What do you think?
The Scrolls of the Eshani #1
Bloodbound
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26Six strangers. One soul-bound Ring. No way out.
Isara Virelle has spent her entire life avoiding people. Unfortunately, becoming Eshani means binding your soul to five of them.
When the Binding Ceremony assigns her to Ring Six—the most elite fighting unit in Veryuun—Isa is forced into the last place she wants to surrounded by strangers who can hear her thoughts, feel her emotions, and know her secrets. Worst of all, their commander is Niko Veyshar.
Feared across the continent as Rathvenorn's deadliest weapon, Niko is everything Isa has been taught to hate. Cold. Dangerous. Untouchable. And now they're bound together.
As political tensions rise between nations and whispers of forgotten gods begin to spread, cracks appear within Ring Six. Ancient powers stir beneath the surface, forbidden magic awakens in Isa's blood, and the bond tying her to her team may be unraveling before it has a chance to hold.
To survive, Isa must learn who she can trust. Because in Veryuun, loyalty is sacred. And betrayal can cost far more than your life.
Contains mature themes.
Isara Virelle has spent her entire life avoiding people. Unfortunately, becoming Eshani means binding your soul to five of them.
When the Binding Ceremony assigns her to Ring Six—the most elite fighting unit in Veryuun—Isa is forced into the last place she wants to surrounded by strangers who can hear her thoughts, feel her emotions, and know her secrets. Worst of all, their commander is Niko Veyshar.
Feared across the continent as Rathvenorn's deadliest weapon, Niko is everything Isa has been taught to hate. Cold. Dangerous. Untouchable. And now they're bound together.
As political tensions rise between nations and whispers of forgotten gods begin to spread, cracks appear within Ring Six. Ancient powers stir beneath the surface, forbidden magic awakens in Isa's blood, and the bond tying her to her team may be unraveling before it has a chance to hold.
To survive, Isa must learn who she can trust. Because in Veryuun, loyalty is sacred. And betrayal can cost far more than your life.
Contains mature themes.
465 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 6, 2026
About the author
J.A. Good
13 books288 followersJ.A. Good is the author of the adult fantasy romance Forged in Fire Series. She is a northerner living in Florida who’s love of books and new worlds inspired her to create her own. She is a pediatric intensive care nurse at night and a writer, mom, wife, and cat enthusiast during the day. When she isn’t naming all the dinosaurs with her toddlers you can find her staring at her book collection with her cats lamenting her lack of castles and magic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thanks for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review
2.75 rounded up
The artwork/book cover drew me into the arc signups for this book. The blurb seemed interesting.
The book itself has potential..it moved very quick, the relations seemed forced, and often in contradiction. One minute we are told one thing, but then shown something that contradicts what we were told. I would think at times we could have assumed it was an unreliable narrator, but I do not think that is what is happening.
2.75 rounded up
The artwork/book cover drew me into the arc signups for this book. The blurb seemed interesting.
The book itself has potential..it moved very quick, the relations seemed forced, and often in contradiction. One minute we are told one thing, but then shown something that contradicts what we were told. I would think at times we could have assumed it was an unreliable narrator, but I do not think that is what is happening.
July 26, 2026
4.25 ⭐️
I was drawn to this series by the art and let me tell you it did not disappoint.
I really enjoyed this world, such a unique magical system based on threads, and different classes of magical wielder.
Isa is hard, curse marked, she’s cut herself off, feared by her fellow Eshari. But she’s also vulnerable, fearless and willing to break herself again and again for those she cares about.
I loved her strength, her grit and her willingness to sacrifice for her ring.
Niko, oh Niko, the Commander, her enemy and yet …. he’s steel, but then everything Isa doesn’t know she needs.
Such amazing found family, I loved how Ring Six grew and shaped together.
That ending? Looking forward to book 2 already
Thanks to the author for the advance review copy
I was drawn to this series by the art and let me tell you it did not disappoint.
I really enjoyed this world, such a unique magical system based on threads, and different classes of magical wielder.
Isa is hard, curse marked, she’s cut herself off, feared by her fellow Eshari. But she’s also vulnerable, fearless and willing to break herself again and again for those she cares about.
I loved her strength, her grit and her willingness to sacrifice for her ring.
Niko, oh Niko, the Commander, her enemy and yet …. he’s steel, but then everything Isa doesn’t know she needs.
Such amazing found family, I loved how Ring Six grew and shaped together.
That ending? Looking forward to book 2 already
Thanks to the author for the advance review copy
August 30, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐.75
Thank you so much for allowing me the ARC opportunity!
Bloodbound is such a fun first installment. Unique magic system, check. Found family bonds, check. Delicious slow burn romance, check. Mystery and political intrigue, check and check.The ending left me on a comfortable-but-I-need-to-know-more cliffhanger, so I needed the next book yesterday.
⏱️ 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄 : 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒍𝒆
Can only speak for myself, but I practically veilwalked my way through this book.
Bloodbound manages a lot of world building and character development without racing from one major action sequence to the next, but also never felt like the story was dragging its feet. There is a deliberate sense of accumulation as Isara is introduced to Ring Six, the rules of the Eshani and thread magic are established, and the political and interpersonal tensions gradually begin tightening around her. The narrative takes its time letting us understand the world and, perhaps more importantly, letting Isara become entangled in the people around her before the larger stakes begin to come into focus.
Character moments are given room to breathe, while the higher-stakes situations are spaced out just enough to create a natural rhythm between action, quieter interpersonal moments, and the gradual layering of lore. Rather than feeling like pauses between the “important” parts of the story, those quieter stretches are where a lot of the actual character development happens. We get to watch Isara figure out how to exist within Ring Six, how to navigate relationships she never expected to have, and how her understanding of her own abilities begins to shift.
That slower build worked particularly well because so much of the story's momentum comes from information rather than constant action. There are secrets, shifting loyalties, the mystery surrounding Isara's magic, and the increasingly complicated dynamics within Ring Six. So even during the more character-focused stretches, I never felt like the narrative had stalled. The knot (geddit?) was simply being tightened one thread (AY!) at a time. By the time the story moves toward its third act, you can feel all of those seemingly separate threads (AY!) pulling against one another, and the eventual payoff benefits from having been given the space to build rather than simply dropped on us for shock value.
☀️ 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃 : 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍
Explaining and establishing a magic system in literature is a difficult and daunting task for any writer, and I really appreciated the way Good weaves that information into the narrative without resorting to massive blocks of exposition. Instead, the rules and history of the world are introduced gradually and organically through characters speaking to one another, Isara's internal thoughts, the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, and — perhaps most effective and FUN method — actually watching the thread magic being used.
That last part was especially helpful because the magic system is so visual and distinctive. Rather than simply telling us what thread magic can do, we're given opportunities to see it functioning in combat and everyday situations, allowing the reader to gradually build an understanding of its possibilities alongside Isara while she unravels the secrets of her chest mark alongside the rest of Ring Six. The thread based magic system, in which the world is described as a tapestry, is such a beautifully unusual and engaging element and it really unlocked my imagination as I visualized it during action sequences.
While I did not find the information difficult to understand, there are enough moving pieces between the magic, political tensions, SECRETS, character motivations, and the dynamics within Ring Six that I found I needed to stay fairly locked in while reading. There are little details and pieces of information being layered in throughout the story and a lot of them feel like they are going to matter later ― many of which get juicy payoff by the end!
The indexes at the beginning are also useful to go back to and reference as there are a lot of new names to keep track of between the Iron Academy classifications and gods of this world.
🛋️ 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃 : 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒙 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔
Alongside the unique magic system, I also really appreciated the different take on magical bonds. So much of the romantasy I’ve been reading lately revolves around fated mates or characters bonding with animals/creatures, so having a story where the central bond is about being magically connected to other people felt like a genuinely refreshing change of pace. It gave the concept of a “bond” a much broader emotional dimension, particularly because these connections aren't limited to romance—they shape friendship, loyalty, trust, and the way Isara begins to understand belonging.
While the romance between Isara and Niko is certainly yummy, I actually think Bloodbound shines brightest in its platonic relationships within Ring Six as a found family - which does include Niko. The camaraderie between these characters was one of the biggest emotional hooks for me, particularly because their relationships feel built through all the little interactions rather than existing solely because the plot needs them to work together and are bonded to one another early in the narrative.
The dry humor, quick wit, and absolutely ruthless sarcasm woven throughout the narrative were some of my absolutely favorite parts of the book. There is a beautiful balance to the way Ring Six interacts: they can tease one another mercilessly one moment and then be completely ride-or-die the next. That combination of affection and irreverence gives the group a really strong found-family energy without making every interaction add something to the narrative that builds and builds as trust is put to the test.
That humor did a lot of work for the emotional pacing of the story for me as Bloodbound deals with some fairly heavy emotional material, so having these characters constantly poking fun at one another kept the narrative from becoming too emotionally oppressive or bleak.
It also made Isara stand out to me as a POV character. Her internal commentary has this wonderfully dry, observant quality that gives her a distinct voice, and so much of her personality comes through in the way she interprets the people and situations around her - including how she refers to herself.
The romance may have supplied the butterflies and heat, but Ring Six supplied the heart. Their friendships, teasing, loyalty, and growing trust were ultimately what made me feel most invested in the world and what left me wanting to spend more time with these characters. Merrick Vale is the bestest boy and riot if anything happens to him!
Isara herself is a character with an extremely interesting emotional hook, particularly in the way her identity has been shaped by the Nyaran Code: what is broken may still bind. She sees herself as an embodiment of that idea, but not necessarily in the hopeful way the phrase might suggest. Isara has spent her entire life believing that she is fundamentally marked by the sins of her mother, and that belief is quite literally written onto her body in the “cursed mark” she carries on her chest. She is deeply pessimistic about everything she has been taught about the gods, particularly Nyari because of it. And because those beliefs are openly blasphemous within Veryuun, she isn't simply carrying the physical consequences of that curse but she the judgment of an entire country with it.
That makes Isara's characterization particularly compelling because so much of her emotional journey is tied to the question of whether something marked as broken actually deserves to be discarded. Then the Binding Ceremony forces her into precisely the kind of connection she has spent her life avoiding, binding her to five strangers who can hear her thoughts, feel her emotions, and ultimately see parts of her that she has spent years trying to hide ― which is what makes the found family element of Bloodbound so powerful. She has internalized the idea that she is tainted, unwanted, and somehow responsible for circumstances that were never truly hers to bear, which manifests as an almost feral need to prove her usefulness. She throws herself into every fight, every task, every opportunity to be useful, as though being valuable might somehow compensate for being “broken.” Niko is quick to recognize what sits underneath all that determination, calling her out on the desperation driving it.
That tension between curse and gift, isolation and belonging, brokenness and binding gives Isara an emotional core that extends well beyond the romance ― even as she becomes absolutely obsessed with the masked Commander.
🌶️ 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 : 𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈
The slow burn between Isara and Niko was a lot of fun to watch unfurl, particularly because the book plays with the expectations of a love triangle without actually giving us a conventional one. From the get-go, we know Isara isn't interested in her friend, Cas, romantically and she is upfront about using him. That removes a lot of the usual “which man will she choose?” tension and instead lets the romantic development focus on why Niko slowly becomes the person she can't quite keep at arm's length and not just because of the forced proximity that being bloodbonded creates. There is subtle tension simmering beneath their interactions, but it feels connected to the larger emotional journey of Isara learning to trust, be vulnerable, and allow herself to want something for herself. The romance feels like a slow accumulation of moments rather than a switch being flipped, which made the eventual payoff much more satisfying for me.
And payoff do we get.
The handful of open door spice scenes are explicit without feeling crude, with the emphasis placed as much on Isara's emotional experience as the physical intimacy itself as it leans into the sense of forbidden romance surrounding her connection with Niko as it is so deeply entangled with the rules, expectations, and history of their world.
Rainspire, where the story opens and the place Isara describes as the only place that ever belonged to her, becomes something of an emotional epicenter for their relationship. What begins as a place associated with Isara's independence and sense of ownership gradually takes on a much more intimate meaning as Niko becomes part of that space. It makes the romance feel tied to something larger than attraction and their intimacy becomes intertwined with Isara's complicated relationship with belonging and autonomy.
Thank you so much for allowing me the ARC opportunity!
Bloodbound is such a fun first installment. Unique magic system, check. Found family bonds, check. Delicious slow burn romance, check. Mystery and political intrigue, check and check.The ending left me on a comfortable-but-I-need-to-know-more cliffhanger, so I needed the next book yesterday.
