitch he also really came through for Elara and I respect that. Avis was always my girl. I had a feeling she was helping Elara from the beginning but I was mind-blown when she came out with the other remnants. I was fucking cheering so loud. Avis may be soft and sweet but she has a strength that we have only just begun to see. Aoife is mother. “Weak men taste like shit.” SLAY AOIFE 👏🏼👏🏼 I want a whole book on her. And finally Tristan. That smooth talking’ panty dropping, sassy man. 🤭 He was the perfect comedic relieve. “Hope you all had a good night. The Hallowed certainly did!” When I tell you this line took me out! 😂 Any time he was on page I was cheesin’ but the very best thing about him is that he is genuinely the BEST person. Tristan is babygirl. 🎀
Elara the woman of the hour and maybe my most beloved female main character of all time. Elara was a character that broke the mold of “bad ass FMC” and make no mistake she was a bad ass but she was quiet in her strength. She had a way of challenging the fabric of things including herself. She very intuitive and introspective. There was a moment in the beginning of the book were she was contemplated what it means to be a friend and were Avis and Dario considered friends when they have done nothing to free her from her circumstances. But she also turned it onto herself and acknowledged that she had never done anything for herself either.
“The question that stared back at her had been simple. What type of person am I? A dutiful puppet pretending at rebellion, or someone willing to risk it all for a taste of freedom? She wanted to believe she was more. That she wasn’t just a captive bowing to the whims of her captors. But the truth was… she hadn't dared to break free. Not really. Not when it mattered. Because Osin’s wards weren’t the only thing trapping her. Fear, doubt—they held her just as tightly.”
This quote was the moment I knew I loved her. She was brave enough to look herself in the mirror and acknowledge her own faults. She never played the victim even though that’s exactly what she was. No matter what they put her through she remained unbreakable. The huge turning point for her was the Sidhe. They gave her a reason to stop enduring and fight back. I also adored the fact that Elara is basically just an astrophysicist. B/c we love an intellectual queen!! 👑
Ivan is a character archetype THAT I FUCKING LOVE. The absolutely down bad and devoted man no matter how much time passes he will always love you, always choose you, through time and space you will be his forever. BUT I DIDNT FUCKING KNOW THAT UNTIL THE LAST 10% OF THE BOOK. This right here. This was the plot twist that shook me and turned my gosh dang world upside down. The entire book I went from thinking Ivan is a punk ass bitch, to misunderstood emo boy, to cute nerd with a soft heart, to punk ass bitch again. The absolute roller coaster he put me through. His motivations were always unclear and no matter how hard I tried to figure him out he just kept slipping through my fingers. The man was infuriating. So imagine the fucking DEVASTATION I felt after this. "Minva sölk harn." My. Fucking. Soul. For. Hers. That was gut wrenching especially when you go back and read the moment when it happened. I need to see Ivan again. The way he loves Elara is beautiful. Their love is so fucking doomed and so fucking tragic that it physically pains me to think about it. The devotion he has for her was something that transcended pages. The way he read to her when she was a child. 😭 One can only dream of finding a fraction of the man that Ivan is. This basically explains my feelings about Ivan, this is one of the notes I took while reading: The fucking nightmare scene. FUCK. She woke up in his fucking arms. I could SCREAM AND CRY AND OMG I LOVE THEM. TEARS ARE LINGERING IN MY EYES AND I DON’T THINK I CAN FUNCTION THE SAME AFTER THIS FUCKING SCENE MY GOD I LOVE HIM. I LOVE THEM. My heart is squeezing and twisting and I’ll probably throw up. That about sums it up.
I saw the author say that Reynnar is so Hoizer coded and I could not agree more. This man was everything from me from day fucking one. I was a Reynnar stan. The bond that he had with Elara was so fucking special. I spent 100% of this book trying to decide if their love is platonic or romantic and honestly I still couldn’t say for certain. All I will say is every second they spent in each others company was a joy to read. I laughed so hard tears sprang to my eyes when he thought Elara’s name was Tank Yeh (thank you). He is the walking definition of golden retriever. He was so soft and sweet for Elara. The way they fell asleep next to the bars each night side by side. He was so strong and so resilient despite every heinous and vile act against him. When he finally broke something broke in me too but god damn it Elara the woman that she is saved him in more ways than one. I feel like the two of them together are unstoppable. When I think back to Rey I wonder at what point she was his mate or if he always knew. And how it was a special kind of torture that he finally found her after all this time and she has no idea who he is or what she is. And he has no way to tell her because they can’t even speak the same language. To see someone’s identity, especially your mate, violently ripped away from them must have been impossible for him to endure. I’m sure Osin intended it to be torture for Rey because he already knew before Elara even did.
The Thane plot line was the best subplot. I know he can’t come back but oh my god I wish he could. My heart shattered when he said he couldn’t leave the void. A Thane, Elara, and Ivan reunion would have been so fucking epic to see. I was obsessed with the scene where we found him in the void. I can only hope for some more Thane content in the next book. It just can’t be the end for him I don’t except it!!
I think the end of this book left me with so much excitement for the next book. The next book has so much potential. I am so fucking excited to explore the Sidhe and their world. If the next book is anything like this one I know its going to be beautiful and enchanting. I’m excited to watch Elara untangle her feelings with Reynnar and Ivan. Is this going to be a love triangle or a why choose?? I love them both so I’d be happy with whatever she chooses. I just know Elara is going to be dealing with some serious guilt for leaving Ivan. There is no way in hell she will stay put and leave him over there. I like the fact that the author didn’t define a true love interest. It is going to make for a fun sequel. And I am begging, can we get a long lost brother reunion!!
If you have made it to the end of this review you a real one. I truly don’t expect anyone to read all this but I like getting my thoughts on paper. It’s a rather cathartic feeling. You may have noticed that I said I would give this book 4 stars well I am a liar because after further contemplation and writing this fucking essay I’ve realized it could be nothing less that 5 stars.
I have some notes 📝
First, I think this book had some pacing issues. There were times where the story got bogged down by pages and pages of info dumping. A good example of this is when Ivan, Tristan, and Elara were in the gothic mansion talking void theory. We had like four or five pages of just the most complex astrophysical smartie pants ass dialogue. Like I swear my eyes glazed over because I was so lost on what they were talking about. I definitely feel like that could have been dumb down and shorted for maximum efficiency. In the first part of the book I found the lore to be extremely convoluted and at times totally confusing. I think at one point I thought Elara and Osin were 200 years old but then I read later they had only been in power for the last ten years. I’m still not entirely sure the timeline of all the events that transpired in this book. For these reasons I can’t fully say this was a 5 star read because these thoughts were alway in the back of my mind while reading. I think if we cut about 100 pages of this book it would be for the better.
Now onto the things I LOVED about this book:
I am truly amazed at the world L.M. Grosvalet created from her pretty little noggin. Her writing style is beautiful and flowery and so descriptive that it transports you directly into the story. Like I kid you not this played like a movie in my head. This book took the seemingly tired and overused plots lines/tropes and turned them into something new and completely unique. I don’t think I’ve read anything that has made me feel quite like this book has. The plot of this book had me on a journey. One of my favorite things to do in books is make predictions and theorize. I swear every time I thought I had something figured out the plot would shock me and go in an entirely different direction. I was always on my toes analyzing every detail and everyone’s words/actions and I still was continuously gobsmacked by the plot. I can’t believe how complex and deeply woven it is. The attention to details! The way EVERYTHING was connected! The plot twists OMG the plot twist be twisting!!!! This book is a masterclass in gothic fantasy romance. It has changed the way I view fantasy romance and it has set a new standard for what I expect from the genre. Honestly, the book is CRIMINALLY under hyped and I hope and pray that this gets picked up for trad publishing. 🙏🏼
One of my absolute favorite things about this book is the overall tone and vibes. This book was dark but in the best way. It was a visceral feeling when Elara first walked through The Pit and saw the endless void of cages full of starved, broken, and battered Sidhe. When she looked upon their faces and saw despair looking back I swear I was there along side her, heartbroken and filled with rage for what had been done to them. Each scene in The Pits was so emotionally jarring and painful to read. If there is one thing I love is when a book makes me FEEL. I mean that’s all we really want as readers is to feel something right? I also really loved the overall gothic vibes of the story. Like the trio in Ivan’s gothic mansion was such a fun and atmospheric time. Those scenes of the tree of them in the library pouring over books were some of my favorite.
The characters. They really made this book for me. There is so much I want to say about each one but I will do my best to keep it short(ish). As a whole I think every character was so well developed and fleshed out. Every single character felt intentional. Each action taken by the characters felt so deliberate and thought out. They felt so human and so real.
When I say I loved every character (minus Osin of course) I really mean I loved every. single. one. The side characters in this book were fucking amazing. None of them actually felt like side characters at all and I would be ecstatic to have multiple povs in the next book. As much as Dario is a little bitch he also really came through for Elara and I respect that. Avis was always my girl. I had a feeling she was helping Elara from the beginning but I was mind-blown when she came out with the other remnants. I was fucking cheering so loud. Avis may be soft and sweet but she has a strength that we have only just begun to see. Aoife is mother. “Weak men taste like shit.” SLAY AOIFE 👏🏼👏🏼 I want a whole book on her. And finally Tristan. That smooth talking’ panty dropping, sassy man. 🤭 He was the perfect comedic relieve. “Hope you all had a good night. The Hallowed certainly did!” When I tell you this line took me out! 😂 Any time he was on page I was cheesin’ but the very best thing about him is that he is genuinely the BEST person. Tristan is babygirl. 🎀
Elara the woman of the hour and maybe my most beloved female main character of all time. Elara was a character that broke the mold of “bad ass FMC” and make no mistake she was a bad ass but she was quiet in her strength. She had a way of challenging the fabric of things including herself. She very intuitive and introspective. There was a moment in the beginning of the book were she was contemplated what it means to be a friend and were Avis and Dario considered friends when they have done nothing to free her from her circumstances. But she also turned it onto herself and acknowledged that she had never done anything for herself either.
“The question that stared back at her had been simple. What type of person am I? A dutiful puppet pretending at rebellion, or someone willing to risk it all for a taste of freedom? She wanted to believe she was more. That she wasn’t just a captive bowing to the whims of her captors. But the truth was… she hadn't dared to break free. Not really. Not when it mattered. Because Osin’s wards weren’t the only thing trapping her. Fear, doubt—they held her just as tightly.”
This quote was the moment I knew I loved her. She was brave enough to look herself in the mirror and acknowledge her own faults. She never played the victim even though that’s exactly what she was. No matter what they put her through she remained unbreakable. The huge turning point for her was the Sidhe. They gave her a reason to stop enduring and fight back. I also adored the fact that Elara is basically just an astrophysicist. B/c we love an intellectual queen!! 👑
Ivan is a character archetype THAT I FUCKING LOVE. The absolutely down bad and devoted man no matter how much time passes he will always love you, always choose you, through time and space you will be his forever. BUT I DIDNT FUCKING KNOW THAT UNTIL THE LAST 10% OF THE BOOK. This right here. This was the plot twist that shook me and turned my gosh dang world upside down. The entire book I went from thinking Ivan is a punk ass bitch, to misunderstood emo boy, to cute nerd with a soft heart, to punk ass bitch again. The absolute roller coaster he put me through. His motivations were always unclear and no matter how hard I tried to figure him out he just kept slipping through my fingers. The man was infuriating. So imagine the fucking DEVASTATION I felt after this. "Minva sölk harn." My. Fucking. Soul. For. Hers. That was gut wrenching especially when you go back and read the moment when it happened. I need to see Ivan again. The way he loves Elara is beautiful. Their love is so fucking doomed and so fucking tragic that it physically pains me to think about it. The devotion he has for her was something that transcended pages. The way he read to her when she was a child. 😭 One can only dream of finding a fraction of the man that Ivan is. This basically explains my feelings about Ivan, this is one of the notes I took while reading: The fucking nightmare scene. FUCK. She woke up in his fucking arms. I could SCREAM AND CRY AND OMG I LOVE THEM. TEARS ARE LINGERING IN MY EYES AND I DON’T THINK I CAN FUNCTION THE SAME AFTER THIS FUCKING SCENE MY GOD I LOVE HIM. I LOVE THEM. My heart is squeezing and twisting and I’ll probably throw up. That about sums it up.
I saw the author say that Reynnar is so Hoizer coded and I could not agree more. This man was everything from me from day fucking one. I was a Reynnar stan. The bond that he had with Elara was so fucking special. I spent 100% of this book trying to decide if their love is platonic or romantic and honestly I still couldn’t say for certain. All I will say is every second they spent in each others company was a joy to read. I laughed so hard tears sprang to my eyes when he thought Elara’s name was Tank Yeh (thank you). He is the walking definition of golden retriever. He was so soft and sweet for Elara. The way they fell asleep next to the bars each night side by side. He was so strong and so resilient despite every heinous and vile act against him. When he finally broke something broke in me too but god damn it Elara the woman that she is saved him in more ways than one. I feel like the two of them together are unstoppable. When I think back to Rey I wonder at what point she was his mate or if he always knew. And how it was a special kind of torture that he finally found her after all this time and she has no idea who he is or what she is. And he has no way to tell her because they can’t even speak the same language. To see someone’s identity, especially your mate, violently ripped away from them must have been impossible for him to endure. I’m sure Osin intended it to be torture for Rey because he already knew before Elara even did.
The Thane plot line was the best subplot. I know he can’t come back but oh my god I wish he could. My heart shattered when he said he couldn’t leave the void. A Thane, Elara, and Ivan reunion would have been so fucking epic to see. I was obsessed with the scene where we found him in the void. I can only hope for some more Thane content in the next book. It just can’t be the end for him I don’t except it!!
I think the end of this book left me with so much excitement for the next book. The next book has so much potential. I am so fucking excited to explore the Sidhe and their world. If the next book is anything like this one I know its going to be beautiful and enchanting. I’m excited to watch Elara untangle her feelings with Reynnar and Ivan. Is this going to be a love triangle or a why choose?? I love them both so I’d be happy with whatever she chooses. I just know Elara is going to be dealing with some serious guilt for leaving Ivan. There is no way in hell she will stay put and leave him over there. I like the fact that the author didn’t define a true love interest. It is going to make for a fun sequel. And I am begging, can we get a long lost brother reunion!!
If you have made it to the end of this review you a real one. I truly don’t expect anyone to read all this but I like getting my thoughts on paper. It’s a rather cathartic feeling. You may have noticed that I said I would give this book 4 stars well I am a liar because after further contemplation and writing this fucking essay I’ve realized it could be nothing less that 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2025
Wow, was this a good book! Can’t wait for book 2
May 19, 2025
3.5 but How has everyone not read this? How are there so little reviews. And WHAT WAS THAT ENDING. spoilers.
So let's jump into this by saying if you don't read fantasy don't even try to pick this book up. It is the definition of showing not telling and you are immersed in this world from page one. That got kind of long in the middle as we were in the repetitive phase of training and planning and it lagged which will not be something most romance only readers will like. This world building was amazing and I felt like I knew this world by books end. Now. let's talk about what took me by surprise.....
The entire ending sequence. The bonds!?This entire weird forced connection to death, A CURSE! WHAT. Then I'm sitting here at book end being told that Reynnar is her mate and Ivan is last seen being snuffed out by the king and I just had to sit and stare at my screen for a second. I don't want Ivan to not be end game. This may be the only time in one of these books that I am begging for this to go differently, maybe that they are the same souls I'm different time lines like she had in her void notes? I don't know but I don't want to lose my tortured masked man because she finds herself a Sidhe prince.
Honestly this was just a good read. The main character makes that transition from lost and used tool of the kingdom to savior of a people in one book which may be why I feel like so much happened but that happens in around 700 pages I guess. She shows the dispondence and confusion through her writing which as a reader could get confusing at times. Looking back I can see that when she was with people that shit her connection down more the story became slogged and she became more confused so as a reader in her head we did too. However on first read it just felt as though the character had weird lines and jumped scenes.
The romance:
I think what struck me reading this book is that there where more than one option for a love interest. We get the guard from home, the broody warrior to the king, the trapped Sidhe warrior, we get glimpses into what could be good from each of them. I mean it's not like Tristan wouldn't have been a good option too. We do see more of the evolution and connection with Ivan, which is why when we get the reveal of Reynnar being her mate and why Osin had used them against each other by bonding her to the Hunter (Ivan) I was so confused. I had an inkling because we spend so much time with the made up language and her interactions with Reynnar through the cell walls and her reactions, but as I said before I am not prepared to let Ivan go, he was my pick.
I can't wait for the next book, and I'm hoping we pull a reverse harem situation because if we have to keep Reynnar and lose Ivan I am going to cry. 😭
So let's jump into this by saying if you don't read fantasy don't even try to pick this book up. It is the definition of showing not telling and you are immersed in this world from page one. That got kind of long in the middle as we were in the repetitive phase of training and planning and it lagged which will not be something most romance only readers will like. This world building was amazing and I felt like I knew this world by books end. Now. let's talk about what took me by surprise.....
The entire ending sequence. The bonds!?This entire weird forced connection to death, A CURSE! WHAT. Then I'm sitting here at book end being told that Reynnar is her mate and Ivan is last seen being snuffed out by the king and I just had to sit and stare at my screen for a second. I don't want Ivan to not be end game. This may be the only time in one of these books that I am begging for this to go differently, maybe that they are the same souls I'm different time lines like she had in her void notes? I don't know but I don't want to lose my tortured masked man because she finds herself a Sidhe prince.
Honestly this was just a good read. The main character makes that transition from lost and used tool of the kingdom to savior of a people in one book which may be why I feel like so much happened but that happens in around 700 pages I guess. She shows the dispondence and confusion through her writing which as a reader could get confusing at times. Looking back I can see that when she was with people that shit her connection down more the story became slogged and she became more confused so as a reader in her head we did too. However on first read it just felt as though the character had weird lines and jumped scenes.
The romance:
I think what struck me reading this book is that there where more than one option for a love interest. We get the guard from home, the broody warrior to the king, the trapped Sidhe warrior, we get glimpses into what could be good from each of them. I mean it's not like Tristan wouldn't have been a good option too. We do see more of the evolution and connection with Ivan, which is why when we get the reveal of Reynnar being her mate and why Osin had used them against each other by bonding her to the Hunter (Ivan) I was so confused. I had an inkling because we spend so much time with the made up language and her interactions with Reynnar through the cell walls and her reactions, but as I said before I am not prepared to let Ivan go, he was my pick.
I can't wait for the next book, and I'm hoping we pull a reverse harem situation because if we have to keep Reynnar and lose Ivan I am going to cry. 😭
June 19, 2025
Almost perfect
This was hard to get into for the first few chapters, ONLY because the popular basic ass books have lowered the bar for expectations. Once the ball gets rolling, you follow Elara and learn the structure, politics, and where she fits in. The writing is so good that you feel you are Elara as you go through her struggles. Every obstacle she faces is handled exactly how someone would handle it, which makes her relatable. She has been sheltered and tries to outsmart everyone, only to realize that they let her play her games. Just because it is fantasy doesn’t mean the suppressed character automatically knows how to defeat the enemy automatically.
I am 100% for the super slow burn here because you get to focus on each character’s realizations, growth, relationships, and struggle. It left me wondering what are the connections between some characters and where is the story going next. Especially when it comes to Reynnar.
A lot of things are revealed at around chapter 41 and none of them are what you thought. There is no predicting anything which I absolutely love, EXCEPT when it comes from left field.
