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Hellbound
Throne of Glass meets the Mindf*ck Series in this dark romantasy where a bladesmith enters the king's deadly trials to become his next spymaster—except she's the serial killer he's desperate to catch.
"She was asking to be killed."
Ksenia is executed for forging illegal blades—one of which costs her soul. To reclaim it, she strikes a blood pact with a vengeful goddess and is resurrected in a new body with a rage-driven infiltrate the castle and destroy the man who stole her soul.
The first step? Win the king's deadly trials to become his next spymaster. She's assigned to work with Bohdan, the bastard prince and captain of the royal guard, to expose and address any threats to the crown before the enemy can find them. And lately, there's been a serial killer tearing through the kingdom.
The problem? She IS the killer. And the king is her next target.
Can Bohdan stop her? Let him try. She kind of likes it.
In this dark romantasy of resurrection and revenge, two people standing on opposite sides of the same blade have a way of drawing blood--and something far more dangerous. Perfect for readers who crave morally gray heroines, enemies-to-lovers tension, deadly competitions, and forbidden romance.
"She was asking to be killed."
Ksenia is executed for forging illegal blades—one of which costs her soul. To reclaim it, she strikes a blood pact with a vengeful goddess and is resurrected in a new body with a rage-driven infiltrate the castle and destroy the man who stole her soul.
The first step? Win the king's deadly trials to become his next spymaster. She's assigned to work with Bohdan, the bastard prince and captain of the royal guard, to expose and address any threats to the crown before the enemy can find them. And lately, there's been a serial killer tearing through the kingdom.
The problem? She IS the killer. And the king is her next target.
Can Bohdan stop her? Let him try. She kind of likes it.
In this dark romantasy of resurrection and revenge, two people standing on opposite sides of the same blade have a way of drawing blood--and something far more dangerous. Perfect for readers who crave morally gray heroines, enemies-to-lovers tension, deadly competitions, and forbidden romance.
566 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2026
About the author
Ava Do
1 book61 followersAva Do is an Asian American producer in the gaming industry based in Southern California, and video games are among her greatest sources of inspiration.
She's loves reading and writing gothic dark romantasy because she's drawn to female rage, revenge and more insidious topics with teeth. She loves to write women who might be the villains in someone else's story, but are absolutely the heroes in hers.
She's loves reading and writing gothic dark romantasy because she's drawn to female rage, revenge and more insidious topics with teeth. She loves to write women who might be the villains in someone else's story, but are absolutely the heroes in hers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
September 4, 2026
The idea was interesting and the beginning had such a good enemies-to-lovers setup, and I really wanted to love this, but the execution just wasn’t there for me. The lack of world-building and character development made it hard to connect with either MC
July 29, 2026
ARC REVIEW
WOW winning this ARC, I knew I would enjoy reading it. However, I did not know it was going to become one of my fav reads this year like it quickly did!!! Ksenia is such an easy character to love and every single character around her is so unique and developed so well for the plot. In terms of plot alone, this book is everything you love to read and still holding plot twists and surprises with every turn. There was truly never a dull moment in reading and the author gets your attention right away after throwing you into this dark, gothic world. Trials, Gods, political games, enemies to lovers - literally everything I ask for in a book.
Speaking of, the enemies to lovers is done so with such intention to the plot while still keeping it spicy and that “I hate you” vibes. True “enemies to lovers” can sometimes be hard to hit but Ava Do hits it right on the spot.
I am immediately recommending this book to everyone I know and cannot wait for the finished duology to be living rent free in my mind and on my book shelf!!!
WOW winning this ARC, I knew I would enjoy reading it. However, I did not know it was going to become one of my fav reads this year like it quickly did!!! Ksenia is such an easy character to love and every single character around her is so unique and developed so well for the plot. In terms of plot alone, this book is everything you love to read and still holding plot twists and surprises with every turn. There was truly never a dull moment in reading and the author gets your attention right away after throwing you into this dark, gothic world. Trials, Gods, political games, enemies to lovers - literally everything I ask for in a book.
Speaking of, the enemies to lovers is done so with such intention to the plot while still keeping it spicy and that “I hate you” vibes. True “enemies to lovers” can sometimes be hard to hit but Ava Do hits it right on the spot.
I am immediately recommending this book to everyone I know and cannot wait for the finished duology to be living rent free in my mind and on my book shelf!!!
July 20, 2026
E-ARC kindly provided by Ava & team, many thanks! Brutally honest review incoming!
***
In Hellbound, we follow Ksenia, an outlawed ‘bondsmith’ with a power to create magical weapons (the exact details of what a bondsmith can do and why it’s quite so bad are not entirely clear to me), who works with her sister to free other persecuted bondsmiths and their families and get them to safety. Upon discovery, Ksenia is executed by the villainous king Karsan and his bastard Bohdan, but a goddess brings her back to life in exchange for a promise to kill the king. Of course, it comes with a twist: Ksenia now has to kill regularly, or go mad. A lot going on, and this is just the first couple of chapters.
Pursuing justice, she makes her way to the capital, where her sister is also being held. An attempt to kill Bohdan is foiled by the tough-talking mysteriously-motivated Varka, who decides out of nowhere to basically become Ksenia’s fairy godmother and sponsor her through a series of trials to become the King’s ‘sevrant’. Despite apparently having made her living as an outlaw and rescuing all these trafficked people, Ksenia is useless at stealth and combat - but it’s okay, because one week of training is enough to have her besting people who have worked all their lives! (I do not love this trope. I’ll be honest. But I suppose she was magically enhanced by this goddess deal, so we’ll allow it.)
She works her way through a series of honestly-irrelevant trials set by the King and Bohdan to become the top-dog sevrant (job description remains unclear), a sort-of spy-assassin-bodyguard combo, which is clearly where the Throne of Glass comp comes into play (and, to be fair, I did get heavy Celaena vibes from Ksenia, and Chaol from Bohdan). Somehow, everyone involved in this thinks it is a great idea and not a bit stupid to entrust lives to a random person who won a game.
At this point we’re about two-thirds through the book and the cat-and-mouse hook finally comes into play, and now is when it really gets good. Were I the editor for this, I would have gotten the author to chop the earlier sections down by at least half and extend this part, because this is where the storytelling became really engaging. Ksenia, driven by bloodlust and also her general discontent with the world, murders several high-profile individuals at court, simultaneously working with Bohdan to find the killer, and events unfold from there.
So, what did I think? The good:
* The sexual tension and chemistry between Ksenia and Bohdan practically burned holes in the page. It was brilliantly written, to the point where I think the slow burn could have been even slower just to torture us more.
* The love interest himself. Bohdan, as much as I disliked his name, is an excellent tortured bastard captain of the guard type - mix Chaol Westfall with Jon Snow and force him to act evil - and his hatred-attraction for Ksenia felt very real.
* The darkness: Ava isn’t afraid to go there. Sometimes it felt a little over-the-top, but I appreciate an author who’s willing to utterly traumatise her characters.
* The writing: self-pub books are often littered with grammatical and formatting errors, typos, purple prose, and generally terrible writing. Hellbound does not suffer from those issues, which automatically makes it better than a large amount of self-pub in the genre on this alone. It’s satisfyingly readable, well-paced, and there’s some lovely description in there.
The things-to-consider-if-deciding-whether-this-is-worth-your-time:
* Ksenia herself didn’t feel like a very strong character. She makes few decisions herself, at least for the first two-thirds of the book, and is instead pushed around by the narrative like a leaf floating in a stream. The lack of agency makes her motivations muddy at times.
* The side characters feel two-dimensional, and several times get killed off just to seemingly get them out of the way.
* The whole trials part of the plot line really just didn’t work for me. I think there could have been ways to install Ksenia in the position she gains without dragging her through some trials that don’t have much of an impact on the narrative, particularly when the hook of the story is marketed as being the Killing Eve serial killer cat-and-mouse game rather than the trials section. It felt like an afterthought to appeal to the market, which obviously is full of deadly games and challenges and so forth.
Also worth noting there are two explicit love scenes. I love a bit of spice and these were excellently written, though some of the characterisation got lost in the mechanics of what was going on. Even so, the spice was excellent, as was everything around the relationship. Essentially this is a romantasy with a brilliant ‘rom’ and a decent ‘antasy’. So depending on which is more important to you as a reader when picking up a romantasy might affect your choice to read this.
TL;DR: Would I recommend this? Yes I would! It’s a dark, twisted romantasy with a sizzling romance, and though it suffers from many of the typical flaws of the genre compounded by being a self-published debut, it shows a great deal of promise. I will certainly be reading the next in the series after that cliffhanger!
Overall, 3.5 stars.
***
In Hellbound, we follow Ksenia, an outlawed ‘bondsmith’ with a power to create magical weapons (the exact details of what a bondsmith can do and why it’s quite so bad are not entirely clear to me), who works with her sister to free other persecuted bondsmiths and their families and get them to safety. Upon discovery, Ksenia is executed by the villainous king Karsan and his bastard Bohdan, but a goddess brings her back to life in exchange for a promise to kill the king. Of course, it comes with a twist: Ksenia now has to kill regularly, or go mad. A lot going on, and this is just the first couple of chapters.
Pursuing justice, she makes her way to the capital, where her sister is also being held. An attempt to kill Bohdan is foiled by the tough-talking mysteriously-motivated Varka, who decides out of nowhere to basically become Ksenia’s fairy godmother and sponsor her through a series of trials to become the King’s ‘sevrant’. Despite apparently having made her living as an outlaw and rescuing all these trafficked people, Ksenia is useless at stealth and combat - but it’s okay, because one week of training is enough to have her besting people who have worked all their lives! (I do not love this trope. I’ll be honest. But I suppose she was magically enhanced by this goddess deal, so we’ll allow it.)
She works her way through a series of honestly-irrelevant trials set by the King and Bohdan to become the top-dog sevrant (job description remains unclear), a sort-of spy-assassin-bodyguard combo, which is clearly where the Throne of Glass comp comes into play (and, to be fair, I did get heavy Celaena vibes from Ksenia, and Chaol from Bohdan). Somehow, everyone involved in this thinks it is a great idea and not a bit stupid to entrust lives to a random person who won a game.
At this point we’re about two-thirds through the book and the cat-and-mouse hook finally comes into play, and now is when it really gets good. Were I the editor for this, I would have gotten the author to chop the earlier sections down by at least half and extend this part, because this is where the storytelling became really engaging. Ksenia, driven by bloodlust and also her general discontent with the world, murders several high-profile individuals at court, simultaneously working with Bohdan to find the killer, and events unfold from there.
So, what did I think? The good:
* The sexual tension and chemistry between Ksenia and Bohdan practically burned holes in the page. It was brilliantly written, to the point where I think the slow burn could have been even slower just to torture us more.
* The love interest himself. Bohdan, as much as I disliked his name, is an excellent tortured bastard captain of the guard type - mix Chaol Westfall with Jon Snow and force him to act evil - and his hatred-attraction for Ksenia felt very real.
* The darkness: Ava isn’t afraid to go there. Sometimes it felt a little over-the-top, but I appreciate an author who’s willing to utterly traumatise her characters.
* The writing: self-pub books are often littered with grammatical and formatting errors, typos, purple prose, and generally terrible writing. Hellbound does not suffer from those issues, which automatically makes it better than a large amount of self-pub in the genre on this alone. It’s satisfyingly readable, well-paced, and there’s some lovely description in there.
The things-to-consider-if-deciding-whether-this-is-worth-your-time:
* Ksenia herself didn’t feel like a very strong character. She makes few decisions herself, at least for the first two-thirds of the book, and is instead pushed around by the narrative like a leaf floating in a stream. The lack of agency makes her motivations muddy at times.
* The side characters feel two-dimensional, and several times get killed off just to seemingly get them out of the way.
* The whole trials part of the plot line really just didn’t work for me. I think there could have been ways to install Ksenia in the position she gains without dragging her through some trials that don’t have much of an impact on the narrative, particularly when the hook of the story is marketed as being the Killing Eve serial killer cat-and-mouse game rather than the trials section. It felt like an afterthought to appeal to the market, which obviously is full of deadly games and challenges and so forth.
Also worth noting there are two explicit love scenes. I love a bit of spice and these were excellently written, though some of the characterisation got lost in the mechanics of what was going on. Even so, the spice was excellent, as was everything around the relationship. Essentially this is a romantasy with a brilliant ‘rom’ and a decent ‘antasy’. So depending on which is more important to you as a reader when picking up a romantasy might affect your choice to read this.
TL;DR: Would I recommend this? Yes I would! It’s a dark, twisted romantasy with a sizzling romance, and though it suffers from many of the typical flaws of the genre compounded by being a self-published debut, it shows a great deal of promise. I will certainly be reading the next in the series after that cliffhanger!
Overall, 3.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2026
Re-read of the update ARC: Rating system doesn’t go high enough- 6 stars! My first time reading Hellbound I rated 5 stars. With the updated version it just enhanced the experience.
“You are a force I cannot fight”
Ksenia is out for revenge and I don’t blame her because Lord Karsan is someone I would want dead too. She is stubborn, strategic, bold, reckless and will do anything to survive - including becoming someone she wished she’d never become….A creator of a Hellbound blade. A weapon. A monster.
