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Bloodrift
Not yet published
Expected 17 Nov 26When a hooded Summoner materializes in her apartment, twenty-five-year-old Liora refuses to go quietly. Her fierce resistance is cut short by the plunge of a silver-blue dagger, tearing open a gateway between worlds and hurling her into one of the Fae realms of Ardynar.
Trapped somewhere she doesn't understand, Liora quickly realizes nothing about her arrival was an accident. Bound by an ancient treaty, she's drawn into the brutal Selection Trial, where Fae and human nominees compete for a seat on the Royal Council, and only one from each realm is left standing.
To survive the gauntlet and conceal her forbidden heritage, Liora must place her trust in those who forced her onto this path — including the one whose nearness she shouldn't want.
But the greatest danger may not be the Trial itself. It's everything Liora cannot yet be told — and the price of learning it too soon.
Trapped somewhere she doesn't understand, Liora quickly realizes nothing about her arrival was an accident. Bound by an ancient treaty, she's drawn into the brutal Selection Trial, where Fae and human nominees compete for a seat on the Royal Council, and only one from each realm is left standing.
To survive the gauntlet and conceal her forbidden heritage, Liora must place her trust in those who forced her onto this path — including the one whose nearness she shouldn't want.
But the greatest danger may not be the Trial itself. It's everything Liora cannot yet be told — and the price of learning it too soon.
- GenresRomantasy
ebook
Expected publication November 17, 2026
About the author
Caroline Story
1 book3 followersWhen she isn’t juggling meetings and everyday chaos, Caroline escapes into fictional worlds. Fueled by good coffee or tea, she spends most of her free time reading, binge-watching compelling stories on screen, and dreaming up her own. She is happiest when it starts raining and she can curl up in her favorite armchair.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
The Bridge Was Supposed to Break Her, It Barely Showed Up.
I was disappointed. I wanted to like Bloodrift; I really did. So much so that, despite wanting to DNF it more times than I can count, I stuck with it, hoping it would get better. It didn't.
Liora is a twenty-five-year-old project manager with a bad dating streak, a mother who can't make meatloaf, and a standing Sunday dinner with her parents. One night she comes home to a hooded stranger in her apartment holding out two fists: fight or death. She picks fight and wakes up in Karmis, one of the realms of Ardynar, where Cylas, the realm's Veythar, tells her she's been nominated for the Selection. Every five years, each realm summons one human to cross the Bridge alongside desperate Fae and condemned prisoners. One from each realm survives and earns a seat on the Royal Council. The rest die. Refusing means execution. And the parents she just had dinner with no longer remember she exists.
That's a strong setup, and the first few chapters held me. When Liora begs Rheia for something to write with and fills a scrap of parchment in charcoal with her name, her age, her parents' names, and her apartment with the bad wiring, just to prove to herself she hasn't lost her mind, it's the most human moment in the book.
Liora as a character isn't likable. Relatable? To an extent. Anyone ripped out of the world they know and love would feel confused, angry, and afraid. But it goes on far too long. She snaps at nearly everyone who speaks to her, drinks her way through the Selection Ball, and treats the one person who's kind to her like a suspect. The book seems aware of it, because her own words eventually get thrown back in her face. By then, I'd spent thirty-plus chapters with that attitude, and a late reckoning didn't undo it. Most of her growth shows up in her body. She gets leaner and quicker, and she finally holds her stance against Isar. How she treats people barely moves.
I also didn't appreciate the author's decision to reveal nothing beyond Liora's parentage. Every real question Liora asks hits the same wall. "I cannot tell you that yet." "You will learn everything once you cross to the far side of the Bridge." "I've already told you too much." Even the one answer she does get arrives in pieces and opens more doors than it closes. There was nothing to grip onto and nothing to entice me forward. It's the first book in a series; it should hook readers without forcing them to stick around for the second one.
Rheia was infinitely more likable. She coaxes a broken oak back to life for a few seconds, brews Liora a hangover tea that actually works, and walks her through her first clumsy attempts at magic. The dress-fitting afternoon, when she admits she's never had a friend, nearly got me. But we learn almost nothing about her beyond a mother and grandmother lost when she was twelve, and a life outside the palace walls her own chapters only let us glimpse. It's clear she feels for Liora. Without knowing why, none of it felt genuine or sincere.
Cylas was even harder to connect with. His tie to Liora runs deep, yet beyond her parentage, the book gives no reason to care what he is to her. This is the man who threatens to sedate her on her first night and tells her over dinner that her parents' memories of her are gone, then closes with, "It is not the life you might have wanted, but it is a life nonetheless." It doesn't help that every character we're meant to care about seems to want to use Liora. Rheia reports on her. Cylas has plans for her. Each of them is working an angle she can't see, which made it nearly impossible to feel anything for any of them.
Xeriel is the only character whose actions and secrecy make sense. He's introduced across a ballroom, cold and watchful, and his first lesson is a maze built to feed on her fear, using her mother's face against her. It's cruel. But his own chapters show enough of what drives him, including the night he walks into her room and lets her pound on his chest until her rage runs out, that I understood why the author wrote him this way. I still couldn't invest in him, and the romance never gets past a few charged near-misses in a library.
Karmis itself looks gorgeous on the page: a palace built in tiers of turquoise pools and thousands of waterfalls, a glass hallway where a tiny labyrinth melts into a lily at a touch, and a red moon. The Merging Ritual, where the goddess of Fate appears wearing an older version of Liora's own face, is striking. My favorite idea in the whole book is the Night of the Blood Bonds, when the dead walk until midnight and the living seal a drop of blood inside a medallion because "the dead don't bleed." The history underneath all that beauty, though, comes almost entirely through question-and-answer sessions. At one point, Liora literally works her way down a written list at the dinner table. And once I learned magic is banned on the Bridge, every chapter of her learning to conjure lilies and light felt like time spent on the wrong test.
The climax disappointed me most. The author spent far more time on Liora's training than on the Bridge. Count the chapters. Her training starts in chapter 7. She doesn't set foot on the Bridge until chapter 39, out of 43. The big, scary trial that every bruise and every lesson was supposed to prepare her for gets less than a tenth of the book, and it ends anti-climactically. It does nothing to pull readers deeper into this world. I finished the book feeling disconnected and frustrated at how much time I'd spent reading for it all to amount to nothing.
Content Warnings: graphic violence, on-page suicidal ideation, mass violence, kidnapping, psychological torment and reality manipulation, the off-page deaths of children, grief, depression and anxiety, stalking, and heavy drinking.
Tropes: portal fantasy, kidnapped heroine, hidden heritage, deadly trials, morally grey hero, he falls first, slow burn, forced proximity, found family
There's a sneak peek of book two at the end. It didn't change my mind. I won't be reading the next book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was disappointed. I wanted to like Bloodrift; I really did. So much so that, despite wanting to DNF it more times than I can count, I stuck with it, hoping it would get better. It didn't.
Liora is a twenty-five-year-old project manager with a bad dating streak, a mother who can't make meatloaf, and a standing Sunday dinner with her parents. One night she comes home to a hooded stranger in her apartment holding out two fists: fight or death. She picks fight and wakes up in Karmis, one of the realms of Ardynar, where Cylas, the realm's Veythar, tells her she's been nominated for the Selection. Every five years, each realm summons one human to cross the Bridge alongside desperate Fae and condemned prisoners. One from each realm survives and earns a seat on the Royal Council. The rest die. Refusing means execution. And the parents she just had dinner with no longer remember she exists.
That's a strong setup, and the first few chapters held me. When Liora begs Rheia for something to write with and fills a scrap of parchment in charcoal with her name, her age, her parents' names, and her apartment with the bad wiring, just to prove to herself she hasn't lost her mind, it's the most human moment in the book.
Liora as a character isn't likable. Relatable? To an extent. Anyone ripped out of the world they know and love would feel confused, angry, and afraid. But it goes on far too long. She snaps at nearly everyone who speaks to her, drinks her way through the Selection Ball, and treats the one person who's kind to her like a suspect. The book seems aware of it, because her own words eventually get thrown back in her face. By then, I'd spent thirty-plus chapters with that attitude, and a late reckoning didn't undo it. Most of her growth shows up in her body. She gets leaner and quicker, and she finally holds her stance against Isar. How she treats people barely moves.
I also didn't appreciate the author's decision to reveal nothing beyond Liora's parentage. Every real question Liora asks hits the same wall. "I cannot tell you that yet." "You will learn everything once you cross to the far side of the Bridge." "I've already told you too much." Even the one answer she does get arrives in pieces and opens more doors than it closes. There was nothing to grip onto and nothing to entice me forward. It's the first book in a series; it should hook readers without forcing them to stick around for the second one.
Rheia was infinitely more likable. She coaxes a broken oak back to life for a few seconds, brews Liora a hangover tea that actually works, and walks her through her first clumsy attempts at magic. The dress-fitting afternoon, when she admits she's never had a friend, nearly got me. But we learn almost nothing about her beyond a mother and grandmother lost when she was twelve, and a life outside the palace walls her own chapters only let us glimpse. It's clear she feels for Liora. Without knowing why, none of it felt genuine or sincere.
Cylas was even harder to connect with. His tie to Liora runs deep, yet beyond her parentage, the book gives no reason to care what he is to her. This is the man who threatens to sedate her on her first night and tells her over dinner that her parents' memories of her are gone, then closes with, "It is not the life you might have wanted, but it is a life nonetheless." It doesn't help that every character we're meant to care about seems to want to use Liora. Rheia reports on her. Cylas has plans for her. Each of them is working an angle she can't see, which made it nearly impossible to feel anything for any of them.
Xeriel is the only character whose actions and secrecy make sense. He's introduced across a ballroom, cold and watchful, and his first lesson is a maze built to feed on her fear, using her mother's face against her. It's cruel. But his own chapters show enough of what drives him, including the night he walks into her room and lets her pound on his chest until her rage runs out, that I understood why the author wrote him this way. I still couldn't invest in him, and the romance never gets past a few charged near-misses in a library.
Karmis itself looks gorgeous on the page: a palace built in tiers of turquoise pools and thousands of waterfalls, a glass hallway where a tiny labyrinth melts into a lily at a touch, and a red moon. The Merging Ritual, where the goddess of Fate appears wearing an older version of Liora's own face, is striking. My favorite idea in the whole book is the Night of the Blood Bonds, when the dead walk until midnight and the living seal a drop of blood inside a medallion because "the dead don't bleed." The history underneath all that beauty, though, comes almost entirely through question-and-answer sessions. At one point, Liora literally works her way down a written list at the dinner table. And once I learned magic is banned on the Bridge, every chapter of her learning to conjure lilies and light felt like time spent on the wrong test.
The climax disappointed me most. The author spent far more time on Liora's training than on the Bridge. Count the chapters. Her training starts in chapter 7. She doesn't set foot on the Bridge until chapter 39, out of 43. The big, scary trial that every bruise and every lesson was supposed to prepare her for gets less than a tenth of the book, and it ends anti-climactically. It does nothing to pull readers deeper into this world. I finished the book feeling disconnected and frustrated at how much time I'd spent reading for it all to amount to nothing.
Content Warnings: graphic violence, on-page suicidal ideation, mass violence, kidnapping, psychological torment and reality manipulation, the off-page deaths of children, grief, depression and anxiety, stalking, and heavy drinking.
Tropes: portal fantasy, kidnapped heroine, hidden heritage, deadly trials, morally grey hero, he falls first, slow burn, forced proximity, found family
There's a sneak peek of book two at the end. It didn't change my mind. I won't be reading the next book.
Verdict: A gorgeous realm and a killer premise, buried under thirty-eight chapters of "I can't tell you" and a final trial that's over almost as soon as it starts.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Review of advanced reader copy sent by BookSirens.
⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
What to expect:
✨Trials ♥️Fae x Human ✨Morally grey MMC ♥️Brutal World ✨ Ancient Treaties
We follow our 25yr old FMC Liora, when a hooded summoner suddenly materializes in her apartment, she refuses to go quietly. She is given the option of fight or die. Unfortunately, her resistance is short lived when the summoner pulls out a silver-blue dagger and tears open a gateway between worlds and Liora is transported to one of the Fae realms of Ardynar.
She is now bound by an ancient treaty and forced to participate in the Selection Trials, where the Fae and humans compete for a seat on the Royal Council. They battle until one from each realm is left standing.
••୨୧•• Characters ••୨୧••
Liora was strong willed, stubborn and feisty. She is trapped somewhere she knows nothing about and wants answers. Unfortunately, she is constantly kept in the dark and told that “you will learn more when you cross the bridge”, and that leaves her very frustrated and she constantly lashes out. And I would feel the exact same way if I was her.
She doesn’t know who to trust and what to believe. But once she decides she will win these trials, nothing and no one will stand in her way.
Xeriel, our MMC is a broody, mysterious and powerful character. He knows more than he is letting on and that frustrates Liora to no end. This man knows how to push her buttons. I am very interested in learning more about him the next books.
This is very slow burn, we only have a few will they won’t they moments. It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops in the next one.
••୨୧•• Plot ••୨୧••
I think the plot was interesting, I love books with deadly trials and rebellions.
There was a lot of buildup to the trials, but when we eventually got there, it was over so fast.
We got a lot of training scenes full of tension and unkind banter.
We got some interesting side characters who all have their own secrets and motivations.
••୨୧•• World Building ••୨୧••
I think the world building was good, descriptive and well written.
Loved the night where the dead walked amongst them until midnight. Gave all the haunting spooky vibes.
I would have loved to of seen more from the trials themselves, but overall, I enjoyed this one.
I am interested to see where the story goes next.
Thank you to the Author and BookSirens for the opportunity to arc read this book 🤎
⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
What to expect:
✨Trials ♥️Fae x Human ✨Morally grey MMC ♥️Brutal World ✨ Ancient Treaties
We follow our 25yr old FMC Liora, when a hooded summoner suddenly materializes in her apartment, she refuses to go quietly. She is given the option of fight or die. Unfortunately, her resistance is short lived when the summoner pulls out a silver-blue dagger and tears open a gateway between worlds and Liora is transported to one of the Fae realms of Ardynar.
She is now bound by an ancient treaty and forced to participate in the Selection Trials, where the Fae and humans compete for a seat on the Royal Council. They battle until one from each realm is left standing.
••୨୧•• Characters ••୨୧••
Liora was strong willed, stubborn and feisty. She is trapped somewhere she knows nothing about and wants answers. Unfortunately, she is constantly kept in the dark and told that “you will learn more when you cross the bridge”, and that leaves her very frustrated and she constantly lashes out. And I would feel the exact same way if I was her.
She doesn’t know who to trust and what to believe. But once she decides she will win these trials, nothing and no one will stand in her way.
Xeriel, our MMC is a broody, mysterious and powerful character. He knows more than he is letting on and that frustrates Liora to no end. This man knows how to push her buttons. I am very interested in learning more about him the next books.
This is very slow burn, we only have a few will they won’t they moments. It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops in the next one.
••୨୧•• Plot ••୨୧••
I think the plot was interesting, I love books with deadly trials and rebellions.
There was a lot of buildup to the trials, but when we eventually got there, it was over so fast.
We got a lot of training scenes full of tension and unkind banter.
We got some interesting side characters who all have their own secrets and motivations.
••୨୧•• World Building ••୨୧••
I think the world building was good, descriptive and well written.
Loved the night where the dead walked amongst them until midnight. Gave all the haunting spooky vibes.
I would have loved to of seen more from the trials themselves, but overall, I enjoyed this one.
I am interested to see where the story goes next.
Thank you to the Author and BookSirens for the opportunity to arc read this book 🤎
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
Thanks to #BookSirens for the ARC
So to start with:
The worldbuilding made this book - it was really intriguing, not overly complicated but no to simple
The writing was also pretty solid for a debut.
On the other hand:
The FMC Liora was… a lot. Thoroughly unlikeable, and her last-minute realisation that she'd been a bitch and hurt people felt like too little, too late. Girl, a little self-awareness earlier wouldn't have hurt. Being a bitch is understandable but only in the begining, you need to get your shit together somewhere in the middle or I'm out.
Xeriel was okay, though. I'm hoping the next book finally delivers on the morally grey promise, because so far he's 50 shades of dirty white
Also, can we retire the dangerous magical creature that tells you the truth at a price trope? It's getting a little overworked and lately overused. I get the appeal but a little originality wouldn't hurt
Overall, great worldbuilding and good writing, but the plot and characters needed a little more. It just didn't hook me in. I'm still curious about Xeriel but that's it.
Will I read the next book? Yes, but only if it's free - from Kindle Unlimited or a library.
So to start with:
The worldbuilding made this book - it was really intriguing, not overly complicated but no to simple
The writing was also pretty solid for a debut.
On the other hand:
The FMC Liora was… a lot. Thoroughly unlikeable, and her last-minute realisation that she'd been a bitch and hurt people felt like too little, too late. Girl, a little self-awareness earlier wouldn't have hurt. Being a bitch is understandable but only in the begining, you need to get your shit together somewhere in the middle or I'm out.
Xeriel was okay, though. I'm hoping the next book finally delivers on the morally grey promise, because so far he's 50 shades of dirty white
Also, can we retire the dangerous magical creature that tells you the truth at a price trope? It's getting a little overworked and lately overused. I get the appeal but a little originality wouldn't hurt
Overall, great worldbuilding and good writing, but the plot and characters needed a little more. It just didn't hook me in. I'm still curious about Xeriel but that's it.
Will I read the next book? Yes, but only if it's free - from Kindle Unlimited or a library.
Read
October 27, 2026Bloodrift is Caroline Story’s debut novel and a great beginning to a new series, The Ruptured Blood. When I read the summary, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but the story blew past my expectations—it was unlike anything I could have imagined. On top of that, the world-building is some of the best I’ve read so far, and I can’t wait to see what comes next in book two. I just hope it releases soon!
The story follows twenty-five-year-old Liora, who is attacked while returning to her apartment after visiting her parents. She wakes up in another realm against her will, chosen to participate in the brutal Selection Trial. Bound by an ancient treaty, Fae and human nominees must compete for a seat on the Royal Council.
Deeply missing her parents, Liora vows to see them again one day, despite being told it is impossible. That promise to herself is the only thing keeping her going as she fights to survive the Fae realm.
I highly recommend Bloodrift to fans of immersive Fae worlds and slow-burn romantasy. Grab your copy today and begin a fantastic new adventure!
The story follows twenty-five-year-old Liora, who is attacked while returning to her apartment after visiting her parents. She wakes up in another realm against her will, chosen to participate in the brutal Selection Trial. Bound by an ancient treaty, Fae and human nominees must compete for a seat on the Royal Council.
Deeply missing her parents, Liora vows to see them again one day, despite being told it is impossible. That promise to herself is the only thing keeping her going as she fights to survive the Fae realm.
I highly recommend Bloodrift to fans of immersive Fae worlds and slow-burn romantasy. Grab your copy today and begin a fantastic new adventure!
Review of advance copy received from Author
⭐️/3.5
🌶/0
I really wanted to like this book more, but it just fell a little flat to me. There was a lot of details and not a lot of world building.
What's the rebellion? Who are we actually rebelling against? Who are all these people? Why are we so interested in these POVs? Just a whole bunch of questions.
Liora was WHINEY. She always had something to complain about. And as much as she tried to be tough, she spent more time being obnoxious.
Xeriel was interesting. I would like to see more of what he had going on. It's like the author was trying to set up an enemies-to-lovers but really it was just Liora being a brat and Xeriel just existing.
If this was book was had a little more depth and was fleshed out way more, it would be amazing. As a debut novel, it definitely is done really well.
🌶/0
I really wanted to like this book more, but it just fell a little flat to me. There was a lot of details and not a lot of world building.
What's the rebellion? Who are we actually rebelling against? Who are all these people? Why are we so interested in these POVs? Just a whole bunch of questions.
Liora was WHINEY. She always had something to complain about. And as much as she tried to be tough, she spent more time being obnoxious.
Xeriel was interesting. I would like to see more of what he had going on. It's like the author was trying to set up an enemies-to-lovers but really it was just Liora being a brat and Xeriel just existing.
If this was book was had a little more depth and was fleshed out way more, it would be amazing. As a debut novel, it definitely is done really well.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Review for ARC received by author.
Bloodrift was a good read with an intriguing world and plenty of potential for what’s to come.
There are quite a few POVs, which give us different perspectives, but I did feel that we never quite got to the heart of what the rebellion is actually fighting against. The world-building is extensive, and while it adds depth to the story, the pacing is very slow. The romance is an slow burn
That said, I can see this series becoming something really special. If the world-building and story continue to develop at this pace, I think the next books could be great. I’m curious to see where Caroline Story takes us next.
Bloodrift was a good read with an intriguing world and plenty of potential for what’s to come.
There are quite a few POVs, which give us different perspectives, but I did feel that we never quite got to the heart of what the rebellion is actually fighting against. The world-building is extensive, and while it adds depth to the story, the pacing is very slow. The romance is an slow burn
That said, I can see this series becoming something really special. If the world-building and story continue to develop at this pace, I think the next books could be great. I’m curious to see where Caroline Story takes us next.
October 16, 2026
Review of advanced reader copy…. It’s a compelling story. The world building was phenomenal and not like some other books where you just want to dnf because it gets boring and the character development was extraordinaire. It was a slow burn but that didn’t stray away from how fantastic this book was. I can’t wait for what’s to come.
November 14, 2026
If you are a fan of fantasy you would like this book. FMC has to face a trial in a realm she doesn’t know about until she is taken there. And she discovers things about herself while she is there.
This book is a slower pace than I am used to but I am glad I read it. And I look forward to seeing what happens next in book 2.
This book is a slower pace than I am used to but I am glad I read it. And I look forward to seeing what happens next in book 2.
Review of advance copy
Great book! Loved the characters and the world building. Just the right amount of slow burn…I’m excited to see what’s next!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews