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True Death's Kiss
Not yet published
Expected 26 Nov 26Her touch leaves ash wherever she goes. No one is immune.
Except him . The one kiss that took death from her hands, and it belongs to her enemy.
Lirien was nine when her Sense opened and turned her into something monstrous. She should have died that night—and she would have, if a black unicorn, the first of its kind, hadn't saved her life.
Eleven years later, she’s the church’s executioner, and her own people have just handed her to the enemy to die.
Instead, he offers her a deal.
He’s the savage king who carries the dragonflame, the man her whole kingdom fears and despises, but he promises her a safe place in his court and a fake engagement she cannot turn down.
But nothing in Vatra is what she expected. King Rhaeth is ruthless and beautiful, but far from the monster she was taught to hate. He has demons of his own, ones that burn him from the inside. His court is a nest of serpents circling his throat, the same ones who are dying to watch her burn.
He is the only flesh she can touch without killing.
She is the only one who can quiet his fire.
In a city in turmoil, destined for ruin, they have no one to trust but each other.
But what happens when the weapon falls for the hand meant to wield her?
**True Death’s Kiss is the first book in The Sound of Fire and Light, an enemies-to-lovers romantasy perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent and Sarah J Maas**
* Morally grey FMC
* Touch her and die, but twisted
* Enemies to lovers
* Her touch kills; her enemy is the only one immune
* Fake engagement with a king
* Court intrigue
* Animal companion
Except him . The one kiss that took death from her hands, and it belongs to her enemy.
Lirien was nine when her Sense opened and turned her into something monstrous. She should have died that night—and she would have, if a black unicorn, the first of its kind, hadn't saved her life.
Eleven years later, she’s the church’s executioner, and her own people have just handed her to the enemy to die.
Instead, he offers her a deal.
He’s the savage king who carries the dragonflame, the man her whole kingdom fears and despises, but he promises her a safe place in his court and a fake engagement she cannot turn down.
But nothing in Vatra is what she expected. King Rhaeth is ruthless and beautiful, but far from the monster she was taught to hate. He has demons of his own, ones that burn him from the inside. His court is a nest of serpents circling his throat, the same ones who are dying to watch her burn.
He is the only flesh she can touch without killing.
She is the only one who can quiet his fire.
In a city in turmoil, destined for ruin, they have no one to trust but each other.
But what happens when the weapon falls for the hand meant to wield her?
**True Death’s Kiss is the first book in The Sound of Fire and Light, an enemies-to-lovers romantasy perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent and Sarah J Maas**
* Morally grey FMC
* Touch her and die, but twisted
* Enemies to lovers
* Her touch kills; her enemy is the only one immune
* Fake engagement with a king
* Court intrigue
* Animal companion
Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 31, 2026
🌶️ DN Hoxa is still relatively new for me, having only read the first two Clockworks Realm books (the third recently came out, completing the series and it’s in my queue to be read soon. That said, at the start I felt as I had with reading Forward/Backwards… a LOT of confusion at the start, as the author just starts and it takes awhile until the story unfolds enough to start making sense.
But it did eventually start revealing little hints and dropping enough secrets that gave me an idea of where the story was going. This book, however, it’s quite long and essentially breaks down into three parts.
We begin in the kingdom of Yllara, with a girl about to be lynched and burned with not much explanation. When she is rescued by a large black unicorn it becomes apparent there is something special/different with the girl that sets her apart from her people.
A young man approaches her and offers to befriend and care for her, but there are still not firm ideas of what is happening. We’ll skip ahead by nearly a decade and then the framework begins to take shape.
Of course it’s not until we follow Lirien (she’s been renamed Moratha, and Horah, the young man she’s trusted all this time is now in charge of her death magic). Anyone Lirien touches- she uses a kiss- dies. Turned into a pile of ashes. She is now incredibly feared through multiple kingdoms as the Hand of Justice. Horah tells her who to kill and she does so for the good of the kingdom.
Yllara is a conquered kingdom, ruled by the King of Vatra.
A shocking surprise throws King Rhaeth of Vatra and Lirien together, and the two depart for Vatra while accompanied by Ejja, the black unicorn who has remained Lirien’s companion, though Ejja is still a mystery to us and chooses to keep her immense body invisible.