“For I have sinned”—she drew Caromir from her hip—“and I am about to sin again.”
Bohdan is King Karson’s bastard son, the Captain of the Royal Guard and the bane of Ksenia’s existence. He is broody, cunning and cut throat, loyal and he wears a mask to hide his true thoughts, a mask that Ksenia is set on breaking.
The cat-and-cat game between them starts at the deadly trials she must face and survive to become the King’s Spymaster, we all know the saying about keeping your enemies close, and she must survive to carry out her revenge, it’s her only option.
But the tension between them thickens as they get forced to work together to hunt down a serial killer, killing the pillars close to the King. The twist to the hunt? Ksenia is the killer. Her next target? The King.
Grab a seat, grab your chains, grab your weapon of choice and lock in! Be ready to celebrate the wins, the want to see annoying men die and the need to want to choke out the competitors - trust me on this one, Kitten (you’ll understand when you meet him). The losses cut deep, the chemistry between Bohdan and Ksenia is explosive and lives rent free in my mind all day.
Still not convinced? I don’t see how you’re not already.
“Put me in my place.”
“If you think you can.”
Hellbound takes you on a journey where you’re suspicious of everyone, cheering for the deaths of others, broken at the losses of some and holding your breath for what’s to come next.
“You are a force I cannot fight”
Ksenia is out for revenge and I don’t blame her because Lord Karsan is someone I would want dead too. She is stubborn, strategic, bold, reckless and will do anything to survive - including becoming someone she wished she’d never become….A creator of a Hellbound blade. A weapon. A monster.
“For I have sinned”—she drew Caromir from her hip—“and I am about to sin again.”
Bohdan is King Karson’s bastard son, the Captain of the Royal Guard and the bane of Ksenia’s existence. He is broody, cunning and cut throat, loyal and he wears a mask to hide his true thoughts, a mask that Ksenia is set on breaking.
The cat-and-cat game between them starts at the deadly trials she must face and survive to become the King’s Spymaster, we all know the saying about keeping your enemies close, and she must survive to carry out her revenge, it’s her only option.
But the tension between them thickens as they get forced to work together to hunt down a serial killer, killing the pillars close to the King. The twist to the hunt? Ksenia is the killer. Her next target? The King.
Grab a seat, grab your chains, grab your weapon of choice and lock in! Be ready to celebrate the wins, the want to see annoying men die and the need to want to choke out the competitors - trust me on this one, Kitten (you’ll understand when you meet him). The losses cut deep, the chemistry between Bohdan and Ksenia is explosive and lives rent free in my mind all day.
Still not convinced? I don’t see how you’re not already.
“Put me in my place.”
“If you think you can.”
Hellbound takes you on a journey where you’re suspicious of everyone, cheering for the deaths of others, broken at the losses of some and holding your breath for what’s to come next.
July 18, 2026
ARC REVIEW
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
let me just say, this book was like a breath of fresh air compared to all the newer romantasy books that come out.
It felt like Ava wasn’t trying to please the audience, but rather show what a true fantasy character should be, because Ksenia literally embodies the rage they should feel.
Along with this, I loved how the writing didn’t have that overly ‘lyrical’ element that every second author attempts. Like this book truly felt like something NEW and something actually DIFFERENT
if you like:
- enemies to lovers (when the enemies actually have a reason to hate each other)
- Cliffhangers
- Plot twists
- Trials
- badass fmc
- Female rage
- Gods
And honestly every trope that is amazing
Then this book is definitely for you
I fell in love with the characters, the plot and honestly the mystery elements this book held
There were so many times where I was like hmmm wait lemme try connect the dots on who is… yk who.
guess what… I didn’t. I actually completely forgot about yk who until I thought about it
I do have to say the reasons this didn’t get a five star
And there is really only ONE reason (which is highly impressive considering this is a debut novel!!!)
But my main reason was because this just started a bit too confusing for me. Like I understood but I couldn’t see what was meant to be happening. If that makes sense
But when you push past that first like 8% you’re in for one hell of a ride. The last 92% make up for everything.
I truly loved this book and I really hope that Ava Do will grant me an arc again when this series blows up (as it should)
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
CHARACTERS
KSENIA
I love a girl who has a reason to hate everyone and everything.
I love a women who isn’t scared to show her hatred, who doesn’t deem herself incapable just because she is a women.
and not only that, I love a women who can admit when she is heavily mistaken (cough cough Bohdan)
but overall I adored Ksenias character
She was the epitome of female rage, and it is well deserved after the king and his lackeys killed her and she got revived for the sole purpose of killing him.
I also love love love how she actually had emotions
I feel like oftentimes fmcs lack emotions, or if they have them it revolves around the mmc
But that was not the case for Ksenia, she was the perfect fmc for the girls who want to read about a women who had been through hell and back and still keeps choosing to fight.
She is for the girls who get up everyday fighting.
BOHDAN
what an unexpected turn of events.
What do you mean he is the Shepard
You deceiving lying bastard
I love you.
No I wa a genuinely flabbergasted.
I was genuinely so sad when I realised that Bohdan and Ksenia weren’t going to get to be together long term Becuase of their… rifts
But then when it was revealed that he was not only part of the Bound Eye, but basically the leader, my mind was blown.
Although I knew he wasn’t evil like his father, I was under the influence that he was under his control
So to find out he wasn’t was like OH MY GODDDDD
but also, the way he yearned!!!
Can we talk about that for a second
I have known mmcs, have watched them yearn, and none compare to the way Bohdan yearns
The turns from hatred to complete and utter willingness. I almost fainted because UGH HES SO SEXY
(pls be mine)
VARKA
I was so sceptical of her at first
I genuinely thought “oh no she is gonna betray Ksenia”
But no, she was genuinely a queen
Not only did she not betray Ksenia
But she aided her with how to accomplish the killings, and helped her escape.
And I love how her character showed how power and money and influence do not have to be used in a negative way
It showed that people with such heedy power can make a difference, and can truly turn the tides if they just tried
(Which is sort of ironic considering today’s… political climate)
DANIKA
firstly, I love how she followed in her fathers legacy and finally crafted a sword which can destroy Bonded swords.
secondly, why did she have to die??
Genuinely just why
There was no necessity to her death (okay so there was but shhhhh)
I honestly wish we saw more of her.
but also then it would of hurt more, so maybe not
but from the parts we did see of her, she wanted to fight not with blood and blades, but with brains and deception
Which is just as important.
Her and Ksenia woukd have made a great team in the defeat of Karsaan
KARSAN
I’m very very conflicted over how to say this
Because his diary entities were confusing… did he do everything out of love, obsession???
Like I want to know why, was it for the lady or for himself.
Did he crave the power, or did he crave the love?
I have so many questions and not enough answers.
I mean I hate him for the fact that he killed so many innocents and forced his will upon those he let live.
I hate that he is practically immortal, and I hate that he couldn’t see the pain he was causing, and if he did he didn’t care.
I hate that he exists, but I want to knwo why he turned into who he is.
Okay so I think that’s all for the characters !!
I normally do a plot overview with these as well - but I think I’ve disclosed enough in these character overviews if I need my own personal recap
QUOTES
“Bohdan, dear baby brother, you should know your rank in this household. We may share blood, but you’re far from demanding anything around here.”
- this truly doesn’t shock me anymore, but when it was revealed that VARKA and Bohdan were related I was shocketh to my core.
——————
“Put me in my place.” Her voice dropped and she met his eyes. “If you think you can.”
“You wouldn’t survive it.” Heat flashed through her, and suddenly she felt feral. Indignant. She was meant to be the one to push him off the edge. To break his immaculate mask and shred him to pieces. That dangerous glint was back as he tilted his head, a slow smile crawling on his face.
“What’s wrong? You were so brave just a moment ago.” Fuck. Him. Ksenia dragged him close, fitting their mouths together. And it was perfect. Every reasonable, fear-driven thought shattered in her mind, until all she could do was give in to the hedonism threatening to break the dam of her sanity. He tasted like pomegranate. Fine liquor.
- firstly, he tastes yummy. secondly, their banter even once they began to like each other is CRAZY. I was eating every second up and licking my fingers
——————
“She is a poison, and yet I’m willingly consuming it.”
-Bohdan… the yearned you are. No it’s so funny he wanted to fight his cravings for her but genuinely couldn’t. Also… was shocked to find out he caught her in his room that night !!!
——————
“She lay her down and pressed her lips to Petra’s mouth, willing her lungs to take air. Minutes passed. Tears sprang to Ksenia’s eyes, hot and cruel as reality sank in. The sobbing started quietly at first, but then became full-blown wails as Ksenia hugged the small, drowned body to her chest. “Petra…” she whispered between labored breaths as she rocked them back and forth on the muddy bank.”
-no, not the little servant girl. NOT PETRA. I actually wanted to jump into the book and perform CPR (no I don’t know how but like !!) I genuinely cried because Petra was always there; always helping Ksenia and she just… died.
——————
“Is this how you handle insubordination?” Her wicked smile curved against his neck as her hand clawed through his black curls, wrenching his head back till she could hear strands snapping. “Or is this special treatment just for me?” she growled, nipping the shell of his ear.
He gripped her thighs, breaking vessels, but she took it in stride. “You’re a pest.” His voice was silk over coals.
- see what I said about the banter?? Also the last part ‘you’re a pest’ I don’t knwo why, but it had me kicking my feet and giggling.
——————
“You going to hold that blade to my throat all night?” His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide, leaving only a thin green ring at the edges. “There he is.”
The blood in her veins burned like fire. His thumb traced her bottom lip. She closed the remaining distance between them, her fingers tangling in his hair as their mouths scraped together in a searing kiss.
- same point as the last one… also how they coukd read each other so easily was so very interesting, and yet neither knew each others secrets. Something about trust definitely was being told here.
——————
“You are going to be the end of me.”
-damn right I am. but no… I read this and I got butterflies because this is just so HOT. Not only hot but also like… yes because it’s literally what Ksenia originally wanted but ended up hating the idea of. She wanted to kill him, literally, and it turned into a fatuation so feel that she felt ended without him
——————
“I had these made for you”
-Oh? Did you now. When I read this though, my jaw, to the floor. I was like lmg he is actually INSANE FOR HER. I didn’t realise just how crazy until this because he would have had to take like her measurements to make it so perfectly fitting. Where does one find a man so obsessed?
——————
“You are a force even I cannot fight”
-ughhhh. it’s so great because they are both like great fighters as well. It’s literally them at a stalemate at every single turn, romantically, figuratively. All of it.
——————
He settled his weight firmly, melding his hips with hers. His free hand came to rest beside her head. “You’re not strong enough to win this right now. Stop fighting me.”
“I don’t care.”
“I know.” Something shifted in his eyes. “You never surrender. It’s…” He stopped.
“What?” she demanded.
“Infuriating.” Her breath caught, but nothing could have prepared her for what he said next. “You’ve done in a matter of weeks what I’ve been too scared to do my entire life.”
Wait. She stopped struggling. The wayfinder coins, the missives, his presence in the Vein…
“I killed innocent people so that I could save more.” Innocents, including her. Realization slammed into her like a sledgehammer.
“You’re the Shepherd.”
- plot twist !!! Also not only that, this was the moment I was like OMG THEY CAN BE TOGETHER. But also… omf I have way too long left for this to end well. Also not only that, butttttttt I love how they both had so many secrets, and they both held each other at arms length and yet still found comfort within one another. It was like they were drawn to each other.
——————
“To hide the fact that he can’t compel his own flesh and blood”
- it all makes sense
——————
“Exhausted green eyes peered back at her, as if she were his savior and damnation and he was done pretending otherwise.”
- up until this point, we knew basically nothing of him, so to FINALLY watch him crack under Ksnenias love or his love for her was amazing. Victory is sweet.
——————
“Words couldn’t explain what she needed from him. So she took it. Dragging him from the floor to roughly slam him down on the bed. Their mouths scraped, urgent, desperate. It tasted both sacred and sacrilegious.”
- these two are what every couple in a book yearns to be. They are THE dark romantasy couple. Also I love how Ksenia never forgot that he was apart of her death, but she saw the necessity of it. Like I truly find it so cool how Ava winded in karts that make them true enemies, while also lovers at the same time
——————
“I—hate you.” Her retort stuttered.
…
“You don’t fuck like you do.”
-I woukd have folded so quick. and not only that, but I was SHOCKED. Bohdan is a completely different person in the last half of this book and I’m feral for it.
——————
“Stay… sharp”
-she died. Just like that. And by Ksenias own hand, Danika died. her last words weren’t fear or sadness or anger, but rather a pledge for her sister to succeed, and I think that about sums up siblinghood
——————
“The monster Karsan had always known she was. The monster Bohdan could finally see. The monster she couldn’t escape.”
-this reminded me of One Dark Window, and I LOVED that book. Also this being the last line was amazing. It truly encapsulates how Ksenia has turned into a person desperate for retaliation, while also showing her rage was spiralling out of control.
Chefs kiss to this entire book
The second book can not come sooner.
THANK YOU FOR READING ANDDDD
BUY BYEEEE
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
let me just say, this book was like a breath of fresh air compared to all the newer romantasy books that come out.
It felt like Ava wasn’t trying to please the audience, but rather show what a true fantasy character should be, because Ksenia literally embodies the rage they should feel.
Along with this, I loved how the writing didn’t have that overly ‘lyrical’ element that every second author attempts. Like this book truly felt like something NEW and something actually DIFFERENT
if you like:
- enemies to lovers (when the enemies actually have a reason to hate each other)
- Cliffhangers
- Plot twists
- Trials
- badass fmc
- Female rage
- Gods
And honestly every trope that is amazing
Then this book is definitely for you
I fell in love with the characters, the plot and honestly the mystery elements this book held
There were so many times where I was like hmmm wait lemme try connect the dots on who is… yk who.
guess what… I didn’t. I actually completely forgot about yk who until I thought about it
I do have to say the reasons this didn’t get a five star
And there is really only ONE reason (which is highly impressive considering this is a debut novel!!!)
But my main reason was because this just started a bit too confusing for me. Like I understood but I couldn’t see what was meant to be happening. If that makes sense
But when you push past that first like 8% you’re in for one hell of a ride. The last 92% make up for everything.
I truly loved this book and I really hope that Ava Do will grant me an arc again when this series blows up (as it should)
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️ ⚠️⚠️⚠️SPOILERS⚠️⚠️⚠️
CHARACTERS
KSENIA
I love a girl who has a reason to hate everyone and everything.
I love a women who isn’t scared to show her hatred, who doesn’t deem herself incapable just because she is a women.
and not only that, I love a women who can admit when she is heavily mistaken (cough cough Bohdan)
but overall I adored Ksenias character
She was the epitome of female rage, and it is well deserved after the king and his lackeys killed her and she got revived for the sole purpose of killing him.
I also love love love how she actually had emotions
I feel like oftentimes fmcs lack emotions, or if they have them it revolves around the mmc
But that was not the case for Ksenia, she was the perfect fmc for the girls who want to read about a women who had been through hell and back and still keeps choosing to fight.
She is for the girls who get up everyday fighting.
BOHDAN
what an unexpected turn of events.
What do you mean he is the Shepard
You deceiving lying bastard
I love you.
No I wa a genuinely flabbergasted.
I was genuinely so sad when I realised that Bohdan and Ksenia weren’t going to get to be together long term Becuase of their… rifts
But then when it was revealed that he was not only part of the Bound Eye, but basically the leader, my mind was blown.
Although I knew he wasn’t evil like his father, I was under the influence that he was under his control
So to find out he wasn’t was like OH MY GODDDDD
but also, the way he yearned!!!
Can we talk about that for a second
I have known mmcs, have watched them yearn, and none compare to the way Bohdan yearns
The turns from hatred to complete and utter willingness. I almost fainted because UGH HES SO SEXY
(pls be mine)
VARKA
I was so sceptical of her at first
I genuinely thought “oh no she is gonna betray Ksenia”
But no, she was genuinely a queen
Not only did she not betray Ksenia
But she aided her with how to accomplish the killings, and helped her escape.
And I love how her character showed how power and money and influence do not have to be used in a negative way
It showed that people with such heedy power can make a difference, and can truly turn the tides if they just tried
(Which is sort of ironic considering today’s… political climate)
DANIKA
firstly, I love how she followed in her fathers legacy and finally crafted a sword which can destroy Bonded swords.
secondly, why did she have to die??
Genuinely just why
There was no necessity to her death (okay so there was but shhhhh)
I honestly wish we saw more of her.
but also then it would of hurt more, so maybe not
but from the parts we did see of her, she wanted to fight not with blood and blades, but with brains and deception
Which is just as important.
Her and Ksenia woukd have made a great team in the defeat of Karsaan
KARSAN
I’m very very conflicted over how to say this
Because his diary entities were confusing… did he do everything out of love, obsession???
Like I want to know why, was it for the lady or for himself.
Did he crave the power, or did he crave the love?
I have so many questions and not enough answers.
I mean I hate him for the fact that he killed so many innocents and forced his will upon those he let live.
I hate that he is practically immortal, and I hate that he couldn’t see the pain he was causing, and if he did he didn’t care.
I hate that he exists, but I want to knwo why he turned into who he is.
Okay so I think that’s all for the characters !!
I normally do a plot overview with these as well - but I think I’ve disclosed enough in these character overviews if I need my own personal recap
QUOTES
“Bohdan, dear baby brother, you should know your rank in this household. We may share blood, but you’re far from demanding anything around here.”
- this truly doesn’t shock me anymore, but when it was revealed that VARKA and Bohdan were related I was shocketh to my core.
——————
“Put me in my place.” Her voice dropped and she met his eyes. “If you think you can.”
“You wouldn’t survive it.” Heat flashed through her, and suddenly she felt feral. Indignant. She was meant to be the one to push him off the edge. To break his immaculate mask and shred him to pieces. That dangerous glint was back as he tilted his head, a slow smile crawling on his face.
“What’s wrong? You were so brave just a moment ago.” Fuck. Him. Ksenia dragged him close, fitting their mouths together. And it was perfect. Every reasonable, fear-driven thought shattered in her mind, until all she could do was give in to the hedonism threatening to break the dam of her sanity. He tasted like pomegranate. Fine liquor.
- firstly, he tastes yummy. secondly, their banter even once they began to like each other is CRAZY. I was eating every second up and licking my fingers
——————
“She is a poison, and yet I’m willingly consuming it.”
-Bohdan… the yearned you are. No it’s so funny he wanted to fight his cravings for her but genuinely couldn’t. Also… was shocked to find out he caught her in his room that night !!!
——————
“She lay her down and pressed her lips to Petra’s mouth, willing her lungs to take air. Minutes passed. Tears sprang to Ksenia’s eyes, hot and cruel as reality sank in. The sobbing started quietly at first, but then became full-blown wails as Ksenia hugged the small, drowned body to her chest. “Petra…” she whispered between labored breaths as she rocked them back and forth on the muddy bank.”
-no, not the little servant girl. NOT PETRA. I actually wanted to jump into the book and perform CPR (no I don’t know how but like !!) I genuinely cried because Petra was always there; always helping Ksenia and she just… died.
——————
“Is this how you handle insubordination?” Her wicked smile curved against his neck as her hand clawed through his black curls, wrenching his head back till she could hear strands snapping. “Or is this special treatment just for me?” she growled, nipping the shell of his ear.
He gripped her thighs, breaking vessels, but she took it in stride. “You’re a pest.” His voice was silk over coals.
- see what I said about the banter?? Also the last part ‘you’re a pest’ I don’t knwo why, but it had me kicking my feet and giggling.
——————
“You going to hold that blade to my throat all night?” His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide, leaving only a thin green ring at the edges. “There he is.”
The blood in her veins burned like fire. His thumb traced her bottom lip. She closed the remaining distance between them, her fingers tangling in his hair as their mouths scraped together in a searing kiss.
- same point as the last one… also how they coukd read each other so easily was so very interesting, and yet neither knew each others secrets. Something about trust definitely was being told here.
——————
“You are going to be the end of me.”
-damn right I am. but no… I read this and I got butterflies because this is just so HOT. Not only hot but also like… yes because it’s literally what Ksenia originally wanted but ended up hating the idea of. She wanted to kill him, literally, and it turned into a fatuation so feel that she felt ended without him
——————
“I had these made for you”
-Oh? Did you now. When I read this though, my jaw, to the floor. I was like lmg he is actually INSANE FOR HER. I didn’t realise just how crazy until this because he would have had to take like her measurements to make it so perfectly fitting. Where does one find a man so obsessed?
——————
“You are a force even I cannot fight”
-ughhhh. it’s so great because they are both like great fighters as well. It’s literally them at a stalemate at every single turn, romantically, figuratively. All of it.
——————
He settled his weight firmly, melding his hips with hers. His free hand came to rest beside her head. “You’re not strong enough to win this right now. Stop fighting me.”
“I don’t care.”
“I know.” Something shifted in his eyes. “You never surrender. It’s…” He stopped.
“What?” she demanded.
“Infuriating.” Her breath caught, but nothing could have prepared her for what he said next. “You’ve done in a matter of weeks what I’ve been too scared to do my entire life.”
Wait. She stopped struggling. The wayfinder coins, the missives, his presence in the Vein…
“I killed innocent people so that I could save more.” Innocents, including her. Realization slammed into her like a sledgehammer.
“You’re the Shepherd.”
- plot twist !!! Also not only that, this was the moment I was like OMG THEY CAN BE TOGETHER. But also… omf I have way too long left for this to end well. Also not only that, butttttttt I love how they both had so many secrets, and they both held each other at arms length and yet still found comfort within one another. It was like they were drawn to each other.
——————
“To hide the fact that he can’t compel his own flesh and blood”
- it all makes sense
——————
“Exhausted green eyes peered back at her, as if she were his savior and damnation and he was done pretending otherwise.”
- up until this point, we knew basically nothing of him, so to FINALLY watch him crack under Ksnenias love or his love for her was amazing. Victory is sweet.
——————
“Words couldn’t explain what she needed from him. So she took it. Dragging him from the floor to roughly slam him down on the bed. Their mouths scraped, urgent, desperate. It tasted both sacred and sacrilegious.”
- these two are what every couple in a book yearns to be. They are THE dark romantasy couple. Also I love how Ksenia never forgot that he was apart of her death, but she saw the necessity of it. Like I truly find it so cool how Ava winded in karts that make them true enemies, while also lovers at the same time
——————
“I—hate you.” Her retort stuttered.
…
“You don’t fuck like you do.”
-I woukd have folded so quick. and not only that, but I was SHOCKED. Bohdan is a completely different person in the last half of this book and I’m feral for it.
——————
“Stay… sharp”
-she died. Just like that. And by Ksenias own hand, Danika died. her last words weren’t fear or sadness or anger, but rather a pledge for her sister to succeed, and I think that about sums up siblinghood
——————
“The monster Karsan had always known she was. The monster Bohdan could finally see. The monster she couldn’t escape.”
-this reminded me of One Dark Window, and I LOVED that book. Also this being the last line was amazing. It truly encapsulates how Ksenia has turned into a person desperate for retaliation, while also showing her rage was spiralling out of control.
Chefs kiss to this entire book
The second book can not come sooner.
THANK YOU FOR READING ANDDDD
BUY BYEEEE
August 2, 2026
ARC REVIEW
Hellbound by Ava Do
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I say this is going to be your next obsession, I truly mean it because it’s become mine.
This book without giving away too many spoilers had me at the edge of my seat from literally the first page. Every cliffhanger from the very start had me absolutely hooked. And when I say start I mean start 👀 iykyk
Through Hellbound, Ava Do has managed to create a world that has all the elements we love and adore in a romantasy. This includes badass FMC, a morally grey MMC, deadly trials and a touch of revenge which is intoxicating.
However while it has these elements that is romantasy lovers adore, she still creates a world and plot structure that doesn’t feel like another cookie cutter romantasy. It honestly truly feels so refreshing.
Hellbound comes out on the 28th of August. Do yourself a favour and grab yourself a copy because I promise you this dark romantasy will become your next obsession.
Hellbound by Ava Do
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When I say this is going to be your next obsession, I truly mean it because it’s become mine.
This book without giving away too many spoilers had me at the edge of my seat from literally the first page. Every cliffhanger from the very start had me absolutely hooked. And when I say start I mean start 👀 iykyk
Through Hellbound, Ava Do has managed to create a world that has all the elements we love and adore in a romantasy. This includes badass FMC, a morally grey MMC, deadly trials and a touch of revenge which is intoxicating.
However while it has these elements that is romantasy lovers adore, she still creates a world and plot structure that doesn’t feel like another cookie cutter romantasy. It honestly truly feels so refreshing.
Hellbound comes out on the 28th of August. Do yourself a favour and grab yourself a copy because I promise you this dark romantasy will become your next obsession.
August 15, 2026
ARC Review
Thank you Ava and team.
I LOVED this book. Gave it 4.5 stars which I rounded up to 5.
The bondsmith aspect was so interesting (although I wish we had more background on this).
Ksenia is executed by the king and his bastard son Bohdan, then brought back by a goddess but needs to kill in order to keep her sanity. She’s understandably angry and wants revenge. She’s marketed as a serial killer on par with Lana from the Mindfck series, but I would’ve liked to see more murder.
Bodhan is broody bastard captain of the Envorsen (the kings guard). I enjoyed the enemies to lovers, although there wasn’t too much cat and mouse/cat and cat in this, as it was mainly in the last third of the book after the trials.
I only marked it down because I felt some side characters were unnecessarily killed off when they could’ve made a real impact.
The ending was crazy (I did not see it coming) and I can’t wait for the second book to see how it all plays out.
Thank you Ava and team.
I LOVED this book. Gave it 4.5 stars which I rounded up to 5.
The bondsmith aspect was so interesting (although I wish we had more background on this).
Ksenia is executed by the king and his bastard son Bohdan, then brought back by a goddess but needs to kill in order to keep her sanity. She’s understandably angry and wants revenge. She’s marketed as a serial killer on par with Lana from the Mindfck series, but I would’ve liked to see more murder.
Bodhan is broody bastard captain of the Envorsen (the kings guard). I enjoyed the enemies to lovers, although there wasn’t too much cat and mouse/cat and cat in this, as it was mainly in the last third of the book after the trials.
I only marked it down because I felt some side characters were unnecessarily killed off when they could’ve made a real impact.
The ending was crazy (I did not see it coming) and I can’t wait for the second book to see how it all plays out.
July 20, 2026
Firstly, a huge thank you to Ava and team for an ARC of this gorgeous debut!
This book had me hooked from the start and honestly ticks so many of my favourite boxes:
🗡️ Revenge
❤️ Enemies to lovers
🩸 A strong (and very stabby) FMC
🏰 Gothic romance
🔥 The slowest of slow burns
Ksenia was SUCH a refreshing FMC. She's fierce, determined, and unapologetically morally grey in a way you don't often see in romantasy, and I absolutely loved that. Throw in a mysterious MMC who's definitely not what he seems, plenty of gore, shocking twists, and incredible tension, and you've got a story that's impossible to put down.
Ava's writing deserves so much praise. The world-building is immersive without feeling overwhelming, and the descriptions made everything feel so vivid. I could picture every castle corridor, every weapon, every outfit. It actually gave me little flashes of Merlin (BBC series from 2008) throughout, which made me love it even more. Iykyk hehe
And can we talk about the emotional damage?! 😭 I was NOT prepared for the book to literally open with the FMC being beheaded with her future love interest involved?! What an opening. And then the forge scene later on? devastating. Ava isn't afraid to let bad things happen, and the stakes feel so much higher because of it.
When I realised Bohdan was the MMC, I genuinely wondered how on earth these two were ever going to end up together. This is a TRUE slow burn. Even after the first spicy scene (around halfway through?), they still felt more like enemies than lovers which I actually loved because it stayed true to their relationship. The chemistry was always there, but for me, the real turning point came after he saved her from the poisoning.
Spice rating 🌶️.75/5
There isn't loads of spice, but when it happens... 👀 it's worth the wait. I'm already crossing my fingers that Book 2 turns the heat up now they're (mostly) done trying to kill each other. 😂
My only tiny criticisms were that the opening chapters felt a little chaotic, and there were a few scene transitions where I had to reread to work out exactly what had happened. I also think a map at the beginning would make it even easier to visualise the world.
I was absolutely not prepared for that cliffhanger. I desperately need to know what's going to happen to Bohdan next.
An incredible debut that has me so excited for what's to come. Now excuse me while I impatiently wait for Book 2...
Write like the wind, Ava. 🫡❤️
This book had me hooked from the start and honestly ticks so many of my favourite boxes:
🗡️ Revenge
❤️ Enemies to lovers
🩸 A strong (and very stabby) FMC
🏰 Gothic romance
🔥 The slowest of slow burns
Ksenia was SUCH a refreshing FMC. She's fierce, determined, and unapologetically morally grey in a way you don't often see in romantasy, and I absolutely loved that. Throw in a mysterious MMC who's definitely not what he seems, plenty of gore, shocking twists, and incredible tension, and you've got a story that's impossible to put down.
Ava's writing deserves so much praise. The world-building is immersive without feeling overwhelming, and the descriptions made everything feel so vivid. I could picture every castle corridor, every weapon, every outfit. It actually gave me little flashes of Merlin (BBC series from 2008) throughout, which made me love it even more. Iykyk hehe
And can we talk about the emotional damage?! 😭 I was NOT prepared for the book to literally open with the FMC being beheaded with her future love interest involved?! What an opening. And then the forge scene later on? devastating. Ava isn't afraid to let bad things happen, and the stakes feel so much higher because of it.
When I realised Bohdan was the MMC, I genuinely wondered how on earth these two were ever going to end up together. This is a TRUE slow burn. Even after the first spicy scene (around halfway through?), they still felt more like enemies than lovers which I actually loved because it stayed true to their relationship. The chemistry was always there, but for me, the real turning point came after he saved her from the poisoning.
Spice rating 🌶️.75/5
There isn't loads of spice, but when it happens... 👀 it's worth the wait. I'm already crossing my fingers that Book 2 turns the heat up now they're (mostly) done trying to kill each other. 😂
My only tiny criticisms were that the opening chapters felt a little chaotic, and there were a few scene transitions where I had to reread to work out exactly what had happened. I also think a map at the beginning would make it even easier to visualise the world.
I was absolutely not prepared for that cliffhanger. I desperately need to know what's going to happen to Bohdan next.
An incredible debut that has me so excited for what's to come. Now excuse me while I impatiently wait for Book 2...
Write like the wind, Ava. 🫡❤️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I got this book as an ARC and I am so glad I got to read it before it is published!
From the beginning, I was hooked by the atmosphere and the feeling that I was reading something that, while built around familiar fantasy tropes, still had its own identity. The trials were a huge highlight for me. They were brutal, the stakes kept getting higher and I was genuinely invested in seeing how Ksenia would survive them. There were definitely moments that gave me The Hunger Games and Throne of Glass vibes but the magic system, characters and story kept it from feeling like a copycat.
Ksenia was a great protagonist to follow particularly while trying to hold onto her own morals and sense of self. And I absolutely loved the tension between her and Bohdan. Their dynamic kept me invested throughout especially with the whole enemies to lovers element and the constant push and pull between them.
I did have a couple of criticisms. Some scenes felt a little rushed especially when something exciting or significant happened. There were a few moments where I had to reread a section because I didn’t feel like the writing fully captured the impact of what had just happened. The unusual vocabulary also occasionally pulled me out of the story. I appreciated the distinctive writing style but sometimes the more complex word choices felt unnecessary.
Despite that, I had a great time reading this. The story kept me engaged, the stakes were high and I became genuinely invested in the characters and where everything was heading. The ending definitely left me wanting more and I’m very excited to see where the story goes next.
From the beginning, I was hooked by the atmosphere and the feeling that I was reading something that, while built around familiar fantasy tropes, still had its own identity. The trials were a huge highlight for me. They were brutal, the stakes kept getting higher and I was genuinely invested in seeing how Ksenia would survive them. There were definitely moments that gave me The Hunger Games and Throne of Glass vibes but the magic system, characters and story kept it from feeling like a copycat.
Ksenia was a great protagonist to follow particularly while trying to hold onto her own morals and sense of self. And I absolutely loved the tension between her and Bohdan. Their dynamic kept me invested throughout especially with the whole enemies to lovers element and the constant push and pull between them.
I did have a couple of criticisms. Some scenes felt a little rushed especially when something exciting or significant happened. There were a few moments where I had to reread a section because I didn’t feel like the writing fully captured the impact of what had just happened. The unusual vocabulary also occasionally pulled me out of the story. I appreciated the distinctive writing style but sometimes the more complex word choices felt unnecessary.
Despite that, I had a great time reading this. The story kept me engaged, the stakes were high and I became genuinely invested in the characters and where everything was heading. The ending definitely left me wanting more and I’m very excited to see where the story goes next.
Did Not Finish
August 23, 2026I received an arc for this but book by the author. I’ve been reading this the entire month and unfortunately I only made it 45% through the book. I made the decision to dnf because I just did not feel attached to the story or any of the characters. I was attracted to this story because it was described as throne of glass meets mindfck series and I just couldn’t see either of those here. I tried to hold out as long as I could to see if it got better but I don’t think I could see myself changing my mind by the end.
July 20, 2026
I gave this 3.25 stars!
I received an ARC for Hellbound!
I have mixed reviews for this book so I want to start off with what I enjoyed.
I enjoyed:
-a strong FMC who is angry and sticks to her plan of getting revenge
-I was hooked by the synopsis of the book and felt like the magic system was unique
-the tension between the FMC and MMC was very good
-the book started to pick up around 80% read and I loved all the twists and turns at the end
I disliked:
-I really would’ve wished we dived deeper into the world building because the magic system and world was so unique
-the story had a lot of inconsistencies or the story jumped a lot so I was left very confused. One example included when our FMC was going through a trial with her team and they were talking about a vault underground to find what item they were looking for then all of a sudden, the FMC is suspended above a structure to get what she was looking for to win that trial? I was left confused throughout many points of the book leading me to reread whole sections to make sure I was understanding it as much as I could.
-when a character died that we were meant to love, we moved on from the death way too quickly
-I loved the concept of the FMC being a serial killer but it fell flat throughout the story. I wanted more.
-this could just be a me issue but the tropes were very overused. We had a FMC who had to be in trials to take down the evil king/kingdom. We had a MMC who ended up being a “spy” for the good side.
Thank you so much to Ava and her team for allowing me to receive an advanced reader copy. I will be reading the next book as soon as it comes out!
I received an ARC for Hellbound!
I have mixed reviews for this book so I want to start off with what I enjoyed.
I enjoyed:
-a strong FMC who is angry and sticks to her plan of getting revenge
-I was hooked by the synopsis of the book and felt like the magic system was unique
-the tension between the FMC and MMC was very good
-the book started to pick up around 80% read and I loved all the twists and turns at the end
I disliked:
-I really would’ve wished we dived deeper into the world building because the magic system and world was so unique
-the story had a lot of inconsistencies or the story jumped a lot so I was left very confused. One example included when our FMC was going through a trial with her team and they were talking about a vault underground to find what item they were looking for then all of a sudden, the FMC is suspended above a structure to get what she was looking for to win that trial? I was left confused throughout many points of the book leading me to reread whole sections to make sure I was understanding it as much as I could.
-when a character died that we were meant to love, we moved on from the death way too quickly
-I loved the concept of the FMC being a serial killer but it fell flat throughout the story. I wanted more.
-this could just be a me issue but the tropes were very overused. We had a FMC who had to be in trials to take down the evil king/kingdom. We had a MMC who ended up being a “spy” for the good side.
Thank you so much to Ava and her team for allowing me to receive an advanced reader copy. I will be reading the next book as soon as it comes out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2026
ARC review.
2.25⭐️ This suffers as a debut novel with too many ideas and not enough finesse of execution. The world building is incomplete. Narrative details and description missing making following place, space and plot hard.
This was marketed as Throne of Glass meets Mind F*** series. And it was neither. It had none of the wit, humour or pace of MF and none of the lush world building of ToG.
And the “cliffhanger” wasn’t exactly hanging or shocking having seen it a mile out.
The ‘villain’ is not villainous. And don’t get me started on the learning curve she goes on in a matter of WEEKS to become some super spy.
I really really wanted to love this but, honestly, it would have been a DNF had it not been an ARC. I wanted to give the author and the book a fair chance to redeem themselves and I think, in time, with more experience, they can. But this book needs an experienced editor to give it and the author some tough love.
As always, this is just my opinion. There are obviously readers who love this so it has an audience. But that audience was not me.
2.25⭐️ This suffers as a debut novel with too many ideas and not enough finesse of execution. The world building is incomplete. Narrative details and description missing making following place, space and plot hard.
This was marketed as Throne of Glass meets Mind F*** series. And it was neither. It had none of the wit, humour or pace of MF and none of the lush world building of ToG.
And the “cliffhanger” wasn’t exactly hanging or shocking having seen it a mile out.
The ‘villain’ is not villainous. And don’t get me started on the learning curve she goes on in a matter of WEEKS to become some super spy.
I really really wanted to love this but, honestly, it would have been a DNF had it not been an ARC. I wanted to give the author and the book a fair chance to redeem themselves and I think, in time, with more experience, they can. But this book needs an experienced editor to give it and the author some tough love.
As always, this is just my opinion. There are obviously readers who love this so it has an audience. But that audience was not me.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Baby’s first ARC. Huge shoutout to the Ava and her team for selecting me to be one of the first to read this 🫡
⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5 / 5
🌶️🌶️.75 / 5
“Senka is everything I should avoid—reckless, deceptive, and completely without principle. She is a poison, and yet I’m willingly consuming it.”
After being executed, Ksenia is given a second chance when she makes a deal with blood thirsty goddess. Ksenia gets a new body in order to break through the castle walls and kill the king. However, she must take on a new identity and join the deadly trials to become the king’s spymaster in order to get close enough to slit his throat. The games threaten her very chance and getting revenge. But Ksenia must still fulfill the goddess’ demand for blood. The kingdom is on high alert as bodies turn up and a serial killer lives amongst them. They have no idea the serial killer is right under their nose.
This was one hell of a debut. In a market that is oversaturated and every book is labeled as Romantasy, this has a fighting chance.
From the beginning, I’ve been so excited to read this. I think the author really found a way to make her story stand out amongst the growing number of Romantasy stories—a morally grey FMC. Ksenia has complex motivations that drive her. She does also feel remorse and have conflicting emotions throughout her journey. Which I really do agree is morally grey so props to Ava for sticking with the morally grey narrative. I began to root for her with each throat she slit lol. And when she learned ways to keep the crimes as clean as possible I thought good for her.
The tension between Ksenia and Bohdan was goooood.
What I wish I would’ve seen more of:
-more bloodshed. I KNOW, but I was wanting Ksenia to have more victims to appease the goddess. I feel like if I had a goddess in my head demanding more blood and was affected by the lack of blood, I would be killing left and right. (But maybe that’s just me.)
