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The Lavender Blade: An Exorcist's Chronicle
For listeners who loved New York Times bestseller Gideon the Ninth, Deards delivers a queer speculative fiction novel about what happens when a con artist exorcist becomes possessed for real.
A pair of con artist demon exorcists scam the nation's wealthiest . . . until one of them is possessed for real. Colton and Lucian make a living conning the desperate with fake exorcisms—Lucian is the charm, Colton the trick, and together, they’ve turned deception into survival. Their work is dangerous, their romance even riskier, but they’ve always found a way to stay ahead.
Until Lucian is truly possessed.
A powerful demon takes hold, twisting his body into something unnatural, horrific, wrong—and no priest, no con, no desperate lie can fix it. With time running out and Lucian slipping further away, Colton has no choice but to learn real magic, break every rule, and attempt the impossible.
Because if he fails, Lucian won’t just be lost. He’ll be something else entirely.
A pair of con artist demon exorcists scam the nation's wealthiest . . . until one of them is possessed for real. Colton and Lucian make a living conning the desperate with fake exorcisms—Lucian is the charm, Colton the trick, and together, they’ve turned deception into survival. Their work is dangerous, their romance even riskier, but they’ve always found a way to stay ahead.
Until Lucian is truly possessed.
A powerful demon takes hold, twisting his body into something unnatural, horrific, wrong—and no priest, no con, no desperate lie can fix it. With time running out and Lucian slipping further away, Colton has no choice but to learn real magic, break every rule, and attempt the impossible.
Because if he fails, Lucian won’t just be lost. He’ll be something else entirely.
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First published July 8, 2025
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About the author
E.L. Deards
2 books28 followersE.L. Deards grew up in New York City and earned her undergraduate degree at Barnard College at Columbia University, where she studied Japanese literature and biology. She was then accepted to The University of Edinburgh, where she completed her veterinary degree. She remained in the UK afterward, and since then has split her time between her day job as a vet and her secret passion: writing. Emma has authored a number of humor articles for In Practice, a veterinary magazine, and was the recipient in college of two writing awards: the Oscar Lee Award and the Harumatsuri Award. Her first book, Wild with All Regrets, came out in 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
May 17, 2025
I can't remember the last time I've been so angry at a book and that includes Blood of Hercules. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
In case you couldn't tell from the opening sentence, this book deeply frustrated me. I requested this from NetGalley thinking it would be fine, but nothing particularly memorable. I was intrigued by the premise and perhaps too hooked by the comparison to Gideon the Ninth. The book started fine, became a little boring, and then utterly lost the plot.
The first red flag was that damn pig.
I do not care for animal companions like Marbles. Marbles was a prop. Marbles was a sign to the reader that Colton acts like he doesn't care but really cares a lot. Marbles got forgotten about for about 30 pages at the end when possessed Lucian was doing a Thinly-Veiled Connection To The Rise Of The Far Right (we'll get to it!). I am slightly disappointed that Marbles made it out alive. If you don't mind animals that are just kind of there, then this will not bother you. It unfortunately bothered me.
The next red flag was the dialogue, and I'm almost certain that this (combined with the exorcism stuff and the gay people) is what got this book the Gideon the Ninth comparison. And ok, I think you can make the argument that both of those books are written in a more modern cadence, however, Gideon the Ninth did not make me physically cringe every other page from how inane the dialogue was, heightened by the contrast with the setting. It's some kind of Victorian fantasy Britain; why are characters saying "dude"? And it only got worse. I just could not stand how twee and obnoxious it was.
Remember that setting I mentioned before? I doubt anyone else did. It was so incredibly nothing to me. When the king was mentioned at 70%, I gasped out-loud. No idea that that was a constitutional monarchy, and that seems kind of important. Especially if a key part of your plot hinges on elections for the prime minister. Colton and Mai both have the world views of modern day progressives who have been to therapy, while being gay isn't allowed in the Ivory district for some vague hand-wavy reason. Why does the city have strictly delineated zones? Unclear. We have a very convenient reason for why our exorcist protagonist doesn't know much about exorcism, and that's a whole other can of worms.
Why don't we know more about the (and I hesitate to call it this) magic system of this world? After I finished this book, I could not tell you much of anything about how any of this all works. Part of this is because Colton is fraudulent, and the one scene of him and Mai doing research on is mostly skipped over, but why do I as the reader know nothing about how demons and exorcisms work? There are other legit exorcists. Someone must know something about something. Colton knows something about something, but we aren't shown it for reasons that are far beyond my ken. You know the reason we don't know a lot about necromancy in Gideon the Ninth and it doesn't feel like author bullshit that we don't know anything? Because Gideon herself could not give less of a fuck about necromancy, and we're reading her point of view. Colton knows at least some of what he's trying to fake, and all I could tell you is that there are sigils and candles involved sometimes. There's no reason that I shouldn't know more about the magic in this world. The whole thing is incredibly shallow and does not endear me to the world at all.
I also could not stand any of the characters by the end, mainly due to the god-forsaken dialogue. Lucien's puns are not nearly as charming as anyone in-narrative finds them. Colton's modernism made me groan, and not in a good way. I found the ways that both of their addictions were handled really sloppy. It seemed like they only struggled with addiction when the plot needed them to. I simply don't buy that Colton totally stopped drinking just because he was hanging out with Lucien and feeling better. Lucien's Blossom use was only mentioned when it was plot relevant (such as the OVERDOSE that needed fantasy NARCAN), to the point where I completely forgot about it until it got brought up. Speaking of insane shit related to Lucien, why on earth was Lucien getting raped by an older woman when he was 14 brought up once and then never again? Speaking of rape, why on earth was it so heavily implied that Lucere raped Colton, and then straight-up said that Colton was raped by cops (I'm just not sure what happened in that moment between Lucere and Colton; it was written like a cut to black rape scene, and the next scene is a flashback to the cop rape, so it sure as shit reads like rape)? And this was brought up once and never brought up again? This is some serious trauma that either of these characters would have from these events, and it's just treated as something for them to angst about in the moment. I do not have an inherent problem with main characters who have suffered more than Christ himself (source: how I feel about Felix Harrowgate), but if you're going this route, you have to account for their trauma.
The pacing in this book is a nightmare, including the pacing of the romantic relationship. Things just kind of happen, and things that would be interesting to hear about get skimmed over. Lucien and Colton have like one conversation and then they're perfectly in love forever (minus the influence of Lucere, but extenuating circumstances). Colton and Mai do a bunch of research, seemingly in one afternoon, and have learned everything they need to know about Lucere and how to stop him. Number one, as a grad student, that's not how good research works. That's how I do research when I've got something due the next day, and I do not learn everything I need to know from it. Number two, since it takes Colton like a month to try to exorcise Lucere anyway, why on earth didn't that research get done over the course of that month? Why couldn't we the reader have followed along with these characters as they did that research, and maybe learned some other tidbits. Why the hell did the actual government repression happen over the course of like 30-40 pages at the end of the book? We surely could have trimmed some of the scenes of Lucien and Colton bantering for that. The banter wasn't even good. Worst of all, The Arm.
The Arm pissed me off so badly that I stopped reading the book for a minute, and it was the moment that this book went from a 3 star to a 1 star. One of the few things that we the reader know about exorcisms is that if the part of the body with the demon in it gets cut off, it needs to get burnt. So when Lucere cuts Lucien's arm off, I said "oh, we need to burn that arm". Guess what? WE DON'T BURN THAT ARM! Why? BECAUSE ODESSA WANTED TO KEEP IT SO LUCIEN COULD LOOK AT IT OR BURY IT, AND THE COLTON SEEMINGLY FUCKING FORGOT ABOUT IT. HE FORGOT ABOUT IT. And THEN it turns out that the arm might have been a red herring the whole time, so it didn't even matter, because Lucere just randomly came back. Fuck me. I should have hurled my phone across the room.
The ending of this book was even worse. Lucien somehow survives getting stabbed in the heart (fine, I don't know how hearts work, that's none of my business), but he gets a fucking mechanical replacement heart . You CANNOT just introduce something like that at the end, unless you're going for an extremely grating and poorly done deus ex machina, in which case, yes, that's exactly how I'd do it. So damn much of this novel is Colton angsting about having to kill Lucien, and you're telling me they could have killed him and then brought him immediately over to a hospital to get a replacement heart? If there's a reason that this only could have happened because Lucien became prime minister, then you have to explain that beforehand, because this feels so fucking cheap. Colton has a bad reaction to seeing Lucien again, because he thinks it's Lucere, and THAT could have been so cool to play with! Colton and Lucien trying to get back into the groove of their earlier relationship after Lucien's possession should have been at least half of the book! That would have been so interesting to watch them heal from that trauma! But no, they spend like a month apart, and then they get married. It's fine. It's all fine. Everything is perfect. Lucien fixed all of the damage that he caused by burning down half of the Iron district and DEFINITELY killing people. It's fine. It's all fine.
It might not seem like it, but I really, truly wanted to enjoy this, and I feel that I gave it my best shot. But this was really a mess in the back half, and the front half was not nearly good enough to mitigate the damage done in the back half. There is no reason to read this with the amount of good or even mediocre MLM fantasy on the market right now. I really hope Deards improves as a writer in the future, because this was a genuinely compelling idea for a novel, but the execution was just terrible. Bless your heart for making it through this essay.
In case you couldn't tell from the opening sentence, this book deeply frustrated me. I requested this from NetGalley thinking it would be fine, but nothing particularly memorable. I was intrigued by the premise and perhaps too hooked by the comparison to Gideon the Ninth. The book started fine, became a little boring, and then utterly lost the plot.
The first red flag was that damn pig.
I do not care for animal companions like Marbles. Marbles was a prop. Marbles was a sign to the reader that Colton acts like he doesn't care but really cares a lot. Marbles got forgotten about for about 30 pages at the end when possessed Lucian was doing a Thinly-Veiled Connection To The Rise Of The Far Right (we'll get to it!). I am slightly disappointed that Marbles made it out alive. If you don't mind animals that are just kind of there, then this will not bother you. It unfortunately bothered me.
The next red flag was the dialogue, and I'm almost certain that this (combined with the exorcism stuff and the gay people) is what got this book the Gideon the Ninth comparison. And ok, I think you can make the argument that both of those books are written in a more modern cadence, however, Gideon the Ninth did not make me physically cringe every other page from how inane the dialogue was, heightened by the contrast with the setting. It's some kind of Victorian fantasy Britain; why are characters saying "dude"? And it only got worse. I just could not stand how twee and obnoxious it was.
Remember that setting I mentioned before? I doubt anyone else did. It was so incredibly nothing to me. When the king was mentioned at 70%, I gasped out-loud. No idea that that was a constitutional monarchy, and that seems kind of important. Especially if a key part of your plot hinges on elections for the prime minister. Colton and Mai both have the world views of modern day progressives who have been to therapy, while being gay isn't allowed in the Ivory district for some vague hand-wavy reason. Why does the city have strictly delineated zones? Unclear. We have a very convenient reason for why our exorcist protagonist doesn't know much about exorcism, and that's a whole other can of worms.
Why don't we know more about the (and I hesitate to call it this) magic system of this world? After I finished this book, I could not tell you much of anything about how any of this all works. Part of this is because Colton is fraudulent, and the one scene of him and Mai doing research on is mostly skipped over, but why do I as the reader know nothing about how demons and exorcisms work? There are other legit exorcists. Someone must know something about something. Colton knows something about something, but we aren't shown it for reasons that are far beyond my ken. You know the reason we don't know a lot about necromancy in Gideon the Ninth and it doesn't feel like author bullshit that we don't know anything? Because Gideon herself could not give less of a fuck about necromancy, and we're reading her point of view. Colton knows at least some of what he's trying to fake, and all I could tell you is that there are sigils and candles involved sometimes. There's no reason that I shouldn't know more about the magic in this world. The whole thing is incredibly shallow and does not endear me to the world at all.
I also could not stand any of the characters by the end, mainly due to the god-forsaken dialogue. Lucien's puns are not nearly as charming as anyone in-narrative finds them. Colton's modernism made me groan, and not in a good way. I found the ways that both of their addictions were handled really sloppy. It seemed like they only struggled with addiction when the plot needed them to. I simply don't buy that Colton totally stopped drinking just because he was hanging out with Lucien and feeling better. Lucien's Blossom use was only mentioned when it was plot relevant (such as the OVERDOSE that needed fantasy NARCAN), to the point where I completely forgot about it until it got brought up. Speaking of insane shit related to Lucien, why on earth was Lucien getting raped by an older woman when he was 14 brought up once and then never again? Speaking of rape, why on earth was it so heavily implied that Lucere raped Colton, and then straight-up said that Colton was raped by cops (I'm just not sure what happened in that moment between Lucere and Colton; it was written like a cut to black rape scene, and the next scene is a flashback to the cop rape, so it sure as shit reads like rape)? And this was brought up once and never brought up again? This is some serious trauma that either of these characters would have from these events, and it's just treated as something for them to angst about in the moment. I do not have an inherent problem with main characters who have suffered more than Christ himself (source: how I feel about Felix Harrowgate), but if you're going this route, you have to account for their trauma.
The pacing in this book is a nightmare, including the pacing of the romantic relationship. Things just kind of happen, and things that would be interesting to hear about get skimmed over. Lucien and Colton have like one conversation and then they're perfectly in love forever (minus the influence of Lucere, but extenuating circumstances). Colton and Mai do a bunch of research, seemingly in one afternoon, and have learned everything they need to know about Lucere and how to stop him. Number one, as a grad student, that's not how good research works. That's how I do research when I've got something due the next day, and I do not learn everything I need to know from it. Number two, since it takes Colton like a month to try to exorcise Lucere anyway, why on earth didn't that research get done over the course of that month? Why couldn't we the reader have followed along with these characters as they did that research, and maybe learned some other tidbits. Why the hell did the actual government repression happen over the course of like 30-40 pages at the end of the book? We surely could have trimmed some of the scenes of Lucien and Colton bantering for that. The banter wasn't even good. Worst of all, The Arm.
The Arm pissed me off so badly that I stopped reading the book for a minute, and it was the moment that this book went from a 3 star to a 1 star. One of the few things that we the reader know about exorcisms is that if the part of the body with the demon in it gets cut off, it needs to get burnt. So when Lucere cuts Lucien's arm off, I said "oh, we need to burn that arm". Guess what? WE DON'T BURN THAT ARM! Why? BECAUSE ODESSA WANTED TO KEEP IT SO LUCIEN COULD LOOK AT IT OR BURY IT, AND THE COLTON SEEMINGLY FUCKING FORGOT ABOUT IT. HE FORGOT ABOUT IT. And THEN it turns out that the arm might have been a red herring the whole time, so it didn't even matter, because Lucere just randomly came back. Fuck me. I should have hurled my phone across the room.
The ending of this book was even worse. Lucien somehow survives getting stabbed in the heart (fine, I don't know how hearts work, that's none of my business), but he gets a fucking mechanical replacement heart . You CANNOT just introduce something like that at the end, unless you're going for an extremely grating and poorly done deus ex machina, in which case, yes, that's exactly how I'd do it. So damn much of this novel is Colton angsting about having to kill Lucien, and you're telling me they could have killed him and then brought him immediately over to a hospital to get a replacement heart? If there's a reason that this only could have happened because Lucien became prime minister, then you have to explain that beforehand, because this feels so fucking cheap. Colton has a bad reaction to seeing Lucien again, because he thinks it's Lucere, and THAT could have been so cool to play with! Colton and Lucien trying to get back into the groove of their earlier relationship after Lucien's possession should have been at least half of the book! That would have been so interesting to watch them heal from that trauma! But no, they spend like a month apart, and then they get married. It's fine. It's all fine. Everything is perfect. Lucien fixed all of the damage that he caused by burning down half of the Iron district and DEFINITELY killing people. It's fine. It's all fine.
It might not seem like it, but I really, truly wanted to enjoy this, and I feel that I gave it my best shot. But this was really a mess in the back half, and the front half was not nearly good enough to mitigate the damage done in the back half. There is no reason to read this with the amount of good or even mediocre MLM fantasy on the market right now. I really hope Deards improves as a writer in the future, because this was a genuinely compelling idea for a novel, but the execution was just terrible. Bless your heart for making it through this essay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2026
3.5 stars 🌟
I read this book for free through the 'Listen Now' section on NetGalley. This doesn't affect by rating or review.
I don't have a lot of thoughts on this. I found some parts interesting and couldn't stand a few parts. It got more interesting after the 70% mark for me personally. The writing at times was a bit jarring and the dialogues were a bit juvenile. I also didn't like that many parts happen off page and we just get told the events. The audiobook narration was fantastic though. Overall, not the best book but not the worst I've read either.
Reviewed on 4th January, 2026
DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
I read this book for free through the 'Listen Now' section on NetGalley. This doesn't affect by rating or review.
I don't have a lot of thoughts on this. I found some parts interesting and couldn't stand a few parts. It got more interesting after the 70% mark for me personally. The writing at times was a bit jarring and the dialogues were a bit juvenile. I also didn't like that many parts happen off page and we just get told the events. The audiobook narration was fantastic though. Overall, not the best book but not the worst I've read either.
Reviewed on 4th January, 2026
DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
May 5, 2025
I'd like to thank Books Forward and She Writes Press for this ARC in return for an honest review.
3.5 Stars
Colton is an exorcist, or at least is very good at pretending to be one, and one day gets a very lucrative offer from an unexpected and handsome business partner Lucian. Together they find and root out "demons" from the city's elite until the impossible happens. Demons are real, and now Colton must do everything in his power to try and not only wrap his head around this fact but also find a way to save Lucian's soul.
Demons, Political Machinations, found family, and some LGBT romance, it was a fun ride. The entire cast of characters are absolutely wonderful! I love the simmering romance going on (both of them) and I love the found family and deep friendships formed within this title. The story itself has so much to offer I'd recommend anyone who's a fan m/m queer romance or even just con artist exorcists to give it a shot.
However I was disappointed time and again when we were told and not shown something I would have liked to have seen. It almost feels like there was an attempt to shorten the book and thus took out swathes of possible connections and more understanding of some of the things that were going on.
Phrases like:
- "The jobs came and they came-" (I would have liked to seen more exorcism jobs)
-"Went through the motions" (What motions? You just started?)
-"They spoke of their pasts too" (Would have been nice to see some of these conversations, admittedly there are some towards the end of the book but I feel like this was just rushed when it was said.)
-"Whatever the other eight ---- got up to, Colton really never found out." (WHAT?)
The other (minor complaint) would be we get a few time skips in the middle of a chapter. I definitely think either a page break or a new chapter would have been much more immersive then the time skip in the middle of a chapter and being like well okay I guess were just moving on then.
It didn't feel very natural and like the story was just being moved forward forcefully and it took me out of it quite a few times and left me scratching my head at why the abrupt end to what was going on before. This however could just be personal preference.
Overall it's a good book. Imo it could use a little TLC and expand some ideas. If interested in the plot I would recommend it.
*Warning (for those it matters) this title contains: homophobia/blood/torture/dismemberment/rape(not detailed)/domestic violence.
3.5 Stars
Colton is an exorcist, or at least is very good at pretending to be one, and one day gets a very lucrative offer from an unexpected and handsome business partner Lucian. Together they find and root out "demons" from the city's elite until the impossible happens. Demons are real, and now Colton must do everything in his power to try and not only wrap his head around this fact but also find a way to save Lucian's soul.
Demons, Political Machinations, found family, and some LGBT romance, it was a fun ride. The entire cast of characters are absolutely wonderful! I love the simmering romance going on (both of them) and I love the found family and deep friendships formed within this title. The story itself has so much to offer I'd recommend anyone who's a fan m/m queer romance or even just con artist exorcists to give it a shot.
However I was disappointed time and again when we were told and not shown something I would have liked to have seen. It almost feels like there was an attempt to shorten the book and thus took out swathes of possible connections and more understanding of some of the things that were going on.
Phrases like:
- "The jobs came and they came-" (I would have liked to seen more exorcism jobs)
-"Went through the motions" (What motions? You just started?)
-"They spoke of their pasts too" (Would have been nice to see some of these conversations, admittedly there are some towards the end of the book but I feel like this was just rushed when it was said.)
-"Whatever the other eight ---- got up to, Colton really never found out." (WHAT?)
The other (minor complaint) would be we get a few time skips in the middle of a chapter. I definitely think either a page break or a new chapter would have been much more immersive then the time skip in the middle of a chapter and being like well okay I guess were just moving on then.
It didn't feel very natural and like the story was just being moved forward forcefully and it took me out of it quite a few times and left me scratching my head at why the abrupt end to what was going on before. This however could just be personal preference.
Overall it's a good book. Imo it could use a little TLC and expand some ideas. If interested in the plot I would recommend it.
*Warning (for those it matters) this title contains: homophobia/blood/torture/dismemberment/rape(not detailed)/domestic violence.
November 10, 2025
Given the mixed reviews of Deards's previous book, I was pinning my hopes on Nicholas Boulton's narration here; as it turns out, he's just as good as I expected, but even he couldn't paper over the pacing problems or the incoherent characterizations and dialogue. As this was an audio ARC I can't supply quotes, but I found myself wincing over and over at malapropisms and clunky turns of phrase, and any faith I had in the relationship between the MCs was owing to Boulton's performance.
Sorry, and thanks to the author and NetGalley for the audio ARC.
Sorry, and thanks to the author and NetGalley for the audio ARC.
May 5, 2025
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book ended up being a real disappointment for me, despite an incredibly strong start. Initially, I thought it would become a new favorite: the pacing was sharp, and the humor was so dry and genuinely funny. The early chapters moved briskly. I particularly appreciated that the welfare of the pig Colton adopts at the start of the novel was considered when he moved about-unlike many novels where pets are just props in the background and not treated as living beings.
My favorite scene was the first exorcism the main characters performed together. The setting was eerie, the gore was horrific, and the resolution was such a strong finale. It truly became the high point of the book for me. One of the best things I have read in recent memory.
Unfortunately, the book loses its way as it progresses, which makes me feel like the scope might have been too ambitious for a debut.
The worldbuilding, in particular, felt inconsistent and confusing. I read the setting as Victorian at first (what with the nobles and their servants), but was disoriented by the appearance of modern comforts like hot water and heated floors. There are carriages instead of cars, radio instead of television, but also magical machines testing demon possession in someone's blood. I needed more concrete details to anchor me in the world: descriptions like “a bespoke suit” aren’t enough; what kind of suit? Is it a frock coat? A modern three-piece? I was left constantly unsure about the setting. Some established rules are also abandoned: early on, we learn people from the Iron District can’t enter the Ivory District, a restriction that gets the protagonist arrested and beaten as a child. Later, Lucian gives him a “pass” to cross the border between districts, but by the end,
There’s also confusion about the broader geography. At one point, Odessa talks about running off “to the continent”-is this supposed to be a fictional London then? Is “the continent” Europe? But Colton later says, “I care about you more than anyone else on this continent.” Which continent?! These details felt muddled and pulled me out of the story.
The synopsis also gives away half of the book, skipping over its best part and going straight to its twist.
The pacing of the romance is my last major complaint. The book opens with a perfect meeting and strong chemistry, but the relationship develops at breakneck speed. I ended up struggling to believe in the intensity of their connection, since it’s mostly told rather than shown.
In the end, this book is frustratingly inconsistent. I loved the horror and gore elements early on, found the characters charming, and genuinely enjoyed the humor. The idea behind the exorcisms are brilliant. But the second half didn’t maintain that quality and ultimately soured my experience. I’d rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
This book ended up being a real disappointment for me, despite an incredibly strong start. Initially, I thought it would become a new favorite: the pacing was sharp, and the humor was so dry and genuinely funny. The early chapters moved briskly. I particularly appreciated that the welfare of the pig Colton adopts at the start of the novel was considered when he moved about-unlike many novels where pets are just props in the background and not treated as living beings.
My favorite scene was the first exorcism the main characters performed together. The setting was eerie, the gore was horrific, and the resolution was such a strong finale. It truly became the high point of the book for me. One of the best things I have read in recent memory.
Unfortunately, the book loses its way as it progresses, which makes me feel like the scope might have been too ambitious for a debut.
The worldbuilding, in particular, felt inconsistent and confusing. I read the setting as Victorian at first (what with the nobles and their servants), but was disoriented by the appearance of modern comforts like hot water and heated floors. There are carriages instead of cars, radio instead of television, but also magical machines testing demon possession in someone's blood. I needed more concrete details to anchor me in the world: descriptions like “a bespoke suit” aren’t enough; what kind of suit? Is it a frock coat? A modern three-piece? I was left constantly unsure about the setting. Some established rules are also abandoned: early on, we learn people from the Iron District can’t enter the Ivory District, a restriction that gets the protagonist arrested and beaten as a child. Later, Lucian gives him a “pass” to cross the border between districts, but by the end,
There’s also confusion about the broader geography. At one point, Odessa talks about running off “to the continent”-is this supposed to be a fictional London then? Is “the continent” Europe? But Colton later says, “I care about you more than anyone else on this continent.” Which continent?! These details felt muddled and pulled me out of the story.
The synopsis also gives away half of the book, skipping over its best part and going straight to its twist.
The pacing of the romance is my last major complaint. The book opens with a perfect meeting and strong chemistry, but the relationship develops at breakneck speed. I ended up struggling to believe in the intensity of their connection, since it’s mostly told rather than shown.
In the end, this book is frustratingly inconsistent. I loved the horror and gore elements early on, found the characters charming, and genuinely enjoyed the humor. The idea behind the exorcisms are brilliant. But the second half didn’t maintain that quality and ultimately soured my experience. I’d rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
October 23, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook.
Fun little read about gay con artists, a blonde aristocrat, and his more sensible, but suffering, brunette boyfriend. I did enjoy the nearly steampunk setting with society heavily influenced by beliefs in demons. And the plot, that is essentially spoiled by the description...
However, I feel that The Lavender Blade sometimes bites off more than it's able to chew - it lacks in depth and atmosphere, especially in the later parts of the story.
Fun little read about gay con artists, a blonde aristocrat, and his more sensible, but suffering, brunette boyfriend. I did enjoy the nearly steampunk setting with society heavily influenced by beliefs in demons. And the plot, that is essentially spoiled by the description...
However, I feel that The Lavender Blade sometimes bites off more than it's able to chew - it lacks in depth and atmosphere, especially in the later parts of the story.
June 13, 2025
Finished one more ARC, The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards. This one’s a bit slow-paced, but overall story was pretty good, and pretty cute too.
About the Book: Colton had the misfortune of being born in the Iron Belt, a sort of industrial zone of the country, where the poorest do their best to make a living, and a life. But he also had the luck to be born into an exorcist family, his mother having been a truly gifted one. She passed on all she knew onto her boy, but Colton got jaded after her death. No divine intervention came to return his mother to him or protect him. So, it felt like it was all bogus. It was easy thus, when a fine man from Ivory District came down to the slums to take it up on the offer to keep faking the exorcisms, but for far better price. In the manors and homes of the Ivory District clients in want for a thrill. It went pretty well, payments were good enough for Colton to leave any day, enough to help his childhood friend, enough to start dreaming of a future. Until that one job that turned everything over…
My Opinion: There’s a core story, and there’s a lot of fillers to get to it. At times it’s pretty good, some side-hustles that are their own mini short stories of these two solving mysteries. Other times you just read on, aware that this is what you’ll have to get through to get to what you know is coming. But overall, the book was pretty good. Interesting world building, with religion, supernatural, and high society that craves the thrill of demon possession, even when they likely suspect it’s all bogus. That part could’ve been built upon heavier tbh. There are both steampunk elements, and elements of magic. The slowness did get tedious many times, but it covered a sweet love story between two unlikely fellas, and how life wasn’t about handing it to them.
A solid 4 out of 5, easy to read, and interesting enough.
About the Book: Colton had the misfortune of being born in the Iron Belt, a sort of industrial zone of the country, where the poorest do their best to make a living, and a life. But he also had the luck to be born into an exorcist family, his mother having been a truly gifted one. She passed on all she knew onto her boy, but Colton got jaded after her death. No divine intervention came to return his mother to him or protect him. So, it felt like it was all bogus. It was easy thus, when a fine man from Ivory District came down to the slums to take it up on the offer to keep faking the exorcisms, but for far better price. In the manors and homes of the Ivory District clients in want for a thrill. It went pretty well, payments were good enough for Colton to leave any day, enough to help his childhood friend, enough to start dreaming of a future. Until that one job that turned everything over…
My Opinion: There’s a core story, and there’s a lot of fillers to get to it. At times it’s pretty good, some side-hustles that are their own mini short stories of these two solving mysteries. Other times you just read on, aware that this is what you’ll have to get through to get to what you know is coming. But overall, the book was pretty good. Interesting world building, with religion, supernatural, and high society that craves the thrill of demon possession, even when they likely suspect it’s all bogus. That part could’ve been built upon heavier tbh. There are both steampunk elements, and elements of magic. The slowness did get tedious many times, but it covered a sweet love story between two unlikely fellas, and how life wasn’t about handing it to them.
A solid 4 out of 5, easy to read, and interesting enough.
November 4, 2025
Since I received an ARC of the audiobook rather than a text copy, I want to review the two things separately. I thought the quality of the audiobook was very high and the narrator very clearly distinguishes not only between the characters but between their class markers. I got farther into this story with the narration than I would've otherwise. And that's the end of good things I feel like I can say about this book. Basically, it's a pretty tried and true method when talking about books to discuss whether the balance of tell versus show was working for you as a reader. I don't think I've ever read a book that got it as wrong as this one? We encounter our main characters in their first meeting and then inexplicably have a text montage where they have several cases and tell each other their pasts. And that summary I just gave is basically what is in the book. I am completely baffled on why you would have the development of your character's partnership, the strength of which is supposed to drive the plot going forward, be completely off page?? Just have the book start when they're already established as a con duo and we can fill things in as we go instead?? There is also a muuuuch darker tone to this book then I was expecting and I don't think that the author nails it. In their first case, they find the body of a man tortured to death and they are a bit affected by it, but it feels like we just blithely move on from that and a lot of other traumatic things to get back to some bantery flirting. Too much whiplash for me.
June 9, 2025
(pre-reading) i feel like if you comp title a romantasy book (about men?) with Gideon the Ninth you have fundamentally misunderstood the Locked Tomb lowkey. Can't speak on the book but I shall be investigating
after reading this book i can say that I was in fact correct. Also I find it a bit icky when women write books exclusively about gay men, but also it's just not good? It's trying too hard to be dark without the tone of the narrative actually making it work so it just feels a bit childish.
after reading this book i can say that I was in fact correct. Also I find it a bit icky when women write books exclusively about gay men, but also it's just not good? It's trying too hard to be dark without the tone of the narrative actually making it work so it just feels a bit childish.
Want to read
October 29, 2024"For readers who loved Gideon the Ninth, Deards delivers a queer speculative fiction novel about what happens when a con artist exorcist becomes possessed for real."
hell yeah
hell yeah
May 7, 2025
e-ARC: 3⭐️ the first 50% of this book was genuinely on track to be a five-star read. I LOVE the premise of this book. Queer con-artist exorcists? Count me in. Unfortunately, the second half of the book felt rushed and the writing didn’t feel like it did the story justice.
The characters of this book are wonderful. We are shown incredible friendships, adorable romance, and the depiction of found family was great. The story and plot were very engaging, but I do wish we were given more “show” and less “tell.” At times, things felt very rushed and there were numerous times when it felt things were being explained directly to the reader through a character’s thoughts/inner narrations or a flashback/memory that was otherwise entirely out of place. It also seemed like the author was trying to be intentionally vague at times to gloss over potentially triggering topics, such as scenes with violence, homophobia, romance, or other negative/“inappropriate” content—but in execution that vagueness often felt a bit confusing/unclear and pulled me out of the flow of the story.
Otherwise, the world-building was so interesting; I was very intrigued by the mixed levels of technology and language/phrases that felt both modern and historical at times. There was a lot of potential there but ultimately left me wanting more/feeling somewhat unfinished or underdeveloped. Sometimes the language felt forced or unnatural and the tone/mood shifted in strange ways at times.
Overall, it was a positive experience but I do think there are areas it could be improved. I’d recommend to anyone who’s interested in the plot, but wouldn’t recommend if you’re feeling overly critical or would be bothered by the writing style.
And of course, thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for this ARC in return for an honest review.
The characters of this book are wonderful. We are shown incredible friendships, adorable romance, and the depiction of found family was great. The story and plot were very engaging, but I do wish we were given more “show” and less “tell.” At times, things felt very rushed and there were numerous times when it felt things were being explained directly to the reader through a character’s thoughts/inner narrations or a flashback/memory that was otherwise entirely out of place. It also seemed like the author was trying to be intentionally vague at times to gloss over potentially triggering topics, such as scenes with violence, homophobia, romance, or other negative/“inappropriate” content—but in execution that vagueness often felt a bit confusing/unclear and pulled me out of the flow of the story.
Otherwise, the world-building was so interesting; I was very intrigued by the mixed levels of technology and language/phrases that felt both modern and historical at times. There was a lot of potential there but ultimately left me wanting more/feeling somewhat unfinished or underdeveloped. Sometimes the language felt forced or unnatural and the tone/mood shifted in strange ways at times.
Overall, it was a positive experience but I do think there are areas it could be improved. I’d recommend to anyone who’s interested in the plot, but wouldn’t recommend if you’re feeling overly critical or would be bothered by the writing style.
And of course, thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for this ARC in return for an honest review.
May 22, 2025
i really wanted to love this because the premise sounded genuinely so interesting. there’s a nice effort with the character diversity and relationships, which i appreciate a lot and the first half was actually engaging.
the second half was… something. it felt rushed and vague, especially when the story touched on heavier topics and situations that deserved more time and depth. i kept wishing it’d show more than simply just telling this and that happened, it made the writing feel choppy and rushed.
the world building needed more depth and honestly the whole thing got a bit confusing and boring at times because of how things were being handled. there’s definitely potential that just needed a more thought out execution and smoother flow.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC — opinions expressed in this review are my own.
the second half was… something. it felt rushed and vague, especially when the story touched on heavier topics and situations that deserved more time and depth. i kept wishing it’d show more than simply just telling this and that happened, it made the writing feel choppy and rushed.
the world building needed more depth and honestly the whole thing got a bit confusing and boring at times because of how things were being handled. there’s definitely potential that just needed a more thought out execution and smoother flow.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC — opinions expressed in this review are my own.
June 6, 2025
3’8/5⭐️ First of all, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of “The lavender blade”. I found the first half of this book so interesting, i was pretty hooked to the story, both with the aspects related to the exorcisms and the profesional (and personal) relationship between Colton and Lucian. The second half was a little bit less interesting for me. Nonetheless, i really enjoyed the queer relationships in this book and the plot related to the exorcisms.
November 14, 2025
I'd like to thank Netgalley for this audio ARC.
4.75/5 stars
I loved this! It started out fast and the pace barely let up. I adored the characters and their dynamics. The plot surprised me some and took a darker turn than I expected, but it was emotional and I enjoyed myself the entire time.
The narration was also lovely the entire time.
A gorgeous queer story.
4.75/5 stars
I loved this! It started out fast and the pace barely let up. I adored the characters and their dynamics. The plot surprised me some and took a darker turn than I expected, but it was emotional and I enjoyed myself the entire time.
The narration was also lovely the entire time.
A gorgeous queer story.
November 5, 2025
Oh this was such a fun and touching read!
The dialogue and prose was witty, the characters charming, and the plot while nothing earth-shattering was still absolutely engaging and again a lot of fun! I truly enjoyed this and the narrator Nicholas Boulton did such a fantastic job!!!
Thank you NetGalley and E.L. Deards for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.
The dialogue and prose was witty, the characters charming, and the plot while nothing earth-shattering was still absolutely engaging and again a lot of fun! I truly enjoyed this and the narrator Nicholas Boulton did such a fantastic job!!!
Thank you NetGalley and E.L. Deards for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.
June 23, 2025
Started off strong and I wanted to love this, but alas, I did not.
Everything was rushed. The partnership, each con job, the buildup to The Big Job, the romance- it was like constantly playing a game of “One Two, Skip a Few, 99, 100”. A scene starts, we get minimal details, and then bam! they’re strangers turned partners that trust each other with their lives. One two, skip a few… Bam! They’re *thee* prominent exorcists in posh society. Bam! Redemption is within reach. It wasn’t believable nor was it fun to read. I actually stopped several times and went back a few pages to see if I missed something.
The bright spot was Lucian and his flamboyant, frivolous nature, but even his frequent endearments of ‘Sweetheart’ felt inauthentic.
The biggest disappointment was Marbles the pig. We were introduced to this potential sidekick very early on, but sadly, she’s little more than a prop every 50 pages. Give me More pig. Always more pig.
And the ending was just too convenient. If mechanical body parts are a thing, we should know that about this world long before they are the lynchpin of the ending.
Everything was rushed. The partnership, each con job, the buildup to The Big Job, the romance- it was like constantly playing a game of “One Two, Skip a Few, 99, 100”. A scene starts, we get minimal details, and then bam! they’re strangers turned partners that trust each other with their lives. One two, skip a few… Bam! They’re *thee* prominent exorcists in posh society. Bam! Redemption is within reach. It wasn’t believable nor was it fun to read. I actually stopped several times and went back a few pages to see if I missed something.
The bright spot was Lucian and his flamboyant, frivolous nature, but even his frequent endearments of ‘Sweetheart’ felt inauthentic.
The biggest disappointment was Marbles the pig. We were introduced to this potential sidekick very early on, but sadly, she’s little more than a prop every 50 pages. Give me More pig. Always more pig.
And the ending was just too convenient. If mechanical body parts are a thing, we should know that about this world long before they are the lynchpin of the ending.
October 27, 2025
The two protagonists of this book—Colton and Lucian—come together as faux-mediums scamming their clientele in The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards. Lucian of the Ivory District wants to build up his social word-of-mouth after his fabulously wealthy and powerful father disowned him, and he seeks out Colton, already a working medium in the lower district of Iron, to help him, promising him wealth. As their stars climb, however, Lucian’s father isn’t going to take his son’s antics in stride, and devises a terrible idea to take him to heel.
My thoughts:
•A little strange that it was third person but had bits like “And commit fraud while I was at it” as an internal thought without a tag like “he thought”. Or “Hopefully nothing fell out of my pockets”.