The people of Yllara have a rebellion brewing, given their poor treatment under Vatra, but as the story progresses we find that the world is not as black and white as Lirien has been raised believing.
By the time we reach the end of the book (part one in a continuing series) we have some of the puzzle put together before another player is introduced to us- Caius, the crown prince of Zerin, the world’s third kingdom far to the frozen south.
Now all three kingdoms have their own ways of using magic, and they are vastly different. Yllara believes all magics granted by the gods is only borrowed, and is returned to the gods upon death. In Vatra very few have magic, and it’s only at a fraction of the power, thanks to the magic of the dragonfire held within the young king. And we discover that in Zerin that magic is sound manipulation, and the kingdom preserves a written form of all magic- the notes used, position of throat, mouth and tongue, etc.
Honestly, I look forward to learning more of this sound magic as it looks to be fascinating and I’m interested in Caius’s part in this story, though I love where Lirien and Rhaeth’s has run so far.
There is a lot still to uncover and fit in… the puzzle picture still hasn’t been given to us, but we’ve found many of the edge pieces and we have a good idea of where it will lead us. Given I read an advanced reader copy means it will be a longer wait for the next part of the story. Given how much we still don’t know about Yllara, other than broad strokes as a lot has been stood on its head at one point or another, I am getting the idea that this will be at least a three-book series.
I am excited to see where the story takes us once part two and the rest release. Lirien is such a multilayered character and every time I think we’ve got her worked out, something else is revealed. Rhaeth is a smug ass, but he’s likable enough the further we go. I think the one character driving me batty is Ejja, because that big, black, beauty is holding onto a lot… I think she’s far more capable of communication than she’s let on so far.
I have my own ideas, so don’t read this bit unless you’ve read the book already, but I think Ejja is the Light Eater we’ve heard rumors of, rather than a real unicorn.
There is still a lot to learn about just what Lirien is, with her death touch, and maybe there is a way to turn it off. The poor girl deserves someone able to give her a hug or bump into her without worry of turning into a pile of gray ashes.
I do love many of the support characters in Vatra and we still have Zerin to explore as well as get answers on who we’ve already met in Yllara.
I highly recommend this one, but I will warn that it rates a chili pepper for some open door details as we get closer to the end of the book.
But it did eventually start revealing little hints and dropping enough secrets that gave me an idea of where the story was going. This book, however, it’s quite long and essentially breaks down into three parts.
We begin in the kingdom of Yllara, with a girl about to be lynched and burned with not much explanation. When she is rescued by a large black unicorn it becomes apparent there is something special/different with the girl that sets her apart from her people.
A young man approaches her and offers to befriend and care for her, but there are still not firm ideas of what is happening. We’ll skip ahead by nearly a decade and then the framework begins to take shape.
Of course it’s not until we follow Lirien (she’s been renamed Moratha, and Horah, the young man she’s trusted all this time is now in charge of her death magic). Anyone Lirien touches- she uses a kiss- dies. Turned into a pile of ashes. She is now incredibly feared through multiple kingdoms as the Hand of Justice. Horah tells her who to kill and she does so for the good of the kingdom.
Yllara is a conquered kingdom, ruled by the King of Vatra.
A shocking surprise throws King Rhaeth of Vatra and Lirien together, and the two depart for Vatra while accompanied by Ejja, the black unicorn who has remained Lirien’s companion, though Ejja is still a mystery to us and chooses to keep her immense body invisible.
The people of Yllara have a rebellion brewing, given their poor treatment under Vatra, but as the story progresses we find that the world is not as black and white as Lirien has been raised believing.
By the time we reach the end of the book (part one in a continuing series) we have some of the puzzle put together before another player is introduced to us- Caius, the crown prince of Zerin, the world’s third kingdom far to the frozen south.
Now all three kingdoms have their own ways of using magic, and they are vastly different. Yllara believes all magics granted by the gods is only borrowed, and is returned to the gods upon death. In Vatra very few have magic, and it’s only at a fraction of the power, thanks to the magic of the dragonfire held within the young king. And we discover that in Zerin that magic is sound manipulation, and the kingdom preserves a written form of all magic- the notes used, position of throat, mouth and tongue, etc.