-I think the bondsmith aspect is really fascinating BUT there was a lot going on in this story that I was interested in the bondsmith element. I just wanted the serial killer/cat and mouse storyline. But again that is just me.
-a longer book 😭 the book is currently at almost 500 pages and yet I want more. I found myself checking my progress and thinking there’s no way the story wraps up in less than 75 pages.
It is worth the read and I can’t wait for book 2!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5 / 5
🌶️🌶️.75 / 5
“Senka is everything I should avoid—reckless, deceptive, and completely without principle. She is a poison, and yet I’m willingly consuming it.”
After being executed, Ksenia is given a second chance when she makes a deal with blood thirsty goddess. Ksenia gets a new body in order to break through the castle walls and kill the king. However, she must take on a new identity and join the deadly trials to become the king’s spymaster in order to get close enough to slit his throat. The games threaten her very chance and getting revenge. But Ksenia must still fulfill the goddess’ demand for blood. The kingdom is on high alert as bodies turn up and a serial killer lives amongst them. They have no idea the serial killer is right under their nose.
This was one hell of a debut. In a market that is oversaturated and every book is labeled as Romantasy, this has a fighting chance.
From the beginning, I’ve been so excited to read this. I think the author really found a way to make her story stand out amongst the growing number of Romantasy stories—a morally grey FMC. Ksenia has complex motivations that drive her. She does also feel remorse and have conflicting emotions throughout her journey. Which I really do agree is morally grey so props to Ava for sticking with the morally grey narrative. I began to root for her with each throat she slit lol. And when she learned ways to keep the crimes as clean as possible I thought good for her.
The tension between Ksenia and Bohdan was goooood.
What I wish I would’ve seen more of:
-more bloodshed. I KNOW, but I was wanting Ksenia to have more victims to appease the goddess. I feel like if I had a goddess in my head demanding more blood and was affected by the lack of blood, I would be killing left and right. (But maybe that’s just me.)
-I think the bondsmith aspect is really fascinating BUT there was a lot going on in this story that I was interested in the bondsmith element. I just wanted the serial killer/cat and mouse storyline. But again that is just me.
-a longer book 😭 the book is currently at almost 500 pages and yet I want more. I found myself checking my progress and thinking there’s no way the story wraps up in less than 75 pages.
It is worth the read and I can’t wait for book 2!!
August 16, 2026
ARC review
I really enjoyed Hellbound! The story was a perfect mix of some of my favorite books and tropes. The beginning was a little complicated and, tbh, threw me off a bit… But keep reading it all comes together!
The pacing was really good. I just kept wanting to read more. Every time I thought I’d reached a great part, the next one came along. I never found myself getting bored. The twists and turns were so good and kept me guessing.
The FMC quickly grew on me. She’s filled with so much anger, but she never lets it blind her. I really connected with the way she handled everything that was thrown at her. The feminine rage was written so well, and I absolutely loved it!
And the REAL slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, cat-and-mouse dynamic, and the tension!! Ksenia and Bodhan are such a great match. I loved their interactions and the way they constantly played off each other. And that cliffhanger?! Amazing.
Overall a really great debut novel I loved it. I can’t wait for the next book! Thank you Ava for the ARC ❤️
I really enjoyed Hellbound! The story was a perfect mix of some of my favorite books and tropes. The beginning was a little complicated and, tbh, threw me off a bit… But keep reading it all comes together!
The pacing was really good. I just kept wanting to read more. Every time I thought I’d reached a great part, the next one came along. I never found myself getting bored. The twists and turns were so good and kept me guessing.
The FMC quickly grew on me. She’s filled with so much anger, but she never lets it blind her. I really connected with the way she handled everything that was thrown at her. The feminine rage was written so well, and I absolutely loved it!
And the REAL slow burn, enemies-to-lovers, cat-and-mouse dynamic, and the tension!! Ksenia and Bodhan are such a great match. I loved their interactions and the way they constantly played off each other. And that cliffhanger?! Amazing.
Overall a really great debut novel I loved it. I can’t wait for the next book! Thank you Ava for the ARC ❤️
August 21, 2026
If you support women’s rights and their wrongs or enjoy an unhinged FMC bulldozing through a revenge arc, Hellbound is a must read! I adore a woman who can, not only step on me, but can also scheme with cunning and has a morally grey, and sometimes even black, heart. Ksenia is the type of character to really inspire loyalty as you follow along her journey, even when things start to get a bit messy. She’s confident, cool, and is such a great anti-hero! I devoured Hellbound and stayed on the edge of my seat the entire story, especially when Ksenia and Bhodan started working closely together. Their romantic tension was incredibly intense and has many elements dark romance readers would love, but would also keep those who don’t dabble in that genre much invested in their dynamic. I could go on for days about how much I loved this book! If you enjoy characters with a questionable moral compass, action packed fantasy, and feminine rage, definitely read Hellbound ASAP!
Thank you to the author for sending me an early copy!
Thank you to the author for sending me an early copy!
July 21, 2026
I received this book as an arc and I gave it a 2.5 but I rounded up to a 3! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
There were a few things that I really enjoyed in this book but there was unfortunately quite a bit of things I didn’t like. ⚠️Spoilers ahead so read with caution!⚠️
~
~
~
~
🔴Things I didn’t like:
-The whole book had many inconsistencies, both in the writing and in the storyline (it could possibly be that it needs a bit more editing)
-When we got important information it was kind of confusing to understand and whenever it would be mentioned later in the book it would come out of nowhere and it would be even more confusing to me
-The characters were one noted at times and I wish there was more to their background and characteristics (especially our main characters)
-I didn’t feel like it was truly enemies to lovers, it felt more like rivals and I couldn’t find the love between the characters, more lust than love (which isn’t a bad thing!)
-Our FMC moved on from deaths WAY too quickly
-Speaking of moving on quickly, it felt like the trials were rushed through, I wish there was more researched detail in them
🟢Things I liked:
-Some characters were a bit tolerable than others (like Petra and Varka but even still, I wish there was more to them)
-The way Ava describes characters and atmosphere is really creative and paints the picture really well
-Our FMC being a swordsmith was really unique and I wish there was more detail with it
-I really enjoyed the idea of our FMC being a killer and our MMC trying to find out who it is but it fell short at times and I wish the storyline focused more on it than the trials
-The smut was fantastic, it was probably my favorite parts of the book, you really don’t see a lot of BDSM esc smut in books and I feel as though it really fit the characters well
Overall I think this book has great potential, it just needs some editing and some fixing (but what book doesn’t?)📚Thank you so much to Ava and her team for giving me this opportunity!🫶🏼 I can’t wait to see what comes next from you! ✨🩸🗡️
There were a few things that I really enjoyed in this book but there was unfortunately quite a bit of things I didn’t like. ⚠️Spoilers ahead so read with caution!⚠️
~
~
~
~
🔴Things I didn’t like:
-The whole book had many inconsistencies, both in the writing and in the storyline (it could possibly be that it needs a bit more editing)
-When we got important information it was kind of confusing to understand and whenever it would be mentioned later in the book it would come out of nowhere and it would be even more confusing to me
-The characters were one noted at times and I wish there was more to their background and characteristics (especially our main characters)
-I didn’t feel like it was truly enemies to lovers, it felt more like rivals and I couldn’t find the love between the characters, more lust than love (which isn’t a bad thing!)
-Our FMC moved on from deaths WAY too quickly
-Speaking of moving on quickly, it felt like the trials were rushed through, I wish there was more researched detail in them
🟢Things I liked:
-Some characters were a bit tolerable than others (like Petra and Varka but even still, I wish there was more to them)
-The way Ava describes characters and atmosphere is really creative and paints the picture really well
-Our FMC being a swordsmith was really unique and I wish there was more detail with it
-I really enjoyed the idea of our FMC being a killer and our MMC trying to find out who it is but it fell short at times and I wish the storyline focused more on it than the trials
-The smut was fantastic, it was probably my favorite parts of the book, you really don’t see a lot of BDSM esc smut in books and I feel as though it really fit the characters well
Overall I think this book has great potential, it just needs some editing and some fixing (but what book doesn’t?)📚Thank you so much to Ava and her team for giving me this opportunity!🫶🏼 I can’t wait to see what comes next from you! ✨🩸🗡️
Review of advance copy received from Author
A Celaena Sardothian-esque villain meets Dexter the serial killer with morals in this revenge filled dark romantasy! 🗡️♥️
This book was stunning. 5 stars! The true definition of enemies to lovers! F*** the brooding, bring back trying to kill each other! Please!! The romantasy aspect was chefs kiss. I am a very picky reader! I have a strict rating system that I judge my books by and I don’t stray from it. So when I say this book was 5 stars, it was 5 stars!! It was a page turning, well written, shocking, spicy, and tumultuous 5 star read. I was on the edge of my seat every chapter! This was a throw your kindle across the room kind of book! Apologies to my kindle for my act of violence, but this book made me FEEL things. I loved how determined and motivated Ksenia was. She kept her grit, goals and personality at the forefront of her mind throughout the entire book. She embraced her villain era with such fervor. She was the definition of a strong and unbreakable character. Characters like her feel real to me, not like some made up person that doesn’t exist. Don’t even get me started on Bohdan… This man practically wrote the book on yearning. Talk about a slow burn! This book is the definition of two things can be true at once: Enemies can indeed be lovers, and it when they are it is HOT HOT HOT!
Thank you so much to the author, Ava Do, for an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts are my own. As if a small town labor and delivery nurse with no book social media could be bought! I just think it’s so cool I got an ARC as a nobody who talks too much about books! Anyways you HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!
This book was stunning. 5 stars! The true definition of enemies to lovers! F*** the brooding, bring back trying to kill each other! Please!! The romantasy aspect was chefs kiss. I am a very picky reader! I have a strict rating system that I judge my books by and I don’t stray from it. So when I say this book was 5 stars, it was 5 stars!! It was a page turning, well written, shocking, spicy, and tumultuous 5 star read. I was on the edge of my seat every chapter! This was a throw your kindle across the room kind of book! Apologies to my kindle for my act of violence, but this book made me FEEL things. I loved how determined and motivated Ksenia was. She kept her grit, goals and personality at the forefront of her mind throughout the entire book. She embraced her villain era with such fervor. She was the definition of a strong and unbreakable character. Characters like her feel real to me, not like some made up person that doesn’t exist. Don’t even get me started on Bohdan… This man practically wrote the book on yearning. Talk about a slow burn! This book is the definition of two things can be true at once: Enemies can indeed be lovers, and it when they are it is HOT HOT HOT!
Thank you so much to the author, Ava Do, for an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts are my own. As if a small town labor and delivery nurse with no book social media could be bought! I just think it’s so cool I got an ARC as a nobody who talks too much about books! Anyways you HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK!
August 29, 2026
Arc Review
If you want a true enemies to lovers in a gothic setting, this book is perfect!!
If you want a true enemies to lovers in a gothic setting, this book is perfect!!
July 19, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First of all, a huge thank you to Ava for the opportunity to read this as an e-ARC!❤️
This story wastes absolutely no time—it starts with a BANG, and the momentum from there never lets up. The pacing was one of my favourite things about it. A lot happens, but it never felt overwhelming. As someone who's a huge mood reader, I really appreciated how easy it was to sink into the world without having to wade through pages of heavy world-building or information dumps. It was exactly the kind of book I could pick up after a long day and instantly escape into.
Ava's writing style was another highlight. The gothic atmosphere was beautifully woven throughout the story, and there were so many scenes that played out so vividly in my head that they felt cinematic.
Ksenia was such a compelling protagonist. I absolutely love a dark FMC embracing her villain era, and she was fascinating to follow. I also really enjoyed the dynamic between Ksenia and Bohdan. Their interactions left me wanting even more🔥—which, to me, is never a bad thing! Considering the length of the book, I think the balance worked well, and it's definitely left me excited to see how their relationship develops in Book 2.
Overall, this was an incredibly enjoyable debut that was fast-paced, atmospheric, and so easy to get lost in.
If you enjoy gothic fantasy, enemies to lovers, morally grey characters, and stories that throw you straight into the action, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try!! Now begins the wait for Book 2 in 2027... and I already can't wait! ❤️
First of all, a huge thank you to Ava for the opportunity to read this as an e-ARC!❤️
This story wastes absolutely no time—it starts with a BANG, and the momentum from there never lets up. The pacing was one of my favourite things about it. A lot happens, but it never felt overwhelming. As someone who's a huge mood reader, I really appreciated how easy it was to sink into the world without having to wade through pages of heavy world-building or information dumps. It was exactly the kind of book I could pick up after a long day and instantly escape into.
Ava's writing style was another highlight. The gothic atmosphere was beautifully woven throughout the story, and there were so many scenes that played out so vividly in my head that they felt cinematic.
Ksenia was such a compelling protagonist. I absolutely love a dark FMC embracing her villain era, and she was fascinating to follow. I also really enjoyed the dynamic between Ksenia and Bohdan. Their interactions left me wanting even more🔥—which, to me, is never a bad thing! Considering the length of the book, I think the balance worked well, and it's definitely left me excited to see how their relationship develops in Book 2.
Overall, this was an incredibly enjoyable debut that was fast-paced, atmospheric, and so easy to get lost in.
If you enjoy gothic fantasy, enemies to lovers, morally grey characters, and stories that throw you straight into the action, I'd definitely recommend giving this one a try!! Now begins the wait for Book 2 in 2027... and I already can't wait! ❤️
July 29, 2026
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC! When I was on Tik Tok at the end of last year, I came across Ava’s account and I was intrigued with the premise of this book being Throne of Glass but she is the one mvrdering people and trying to k!ll the king. The artwork alone is just stunning! I have been waiting for this story to become real and here it is! I am blessed that I got to be an ARC reader for this book!
If you want Feminine Rage, this is the book for you! Ksenia’s rage radiates off the page! Her defiance against King Karsen is one to behold. She not only wants revenge, she wants to drag him down to Hell with her! It may be marketed as Throne of Glass, but it is so much more! The world and the lore behind this story is so unique and vast! I want even more! The weapons are their own magic system! It is so intricate and smart how they are used! It makes me want to know what other types could be made and what their uses are! Don’t even get me started on the spice in this book because the tension is just to d!e for! 🥵
THAT ENDING was sooooooo cruel! I need the second book like yesterday! The last hour had me in a proper chokehold! This book is dark and there are themes that can be hard for some readers. Make sure to check the trigger warnings before reading! This book is amazing and the author is just a beautiful human being! Anything that she writes, I will be buying! This books is a definite must read and I am going to be bugging her for book 2 starting now haha
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
If you want Feminine Rage, this is the book for you! Ksenia’s rage radiates off the page! Her defiance against King Karsen is one to behold. She not only wants revenge, she wants to drag him down to Hell with her! It may be marketed as Throne of Glass, but it is so much more! The world and the lore behind this story is so unique and vast! I want even more! The weapons are their own magic system! It is so intricate and smart how they are used! It makes me want to know what other types could be made and what their uses are! Don’t even get me started on the spice in this book because the tension is just to d!e for! 🥵
THAT ENDING was sooooooo cruel! I need the second book like yesterday! The last hour had me in a proper chokehold! This book is dark and there are themes that can be hard for some readers. Make sure to check the trigger warnings before reading! This book is amazing and the author is just a beautiful human being! Anything that she writes, I will be buying! This books is a definite must read and I am going to be bugging her for book 2 starting now haha
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
August 9, 2026
⭐️5/5
🌶️4/5
✨ARC REVIEW✨
So… umm… this isn’t even released yet and I already need book two IMMEDIATELY.
Hellbound is what you would get if you were to combine Throne of Glass and the Mindf*ck series into one fantastical story. I found myself on MULTIPLE OCCASIONS screaming at my kindle as well as giggling and kicking my feet. The drama. The banter. The tension. All of it!!
This was truly an incredible story and to gab about it with the peeps in the Discord was (and still is!) so much fun!
🌶️4/5
✨ARC REVIEW✨
So… umm… this isn’t even released yet and I already need book two IMMEDIATELY.
Hellbound is what you would get if you were to combine Throne of Glass and the Mindf*ck series into one fantastical story. I found myself on MULTIPLE OCCASIONS screaming at my kindle as well as giggling and kicking my feet. The drama. The banter. The tension. All of it!!
This was truly an incredible story and to gab about it with the peeps in the Discord was (and still is!) so much fun!
September 1, 2026
♾️⭐️ read. Absolutely blown away by this book! This is by far one of my top reads of the year, even bought a physical copy to add to my bookshelf!! I can’t get over the story line… it was so unique and had me completely hooked!! Like this is how you write a dark romantasy 👏🏻 This book also has some of THE BEST tension I’ve ever read (10/10 execution on that). If you want something to get out of a reading slump then this is the book to read. Cannot recommend enough!!
August 8, 2026
Thank you to the author/publisher for the opportunity to read this e-ARC (my first!!) All thoughts and opinions are my own.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
I had a LOT of thoughts while reading this one. I had questions, I had (minor) criticisms, I had moments where I was skeptical… and somehow I still ended up giving it 5 stars because I genuinely had such a good time reading it.
Honestly, I appreciate being thrown straight into the chaos. I sometimes struggle to get into books, but this one grabbed my attention almost immediately. I mean, chapter 3 is basically BAM—here’s the plot.
I did have some skepticism during the first half, particularly when it came to Ksenia’s development as a fighter. Throughout her training, we get the sense that she isn’t particularly skilled or naturally gifted at fighting. Then, when the “catch and kill” begins, she recoils in fear rather than immediately jumping into the action and killing other contestants. I actually liked that from a character perspective because it made her feel much more human and realistic. But it also had me wondering: how exactly is she supposed to become this badass, highly skilled spymaster and assassin?
During the catch and kill, she’s largely hiding until she’s found, then panicking and trying to survive. At one point, I genuinely questioned whether I was supposed to believe she could eventually become this incredibly capable killer when both her training and the opener of the trials seemed to establish that she wasn’t particularly skilled. Thankfully, the book itself acknowledges that luck and desperation won’t be enough to get her through what comes next.
I also wish there had been less emphasis on the training and more—or better-developed—trials. The training started to drag for me, while the actual trials felt comparatively short and weren’t quite what I expected.
I do think the flashbacks were well done and would like to see more of that in the next book.
And then there’s the whole “true enemies to lovers” thing. 👀 I’m not sure I completely bought it as a TRUE enemies-to-lovers romance. Yes, Ksenia says she hates Bohdan, but from very early on it’s obvious she finds him incredibly attractive, she’s thinking about him constantly, and there’s clearly an attraction/lust underneath the hatred. Which made me wonder… can you truly hate someone while simultaneously being unable to stop thinking about how attractive they are? I wanted a little more of that genuine animosity before the romance/thoughts of him started developing. I did love their interactions and wanted more of them. More tension, more bickering, more of him trying to resist her. Don’t get me wrong there were plenty of scenes between them, I just loved it a lot!
I also found myself wondering if the goddess was somehow giving Ksenia the ability to kill—or at least assisting her. Because there’s really no other explanation for how she goes from seemingly unskilled to an extremely capable assassin so quickly. I would have loved more explanation there. I think it’s her sword? This could be a *me* issue of not full understanding.
BUT.
Once I got past the halfway point, pretty much all of my skepticism disappeared. I was IN. 😂
I really loved the relationship/friendship that developed between Varka and Ksenia, and I wish we had gotten even more of it. I also would have loved a little more insight into Bohdan’s perspective leading up to their “bedding.” I wanted more signs that he was struggling with his feelings and that he couldn’t stop thinking about her too.
There were also several aspects of the world that I wanted MORE of. The blades, their history, how they work, the magic, the world itself—I would love more background and explanation in the next book. I think more world-building would have made an already interesting story even stronger.
And I definitely had questions about how quickly everyone accepted Ksenia’s identity. Wasn’t she essentially just another person killed by the king? Would the king and Bohdan really have remembered her specifically? Her death didn’t seem particularly significant considering how many people he was killing. And if it WAS significant, some more history/build up to her death would’ve been good. And if I were Danika and a stranger suddenly appeared claiming to be my sister reborn in a new body, I feel like I’d need a LOT more convincing. Especially in a world where magic exists! My first thought would be, “Okay… witchcraft? Some kind of trick?”
So yes, I had questions. A LOT of questions. But ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself making notes of things that didn’t quite make sense to me, but none of them stopped me from wanting to keep reading.
And that ending?!?!
It about gave me a heart attack and left me DESPERATELY wanting more.
Sometimes you just have to stop overthinking, accept the chaos, and enjoy the ride—and this was absolutely one of those books for me.
Also, can I add I completely saw the twist with Bohdan coming a mile away 🫣 it’s the only way the enemy to lovers would really work for this book (IMO). Don’t get me wrong I loved it and needed it to happen. Squealed when we finally got to that point 😂 5/5 definitely recommend this read!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
I had a LOT of thoughts while reading this one. I had questions, I had (minor) criticisms, I had moments where I was skeptical… and somehow I still ended up giving it 5 stars because I genuinely had such a good time reading it.
Honestly, I appreciate being thrown straight into the chaos. I sometimes struggle to get into books, but this one grabbed my attention almost immediately. I mean, chapter 3 is basically BAM—here’s the plot.
I did have some skepticism during the first half, particularly when it came to Ksenia’s development as a fighter. Throughout her training, we get the sense that she isn’t particularly skilled or naturally gifted at fighting. Then, when the “catch and kill” begins, she recoils in fear rather than immediately jumping into the action and killing other contestants. I actually liked that from a character perspective because it made her feel much more human and realistic. But it also had me wondering: how exactly is she supposed to become this badass, highly skilled spymaster and assassin?
During the catch and kill, she’s largely hiding until she’s found, then panicking and trying to survive. At one point, I genuinely questioned whether I was supposed to believe she could eventually become this incredibly capable killer when both her training and the opener of the trials seemed to establish that she wasn’t particularly skilled. Thankfully, the book itself acknowledges that luck and desperation won’t be enough to get her through what comes next.
I also wish there had been less emphasis on the training and more—or better-developed—trials. The training started to drag for me, while the actual trials felt comparatively short and weren’t quite what I expected.
I do think the flashbacks were well done and would like to see more of that in the next book.
And then there’s the whole “true enemies to lovers” thing. 👀 I’m not sure I completely bought it as a TRUE enemies-to-lovers romance. Yes, Ksenia says she hates Bohdan, but from very early on it’s obvious she finds him incredibly attractive, she’s thinking about him constantly, and there’s clearly an attraction/lust underneath the hatred. Which made me wonder… can you truly hate someone while simultaneously being unable to stop thinking about how attractive they are? I wanted a little more of that genuine animosity before the romance/thoughts of him started developing. I did love their interactions and wanted more of them. More tension, more bickering, more of him trying to resist her. Don’t get me wrong there were plenty of scenes between them, I just loved it a lot!
I also found myself wondering if the goddess was somehow giving Ksenia the ability to kill—or at least assisting her. Because there’s really no other explanation for how she goes from seemingly unskilled to an extremely capable assassin so quickly. I would have loved more explanation there. I think it’s her sword? This could be a *me* issue of not full understanding.
BUT.
Once I got past the halfway point, pretty much all of my skepticism disappeared. I was IN. 😂
I really loved the relationship/friendship that developed between Varka and Ksenia, and I wish we had gotten even more of it. I also would have loved a little more insight into Bohdan’s perspective leading up to their “bedding.” I wanted more signs that he was struggling with his feelings and that he couldn’t stop thinking about her too.
There were also several aspects of the world that I wanted MORE of. The blades, their history, how they work, the magic, the world itself—I would love more background and explanation in the next book. I think more world-building would have made an already interesting story even stronger.
And I definitely had questions about how quickly everyone accepted Ksenia’s identity. Wasn’t she essentially just another person killed by the king? Would the king and Bohdan really have remembered her specifically? Her death didn’t seem particularly significant considering how many people he was killing. And if it WAS significant, some more history/build up to her death would’ve been good. And if I were Danika and a stranger suddenly appeared claiming to be my sister reborn in a new body, I feel like I’d need a LOT more convincing. Especially in a world where magic exists! My first thought would be, “Okay… witchcraft? Some kind of trick?”
So yes, I had questions. A LOT of questions. But ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found myself making notes of things that didn’t quite make sense to me, but none of them stopped me from wanting to keep reading.
And that ending?!?!
It about gave me a heart attack and left me DESPERATELY wanting more.
Sometimes you just have to stop overthinking, accept the chaos, and enjoy the ride—and this was absolutely one of those books for me.
Also, can I add I completely saw the twist with Bohdan coming a mile away 🫣 it’s the only way the enemy to lovers would really work for this book (IMO). Don’t get me wrong I loved it and needed it to happen. Squealed when we finally got to that point 😂 5/5 definitely recommend this read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2026
I first came across Hellbound a few months before it was released, so I’d been waiting to finally read it for a while. Overall, I really enjoyed it, even though it took me a little longer than expected to fully get into.
And not because I wasn’t enjoying it, because I was. It just took a while to reach that point where I was thinking, Oh my god, I NEED to keep reading. What happens next?! Once I got there, though, I was hooked.
I really liked the world-building, especially the magic system surrounding the blades and the Bondsmiths. There is definitely A LOT happening in one book between the trials, Ksenia becoming Sevrant, the assassinations, the serial killer, and all of the larger political pieces, but overall I thought the story was really interesting.
But the romance? Five stars. Easily my favorite part of the book.
We obviously know from the beginning that Bohdan is going to be the love interest, and I absolutely loved how their relationship developed. Definitely enemies-to-lovers but not quite a slow-burn. Their banter and back-and-forth were SO good, and I just loved watching their relationship evolve.
I also really loved how much Ksenia and Bohdan mirror each other. Ksenia has spent her life trying to save Bondsmiths and their families, only to die, make a deal with a goddess, lose her soul, and slowly become something of a monster herself. Meanwhile, Bohdan has spent his entire life hiding the fact that his father can’t compulse him, meaning he’s knowingly had to do horrible things, even sometimes to innocent people, in order to protect others and keep that secret.
That parallel between them was probably one of my favorite aspects of their relationship. The scene where Ksenia comes back from an assassination attempt riddled with poison and wakes up with Bohdan beside her was especially good. There was something almost like awe in his reaction to what she’d done because, in a way, she’d become the thing he’d spent his entire life being afraid to become.
And then Karsan DIDN’T FUCKING DIE. Obviously I knew he wasn’t going to, but I was still pissed.
Ksenia killing her sister and the children was also genuinely gut-wrenching. Up until that point, most of the people she’d intentionally killed were people you could argue deserved it. She obviously didn’t choose for this to happen. She was manipulated by the king. But I think it completed that mirroring between her and Bohdan in an interesting way. She’s now responsible for the deaths of innocent people too, even though the circumstances behind their actions are very different.
My biggest complaint was probably Petra. I really liked her, and her death was definitely sad and unexpected, but I wanted it to hit SO much harder than it did. I think part of the problem was that Petra sometimes felt a little too convenient. Whenever Ksenia needed something during the trials, Petra seemed to have the ability, knowledge, or solution necessary to help her accomplish it.
I liked their friendship, but I wish we’d gotten more development between them outside of Petra helping Ksenia. Then Petra dies, Ksenia is devastated, Bohdan is surprisingly sweet with her about it, and Petra is basically never mentioned again. We don’t really see Ksenia processing that grief. Even when she gets her soul back and has to confront everything she’s done and all the people who have died because of her actions, Petra doesn’t really come up. I think her death could have been so much more devastating if their relationship and Ksenia’s grief afterward had been given a little more space.
I also wish Varka had remained a bigger presence after Ksenia became Sevrant. She was such a significant character in the beginning and throughout the trials, then seemed to mostly disappear until coming back to save Ksenia at the end.
The only other thing I struggled with was some of the politics surrounding the other countries. I never felt like I completely understood all of the connections between the different kingdoms and characters. That could absolutely be me not paying close enough attention, but I wish some of those relationships had been a little clearer. The book has both a pronunciation guide and a map, which I LOVE, but I think a glossary explaining the different countries, important characters, and their relationships would have been incredibly helpful.
And not because I wasn’t enjoying it, because I was. It just took a while to reach that point where I was thinking, Oh my god, I NEED to keep reading. What happens next?! Once I got there, though, I was hooked.
I really liked the world-building, especially the magic system surrounding the blades and the Bondsmiths. There is definitely A LOT happening in one book between the trials, Ksenia becoming Sevrant, the assassinations, the serial killer, and all of the larger political pieces, but overall I thought the story was really interesting.
But the romance? Five stars. Easily my favorite part of the book.
We obviously know from the beginning that Bohdan is going to be the love interest, and I absolutely loved how their relationship developed. Definitely enemies-to-lovers but not quite a slow-burn. Their banter and back-and-forth were SO good, and I just loved watching their relationship evolve.
I also really loved how much Ksenia and Bohdan mirror each other. Ksenia has spent her life trying to save Bondsmiths and their families, only to die, make a deal with a goddess, lose her soul, and slowly become something of a monster herself. Meanwhile, Bohdan has spent his entire life hiding the fact that his father can’t compulse him, meaning he’s knowingly had to do horrible things, even sometimes to innocent people, in order to protect others and keep that secret.
That parallel between them was probably one of my favorite aspects of their relationship. The scene where Ksenia comes back from an assassination attempt riddled with poison and wakes up with Bohdan beside her was especially good. There was something almost like awe in his reaction to what she’d done because, in a way, she’d become the thing he’d spent his entire life being afraid to become.
And then Karsan DIDN’T FUCKING DIE. Obviously I knew he wasn’t going to, but I was still pissed.
Ksenia killing her sister and the children was also genuinely gut-wrenching. Up until that point, most of the people she’d intentionally killed were people you could argue deserved it. She obviously didn’t choose for this to happen. She was manipulated by the king. But I think it completed that mirroring between her and Bohdan in an interesting way. She’s now responsible for the deaths of innocent people too, even though the circumstances behind their actions are very different.
My biggest complaint was probably Petra. I really liked her, and her death was definitely sad and unexpected, but I wanted it to hit SO much harder than it did. I think part of the problem was that Petra sometimes felt a little too convenient. Whenever Ksenia needed something during the trials, Petra seemed to have the ability, knowledge, or solution necessary to help her accomplish it.
I liked their friendship, but I wish we’d gotten more development between them outside of Petra helping Ksenia. Then Petra dies, Ksenia is devastated, Bohdan is surprisingly sweet with her about it, and Petra is basically never mentioned again. We don’t really see Ksenia processing that grief. Even when she gets her soul back and has to confront everything she’s done and all the people who have died because of her actions, Petra doesn’t really come up. I think her death could have been so much more devastating if their relationship and Ksenia’s grief afterward had been given a little more space.
I also wish Varka had remained a bigger presence after Ksenia became Sevrant. She was such a significant character in the beginning and throughout the trials, then seemed to mostly disappear until coming back to save Ksenia at the end.
The only other thing I struggled with was some of the politics surrounding the other countries. I never felt like I completely understood all of the connections between the different kingdoms and characters. That could absolutely be me not paying close enough attention, but I wish some of those relationships had been a little clearer. The book has both a pronunciation guide and a map, which I LOVE, but I think a glossary explaining the different countries, important characters, and their relationships would have been incredibly helpful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2026
Thank you to Ava for letting me eARC read this book!
~
My overall rating of Hellbound is 5/5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️*
*I just want to recognize that being apart of this ARC read was a really fun and great experience! Ava is so sweet and is truly committed to her books and readers! This ARC experience personally makes me feel that this book deserves all the love and a full 5 stars.
A TLDR; I stumbled across this book through Ava's TikTok marketing, and I was instantly intrigued by the hook the FMC being the killer that the MMC is looking for. I feel like this book really excels at having interesting world building, engaging character interactions/ developments, and a great depiction of enemies to lovers romance. I struggled with staying interested in certain parts of the writing, feeling like something was missing with certain characters, and wanting something different out of certain parts of the book's themes. These are small compared to what I liked, and personally are negligible, so this book is worth the read!
What You WILL Love ❤️
World and Lore ✨️- This world is packed with lots of interesting magic, history, and possibilities. There's so much to learn and my only want is that more will be revealed in the next book!
Drama 🎭- The FMC goes through A LOT in this book. It is not often I have moments of surprise, but I honestly just found myself eating up majority of the story and just NEEDING to see what happens next!
Sexy, Angry Romance ⚔️❤️🔥- Enemies to Lovers in most current books is frequently claimed, but often falls flat. Hellbound surprised me many times on this however, and I found myself truly saying "Oh they hate each other but that was sexy!" 🤭
As I personally believe that any piece of art is never fully perfect, here are some aspects you might NOT love. 💔
Trials ⚖️- For whatever reason, I felt like the pacing was thrown off during the trials. I think it comes on at a time that disrupted my build up of enjoying the plot that comes before it, and at times was difficult to understand what was happening. As a positive though, I do think the plot goes back to its original quality after they are over.
Character Potential 👥- After reading, I find myself uncertain on if I really I know the FMC. I know things about her life like her family, motivations and abilities, but I can't really describe her personality well. I would love to see this expanded more for her. Additionaly, there is another character that I think is thrown off to the side rather quickly in the story. Maybe it was meant to be that way to some extent, but I think there was room to make their part more impactful than what was given.
Themes 📖- I was truly excited for the themes this book has, and while I enjoyed most it, there were some that I just personally didnt see going the ways they did. The theme of cat and cat chase/ FMC is the killer wasn't as thick as I thought it would be. I think the build of it was promising, but I think I wanted its conclusion to be detrimental to the MCs relationship in a different way.
Overall, I would definitely would recommend this book if the main tropes are your thing, as most of them are done better than how other books are typically handling them! Book 2 when? 🥹
~
My overall rating of Hellbound is 5/5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️*
*I just want to recognize that being apart of this ARC read was a really fun and great experience! Ava is so sweet and is truly committed to her books and readers! This ARC experience personally makes me feel that this book deserves all the love and a full 5 stars.
A TLDR; I stumbled across this book through Ava's TikTok marketing, and I was instantly intrigued by the hook the FMC being the killer that the MMC is looking for. I feel like this book really excels at having interesting world building, engaging character interactions/ developments, and a great depiction of enemies to lovers romance. I struggled with staying interested in certain parts of the writing, feeling like something was missing with certain characters, and wanting something different out of certain parts of the book's themes. These are small compared to what I liked, and personally are negligible, so this book is worth the read!
What You WILL Love ❤️
World and Lore ✨️- This world is packed with lots of interesting magic, history, and possibilities. There's so much to learn and my only want is that more will be revealed in the next book!
Drama 🎭- The FMC goes through A LOT in this book. It is not often I have moments of surprise, but I honestly just found myself eating up majority of the story and just NEEDING to see what happens next!
Sexy, Angry Romance ⚔️❤️🔥- Enemies to Lovers in most current books is frequently claimed, but often falls flat. Hellbound surprised me many times on this however, and I found myself truly saying "Oh they hate each other but that was sexy!" 🤭
As I personally believe that any piece of art is never fully perfect, here are some aspects you might NOT love. 💔
Trials ⚖️- For whatever reason, I felt like the pacing was thrown off during the trials. I think it comes on at a time that disrupted my build up of enjoying the plot that comes before it, and at times was difficult to understand what was happening. As a positive though, I do think the plot goes back to its original quality after they are over.
Character Potential 👥- After reading, I find myself uncertain on if I really I know the FMC. I know things about her life like her family, motivations and abilities, but I can't really describe her personality well. I would love to see this expanded more for her. Additionaly, there is another character that I think is thrown off to the side rather quickly in the story. Maybe it was meant to be that way to some extent, but I think there was room to make their part more impactful than what was given.
Themes 📖- I was truly excited for the themes this book has, and while I enjoyed most it, there were some that I just personally didnt see going the ways they did. The theme of cat and cat chase/ FMC is the killer wasn't as thick as I thought it would be. I think the build of it was promising, but I think I wanted its conclusion to be detrimental to the MCs relationship in a different way.
Overall, I would definitely would recommend this book if the main tropes are your thing, as most of them are done better than how other books are typically handling them! Book 2 when? 🥹
September 11, 2026
I have mixed feelings about this book, to be completely honest. I think it failed to fully execute all the plot points it promised in its blurb.
Let's start with the good. I really enjoyed the premise of magical blades, with one family line holding the ability to forge magical weapons. Her resurrection was quite intriguing, and for a second I was actually shocked the main character got killed off in the first few chapters of the book (I had forgotten the blurb).
The ending is probably the strongest part too. That's when things finally started to pick up, the stakes became higher, and it became the hardest point in the whole book to put down. I also loved the whole thread of her participating in the Trials to become the king's spymaster (I'm guessing this is the Throne of Glass influence they mention in the blurb). Watching her play double agent, pretending to be his little pet while competing, all while quietly plotting his demise and Bohdan's in the background, was a lot of fun to read.
But that's where my problems start too, both with the plot and with the writing style: everything about this book is too rushed. I don't think I've ever read something this fast paced to its own detriment. There's never any time to linger, never a chance to go deeper into any single aspect of the story before it's on to the next thing. Take the resurrection into a completely new body. That should have been a much bigger deal than it ends up being. You're in a new body, with new features, your entire identity was essentially wiped and replaced, and the character barely reacts to it. An identity crisis would have felt like the natural response here, and its absence is strange.
The jumps between locations suffer from the same rushed feeling. One paragraph we're in one place, and the next we've already moved somewhere entirely new without any real transition, which meant I had to reread whole sections just to figure out where we'd ended up.
The Trials themselves were another letdown. I wanted them to be a much bigger highlight of the book, but they weren't. Most of them lasted only a handful of pages, and we spent more time in the gaps between trials than inside the trials themselves. That might have been intentional on the author's part, and if so, that's a valid choice, but it wasn't what I expected going in.
The same goes for the smith's magic. For a book where Ksenia's family magic is the source of so much of the tension, we barely get to see what that magic is actually capable of, how it manifests, or what its limits are. The author does eventually show us the forging process in some detail, but it's so brief that it never felt like enough to satisfy the weight the story kept putting on it.
Honestly, I think this book should have been split into two. Splitting it would have given the story room to breathe: more time in the world building, more time exploring the smiths' magic, instead of cramming everything into a single volume and rushing past the parts that deserved to be lingered on.
Let's start with the good. I really enjoyed the premise of magical blades, with one family line holding the ability to forge magical weapons. Her resurrection was quite intriguing, and for a second I was actually shocked the main character got killed off in the first few chapters of the book (I had forgotten the blurb).
The ending is probably the strongest part too. That's when things finally started to pick up, the stakes became higher, and it became the hardest point in the whole book to put down. I also loved the whole thread of her participating in the Trials to become the king's spymaster (I'm guessing this is the Throne of Glass influence they mention in the blurb). Watching her play double agent, pretending to be his little pet while competing, all while quietly plotting his demise and Bohdan's in the background, was a lot of fun to read.
But that's where my problems start too, both with the plot and with the writing style: everything about this book is too rushed. I don't think I've ever read something this fast paced to its own detriment. There's never any time to linger, never a chance to go deeper into any single aspect of the story before it's on to the next thing. Take the resurrection into a completely new body. That should have been a much bigger deal than it ends up being. You're in a new body, with new features, your entire identity was essentially wiped and replaced, and the character barely reacts to it. An identity crisis would have felt like the natural response here, and its absence is strange.
The jumps between locations suffer from the same rushed feeling. One paragraph we're in one place, and the next we've already moved somewhere entirely new without any real transition, which meant I had to reread whole sections just to figure out where we'd ended up.
The Trials themselves were another letdown. I wanted them to be a much bigger highlight of the book, but they weren't. Most of them lasted only a handful of pages, and we spent more time in the gaps between trials than inside the trials themselves. That might have been intentional on the author's part, and if so, that's a valid choice, but it wasn't what I expected going in.
The same goes for the smith's magic. For a book where Ksenia's family magic is the source of so much of the tension, we barely get to see what that magic is actually capable of, how it manifests, or what its limits are. The author does eventually show us the forging process in some detail, but it's so brief that it never felt like enough to satisfy the weight the story kept putting on it.
Honestly, I think this book should have been split into two. Splitting it would have given the story room to breathe: more time in the world building, more time exploring the smiths' magic, instead of cramming everything into a single volume and rushing past the parts that deserved to be lingered on.
August 3, 2026
ARC review: I’m so grateful to have won an early copy of Hellbound. Huge thank you to Ava Do for the chance to read this before release.
You know a book has you when your notes slowly devolve from coherent thoughts into things like "I WANT MORE BOHDAN SCENES" and "WHAT THE HELL????"
This was one of those books that kept giving me reasons to stay up for one more chapter. I was hooked almost immediately by the premise, and once the trials started, I was fully locked in. If there's one thing about me, it's that I will always show up for deadly competitions, survival games, and characters being forced into increasingly impossible situations. The trials felt creative, well thought out, and high stakes enough that I actually cared about the outcomes.
But the real star of the show for me was the tension between Ksenia and Bohdan. This is a slow burn in the best possible way. The story takes its time with them, and every interaction felt loaded. There was so much pushing and pulling, power struggles, suspicion, obsession, and chemistry simmering underneath everything that when they finally collided... wow. Absolutely worth the wait. Their dynamic carried so much of the book for me.
I also have to give some love to Varka, who immediately became one of my favourite characters. Every time she appeared, I was invested. I loved the training sequences, the friendships, and all the smaller character moments woven between the bigger plot developments.
And yes, we need to talk about the spice.
Let's just say this book understood the assignment. The tension was already doing a lot of heavy lifting, but when the romantic payoff arrived, it arrived. Some of those scenes were absolutely unhinged in the best way, and I was very much not complaining.
My only small struggle was that some of the terminology and world-specific language took me a little while to get used to. There were moments where I felt like I was trying to catch up to the worldbuilding rather than moving through it naturally. But once I settled into it, I was completely invested.
And that ending???
Absolutely illegal.
That's all I'm saying.
Now please excuse me while I impatiently wait for book two.
You know a book has you when your notes slowly devolve from coherent thoughts into things like "I WANT MORE BOHDAN SCENES" and "WHAT THE HELL????"
This was one of those books that kept giving me reasons to stay up for one more chapter. I was hooked almost immediately by the premise, and once the trials started, I was fully locked in. If there's one thing about me, it's that I will always show up for deadly competitions, survival games, and characters being forced into increasingly impossible situations. The trials felt creative, well thought out, and high stakes enough that I actually cared about the outcomes.
But the real star of the show for me was the tension between Ksenia and Bohdan. This is a slow burn in the best possible way. The story takes its time with them, and every interaction felt loaded. There was so much pushing and pulling, power struggles, suspicion, obsession, and chemistry simmering underneath everything that when they finally collided... wow. Absolutely worth the wait. Their dynamic carried so much of the book for me.
I also have to give some love to Varka, who immediately became one of my favourite characters. Every time she appeared, I was invested. I loved the training sequences, the friendships, and all the smaller character moments woven between the bigger plot developments.
And yes, we need to talk about the spice.
Let's just say this book understood the assignment. The tension was already doing a lot of heavy lifting, but when the romantic payoff arrived, it arrived. Some of those scenes were absolutely unhinged in the best way, and I was very much not complaining.
My only small struggle was that some of the terminology and world-specific language took me a little while to get used to. There were moments where I felt like I was trying to catch up to the worldbuilding rather than moving through it naturally. But once I settled into it, I was completely invested.
And that ending???
Absolutely illegal.
That's all I'm saying.
Now please excuse me while I impatiently wait for book two.
August 30, 2026
Hellbound is available now to purchase!!!!
Thank you to Ava and team for allowing me to be an ARC reader!
When I first saw the premise for this on Instagram I knew I had to read it! It hit every trope for me - female rage, slow burn, morally grey, enemies to lovers - and the enemies actually have a solid reason to hate each other!!
At first I was a little worried because despite how much this spoke to me, I had never read anything in the romantasy genre before. I was afraid of too many characters I couldn't keep up with or places I couldn't pronounce but it was all very easy to follow. Ava described things so perfectly that I could picture it vividly, no issues. The plot did move quickly at times but it never felt confusing or that I had missed something.
The characters? A+
Ksenia was everything I was hoping she would be. She was marketed as similar to Lana Myers and I would agree. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons? Yeah, I was cheering her on every step of the way.
Bohdan, shewwwww. I will not elaborate character development further to avoid spoilers, but he grew on me. The tension between these two was insane. "You are a force I cannot fight" gahhhhhhhhh. That slow burn is indeed slow but it was worth the wait!
Even the side characters were well written, whether they were likeable or not. They left me feeling a certain type of way and were only featured in a chapter or two. If I can feel emotions for someone that quickly, bravo.
I try not to give too much away, but seriously a great debut. Again, I'm not super experienced with this genre but I thought this story was so original. Definitely unlike anything I've read thus far. I'm sure there are other readers with a more structured rating system for romantasy since they know what they like and what they don't but I thought this was a nice intro to get a feeler of the genre and I'd be open to reading more. The vibe was immaculate and I loved every second of it, despite the dark subject matter. My only complaint was that cliffhanger of an ending and having to wait for book 2 :(
Ava, you should be very proud of your work!! The right people are going to find this and eat this up! Thank you for sharing your creativity and talent. Five stars!! Going to purchase a hardcover right now!
Thank you to Ava and team for allowing me to be an ARC reader!
When I first saw the premise for this on Instagram I knew I had to read it! It hit every trope for me - female rage, slow burn, morally grey, enemies to lovers - and the enemies actually have a solid reason to hate each other!!
At first I was a little worried because despite how much this spoke to me, I had never read anything in the romantasy genre before. I was afraid of too many characters I couldn't keep up with or places I couldn't pronounce but it was all very easy to follow. Ava described things so perfectly that I could picture it vividly, no issues. The plot did move quickly at times but it never felt confusing or that I had missed something.
The characters? A+
Ksenia was everything I was hoping she would be. She was marketed as similar to Lana Myers and I would agree. Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons? Yeah, I was cheering her on every step of the way.
Bohdan, shewwwww. I will not elaborate character development further to avoid spoilers, but he grew on me. The tension between these two was insane. "You are a force I cannot fight" gahhhhhhhhh. That slow burn is indeed slow but it was worth the wait!
Even the side characters were well written, whether they were likeable or not. They left me feeling a certain type of way and were only featured in a chapter or two. If I can feel emotions for someone that quickly, bravo.
I try not to give too much away, but seriously a great debut. Again, I'm not super experienced with this genre but I thought this story was so original. Definitely unlike anything I've read thus far. I'm sure there are other readers with a more structured rating system for romantasy since they know what they like and what they don't but I thought this was a nice intro to get a feeler of the genre and I'd be open to reading more. The vibe was immaculate and I loved every second of it, despite the dark subject matter. My only complaint was that cliffhanger of an ending and having to wait for book 2 :(
Ava, you should be very proud of your work!! The right people are going to find this and eat this up! Thank you for sharing your creativity and talent. Five stars!! Going to purchase a hardcover right now!
August 23, 2026
(ARC) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review — Hellbound by Ava Do
Okay… WOW. Hellbound was absolutely not what I expected, but in the best possible way. 🖤
From the very beginning, I was completely pulled into the story. Ksenia is exactly the kind of FMC I love: badass, intelligent, ruthless, and wonderfully morally grey. Her character development and the way her desire for revenge keeps growing throughout the story were absolutely incredible to read. The female rage in this book? YES. 🗡️
And then there’s Ksenia and Bohdan… the enemies-to-lovers tension was SO good. The chemistry, the banter, the distrust, and that constant cat-and-mouse dynamic between them had me completely hooked. The slow burn made everything even better, and when that tension finally explodes… 🔥🥵
I also loved all the secrets, twists, and political games throughout the story. I had so many theories while reading, but Ava Do still managed to surprise me again and again. The combination of dark fantasy, magic, deadly trials, revenge, gods, and romance made this such an addictive read.
And we NEED to talk about THAT ENDING. 😭
I was absolutely NOT prepared for it. When I finished the last page, I literally just sat there thinking: I NEED BOOK TWO RIGHT NOW.
Hellbound felt like such a fresh and exciting addition to the romantasy genre. It’s dark, intense, bloody, romantic, and full of characters that constantly make you question who you can actually trust.
5/5 ⭐️
🗡️ Morally grey FMC
❤️ Enemies to lovers
🔥 Slow burn & spice
🩸 Female rage
🏰 Dark fantasy
⚔️ Deadly trials
👀 Plot twists & secrets
🌶️ Incredible chemistry
😭 An ending that emotionally destroyed me
Ava Do absolutely COOKED with this one. I’m officially obsessed and now I’ll be impatiently waiting for book two. 🫠🖤
Okay… WOW. Hellbound was absolutely not what I expected, but in the best possible way. 🖤
From the very beginning, I was completely pulled into the story. Ksenia is exactly the kind of FMC I love: badass, intelligent, ruthless, and wonderfully morally grey. Her character development and the way her desire for revenge keeps growing throughout the story were absolutely incredible to read. The female rage in this book? YES. 🗡️
And then there’s Ksenia and Bohdan… the enemies-to-lovers tension was SO good. The chemistry, the banter, the distrust, and that constant cat-and-mouse dynamic between them had me completely hooked. The slow burn made everything even better, and when that tension finally explodes… 🔥🥵
I also loved all the secrets, twists, and political games throughout the story. I had so many theories while reading, but Ava Do still managed to surprise me again and again. The combination of dark fantasy, magic, deadly trials, revenge, gods, and romance made this such an addictive read.
And we NEED to talk about THAT ENDING. 😭
I was absolutely NOT prepared for it. When I finished the last page, I literally just sat there thinking: I NEED BOOK TWO RIGHT NOW.
Hellbound felt like such a fresh and exciting addition to the romantasy genre. It’s dark, intense, bloody, romantic, and full of characters that constantly make you question who you can actually trust.
5/5 ⭐️
🗡️ Morally grey FMC
❤️ Enemies to lovers
🔥 Slow burn & spice
🩸 Female rage
🏰 Dark fantasy
⚔️ Deadly trials
👀 Plot twists & secrets
🌶️ Incredible chemistry
😭 An ending that emotionally destroyed me
Ava Do absolutely COOKED with this one. I’m officially obsessed and now I’ll be impatiently waiting for book two. 🫠🖤
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2026
ARC REVIEW
(my first ever arc book, so thank you Ava Do and her team so much for selecting me to be one of the first to read this!!)
Plot twists, Badass FMC, and Female rage.
(my first ever arc book, so thank you Ava Do and her team so much for selecting me to be one of the first to read this!!)
'Ksenia is executed for illegally forging soulbound blades. To reclaim what she lost, she strikes a pact with a vengeful goddess and wakes up in a new body, with one job: infiltrate the castle and kill the king who had her killed. The catch? She has to win a series of deadly trials to become his spymaster - working side by side with Bohdan, the king's bastard son, who's hunting a serial killer tearing through the court. Too bad she IS the killer he's hunting.'
Plot twists, Badass FMC, and Female rage.
The pacing in the first few chapters was so on point that I got whiplash - straight into chaos, no hand-holding, and I loved that. Ksenia's shift from "girl just trying to save her sister" to full-blown vengeful killer was such a slow, satisfying burn, and her character development kept unraveling in ways I didn't expect till the very last page.
The enemies-to-lovers tension was so thick you could cut it with one of Ksenia's own blades 🗡️ - every scene between them had me kicking my feet and rolling my eyes at the same time because the yearning was THAT obvious and they were both still pretending to hate each other. The banter alone deserves its own five stars.
⭐4.5/5; it dragged a little in the trials section since some of it felt like filler compared to the cat-and-mouse plot that was actually the whole appeal, and the world-building around the magic system left me with more questions than answers - but overall, it was a dark, twisty, addicting read and I'm already anxious for book two.
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