I lost sight on what the problem is and what is trying to be achieved because we have this new problem that popped up and blocked every direction the story could have taken. Since it is a totally new problem, it requires an explanation. That explanation is so excessive that it makes me want to take a nap.
The answers are tied to the one thing no one gave a second thought, the void. We now get endless conversations about theory on the void along with even more theories, spells, and some enchantments.
If the void was a problem to be solved then it should have been hinted at earlier.
Instead, I got over 50 pages of lecture sprinkled with a few sentences of bonding time and maybe a page worth of practicing Elara’s control on ether.
I was happily following the story and waiting for Elara to grow and learn to defeat the Lord, but now I’m not completely sure what his part is anymore…until the story picks back up where it left off.
By the way…Elara has no memories and they monitored her reading materials where she lived. So in the span of a week, how is she suddenly an advanced scientist, creating formulas and testing hypotheses?
And there is absolutely no way she can learn so much of a different language in one week that she can hold a full blown conversation. Come on!
What I learned by the end…
All the theory talk? Throw it out the window because it doesn’t mean a thing and has no involvement with anything but word count. It was an exaggerated possible solution to their problem that was never used.
If there is ever another edit, cut that part out and turn it into bonding, training, with a summary of what they are researching.
This is what kept the book from being 5 stars. It was a struggle to get through it because it irritated the hell out of me. Everything was going so great.
BUT
Back on a positive note…when the story picked back up, I was blown away. I was constantly wondering about Elara’s relationship with Ivan and Reynnar and loved how I could not tell who the end game would be. I still don’t! Where it was obvious toward one, an interaction with the other would make you question. Up until the last word.
The ending was epic. While the full truth comes out, there was still no conclusion for some. A battle rages and the villain learns his cake is running away and he can no longer eat it. I loved how nothing was ever as easy as it seemed and happily ever after didn’t come in the snap of a finger.
There better be a second book! I need to know what this “mate” business is about and if she finally delivers la chancla to the evil cockroach.
Elara’s theme song: Stronger by Britney Spears
This was hard to get into for the first few chapters, ONLY because the popular basic ass books have lowered the bar for expectations. Once the ball gets rolling, you follow Elara and learn the structure, politics, and where she fits in. The writing is so good that you feel you are Elara as you go through her struggles. Every obstacle she faces is handled exactly how someone would handle it, which makes her relatable. She has been sheltered and tries to outsmart everyone, only to realize that they let her play her games. Just because it is fantasy doesn’t mean the suppressed character automatically knows how to defeat the enemy automatically.
I am 100% for the super slow burn here because you get to focus on each character’s realizations, growth, relationships, and struggle. It left me wondering what are the connections between some characters and where is the story going next. Especially when it comes to Reynnar.
A lot of things are revealed at around chapter 41 and none of them are what you thought. There is no predicting anything which I absolutely love, EXCEPT when it comes from left field.
I lost sight on what the problem is and what is trying to be achieved because we have this new problem that popped up and blocked every direction the story could have taken. Since it is a totally new problem, it requires an explanation. That explanation is so excessive that it makes me want to take a nap.
The answers are tied to the one thing no one gave a second thought, the void. We now get endless conversations about theory on the void along with even more theories, spells, and some enchantments.
If the void was a problem to be solved then it should have been hinted at earlier.
Instead, I got over 50 pages of lecture sprinkled with a few sentences of bonding time and maybe a page worth of practicing Elara’s control on ether.
I was happily following the story and waiting for Elara to grow and learn to defeat the Lord, but now I’m not completely sure what his part is anymore…until the story picks back up where it left off.
By the way…Elara has no memories and they monitored her reading materials where she lived. So in the span of a week, how is she suddenly an advanced scientist, creating formulas and testing hypotheses?
And there is absolutely no way she can learn so much of a different language in one week that she can hold a full blown conversation. Come on!
What I learned by the end…
All the theory talk? Throw it out the window because it doesn’t mean a thing and has no involvement with anything but word count. It was an exaggerated possible solution to their problem that was never used.
If there is ever another edit, cut that part out and turn it into bonding, training, with a summary of what they are researching.
This is what kept the book from being 5 stars. It was a struggle to get through it because it irritated the hell out of me. Everything was going so great.
BUT
Back on a positive note…when the story picked back up, I was blown away. I was constantly wondering about Elara’s relationship with Ivan and Reynnar and loved how I could not tell who the end game would be. I still don’t! Where it was obvious toward one, an interaction with the other would make you question. Up until the last word.
The ending was epic. While the full truth comes out, there was still no conclusion for some. A battle rages and the villain learns his cake is running away and he can no longer eat it. I loved how nothing was ever as easy as it seemed and happily ever after didn’t come in the snap of a finger.
There better be a second book! I need to know what this “mate” business is about and if she finally delivers la chancla to the evil cockroach.
Elara’s theme song: Stronger by Britney Spears
August 28, 2025
I AM DEEPLY UNWELL AFTER THE ENDING OF THIS BOOK! (complimentary)
I finished this book at night, stared at the ceiling for a bit, messaged a friend who also read it, because WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!And, it was the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes the next morning.
This beginning of this book gradually builds as we are immersed in the world and we get to know our FMC Elara. She is considered "Hallowed" in a deeply religious society, and she is treated as nothing more than a commodity because of a mysterious power held within her blood. Although she doesn't have autonomy, she is not meek- she has rebellious streak in her. This continues to grow as more is uncovered about who she is, and the secrets in the world around her. Her actions result in her capture by The Hunter- an enigmatic (and masked) character that is duty bound to serve the High Council. While in captivity she develops an alliance with imprisoned and broken warrior, Reynnar. Elara is also forced to spend time under supervision of The Hunter, who is drawn to her defiance, and the lines between duty and desire become blurred...
This book slowly seeps into you, and then finally completely consumes you. I never once could guess where the plot was going- it is like you start zoomed in on one segment, and over time, you zoom out and get the full picture, and it is absolutely mind altering
This story has rich character AND plot development- it requires full attention to absorb and savor every detail. Yes, there is romance, but it is for those that are here for subtle hand flexes, yearning, and unyielding devotion. I actually felt a physical ache in my chest reading this.
-Dark romantic fantasy
-SLOW burn
-plot forward, twists I didn't see coming
-highly religious society
-missing memories
-forced proximity
-masked MMC
-multiple possible love interests
-captor x confidant
-touch her and die
-he would crawl for her
-single POV, third person
-low spice 0.5 🌶️ (but holy wow)
-audiobook in production at the time of this review
I finished this book at night, stared at the ceiling for a bit, messaged a friend who also read it, because WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!And, it was the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes the next morning.
This beginning of this book gradually builds as we are immersed in the world and we get to know our FMC Elara. She is considered "Hallowed" in a deeply religious society, and she is treated as nothing more than a commodity because of a mysterious power held within her blood. Although she doesn't have autonomy, she is not meek- she has rebellious streak in her. This continues to grow as more is uncovered about who she is, and the secrets in the world around her. Her actions result in her capture by The Hunter- an enigmatic (and masked) character that is duty bound to serve the High Council. While in captivity she develops an alliance with imprisoned and broken warrior, Reynnar. Elara is also forced to spend time under supervision of The Hunter, who is drawn to her defiance, and the lines between duty and desire become blurred...
This book slowly seeps into you, and then finally completely consumes you. I never once could guess where the plot was going- it is like you start zoomed in on one segment, and over time, you zoom out and get the full picture, and it is absolutely mind altering
This story has rich character AND plot development- it requires full attention to absorb and savor every detail. Yes, there is romance, but it is for those that are here for subtle hand flexes, yearning, and unyielding devotion. I actually felt a physical ache in my chest reading this.
-Dark romantic fantasy
-SLOW burn
-plot forward, twists I didn't see coming
-highly religious society
-missing memories
-forced proximity
-masked MMC
-multiple possible love interests
-captor x confidant
-touch her and die
-he would crawl for her
-single POV, third person
-low spice 0.5 🌶️ (but holy wow)
-audiobook in production at the time of this review
November 30, 2025
I saw a glimpse of something that would have been really good - but it remained a glimpse until the end
Liked
- I like the magic system and the fact that they were Druids (even though it was not exploited), elemental magic and void magic
- I liked the characters - Elara was annoying at time but overall she was a compelling main character
- The mystery and the plot was pretty interesting
Did not like:
- the pacing - if I need to go through 400+ pages to get an interesting and fast pace last 150 pages it’s not worth it for me, I struggled through the first 60% of the book and I was just bored, easily could have cut out the first half to give more space for the ending
- This was marketing as a gothic romantasy - the only seemingly gothic thing in the entire book (600+ pages) got one page of a manor description
- The book was slow and then suddenly it was super fast faced, so much that it lost me. I had no idea what was going on, why they were suddenly deep conversation about ether and void - I get why this was done suddenly you but also it was so confusing and rushed
- The main character learning a whole new language fluently in one week
- The timeline was confusing - kept referring to the FLC younger self but I had no idea if she was 12 or 16 or her age in general
- The ending was an indie romantasy ending and it just let me perplexe
Liked
- I like the magic system and the fact that they were Druids (even though it was not exploited), elemental magic and void magic
- I liked the characters - Elara was annoying at time but overall she was a compelling main character
- The mystery and the plot was pretty interesting
Did not like:
- the pacing - if I need to go through 400+ pages to get an interesting and fast pace last 150 pages it’s not worth it for me, I struggled through the first 60% of the book and I was just bored, easily could have cut out the first half to give more space for the ending
- This was marketing as a gothic romantasy - the only seemingly gothic thing in the entire book (600+ pages) got one page of a manor description
- The book was slow and then suddenly it was super fast faced, so much that it lost me. I had no idea what was going on, why they were suddenly deep conversation about ether and void - I get why this was done suddenly you but also it was so confusing and rushed
- The main character learning a whole new language fluently in one week
- The timeline was confusing - kept referring to the FLC younger self but I had no idea if she was 12 or 16 or her age in general
- The ending was an indie romantasy ending and it just let me perplexe
July 6, 2025
This book is worthy of the slow start as it masterfully builds the exposition and expertly creates the foundation of foreshadowing that is the key to unlocking Elara’s past, present, and future. The character building is so intensely personal that you will find yourself questioning whether or not you knew them in a past life. I found myself holding my breath through every battle, crying with every gut-wrenching scene, and laughing at each stolen moment of joy. Absolutely internally dying on the inside as I wait for Book 2 to be released. Can’t recommend this book enough!!!!
June 23, 2025
I really wanted to love this book. The writing was good, but the first 2/3 dragged, and I was bored. The pacing felt off for most of the story. I liked the ending, and it brought several plot lines together nicely, but it moved too quickly compared to most of the book and felt rushed. Will probably read the next one because the ending did redeem it for me.
January 3, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
This book started out really strong. I just don’t think it stuck the landing for me.
This book started out really strong. I just don’t think it stuck the landing for me.
June 24, 2025
* 2.5
March 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I don’t even know where to begin with this book. Blood So Deadly Divine completely consumed me. Its world, its characters, its TENSION. This is the kind of story that gets under your skin in the best way, the kind that lingers even when you’re not reading.
Elara is one of my favorite protagonists I’ve ever read. She’s stubborn, deeply wounded but never truly broken. Her journey isn’t just about survival, it’s about reclaiming herself, about standing in the fire and refusing to be reduced to ash. And then there’s Ivan, the Hunter. The dynamic between them is a slow-burn tangle of power, grudging respect, and something neither of them wants to name.
And REYNNAR
“I would sooner carve my own heart out than leave you to face this alone.”
Spectacular 🧎🏼♀️
Give me 14 of em right now.
The worldbuilding is also so intricate and immersive. The political intrigue, the magic system, the weight of history pressing down on every interaction… it all feels so real.
But what really made this book unforgettable was how it made me feel. There’s a sense of loss and longing that aches in the best way. The story is brutal at times, but it never feels gratuitous. It’s about endurance, about the cost of power and the price of freedom.
This book will ruin you in the best way. I need the next one immediately. 🤲
I don’t even know where to begin with this book. Blood So Deadly Divine completely consumed me. Its world, its characters, its TENSION. This is the kind of story that gets under your skin in the best way, the kind that lingers even when you’re not reading.
Elara is one of my favorite protagonists I’ve ever read. She’s stubborn, deeply wounded but never truly broken. Her journey isn’t just about survival, it’s about reclaiming herself, about standing in the fire and refusing to be reduced to ash. And then there’s Ivan, the Hunter. The dynamic between them is a slow-burn tangle of power, grudging respect, and something neither of them wants to name.
And REYNNAR
“I would sooner carve my own heart out than leave you to face this alone.”
Spectacular 🧎🏼♀️
Give me 14 of em right now.
The worldbuilding is also so intricate and immersive. The political intrigue, the magic system, the weight of history pressing down on every interaction… it all feels so real.
But what really made this book unforgettable was how it made me feel. There’s a sense of loss and longing that aches in the best way. The story is brutal at times, but it never feels gratuitous. It’s about endurance, about the cost of power and the price of freedom.
This book will ruin you in the best way. I need the next one immediately. 🤲
December 7, 2025
“𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎?”
What a captivating, emotional rollercoaster! I had to sit for a day with this because I had to process what I had read. I wanted to scream at the ending but the love, the resilience, the heartbreak, and the sheer tenacity against all odds was so worth it.
She is everything you want in an FMC, she young, but she’s been through some shit. I find her ability to accept the truths in front of her and use the anger to drive her. She is willing to study and learn and sacrifice, all while experiencing profound emotions of betrayal and loss.
FMC is not what I was expecting. It took a while for me to warm up to him, just like it did for Elara. You come to accept him with all his flaws, forgetting that he is everything she doesn’t need and yet everything she desires.
That being said we have side characters that shake the foundation of this love to the core. I need more and less and everything all at once.
“𝑨 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍.”
The only slight drawback for this book was just that it was a little slow, but once I was in it I could not put it down!
This book ends on a mean cliffhanger so please be prepared💔
What a captivating, emotional rollercoaster! I had to sit for a day with this because I had to process what I had read. I wanted to scream at the ending but the love, the resilience, the heartbreak, and the sheer tenacity against all odds was so worth it.
She is everything you want in an FMC, she young, but she’s been through some shit. I find her ability to accept the truths in front of her and use the anger to drive her. She is willing to study and learn and sacrifice, all while experiencing profound emotions of betrayal and loss.
FMC is not what I was expecting. It took a while for me to warm up to him, just like it did for Elara. You come to accept him with all his flaws, forgetting that he is everything she doesn’t need and yet everything she desires.
That being said we have side characters that shake the foundation of this love to the core. I need more and less and everything all at once.
“𝑨 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍.”
The only slight drawback for this book was just that it was a little slow, but once I was in it I could not put it down!
This book ends on a mean cliffhanger so please be prepared💔
June 26, 2025
4⭐ I can honestly say this is one of the most unique fantasy books I've read this year.
Some of the vibes reminded me of the Plated Prisoner series, because Osin is definitely giving Midas (iykyk) with a folklore-esque, gothic twist and even some sci-fi elements sprinkled in.
Tropes include:
✨Childhood friends to strangers to enemies to reluctant partners to ??
✨SLOWWWWW burn
✨Unique goddess and spirits
✨Interdimensional portal lore (to a science)
✨elemental magic
✨Fae
✨Missing memories
While I rarely do a synopsis for Goodreads, I thought I would include a brief one in my own words for those like me who may struggle to understand what this story will be about from the book synopsis alone:
Elara is the Hallowed, a sheltered woman who has lived the last decade of her life living in a Druid religious sect of the country of Latheria. What makes her special is her blood, which is ritualistically drained every few months due to it possessing pure aether, which can be used to grant humans elemental powers, to an addicting degree. She has few friends due to the possessive, abusive nature of the shadow king that owns and binds her, Osin, but when one friend gets himself killed for treason during a ritual gone wrong, she decides to start waking up to her surroundings and her true purpose for existing. The Hunter, aka Ivan, is Osin's seemingly loyal dog that has a surprising bit of childhood history with Elara - even moreso than she might remember. Through their first skin-to-skin contact, a magical bond before them forms and in trying to unravel the nature of the bond, they begin unraveling the mysteries and magical nature of the world they live in itself - and where the magic came from in the first place.
~
My biggest recommendation for going into this book is to be patient - you really have to let it cook for a bit before all of the lore dumps and plot threads we got in the first half start coming to light and tying together. But once it does, I really started to see the overarching story and how it all did end up relating...for the most part.
This book/series is full of potential; I thought the writing style was incredible and rich in its prose, the world was very well-fleshed out and the author obviously put a lot of research and care into the folklore inspirations that are woven into the lore of this story.
Elara is a feisty FMC fighting to not lose herself in a world that keeps forcing her to submit, and I loved the transformation we saw her go through into fighting for herself and how she began to fight for others as well. Ivan is definitely a complex MMC; I feel like I was told a little bit more about his hidden loving nature rather than see it, but I loved uncovering all the history and lore of his own family and how it tied together with his mission to Elara.
Admittably, the romance did confuse me a bit at times, because we had a couple of other men introduced that made me question at times if it was going to end up being a love triangle. There's a single spicy scene that was definitely well built up to over a long slow burn, but sometimes I did think I struggled to feel an ongoing chemistry.
Overall I think it might have taken me a bit shorter to finish this book/not get so distracted if we had a bit less going on in the initial lore dumping and maybe saving some plot threads to only be teased until book 2. I sense an epic high fantasy story coming along though, so I'll be very intrigued to see how the second book picks up after that cliffhanger!
Some of the vibes reminded me of the Plated Prisoner series, because Osin is definitely giving Midas (iykyk) with a folklore-esque, gothic twist and even some sci-fi elements sprinkled in.
Tropes include:
✨Childhood friends to strangers to enemies to reluctant partners to ??
✨SLOWWWWW burn
✨Unique goddess and spirits
✨Interdimensional portal lore (to a science)
✨elemental magic
✨Fae
✨Missing memories
While I rarely do a synopsis for Goodreads, I thought I would include a brief one in my own words for those like me who may struggle to understand what this story will be about from the book synopsis alone:
Elara is the Hallowed, a sheltered woman who has lived the last decade of her life living in a Druid religious sect of the country of Latheria. What makes her special is her blood, which is ritualistically drained every few months due to it possessing pure aether, which can be used to grant humans elemental powers, to an addicting degree. She has few friends due to the possessive, abusive nature of the shadow king that owns and binds her, Osin, but when one friend gets himself killed for treason during a ritual gone wrong, she decides to start waking up to her surroundings and her true purpose for existing. The Hunter, aka Ivan, is Osin's seemingly loyal dog that has a surprising bit of childhood history with Elara - even moreso than she might remember. Through their first skin-to-skin contact, a magical bond before them forms and in trying to unravel the nature of the bond, they begin unraveling the mysteries and magical nature of the world they live in itself - and where the magic came from in the first place.
~
My biggest recommendation for going into this book is to be patient - you really have to let it cook for a bit before all of the lore dumps and plot threads we got in the first half start coming to light and tying together. But once it does, I really started to see the overarching story and how it all did end up relating...for the most part.
This book/series is full of potential; I thought the writing style was incredible and rich in its prose, the world was very well-fleshed out and the author obviously put a lot of research and care into the folklore inspirations that are woven into the lore of this story.
Elara is a feisty FMC fighting to not lose herself in a world that keeps forcing her to submit, and I loved the transformation we saw her go through into fighting for herself and how she began to fight for others as well. Ivan is definitely a complex MMC; I feel like I was told a little bit more about his hidden loving nature rather than see it, but I loved uncovering all the history and lore of his own family and how it tied together with his mission to Elara.
Admittably, the romance did confuse me a bit at times, because we had a couple of other men introduced that made me question at times if it was going to end up being a love triangle. There's a single spicy scene that was definitely well built up to over a long slow burn, but sometimes I did think I struggled to feel an ongoing chemistry.
Overall I think it might have taken me a bit shorter to finish this book/not get so distracted if we had a bit less going on in the initial lore dumping and maybe saving some plot threads to only be teased until book 2. I sense an epic high fantasy story coming along though, so I'll be very intrigued to see how the second book picks up after that cliffhanger!
November 19, 2024
✨“I am not a possession to be handed over. I belong to no one.”✨
Blood So Deadly Divine is one of the best indie author debuts I’ve read all year. This book broke me, shattered me some more, put me back together, and broke me all over again. The world building was immaculate, detailed, and written in a lyrical tone that kept me entranced throughout the entire book. The level of character depth and development…it felt like I knew these characters and felt their pain alongside them.
Getting into it, our female MMC, Elara is known as The Hallowed. She’s trapped in a life that is not her own, forced into divine rituals and spiritual duties, that take a piece of her time and time again. She has the power to purify and the world rests on her shoulders. We see her start extremely broken, tired, and resigned to a life in which she has no escape or freedom. But she’s not broken and she proves that each time she gets up, setback after setback. But she doesn’t just fight for herself, she fights for others who are also enslaved and have no freedom, trapped away from their homeland.
“Then I’ll make my own vow—to death, to time. I vow to find a way to end you.”
The Hunter. Ivan. UHHH. This masked man is fatally flawed, bound by duty and oath to serve a tyrant. But he’s defiant. He does what he can to save Elara. And bit by bit, their history is unmasked. The more we got to know him and the more that was revealed about his past, the more I grew to love his character and the strength and lengths he would go to for those he loved.
And I can’t forget about Reynnar. I can’t say a lot about him as he is a crucial part of Elara’s story. But I CANNOT wait to see more of him after a jaw-dropping reveal at the end of the book. I do love his character right alongside The Hunter and I’m interested to see where the story goes.
Overall, I’m giving this book 4.75 stars/5. I loved this story. I loved the characters, worldbuilding, the banter, the past, and all the secrets and reveals. I will be screaming, crying, and so many other emotions until the next book. It will be living rent free in my head until then.
Blood So Deadly Divine is one of the best indie author debuts I’ve read all year. This book broke me, shattered me some more, put me back together, and broke me all over again. The world building was immaculate, detailed, and written in a lyrical tone that kept me entranced throughout the entire book. The level of character depth and development…it felt like I knew these characters and felt their pain alongside them.
Getting into it, our female MMC, Elara is known as The Hallowed. She’s trapped in a life that is not her own, forced into divine rituals and spiritual duties, that take a piece of her time and time again. She has the power to purify and the world rests on her shoulders. We see her start extremely broken, tired, and resigned to a life in which she has no escape or freedom. But she’s not broken and she proves that each time she gets up, setback after setback. But she doesn’t just fight for herself, she fights for others who are also enslaved and have no freedom, trapped away from their homeland.
“Then I’ll make my own vow—to death, to time. I vow to find a way to end you.”
The Hunter. Ivan. UHHH. This masked man is fatally flawed, bound by duty and oath to serve a tyrant. But he’s defiant. He does what he can to save Elara. And bit by bit, their history is unmasked. The more we got to know him and the more that was revealed about his past, the more I grew to love his character and the strength and lengths he would go to for those he loved.
And I can’t forget about Reynnar. I can’t say a lot about him as he is a crucial part of Elara’s story. But I CANNOT wait to see more of him after a jaw-dropping reveal at the end of the book. I do love his character right alongside The Hunter and I’m interested to see where the story goes.
Overall, I’m giving this book 4.75 stars/5. I loved this story. I loved the characters, worldbuilding, the banter, the past, and all the secrets and reveals. I will be screaming, crying, and so many other emotions until the next book. It will be living rent free in my head until then.
August 29, 2025
Let’s start with a few of my favorite quotes and then get to my chaotic review. ✨❤️
“Minva sölk harn, he had murmured”
“Tank yeh!”
“You’re adorable when you’re angry, you know that? You’ve got this lovely habit of looking like you want to stab me. Which, honestly, is the most fun I’ve had in week.”
“So no, Hallowed, death doesn’t get to take you. I claimed you first”
This book was AMAZING! So much so that i went and bought the hardcover book for a shelf trophy, and let me just tell you…. SHE’S BEAUTIFUL!
The setting is dark, gothic, and so beautifully described!
Once the setting came to “the pit” i felt as if i was actually there when reading. Everything was cold, dark, smelt of a musty underground jail with lots of cells that were overpacked with other people. The game that is played, i felt like i was actually there. It felt so intense and exciting! Descriptions… 9/10!
I will say that I was not HOOKED until about 30%, it was a bit slow to start but once i got to 30% i started gathering more love for it and then by 54% i was SOLD!
The characters are so lovable and unique and i simply cannot wait until book two where i get to learn more about certain characters!
Spoiler time!!!! ✨✨✨✨✨
Tristan.Tristan.Tristan. 🙂↔️ he is such a damn goofball! So cocky, smooth, and freaking hilarious. He is a great comedic relief character!
Reynnar. Ugh! 🥹 i imagine him as a massive man that was tore down time and time again.. sooo strong both mentally and physically. I just want to give him a hug because of everything he went through. And the dynamic between him and Elara!!!!! 🥰 such a sweet guy that is there for her through it all. Her rock in a time of despair.
Ivan….He is one of those characters you kinda like in the beginning, then hate, then love, then are weary of but still have a love for. I need to know more about this guy ASAP!!!
The character development of Elara throughout the book was wonderfully done as she finally finds her backbone and defies the stones laid for her. She was a character i will think about for a long time coming.
Book ending!! ✨✨✨
Freaking 91%….. everything was happening left and right. Everything was going up in flames! It was chaos in such a wonderful way! The remnants, the mate statement, finding out she is Sidhe and her brother was the blonde sidhe previously mentioned, finding out that her hair turned dark when Aine and Osin drank her blood, FINDING OUT ABOUT THANE!!!
Let’s just say i will think about this book for quite some time!
“Minva sölk harn, he had murmured”
“Tank yeh!”
“You’re adorable when you’re angry, you know that? You’ve got this lovely habit of looking like you want to stab me. Which, honestly, is the most fun I’ve had in week.”
“So no, Hallowed, death doesn’t get to take you. I claimed you first”
This book was AMAZING! So much so that i went and bought the hardcover book for a shelf trophy, and let me just tell you…. SHE’S BEAUTIFUL!
The setting is dark, gothic, and so beautifully described!
Once the setting came to “the pit” i felt as if i was actually there when reading. Everything was cold, dark, smelt of a musty underground jail with lots of cells that were overpacked with other people. The game that is played, i felt like i was actually there. It felt so intense and exciting! Descriptions… 9/10!
I will say that I was not HOOKED until about 30%, it was a bit slow to start but once i got to 30% i started gathering more love for it and then by 54% i was SOLD!
The characters are so lovable and unique and i simply cannot wait until book two where i get to learn more about certain characters!
Spoiler time!!!! ✨✨✨✨✨
Tristan.Tristan.Tristan. 🙂↔️ he is such a damn goofball! So cocky, smooth, and freaking hilarious. He is a great comedic relief character!
Reynnar. Ugh! 🥹 i imagine him as a massive man that was tore down time and time again.. sooo strong both mentally and physically. I just want to give him a hug because of everything he went through. And the dynamic between him and Elara!!!!! 🥰 such a sweet guy that is there for her through it all. Her rock in a time of despair.
Ivan….He is one of those characters you kinda like in the beginning, then hate, then love, then are weary of but still have a love for. I need to know more about this guy ASAP!!!
The character development of Elara throughout the book was wonderfully done as she finally finds her backbone and defies the stones laid for her. She was a character i will think about for a long time coming.
Book ending!! ✨✨✨
Freaking 91%….. everything was happening left and right. Everything was going up in flames! It was chaos in such a wonderful way! The remnants, the mate statement, finding out she is Sidhe and her brother was the blonde sidhe previously mentioned, finding out that her hair turned dark when Aine and Osin drank her blood, FINDING OUT ABOUT THANE!!!
Let’s just say i will think about this book for quite some time!
April 21, 2025
Blood So Deadly Divine was a rollercoaster in all the senses. The first part was a bit slow; I found it hard to get hooked, but the story starts to take shape once past that, and I'm glad I continued because I liked it? Idk, I'm still confused.
I have to say that, though, some parts feel disjointed and chaotic; the actions that precede the twists sometimes are so out of the blue that as a reader, you feel a little lost. I think the main issue is that this book wants to tackle so many things that the plot is never defined, so it's hard to understand where the story goes because it shifts at every passing chapter. But despite that, I applaud the author for writing such a unique dark fantasy romance and creating such an intricate realm.
What I liked the most were the main characters; they have depth and development and keep you engaged. I always love a morally grey MMC with a hidden agenda and a fierce and relentless FMC who won't let anybody stop her crusade. But damn, the girl can't catch a break! I also thought that the magic system was different from what we are used to but isn't enough fleshed out to grasp their complexity. The world-building was atmospheric, but again, there are so many elements tangled that in the end all feels muddy, but at the same time, all feels intentional… So it will be interesting to see how the story goes as the main ideas are established.
Overall, it's very intriguing, and it has potential; I'm glad and surprised that all the pieces come together the way they do.
I have to say that, though, some parts feel disjointed and chaotic; the actions that precede the twists sometimes are so out of the blue that as a reader, you feel a little lost. I think the main issue is that this book wants to tackle so many things that the plot is never defined, so it's hard to understand where the story goes because it shifts at every passing chapter. But despite that, I applaud the author for writing such a unique dark fantasy romance and creating such an intricate realm.
What I liked the most were the main characters; they have depth and development and keep you engaged. I always love a morally grey MMC with a hidden agenda and a fierce and relentless FMC who won't let anybody stop her crusade. But damn, the girl can't catch a break! I also thought that the magic system was different from what we are used to but isn't enough fleshed out to grasp their complexity. The world-building was atmospheric, but again, there are so many elements tangled that in the end all feels muddy, but at the same time, all feels intentional… So it will be interesting to see how the story goes as the main ideas are established.
Overall, it's very intriguing, and it has potential; I'm glad and surprised that all the pieces come together the way they do.
May 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6 star read for me!!
Blood So Deadly Divine is a haunting, beautifully written tale about survival, sacrifice, and the quiet rebellion of a girl who was never meant to make it out alive.
What begins as a story of survival quickly unfolds into a complex exploration of power, control, and the cost of hope in a world built on lies.
Elara is one of the most compelling protagonists I’ve read in a long time. Her intelligence, buried anger, and fractured sense of self make her journey feel deeply personal. She doesn’t seek to be a hero, yet the choices she makes shape the fate of everyone around her. Watching her grow from someone used and discarded into a force that can no longer be ignored is both painful and empowering.
The relationships in this book are complex and layered. The Hunter is equal parts threat and protector, a man bound by duty but undone by Elara’s strength. Reynnar brings heart and loyalty and a bond to the people Elara refuses to stop fighting for. Tristan is an interesting figure, broken in ways that reflect the cruelty of the world they live in. Every relationship feels earned and deeply human.
The prose is lyrical, the worldbuilding is rich, and the political undercurrents are terrifyingly believable.
This book doesn’t offer easy answers, and it doesn’t shy away from darker themes. I am so interested to see what happens in the next book!
Highly recommend for readers who want their fantasy to challenge them, move them, and stay with them long after the final page.
Blood So Deadly Divine is a haunting, beautifully written tale about survival, sacrifice, and the quiet rebellion of a girl who was never meant to make it out alive.
What begins as a story of survival quickly unfolds into a complex exploration of power, control, and the cost of hope in a world built on lies.
Elara is one of the most compelling protagonists I’ve read in a long time. Her intelligence, buried anger, and fractured sense of self make her journey feel deeply personal. She doesn’t seek to be a hero, yet the choices she makes shape the fate of everyone around her. Watching her grow from someone used and discarded into a force that can no longer be ignored is both painful and empowering.
The relationships in this book are complex and layered. The Hunter is equal parts threat and protector, a man bound by duty but undone by Elara’s strength. Reynnar brings heart and loyalty and a bond to the people Elara refuses to stop fighting for. Tristan is an interesting figure, broken in ways that reflect the cruelty of the world they live in. Every relationship feels earned and deeply human.
The prose is lyrical, the worldbuilding is rich, and the political undercurrents are terrifyingly believable.
This book doesn’t offer easy answers, and it doesn’t shy away from darker themes. I am so interested to see what happens in the next book!
Highly recommend for readers who want their fantasy to challenge them, move them, and stay with them long after the final page.
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