•The setting is kind of muddled. It’s a fantasy world, and has things like mechanical horses to pull carriages and heated floors (in the Ivory district anyway), so it feels like a quasi-Victorian-steampunk type situation, but then the dialogue is more casual slang, like dude, and there are radios as well.
•The pacing is a bit off as well. Weeks could go by in a single paragraph without much fanfare, and because of the quick change before a more regular pace of time passage, it felt a little chaotic. In one instance there were two characters spying on another, and then it abruptly jumps to musing about how a relationship was changing. Weeks slipping by also made it difficult to actually FEEL the closeness between Colton and Lucian deepening rather than just being told that it was occurring.
•Incidents happen very coincidentally, like a midterm election just so happens to be triggered, which is very beneficial when one character has decided to try for prime minister. And things are easily swept under the rug—there would be no outcry, no investigation, no attention whatsoever to a highly influential and wealthy member of society being brutally murdered? It was covered up with the excuse of “heart attack” which didn’t match the method whatsoever, but I find it hard to believe the real details wouldn’t have leaked out to the public.
•I think it might have flowed better if the election had more build up and the changes had taken place over more length of the book rather than being shoehorned at the end. The climax was pretty thrilling, though.
•I enjoyed the characters. It was nice to have side characters like Odessa and Mai to make the stakes higher for Lucian and Colton.
I’d recommend this to people who enjoy YA paranormal reads.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My thoughts:
•A little strange that it was third person but had bits like “And commit fraud while I was at it” as an internal thought without a tag like “he thought”. Or “Hopefully nothing fell out of my pockets”.
•The setting is kind of muddled. It’s a fantasy world, and has things like mechanical horses to pull carriages and heated floors (in the Ivory district anyway), so it feels like a quasi-Victorian-steampunk type situation, but then the dialogue is more casual slang, like dude, and there are radios as well.
•The pacing is a bit off as well. Weeks could go by in a single paragraph without much fanfare, and because of the quick change before a more regular pace of time passage, it felt a little chaotic. In one instance there were two characters spying on another, and then it abruptly jumps to musing about how a relationship was changing. Weeks slipping by also made it difficult to actually FEEL the closeness between Colton and Lucian deepening rather than just being told that it was occurring.
•Incidents happen very coincidentally, like a midterm election just so happens to be triggered, which is very beneficial when one character has decided to try for prime minister. And things are easily swept under the rug—there would be no outcry, no investigation, no attention whatsoever to a highly influential and wealthy member of society being brutally murdered? It was covered up with the excuse of “heart attack” which didn’t match the method whatsoever, but I find it hard to believe the real details wouldn’t have leaked out to the public.
•I think it might have flowed better if the election had more build up and the changes had taken place over more length of the book rather than being shoehorned at the end. The climax was pretty thrilling, though.
•I enjoyed the characters. It was nice to have side characters like Odessa and Mai to make the stakes higher for Lucian and Colton.
I’d recommend this to people who enjoy YA paranormal reads.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2025
Who thinks it's a good idea to out major plotpoints and reveals into the description that only happen 30/40/50% into the book?! It takes away so much of the suspension and engagement.
Unfortunately that's the case for The Lavender Blade's descriptions, so I recommend not reading it.
The book follows Colton, from the poor Iron district, who performs "exorcisms" for money. Randomly, he is contacted by rich Lucian, who wants to team up and perform the "exorcisms" not only for the common folk, but con money out of the rich and upper class people in the Ivory district too - and do some good on the side while they are at it. But between personal and family struggles, they realize that maybe there is more to the whole magic and demon business than they thought...
The writing in this is not the most elegant. It took me a while to get used to the sometimes clumsy writing style and the overuse of similes to refer to characters. There are also a lot of timeskips and telling-not-showing, where big impactful things are just briefly told to the reader in a couple sentences, if that. I found this a big disappointing at times, because I would have liked to see those things!
Crucially, we are not allowed to see Lucian and Colton grow closer and trust each other slowly over time. Instead they do one job together and then we jump straight to them basically living together. This made me really struggle with getting a grip on their dynamic, and it also took me a long time to get a feel for Lucian. I was super mistrustful of him for a good chunk of the book and fully expected him to have some ulterior motives, simply because I was not allowed to get to know him organically on-page - and because I am still confused about his general motives to partner up with Colton? They seemed pretty flimsy to me.
The plot itself was fine, but the major turn happened pretty late in the book, and, again, was spoiled in the description, making it feel like the beginning was way too long, even though it wasn't. When shit finally started to go down, I actually really enjoyed some of Colton's reactions and his pragmatism, though he kind of flip-flop with his reactions.
Related to the writing style: while the narrator was not bad at all, I really struggled with keeping direct speech/dialogue apart from Colton's inner monologue, or sometimes also with keeping track of who was talking.
Overall this was a fun romp following two charming grifters doing good, but their baggage catches up to them. Not the most artful writing, but decent enough, if a bit awkward at times.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Unfortunately that's the case for The Lavender Blade's descriptions, so I recommend not reading it.
The book follows Colton, from the poor Iron district, who performs "exorcisms" for money. Randomly, he is contacted by rich Lucian, who wants to team up and perform the "exorcisms" not only for the common folk, but con money out of the rich and upper class people in the Ivory district too - and do some good on the side while they are at it. But between personal and family struggles, they realize that maybe there is more to the whole magic and demon business than they thought...
The writing in this is not the most elegant. It took me a while to get used to the sometimes clumsy writing style and the overuse of similes to refer to characters. There are also a lot of timeskips and telling-not-showing, where big impactful things are just briefly told to the reader in a couple sentences, if that. I found this a big disappointing at times, because I would have liked to see those things!
Crucially, we are not allowed to see Lucian and Colton grow closer and trust each other slowly over time. Instead they do one job together and then we jump straight to them basically living together. This made me really struggle with getting a grip on their dynamic, and it also took me a long time to get a feel for Lucian. I was super mistrustful of him for a good chunk of the book and fully expected him to have some ulterior motives, simply because I was not allowed to get to know him organically on-page - and because I am still confused about his general motives to partner up with Colton? They seemed pretty flimsy to me.
The plot itself was fine, but the major turn happened pretty late in the book, and, again, was spoiled in the description, making it feel like the beginning was way too long, even though it wasn't. When shit finally started to go down, I actually really enjoyed some of Colton's reactions and his pragmatism, though he kind of flip-flop with his reactions.
Related to the writing style: while the narrator was not bad at all, I really struggled with keeping direct speech/dialogue apart from Colton's inner monologue, or sometimes also with keeping track of who was talking.
Overall this was a fun romp following two charming grifters doing good, but their baggage catches up to them. Not the most artful writing, but decent enough, if a bit awkward at times.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
June 27, 2025
Colton lives in the rough Iron Belt trying to make a living as a exorcist, a fake one that is. Colton doesn't believe in ghosts or demons and he definitely doesn't believe in himself. When Lucian from the wealthy Ivory District comes across him, he has a interesting proposition for Colton. Lucian is in need of money since his father cut him off so he wants to fake exorcisms in the Ivory District with Colton's help. Colton agrees and it isn't long until the money starts rolling in for both him and Lucian. There might even be the start of a romance for them. Until everything goes sideways on their latest gig. Maybe demons aren't so fake after all...
I highly enjoyed this story. It was right up my alley and I was definitely hooked. Colton and Lucian were amazing characters to read about. They made each other better people and even start falling in love. Their romance was definitely a slow-burn but oh so delightful to read about. There were also quite the funny moments when they were faking exorcisms that made me laugh out loud and I just loved those moments.
There was quite the contrast between the moments of them doing exorcism jobs and then after the one job where things go wrong. Then things started becoming darker in the story and more heartbreaking. As sad as some scenes were it made for a thrilling story where I wasn't sure what would happen next. I was left guessing at every turn until the last few chapters.
I also want to shout out some of the secondary characters like Mai, Odessa and Marbles the pig. Yes, that's right, a pig. I really loved them so much. They stood by Colton and Lucian when everything went to shit in their world and I appreciated that so much since it wasn't easy for any of them. I was actually pretty worried about Marbles when the story turned darker but I can say that everything turned okay with Marbles. I also would love a sequel or novella about Mai and Odessa. That would be so great!
The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards is a wonderful queer fantasy with a slow-burn romance that touches the heart. Fans of S.T. Gibson's Evocation will absolutely love this book and devour it just like I did.
I highly enjoyed this story. It was right up my alley and I was definitely hooked. Colton and Lucian were amazing characters to read about. They made each other better people and even start falling in love. Their romance was definitely a slow-burn but oh so delightful to read about. There were also quite the funny moments when they were faking exorcisms that made me laugh out loud and I just loved those moments.
There was quite the contrast between the moments of them doing exorcism jobs and then after the one job where things go wrong. Then things started becoming darker in the story and more heartbreaking. As sad as some scenes were it made for a thrilling story where I wasn't sure what would happen next. I was left guessing at every turn until the last few chapters.
I also want to shout out some of the secondary characters like Mai, Odessa and Marbles the pig. Yes, that's right, a pig. I really loved them so much. They stood by Colton and Lucian when everything went to shit in their world and I appreciated that so much since it wasn't easy for any of them. I was actually pretty worried about Marbles when the story turned darker but I can say that everything turned okay with Marbles. I also would love a sequel or novella about Mai and Odessa. That would be so great!
The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards is a wonderful queer fantasy with a slow-burn romance that touches the heart. Fans of S.T. Gibson's Evocation will absolutely love this book and devour it just like I did.
May 10, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC e-book, in exchange for an honest review.
2.5 stars. I…wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It started strong- I like the ideas the author clearly spent time developing, the characters were well planned, the synopsis is intriguing. About 1/3 of the way through the book though, it started unraveling.
The good:
TWO bi-sexual MCs and TWO gay MCs; discussion of workers’ rights, healthcare, social-economic insecurity, privilege, homophobia, identity; action, heart, love, loss. I love the discussion Lucian has about consent! Something we SO rarely see in fantasy novels (for whatever reason???). I like the relationships, I like some of the scene setting, I like the description of the clothing/food.
The bad:
The pacing was very difficult to keep up with. Some scenes dragged on with a lengthy inner monologue, some scenes jumped ahead with little to no warning, and sometimes these followed right after one another (ex: Colton is in his head daydreaming, and then he “awakens” into the world where the story has somehow progressed). There were scenes I had to reread, confused as to when someone picked up a knife, or when a character entered a scene.
The relationships are choppy, and seemingly jump forward and backward at odd intervals. One minute Colton can’t stand Lucian, then he’s fallen in love with him basically at first sight? We don’t get a lot of anything from Lucian about why he might love Colton- just a lot of little jokes and jabs, which don’t seem like enough to build a true love. A lot of telling, rather than showing, which is an unfortunate theme here.
The world building felt incomplete. The author clearly had a great, well mapped idea, but it felt like the specifics really got away from her. It, to me, read as if the author thought we already had a good grip on how the world worked and was laid out. She doesn’t describe the sort of caste system (Iron, Ivory) but expects us to just get it. She also doesn’t fully explain the conditions in either place- Iron is poor and dirty, but we only see one case of sickness (with Mai)? Iron is also rough-and-tumble, but we see no examples of any violence at all, except for from the Ivory guards. Things just don’t seem to add up. I didn’t feel like I really stepped into the world at any point, which felt lacking for me.
The book feels almost like the people who edited it might’ve also received a verbal description of some of the characters, world details, and plot points that the rest of us didn’t get. It felt like there were holes that seemed clearly in need of gap bridging, that maybe the author just missed?
Overall:
A really cool concept, great sketches of characters, good ideas for a plot. The details were lacking, world building was poor, and the transitions between scenes and spaces in time were wonky, leaving me feeling confused more than gripped by this book. A good try, that just needed a bit more editing and fleshing out!
2.5 stars. I…wanted to like this book so much more than I did. It started strong- I like the ideas the author clearly spent time developing, the characters were well planned, the synopsis is intriguing. About 1/3 of the way through the book though, it started unraveling.
The good:
TWO bi-sexual MCs and TWO gay MCs; discussion of workers’ rights, healthcare, social-economic insecurity, privilege, homophobia, identity; action, heart, love, loss. I love the discussion Lucian has about consent! Something we SO rarely see in fantasy novels (for whatever reason???). I like the relationships, I like some of the scene setting, I like the description of the clothing/food.
The bad:
The pacing was very difficult to keep up with. Some scenes dragged on with a lengthy inner monologue, some scenes jumped ahead with little to no warning, and sometimes these followed right after one another (ex: Colton is in his head daydreaming, and then he “awakens” into the world where the story has somehow progressed). There were scenes I had to reread, confused as to when someone picked up a knife, or when a character entered a scene.
The relationships are choppy, and seemingly jump forward and backward at odd intervals. One minute Colton can’t stand Lucian, then he’s fallen in love with him basically at first sight? We don’t get a lot of anything from Lucian about why he might love Colton- just a lot of little jokes and jabs, which don’t seem like enough to build a true love. A lot of telling, rather than showing, which is an unfortunate theme here.
The world building felt incomplete. The author clearly had a great, well mapped idea, but it felt like the specifics really got away from her. It, to me, read as if the author thought we already had a good grip on how the world worked and was laid out. She doesn’t describe the sort of caste system (Iron, Ivory) but expects us to just get it. She also doesn’t fully explain the conditions in either place- Iron is poor and dirty, but we only see one case of sickness (with Mai)? Iron is also rough-and-tumble, but we see no examples of any violence at all, except for from the Ivory guards. Things just don’t seem to add up. I didn’t feel like I really stepped into the world at any point, which felt lacking for me.
The book feels almost like the people who edited it might’ve also received a verbal description of some of the characters, world details, and plot points that the rest of us didn’t get. It felt like there were holes that seemed clearly in need of gap bridging, that maybe the author just missed?
Overall:
A really cool concept, great sketches of characters, good ideas for a plot. The details were lacking, world building was poor, and the transitions between scenes and spaces in time were wonky, leaving me feeling confused more than gripped by this book. A good try, that just needed a bit more editing and fleshing out!
October 18, 2025
3.5/4
Normally, I don’t go near the fantasy genre, but the horror/paranormal side of this one totally hooked me—and it did not disappoint.
Whirlwind queer romance,Con artist exorcists, Actual possession?? YES, YES, YES!
Colton and Lucian make a living scamming the desperate with fake exorcisms—Colton’s the trick, Lucian’s the charm—but when Lucian ends up actually possessed, things get dark fast. What follows is a desperate, emotional ride full of magic, horror, and heartbreak.
I loved the mix of eerie tension and emotional chaos, and the narrator did a great job capturing it all. If you’re into morally gray characters, queer romance, and supernatural messiness—you’ll want to add this one to your list.
Normally, I don’t go near the fantasy genre, but the horror/paranormal side of this one totally hooked me—and it did not disappoint.
Whirlwind queer romance,Con artist exorcists, Actual possession?? YES, YES, YES!
Colton and Lucian make a living scamming the desperate with fake exorcisms—Colton’s the trick, Lucian’s the charm—but when Lucian ends up actually possessed, things get dark fast. What follows is a desperate, emotional ride full of magic, horror, and heartbreak.
I loved the mix of eerie tension and emotional chaos, and the narrator did a great job capturing it all. If you’re into morally gray characters, queer romance, and supernatural messiness—you’ll want to add this one to your list.
November 11, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.
Fantastic narrator. He was so into it, haha, I loved it.
I agree with a lot of the other reviews saying that a lot of events were kind of summarized…
…but I didn’t actually mind it. It was evenly dispersed with detailed scenes so it didn’t feel like info dumping or anything, and the Colton’s voice was conversational enough that listening to the story was still very enjoyable. Perhaps reading it would impact this.
Some of the technology introduced at the end took me for a loop. It didn’t really feel like part of the established world building through the first 2/3 of the story. I did otherwise like the world: sort of steampunk-y Victorian vibes, exorcisms and social woes.
Fantastic narrator. He was so into it, haha, I loved it.
I agree with a lot of the other reviews saying that a lot of events were kind of summarized…
…but I didn’t actually mind it. It was evenly dispersed with detailed scenes so it didn’t feel like info dumping or anything, and the Colton’s voice was conversational enough that listening to the story was still very enjoyable. Perhaps reading it would impact this.
Some of the technology introduced at the end took me for a loop. It didn’t really feel like part of the established world building through the first 2/3 of the story. I did otherwise like the world: sort of steampunk-y Victorian vibes, exorcisms and social woes.
November 21, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
Overall, I enjoyed this book and found the premise quite fun and interesting. I really liked the humour and the characters. I do love a found family. And shenanigans! Colton and Lucian with their fake exorcism acts were great. Their love was sweet as well, and the lengths Colton goes to is remarkable.
I will say, though, that this book should come with Content Warnings at the beginning, since there is heavy subject matter. The heavier topics were emotional and I do think it's important to give the readers, especially those who could be triggered, a heads up.
I was given the ALC from Netgalley and I think the narrator did a really great job. I liked that he was able to make each character their own. And he portrayed the emotions of the story well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and found the premise quite fun and interesting. I really liked the humour and the characters. I do love a found family. And shenanigans! Colton and Lucian with their fake exorcism acts were great. Their love was sweet as well, and the lengths Colton goes to is remarkable.
I will say, though, that this book should come with Content Warnings at the beginning, since there is heavy subject matter. The heavier topics were emotional and I do think it's important to give the readers, especially those who could be triggered, a heads up.
I was given the ALC from Netgalley and I think the narrator did a really great job. I liked that he was able to make each character their own. And he portrayed the emotions of the story well.
June 12, 2025
This was a cute and unexpected exorcist romance.
The book started off slow, and had the feel of a cozy fantasy. It has the wealthy but scorned man, the poor and smart partner, and the banter between the two of them was adorable. I loved the commitment and trust between them, and their vision to improve the world.
The exorcism twist was unexpected and I liked where it went. The irony of their goals being accomplished in an unorthodox manner made me giggle.
Overall, a cute quick read - a cozy fantasy feel with more depth than typical.
The book started off slow, and had the feel of a cozy fantasy. It has the wealthy but scorned man, the poor and smart partner, and the banter between the two of them was adorable. I loved the commitment and trust between them, and their vision to improve the world.
The exorcism twist was unexpected and I liked where it went. The irony of their goals being accomplished in an unorthodox manner made me giggle.
Overall, a cute quick read - a cozy fantasy feel with more depth than typical.
January 12, 2026
Why I read it: I wanted something creepy, maybe even something a little heart-wrenching. It did seem like it could be a little heart-wrenching at the least. The blurb said Colton and Lucian are partners in crime (scamming rich people with their fake exorcisms) and in romance, and then Lucian gets possessed for realsies, and Colton has to deal with that, and I figured, "Oh, that'll be nice. I really like exorcisms and gay romance novels, so to have both in one should be so good."
Thoughts: It wasn't nice. It wasn't good. This review pretty much nails all of the issues I had with this book. I don't really want to spend a lot of time talking about it, so I'll just make a brief list of things that stick out to me:
1. At some point I started to feel like this was maybe fanfiction with the serials filed off. I don't object to that. My issue is that this feels like modern-day-with-some-magic fanfiction that was transported to a fictional setting and back in time to the Industrial Revolution. The review I linked above (henceforth referred to as The Other Review) mentions that the upper class district is horrendously repressed, while the lower class district is very sexually liberated and up to date on modern progressive mores and therapy speak. I believe the words "As long as you're not hurting anyone and you're not a pedophile, I don't care what you do" are specifically uttered, which is objectively a correct take in 2025, but in a pseudo-Victorian Era novel, it made me quietly shut the book, lay it down, and look out the window sadly for two minutes.
But beyond that, I also kept a running list of words and concepts that struck me as particularly inappropriate for the fantasy/period setting or for the worldbuilding generally: cholesterol; hype; dude; rawr; sensory overload; international assassins; micro-herbs; schmooze; gay (as in, homosexual, not as in happy); banana; rebound (i.e. someone being your rebound after your ex); psych evaluation; "I am retracting consent"; hokay (i.e. "okay" but funny); endorphins; dork; hantavirus. They also have blood pressure and blood testing machines that can "detect evils or something", while the lower-class district only gets... leeches. Oh and there's open heart surgery, too, where they can just replace your heart with a mechanical/clockwork contraption.
2. The pacing was horrendous, as the author tried to have her cake (tell the story of this possession) and eat it too (start telling the story of this possession from the very first time the characters meet and go through their entire relationship, rather than starting at a more interesting point in time). The possession doesn't happen until a solid two thirds of the way through, and several passages of time were truncated to a handful or paragraphs when writing them out more fully would have served the story better. By the time Colton and Lucian finished their first exorcism con, I had already committed to a long-winded story of their careers and relationship, so I was actually disappointed when sveeral periods of time (Colton and Lucian's rise in fame and fortune as exorcists to the rich, Lucian coaching Colton in manners and comportment when they're going to attend the fancy society ball, Lucian and Colton's machinations in besmirching the name of Odessa's fiance).
3. I didn't undertand the actual worldbuilding. At the end of the book, I couldn't tell you a single thing about how the world is organised other than "Silvermoor has three districts", and normally I wouldn't even really care, but so much fuss is made of politics within Silvermoor that I ended up with more questions than answers. Is Silvermoor a country, or a city-state? There's talk of their "nation", but as far as I can tell, their nation solely consists of The City Silvermoor and the Ives Estate that they travel to at some point, which is the only place out of the city that ever gets mentioned. They seem to have neighbours and some of them are enemies, and those enemy countries apparently have slave traders, because to besmirch the fiance's name, they cause rumours that he's trading with the slave traders. And there are also "international assassins" that Colton and Lucian are afraid Lucian's dad might send after them if they try to rescue Odessa (Lucian's sister) by stealing her away. So what is Silvermoor's position in this world? The other review mentions that they have a king, which I completely missed (my eyes must've been glazed over by that point), and they have a prime minister, with apparently yearly elections, which must cost a lot to keep organising, but like... why?
4. The worst part of the novel to me was their brief visit to the Ives Estate/the Ives church/whatever it was. They get knocked out by knock-out gas and when Colton wakes up, he discovers he's being held in one room in the church, and Lucian is held elsewhere. He's shirtless and Reverend Ives is ALL NAKED, but for a loincloth, and covered in blood and ink. It transpires that Lucian put up a struggle when he woke up, so Ives just straight up killed him, stabbed him and watched him die. Colton demands to be taken to the body and for plot reasons, Ives obeys. He's also crying/snivelling and wiping his nose on his sleeve. Where the sleeve appears from, because, again, he's only wearing a loincloth, I have no idea. They go down into the reverend's torturemurderdeath dungeon, and it turns out, surprise!, Lucian is actually totally alive? Reverend Ives just carved a copy of Colton's rune tattoos into Lucian's chest and stabbed him, I guess, and apparently there was just so much blood that he was like, "That'll do it."????? At some point, Colton also grabs the reverend by "the collar of his soft cotton shirt," which then sent me into a flurry of re-reading the past 3-4 pages over and over again to try and find where his man put a fucking shirt on. I still can't find it. Anyway, this leads me to point
5. Nothing ever really has consequences here. The other review mentions this as well, but I particularly started noticing it with the Reverend Ives incident. Ives carves the runes into Lucian's chest. "That's pretty cool," I thought to myself. "Gruesome, but cool. Maybe a little traumatising. He's gonna have scars forever now, and they're just like Colton's tattoos, which I guess makes it a little romantic, a little sexy. He's gonna be sad about the scars and then Colton will have to reassure him, say something daft and sweet like 'At least now we match,' and Lucian is gonna be all swooning and stuff and it's gonna be so nice." Like fuck it was. Once Colton rescues Lucian, the focus of the scene immediately moves to Lucian tending to a self-inflicted cut on Colton's hand, and the runes carved into his actual chest by an actual religious nutcase are never mentioned again, ever. I was like, "Okay, maybe they really aren't that bad. But eventually they're gonna see each other naked, so they'll get mentioned then, for sure." And they are not. Colton explicitly sees Lucian all naked later, when he undresses him for a bath, and there's no mention of anything. I was miffed and upset. The author took every opportunity for the characters to angst about literally everything else, and this was just such a perfect set-up for that, the one thing I was really looking forward to, and it's just. Not used.
And then there's the horrendous amounts of sexual assault and (underage) rape, mostly implied but occasionally also shown on page. But these things are also given no real weight or consequence or comment. Colton is obviously sympathetic towards Lucian (the frequent target of these things) and thinks that shouldn't have happened to him, but it's weirdly brief, like the author was just ticking a box, and that keeps on going like that to the end. Lucere (the demon who eventually does possess Lucian) rapes Colton at least once in a fade to black moment, he also hires a lot of female prostitutes to have sex with (after Lucian turns out to be explicitly gay, so this is a twist on rape and lack of consent) that he also manhandles and marks, and I think it's implied that he also keeps raping/molesting Colton because he knows it's distressing to him to have it done by Lucian's face/body.
6. Finally, I can't believe that the demon Lucere did all that just so he could become prime minister.
My (dis)respectful conclusion is that whoever edited and proofed this book should be fired.
Would I read more from this author: No.
Would I recommend it: If you choose to not read this, you will have respected yourself more than the author respects you.
Keep or cull: Cull.
Thoughts: It wasn't nice. It wasn't good. This review pretty much nails all of the issues I had with this book. I don't really want to spend a lot of time talking about it, so I'll just make a brief list of things that stick out to me:
1. At some point I started to feel like this was maybe fanfiction with the serials filed off. I don't object to that. My issue is that this feels like modern-day-with-some-magic fanfiction that was transported to a fictional setting and back in time to the Industrial Revolution. The review I linked above (henceforth referred to as The Other Review) mentions that the upper class district is horrendously repressed, while the lower class district is very sexually liberated and up to date on modern progressive mores and therapy speak. I believe the words "As long as you're not hurting anyone and you're not a pedophile, I don't care what you do" are specifically uttered, which is objectively a correct take in 2025, but in a pseudo-Victorian Era novel, it made me quietly shut the book, lay it down, and look out the window sadly for two minutes.
But beyond that, I also kept a running list of words and concepts that struck me as particularly inappropriate for the fantasy/period setting or for the worldbuilding generally: cholesterol; hype; dude; rawr; sensory overload; international assassins; micro-herbs; schmooze; gay (as in, homosexual, not as in happy); banana; rebound (i.e. someone being your rebound after your ex); psych evaluation; "I am retracting consent"; hokay (i.e. "okay" but funny); endorphins; dork; hantavirus. They also have blood pressure and blood testing machines that can "detect evils or something", while the lower-class district only gets... leeches. Oh and there's open heart surgery, too, where they can just replace your heart with a mechanical/clockwork contraption.
2. The pacing was horrendous, as the author tried to have her cake (tell the story of this possession) and eat it too (start telling the story of this possession from the very first time the characters meet and go through their entire relationship, rather than starting at a more interesting point in time). The possession doesn't happen until a solid two thirds of the way through, and several passages of time were truncated to a handful or paragraphs when writing them out more fully would have served the story better. By the time Colton and Lucian finished their first exorcism con, I had already committed to a long-winded story of their careers and relationship, so I was actually disappointed when sveeral periods of time (Colton and Lucian's rise in fame and fortune as exorcists to the rich, Lucian coaching Colton in manners and comportment when they're going to attend the fancy society ball, Lucian and Colton's machinations in besmirching the name of Odessa's fiance).
3. I didn't undertand the actual worldbuilding. At the end of the book, I couldn't tell you a single thing about how the world is organised other than "Silvermoor has three districts", and normally I wouldn't even really care, but so much fuss is made of politics within Silvermoor that I ended up with more questions than answers. Is Silvermoor a country, or a city-state? There's talk of their "nation", but as far as I can tell, their nation solely consists of The City Silvermoor and the Ives Estate that they travel to at some point, which is the only place out of the city that ever gets mentioned. They seem to have neighbours and some of them are enemies, and those enemy countries apparently have slave traders, because to besmirch the fiance's name, they cause rumours that he's trading with the slave traders. And there are also "international assassins" that Colton and Lucian are afraid Lucian's dad might send after them if they try to rescue Odessa (Lucian's sister) by stealing her away. So what is Silvermoor's position in this world? The other review mentions that they have a king, which I completely missed (my eyes must've been glazed over by that point), and they have a prime minister, with apparently yearly elections, which must cost a lot to keep organising, but like... why?
4. The worst part of the novel to me was their brief visit to the Ives Estate/the Ives church/whatever it was. They get knocked out by knock-out gas and when Colton wakes up, he discovers he's being held in one room in the church, and Lucian is held elsewhere. He's shirtless and Reverend Ives is ALL NAKED, but for a loincloth, and covered in blood and ink. It transpires that Lucian put up a struggle when he woke up, so Ives just straight up killed him, stabbed him and watched him die. Colton demands to be taken to the body and for plot reasons, Ives obeys. He's also crying/snivelling and wiping his nose on his sleeve. Where the sleeve appears from, because, again, he's only wearing a loincloth, I have no idea. They go down into the reverend's torturemurderdeath dungeon, and it turns out, surprise!, Lucian is actually totally alive? Reverend Ives just carved a copy of Colton's rune tattoos into Lucian's chest and stabbed him, I guess, and apparently there was just so much blood that he was like, "That'll do it."????? At some point, Colton also grabs the reverend by "the collar of his soft cotton shirt," which then sent me into a flurry of re-reading the past 3-4 pages over and over again to try and find where his man put a fucking shirt on. I still can't find it. Anyway, this leads me to point
5. Nothing ever really has consequences here. The other review mentions this as well, but I particularly started noticing it with the Reverend Ives incident. Ives carves the runes into Lucian's chest. "That's pretty cool," I thought to myself. "Gruesome, but cool. Maybe a little traumatising. He's gonna have scars forever now, and they're just like Colton's tattoos, which I guess makes it a little romantic, a little sexy. He's gonna be sad about the scars and then Colton will have to reassure him, say something daft and sweet like 'At least now we match,' and Lucian is gonna be all swooning and stuff and it's gonna be so nice." Like fuck it was. Once Colton rescues Lucian, the focus of the scene immediately moves to Lucian tending to a self-inflicted cut on Colton's hand, and the runes carved into his actual chest by an actual religious nutcase are never mentioned again, ever. I was like, "Okay, maybe they really aren't that bad. But eventually they're gonna see each other naked, so they'll get mentioned then, for sure." And they are not. Colton explicitly sees Lucian all naked later, when he undresses him for a bath, and there's no mention of anything. I was miffed and upset. The author took every opportunity for the characters to angst about literally everything else, and this was just such a perfect set-up for that, the one thing I was really looking forward to, and it's just. Not used.
And then there's the horrendous amounts of sexual assault and (underage) rape, mostly implied but occasionally also shown on page. But these things are also given no real weight or consequence or comment. Colton is obviously sympathetic towards Lucian (the frequent target of these things) and thinks that shouldn't have happened to him, but it's weirdly brief, like the author was just ticking a box, and that keeps on going like that to the end. Lucere (the demon who eventually does possess Lucian) rapes Colton at least once in a fade to black moment, he also hires a lot of female prostitutes to have sex with (after Lucian turns out to be explicitly gay, so this is a twist on rape and lack of consent) that he also manhandles and marks, and I think it's implied that he also keeps raping/molesting Colton because he knows it's distressing to him to have it done by Lucian's face/body.
6. Finally, I can't believe that the demon Lucere did all that just so he could become prime minister.
My (dis)respectful conclusion is that whoever edited and proofed this book should be fired.
Would I read more from this author: No.
Would I recommend it: If you choose to not read this, you will have respected yourself more than the author respects you.
Keep or cull: Cull.
May 17, 2025
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
That was a ROLLERCOASTER. Woah.
The first half of the book was so laid back for the most part. Letting us get to know Colton and Lucian, and letting them get to know each other, as they go on their scheming, fraudulent escapades. And THEN a switch got FLIPPED. It was almost like reading a completely different book, but still made sense considering the livelihood they were sinking deeper and deeper into.
I struggled with the pacing at times. Something moved too fast in the first half, too slow in the third quester, then too fast once again in the final act. But dang, I still found myself emotionally invested in this whole story. The characters were so loveable, I was completely endeared. Both Colton and Lucian stole my whole heart. I felt so deeply for both of them and what they were going through, as well as what they went through in the past. I want to take Lucian, wrap him in my arms, and never let another being hurt him again. But there was also Colton's best friend Mai and Lucian's sister Odessa who were incredible sidecharacters. Wonderfully fleshed out and not at all being lost in the shadows of the main characters. Odessa, especially, brought out a lot of emotion in me. I loved her. I loved her relationship with her brother, her growing relationship with Colton, her strength, her fortitude, her humor, her heart. She was splendid.
Overall, while I think pacing and plot structure could use some tweaking, the story was held together by splendid, fleshed out characters, raw emotion, and intrigue and shock to make for a pretty enjoyable read. I even cried a little at one point.
That was a ROLLERCOASTER. Woah.
The first half of the book was so laid back for the most part. Letting us get to know Colton and Lucian, and letting them get to know each other, as they go on their scheming, fraudulent escapades. And THEN a switch got FLIPPED. It was almost like reading a completely different book, but still made sense considering the livelihood they were sinking deeper and deeper into.
I struggled with the pacing at times. Something moved too fast in the first half, too slow in the third quester, then too fast once again in the final act. But dang, I still found myself emotionally invested in this whole story. The characters were so loveable, I was completely endeared. Both Colton and Lucian stole my whole heart. I felt so deeply for both of them and what they were going through, as well as what they went through in the past. I want to take Lucian, wrap him in my arms, and never let another being hurt him again. But there was also Colton's best friend Mai and Lucian's sister Odessa who were incredible sidecharacters. Wonderfully fleshed out and not at all being lost in the shadows of the main characters. Odessa, especially, brought out a lot of emotion in me. I loved her. I loved her relationship with her brother, her growing relationship with Colton, her strength, her fortitude, her humor, her heart. She was splendid.
Overall, while I think pacing and plot structure could use some tweaking, the story was held together by splendid, fleshed out characters, raw emotion, and intrigue and shock to make for a pretty enjoyable read. I even cried a little at one point.
October 23, 2025
A dark romantasy featuring a grouchy exorcist, a charming noble, a little piggy, and a demon that just may be the death of them all.
Colton is a poor man living in the Iron District that can barely scrape by as a fake exorcist. Shortly after inheriting a pig from his latest gig, he is discovered by Lord Lucian Belmont, a member of one of the most prestigious families in the Ivory District. Scared that Lucian is going to turn him in, Colton reluctantly agrees to team up with him and perform exorcisms for the wealthy. Unfortunately for them, the rich have dark secrets. Colton and Lucian find themselves in some pretty dangerous situations before long. Luckily, they make a pretty penny for themselves, but how could their days as fake exorcists not come back to haunt them in ways they never could have imagined?
I have such complicated feelings with this book. On one hand, I really enjoyed Lucian and Colton as characters, and their romance was stellar. But there are so many things about this book that I just can't get behind. It's disturbingly dark, the magic/lore of this land is hardly devoloped, and the ending went around itself in circles like ten times, which was insanely frustrating. I feel it will be hard to discuss this one thoroughly without spoiling anything, but I will try my darndest to do so. I think the best way to discuss my feelings with this one is to go in chronological order, so I'll start from the beginning.
This book starts with Colton on his own performing his duties as an exorcist. He acquires a cute little pig (who is later named Marbles) and spends most of his free time drinking to his heart's content. That is when Lucian finds him and demands that Colton uses his skills as an exorcist to help him with his schemes. The two then set out to pull off elaborate scams against the dastardliest of nobles and make a fortune for themselves along the way. This was honestly my favorite part of the book, even though most of the gigs seemed to be taken straight out of a horror movie. However, watching two grown men scam a bunch of rich monsters out of their fortunes was pretty entertaining.
This is also the part of the book where Colton and Lucian are falling in love with one another. The banter between these two is rock solid and the way that these two shamelessly flirt with one another was very entertaining. The romance between these two men was clearly a highlight of this book. If this relationship hadn't been penned so well, this book would have been truly awful. As it is, it is great seeing these two grow closer as they get into more and more dangerous scenarios together.
The second segment of the book takes a completely different turn, though it still deals with exorcism. If you want to avoid any talk of spoilers in the latter half of this book pleas skip to the paragraph that starts with "After repeating itself a few times." Now that those who don't want to know anything about the nature of the second half of this book are gone, we can continue. In the latter segment, Lucian is possessed by an actual demon by the name of Lucier. This leads to many scenes with Colton being tortured, raped, and pushed around by a demon from the literal depths of Hell. This is obviously not the easiest stuff to palate, but I was invested enough in Colton and Lucian's endeavors to want to know how they escaped this unfortunate situation.
Skip forward a bit and a giant exorcism happens for real to rid Lucian's body of the dastardly creature. After a giant fight scene goes down, I was convinced that the book was going to end in a matter of pages. However, that was not the case and the author decided for some reason that their characters as well as the reader had to suffer through even more demon torture, and that a happy ending would be too hard to obtain for Colton and Lucian. This leads to another few more hours of content that gave the same vibe as the earlier stuff that we had just read, which I found insanely frustrating.
After repeating itself a few times, the author decides to finally let the book end. I was super bored by the fact that events that had previously occurred in this novel for some reason had to happen again in a pretty similar fashion. It made for an even more dramatic fight scene at the end, but this seriously wasn't worth all the pain.
And the ending? Goodness, it was so lackluster. It did have a hopeful and sort of happy tone by the end, but I seriously don't know why the author felt they needed to drag this story out as long as they did. This book had a very natural spot to end, and for some reason, the author chose to drag it out, which led to boredom and repetitiveness. I'll stop griping about this and just say that the very ending of the book was okay, but nothing spectacular.
Another thing that bothered me was how most of the characters and conflicts seemed to really only be used as plot devices. Things such as Colton's pet pig and both of our main characters substance abuse issues were only brought up when they benefited the plot. Which, I know, that's how books work, but the author should know that most readers are overly invested in this pig and that shoving people's abuse issues to the wayside never feels anything but crunchy.
I feel that the distinct differences between the Iron District, which are the slummy lands that the poor people reside in, and the Ivory District, which is the rich's domain, was the strongest part of the worldbuilding. The world in this one only seems to have a hint of magic and the time period felt pretty ambiguous to me. This didn't detract from my reading experience too much, but I did spend a decent amount of time, trying to figure out the exact nature of this world.
Also, one final complaint before I go. How does the title or the cover tie into literally anything? I am so highly confused by them both and desperately want some insight on this.
Despite all my gripes, I still found myself highly intrigued by Colton and Lucian's story. I still enjoyed my time with this book, even though more things bothered me about it than didn't. Yes, I spent most of this review complaining, but that doesn't mean I found this book to be complete garbage either.
Overall, "The Lavender Blade" was an intriguing dark romantasy novel brimming with sharp wit and dry humor. Colton and Lucian's misadventures as exorcists had me coming back for more time and time again, despite the dark and gruesome nature of this book that wasn't my cup of tea. However, I really wish the false ending of this book would have been the real ending, because I found the last fourth or so of this book to be insanely repetitive. This tale is a very interesting take on exorcism and demonic possession, but it was way too dark for me stomach easily. The world was also a tad disjointed, but I stayed along for the entire ride because I seriously appreciate Colton and Lucian as characters and their romance hooked me early on.
Audiobook Note: The narrator, Nicholas Boulton, did such a phenomenal job of bringing this story to life. I fear without the audiobook, it would have taken me months to make my way through this story. They play Colton's grouchy nature and Lucian's flirty, over the top way both equally well; I truly adore how they brought these characters to life. Boulton is also British, which made me want to turn on this audiobook time after time, even if I wasn't quite prepared for all the bloodshed and torture that was to come. Boulton truly nailed this performance, and I hope to listen to more of his work in the future.
Incidentally, the next audiobook I started, "Falling" by Christian Lauren, also has Nicholas Boulton as a narrator. I thought the voice sounded familiar, but the odds of that are actually astronomical. This is truly hilarious, but it's cool that I was reunited with his voice so soon.
Colton is a poor man living in the Iron District that can barely scrape by as a fake exorcist. Shortly after inheriting a pig from his latest gig, he is discovered by Lord Lucian Belmont, a member of one of the most prestigious families in the Ivory District. Scared that Lucian is going to turn him in, Colton reluctantly agrees to team up with him and perform exorcisms for the wealthy. Unfortunately for them, the rich have dark secrets. Colton and Lucian find themselves in some pretty dangerous situations before long. Luckily, they make a pretty penny for themselves, but how could their days as fake exorcists not come back to haunt them in ways they never could have imagined?
I have such complicated feelings with this book. On one hand, I really enjoyed Lucian and Colton as characters, and their romance was stellar. But there are so many things about this book that I just can't get behind. It's disturbingly dark, the magic/lore of this land is hardly devoloped, and the ending went around itself in circles like ten times, which was insanely frustrating. I feel it will be hard to discuss this one thoroughly without spoiling anything, but I will try my darndest to do so. I think the best way to discuss my feelings with this one is to go in chronological order, so I'll start from the beginning.
This book starts with Colton on his own performing his duties as an exorcist. He acquires a cute little pig (who is later named Marbles) and spends most of his free time drinking to his heart's content. That is when Lucian finds him and demands that Colton uses his skills as an exorcist to help him with his schemes. The two then set out to pull off elaborate scams against the dastardliest of nobles and make a fortune for themselves along the way. This was honestly my favorite part of the book, even though most of the gigs seemed to be taken straight out of a horror movie. However, watching two grown men scam a bunch of rich monsters out of their fortunes was pretty entertaining.
This is also the part of the book where Colton and Lucian are falling in love with one another. The banter between these two is rock solid and the way that these two shamelessly flirt with one another was very entertaining. The romance between these two men was clearly a highlight of this book. If this relationship hadn't been penned so well, this book would have been truly awful. As it is, it is great seeing these two grow closer as they get into more and more dangerous scenarios together.
The second segment of the book takes a completely different turn, though it still deals with exorcism. If you want to avoid any talk of spoilers in the latter half of this book pleas skip to the paragraph that starts with "After repeating itself a few times." Now that those who don't want to know anything about the nature of the second half of this book are gone, we can continue. In the latter segment, Lucian is possessed by an actual demon by the name of Lucier. This leads to many scenes with Colton being tortured, raped, and pushed around by a demon from the literal depths of Hell. This is obviously not the easiest stuff to palate, but I was invested enough in Colton and Lucian's endeavors to want to know how they escaped this unfortunate situation.
Skip forward a bit and a giant exorcism happens for real to rid Lucian's body of the dastardly creature. After a giant fight scene goes down, I was convinced that the book was going to end in a matter of pages. However, that was not the case and the author decided for some reason that their characters as well as the reader had to suffer through even more demon torture, and that a happy ending would be too hard to obtain for Colton and Lucian. This leads to another few more hours of content that gave the same vibe as the earlier stuff that we had just read, which I found insanely frustrating.
After repeating itself a few times, the author decides to finally let the book end. I was super bored by the fact that events that had previously occurred in this novel for some reason had to happen again in a pretty similar fashion. It made for an even more dramatic fight scene at the end, but this seriously wasn't worth all the pain.
And the ending? Goodness, it was so lackluster. It did have a hopeful and sort of happy tone by the end, but I seriously don't know why the author felt they needed to drag this story out as long as they did. This book had a very natural spot to end, and for some reason, the author chose to drag it out, which led to boredom and repetitiveness. I'll stop griping about this and just say that the very ending of the book was okay, but nothing spectacular.
Another thing that bothered me was how most of the characters and conflicts seemed to really only be used as plot devices. Things such as Colton's pet pig and both of our main characters substance abuse issues were only brought up when they benefited the plot. Which, I know, that's how books work, but the author should know that most readers are overly invested in this pig and that shoving people's abuse issues to the wayside never feels anything but crunchy.
I feel that the distinct differences between the Iron District, which are the slummy lands that the poor people reside in, and the Ivory District, which is the rich's domain, was the strongest part of the worldbuilding. The world in this one only seems to have a hint of magic and the time period felt pretty ambiguous to me. This didn't detract from my reading experience too much, but I did spend a decent amount of time, trying to figure out the exact nature of this world.
Also, one final complaint before I go. How does the title or the cover tie into literally anything? I am so highly confused by them both and desperately want some insight on this.
Despite all my gripes, I still found myself highly intrigued by Colton and Lucian's story. I still enjoyed my time with this book, even though more things bothered me about it than didn't. Yes, I spent most of this review complaining, but that doesn't mean I found this book to be complete garbage either.
Overall, "The Lavender Blade" was an intriguing dark romantasy novel brimming with sharp wit and dry humor. Colton and Lucian's misadventures as exorcists had me coming back for more time and time again, despite the dark and gruesome nature of this book that wasn't my cup of tea. However, I really wish the false ending of this book would have been the real ending, because I found the last fourth or so of this book to be insanely repetitive. This tale is a very interesting take on exorcism and demonic possession, but it was way too dark for me stomach easily. The world was also a tad disjointed, but I stayed along for the entire ride because I seriously appreciate Colton and Lucian as characters and their romance hooked me early on.
Audiobook Note: The narrator, Nicholas Boulton, did such a phenomenal job of bringing this story to life. I fear without the audiobook, it would have taken me months to make my way through this story. They play Colton's grouchy nature and Lucian's flirty, over the top way both equally well; I truly adore how they brought these characters to life. Boulton is also British, which made me want to turn on this audiobook time after time, even if I wasn't quite prepared for all the bloodshed and torture that was to come. Boulton truly nailed this performance, and I hope to listen to more of his work in the future.
Incidentally, the next audiobook I started, "Falling" by Christian Lauren, also has Nicholas Boulton as a narrator. I thought the voice sounded familiar, but the odds of that are actually astronomical. This is truly hilarious, but it's cool that I was reunited with his voice so soon.
May 15, 2025
Book Review: The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards
The Lavender Blade is a queer paranormal romantasy that crackles with wit, dark charm, and supernatural intrigue. E.L. Deards, acclaimed for Wild with All Regrets, crafts a tale where exorcisms, con artistry, and frenemies-to-lovers tension collide in a vividly rendered Chester, England. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth, this novel blends razor-sharp banter with gothic allure.
Premise & Themes
The story follows Colton and Lucian—a duo entangled in a high-stakes game of fake exorcisms and very real demons. Deards reimagines paranormal romance through a queer lens, exploring themes of identity, redemption, and the shadows of the past. The “lavender blade” metaphor (a literal and symbolic weapon) threads through the narrative, representing both vulnerability and defiance.
Execution & Pacing
Deards’s prose is electric, balancing snarky dialogue with lush, eerie descriptions. The first act dazzles with heist-like energy, though the supernatural mystery occasionally loses momentum in mid-scene transitions. The romance simmers deliciously slow, but a late-game twist feels rushed.
Worldbuilding & Originality
Chester’s gothic-meets-modern setting is immersive, from haunted cathedrals to neon-lit back alleys. The blend of faux-exorcism scams and genuine paranormal threats feels fresh, though some lore dumps disrupt flow. The novel’s queer-normative world is a standout, refusing to tokenize its LGBTQ+ cast.
Character Depth
Colton’s roguish charm and Lucian’s guarded intensity make for a dynamic pair. Their chemistry crackles, though secondary characters (like a rival exorcist) beg for more page time. The villain’s motives could use deeper exploration.
Score Breakdown (Out of 5)
-Concept: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5) – A devilishly clever twist on paranormal romance.
-Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5/5) – Strong start, uneven middle, explosive finish.
-Worldbuilding: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Rich but occasionally info-heavy.
-Characterization: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Leads shine; side cast fades.
-Thematic Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Queer joy and darkness resonate.
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – A witty, haunting romantasy with heart and fangs. Ideal for readers craving queer-normative supernatural escapism.
Who Should Read It?
-Fans of Gideon the Ninth’s queer/gothic vibes.
-Romantasy lovers who adore enemies-to-lovers tension.
-Readers seeking paranormal stories with humor and depth.
Who Might Not Love It?
-Those preferring fast-paced action over slow-burn romance.
-Readers averse to morally gray protagonists.
Acknowledgments:
Thank you to NetGalley and E.L. Deards for providing an advance review copy of The Lavender Blade in exchange for an honest review.
The Lavender Blade is a queer paranormal romantasy that crackles with wit, dark charm, and supernatural intrigue. E.L. Deards, acclaimed for Wild with All Regrets, crafts a tale where exorcisms, con artistry, and frenemies-to-lovers tension collide in a vividly rendered Chester, England. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth, this novel blends razor-sharp banter with gothic allure.
Premise & Themes
The story follows Colton and Lucian—a duo entangled in a high-stakes game of fake exorcisms and very real demons. Deards reimagines paranormal romance through a queer lens, exploring themes of identity, redemption, and the shadows of the past. The “lavender blade” metaphor (a literal and symbolic weapon) threads through the narrative, representing both vulnerability and defiance.
Execution & Pacing
Deards’s prose is electric, balancing snarky dialogue with lush, eerie descriptions. The first act dazzles with heist-like energy, though the supernatural mystery occasionally loses momentum in mid-scene transitions. The romance simmers deliciously slow, but a late-game twist feels rushed.
Worldbuilding & Originality
Chester’s gothic-meets-modern setting is immersive, from haunted cathedrals to neon-lit back alleys. The blend of faux-exorcism scams and genuine paranormal threats feels fresh, though some lore dumps disrupt flow. The novel’s queer-normative world is a standout, refusing to tokenize its LGBTQ+ cast.
Character Depth
Colton’s roguish charm and Lucian’s guarded intensity make for a dynamic pair. Their chemistry crackles, though secondary characters (like a rival exorcist) beg for more page time. The villain’s motives could use deeper exploration.
Score Breakdown (Out of 5)
-Concept: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5) – A devilishly clever twist on paranormal romance.
-Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5/5) – Strong start, uneven middle, explosive finish.
-Worldbuilding: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Rich but occasionally info-heavy.
-Characterization: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Leads shine; side cast fades.
-Thematic Impact: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Queer joy and darkness resonate.
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – A witty, haunting romantasy with heart and fangs. Ideal for readers craving queer-normative supernatural escapism.
Who Should Read It?
-Fans of Gideon the Ninth’s queer/gothic vibes.
-Romantasy lovers who adore enemies-to-lovers tension.
-Readers seeking paranormal stories with humor and depth.
Who Might Not Love It?
-Those preferring fast-paced action over slow-burn romance.
-Readers averse to morally gray protagonists.
Acknowledgments:
Thank you to NetGalley and E.L. Deards for providing an advance review copy of The Lavender Blade in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2025
Disclaimer: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I will be posting this to them directly as well as on Goodreads. Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publishers that set up this exchanged, we appreciate you very much.
This review may contain spoilers, so if you have any desire to read this off of the first part of this honest review, I will indicate where spoilers appear.
Possible Trigger Warnings: some fantasy/period typical homophobia, including internalized homophobia. (Fantasy) drug use, and overuse, addiction. Blood, loss of a limb, murder, loss of control and bodily autonomy, brief mentions and implication of rape and humiliation. Some rampant murder/arrest of the lower class/ethnic/immigrants framed as “cleansing” the “filth.”
The Lavender Blade by E.L Deards is a LGBTQIA+ story set in a fantasy world of Silvermoor, a city broken into three distinct and extremely different districts. There’s the Ivory District, where the rich and the elite live their easy and money hungry lives, the Indigo District, where those that rise above their station – or fall below it – reside, and the Iron District, where the immigrants, downtrodden, poor and addicted scrape together a difficult life.
Overview: Our main and point of view character is Colton, no last name given, a Iron District con man with an alcohol addiction who uses mild hallucinogenics to convince people that his legitimate job is an exorcist, and that possessions, demons and the damage they cause to households, families and bodies is real. He’s fairly good at this, because his ancestry is of a clan of outsiders (again, no name given) that believed demons were real, and his mother tried to teach him before she passed. Demons though, aren’t real, and Colton is happy enough to con the folks of Iron District. That is, until, he meets Lucian Beaumont, disowned lordling of Ivory District fame.
Lucian clocks him as a fraud immediately, but instead of having him arrested and thrown in prison, he presents Colton with a deal – don’t just con the folks of Iron, work with him to con the folks of Ivory. Lucian and Colton team up, changing each others lives for what seems like the better.
When I first put in for this story, I will fully admit that it was because of the purple cover as purple is my favorite color. The story seemed interesting, I’m always here for a good prince and the pauper romance, and I’m a survivor of the Superwholock days (if you know, you know) so demons are always a plus, even if they’re not real.
I will say that for me, the romance seemed a bit fast. It didn’t feel like any time at all had passed between these two men before Colton was lamenting about his crush, and even less time had passed from a crush on a handsome rich friend, and definitely, absolutely being in love with him. Lucian of course, felt the same, and resisted that for a bit but I remember checking the amount of pages I had left when they first got together and wondering, I’m only on page 122, how the heck do I have 300 pages left to go.
There were some moments where I was drawn out of the story which is set in a very steampunk, clockwork, cloak, dagger, carriage time period whenever one of the the characters said “dude”. And I believe this author might have gotten their roots from fanfiction (that’s not a dig, so did I!) because of the ‘ship portmanteau-ing’ of some of the characters in actual dialogue and prose (e.g. ‘Cucian’) which made me laugh during a somewhat serious and romantic scene.
Okay, now spoilers below:
There were some parts of this book that made me pretty uncomfortable. While unlike many romantasy books I’ve read, the “smut” content is basically zero. Everything is either implied or fade to black, and that’s fine, which is why I was taken by surprise at the more-than-just-implied rape. Major Spoiler: While I said that demons aren’t real and what Lucian and Colton do is entirely a con, it turns out that no, demons actually are real and Lucian gets possessed. He turns into a cold, unfeeling monster who wants to burn the world down, and takes great pleasure out of causing Colton both emotional distress and physical distress. During one such time, the demon attempts to humiliate Colton via “kissing his boots”, and when that has little affect, the demon allows Lucian to retake control just long enough for them to kiss and be close before taking back over and then, well, taking Colton. Colton openly describes it as disassociating until the demon finishes or gets bored. It was, all told, the most explicit “smut” scene in the whole book, and I did have to put it down after and do something else for a time.
While I did find the parts of the book where Lucian was possessed the most compelling and well written, I also find the loss of bodily autonomy really uncomfortable. The trans allegory of the demon changing Lucian’s body, sexual proclivities, and partners all while Lucian watched from inside his own head was not heavy-handed exactly, but it was unfortunate. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention to make it so obviously a trans allegory, but she did literally use the words ‘body dysphoria’ which is a pretty obvious tell, in my opinion.
I also found the last half of the book to suffer a little from All Bad Nothing Good, as Colton and friends work tirelessly to exorcise the demon from Lucian, watching the demon destroy everything Lucian stands for. The first attempt at an exorcism results in Lucian’s arm being cut off, and nearly dying. And there’s a good chunk of time where it appears to have worked but no, the demon was faking being Lucian actually and they failed. Then Colton is accused of a whole bunch of crimes, and needs to be separated from his friends, and no actually, he has to go back and kill Lucian, it’s the only way. So he does, and he gets thrown in jail and it felt very much like it went on and on, and on before we finally got some closure.
And, the demon’s core desire is to “cleanse” the “filth” from the Iron District (you know, where the ethnic minorities, poor and addicted live in squalor) by “inspecting” their homes and if they find the home to be unlivable, those residing there must leave in two days. Then they burn it to the ground regardless if its still occupied or not. It’s deeply uncomfortable and everyone who survives their building burning down becomes unhoused and lives in even more squalor to be arrested for their filth. I’m getting more allusions from this and it just sat wrong.
All in all, I would give this book a 2.5/5 star rating, which I will round up to 3, as Goodreads (and NetGalley) don’t allow halves. It was very well written, and had a lot of punchy fights, dramatic prose, and fun dialogue. It only took me a few hours to read it, and while I did think it could have ended about sixty pages from the actual end, I still mostly enjoyed it.
AL
This review may contain spoilers, so if you have any desire to read this off of the first part of this honest review, I will indicate where spoilers appear.
Possible Trigger Warnings: some fantasy/period typical homophobia, including internalized homophobia. (Fantasy) drug use, and overuse, addiction. Blood, loss of a limb, murder, loss of control and bodily autonomy, brief mentions and implication of rape and humiliation. Some rampant murder/arrest of the lower class/ethnic/immigrants framed as “cleansing” the “filth.”
The Lavender Blade by E.L Deards is a LGBTQIA+ story set in a fantasy world of Silvermoor, a city broken into three distinct and extremely different districts. There’s the Ivory District, where the rich and the elite live their easy and money hungry lives, the Indigo District, where those that rise above their station – or fall below it – reside, and the Iron District, where the immigrants, downtrodden, poor and addicted scrape together a difficult life.
Overview: Our main and point of view character is Colton, no last name given, a Iron District con man with an alcohol addiction who uses mild hallucinogenics to convince people that his legitimate job is an exorcist, and that possessions, demons and the damage they cause to households, families and bodies is real. He’s fairly good at this, because his ancestry is of a clan of outsiders (again, no name given) that believed demons were real, and his mother tried to teach him before she passed. Demons though, aren’t real, and Colton is happy enough to con the folks of Iron District. That is, until, he meets Lucian Beaumont, disowned lordling of Ivory District fame.
Lucian clocks him as a fraud immediately, but instead of having him arrested and thrown in prison, he presents Colton with a deal – don’t just con the folks of Iron, work with him to con the folks of Ivory. Lucian and Colton team up, changing each others lives for what seems like the better.
When I first put in for this story, I will fully admit that it was because of the purple cover as purple is my favorite color. The story seemed interesting, I’m always here for a good prince and the pauper romance, and I’m a survivor of the Superwholock days (if you know, you know) so demons are always a plus, even if they’re not real.
I will say that for me, the romance seemed a bit fast. It didn’t feel like any time at all had passed between these two men before Colton was lamenting about his crush, and even less time had passed from a crush on a handsome rich friend, and definitely, absolutely being in love with him. Lucian of course, felt the same, and resisted that for a bit but I remember checking the amount of pages I had left when they first got together and wondering, I’m only on page 122, how the heck do I have 300 pages left to go.
There were some moments where I was drawn out of the story which is set in a very steampunk, clockwork, cloak, dagger, carriage time period whenever one of the the characters said “dude”. And I believe this author might have gotten their roots from fanfiction (that’s not a dig, so did I!) because of the ‘ship portmanteau-ing’ of some of the characters in actual dialogue and prose (e.g. ‘Cucian’) which made me laugh during a somewhat serious and romantic scene.
Okay, now spoilers below:
There were some parts of this book that made me pretty uncomfortable. While unlike many romantasy books I’ve read, the “smut” content is basically zero. Everything is either implied or fade to black, and that’s fine, which is why I was taken by surprise at the more-than-just-implied rape. Major Spoiler: While I said that demons aren’t real and what Lucian and Colton do is entirely a con, it turns out that no, demons actually are real and Lucian gets possessed. He turns into a cold, unfeeling monster who wants to burn the world down, and takes great pleasure out of causing Colton both emotional distress and physical distress. During one such time, the demon attempts to humiliate Colton via “kissing his boots”, and when that has little affect, the demon allows Lucian to retake control just long enough for them to kiss and be close before taking back over and then, well, taking Colton. Colton openly describes it as disassociating until the demon finishes or gets bored. It was, all told, the most explicit “smut” scene in the whole book, and I did have to put it down after and do something else for a time.
While I did find the parts of the book where Lucian was possessed the most compelling and well written, I also find the loss of bodily autonomy really uncomfortable. The trans allegory of the demon changing Lucian’s body, sexual proclivities, and partners all while Lucian watched from inside his own head was not heavy-handed exactly, but it was unfortunate. I don’t know if it was the author’s intention to make it so obviously a trans allegory, but she did literally use the words ‘body dysphoria’ which is a pretty obvious tell, in my opinion.
I also found the last half of the book to suffer a little from All Bad Nothing Good, as Colton and friends work tirelessly to exorcise the demon from Lucian, watching the demon destroy everything Lucian stands for. The first attempt at an exorcism results in Lucian’s arm being cut off, and nearly dying. And there’s a good chunk of time where it appears to have worked but no, the demon was faking being Lucian actually and they failed. Then Colton is accused of a whole bunch of crimes, and needs to be separated from his friends, and no actually, he has to go back and kill Lucian, it’s the only way. So he does, and he gets thrown in jail and it felt very much like it went on and on, and on before we finally got some closure.
And, the demon’s core desire is to “cleanse” the “filth” from the Iron District (you know, where the ethnic minorities, poor and addicted live in squalor) by “inspecting” their homes and if they find the home to be unlivable, those residing there must leave in two days. Then they burn it to the ground regardless if its still occupied or not. It’s deeply uncomfortable and everyone who survives their building burning down becomes unhoused and lives in even more squalor to be arrested for their filth. I’m getting more allusions from this and it just sat wrong.
All in all, I would give this book a 2.5/5 star rating, which I will round up to 3, as Goodreads (and NetGalley) don’t allow halves. It was very well written, and had a lot of punchy fights, dramatic prose, and fun dialogue. It only took me a few hours to read it, and while I did think it could have ended about sixty pages from the actual end, I still mostly enjoyed it.
AL
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2025
“This story doesn’t have a good narrative flow, Lucian.”
Honestly? That quote says it all.
First, thank you to She Writes Book and Net Galley for the digital Arc.
The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards had everything I usually love—queer romance, class conflict, demon drama, and found family potential. I was rooting for this book to land, especially with a setup that felt like it could deliver both vibes and stakes.
We meet Colton, a working-class exorcist who doesn’t believe in demons, and Lucian, a once-rising political figure from the gated, privileged Ivory District. Their scammy partnership starts strong—banter, tension, even a perfectly timed kiss. Then we, skip most of their relationship development off-page. By the time the stakes are high (demonic possession, anyone?), we’re told how close they are without ever really seeing it happen.
The same issue applies to the plot and side characters: strong in concept, thin in execution. The pacing jumps across months with little warning, and the worldbuilding, though interesting, feels like set dressing. I didn’t need a full magic system, but I needed something to anchor me.
That said, I loved Colton & Lucian. That was part of why this story was disappointing, I wanted to read so much more with them. They were the best part of the book, the main characters, and yet we still didn't get enough. And Lucian’s backstory, especially his dynamic with his father, had surprising depth. The exorcism hustle itself? Fun and original. But this felt like a story that skimmed over its best parts in favor of vibe-forward storytelling.
Overall - if you're looking for a almost cozy queer romance that's fun, you may enjoy this. If you want more in-depth fantasy in your romantasy, this will likely leave you wanting.
Honestly? That quote says it all.
First, thank you to She Writes Book and Net Galley for the digital Arc.
The Lavender Blade by E.L. Deards had everything I usually love—queer romance, class conflict, demon drama, and found family potential. I was rooting for this book to land, especially with a setup that felt like it could deliver both vibes and stakes.
We meet Colton, a working-class exorcist who doesn’t believe in demons, and Lucian, a once-rising political figure from the gated, privileged Ivory District. Their scammy partnership starts strong—banter, tension, even a perfectly timed kiss. Then we, skip most of their relationship development off-page. By the time the stakes are high (demonic possession, anyone?), we’re told how close they are without ever really seeing it happen.
The same issue applies to the plot and side characters: strong in concept, thin in execution. The pacing jumps across months with little warning, and the worldbuilding, though interesting, feels like set dressing. I didn’t need a full magic system, but I needed something to anchor me.
That said, I loved Colton & Lucian. That was part of why this story was disappointing, I wanted to read so much more with them. They were the best part of the book, the main characters, and yet we still didn't get enough. And Lucian’s backstory, especially his dynamic with his father, had surprising depth. The exorcism hustle itself? Fun and original. But this felt like a story that skimmed over its best parts in favor of vibe-forward storytelling.
Overall - if you're looking for a almost cozy queer romance that's fun, you may enjoy this. If you want more in-depth fantasy in your romantasy, this will likely leave you wanting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews