A Blade Bound in Venom

by Samara Saward

"Freedom comes with a price."

Ever Tillman thought her troubles were over. She lost more than she gained in her fight for vengeance, yet she only achieved half of her goal. One man still roams free, and she'll stop at nothing to see him fall.

But war grips Parodyn, and the two people she loves most stand in danger's path, while threats hide within the ranks of the Ten. One betrayal will shatter everything they have fought to protect.

Protector. Rebel. King.

Calyx Heartsworn vowed to destroy anyone who threatened Ever. His father is no exception. The fate of his beloved depends on his control, and Calyx can't afford to break, yet too many obstacles stand in his way.

Surrounded by watchful advisors and caught between love and duty, Calyx must decide who he truly serves. When the mortals side with the North's enemies, he has no choice but to put his faith in Ever... even if it means sending her alone into Southern lands.

553 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 27, 2025

About the author

Samara is a fantasy author from Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her three kids, partner, and an English staffy named Boots. While she loves Melbourne, she grew up surrounded by a large family in north-west Tasmania, and misses the quiet life. When she's not writing, you'll find her reading, drinking coffee, camping, or playing Monopoly with her kids.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been absolutely obsessed with Ever Tillman and her murderous morally grey prince, Calyx, since I first picked up A Flame Forged in Mist earlier this year and with every instalment my love for this world, these characters and this story only grows. Saward writes the story so beautifully, and in the aftermath of such tragedy, and yet manages to work in thrills - with a bundle of chapters so tense they feel like a heist - and dazzling romance, this entry into the series being to most romantic of the trilogy. There’s so much healing, growth and acceptance in this instalment that you can feel all warm and fuzzy inside even as our duo murder violently all who have wronged them. @samara smashed this series out of the park. A Blade Bound in Venom releases on 27/12 which gives you plenty of time to read the first two books in the series on KU.

[Axli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle up for a ride of twist and turns as the trilogy comes to a close!

[Melissa Kincaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ = 5 stars!

Wowee, I have got to say that this was the best book of the entire series, and that is really saying something because they have all been fantastic. A Blade Bound in Venom felt quicker paced and far hungrier, absolutely brimming with magic, betrayal, emotion and fire. Ever was as sassy as ever, wonderfully strong and fierce, but also more self assured and more willing to trust, which made several of the twists in this final instalment hit even harder.

Samara’s writing is brilliant throughout. The action scenes are vivid and cinematic, the humour lands exactly where it should and the spice is deliciously heat inducing. The way she conveys emotion, how she shapes and colours it on the page, is perfectly handled and makes you feel everything right alongside the characters.

Those last few chapters had me gasping, muttering “wait… what”, yowling “nooo nooo” and then shouting “oh yeah”. It was an epic emotional ride from start to finish and absolutely beautifully done.

What to Expect:
🔥 Morally grey characters
🍏 Banter
🗡️ War and battles
🔥 Possessive MMC
🍏 Revenge and betrayal
🗡️ Grief themes
🔥 Multi POV
🍏 Spice and romance
🗡️ Found family
🔥 Strong FMC

I was thoroughly satisfied by the ending, especially the betrayal arc and the way Ever’s story concluded. Every loose end was tied up in a lovely found family bow and it all felt wonderfully earned.

A huge thank you to Samara for having me as an ARC reader once again. I will always be a big fan and am endlessly inspired by your writing. Congratulations Table Buddy! ❤️


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[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐
3🌶️

I’ve been looking forward to A Blade bound in Venom ever since finishing A Crown cursed in Frost. I truly love this trilogy! Samara’s writing is very vivid and the way she describes things, brings me so much joy. Even the way she connects all three books with 1 simple phrase: it all started with an orange.

It’s almost astounding as to how many twists and turns this story took and how many things were happening! I was flying through the pages because it kept me on the edge of my seat.

It never got boring or too predictable, at all. I’m having difficulties putting into words what this story contains without spoiling anything because everything has meaning. The friendships, the dangers, the conflict, the challenges… I loved every second of it.

As much as I love Calyx, the man has some issues. Ever says it herself: he’s too reckless. He’s so obsessed with keeping her safe, that he sometimes does things without thinking about it. He gets so caught up in his emotions, that things can get dangerous. And as interesting as it sometimes is, I felt like it was a little too much. It made me like Calyx a little less. Manchild-vibes, you know…

The one thing I wasn’t too fond of, was the nickname. Listen, I love a good nickname! The mmc loses points if he doesn’t have a good/funny/sexy nickname for the fmc. But this one wasn’t it. It didn’t really suit the brutal character of Calyx? Maybe that was the whole point since he’s only soft for her, but still. Personal preferences and all so again, no biggie.

A Blade bound in Venom was a great conclusion of this trilogy and I won’t forget about it.

Add to your tbr if you love:
🍏revenge, sacrifice & betrayal
✨found family
⚔️war & battles
🍏multiple pov
✨mortals x mystics
⚔️possessive mmc
🍏grief

Thank you Samara for having me on this beautiful journey.

[Kelsbookreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samara has created a world which is dirty, raw, complicated and with characters inherently flawed but who want to be better (and are not afraid to go for what they want in life). It's amazing how much depth each character holds, how the multiple POVs tell a story much bigger than just our two main characters and it's that thorough storytelling that grips the reader until the very last page.

What an absolute phenomenal ride!

It's hard to do a review on a book three without giving away major plot points that happen earlier in the series, because you need to experience the thrill of uncovering each one for yourself - but believe me when I say this book brings everything Samara has built to an epic conclusion that will stay with you.

Even though Ever, Calyx and the rest of the Ten have been through the wringer, their magic and fighting abilities still remain their greatest strength, so when betrayal and death come for them in its rawest and most horrific form, they find themselves in a fight for not only their own survival, but of that of the realm they live on.

If you love:

• epic world building
• possessive, morally grey MMC
• strong and sassy FMC
• banter
• found family
• quests
• betrayal and grief
• world altering decisions
• a hunger for oranges (iykyk)

Then please don't rest on this series, it's a great darker fantasy with so many elements you'll love.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever is an Intrinsic and she’s also the only living Genesis wielder. Which makes her very much sought after by her relatives in the south. Her grandmother Queen Sigrid wants her to help take over the north but Ever would never betray her people.

Calyx feels his fathers reign as king has come to an end. He’ll need to get rid of him and he enlists the Ten to help him.

When the Ten return from the Mortal Lands to Segora the whole population comes to believe that the mortals may be working for the South.

With losses and betrayals along the way. Ever and the remaining members of the Ten must fight to save the north.

———————————————

This was the third book in the series and definitely my favourite one. I was given this book in exchange for a review and I give it five stars. If you’ve read the previous two books then I definitely recommend you carry on the series by reading this instalment.

I love the way this book is written and how the world building is described. I also enjoyed the chapters where we got to see from members of the Tens points of view.

———————————————

A Blade Bound In Venom is out December 27th

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will update my review soon to make it a little fuller

Let me tell you one thing: this book is the best one in the series.
I feel like Samara bloomed as an author.
This book is funnier, spicier. It's kind of unapologetic and bold too (you'll get why, I can't spoil it for you! But Samara tells the story as it is without shying from darker emotions and true healing.)
It's emotionally raw. By that I mean that the emotions are talked about masterfully, we truly get them.

Samara delivered such a great ending for the series.
She's done something incredible with the ending. I was mind blown!
I didn't really see the plot twist coming and it takes a lot to surprise me.
I'm still not over what she did with the ending. I'm so excited to see the reviews and opinions about it soon!!

I'm really happy I found her on Threads and applied for the ARC of A Flame Forged In Mist and followed through with the second and third book of the trilogy (I even got to be beta reader for the last which felt like such a privilege to be bestowed with this trust).

[Charlotte Foreman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I’m more than vengeance, more than sorrow, more than the ghosts of my past; I am fire, burning forevermore."

What an emotional roller-coaster of a finale to this trilogy. Packed full of betrayal, grief, love, spice, laughter, and tears, the author has brought this series to an exciting end.
We are once again following Ever and Calyx, with some bonus POVs from our other beloved characters too, all of which are full of depth and I love getting some insight into how other members of the Ten are doing.
Ever and Calyx are both such interesting characters, loyal to a fault and I love that they're human; they're not perfect, they can be arrogant and cocky, they make mistakes and they're just trying to protect those they love the most.
There are some super fun plot twists in this one, as well as some spice and a whole lot of sorrow.... Seriously, mentally prepare yourself for this one.
This fantasy trilogy has been a brilliant adventure through Parodyn, with amazing, well-rounded characters, and a super interesting magic system. I'm sad to see it end but I'm so excited to see what journey the author takes us on next, and we have a novella set in this world to look forward to, so it's not completely over.

*arc review*

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC, all opinions are my own.


I enjoyed this, there was intrigue and sass and the trilogy finished up nicely.

I wasn't a massive fan of the dual point of views, mainly because it just repeated the same storylines with not much to add.

the MMC is still a self-absorbed 'let me be the hero' type under the guise of love.

A few grammatical errors which should be fixed with a proof read/edit before the published edition.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It is such a good final book to the series. The plot twists and the turns the story takes are just amazing!