⏱️ 𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄 : 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒍𝒆
Can only speak for myself, but I practically veilwalked my way through this book.
Bloodbound manages a lot of world building and character development without racing from one major action sequence to the next, but also never felt like the story was dragging its feet. There is a deliberate sense of accumulation as Isara is introduced to Ring Six, the rules of the Eshani and thread magic are established, and the political and interpersonal tensions gradually begin tightening around her. The narrative takes its time letting us understand the world and, perhaps more importantly, letting Isara become entangled in the people around her before the larger stakes begin to come into focus.
Character moments are given room to breathe, while the higher-stakes situations are spaced out just enough to create a natural rhythm between action, quieter interpersonal moments, and the gradual layering of lore. Rather than feeling like pauses between the “important” parts of the story, those quieter stretches are where a lot of the actual character development happens. We get to watch Isara figure out how to exist within Ring Six, how to navigate relationships she never expected to have, and how her understanding of her own abilities begins to shift.
That slower build worked particularly well because so much of the story's momentum comes from information rather than constant action. There are secrets, shifting loyalties, the mystery surrounding Isara's magic, and the increasingly complicated dynamics within Ring Six. So even during the more character-focused stretches, I never felt like the narrative had stalled. The knot (geddit?) was simply being tightened one thread (AY!) at a time. By the time the story moves toward its third act, you can feel all of those seemingly separate threads (AY!) pulling against one another, and the eventual payoff benefits from having been given the space to build rather than simply dropped on us for shock value.
☀️ 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃 : 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍
Explaining and establishing a magic system in literature is a difficult and daunting task for any writer, and I really appreciated the way Good weaves that information into the narrative without resorting to massive blocks of exposition. Instead, the rules and history of the world are introduced gradually and organically through characters speaking to one another, Isara's internal thoughts, the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, and — perhaps most effective and FUN method — actually watching the thread magic being used.
That last part was especially helpful because the magic system is so visual and distinctive. Rather than simply telling us what thread magic can do, we're given opportunities to see it functioning in combat and everyday situations, allowing the reader to gradually build an understanding of its possibilities alongside Isara while she unravels the secrets of her chest mark alongside the rest of Ring Six. The thread based magic system, in which the world is described as a tapestry, is such a beautifully unusual and engaging element and it really unlocked my imagination as I visualized it during action sequences.
While I did not find the information difficult to understand, there are enough moving pieces between the magic, political tensions, SECRETS, character motivations, and the dynamics within Ring Six that I found I needed to stay fairly locked in while reading. There are little details and pieces of information being layered in throughout the story and a lot of them feel like they are going to matter later ― many of which get juicy payoff by the end!
The indexes at the beginning are also useful to go back to and reference as there are a lot of new names to keep track of between the Iron Academy classifications and gods of this world.
🛋️ 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃 : 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒐𝒙 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒆𝒔
Alongside the unique magic system, I also really appreciated the different take on magical bonds. So much of the romantasy I’ve been reading lately revolves around fated mates or characters bonding with animals/creatures, so having a story where the central bond is about being magically connected to other people felt like a genuinely refreshing change of pace. It gave the concept of a “bond” a much broader emotional dimension, particularly because these connections aren't limited to romance—they shape friendship, loyalty, trust, and the way Isara begins to understand belonging.
While the romance between Isara and Niko is certainly yummy, I actually think Bloodbound shines brightest in its platonic relationships within Ring Six as a found family - which does include Niko. The camaraderie between these characters was one of the biggest emotional hooks for me, particularly because their relationships feel built through all the little interactions rather than existing solely because the plot needs them to work together and are bonded to one another early in the narrative.
The dry humor, quick wit, and absolutely ruthless sarcasm woven throughout the narrative were some of my absolutely favorite parts of the book. There is a beautiful balance to the way Ring Six interacts: they can tease one another mercilessly one moment and then be completely ride-or-die the next. That combination of affection and irreverence gives the group a really strong found-family energy without making every interaction add something to the narrative that builds and builds as trust is put to the test.
That humor did a lot of work for the emotional pacing of the story for me as Bloodbound deals with some fairly heavy emotional material, so having these characters constantly poking fun at one another kept the narrative from becoming too emotionally oppressive or bleak.
It also made Isara stand out to me as a POV character. Her internal commentary has this wonderfully dry, observant quality that gives her a distinct voice, and so much of her personality comes through in the way she interprets the people and situations around her - including how she refers to herself.
The romance may have supplied the butterflies and heat, but Ring Six supplied the heart. Their friendships, teasing, loyalty, and growing trust were ultimately what made me feel most invested in the world and what left me wanting to spend more time with these characters. Merrick Vale is the bestest boy and riot if anything happens to him!
Isara herself is a character with an extremely interesting emotional hook, particularly in the way her identity has been shaped by the Nyaran Code: what is broken may still bind. She sees herself as an embodiment of that idea, but not necessarily in the hopeful way the phrase might suggest. Isara has spent her entire life believing that she is fundamentally marked by the sins of her mother, and that belief is quite literally written onto her body in the “cursed mark” she carries on her chest. She is deeply pessimistic about everything she has been taught about the gods, particularly Nyari because of it. And because those beliefs are openly blasphemous within Veryuun, she isn't simply carrying the physical consequences of that curse but she the judgment of an entire country with it.
That makes Isara's characterization particularly compelling because so much of her emotional journey is tied to the question of whether something marked as broken actually deserves to be discarded. Then the Binding Ceremony forces her into precisely the kind of connection she has spent her life avoiding, binding her to five strangers who can hear her thoughts, feel her emotions, and ultimately see parts of her that she has spent years trying to hide ― which is what makes the found family element of Bloodbound so powerful. She has internalized the idea that she is tainted, unwanted, and somehow responsible for circumstances that were never truly hers to bear, which manifests as an almost feral need to prove her usefulness. She throws herself into every fight, every task, every opportunity to be useful, as though being valuable might somehow compensate for being “broken.” Niko is quick to recognize what sits underneath all that determination, calling her out on the desperation driving it.
That tension between curse and gift, isolation and belonging, brokenness and binding gives Isara an emotional core that extends well beyond the romance ― even as she becomes absolutely obsessed with the masked Commander.
🌶️ 𝐒𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐄 : 𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈
The slow burn between Isara and Niko was a lot of fun to watch unfurl, particularly because the book plays with the expectations of a love triangle without actually giving us a conventional one. From the get-go, we know Isara isn't interested in her friend, Cas, romantically and she is upfront about using him. That removes a lot of the usual “which man will she choose?” tension and instead lets the romantic development focus on why Niko slowly becomes the person she can't quite keep at arm's length and not just because of the forced proximity that being bloodbonded creates. There is subtle tension simmering beneath their interactions, but it feels connected to the larger emotional journey of Isara learning to trust, be vulnerable, and allow herself to want something for herself. The romance feels like a slow accumulation of moments rather than a switch being flipped, which made the eventual payoff much more satisfying for me.
And payoff do we get.
The handful of open door spice scenes are explicit without feeling crude, with the emphasis placed as much on Isara's emotional experience as the physical intimacy itself as it leans into the sense of forbidden romance surrounding her connection with Niko as it is so deeply entangled with the rules, expectations, and history of their world.
Rainspire, where the story opens and the place Isara describes as the only place that ever belonged to her, becomes something of an emotional epicenter for their relationship. What begins as a place associated with Isara's independence and sense of ownership gradually takes on a much more intimate meaning as Niko becomes part of that space. It makes the romance feel tied to something larger than attraction and their intimacy becomes intertwined with Isara's complicated relationship with belonging and autonomy.
Want to Read
September 29, 2026Publishing date: Oct 06 2026 💕
❁ Thank you to Netgalley and J.A. Good for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC [Audiobook version] in exchange for my honest opinion — ARC provided by Tantor Media ❁
Ⓟⓡⓔ—Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ
Ok, I didn't notice the publication date being so close, but I had to request this one, I was drown to it!
Can't wait to begin the audiobook and add this one to my endless list of series I'm currently reading ♥
September 19, 2026
First, a huge thank you to the author for the opportunity to read an ARC. I truly appreciate it! ❤️
The characters and the mission parts of this story definitely deserve 5 stars from me.
Isa is such a broken and lonely character, and I loved watching her slowly grow throughout the book. Seeing her start to care about other people and about her ring was beautiful—only for everything to come crashing down again. 😢 She could be frustrating at times, especially when she wouldn’t ask for more answers or push harder for the truth. But at the same time, I think that comes from how deeply she has always believed that she doesn’t deserve more. I really hope we get to see her become stronger and more confident, learn her own worth, and ultimately learn to love herself. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where her character development takes her in the next books.
Niko *swoon* I loved how much he cared for Isa and the ring, but there is still SO much mystery surrounding him, and I desperately need to know more about him!
The romance is still very much in its developing stages, but what we got here has me hoping for an epic love story. And I am absolutely here for it. ❤️
I also adored the rest of Ring Six, especially Eryn (what a little devil she is! 😂) as well as the various side characters we met along the way. They added so much to the story, and I’m excited to see more of them.
Story-wise, I especially enjoyed the missions Ring Six was sent on. Those were the parts where the story really came alive for me. We got the most action, saw more of the world, and I loved the way Farsmoke was described. There were some truly epic fantasy elements in those scenes, and they had me completely hooked. The betrayals and revelations toward the end were also fantastic. Even though some of them were foreshadowed, they still managed to shock me.
Where the book unfortunately lost me a little was with the magic system and the gods, particularly when it came to understanding how everything actually worked. I definitely needed more explanation and found myself confused quite often. Because of that, the training sessions, which are a fairly big part of the book, weren’t always as interesting to me as I think they could have been.
The writing also took some getting used to, especially in the beginning. There were quite a few sentences where the structure didn’t quite work for me personally, and I sometimes had to reread passages several times to understand what was being described. Even then, there were moments where I wasn’t entirely sure what I had just read.
Despite those issues, I genuinely enjoyed this book. The characters, the missions, the world, and all the mysteries surrounding them kept me invested, and by the end I was definitely left wanting more.
I cannot wait for the sequel and am very excited to see where this story takes us next. ❤️
The characters and the mission parts of this story definitely deserve 5 stars from me.
Isa is such a broken and lonely character, and I loved watching her slowly grow throughout the book. Seeing her start to care about other people and about her ring was beautiful—only for everything to come crashing down again. 😢 She could be frustrating at times, especially when she wouldn’t ask for more answers or push harder for the truth. But at the same time, I think that comes from how deeply she has always believed that she doesn’t deserve more. I really hope we get to see her become stronger and more confident, learn her own worth, and ultimately learn to love herself. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where her character development takes her in the next books.
Niko *swoon* I loved how much he cared for Isa and the ring, but there is still SO much mystery surrounding him, and I desperately need to know more about him!
The romance is still very much in its developing stages, but what we got here has me hoping for an epic love story. And I am absolutely here for it. ❤️
I also adored the rest of Ring Six, especially Eryn (what a little devil she is! 😂) as well as the various side characters we met along the way. They added so much to the story, and I’m excited to see more of them.
Story-wise, I especially enjoyed the missions Ring Six was sent on. Those were the parts where the story really came alive for me. We got the most action, saw more of the world, and I loved the way Farsmoke was described. There were some truly epic fantasy elements in those scenes, and they had me completely hooked. The betrayals and revelations toward the end were also fantastic. Even though some of them were foreshadowed, they still managed to shock me.
Where the book unfortunately lost me a little was with the magic system and the gods, particularly when it came to understanding how everything actually worked. I definitely needed more explanation and found myself confused quite often. Because of that, the training sessions, which are a fairly big part of the book, weren’t always as interesting to me as I think they could have been.
The writing also took some getting used to, especially in the beginning. There were quite a few sentences where the structure didn’t quite work for me personally, and I sometimes had to reread passages several times to understand what was being described. Even then, there were moments where I wasn’t entirely sure what I had just read.
Despite those issues, I genuinely enjoyed this book. The characters, the missions, the world, and all the mysteries surrounding them kept me invested, and by the end I was definitely left wanting more.
I cannot wait for the sequel and am very excited to see where this story takes us next. ❤️
Review of advance copy received from Author
I just finished the book, and I have to say that at the beginning, I was this close to DNFing it. I’m so glad I didn’t. ❤️
A very interesting magic system, political intrigue, an academy where our characters are trained, and two rival clans.
They are forced to bind their blood to five complete strangers. From that moment on, they can hear each other’s thoughts and know each other better than they know themselves. And yet, the intrigue only gets more complicated, secrets are kept, and nothing is quite what it seems.
There was also an interesting twist at the end. The book ended on a cliffhanger, and from what I understand, it’s going to be a trilogy.
Thank you to the author for sending me an advance copy. ❤️
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••☆☆☆☆••••••••
Току-що приключих книгата и мога да кажа, че в началото бях на косъм да я зарежа. Радвам се, че не го направих. ❤️
Много интересна магическа система, политически интриги, академия, в която се обучават нашите герои, и два враждуващи клана.
Принудени да обвържат кръвта си с петима непознати. Оттам насетне чуваш мислите им и ги познаваш по-добре от самия себе си. Въпреки това отново се заплита интрига, пазят се тайни и нищо не е такова, каквото изглежда.
Имаше интересен обрат накрая. Книгата завърши с отворен край и, доколкото разбрах, ще бъде трилогия.
Благодаря на авторката за предварителното копие, което ми изпрати. ❤️
A very interesting magic system, political intrigue, an academy where our characters are trained, and two rival clans.
They are forced to bind their blood to five complete strangers. From that moment on, they can hear each other’s thoughts and know each other better than they know themselves. And yet, the intrigue only gets more complicated, secrets are kept, and nothing is quite what it seems.
There was also an interesting twist at the end. The book ended on a cliffhanger, and from what I understand, it’s going to be a trilogy.
Thank you to the author for sending me an advance copy. ❤️
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••☆☆☆☆••••••••
Току-що приключих книгата и мога да кажа, че в началото бях на косъм да я зарежа. Радвам се, че не го направих. ❤️
Много интересна магическа система, политически интриги, академия, в която се обучават нашите герои, и два враждуващи клана.
Принудени да обвържат кръвта си с петима непознати. Оттам насетне чуваш мислите им и ги познаваш по-добре от самия себе си. Въпреки това отново се заплита интрига, пазят се тайни и нищо не е такова, каквото изглежда.
Имаше интересен обрат накрая. Книгата завърши с отворен край и, доколкото разбрах, ще бъде трилогия.
Благодаря на авторката за предварителното копие, което ми изпрати. ❤️
September 20, 2026
4.5☆
Thank you to the author for the advanced reader copy of this book.
I am voluntarily leaving this honest review and all the opinions are my own.
I honestly thought this book was so great! It has an extremely unique magic system, which I'm hoping to find out even more about in book 2. With this magic system, a group of 6 ppl, all with different "job sets", are joined together creating a Ring. As a Ring, they go on missions and train together. I absolutely love the ring the main characters are a part of. They have their commander, who is from enemy territory and there as part of a peace pact, a wonderfully flirty guy who is essentially the brute force, a tinkerer, a book and education loving girl, the FMC, and another member afraid of hardly anything.
The FMC, Isa, has a painful past where she was left alone and basically lived a life of solitude and shunning by others. She knows little of her backstory as she was never brave enough to ask, as so many of us are after already dealing with the trauma of being alone and shunned. Once being placed into a Ring, it is a whole new world for Isa to navigate and I honestly ate it up. Isa is so easy to connect with in my opinion and I can't wait to get more of every single character in book 2!
Thank you to the author for the advanced reader copy of this book.
I am voluntarily leaving this honest review and all the opinions are my own.
I honestly thought this book was so great! It has an extremely unique magic system, which I'm hoping to find out even more about in book 2. With this magic system, a group of 6 ppl, all with different "job sets", are joined together creating a Ring. As a Ring, they go on missions and train together. I absolutely love the ring the main characters are a part of. They have their commander, who is from enemy territory and there as part of a peace pact, a wonderfully flirty guy who is essentially the brute force, a tinkerer, a book and education loving girl, the FMC, and another member afraid of hardly anything.
The FMC, Isa, has a painful past where she was left alone and basically lived a life of solitude and shunning by others. She knows little of her backstory as she was never brave enough to ask, as so many of us are after already dealing with the trauma of being alone and shunned. Once being placed into a Ring, it is a whole new world for Isa to navigate and I honestly ate it up. Isa is so easy to connect with in my opinion and I can't wait to get more of every single character in book 2!
September 27, 2026
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🌶️🌶️.5/5
Bloodbound is BY FAR one of my favorite books of 2026! I’m completely obsessed with this story, especially with Ring Six. The found family in this book was EVERYTHING. Six Eshanti are soul-tied together forcing them to learn how to work together and rely on one another and I loved watching their bond grow throughout the story.
And a gothic academia setting?! YES. This was absolutely my kind of book. Eryn was hilarious and quickly became one of my favorite characters, while Isa completely stole my heart. She starts off so stubborn and guarded with a serious “I don’t need anyone” attitude, so I loved watching her slowly let those walls down and find a family in Ring Six. She’s incredibly strong and I loved watching her grow while learning to control her powers. And Niko is officially one of my favorite MMCs ever. Mysterious, HOT, and the tension between him and Isa was EVERYTHING. The forbidden romance and banter had me completely hooked. I’m not even kidding when I say I literally DREAMED about Niko while reading this hahah.
I absolutely loved this book and after THAT ending, I NEED BOOK TWO NOW. Like immediately.
Thank you so much J.A. Good for my e-ARC!!
🌶️🌶️.5/5
Bloodbound is BY FAR one of my favorite books of 2026! I’m completely obsessed with this story, especially with Ring Six. The found family in this book was EVERYTHING. Six Eshanti are soul-tied together forcing them to learn how to work together and rely on one another and I loved watching their bond grow throughout the story.
And a gothic academia setting?! YES. This was absolutely my kind of book. Eryn was hilarious and quickly became one of my favorite characters, while Isa completely stole my heart. She starts off so stubborn and guarded with a serious “I don’t need anyone” attitude, so I loved watching her slowly let those walls down and find a family in Ring Six. She’s incredibly strong and I loved watching her grow while learning to control her powers. And Niko is officially one of my favorite MMCs ever. Mysterious, HOT, and the tension between him and Isa was EVERYTHING. The forbidden romance and banter had me completely hooked. I’m not even kidding when I say I literally DREAMED about Niko while reading this hahah.
I absolutely loved this book and after THAT ending, I NEED BOOK TWO NOW. Like immediately.
Thank you so much J.A. Good for my e-ARC!!
August 23, 2026
ARC review🩸 What a great start to a new series! This story had me hooked right away super unique magic system and world/academy building.
I fell in love with each member of Ring Six almost immediately.
Isara is amazing and such a badass. I love her personality of being cold yet feeling at the same time. This girls trauma😭 And we can’t forget Niko, love love love him! His relationship and touch her and you die vibes with Isa!!
I cannot wait for the second book in the Scrolls of Eshani Series! I highly recommend to anyone looking for a new fun series to get into.
This is my first read from this author and I am obsessed with her writing style and will defiantly be checking out all her other series! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I fell in love with each member of Ring Six almost immediately.
Isara is amazing and such a badass. I love her personality of being cold yet feeling at the same time. This girls trauma😭 And we can’t forget Niko, love love love him! His relationship and touch her and you die vibes with Isa!!
I cannot wait for the second book in the Scrolls of Eshani Series! I highly recommend to anyone looking for a new fun series to get into.
This is my first read from this author and I am obsessed with her writing style and will defiantly be checking out all her other series! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 23, 2026
I was kindly given an arc by the author but all opinions are my own.
I knew the moment I saw the cover and the fan art that this book would change me and I was right. The way this book was written was a love letter to all things fantasy, romance, friendshjps and magic.
I could feel the love the author had for the characters with every page I turned and I am so grateful I got the chance to read this early.
I will be immidiately buying a physical copy to reread when it releases in October.
Everybody go preorder it now, if this doesnt get picked up soon; I will be shooketh to my core.
I knew the moment I saw the cover and the fan art that this book would change me and I was right. The way this book was written was a love letter to all things fantasy, romance, friendshjps and magic.
I could feel the love the author had for the characters with every page I turned and I am so grateful I got the chance to read this early.
I will be immidiately buying a physical copy to reread when it releases in October.
Everybody go preorder it now, if this doesnt get picked up soon; I will be shooketh to my core.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Bloodbound by J.A. Good
★ ★ ★ ★.75|🌶️🌶️🌶️| Book one in a romantasy series
𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏.
𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅.
𝑩𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒃𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒃𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
This book reeled me in like a fish on a hook. I was first drawn by the cover, and suffice to say that the book did NOT disappoint. I absolutely loved the dynamics that Isa had with others in ring six. The world building and the entire concept of shattered gods and the inner gods, and the unique magic system was unlike what I've ever read. I was screaming, crying, blushing and just plain in love with this book while reading.
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭
This is one of the most detailed, albeit a bit confusing, pieces of worldbuilding I've ever read. The whole idea of being bound to five random stranger, being so raw and vulnerable where not even your thoughts are yours alone, sounds equal parts horrifying and intimate. It will take some time to familiarize to the world, but once you do? I promise you'll adore it.
The whole political aspect of it, of struggling with who you can trust, realizing that you're just a pawn in everyone's games? Chef's kiss. Suffice to say, I got trust issues for a lifetime now.
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”
Oh how my heart broke for Isara. She's convinced that she's worthless, and the way she was treated didn't help. The way she gradually brought down her walls for Ring Six, and how they wormed their way into her heart will forever be my favorite.
Her character reminds me of Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy. Unusual right? Except Isa and Mer are both reckless, emotionally scarred and loyal.
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.
Niko Niko Niko...boy you have some making up to do. I loved the way he was honest to Isa and stood by her. Their moments at Rainspire will always be my favorite. The tension between them was so well written. I actually blushed when they were sparring after *ahem ahem* and I loved it so much. Their relationship was so complicated, entwined between secrets and lies.
“𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦?” 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞. “𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞.”
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐱
Oh how my chest warmed at the family dynamics of ring six. I have to say, Zahra is my favorite from the ring. She's the sort of ride-or-die that will not let you go through anything alone. Eryn grew on me, and Cael is just a sweetheart who I absolutely adore. Merrick and his past was so heartbreaking, and he was the first one who Isa warmed to [I mean hello who wouldn't melt under his flirtatious charm].
Some of my favorite scenes/quotes of ring six:
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“𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” “𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡.” 𝐙𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬. 𝐀 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬. 𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞.
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“𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺,” 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱.
“𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,” 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬. 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐈 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝. “𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠.
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“𝐈𝐬𝐚!” 𝐂𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. “𝐈𝐬𝐚,” 𝐙𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝. “𝐎𝐡, 𝐈𝐬𝐚, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞, 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬!” 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. “𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲,” 𝐄𝐫𝐲𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. “𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞,” 𝐂𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫. “𝐍𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤.”
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★ ★ ★ ★.75|🌶️🌶️🌶️| Book one in a romantasy series
𝑻𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝑹𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏.
𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅.
𝑩𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒕𝒆, 𝒃𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒃𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅
𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎.
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
This book reeled me in like a fish on a hook. I was first drawn by the cover, and suffice to say that the book did NOT disappoint. I absolutely loved the dynamics that Isa had with others in ring six. The world building and the entire concept of shattered gods and the inner gods, and the unique magic system was unlike what I've ever read. I was screaming, crying, blushing and just plain in love with this book while reading.
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭
This is one of the most detailed, albeit a bit confusing, pieces of worldbuilding I've ever read. The whole idea of being bound to five random stranger, being so raw and vulnerable where not even your thoughts are yours alone, sounds equal parts horrifying and intimate. It will take some time to familiarize to the world, but once you do? I promise you'll adore it.
The whole political aspect of it, of struggling with who you can trust, realizing that you're just a pawn in everyone's games? Chef's kiss. Suffice to say, I got trust issues for a lifetime now.
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
“𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐞,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”
Oh how my heart broke for Isara. She's convinced that she's worthless, and the way she was treated didn't help. The way she gradually brought down her walls for Ring Six, and how they wormed their way into her heart will forever be my favorite.
Her character reminds me of Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy. Unusual right? Except Isa and Mer are both reckless, emotionally scarred and loyal.
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬.
Niko Niko Niko...boy you have some making up to do. I loved the way he was honest to Isa and stood by her. Their moments at Rainspire will always be my favorite. The tension between them was so well written. I actually blushed when they were sparring after *ahem ahem* and I loved it so much. Their relationship was so complicated, entwined between secrets and lies.
“𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦?” 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞. “𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞.”
𓂃˖ ࣪⊹ 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐢𝐱
Oh how my chest warmed at the family dynamics of ring six. I have to say, Zahra is my favorite from the ring. She's the sort of ride-or-die that will not let you go through anything alone. Eryn grew on me, and Cael is just a sweetheart who I absolutely adore. Merrick and his past was so heartbreaking, and he was the first one who Isa warmed to [I mean hello who wouldn't melt under his flirtatious charm].
Some of my favorite scenes/quotes of ring six:
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“𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.” “𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡.” 𝐙𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬. 𝐀 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐬. 𝐀𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐲 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤, 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈’𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞.
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“𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺,” 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱.
“𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,” 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬. 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞. 𝐈 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝. “𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦,” 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠.
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“𝐈𝐬𝐚!” 𝐂𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. “𝐈𝐬𝐚,” 𝐙𝐚𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝. “𝐎𝐡, 𝐈𝐬𝐚, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞, 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬!” 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. “𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐲,” 𝐄𝐫𝐲𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. “𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞,” 𝐂𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫. “𝐍𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢, 𝐈’𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. “𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤.”
----
September 3, 2026
“Ask yourselves what you’re willing to lose. Because one day, the gods won’t ask for your pride. They’ll ask for your brother. Your lover. Your Ring.”
🩸 Forced Soul Bonds
🗡️ Forbidden Romance
🩸 Found Family
🗡️ Military Academy
🩸 Enemies to Lovers
🗡️ Forced Proximity
🩸 Touch Her & 💀
Going into Bloodbound you need to be prepared to have your heart well and truly stolen by each member of Ring Six. This mismatched found family who have been forced together… they really shouldn’t work but you best believe they absolutely do, they are perfection and I won’t hear a word against them.
This is the second series I’ve read by J.A. Good and I am obsessed with her writing style. The fast moving plot, balanced with moments of such raw emotion. Cinematic fight scenes that fully transport you into this brutal world, and then moments of humour. Whether that be Marrick, whose warm and harmless flirting who you can’t help but adore or Isara’s dry wit she that uses to mask her trauma. You can really feel how much J.A. Good loves this world and it’s characters from the emotion that pours out of each page. She knows how to give you hope, how to break your heart and how to have you laughing and swooning.
“A small snort broke from me, though I tried to hide it. I wasn’t used to people actually being funny.”
The world building was fascinating, the lore behind the shattered gods and their curses, how the gods meddle and shape a world. Then the whole concept of a warrior academy where they bind six individuals into Rings (all with different skills. Healer, Fighters, Scribe, Engineer and Commander) giving them the ability to see and feel the other’s thoughts and feelings. It is such a vulnerable experience and so interesting to read about. It forces the ring to bond and open up to each other when in normal circumstances, they’d have remained strangers. Then there’s the political struggle. Who can’t you trust, if anyone? Who is being used as a pawn and who knows more than they are letting on? There is so much more to learn and I can’t wait to see how this world opens up even more in future books.
“Two months ago, I would have never imagined a life with them, and now I couldn’t imagine a life without them. I felt each of them like any other part of me, heart, lungs, mind.”
I don’t know which member of Ring 6 I most want to talk about first. From Zahra, who is so fiercely loyal… she is pure strength and stubbornness but if someone she cares about is doing something idiotic. You bet she’ll be right there next to them. Eryn, who is slower to open up to Isa but no less loyal. She is the logic and brains of this Ring and I adored her. Merrick… you can’t help but instantly love him. Even through his past trauma he has so much love to give. As Isa says “He was an idiot, but he was my idiot.” And the there’s Cael who is utterly adorable.
“You can use me, but only me,”
Then we have the romance between Niko and Isa. It was everything I look for in a slow burn forbidden romance. I lived for the tension filled moments between these two, I honestly enjoyed how complicated their relationship was. From the fact romance is forbidden inside a Ring to the abundance of secrets… the fact these two still couldn’t resist each other even knowing it would all come tumbling down. I loved every second of it.
“He was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that started wars. Handsome in a way that few ever were.”
It’s safe to say I fell head over heels for the world and I wasn’t ready to leave it. I couldn’t be more ready for book 2 if I tried!
Also a moment for this cover. It is a work of art and I am counting down the days till I can order a trophy copy for my bookcase. Stunning.
~ Thank you J.A. Good for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was SO excited to receive this ARC of Bloodbound by J.A. Good—thank you so much! ❤️ #RingSix #PickYourFavorite #I’mSureNothingBadWillHappen (I am going to try my absolute best to keep the spoiler free, but just know you need to read this book)
This story is fast-paced, fun, and filled with a unique magical system. It has the academy setting we all know and love in Romantasy, with the addition of binding to your Ring—a total of six people.
The story follows the FMC, Isara (Isa). Isa is the ward of the current Chancellor, Erarin. As a child, Isa was cursed, which makes using her Soul Strike incredibly painful and nearly deadly. Because of this—and everything else she has been through—Isa has never trusted anyone or allowed anyone to get close. She has been convinced for so long that she is worthless and needs to stay away from people. She is also very much against physical touch.
However, as the story progresses, Isa slowly begins to form a “found family” with her Ring Six, and I absolutely loved watching those relationships develop.
I won’t give away any spoilers, but let me just say—you are going to fall in love with ALL of these characters. Besides Isa, you have Merrick, Zahra, Cael, Eryn, and Commander Niko. BE WARNED: J.A. Good warned us: “Pick your favorite character. I’m sure nothing bad will happen.”
Merrick is the comedian of the group and gives me some serious Ridoc vibes. He’s a flirt, the muscle of the group, and definitely has a soft spot for Isa. He has a tough backstory that makes you fall even harder for him. He is 100% the golden retriever of the group.
Zahra is the extroverted girl of the group. She forms a friendship with Isa pretty easily, and these two definitely give off a “ride or die” vibe. I loved their friendship!
Cael is the inventor of the group. He isn’t a physical fighter, but he is always there for his Ring. He is such a kind and gentle soul that you just want to protect him at all costs.
Eryn initially comes across like a closed book. She loves to read and research, and in most scenes, you’ll find her with her nose buried in a book. However, she slowly forms a strong bond with Isa and the other members of the Ring. She gives major responsible older-sister vibes—the kind of person who will do absolutely anything to protect her Ring.
Niko… oh, Commander Niko. He is the first commander from an enemy nation to run a Ring. They call his Ring - “Collateral Damage”. (Not nice. 😂) However, Niko trains his Ring and is incredibly protective of them. There are rules surrounding Ring members, though, and it is illegal to fall in love with or be intimate with someone in your Ring.
Will Niko cross that line?
Read it to find out! 👀🔥
Ahhh! The last 25% of this book had me gasping, crying, screaming… just experiencing ALL the emotions at once. And that last chapter?! Are you SERIOUS?! My mouth was literally on the floor after that ending! I know so many book have twist and secrets I did not see coming… you will not guess this!!
How can you leave us with a cliffhanger like THAT?! 😭 WHEN IS BOOK 2 COMING OUT?!
#SeriousGrovelingExpectedInBook2Page1
This story is fast-paced, fun, and filled with a unique magical system. It has the academy setting we all know and love in Romantasy, with the addition of binding to your Ring—a total of six people.
The story follows the FMC, Isara (Isa). Isa is the ward of the current Chancellor, Erarin. As a child, Isa was cursed, which makes using her Soul Strike incredibly painful and nearly deadly. Because of this—and everything else she has been through—Isa has never trusted anyone or allowed anyone to get close. She has been convinced for so long that she is worthless and needs to stay away from people. She is also very much against physical touch.
However, as the story progresses, Isa slowly begins to form a “found family” with her Ring Six, and I absolutely loved watching those relationships develop.
I won’t give away any spoilers, but let me just say—you are going to fall in love with ALL of these characters. Besides Isa, you have Merrick, Zahra, Cael, Eryn, and Commander Niko. BE WARNED: J.A. Good warned us: “Pick your favorite character. I’m sure nothing bad will happen.”
Merrick is the comedian of the group and gives me some serious Ridoc vibes. He’s a flirt, the muscle of the group, and definitely has a soft spot for Isa. He has a tough backstory that makes you fall even harder for him. He is 100% the golden retriever of the group.
Zahra is the extroverted girl of the group. She forms a friendship with Isa pretty easily, and these two definitely give off a “ride or die” vibe. I loved their friendship!
Cael is the inventor of the group. He isn’t a physical fighter, but he is always there for his Ring. He is such a kind and gentle soul that you just want to protect him at all costs.
Eryn initially comes across like a closed book. She loves to read and research, and in most scenes, you’ll find her with her nose buried in a book. However, she slowly forms a strong bond with Isa and the other members of the Ring. She gives major responsible older-sister vibes—the kind of person who will do absolutely anything to protect her Ring.
Niko… oh, Commander Niko. He is the first commander from an enemy nation to run a Ring. They call his Ring - “Collateral Damage”. (Not nice. 😂) However, Niko trains his Ring and is incredibly protective of them. There are rules surrounding Ring members, though, and it is illegal to fall in love with or be intimate with someone in your Ring.
Will Niko cross that line?
Read it to find out! 👀🔥
Ahhh! The last 25% of this book had me gasping, crying, screaming… just experiencing ALL the emotions at once. And that last chapter?! Are you SERIOUS?! My mouth was literally on the floor after that ending! I know so many book have twist and secrets I did not see coming… you will not guess this!!
How can you leave us with a cliffhanger like THAT?! 😭 WHEN IS BOOK 2 COMING OUT?!
#SeriousGrovelingExpectedInBook2Page1
Review of advance copy received from Author
There where things I did and didn't like.
But I also want to start by thanking the author for allowing me to read this early. I definitely feel honored I've never been an arc reader before.
That being said...
I'll start with what I didn't like and end on a positive note. The beginning of this story was slow and confusing for me. While I did like the bonds that where happening between all of them it almost wasn't enough to keep me reading. Isara was difficult for me to like because she seemed to contradict herself. I also didn't like how she did use a good friend of her's so when she called herself a bad person she was right in my eyes. I get needed to hold on to someone to not be lonely but she didn't have to use him or the feeling he had for her like that. I also had a hard time with how the author included a androgynous person. Using the words they them to describe one person gets confusing while your reading and it threw me out if the book a lot. Niko I did like his character but I thought this would be more of a enemies to lovers situation but it was more of an annoyed to lovers if that makes sense lol. I also wasn't surprised at how things ended. I know there were supposed to be surprises but I honestly saw them coming except for maybe one and that was what was going on between Zahra and Merrick. I think it may have been what was going on at the end but it sounded like it wasn't so I'm not sure? It was confusing.
Now on to the more positives. I grew to like Isara a little more towards the end though she seemed unique in a way that she cared about the people around her but didn't care much for other people. I liked that in a sense that she seemed like she wanted things to be as simple and normal as they could be in her life. I feel that its fair to want that and actually strive towards it a lot of main characters tend to be self sacrificing and while i do like that in a lot of my stories I do also like a more selfish approach sometimes when its done well.
The rest of the side characters I did enjoy them. They all had their own quirkiness to them that made me want to read more about them. The mind reading was an added layer to that. Niko it took a while for me to realize who the author got her inspiration from and he reminds me of Kakashi from Naruto. If your into Manga and Anime you'll know who I mean.
Oh there was also some good spicy parts. I'm not one for spice anymore but I guess I can appreciate an author that knows how to write it.
Overall I was scared I wouldn't like the story enough to give it a decent rating and I so didnt want to rate my first arc badly. I want to be honest though and I did give my honest opinion. I think a lot of people will enjoy this story and I can also see some people not enjoying it as well but reading is subjective so what works for some might not work for others. Thats what makes it fun for me. Thats why I love reading so much. Well... one of the reasons.
But I also want to start by thanking the author for allowing me to read this early. I definitely feel honored I've never been an arc reader before.
That being said...
I'll start with what I didn't like and end on a positive note. The beginning of this story was slow and confusing for me. While I did like the bonds that where happening between all of them it almost wasn't enough to keep me reading. Isara was difficult for me to like because she seemed to contradict herself. I also didn't like how she did use a good friend of her's so when she called herself a bad person she was right in my eyes. I get needed to hold on to someone to not be lonely but she didn't have to use him or the feeling he had for her like that. I also had a hard time with how the author included a androgynous person. Using the words they them to describe one person gets confusing while your reading and it threw me out if the book a lot. Niko I did like his character but I thought this would be more of a enemies to lovers situation but it was more of an annoyed to lovers if that makes sense lol. I also wasn't surprised at how things ended. I know there were supposed to be surprises but I honestly saw them coming except for maybe one and that was what was going on between Zahra and Merrick. I think it may have been what was going on at the end but it sounded like it wasn't so I'm not sure? It was confusing.
Now on to the more positives. I grew to like Isara a little more towards the end though she seemed unique in a way that she cared about the people around her but didn't care much for other people. I liked that in a sense that she seemed like she wanted things to be as simple and normal as they could be in her life. I feel that its fair to want that and actually strive towards it a lot of main characters tend to be self sacrificing and while i do like that in a lot of my stories I do also like a more selfish approach sometimes when its done well.
The rest of the side characters I did enjoy them. They all had their own quirkiness to them that made me want to read more about them. The mind reading was an added layer to that. Niko it took a while for me to realize who the author got her inspiration from and he reminds me of Kakashi from Naruto. If your into Manga and Anime you'll know who I mean.
Oh there was also some good spicy parts. I'm not one for spice anymore but I guess I can appreciate an author that knows how to write it.
Overall I was scared I wouldn't like the story enough to give it a decent rating and I so didnt want to rate my first arc badly. I want to be honest though and I did give my honest opinion. I think a lot of people will enjoy this story and I can also see some people not enjoying it as well but reading is subjective so what works for some might not work for others. Thats what makes it fun for me. Thats why I love reading so much. Well... one of the reasons.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I recieved this book as an ARC from the author. I was drawn in from the art and the quote pulls that the author was sharing. It seemed like it would be something interesting and up my alley!
DNF at 71% because I cannot keep going anymore. I'm so bored.
The premise of this book has a lot of potential it just wasn't written well. It felt like a half ass plot that had a lot of holes they were never resolved later with edits. There were so many times that the FMC was like "idk what's going on." And as the reader, things were happening with no explanation as to why they were happening. It felt very much like "idk what I want to do here as the writer, but I do know I want this scene between our characters to happen so I'll just slap it together to get to that point and carry on."
By 71% it was still unclear what the actual point of the book was. I didn't know what the goal was for our FMC, or MMC, or even the team as a whole. At 67% we have our first introduction to a potential enemy?? But it's unclear if that's actually the case.
The whole time it's being told to us that the MMC is the supposed enemy coming into their territory under the guise that he's there to "teach and show everyone the way towards no more fighting." And they just leave him? No one's following them around? No one is popping in to see what he's teaching them? The fmc makes comments all the time that both her guardian, the woman who raised her and our MMC are using her as a means to an end. But she never asks any questions to either of them. She doesn't treat the MMC like he was ever the enemy that were being told he is.
The romance? Absolutely non existent and completely forced. I actually skipped their first sex scene because it felt so unnatural. Like they've had what 30 conversations about nothing? He's said a few sweet things to her but has never shown her anything outside of that. No causal touches. No, trying to find a reason to be beside her when they were with the group. Only sourcing her out when she's alone a few times, but mostly just to scold her on her lack of support for the team. Up until that moment it felt like he treated her the same as everyone else in the group.
The world was weakly built. I was slowly catching on, as the author warns the reader at the beginning. Which should have been a red flag tbh. A world should always be established, and explained well enough that the basic workings of the world are understood and as we continue on then we can get the more nitty gritty pieces of the world that shows us the complexity.
This book was not for me. It seems like it has the potential to be something good, but it needs to go back to the drawing board and figured out a bit more.
DNF at 71% because I cannot keep going anymore. I'm so bored.
The premise of this book has a lot of potential it just wasn't written well. It felt like a half ass plot that had a lot of holes they were never resolved later with edits. There were so many times that the FMC was like "idk what's going on." And as the reader, things were happening with no explanation as to why they were happening. It felt very much like "idk what I want to do here as the writer, but I do know I want this scene between our characters to happen so I'll just slap it together to get to that point and carry on."
By 71% it was still unclear what the actual point of the book was. I didn't know what the goal was for our FMC, or MMC, or even the team as a whole. At 67% we have our first introduction to a potential enemy?? But it's unclear if that's actually the case.
The whole time it's being told to us that the MMC is the supposed enemy coming into their territory under the guise that he's there to "teach and show everyone the way towards no more fighting." And they just leave him? No one's following them around? No one is popping in to see what he's teaching them? The fmc makes comments all the time that both her guardian, the woman who raised her and our MMC are using her as a means to an end. But she never asks any questions to either of them. She doesn't treat the MMC like he was ever the enemy that were being told he is.
The romance? Absolutely non existent and completely forced. I actually skipped their first sex scene because it felt so unnatural. Like they've had what 30 conversations about nothing? He's said a few sweet things to her but has never shown her anything outside of that. No causal touches. No, trying to find a reason to be beside her when they were with the group. Only sourcing her out when she's alone a few times, but mostly just to scold her on her lack of support for the team. Up until that moment it felt like he treated her the same as everyone else in the group.
The world was weakly built. I was slowly catching on, as the author warns the reader at the beginning. Which should have been a red flag tbh. A world should always be established, and explained well enough that the basic workings of the world are understood and as we continue on then we can get the more nitty gritty pieces of the world that shows us the complexity.
This book was not for me. It seems like it has the potential to be something good, but it needs to go back to the drawing board and figured out a bit more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC REVIEW
When I say I was obsessed from the first page, that is an understatement. This book has me hooked from beginning to end!! From the found family to the slow burn to the tensionnnnnnn (and I mean so much tension) it was amazing.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️
The Characters:
Isara- she was one badass FMC who was dealt a rough hand in life but never let it get her down. Her progression from an isolated, independent, blunt queen that she was (and still is :))to now finding a family of friends who she would do anything for? Loved it. I saw myself a bit in her character arc and I greatly appreciate how the author bridged that gap.
Niko- HELLO. This man was everything from the first interaction. Did I mention he wears a mask?!?!, (covers the lower half of his face and whew, it absolutely sold me) I don’t usually like the blonds, but he can go up with the Aaron Warners of romantasy. It was a true enemies to lovers pipeline and the tension and jealousy was PALPABLE. This man and his mouth… that’s all I got to say🤷🏼♀️
Ring Six- I LOVED these side characters and how they all slowly grew to understand and love our FMC. Each had their own unique role and quirks and I found myself giggling at the interactions between all of them. Special shoutout to Merrick for the comedic relief.
SPOILERS AHEAD🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Now I’m not someone who usually gets super shocked by a plot twist but let me tell you, this did not go the way I expected it to at all (but in the best way possible).
First of all… her mother is not only alive but has been training and working with Niko the whole time?!?!?!, and this is just after we realize that she may not have been the monster we have been led to believe. (And she didn’t actually kill the FMCs dad?)
And MERRICK??!! I love you, but how could you be so stupid as to expose the MMC and FMC’s betrayal and actions. Diabolical from him and I’m expecting some grovelling in the next book.
However, Niko has the most grovelling to do. While I firmly believe he may have started this whole mission as a spy, you can tell he yearned for Isara and will continue to til the day he dies. I hope she makes him BEG.
My only slight critique and this is more a personal preference (and manifestation for the second book) is that there was a tad more spice. I felt that the scenes were good but I was missing a line here or there that reaalllyyy makes the scene. Again, did not take away from the book in the slightest!
All this to say, I will be reading the next book as soon as humanly possible. That ending was rude and I will need 3-5 business days to sit with it. Thank you to the author for approving me for an ARC!!
When I say I was obsessed from the first page, that is an understatement. This book has me hooked from beginning to end!! From the found family to the slow burn to the tensionnnnnnn (and I mean so much tension) it was amazing.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️
The Characters:
Isara- she was one badass FMC who was dealt a rough hand in life but never let it get her down. Her progression from an isolated, independent, blunt queen that she was (and still is :))to now finding a family of friends who she would do anything for? Loved it. I saw myself a bit in her character arc and I greatly appreciate how the author bridged that gap.
Niko- HELLO. This man was everything from the first interaction. Did I mention he wears a mask?!?!, (covers the lower half of his face and whew, it absolutely sold me) I don’t usually like the blonds, but he can go up with the Aaron Warners of romantasy. It was a true enemies to lovers pipeline and the tension and jealousy was PALPABLE. This man and his mouth… that’s all I got to say🤷🏼♀️
Ring Six- I LOVED these side characters and how they all slowly grew to understand and love our FMC. Each had their own unique role and quirks and I found myself giggling at the interactions between all of them. Special shoutout to Merrick for the comedic relief.
SPOILERS AHEAD🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
Now I’m not someone who usually gets super shocked by a plot twist but let me tell you, this did not go the way I expected it to at all (but in the best way possible).
First of all… her mother is not only alive but has been training and working with Niko the whole time?!?!?!, and this is just after we realize that she may not have been the monster we have been led to believe. (And she didn’t actually kill the FMCs dad?)
And MERRICK??!! I love you, but how could you be so stupid as to expose the MMC and FMC’s betrayal and actions. Diabolical from him and I’m expecting some grovelling in the next book.
However, Niko has the most grovelling to do. While I firmly believe he may have started this whole mission as a spy, you can tell he yearned for Isara and will continue to til the day he dies. I hope she makes him BEG.
My only slight critique and this is more a personal preference (and manifestation for the second book) is that there was a tad more spice. I felt that the scenes were good but I was missing a line here or there that reaalllyyy makes the scene. Again, did not take away from the book in the slightest!
All this to say, I will be reading the next book as soon as humanly possible. That ending was rude and I will need 3-5 business days to sit with it. Thank you to the author for approving me for an ARC!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
“What binds me is not choice, but vow.
My pulse is not my own.
My weakness endangers the Ring.
My failure wounds more than me.
I do not fall alone.
If I falter, they bleed.
If I forget, they die.
We rise together. Or we’re buried thread-bound.”
-SECTION I of The Eshani Codex
J.A. Good has done it again and this is her best one yet. I haven't felt this emotionally attached (or destroyed) by a book since the Hunger Games and if you know me then…phew, buddy, you know that means something. What a breath of fresh air, what a unique and bad-a** concept in a world of books that are starting to blend together into ceaseless gray.
Bloodbound is bright red and dangerous.
Spicy, rich, and dark. We all like to say a book, a movie, a play, a song lives rent free in our head but I'm not lying when I say Bloodbound has moved in, taken up residence, and will be staying for a long, LONG time. I dream about these characters. This book INSPIRED me to start drawing again after such a long dry streak because the characters mean that much to me and I want as much of them as I can possibly get.
If the romance doesn't get you, the found family will I PROMISE. Ring Six is so utterly and profoundly imperfectly perfect…the banter, the warmth, the personality each character brings to the table is visceral and cannot be topped. It reminded me a lot of the crew's relationship from One Piece but make it psychic and at an academy. I live for the steady friendship between Isa and Zahara, the ribbing only Merrick knows how to dish out. Cael's shy, clever nature, and Eryn's no-nonsense but “i secretly care about all of you” attitude.
This will be a world you just want to enter. To live and breathe…………….and as for the romance
MY GODS. I thought fanfic Draco was the only white/blonde MMC that could steal my heart but here comes Niko, sailing out of the black.
Is he every red flag I ever knew? Probably. Will that stop me (or Isa) from yeeting ourselves head first into this situationship? Absolutely not. Strap the heck in.
I could write essays, dissertations, whole BOOKS on my feelings for this upcoming series. I am zero percent surprised that it's going viral. If this author doesn't snatch up a trad deal or become the next booktok sensation, I'll completely lose faith in the fantasy industry!
That is all, but remember: What is Broken May Still Bind
My pulse is not my own.
My weakness endangers the Ring.
My failure wounds more than me.
I do not fall alone.
If I falter, they bleed.
If I forget, they die.
We rise together. Or we’re buried thread-bound.”
-SECTION I of The Eshani Codex
J.A. Good has done it again and this is her best one yet. I haven't felt this emotionally attached (or destroyed) by a book since the Hunger Games and if you know me then…phew, buddy, you know that means something. What a breath of fresh air, what a unique and bad-a** concept in a world of books that are starting to blend together into ceaseless gray.
Bloodbound is bright red and dangerous.
Spicy, rich, and dark. We all like to say a book, a movie, a play, a song lives rent free in our head but I'm not lying when I say Bloodbound has moved in, taken up residence, and will be staying for a long, LONG time. I dream about these characters. This book INSPIRED me to start drawing again after such a long dry streak because the characters mean that much to me and I want as much of them as I can possibly get.
If the romance doesn't get you, the found family will I PROMISE. Ring Six is so utterly and profoundly imperfectly perfect…the banter, the warmth, the personality each character brings to the table is visceral and cannot be topped. It reminded me a lot of the crew's relationship from One Piece but make it psychic and at an academy. I live for the steady friendship between Isa and Zahara, the ribbing only Merrick knows how to dish out. Cael's shy, clever nature, and Eryn's no-nonsense but “i secretly care about all of you” attitude.
This will be a world you just want to enter. To live and breathe…………….and as for the romance
MY GODS. I thought fanfic Draco was the only white/blonde MMC that could steal my heart but here comes Niko, sailing out of the black.
Is he every red flag I ever knew? Probably. Will that stop me (or Isa) from yeeting ourselves head first into this situationship? Absolutely not. Strap the heck in.
I could write essays, dissertations, whole BOOKS on my feelings for this upcoming series. I am zero percent surprised that it's going viral. If this author doesn't snatch up a trad deal or become the next booktok sensation, I'll completely lose faith in the fantasy industry!
That is all, but remember: What is Broken May Still Bind
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Bloodbound pulled me in with its intricate world, mysterious magic system, and a cast of characters that I quickly became invested in. There is SO much happening in this story, and I loved slowly uncovering the secrets surrounding Isa, her curse, the Eshani, and the larger conflict between the different kingdoms.
Isa was a character I really enjoyed following. She’s strong but incredibly vulnerable, and watching her begin to question everything she’s been told about her past made her journey especially compelling. The revelations surrounding her family and her curse were some of my favorite parts of the book, and I loved watching her discover that there is so much more to her power than she ever realized.
And Niko. The tension between these two was so good. Their relationship is complicated, emotional, and full of secrets, and I loved watching that tension slowly turn into something deeper. The bloodbound connection added another layer to their relationship that made their interactions even more intense.
The found family aspect was another highlight for me. Ring Six really became the heart of the story, and I loved watching these characters go from strangers who didn’t necessarily trust one another to people who would put everything on the line for each other.
There were definitely moments where the amount of worldbuilding and information felt a little overwhelming, and the pacing wasn’t always as smooth for me as I would have liked. I sometimes felt like I needed to pause and process everything that was being introduced. But once the pieces started coming together, I was completely invested.
And that ending?! 😳 The revelations about Isa’s past, Elarin, Katya, Niko, and the shattered gods completely changed the direction of the story and left me with A LOT of questions going into the next book.
Overall, Bloodbound is an immersive romantasy filled with secrets, forbidden romance, magic, betrayal, and found family. It took a little time for me to find my footing in the world, but once I did, I was fully along for the ride.
4⭐️ complicated magic, dangerous secrets, a bloodbound found family, and a romance that had me hooked. I’m definitely curious to see where this story goes next.
Isa was a character I really enjoyed following. She’s strong but incredibly vulnerable, and watching her begin to question everything she’s been told about her past made her journey especially compelling. The revelations surrounding her family and her curse were some of my favorite parts of the book, and I loved watching her discover that there is so much more to her power than she ever realized.
And Niko. The tension between these two was so good. Their relationship is complicated, emotional, and full of secrets, and I loved watching that tension slowly turn into something deeper. The bloodbound connection added another layer to their relationship that made their interactions even more intense.
The found family aspect was another highlight for me. Ring Six really became the heart of the story, and I loved watching these characters go from strangers who didn’t necessarily trust one another to people who would put everything on the line for each other.
There were definitely moments where the amount of worldbuilding and information felt a little overwhelming, and the pacing wasn’t always as smooth for me as I would have liked. I sometimes felt like I needed to pause and process everything that was being introduced. But once the pieces started coming together, I was completely invested.
And that ending?! 😳 The revelations about Isa’s past, Elarin, Katya, Niko, and the shattered gods completely changed the direction of the story and left me with A LOT of questions going into the next book.
Overall, Bloodbound is an immersive romantasy filled with secrets, forbidden romance, magic, betrayal, and found family. It took a little time for me to find my footing in the world, but once I did, I was fully along for the ride.
4⭐️ complicated magic, dangerous secrets, a bloodbound found family, and a romance that had me hooked. I’m definitely curious to see where this story goes next.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up.
Isara Virelle... what a survivor! My heart BREAKS for you. 💔🩸⚔️
The trauma and betrayal just never seem to stop for Isa. Made to feel worthless and alone, she finally gets her "ring" and starts to realise she doesn't have to be alone anymore... except THEY ALL HAVE SECRETS! Poor Isa constantly seems to be on the receiving end of them. 😭
I applied for the ARC of Bloodbound after seeing the author's descriptive posts and artwork, and I already knew that whether I got accepted or not, I was reading this book. I wasn't disappointed!
The magic system based around threads is SO unique. I would have loved to explore even more of it, and I'm really hoping we do in book two. The world-building also feels completely its own, particularly the gods and Shattered Gods. It felt like we were only beginning to uncover that side of the world, and I have a feeling there's going to be MUCH more to come. 👀
To the found family... except this time they're quite literally BOUND together! 😂 No choice in who you're stuck with either—what could possibly go wrong?! Their relationships still feel like they're in the early stages, but you can feel those bonds becoming deeper with every chapter. They all come from such different backgrounds and bring something completely different to the ring.
Zahra's best-friend energy gave me hope that Isa might actually survive all this with someone firmly in her corner. 💖 And Merrick... I REALLY thought I loved you. That's all I'm saying. 🫣
Then there's Niko Veyshar. 🖤⚔️
Niko and Isa are everything they shouldn't be, with what feels like everything stacked against them—the fact their relationship is illegal being the least of their problems! You can see how deeply he cares for her, but hmmm... after everything, I hope he's made to WORK for that forgiveness. 😂 Masked commander Niko Veyshar is loveable in a completely different way: protective, mysterious and still leaving me wanting to know so much more about him. I would LOVE dual POV in book two and the chance to get inside that man's head! 👀
And THAT ENDING?! 😱 Right until the last moment, I genuinely didn't know which way it was going to go. And now I'm left with too many questions that I just NEED answers to!
Book two please?! 🩸⚔️❤️🔥
Isara Virelle... what a survivor! My heart BREAKS for you. 💔🩸⚔️
The trauma and betrayal just never seem to stop for Isa. Made to feel worthless and alone, she finally gets her "ring" and starts to realise she doesn't have to be alone anymore... except THEY ALL HAVE SECRETS! Poor Isa constantly seems to be on the receiving end of them. 😭
I applied for the ARC of Bloodbound after seeing the author's descriptive posts and artwork, and I already knew that whether I got accepted or not, I was reading this book. I wasn't disappointed!
The magic system based around threads is SO unique. I would have loved to explore even more of it, and I'm really hoping we do in book two. The world-building also feels completely its own, particularly the gods and Shattered Gods. It felt like we were only beginning to uncover that side of the world, and I have a feeling there's going to be MUCH more to come. 👀
To the found family... except this time they're quite literally BOUND together! 😂 No choice in who you're stuck with either—what could possibly go wrong?! Their relationships still feel like they're in the early stages, but you can feel those bonds becoming deeper with every chapter. They all come from such different backgrounds and bring something completely different to the ring.
Zahra's best-friend energy gave me hope that Isa might actually survive all this with someone firmly in her corner. 💖 And Merrick... I REALLY thought I loved you. That's all I'm saying. 🫣
Then there's Niko Veyshar. 🖤⚔️
Niko and Isa are everything they shouldn't be, with what feels like everything stacked against them—the fact their relationship is illegal being the least of their problems! You can see how deeply he cares for her, but hmmm... after everything, I hope he's made to WORK for that forgiveness. 😂 Masked commander Niko Veyshar is loveable in a completely different way: protective, mysterious and still leaving me wanting to know so much more about him. I would LOVE dual POV in book two and the chance to get inside that man's head! 👀
And THAT ENDING?! 😱 Right until the last moment, I genuinely didn't know which way it was going to go. And now I'm left with too many questions that I just NEED answers to!
Book two please?! 🩸⚔️❤️🔥
September 13, 2026
This book drew me in with the Character art and the world and magic and characters kept me here.
'Bloodbound' is a fast paced enemies to lovers, forbidden love fantasy romance story following Isa our FMC, she is resilient, fierce and has been alone for so long that letting her walls down and letting people in is challenging for her. You watch her grow throughout the story and she fights for those she loves even when she doesn't know who she can fully trust.
I love the world this is in with the gods and the buried gods, all the political unrest between some of the kingdoms and how everything slowly unfolds throughout the story. There are so many moving parts that it can be a little overwhelming at times to understand, not sure if it was a structure problem or just how things were worded but by the end everything fell into place.
The magic system is unique with the use of threads being pulled to form magic. My only thought is how are the threads pulled? It is never really explained and a little more explanation on that would have been helpful in understanding the technical parts of the magic.
The Romance, I don't think the author did a great job at showing the growing the connection between Isa and Niko, yes you see a friendship forming but not really an attraction besides Isa thinks he's handsome. It just didn't feel natural when they got together but once they are together I really enjoyed there chemistry and jealousy that comes from Niko when other men show their interest.
There is a strong found family component to this book that I really liked. They are all blood bonded to one another but don't instantly like each other, they have to learn to trust each other and rely on each other for support.
I know my review may follow under the negative side of things even with a four star rating, but I truly did love the book and everything is there to make this a great read.
Everything falls into place the last 10% of the book when everything starts to unravel and tensions hit there peak. Book two is going to bring out so many more players in the story and I can't wait.
'Bloodbound' is a fast paced enemies to lovers, forbidden love fantasy romance story following Isa our FMC, she is resilient, fierce and has been alone for so long that letting her walls down and letting people in is challenging for her. You watch her grow throughout the story and she fights for those she loves even when she doesn't know who she can fully trust.
I love the world this is in with the gods and the buried gods, all the political unrest between some of the kingdoms and how everything slowly unfolds throughout the story. There are so many moving parts that it can be a little overwhelming at times to understand, not sure if it was a structure problem or just how things were worded but by the end everything fell into place.
The magic system is unique with the use of threads being pulled to form magic. My only thought is how are the threads pulled? It is never really explained and a little more explanation on that would have been helpful in understanding the technical parts of the magic.
The Romance, I don't think the author did a great job at showing the growing the connection between Isa and Niko, yes you see a friendship forming but not really an attraction besides Isa thinks he's handsome. It just didn't feel natural when they got together but once they are together I really enjoyed there chemistry and jealousy that comes from Niko when other men show their interest.
There is a strong found family component to this book that I really liked. They are all blood bonded to one another but don't instantly like each other, they have to learn to trust each other and rely on each other for support.
I know my review may follow under the negative side of things even with a four star rating, but I truly did love the book and everything is there to make this a great read.
Everything falls into place the last 10% of the book when everything starts to unravel and tensions hit there peak. Book two is going to bring out so many more players in the story and I can't wait.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you so much to J.A. Good for sending me an ARC of Bloodbound. I’m so grateful I had the chance to read this one early. ❤️
At the heart of this story is a FMC who has spent most of her life feeling like an outsider. She’s grown up carrying the weight of her parents’ choices, never quite feeling like she belongs, and trying to become the person everyone expects her to be.
Then she becomes part of the Six.
And I think that was one of my favourite parts of this book. Watching these six people slowly become a family—and watching her realize how badly she needed that kind of connection—was beautiful. I’m an absolute sucker for found family, and this one got me.
Then there’s the romance. ❤️
This is actually slow-burn enemies-to-lovers. They have very good reasons not to trust each other, their relationship is forbidden, and it takes time for those walls to come down. I loved that it wasn’t rushed.
And the bond between them might have been my favourite thing. He can be this intimidating, broody commander in front of everyone else, but through their private conversations you slowly get to see this completely different side of him. Their relationship grows through those conversations long before either of them is ready to admit what’s happening.
The magic was another highlight for me. The Six, their different abilities, the thread magic, and especially the way her healing comes with an actual cost made the whole system feel so much more interesting. And the more she begins to understand her own power, the more you realize there is much more going on than she—or we—originally knew.
There are secrets, betrayals, forbidden feelings, found family, complicated loyalties, and some reveals that made me rethink things I thought I understood earlier in the story.
But underneath all of that, this felt like a story about belonging. About finding your people, questioning the identity you’ve been given, and deciding for yourself who you want to become.
Beautiful, addictive, and one of those books where I kept saying “one more chapter” until suddenly there weren’t any chapters left.
5 stars. ❤️
At the heart of this story is a FMC who has spent most of her life feeling like an outsider. She’s grown up carrying the weight of her parents’ choices, never quite feeling like she belongs, and trying to become the person everyone expects her to be.
Then she becomes part of the Six.
And I think that was one of my favourite parts of this book. Watching these six people slowly become a family—and watching her realize how badly she needed that kind of connection—was beautiful. I’m an absolute sucker for found family, and this one got me.
Then there’s the romance. ❤️
This is actually slow-burn enemies-to-lovers. They have very good reasons not to trust each other, their relationship is forbidden, and it takes time for those walls to come down. I loved that it wasn’t rushed.
And the bond between them might have been my favourite thing. He can be this intimidating, broody commander in front of everyone else, but through their private conversations you slowly get to see this completely different side of him. Their relationship grows through those conversations long before either of them is ready to admit what’s happening.
The magic was another highlight for me. The Six, their different abilities, the thread magic, and especially the way her healing comes with an actual cost made the whole system feel so much more interesting. And the more she begins to understand her own power, the more you realize there is much more going on than she—or we—originally knew.
There are secrets, betrayals, forbidden feelings, found family, complicated loyalties, and some reveals that made me rethink things I thought I understood earlier in the story.
But underneath all of that, this felt like a story about belonging. About finding your people, questioning the identity you’ve been given, and deciding for yourself who you want to become.
Beautiful, addictive, and one of those books where I kept saying “one more chapter” until suddenly there weren’t any chapters left.
5 stars. ❤️
Review of advance copy received from Author
It may go down in history as the worst Ring to ever exist... but Ring Six stole my heart.
Messy, chaotic, and made up of people who are so different from each other: Merrick with his charm, Cael with his inventions, Zahra who notices everything, the smart Eryn, Isa, and Nicko, their leader.
It may take them a while to get there, but they make such a great team. They know how to work together, help one another improve and grow, learn to forgive, and, when they need to, act like a single mind.
I think this book handles the found family trope better than any other book I’ve ever read.
It’s impossible to put down and completely destroyed me in the best possible way.
It has everything I want in a fantasy: action, friendship, love, passion, political intrigue, secrets, and character growth.
And then there are Nicko and Isa.
Two characters I adored.
Watching Isa, who is quiet, selfless, sad and sarcastic, change throughout the book and finally find a family, friends, a little bit of joy, freedom, and love warmed my heart. She’s never really had parents, has only ever had one friend, Cas, and has spent her life keeping her emotions bottled up and never feeling truly accepted because of her curse mark and blue hair. Seeing her finally allow herself to feel, experience these things, and appreciate physical touch... even if it's with the one person she absolutely should not be touching, made me so happy.
Nicko is simply Nicko.
He always seems dangerous, cold, and almost bored or indifferent, but there is so much more hiding underneath. He’s also a great commander who knows how to handle difficult situations and keep the group together.
He cares, and his eyes are flames whenever he looks at Isa.
The way he supports her? 10/10.
The way he touches and holds her? 10/10.
The way he protects her? 10/10.
The way he praises her, even if he never does it during training? 10/10.
Plus, he reads smutty romance books... and he wears a mask
Messy, chaotic, and made up of people who are so different from each other: Merrick with his charm, Cael with his inventions, Zahra who notices everything, the smart Eryn, Isa, and Nicko, their leader.
It may take them a while to get there, but they make such a great team. They know how to work together, help one another improve and grow, learn to forgive, and, when they need to, act like a single mind.
I think this book handles the found family trope better than any other book I’ve ever read.
It’s impossible to put down and completely destroyed me in the best possible way.
It has everything I want in a fantasy: action, friendship, love, passion, political intrigue, secrets, and character growth.
And then there are Nicko and Isa.
Two characters I adored.
Watching Isa, who is quiet, selfless, sad and sarcastic, change throughout the book and finally find a family, friends, a little bit of joy, freedom, and love warmed my heart. She’s never really had parents, has only ever had one friend, Cas, and has spent her life keeping her emotions bottled up and never feeling truly accepted because of her curse mark and blue hair. Seeing her finally allow herself to feel, experience these things, and appreciate physical touch... even if it's with the one person she absolutely should not be touching, made me so happy.
Nicko is simply Nicko.
He always seems dangerous, cold, and almost bored or indifferent, but there is so much more hiding underneath. He’s also a great commander who knows how to handle difficult situations and keep the group together.
He cares, and his eyes are flames whenever he looks at Isa.
The way he supports her? 10/10.
The way he touches and holds her? 10/10.
The way he protects her? 10/10.
The way he praises her, even if he never does it during training? 10/10.
Plus, he reads smutty romance books... and he wears a mask
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Okay, first of all, can we talk about the artwork?! Because honestly, that is what originally pulled me into this book. Blue hair? Fantasy? Soul bonds? Say less. I’m there. 😂💙
This ended up being a really solid 4-star read for me. The beginning took me a little while to get into because the pacing felt slower, and I really wanted more worldbuilding upfront. There are different nations, magic, politics, the Rings, the whole soul binding system, and I found myself wanting more explanation so I could really understand the world I had been dropped into.
I also had a slightly complicated relationship with Isa. 😂 From pretty early on, she recognizes that she’s being used and clearly isn’t okay with it, but then some of her choices didn’t really match that awareness. There were definitely moments where I was like, Girl… you KNOW something isn’t right here. DO SOMETHING. Some of what eventually happened felt like it could have been avoided, so I struggled to connect with her reasoning at times.
BUT once this book got going, it GOT GOING.
I really enjoyed the Ring Six dynamic and the whole concept of being soul-bound to a group of people who can literally feel your emotions, hear your thoughts, and know things you may desperately want to keep hidden. That creates such an interesting layer of forced trust and intimacy, especially when you throw secrets, forbidden magic, political tension, and Niko into the mix.
By the second half, I was fully invested and really enjoyed where the story was headed.
I was also lucky enough to receive the audiobook early, and I really enjoyed the narration! It added another layer to the characters and made the story even easier to get lost in once everything started coming together.
Overall, I think this was a really strong start with a super interesting concept. I just wanted a little more worldbuilding, smoother pacing in the beginning, and a few different choices from Isa. 😂
This ended up being a really solid 4-star read for me. The beginning took me a little while to get into because the pacing felt slower, and I really wanted more worldbuilding upfront. There are different nations, magic, politics, the Rings, the whole soul binding system, and I found myself wanting more explanation so I could really understand the world I had been dropped into.
I also had a slightly complicated relationship with Isa. 😂 From pretty early on, she recognizes that she’s being used and clearly isn’t okay with it, but then some of her choices didn’t really match that awareness. There were definitely moments where I was like, Girl… you KNOW something isn’t right here. DO SOMETHING. Some of what eventually happened felt like it could have been avoided, so I struggled to connect with her reasoning at times.
BUT once this book got going, it GOT GOING.
I really enjoyed the Ring Six dynamic and the whole concept of being soul-bound to a group of people who can literally feel your emotions, hear your thoughts, and know things you may desperately want to keep hidden. That creates such an interesting layer of forced trust and intimacy, especially when you throw secrets, forbidden magic, political tension, and Niko into the mix.
By the second half, I was fully invested and really enjoyed where the story was headed.
I was also lucky enough to receive the audiobook early, and I really enjoyed the narration! It added another layer to the characters and made the story even easier to get lost in once everything started coming together.
Overall, I think this was a really strong start with a super interesting concept. I just wanted a little more worldbuilding, smoother pacing in the beginning, and a few different choices from Isa. 😂
Review of advance copy received from Author
Let me start with that - I fell in love with the cover, and it was THE thing that grabbed my attention without mercy.
This book had so much potential, and I was intrigued by the concept and Isa's curse/magic, but unfortunately the execution didn't do it justice.
The magic system was intriguing, but a lot of times I felt a bit lost and confused, especially the part where Isa started her training as a veilwalker, and I didn't manage to understand what changed and how she managed to do her strike in the end.
Another thing that felt weird and rubbed me the wrong way was Niko's mask. He didn't have a solid reason for wearing it, and that was underwhelming. He never fully removed it, not even when he ate or when he was intimate with Isa, which felt weird... he just pulled it down. That first time we witnessed him dragging down the mask was crammed with two key moments - their first kiss and their first time together and as a result, neither succeeded at hitting emotionally as it should. I personally expected his face reveal to have its own space and time, with the tension the mask created. As a result, to be honest, I didn't even manage to imagine properly or remember his face, and I was sad about that missed opportunity. In my opinion, those small but significant moments were scattered like crumbs along the way leading to their first time; it would've been a perfect tension builder.
My other problem with believing their connection was that Niko didn't act differently towards Isa than the other ring members. There weren't intimate conversations or sharing personal stuff, private moments or any indicators that he is attracted to her. It went straight to them sleeping together, skipping the vital parts.
I am really sad that I had to write such a review because, as I said, there was so much potential that intrigued me, and I really wanted to love this one.
This book had so much potential, and I was intrigued by the concept and Isa's curse/magic, but unfortunately the execution didn't do it justice.
The magic system was intriguing, but a lot of times I felt a bit lost and confused, especially the part where Isa started her training as a veilwalker, and I didn't manage to understand what changed and how she managed to do her strike in the end.
Another thing that felt weird and rubbed me the wrong way was Niko's mask. He didn't have a solid reason for wearing it, and that was underwhelming. He never fully removed it, not even when he ate or when he was intimate with Isa, which felt weird... he just pulled it down. That first time we witnessed him dragging down the mask was crammed with two key moments - their first kiss and their first time together and as a result, neither succeeded at hitting emotionally as it should. I personally expected his face reveal to have its own space and time, with the tension the mask created. As a result, to be honest, I didn't even manage to imagine properly or remember his face, and I was sad about that missed opportunity. In my opinion, those small but significant moments were scattered like crumbs along the way leading to their first time; it would've been a perfect tension builder.
My other problem with believing their connection was that Niko didn't act differently towards Isa than the other ring members. There weren't intimate conversations or sharing personal stuff, private moments or any indicators that he is attracted to her. It went straight to them sleeping together, skipping the vital parts.
I am really sad that I had to write such a review because, as I said, there was so much potential that intrigued me, and I really wanted to love this one.
September 30, 2026
I could not put this book down! What a unique and incredibly interesting story.
Six complete strangers, bound by blood and chosen to become a team. They live together, train together, fight together, and ultimately have to depend on one another to survive and keep each other safe on their missions. And there’s one very important rule: romantic relationships between Ring members are strictly forbidden.
I absolutely loved Ring Six. Every member of the team is so unique, complex, and intriguing, and I loved getting to know them. And Isa and Niko? They are on a completely different level!
Even though this book was almost perfection for me, there were a couple of things I felt were missing. Most of all, I wanted more from Isa and Niko’s relationship. The progression of their romance felt a little rushed, and I was craving more yearning, teasing, tension, and dialogue between them. Because when it was there - it was sooo good. It seemed like after only a few conversations, their relationship suddenly shifted into full force. I wanted to see more of them trying to follow the rules, fighting their attraction, and slowly realizing they couldn’t help falling for each other. I wanted that delicious “we absolutely shouldn’t do this, but we can’t stay away from each other” kind of tension—and unfortunately, I never quite got that feeling.
And then there was that plot twist at the end?! I was literally left staring at the wall. 😳 Even though there were hints scattered throughout the book, I genuinely did not see it coming. Now I NEED to know what happens next. When is Book 2 coming out?! I need answers about Ring Six and the betrayals!
I loved how distinctive this story was. An academy setting, forbidden romance, complex characters, action, secrets, and betrayal—this book has everything. It completely pulled me in, and I loved every minute of it.
Six complete strangers, bound by blood and chosen to become a team. They live together, train together, fight together, and ultimately have to depend on one another to survive and keep each other safe on their missions. And there’s one very important rule: romantic relationships between Ring members are strictly forbidden.
I absolutely loved Ring Six. Every member of the team is so unique, complex, and intriguing, and I loved getting to know them. And Isa and Niko? They are on a completely different level!
Even though this book was almost perfection for me, there were a couple of things I felt were missing. Most of all, I wanted more from Isa and Niko’s relationship. The progression of their romance felt a little rushed, and I was craving more yearning, teasing, tension, and dialogue between them. Because when it was there - it was sooo good. It seemed like after only a few conversations, their relationship suddenly shifted into full force. I wanted to see more of them trying to follow the rules, fighting their attraction, and slowly realizing they couldn’t help falling for each other. I wanted that delicious “we absolutely shouldn’t do this, but we can’t stay away from each other” kind of tension—and unfortunately, I never quite got that feeling.
And then there was that plot twist at the end?! I was literally left staring at the wall. 😳 Even though there were hints scattered throughout the book, I genuinely did not see it coming. Now I NEED to know what happens next. When is Book 2 coming out?! I need answers about Ring Six and the betrayals!
I loved how distinctive this story was. An academy setting, forbidden romance, complex characters, action, secrets, and betrayal—this book has everything. It completely pulled me in, and I loved every minute of it.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Dare I say, I liked it more than Fourth Wing? No, I'm not really sure everything about the academy or ring system makes sense, but despite utilizing the same framework as many stories in the genre, Bloodbound takes elements that usually make me want to claw my eyes out and shifts the presentation to be actually endearing. For example, Isa is snappy and selfish, but she owns up to it and acknowledges guilt for flaws she is too weak to fix. The bickering ring members fight like cats and dogs but genuinely seem to care. Niko is cold and stunning in a murder-me-gently sort of way, but Isa doesn't go on about it for a whole page when they first meet (or any other time, thank the book gods), and they walk the path of bad decisions with open eyes. It ain't love and no one is pretending it is.
Am I also in a good mood because certain words were never used? (*cough* plundered *cough*) Yes, I think I am. Shhh, we're not thinking today, we're vibing. The vibes say protect Cael the introvert at all costs.
Expect training, brooding, carousing, and a handful of field missions, plus keeping secrets from people who can kind of read your mind (it's easier and harder than it seems). Also, various types of magic, including personal abilities, and a cryptic pantheon to match.
Now, asking "...why?" can be dangerous (why is so and so in charge? why are certain things not allowed? why is this a viable military system? why do these people start to bond?) and there's more grammatical goofiness going on than I'd expect in even an early copy, but at the end of the day, this was a blink-and-it's-done sort of book (finished in under 36 hours, and I actually did other things today).
**Thanks to the author for the ARC**
Am I also in a good mood because certain words were never used? (*cough* plundered *cough*) Yes, I think I am. Shhh, we're not thinking today, we're vibing. The vibes say protect Cael the introvert at all costs.
Expect training, brooding, carousing, and a handful of field missions, plus keeping secrets from people who can kind of read your mind (it's easier and harder than it seems). Also, various types of magic, including personal abilities, and a cryptic pantheon to match.
Now, asking "...why?" can be dangerous (why is so and so in charge? why are certain things not allowed? why is this a viable military system? why do these people start to bond?) and there's more grammatical goofiness going on than I'd expect in even an early copy, but at the end of the day, this was a blink-and-it's-done sort of book (finished in under 36 hours, and I actually did other things today).
**Thanks to the author for the ARC**
Review of advance copy received from Author
Isara has been training her whole life as an Eshari. As a threadmarked it is her job to heal and restore. Isa hides on the edge of the academy in the shadows avoided people at all cost. At the start of fourth year when she is called into a ring, a bloodbound team of six, her solitude crumples. She continues to fight for her place of belonging while discovering what she's capable of. The skills that are suppose to save others are slowly killing Isa, a new fear overtakes her as she begins to unravel her true magic and what she is capable of. The sixth ring is a combination of cursed, unwanted, collateral damage, and a commander from another kingdom brought over in order to work towards peace. A band of misfits turned found family have to fight for the truth as well as staying together.
Isa is truly an fmc that the genre needs. She is grappling with her place in the world and being continuously used as a pawn, losing trust in those around her. Unwanted from the beginning, those shadows are an old friend. Niko, our Rathvenorn commander, is powerful and dangerous, keeping his ring at arms length. He doesn’t share much with his ring in the beginning but slowly softens around the edges. The other members of the ring have large personality that complement and test each other extremely well.
The magic within the story felt unique and easy to understand. There were some reread moments but nothing extreme. I raced through this book in less than two days because I had to know what happened. Then the ending came and left me heartbroken that it was over. Please read if you enjoy thread magic, found family, a magic school setting, and a lot of emotional turmoil. Thank you to the author for the advanced copy!
Isa is truly an fmc that the genre needs. She is grappling with her place in the world and being continuously used as a pawn, losing trust in those around her. Unwanted from the beginning, those shadows are an old friend. Niko, our Rathvenorn commander, is powerful and dangerous, keeping his ring at arms length. He doesn’t share much with his ring in the beginning but slowly softens around the edges. The other members of the ring have large personality that complement and test each other extremely well.
The magic within the story felt unique and easy to understand. There were some reread moments but nothing extreme. I raced through this book in less than two days because I had to know what happened. Then the ending came and left me heartbroken that it was over. Please read if you enjoy thread magic, found family, a magic school setting, and a lot of emotional turmoil. Thank you to the author for the advanced copy!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Bloodbound by J. A. Good
Thank you, J. A. Good, for the advanced reader copy of this book.
I am voluntarily leaving this honest review; all opinions are my own.
Bloodbound is a dark epic fantasy romance with a magical academy, ancient gods, a unique magic system, and political intrigue. In the world of Veryuun, every living thing is connected by invisible threads. The rare few born able to perceive, manipulate, and weave those threads into magic are called “Eshani.” With these threads, one can heal, fight, preserve memories, build magical inventions, or reveal hidden truths. Six individuals with those varying abilities are soul-bound together into a unit called a ring, capable of telepathically communicating with each other.
It took me a bit to learn each of the gods and the various magics and roles within each “ring.” It helped writing these concepts down and referencing it as the story progressed. Eventually, it all clicked into place as you got to know each of the characters of Ring Six - Zahra was brave, Cael was innovative, Merrick was comical, Eryn was knowledgeable, Isara was cursed and conflicted, and Niko held them all together. I came to love each and every single one of them for their uniqueness, and how they started off as seemingly out-of-sync misfits that grew into one cohesive family.
If you love a unique magic system, ancient powers, soul-bonds, found family, academy feels, political conflicts, or even crazy plot twists - you will truly enjoy this. It does have a forbidden enemies-to-lovers romance, but it’s woven so well into the overall story. It does end with a cliff-hanger, but the story is phenomenal!
“What is broken may still bind.”
Thank you, J. A. Good, for the advanced reader copy of this book.
I am voluntarily leaving this honest review; all opinions are my own.
Bloodbound is a dark epic fantasy romance with a magical academy, ancient gods, a unique magic system, and political intrigue. In the world of Veryuun, every living thing is connected by invisible threads. The rare few born able to perceive, manipulate, and weave those threads into magic are called “Eshani.” With these threads, one can heal, fight, preserve memories, build magical inventions, or reveal hidden truths. Six individuals with those varying abilities are soul-bound together into a unit called a ring, capable of telepathically communicating with each other.
It took me a bit to learn each of the gods and the various magics and roles within each “ring.” It helped writing these concepts down and referencing it as the story progressed. Eventually, it all clicked into place as you got to know each of the characters of Ring Six - Zahra was brave, Cael was innovative, Merrick was comical, Eryn was knowledgeable, Isara was cursed and conflicted, and Niko held them all together. I came to love each and every single one of them for their uniqueness, and how they started off as seemingly out-of-sync misfits that grew into one cohesive family.
If you love a unique magic system, ancient powers, soul-bonds, found family, academy feels, political conflicts, or even crazy plot twists - you will truly enjoy this. It does have a forbidden enemies-to-lovers romance, but it’s woven so well into the overall story. It does end with a cliff-hanger, but the story is phenomenal!
“What is broken may still bind.”
Review of advance copy received from Author
What is broken may still bind.
It’s “grefect”
(If you know what I mean)
Welcome to Ring Six
Six strangers bound together for life.
Emotions. Thoughts. Secrets.
Shared.
Military fantasy Forbidden commander/student romance Soul bonds & shared emotions Found family Forced proximity Political intrigue
Training academies Slow burn tension
Introverted FMC
Masked MMC
Is that a triangle? No it’s a circle/ring
Isa is curse born trained to heal but she is so much more. Uncertain of where she belongs, she is bloodbound to five strangers, one of who is her hot white haired commander who is from a rival nation in the name of peace.
Cue in training, mind banter and found family and you have Bloodbound.
We have political intrigue, dangerous missions and so many secrets in the plot while the FMC tries to figure out where she truly belongs, and if the gods are truly what they say they are.
The thread system was a unique take. A lot of world building, so get ready for the imagination of your life. (I won’t lie, I would love to see artwork about the Academy, halls, rings). It was a lot of work and rereads to understand what I was reading at some point but, I liked it.
I loved the connection between the FMC and MMC. The banter between them was so refreshing. Forbidden Romance had me on the edge of my seat, in fear and looking out for them. You will feel the tension, but also enjoy the overall plot of the book. Even the found family was so well written. I love Ring Six and their differences.
The ending.
That cliffhanger!!!
Now I want to know what happens next.
I have questions.
It’s “grefect”
(If you know what I mean)
Welcome to Ring Six
Six strangers bound together for life.
Emotions. Thoughts. Secrets.
Shared.
Military fantasy Forbidden commander/student romance Soul bonds & shared emotions Found family Forced proximity Political intrigue
Training academies Slow burn tension
Introverted FMC
Masked MMC
Is that a triangle? No it’s a circle/ring
Isa is curse born trained to heal but she is so much more. Uncertain of where she belongs, she is bloodbound to five strangers, one of who is her hot white haired commander who is from a rival nation in the name of peace.
Cue in training, mind banter and found family and you have Bloodbound.
We have political intrigue, dangerous missions and so many secrets in the plot while the FMC tries to figure out where she truly belongs, and if the gods are truly what they say they are.
The thread system was a unique take. A lot of world building, so get ready for the imagination of your life. (I won’t lie, I would love to see artwork about the Academy, halls, rings). It was a lot of work and rereads to understand what I was reading at some point but, I liked it.
I loved the connection between the FMC and MMC. The banter between them was so refreshing. Forbidden Romance had me on the edge of my seat, in fear and looking out for them. You will feel the tension, but also enjoy the overall plot of the book. Even the found family was so well written. I love Ring Six and their differences.
The ending.
That cliffhanger!!!
Now I want to know what happens next.
I have questions.
August 30, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“What is broken may still bind.”
Well… BLOODBOUND absolutely consumed me.
This dark academia fantasy follows a group of students entering their fourth year, where they are bonded together in a way that means their lives — and futures — are no longer entirely their own. Throw in elemental magic, a fascinating thread-based magic system, secrets, danger and a forced proximity-style bond between six students, and honestly? I was HOOKED.
I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Every time I thought okay, just one more chapter, suddenly another hour had disappeared.
It gave me Fourth Wing vibes, but without the dragons — intense training, dangerous bonds, addictive magic and a group dynamic that completely pulled me in. But what really made this book for me was the found-family dynamic. Watching these characters navigate their relationships alongside everything else happening made them impossible not to become attached to.
And the banter? Chef’s kiss. 😂 I genuinely found myself laughing out loud.
The magic system was also so interesting. I loved the elemental abilities combined with the threads and bonds, and it felt like there was so much more to uncover about this world.
But seriously… the ending?!
THAT FREAKING ENDING.
I just sat there staring at the pages like… EXCUSE ME?!
This book was dark, addictive, funny in all the right places and completely impossible to put down. If you love dark academia, magical bonds, found family, banter and fantasy books that grab you by the throat and refuse to let go, then you NEED this one on your radar.
I cannot wait to see where this series goes next.
An easy 5 ⭐️ read for me.
“What is broken may still bind.”
Well… BLOODBOUND absolutely consumed me.
This dark academia fantasy follows a group of students entering their fourth year, where they are bonded together in a way that means their lives — and futures — are no longer entirely their own. Throw in elemental magic, a fascinating thread-based magic system, secrets, danger and a forced proximity-style bond between six students, and honestly? I was HOOKED.
I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. Every time I thought okay, just one more chapter, suddenly another hour had disappeared.
It gave me Fourth Wing vibes, but without the dragons — intense training, dangerous bonds, addictive magic and a group dynamic that completely pulled me in. But what really made this book for me was the found-family dynamic. Watching these characters navigate their relationships alongside everything else happening made them impossible not to become attached to.
And the banter? Chef’s kiss. 😂 I genuinely found myself laughing out loud.
The magic system was also so interesting. I loved the elemental abilities combined with the threads and bonds, and it felt like there was so much more to uncover about this world.
But seriously… the ending?!
THAT FREAKING ENDING.
I just sat there staring at the pages like… EXCUSE ME?!
This book was dark, addictive, funny in all the right places and completely impossible to put down. If you love dark academia, magical bonds, found family, banter and fantasy books that grab you by the throat and refuse to let go, then you NEED this one on your radar.
I cannot wait to see where this series goes next.
An easy 5 ⭐️ read for me.
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