Crown Me Dead

Heartstring Duet #1

by Liv Zander, Julio Maxwell (Narrator), Jacci Prior (Narrator)

Wed me. Bed me. Slit my throat.

Born in dirt, raised in rot, I dig graves for the dead, while the living decay around me.

When my brother coughs blood, he appears.

A man too polished for the graveyard, with a bargain too cruel for the light: Seduce the King. Become the Queen. Die. And my brother lives.

Kael is a nightmare of living ruin, the rotting ruler of a festering realm. And Vale is his shadow, the cold architect of my demise.

One man needs my heart to beat. The other plans to stop it forever.

They think I'm a pawn. But I'm the gravedigger's daughter. And I know exactly where to bury them.

Welcome to the funeral.

Genres: Fantasy, Dark Romance, Romantasy, Dark, Romance, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Romance

Audiobook

First published April 10, 2026

Reviews

[SK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah you guys were not kidding. This is actually good stuff. For a 270 pages book, this had everything in it (at least for me).

The world building is simplistic, don't expect anything super rich here. It's a book under 300 pages, seriously don't bother critiquing it. It delivers good on a simplistic idea of the world. The plot is unique and investing, had me instantly hooked despite how much of a grotesque start it had. It's definitely graphic in some scenes, and as someone who visualizes everything I read... That was quite an experience 😅😅😅 I both love and hate that 😅

But anyhow, Elara is such a likable character. She's loving, fierce and sharp. She doesn't shy away from confrontations. Doesn't shy away from asking questions and investigating and I loved that. As for Kael and Vale, such complex men these two. And with the amount of emotions they put me through, I'm gonna say neither of them were deserving of her 😒 Tho I did like Vale slightly better cause he carried more heat and it has nothing to do with Kael, it just one made me feel more and that's how it is intended to be written by the author 🤷‍♀️

This book played with my emotions so much. Just when I thought I guessed things right, it would twist some other narrative. It frustrated me... I loved it 👀 The ending was impressive, definitely liked the direction it went with. I did suspect something like that would happen but not in such a manner. Going to hop into the next one ASAP.


~•~•~
My first book by this author and I'm super curious. Haven't seen any negative reviews for this duet on my feed and that intimidates me 😭😭 Wish me luck 🤞

[꧁ ༺Minne༻ ꧂ (Slow - moving to a city I hate T T) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ELARA GIRL



Serves you damn right.

This was disgustingly good, and such a quick read too. I just hope it’s never adapted into a movie. For the first time in my life, I don’t want to see my imagination recreated on screen.

Disclaimer: do not read this while eating. Rot. Pus. Maggots. So many maggots. Once you get past the first half of the book, it gets a lot better.

The plot is pretty simple. A gravedigger’s daughter. A rotting kingdom plagued by disease and death. A cursed crown fused to the head of a king no one truly understands. A queen that must be sacrificed. And beneath it all, secrets that must be uncovered, and a kingdom to be saved.

This was crazy good for a book so short. I really thought I knew how the story would unfold but it blindsided me at every turn.

I was happy that I got a FMC I could root for - even though that was short lived. I have a love-hate relationship with Elara. On one hand, she is a great FMC. Brave, competent, and willing to do whatever it takes to save the people she loves. She does not blindly accept what people tell her either. She investigates, questions, and thinks for herself. I liked her for this.

On the other hand, this girl is sexually all over the place 😭 it starts to interfere with her decision-making skills. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen. Why does she have to become dumb once sex is involved? The love triangle between her, the king, and Vale made me so angry. I hated the way Elara was with Vale. Their relationship was already a little twisted, and then the way she would behave around Kael just made it worse for me. I felt so bad for him. I was so pissed I wanted to skim the rest of the book and rate it 2 stars. I am so glad I kept reading instead.

For safety readers: She fools around with both men till the end.

The King, Kael, is shrouded in secrets for most of the story, and because he is so angry, aloof, and difficult to read, I spent half the book desperate to understand him better.

Vale, the king’s steward, is far easier to understand. He is kindhearted, loyal, and clearly wants what is best for both the king and the kingdom. Unfortunately for me, his character felt a little predictable, or so I thought ‼️

I really didn’t know who to trust. Now I’m writing this review I’m reeling at how gripping the plot was even though it circled around just the three of them.

Between the maggots, the uncertainty and the love triangle, this was basically me the entire time:



I kept thinking seriously WHERE ARE WE HEADED??

What Liv Zander does brilliantly is atmosphere. The world is macabre, decaying, claustrophobic, and soaked in death. It is less “detailed worldbuilding” and more pure immersive atmosphere. Rotting flesh, crawling maggots, infected wounds, dark corridors, and buried secrets. It feels almost wrong for romance to exist in a setting like this, which honestly made me keep asking: how is she making this work?! 😭 I don’t know if I would call this a romance because it’s a bit atypical.

So why did I give it five stars despite the rough journey?

THE TWISTS.

You just have to read it and find out.



Off to read the second book!

[Andy ( slow) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

What a book! 🖤✨

After Feathers So Vicious, I wasn't exactly rushing to pick up another Liv Zander book. Not because of the dark content, but because I found the plot boring and honestly couldn't bring myself to care about the main characters. So I started Crown Me Death with very low expectations.

And wow, was I wrong.

I'm usually wary of shorter books because they often feel rushed or lack depth, but that was definitely not the case here. Liv somehow packed so much emotion, tension, and intrigue into every page.

We have a cursed king who cannot die but is slowly rotting away, covered in scars, blisters, and decay—yet somehow becomes ridiculously attractive. Then there's his mysterious valet, who has been setting off my suspicion alarms since chapter one. And of course Elara, who would burn down the world if it meant saving her brother.

The story revolves around a deadly curse, hidden truths, impossible choices, and characters making decisions that had me screaming "don't do it" while fully supporting them anyway. 😂

And this trio? I genuinely don't know if they'll stay a trio, but so far they're chaotic, messy, morally questionable, and absolutely perfect for each other.

Liv Zander really redeemed herself for me with this one.

[Krisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had very high expectations for this book because of all the higher ratings, but to say it disappointed me would be an understatement.

The well written second half is what saved the book from being a disastrous flop. The story got quite interesting in the end, that I won't deny, but I still can't get over how horrendous getting through the first half felt. It took everything in me to not dnf. Even the world building was a lackluster.

The first half was so bland, I'm at a loss for words. And I believe, no book has the right to get interesting after the fifty percent mark. I literally had to force myself to read it, but on the brighter side I'm glad I did, because I wasn't expecting the second half to be this good.

So despite this novel not living upto the hype in my eyes, the interesting turns of events taking place in the climax left me wanting more. So I'll be reading the next book to see where the story is headed, but this time, with lower expectations.

[Momma Eureka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow !!!! The ending !!!!!

“Crown me Dead”

I wasn’t expecting that ….

It took me a little to read this book that is literally ONLY 270 pages BUT the beginning is soooooooooooo gross and disgusting that I was forced to take some breaks because I wanted to vomit and I am a person with a very strong stomach, I don’t get grossed out easily… but this story was too interesting to pass up so I kept going.
This is the story of Elara and she is a gravedigger. They are in a kingdom dying from rot, everyone is dying in masses but not a regular death, no. They literally rotting from inside out and vice versa, hence the gross parts. There are wounds with maggots involved all kinds of excrements…. It’s DISGUSTING 🤢 but it’s only in the beginning of the book. After it’s better. So the kingdom is dying and Elara has a 15 years old brother she ADORES and he got rot, her father is already dying the kingdom is in complete poverty they have to eat bread that is already bad and green, soup that is only dirty water ! Elara only cares about her family and more then any about her brother 😭 so when she got an strange offer from a handsome man to go to the castle and take care of the King to help break the curse that is killing the kingdom and save her brother, she did no hesitated. In the palace she see herself in a very crazy situation and involved in many schemes. I wasn’t expecting the ending … and why Vale’s so hot when he isn’t supposed to be ? To the second book I go !

[gabbie [semi-ia, new job] · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if I told you there's a book with characters in multiple stages of decomposition, from maggot-ridden and rotting, to patches of papery skin stretched over bone, and you will not be able to decide who's more attractive?

(Completely spoiler-free review, you can read this and still go in blind)

This book is a decaying, festering roller coaster of emotions. The twists felt somewhat predictable, but it doesn't even matter because the way the story changes around them still creates so many interesting dilemmas. Every time I thought I knew who I was rooting for, or what I wanted the ending to be, the story would throw something new into the works that made me change my mind again. I don't think I've ever changed my mind so many times in 270 pages before. Despite guessing some of the twists, I was still feeling the full impact of them when they hit because they had such consequences for the entire story and how I felt about it.

The tension builds almost right away but somehow doesn't feel silly or implausible despite how fast it starts. I'm wary of instalove or even instalust, but this was neither. It's small moments that push just past the boundary of what two strangers would normally do, and they collectively build the tension juuuust enough for you to remember. Just enough that it lingers in your mind, even when the story moves on. And uuhh, the spice?? What?? How is THIS book, where everyone is actively decomposing, the one that actually has some good spice that doesn't feel cringe?

Elara is my dream FMC. She asks the right questions, she’s doubtful when she should be, trusting when it makes sense, stoic and competent without becoming infallible. Where other FMCs are often either too trusting and stupid, or difficult and petulant to a fault, Elara feels balanced. Her fear feels real. It ebbs and flows, unbearable when it rises and more manageable when it recedes. She’s brave, but she probably wouldn’t go down into the basement if she were in a horror movie, you know?

Her actions and behavior feel justified to me. If you’re thrown into a metaphorical chess game and no one tells you the rules, what choice do you have but to start playing by your own? To use the pieces in a way that fits your rules, with no greater context to account for? If anything, it’s the people around her I would be frustrated with. Can someone just speak plainly!? Would that be so hard??

I have to take off half a star because the middle had me questioning all my life choices. Zander’s prose is so metaphorically heavy. Nearly everything is accompanied by some sort of metaphor or simile, and while I started off thinking, “wow, this is rather beautiful and lyrical,” I eventually reached the much less elegant stage of "please, get to the point." An example:

“I glance into the room. Moonlight has more courage than candles here, spilling in through a high window. A bed stands in the middle like a ship at anchor, draped and draped again under rich velvet. A mirror watches the bed, its face veiled, the cloth secured with a single pin that catches a breath of moon and gives it back shyly. The air tastes like old perfume that stopped being alluring.”

Some of them also lack logic in a way that kept pulling me out of the story. Like:

- “It’s quiet in a way that isn’t silence. More like the hush after a shout.”
- “Pours water from a clay jug that sweats like a stone in summer” (is this an idiom I’m not aware of? Sweat like a stone?)
- “In the kind of silence that knows how to sit without fidgeting.”
- “The hearth pops, as if the fire were deciding it would rather be a tree again”


Luckily, this didn’t last the whole book. The second half has a lot more action and dialogue, which thankfully leaves less room for the metaphorical acrobatics, so I’m only taking off half a star. When I was stuck in that middle stretch, though? Liv Zander was testing my patience. God damn.

I want to recommend this book to everyone. Maybe don’t read it while you’re eating if you’re squeamish. But definitely still read it. Despite how this book seems on the surface, there’s so much to love. Even rot and decomposition can hide something beautiful underneath. And in a lot of ways, maybe death isn’t the enemy?

4.5 ⭐ rounded up

[bookluvr (semi-ia july ~ work + travels) · Rating 4 out of 5]

slurped this up like it was my death row meal — maggots and all, idc!!! i had so much fun with this. a short, no-holds-barred dark romantasy with a heroine i could root for, some interesting male leads 👀, and an immersive little world that was built up well enough with the little real estate that it used. win, win, win in my book!

the story is definitely best experienced somewhat blind, so i’ll keep my review short and sweet. all you need to know is we follow elara, a gravedigger’s daughter who chooses to follow a mysterious and magnetic stranger into a scheme in order to save her family. some subterfuge and a little (maybe a lot) of seduction is on the menu to make things happen.

my girl was stuck between a rock, rot and a hard place. i really liked her though. i was pulling for her every step of the way! she doesn’t make the smartest moves at every point in the story, but i take into account that she’s just a gravedigger’s daughter with no established skill from the outset when we first meet her. she was resourceful and questioning. she also leads with her heart, is incredibly selfless and her motivations were sound. she had a funny streak too. look, i ain’t ever judging her for folding for vale either, because i’m no better 🙂‍↕️. get behind me sis!!!

i’ll refrain from reviewing the men in too much detail, because it would give some things about the story and their respective roles in it away. what i will say is that yeah yeah, i was just complaining about a love triangle with a blonde golden boy and a dark-haired broody-type as love interests just this afternoon on my last read…BUT ☝🏾. hold on now, because at least these men were somewhat captivating and alluring 😭. their characters also both played with the archetypes in that they weren’t completely flat and had some layers to them. the golden boy is not all handsome and good (surface-level or otherwise) and the broody-type has some displays of vulnerability (and tons of charisma), so i was thriving.

her chemistry with both men was eating, but there’s definitely one that had me on my kneeeeeees. vale, i fear you have another heaux for your harem in me — i pledge my allegiance. that one chapter…rent-free room and board in my noggin from now to the end of time, and that’s on that.

for a short fantasy, the worldbuilding was enough for me. knowing the page count upfront allowed me to set my expectations appropriately (similarly to when i read another <300-page dark romantasy last month). it’s not epic-scale or anything, and the story takes place largely in the same setting, but the details were enough to make the book feel immersive and otherworldly. the situation in here is DISGUSTING though, what with all the pus and rot and maggots and death in the air, but what does it say about me that i was also inhaling a fat ass sub while reading this? 🌚 i don’t know, but a bowl of spaghetti on part two is in my near future, methinks. i really liked the horror-core morbid vibe of it all.

the plot was fun, fast-paced and genuinely engaging. i ate up the love triangle, the scheming, and the twists and turns. yes, i predicted the big plot twist near the end somewhere in the first half already, but it didn’t ruin the read for me. the writing was pretty solid too — i really liked the style. it was lyrical but not overly flowery. i also found the shows of emotion from the characters genuine in the context of the story, even if i wasn’t necessarily crying or throwing up myself. i’ve never read anything by this author, but it’s definitely my sign to try more of her works.

on to the sequel, i go 🤸🏾‍♂️

[Ss · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐ This was disgustingly addictive. I flew through it and had such a hard time putting it down. Especially with that ending.

The 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 is kept very simple and to the point. While it makes the story easy to follow, it doesn’t offer much depth at first, though it gradually expands the more you read.
𝗔𝗹𝘀𝗼, 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴:The first half of the book was gory, just try not to read it while eating...

The 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 was engaging. Every chapter kept adding more to the world and characters. It always felt like there was another piece of the puzzle waiting around the corner, and that's what made it so addictive. And the 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 matched that perfectly. It's a fairly short book, yet I never felt like it dragged or rushed through important moments.

𝗘𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮 was easy to root for, even when she made decisions that had me questioning her sanity. She isn't perfect, and sometimes her choices were frustrating, but considering she was suddenly thrown into something far bigger than herself, I can understand her.

𝗞𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲? I genuinely liked both of them and was excited to see where their relationships with Elara would go. But unfortunately, Their hate for each other was stronger than their love for her and that is just a no. Neither of them felt deserving of Elara. Tho I have hopes for Vale since my hopes for Kael died with the ending🥲, I'll definitely be expecting more from him in book 2.

The 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 completely caught me off guard. The last 20% of the book was just 🤯 It was absolutely insane, with reveal after reveal that kept changing everything I thought I knew, and by the time I reached the final page, I was left with more questions than answers.


﴾𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘊𝘊 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦💗💗🤭﴿



|𝐏𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 ּ ֶָ֢⸙͎‧೫`˖.
This has been hunting my feed lately and I've heard nothing but great things so why not 👀
Dragging CC into a buddy read with me 🙇🏻‍♀️.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

6⭐️

And i’m not exaggerating.

I didn’t just read this. I consumed it.
This is the kind of book that rewires your brain while you’re reading it. The tension? Unbearable in the best way. Making you SQUIRM. The spice? Perfectly done. But what really got me was the way this story played me. I was so sure I knew what was happening… and I was so wrong.
I felt every twist, every shift, every moment of betrayal like it was happening to me.
I haven’t felt this way about a book in a long time.
And that ending? Absolutely unforgettable.
Starting book two immediately because there is no other option.

[⋆.˚dak ☾ .⭒˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟 “𝘽𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙛 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣, 𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮.”

wow just wow. i don’t know how Liv did it but this is only 270 pages and i feel absolutely consumed by this world and these characters.

𝚊 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚝 ⛫ ⋆˙⟡
𝚊 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 ⟡⋆🜲⊹ ࣪ ˖
𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 ₊ ꗃ⚷˚⊹
𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 ♱𓈒𓉸ྀི⋆₊

the plot had me so invested from chapter 1. and that ending??! jaw on the floor, running to book 2 💔

˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🪦🥀🪰☠️🫀👑 ꒱ ˎˊ˗

[Rachel Louise ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I wasn't expecting THAT..

A completely immersive rollercoaster of rot, lies, twists and absolutely disgusting visuals. Yet somehow it worked so well. Somehow, I didn't projectile vomit. Somehow, I want more. Full RTC once the girlies have finished it too 🤭🪱♟️🖤






pre-read:
I'm just a girl with fomo 😌👀

now a br with my gorgeous angels ragelina, aoife, ash & lily 🫶🏼

[Youssra (semi ia- shelving books don't mind me) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!!

“Shh…” he hushes. “Let me see if reality matches the torture of my imagination.” RESTRAIN ME RIGHT NOWWWWWWWWWW


This was SO GOOD! The hype is indeed real guyssss. I enjoyed everything about this; the plot, the pacing, the characters, VAALLLLEEEEEEEEE 😩😩

“I want your smell on my skin for days. I want to feel every part of you tighten around me.” RAAAHHHHHHHHHHH👹👹👹

I'll post a full review of both books I think..

Book 2 here I come!!

________________________________________________________


pre-read:

FOMO strikes yet again..

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I legit was prying my eyeballs open at 2am to finish reading this. then I immediately started book 2.

PHENOMENAL.

[Shaz ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 - hmmm I'm not sure I'm fully convinced yet but I ate it up (like those maggots be eatin' up that flesh)

Pre-read:
Time to drink the Kool-Aid, I guess. Peer pressure wins again🥤🤝

[Lily the Lilac ✩₊˚.⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

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👑≋🖤≋🔪 Crown Me Dead 🔪≋🖤≋👑

꒰➛ Stars: 4 ⭐!
꒰➛ Pov: First-person FMC
꒰➛ Spice: 2.5 / 5
꒰➛ Content: Swearing; violence; illness of a loved one; a lot of maggots; a few very detailed spicy scenes

꒰➛ This review is spoiler-free!

꒰➛ This was a buddy read with Rachel, Angelina, and Aoife! Click the links for their lovely prereads/ratings/reviews! 🫶🏻

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✎𓂃 Story! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay WOW, I didn't expect to like the plot as much as I did! (But I mean, I love a good mystery and a king tortured by duty, so I guess I should've expected it.) The vibes where there, and the vibes hit. It moved at a fairly good pace, and the metaphor-heavy writing gave it some luscious prose for a story so dark and disgusting

Speaking of disgusting, OH MY GOSH this is a stomach-turning book 😭 Like, I have a good resistance to gore in general, but the pustules full of maggots would make a lot of people gag I think. On the other hand, I admire it for that same aspect; this is a plague, and it's not going to look pretty. We don't shy away from the descriptions and dead and disease-ridden bodies, that's for sure

OH AND THAT ENDING WAS CRIMINAL BECAUSE WDYM THAT HAPPENED???

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✎𓂃 Characters! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

╰┈➤ 𝐸𝓁𝒶𝓇𝒶

She a grave-digger's daughter, and the phrase 'Surviving, not living' matches her perfectly in my opinion. Because of the rot wreaking havoc on this world, blighting the crops and making people choke on their blood, there really isn't an option other than survival. Death is a part of her life, and she has a big tolerance for the grosser aspects of it. But if she survives for herself, she lives for her brother, slowly being consumed by the rot. She'd do anything for him, including following Vale to the castle for a suicide mission. I liked how conniving she is, but with feelings that are conflicting and flawed. Otherwise, she's a pretty typical dark romantasy FMC 😌

╰┈➤ 𝒱𝒶𝓁𝑒

I didn't trust him one bit in the beginning, but I admit I started to further into the story 👀 (Should I have? That's for you to find out.) He always had this air of mystery to him, like a ghost roaming the halls of the castle, stoic and arrogant and a tiny bit dangerous. Which are all red flags that us dark romance people enjoy 💗 But to be honest, I thought of him as being something of a jerk 😭 A tortured jerk, but still one. I genuinely, for most of the book, thought that the only feelings he had for Elara were lust, because he just did not seem to care. Or maybe he's really good at hiding how he feels 🤭

╰┈➤ 𝒦𝒶𝑒𝓁

I'm biased in liking him better than Vale, because tortured kings are a type of character I can never get enough of 🫣 At first, he's grumpy and snappy, doing literally everything he can to get Elara to go away, wallowing in his own misery and rot. But as Elara keeps coming back, and always meeting his purposefully sharp words with stubbornness, he starts to open up. That's when we see the agonized, guilt-ridden person desperate to break the crown's curse beneath the tempersome exterior

Also he got caught in a curtain that fell down at one point and it was the most adorable thing ever

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✎𓂃 Romance! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elara never quite understands why she's drawn to Vale, and honestly, I don't either lol. Like, he's been nothing but vague and arrogant towards you, and has made it clear multiple times that he doesn't care for you! And I know I'm a hypocrite for saying that, because those words describe so many MMCs that I've liked, but maybe it's because he was competing with Kael in my mind. And I'm that person who wants the girl to get with the childhood friend instead of the new guy, or the girl to choose the nice(r) guy over the bad boy. It's just my own personal trauma maybe 😅

Buuuut that's not to say I'm not interested in the two of them 🤭 I still think they have good chemistry (especially in the spicy scenes) and I definitely want to see where they go in the sequel (Re: THAT ENDING)

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✎𓂃 Conclusion! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah okay gimme the next one, I binged this because there was something slightly addicting about it, and it satisfied that little evil spot in my heart that loves all things dark and depressing 😇 Once again, I was so happy to be reading this with the amazing girls above, it just makes it all that more depraved ;)

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[Brittany Ferraro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I drop every single book I planned to read to pick this up? I sure fucking did. Do I regret it? Not for one second.

I’m not gonna lie at the beginning, this book had me a little queasy. This land is infested with rot, and when I say rot, I mean people are literally rotting away from a horrific disease. There are maggots. A lot of them. I very quickly learned not to eat while reading this…

But I will say the writing is insanely immersive. It’s descriptive in a way that pulls you all the way in without ever feeling overdone. You’re not being spoon-fed every detail, but somehow you feel everything the atmosphere, the decay, the angst. It made it really easy to get invested fast.

So when our FMC, Elara, gets approached in a graveyard by a mysterious man with a proposition, of course she takes it because what could possibly go wrong? Everyone around her is dying, and she’s desperate to save her family.

But let’s just say… everything is not what it seems.

The second she gets to the castle, the story really ramps up. I love a nosy FMC who refuses to just sit there and accept things she’s digging, questioning, trying to piece everything together, and I was living for it. There’s a curse on the kingdom, and she’s tasked with lifting it.

And then things start to unravel.

There was even a moment where I was getting absolute whiplash like the story kept shifting just enough that it started making me doubt my own predictions. I was like AM I CRAZY?? I was nowhere near as confident in what I thought was going on as I was in the beginning, and I started second-guessing everything.

I’m actually gonna give myself a pat on the back because I did clock the direction it was heading with Vale which almost never happens for me but even knowing that? I was still hanging onto every single fucking word. And somehow, my jaw still hit the ground by the end.

I just know there’s so much more to this story that I don’t know yet, and I have a feeling it’s going to absolutely fucking wreck me. I don’t want to say too much and spoil anything, but this was an incredible read. Especially for how short it is, it had me hooked from the first page to the last.

I’m starting book two immediately tonight. I’ve seen people crying over it so… wish me luck

[aoife ❀]

་༘࿐ ── ࣪preread ⊰˚
with aingelina, bibble worshiper, lily the lilac, and ash 👑

[chasingchapters · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐ to be exact

crown me pleasantly surprised is all I'll say!

I was not expecting this book to be as good as it was. the maggots had me grossed out and they were disgusting (luckily i did not throw up) so i'd recommend not eating while reading this book.

The worldbuilding - nice and simple. The plot- captivating and perfect. The characters- unhinged and entertaining. The romance - annoyingly interesting.

Elara had me fearing for her, rooting for her and internally crying for her. she was a great fmc who at times made some questionable choices but hey there are maggots spraying out of peoples skin so it didn't really matter.🫠

the love triangle with Vale and Kael had me fully invested. i was confused as to who i liked more for a lot of this book but i always liked Vale a little bit more 😉 did i feel like either of them had a genuine and deep connection with Elara? no. but that just leaves chances for that in the second book, well with one of them at least 🤞🤭

this was me for the last 10% 🤯 the reveals were delicious and heart breaking and disgusting. just the right amount of everything if you ask me. this was a criminally good book for its length and i will be running to the next book asap. i need more!🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️


(Ss i am sorry for ever doubting your buddy-read choices... i will be silent from now on🤐🙇‍♀️)




Pre-read:

all I know about this book is that it has maggots. if i throw up, Ss can explain why she thought this was a good buddy read choice. 😉🤢🤭

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ (semi-ia) · Rating 5 out of 5]

☠️ “𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓…𝖞𝖔𝖚…𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖉.” ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִִֶֶָ🥀་༘࿐

HOLY GODDAMN SHIT

minor spoilers and major maggots ahead

╰┈➤ 𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙
imagine powerless except it's actually fking GOOD. the plague has overtaken ilya and elara (paedyn gradyn) makes it her mission to seduce & doubt agent vale (kai pie) and kael (kitt bitch) in order to save her brother darron from rot pustules maggots death ཐི ྐ❤︎ ཋྀ ALSO THE ENDING WTF HELLY YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

╰┈➤ 𝖜𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌
someone give liv zander a pulitzer in smutty maggots because goddamn does she write that shit good. sometimes rushed, but not a second wasted, and got the job done 🛐

╰┈➤ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘
𝓮𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓪 YES I LOVE YOU YOU SMUTTY DOUBLE AGENT. like me she will do ANYTHING for her brother including fking two brothers. bury me elara 🫶🏻🥹❤️‍🩹



𝓿𝓪𝓵𝓮 OH SHIT I THINK I FELL IN LOVE. i lwky guessed both of his plot twists bc im a fking genius. i need this man like i need air. adding him to my book bfs 💖💗🥰💞



also if you love vale then may i fking recommend and

𝓴𝓪𝓮𝓵 nobody likes you tamlin ᶠᶸᶜᵏᵧₒᵤ!



~𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖇𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝖙𝖜𝖔~

everyone bows down to elara
darron & mama elara are actually royal blood
darron dies
elara & vale fk again
vale takes elara to the vale
the curse is not broken but then it's broken
the hampshire hoe dies


✨ 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉 ✨
SK I BLAME YOU FOR THE FOMO

buddy read with ragel, AIobee, ash, lily the lilac

[makayla &#x169e7;.⋆☼ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

I’m sorry what was that ending?! 😧 this story is so unique, I love Liv Zander’s writing and how much it makes me feel for these characters. The romance had me feeling some type of way, and the plot constantly kept me guessing! I am so curious to how this duet ends I hope my heart isn’t shattered 😭😭

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I was hesitant to start this because the summary is pretty vague but I was seeing a lot of glowing reviews, and when I noticed it was under 300 pages I figured why not. The atmosphere of this one is super dark/depressing; the entire kingdom is dealing with the Rot, which is basically a plague that kills most people slowly and there's no cure. When our FMC learns the reason behind it is actually a curse tied to the King's crown, she takes the opportunity to try to feed it and save her family.

I liked Elara a lot. She wasn't weak or timid; she always had some type of retort ready to go, but at the same time she wasn't stupid. Her interactions with others were intentional and smart. She's still a young woman so she's not perfect but relatable. Zander's writing style is lyrical and easy to follow. It definitely made me want to check out her other work.

The romance was interesting because for a while I wasn't sure what direction it was going to go in. Elara's basically supposed to seduce the King but she's also got a thing going with his steward. Both of them are keeping secrets and acting shady. The chemistry and the drama was quite entertaining. Which one is telling the truth?

The plot moves you in a certain direction and then there's a twist I didn't see coming towards the end. For being so short, it easily kept my attention and packed a punch. I do kind of wonder why the author chose to split this into two novels instead of one ... but that's neither here nor there. If you can, I would go into this book as blind as possible because I think you'll get the most enjoyment out of it that way. Onto the sequel!

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ I was originally a little skeptical of this book before picking it up. I’d heard so much about it and honestly had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find this such an intriguing read! Despite clocking in at under 300 pages, the character complexity and romantic development are impressively thorough.

Our FMC, Elara, was such a breath of fresh air. She isn’t the prophesied "chosen one." She doesn’t have magical powers. She is just a girl doing everything she can to keep her family alive. She is selfless and resilient, and I really admired her as a character.

I usually despise love triangles, but this one was actually tolerable! As for our two love interests... I was rooting for Vale from the very beginning🤭 (Like most of us, I'm a sucker for the dark and broody type hehe). Every interaction between him and Elara was filled with SO much tension and anticipation.

This book once again proves that you don’t need intricate world-building or an overly complex plot to create a compelling story. Sometimes, well-written characters, complicated relationships, and a few crazy plot twists are more than enough!

Now, onto the sequel!

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

‎ ‎ ⌗‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ── 💀🐈‍⬛ᝰ .ᐟ read.
i'm just going to say: i'd fuck him too.
RTC!


‎ ‎ ⌗‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ── 💀🐈‍⬛ᝰ .ᐟ pre-read.
look, i wasn't planning on reading this right now, but i was a fomo victim and the rainy weather in my country? I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT. anyways, i started this one and it's really interesting. i already love Elara

[LiftsandLiterature · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW. Straight to the second book.

[Amyy Mango · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fuck a man who’s genuinely rotting, maggots and all

Or

Fuck a man whose dick is just… a long white bone

LMAOOO I was tweaking so badly when I read that scene (iykyk) 😭

👑 This was such a wild ride. We delve into a story filled with grotesque imagery, poetic writing (but not in an overwhelming way), interesting characters, a unique plot, and so much damn mystery 🌚

👑 First book by this author, and it definitely did not disappoint. In fact, I’m excited to pick up more of her books. I’ve been in a huge reading dry spell and lowkey been suffering, but this story was pure magic for the reading trenches heheh.

I recommend going in blind for this one. There is so much scenery, atmospheric tension, and a story that’s going to leave you gasping and gagging (not always in a good way)😭

Anyways pookies I’m RUNNING FOR THE SECOND BOOK CAUSE THAT ENDING 😫


…..FLABBERGASTED😟

⭐️ 4.25/5

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a bit unsure with this one. I definitely didn't hate it but I can't say I absolutely loved it either. I do think I liked more than I disliked though so I am intrigued to see where this goes?

I will say I loved the atmosphere and unique plot! It's nice reading something that isn't completely copied which is so hard with Romantasy these days. BUT, it did feel a bit predictable to be honest.

Idk... I shall continue! 🫡

[Seda ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

This was my first book by this author, and I’m absolutely sure it won’t be my last. I think I need to read more dark fantasy.

The atmosphere was amazing. Rotting bodies, maggots, hunger, despair… This world is dark, rotten, and deeply unsettling. Yet it pulled me in from the very first page.

Elara, my girl… I love her. She’s selfless, strong… and with truly terrible taste in men.

The rotten king, Kael. Okay.. I know this might be controversial, but that man is attractive.
And Vale. Suspicious, manipulative… absolutely no comment on that. Because I’m definitely a Vale girlie.

This was a short, fast-paced, and gripping read. I’m excited to see what the second book has in store.

AND that ending? It definitely got me.

“I hate you..”
“Excellent. Hate is a clean line. Love is all spills.”

“Once you put that blade to my throat, your heart is supposed to ache.”
“And what if I tell you that it will?”

[Tahls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seeing everyone’s reactions to this duet was too enticing to stay away. 😏

I devoured this. I’m actually stunned by how captivating it was—a visceral, beautifully ruinous story. The characters were so compelling; Vale and Kael were particularly interesting… and the writing’s just amazing—so immersive and detailed. I’m also a sucker for a big sister risking it all for her little brother.

From what I’ve seen the next book is even more devastating so let’s goo. 😩

[manas (traveling)]

i get easily convinced. let’s see what it’s giving.

[✧˖°.⋆.˚ ☾⭒.˚₊ ⊹ ♡Megan ₊˚⊹ ᰔ ⟡ ݁₊ . · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 41% Damn, I really wanted to like this book because I loved Feathers So Vicious and Shadows So Cruel and this book had so many five star reviews!

I have no idea whatever new writing style Liv Zander decided to take on for this book but it completely ruined it for me. Every sentence is strung together metaphorically and not in a good way. Just tell the damn story and stop trying to make every sentence poetic and beautiful.

I get that some people may like this style of writing but only if it’s done right. As a reader I don’t want to be pulled out of the story line to focus on the lyrical writing of the book.

Reading this book felt like amateur slam poetry night by someone who just learned what a metaphor is. :(