Honestly, I look forward to learning more of this sound magic as it looks to be fascinating and I’m interested in Caius’s part in this story, though I love where Lirien and Rhaeth’s has run so far.
There is a lot still to uncover and fit in… the puzzle picture still hasn’t been given to us, but we’ve found many of the edge pieces and we have a good idea of where it will lead us. Given I read an advanced reader copy means it will be a longer wait for the next part of the story. Given how much we still don’t know about Yllara, other than broad strokes as a lot has been stood on its head at one point or another, I am getting the idea that this will be at least a three-book series.
I am excited to see where the story takes us once part two and the rest release. Lirien is such a multilayered character and every time I think we’ve got her worked out, something else is revealed. Rhaeth is a smug ass, but he’s likable enough the further we go. I think the one character driving me batty is Ejja, because that big, black, beauty is holding onto a lot… I think she’s far more capable of communication than she’s let on so far.
I have my own ideas, so don’t read this bit unless you’ve read the book already, but I think Ejja is the Light Eater we’ve heard rumors of, rather than a real unicorn.
There is still a lot to learn about just what Lirien is, with her death touch, and maybe there is a way to turn it off. The poor girl deserves someone able to give her a hug or bump into her without worry of turning into a pile of gray ashes.
I do love many of the support characters in Vatra and we still have Zerin to explore as well as get answers on who we’ve already met in Yllara.
I highly recommend this one, but I will warn that it rates a chili pepper for some open door details as we get closer to the end of the book.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I can't wait for the next book. This was a good one. The opening was heartbreaking, and the story is full of so much betrayal that it'll make your heart sank. However, I truly believe Lirien was meant for so much more. To endure heartbreak after heartbreak, there must be a reason for it all, right?
Rhaeth, that man is something else I tell ya. He's full of secrets, and I'd love to know all that was hiding behind the scenes. He knew more than I thought he let on, but he kept those things close to the chest. However much he may have been an enemy in the beginning, I truly believe he loved Lirien towards the end of the book.
There are side characters I was curious about throughout this read, and I'm curious what comes of them in the next one.
Rhaeth, that man is something else I tell ya. He's full of secrets, and I'd love to know all that was hiding behind the scenes. He knew more than I thought he let on, but he kept those things close to the chest. However much he may have been an enemy in the beginning, I truly believe he loved Lirien towards the end of the book.
There are side characters I was curious about throughout this read, and I'm curious what comes of them in the next one.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I am a vibes reader. This was an absolute vibe of a book.
I've previously read "the holy bloodlines," and Im currently on book three of "royal sins," so I'm already coming into this as a fan of D.N Hoxa's overall writing style.
I was hooked from the beginning, even when I wasn't able to read I found myself actively thinking about the story and how I anticipated everything would unfold.
I loved the journey. The ending setup for the next book with an interesting new character's POV was great, and I can't wait to find out more about the world.
I've previously read "the holy bloodlines," and Im currently on book three of "royal sins," so I'm already coming into this as a fan of D.N Hoxa's overall writing style.
I was hooked from the beginning, even when I wasn't able to read I found myself actively thinking about the story and how I anticipated everything would unfold.
I loved the journey. The ending setup for the next book with an interesting new character's POV was great, and I can't wait to find out more about the world.
Review of advance copy received from Author
UM. EXCUSE ME. WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?! Talk about emotional damage the last few chapters😭
Seriously. This book got me out of a MAJOR slump and excited to read again! After all those events....THAT ENDING...I really need the next book in my hands....
Seriously. This book got me out of a MAJOR slump and excited to read again! After all those events....THAT ENDING...I really need the next book in my hands....
October 30, 2026
Thank you so much to the author for this ARC!!
WHAT a start to the series!!! I did not want to put this down. I am so obsessed with Lirien and Rhaeth. I’m scared of how we will find them in book two, I see a rocky road ahead, but I’m so excited for what’s next.
WHAT a start to the series!!! I did not want to put this down. I am so obsessed with Lirien and Rhaeth. I’m scared of how we will find them in book two, I see a rocky road ahead, but I’m so excited for what’s next.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Amazing book dose slow down near the middle but push through! The cliff hanger at the end has my head spinning!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews