Land of the Beautiful Dead

by R. Lee Smith

SHE WOULD DARE ANYTHING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM HIS RULE.

EVEN HIS BED.

He ascended from the darkness years ago—Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death—bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.

For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she’s ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero’s death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Dark, Paranormal, Horror, Dystopia, Enemies To Lovers

751 pages, Unknown Binding

First published October 29, 2015

Reviews

[Jill Myles · Rating 5 out of 5]

All right, kids. We know the drill. We know I am a huge R. Lee Smith fangirl (a self proclaimed Ganngirl). We know I've read all her books at least four times. I'm a nerd like that. So I devoured this one over the weekend and I'm still processing.

STILL PROCESSING. I HAVE LOTS OF FEELS. ALL GOOD ONES, BUT MY BRAIN IS PROCESSING.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room, okay? That cover. Sweet baby jeebus, but that's an awful cover. I know the author said she loves it and worked hard with her publisher to get just the right cover. And I am here to tell you AS YOUR BIGGEST FAN that this cover is a big Nope. This is not good. It's not even close to good. So I made myself new covers to read the book. I made this one first.



And then after I read the book, I made this one.



This shit is bananas. OF COURSE IT IS. It's R Lee Smith. Bananas goes without saying.

GUYS. GUYS. THIS BOOK IS BEING MARKETED AS ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. IT'S NOT. DON'T BE SCARED. IT'S A FAIRY TALE! Like, Beauty and the Beast or Hades and Persephone type fairy tale. And you guys KNOW I love that shit. To me, the zombies are like...well, they're like the chocolate in a York Peppermint Patty. It's got chocolate on it and we all love some chocolate, but the focus is the MINT dammit. That's this book. The fairy tale is the mint, and the zombies are the chocolate. IT'S OKAY.

So the story. Lan is a hard-edged girl who's mom died (zombies!) and so she travels to the lair of the zombie king to ask him to stop making zombies. She figures he'll kill her ass, but she doesn't care anymore. She has to try. Instead, they bicker and he's intrigued by her and she becomes one of his 'dollygirls' (aka courtesans). She lives in his city of the dead, Haven, and like, loads of shit happens.

One of the cool things about an R Lee Smith book is that when you close it, you think, holy crap, we've come so far in this story! You look at where the heroine started out, and by the end, there's just been this massive, epic quest. It's awesome. I love that.

Also, I love that there's this real thinky meta plot to the whole thing. Like in GANN, the meta plot was "An Atheist and a Zealot meet, and what if neither of them are wrong?" In this book, I felt like it was "A bad guy meets a victim...and neither one is wrong!" again. The author really makes you think about grey areas and blurred lines.

Rather than recap shit, because DAMN there's a ton of shit to recap, I thought I'd hit the high points everyone is asking about.

LOVE METER: Aka did I love it. YES. But it's not the slobbering crazy-eyed love I have for Gann. It's probably my next favorite (and the most romancey) out of Smith's books. But nothing can replace Gann, kids. NOTHING.

RAPENING METER: Zero! There's an unenthusiastic hand-job (spoiler?) to the not-hero but it's not non-consensual? She's more perplexed by the guy's reaction than grossed out.

HAPPY ENDING METER: Yes!! I mean, not gonna lie, I was crying ALL THE DAMN TEARS at the end but it's totally worth it. DO NOT FEAR, MY ROMANCE LOVERS. IT'S OKAY. IT'S SO GOOD.

MEORAQ METER: AKA how hot is the hero and will I fall in love with his ass. He's not hot (This is R Lee Smith) but you still love his ass to death and want him to be happy with the heroine. He's actually kind of a sad panda because he's seen as this horrible horrible villain and as you get to know the hero through the story, you realize he's not...wrong in all his actions. I mean, does he react badly? Oh hell, yes. Does he murder the fuck out of people? You bet. But you get it? It's hard to describe. JUST READ IT ALREADY.

VIOLENCE METER: God yes. Lots of violence. Some torture. Heroine gets stomped at one point (hey, it's R Lee Smith). Hero's a badass mofo. But you love him for it and you want him to have a shmoopy happy ending with the heroine.

HEROINE METER: She's not as hard edged as Amber, but she's definitely got the whole 'martyr for my people' thing going on. If this bothers you, this might not be your book. OTOH, I thought she was a lot...funnier? Than Amber. I really liked her. And she's not afraid to admit she's wrong when she fucks up. And oh, does she fuck up.

SHOULD YOU READ IT METER: Fuck yes, son. Get your ass to Kindle Unlimited. (or buy a copy because you know you're gonna read this shit again. I totally am.)

[Sophia Triad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe in God, but really I am not a very religious person. When I hear the word “Apocalypse”, I can only think that it means resurrection of the dead and final judgment for everyone who is already dead and everyone who is still alive.
If you are a nice, good at heart person I suppose Apocalypse is not a bad thing. You will be expecting to receive the final, best, perfect gift of the God himself.

Hmm, have you noticed the paintings, the religious painting, the comics, the books, the films about this subject? Apocalypse is dark, scary, full of demons, persons with open wounds and dead with desperate faces.
Nobody thinks of it as the nicest thing that can happen to him, either because he/she is certain that deep down they are not nice persons or because nobody wants to die.

There is a kind of Apocalypse going on in this book. Maybe partly Apocalypse, because there is not God present – at least as we have imagined him. I honestly tried to distance myself from anything deep and I tried to see the book as pure entertainment, but I failed.

There are so many questions in the book about
what is the point of life when it is finite and not very pleasant
what is the point of death when you are not remembered
what is the point of immortality if everyday that passes is another day of same old same old
what is the point of being a God and give life and take it back whenever suits you

The conclusion is that nothing really matters if you do not evolve, grow up, learn, change and have strong feelings (hate and love). No matter if you dead, alive, immortal or God.

The book is not a religious text. It is a plain and simple love story. Simple in its feelings. There is nothing simple in the way it is developed. Love and hate are after all the most basic feelings and the feelings that I am sure they existed in the Universe even before humans were created.

So there is a female and a male in the story.

No one knows who Azrael is or even what. Is he a Demon? A sorcerer, Satan, alien, or mutated man? He is definitely NOT THE GOD. Because he may have made all the dead people, alive again but now they are called Eaters and they can never die until they are burned. Nobody dies anymore. Everyone transforms into Eaters and they attack anything living until they kill it and he/she becomes one of them. This is the scenario of the best zombie books/films.
Azrael is not alone, besides the brainless Eaters, he has his companion. He has his children and thousands of dead that he made them to rise in order to serve him and his children. His city is Haven, the land of the beautiful dead. Beautiful dead, because he can change the features of the dead people who surround him and they are all beautiful. Unlikely Azrael who is a walking nightmare. He cannot heal himself from attacks, although he cannot die. So, he is full of open wounds, scars and a face that he needs to hide behind masks in order not to make everyone run away screaming.
He has his own morals: a) He does not rape, he makes deals with his mistresses. A lot of women want to be with him mostly for protection, for the good life or simply for food. And they loath his face and his touch; b) He kills children, but he does not abuse children; c) He punishes only when his safety and the safety of his people are compromised. His punishment is 1000 times crueler than the danger his enemies posses; d) He always keeps his word.
And he is bored.

Everyone in Norwood knows plain and simple Lan. She is an outsider in her village, a peach farmer, not really pretty, not really clever. She has recently lost her mother who transformed into an Eater and they had to burn her to keep her dead. She truly is an extraordinary girl who does not realize her value. So, one day she decides to go to Haven and talk to Azrael and beg, ask, demand one thing:
END THE EATERS
Obviously Azrael will laugh at her, but he likes her spirit.
And she will become his courtesan very soon.

If I could break down this very lengthy book, I would more or less identify four distinct parts:
1. Getting to know each other
2. Compromises
3. True love and sacrifices
4. Epilogue

Getting to know each other: When Azrael and Lan first meet, I thought of the movie Labyrinth, the one with David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. There is a scene in the movie in which there is a ball and Bowie is wearing a grotesque mask dancing around with beautiful people who are all wearing strange masks and you can hear the song “As The World Falls Down":
There's such a sad love deep in your eyes.
A kind of pale jewel open and closed within your eyes.
I'll place the sky within your eyes.
Well after I thought about this movie, this image stuck in my head. I was always picturing Azrael as Bowie and the song was keep playing in my head.
Compromises:I am sure you know/watched the movies “My fair lady” and “Pretty woman”. Imagine plain, uneducated Lan trying to become a lady, because Azrael does not want rough, village women as mistresses. She will have tutors, dresses, hats. She will learn how to read, write, behave, talk, eat. Until one day she will look at herself and she will not recognize herself.

“For now, we are agreed your home is here. And you do not wish to leave it. You’ve grown accustomed to my bed.”
“So, what? You’re just going to keep me in it the rest of my life?”
“How curious. You say that like I would then have to stop.”

And later Azrael and Lan will have their first major fight, where Lan almost dies.

“This is death and you do fear it, don’t you? You fear it and you are right to fear it, for where it ends, I begin!”

True love and sacrifices:Lan learns

“You traded a day of your life for a little food, a few hours’ sleep, and the view from that window. You will never have that day back. You have no guarantee you will ever have another. You would have returned to him if he’d sent for you, but he didn’t, so you did nothing and now that day is over. That day is gone. So. Was it worth it?”

Lan will run after Azrael. Lan will fight for Azrael with his other mistresses. Lan will beg for him, not the Eaters.

“Because if I can’t be your only dolly, I have to be the one you want most.”

Azrael will run after Lan.

“We’re oil and water, me and you. You can shake us and shake us, but we’ll never mix.”
“Oil and water?” he echoed with a tired sort of humor. “No. We’re flint and steel.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh yes. And when we strike together, there are sparks.”

Azrael will change the world for Lan.

Epilogue: Lan will give hope back to Azrael. Azrael decides that he cannot live without her, even if she hates him one day.

“Forgive me. I have been alone too long to be noble now.”

I feel that I am not the same person every time I finish one of R.Lee Smith's books. I cannot stop writing lengthy reviews about her books.
And now I have book hangover… Damn!

[Laura Thalassa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five billion stars.

Just when I thought a book couldn't make me feel something new. R. Lee Smith has ruined me for all other books.

[Pam Godwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grim, richly complex, and immensely satisfying, this book is the epitome of thought-provoking storytelling. What I hate most about it is that it’s over. After 750 intimate pages in the lives of these characters, I loathe the idea of moving on without them, which means I’ll re-read, and re-read again.

The heroine, Lan, forces you to feel things—warm, fuzzy things—for a monster you would deplore in real or imaginary life. Maybe he’s not a monster. Maybe he’s the devil that created the monster. No matter how black his heart or grotesque his appearance, you’ll see beyond the devil’s mask, and you’ll fall deeply and hopelessly in love with his soul.

Azrael is captivating, smooth, brooding, and hideous to behold, a thousand times over, but you’ll sympathize with him all the more for it. Why? Because even the devil has a soft spot, and once it’s exposed, you’ll latch onto it, burrow into it, and discover an appreciation you never expected.

This brutal world is difficult to endure at times, because RLS succeeded wonderfully in world-building. Humanity is dissected, the follies and greed and ignorance of man displayed on pikes for all to see. And the romance? Ahhh, it’s Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera and so much more. This is romance at its deepest, most tragic, and hard-earned core. This is the kind of love that wages wars, alters lives, and breeds hope. Selfless and impossible love. It’s a love story that endures all time and limits.

I’ve read all of RLS’ books, loved them all, but LotBD is my new favorite. I highly recommend.

[Ivy Deluca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comfort zone? What’s that : I’ve read a whole lot of books the last few years. I’m pretty comfortable in the romance genre, and honestly, I didn’t think I had any firsts left, but I was wrong. I haven’t really been drawn to post-apocalyptic books (though I love The Walking Dead) and I wasn’t sure about this one. I’d seen good things about Ms. Smith’s earlier works, but I mean, we’re talking about stories involving possible non-consensual sex/rape, alien/non-human heroes, violent and brutal worlds that are as far from safe as you can get.



So...yeah. I was like, no thanks. Not my cuppa. I like being the fluffy bunny. Then I hit a bit of a book slump, and my twitter friend Lexxi spoke so highly of this, I couldn’t resist. I am so glad I listened to her. R. Lee Smith showed me why I should risk my cottontail every once in awhile. She took me by the hand and lead me into a world that dominated my thoughts for days, left me wrung out and loving every bit of it. Told from third person perspective of Lan, the world is merciless and it captured my attention in ways I did not anticipate.

Brutal world : Azrael is Lord of the Beautiful Dead, able to raise the dead, though he himself is not a dead man. He simply cannot die. He unleashed The Eaters (aka zombies) on the living, took over the world and now resides in what is left of England, in the capital he has renamed Haven. Lan, after the death of her mother, travels from her small village called Norwood, for an audience with Azrael. Lan and Azrael’s battle of wills takes center stage through most of the book, as Lan asks for Azrael to end the Eaters. Azrael has vowed to never end them, as they protect Haven and its inhabitants. Lan is just as determined to change that, since they’ve almost wiped out the human race, and her mother turned into one. She never wants anyone else to suffer that devastation, seeing their loved ones turn into mindless eating monsters.

Erotic Horror? : I think this was a good warning for me, and I didn’t go into the story thinking I was getting a straight romance. It’s not, though I love that the romance is a big part of this twisted tale. There aren’t wild and crazy sex scenes, though most have an unexpected heat. I’ve seen it described as having elements of a horror fairy tale, and I think that’s as close to the mark as anything else. Macabre and creepy at times, sweet and heartwrenching at others, I couldn’t look away.

Suffering, thy name is Azrael : Azrael is in my top 5 ever tortured heroes, ever. The atrocities he’s committed and the atrocities he’s had committed against him, helped to shape him and you really get a chance to understand his actions. He is not a bookboyfriend that is going to captivate you with his amazing looks. He is horrific to look at, but his tender side, and his connection with Lan, make you melt and root for him to find love with Lan. Azrael has other mistresses, or dollys, as Lan calls them, and normally I would shy away from this with a vengeance, but I could accept this because of emotionally, it’s all Lan, no contest.

Lan’s emotional journey is fantastic : The story is from Lan’s perspective, even if told in third person, and you get to see the best and worst of her without filters. Funny enough, her best and worst feature is the same - her stubbornness. It is admirable at times and frustratingly bullheaded at others, but she’s never dull and I appreciate her honesty. She’s not perfect but she’s as fascinating as Azrael in her own right.

As in any good fairytale : You need huge obstacles, torture, tragedies, and ultimately a HEA. There is all that and more in this story. At approximately 751 pages, it’s a long read. I love it but be forewarned that this takes its time unfolding and I spent the last 30% or so finding myself in tears at the most unexpected moments but I closed my kindle with a smile on my face.

I think it could be edited to tighten up the plot, but I loved exploring every facet of this world. The secondary characters that populate this, from Mr. Wickham, Lan’s tutor, to Serafina, Lan’s caustic and hilarious handmaiden and Deimos, the unwittingly sad captain of the Revenants, they all left their impression on me. Each contributed moments that enriched this story and made this world come as alive as a tale about the dead can get.

Please ignore the cover : If there’s anything I didn’t like about this, it would be the cover. No, it’s not even remotely good. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s pretty shiteous, but that is not an indication of the writing within. Really. If I had judged this book by its cover, I would have missed out on an excellent read.


So emotional, haunting, bittersweet yet hopeful all at once, it’s hard to put it into words how much I enjoyed this read. It’s one of those books that will stay with me long after I turned the last page. My favorite of the year. I highly recommend this for those willing to enter this post-apocalyptic world. I loved it.


For more reviews, visit

[AℳY♔Queen of Fat cats♔Ain't no lie Baby Byebyebye · Rating 4 out of 5]

♥♥♥♥3.5 Love- the- author,- I'll -gut- her -betas stars
DISNEY PRINCESSES GET KILLED BY AZRAEL AND RETURN AS EATERS!!!


Guuuuuuyss!!! In this book Azrael is the Lord of Death, and many think the worst that can happen to somebody is to get killed but nope. Cuz when Azrael takes over and establishes a nightmarish dystopian society people are not even allowed to die. If a family gets struck by the tragedy of losing their loved ones, they can't even bury them and grieve them. They have to break their backs and burn them or they will come back AS EATERS!! A.K.A. Zombies! but zombies are tame compared to Eaters. Cuz at one point Zombies stop moving. Eaters are always alive, without being alive and they can't rest in peace Tear them to pieces and they're still moving!!!

So our h has a LIFE goal: She'll go directly to Azrael's court of beautiful Dead people to convince him: No more Eaters!! Let us human Live!! Let us humans DIE!!!

Is that a cool, original concept or what?



No one has ever returned from the dead court. No one has ever seen Azrael's face and live to tell the story. No one knows how he looks like cuz he's always wearing a mask.

AZRAEL AND LAN


So when Azrael offers Lan a position in his "dolly" harem, she accepts. He warns her it won't be pleasant cuz he's described as sorta monster like cuz he's perpetually scarred. I actually imagined him as handsomely scarred. I loved him.

AZRAEL PICTURES HIS UNMASKED SELF LIKE THIS




LAN SEES HIM LIKE THIS, ALMOST HUMAN JUST SCARRED, BUT SEXY



So they have some angry sex and it's very enemies to lovers vibe.

So the UNDENIABLE TALENT OF THIS AUTHOR, HER IMAGINATION AND THE WAY SHE DRAWS EMOTION were great. What an amazing take on the living dead!! So so good! How did this author came up with such a great idea? Almost perfect.... However her EDITORS AND BETA READERS DIDN'T HELP HER MUCH and made the book really difficult to read. The whole concept and my pull for the macabre are the reason I finish this one. Cuz the editing didn't do this book any favors. But I don't think is the story or the author. The author writes great dialogue, but the problem is that we can always have too much of a good thing. Like instead of dialogue I need a flashback. Like instead of dialogue I need to see the same battle they're talking about but in real time not in yet another heated argument between those two. Instead of Azrael giving an order AGAIN that we know nobody will obey we could have used more action. Too much dialogue, too little action. And the whole Chimney obssession and the whole dollies drama SHOULD'VE BEEN cut and the story wouldn't have changed at all. The ending would've been the same, but the pace would've improved for readers like myself, we got the attention span of a hummingbird!!!

And even worse!!! All that dialogue is In f@cking 3rd person!! Have you read the infernal devices by Cassandra clare? That's great use of 3rd person cuz sometimes we're with Sophie, or Tessa, or Jem, Or Will, or Jesamine or Charlotte. Here it was a waste of cool characters like Bathuuli and Wickham and Deimos and Seraphina. Like, we never left Lan's POV so the 3rd person was misused here cuz we never got to see the coolest stuff, like the rebellion, the spikes, Deimos POV; Azrael's POV, and Wickham's POV and instead of getting a cool flashback or nightmare about Lan's mother it was always an argument. And there was no balance at all! Like at some point we go on and on with the arguing, and I think "this is where a sex scene could be used." and other times is like, Azrael should be mourning something he lost, and Lan is also worried about the revenants and then... out of nowhere sex??? Like I wanted the exact same sex scene later and other times there wasn't enough sex cuz these two always argue. But SOMEHOW IT WORKS!!!! I don't know how to tell you that the story is so strong and good that despite all flaws I was riveted. It was more like a copy paste thing that could be fixed with good betareaders than the writing so I blame the editors, cuz this story, these characters, this world...SO SO GOOD!!! And if you have read my reviews you'll notice that I rarely talk about the negatives of books, and that's cuz if a book has flaws in pace I just DNF or skim pages. R.Lee Smith made skimming IMPOSIBLE!! Cuz THE STORY AND CHARACTERS and her taste for the macabre are SO SO GOOD that when I tried to skim I found myself returning cuz I missed something. It took me a week to finish this book because of that. So with other authors I'm less picky. With this book I couldn't help but feel frustrated cuz I'm in love with the concept and the dialogue and the characters and even the writing, and I just can't stop reading!!!

If you get impatient after 25% mark, then skim to 67% mark. Things pick up then. But don't you dare DNF this book. The ending is AMYZING!!!

Final note I don't know where that genius of a WRITER could possibly be, but dear R. Lee Smith if you ever read my ramblings please listen to me: You have to turn this idea into a cool movie script and stalk Guillermo del Toro sensei. He loves when the beast remains the beast and the monster gets the girl. THIS SHOULD BE A MOVIE AND SHOULD BE DIRECTED BY DEL TORO.



ALL THE ART OF THIS REVIEW BELONGS TO LUIS ROYO SENSEI

♥♥♥♥♥prereading thoughts♥♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥Zombies♥♥♥| I ♥ zombies
*salivates*

I'm a simple girl. I see zombies I add to TBR!!!!
*throws to top of TBR Pile*

[Rachel the Book Harlot · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I am a huge fan of author R. Lee Smith's work. I loved Last Hour of Gann, Cottonwood, and despite it's gory content, Heat. That's why it pains me beyond me measure to give Land of the Beautiful Dead a low rating. Unfortunately, this latest addition just wasn't up to par with Smith's previous novels.

To start, the world-building was weak at best. Some aspects of the world-building didn't make sense and didn't feel fully fleshed out. Azrael's origins were never fully explained. What is he exactly? By the end it's still a mystery.

The plot was also weak. One of the problems is that the blurb is a little misleading. According to the blurb, Lan expects to die a "hero's death", but the truth is that Lan isn't a hero. She is just an impulsive girl driven by grief so she never actually has a plan of action. Therefore, events just happen to her as she meanders through the story. Also, events never felt truly tied to an overall story arc. Certain events felt contrived solely to move the story forward.

In terms of the Hero and Heroine, there was very little growth and change for either Azrael or Lan. There were some mild changes in Azrael, but he never truly evolves. I think without Lan, he would revert back to his initial tendencies. Also, while I understood, to a certain extent, his cruelty towards humans, I couldn't understand his cruelty towards his own people. Once I learned how they were created, and their feelings and will when it came to Azrael, his behavior and treatment of them didn't make sense. Especially since he supposedly created them out of loneliness. I thought this bit was inconsistent.

In regards to Lan, she never evolves at all. In fact, she devolved as a character. She started out somewhat interesting, then became dumb, selfish, and self-absorbed as the story progressed. Her mission of ending the Eaters only came into play whenever it was vital to the plot. Otherwise, her entire focus was on herself and Azrael's relationship with his other consorts. And she does something so stupid and ridiculous that I almost DNF'd the novel because of it.

As to the love story, it lacked depth. Their love was pretty much based on nothing: Azrael loving Lan seemingly because she treated him like any other man, and Lan loving Azrael once he gave her an orgasm. It was never quite clear why they fell in love. Still, even though Azrael was cruel in some ways, he was oddly likable. Lan, on other hand, was extremely unlikable with very little redeeming qualities. I couldn't understand what he saw in her.

There were also editing errors sprinkled throughout the story. Enough that I was pulled out of the story on several occasions. I think this novel could have benefited from one final edit before being released.

Sadly, Land of the Beautiful Dead was a disappointment. I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving it a shot, you might like it much more than I did, but if you are new to R. Lee Smith's work, then I would recommend starting with Last Hour of Gann or Cottonwood.

Final Rating: 2.5 stars

[Anna (Bobs Her Hair) · Rating 2 out of 5]

: /

The heroine's Goal: motivate Azrael to end the Eaters (zombies).

The conflict in two lines:
Lan: End the Eaters.
Azrael: No.

Discussing why the Eaters should be terminated, Lan's loathing of her daily lessons, and Azrael's and Lan's bickering was about 70% of the 751-page book. Then, the story took a turn for the better. Finally, some meat to this drama. There is a Happily Ever After, but I was left with questions.

Basically, you have one very lonely man that destroyed the world and a woman who tries to change his ways. What Lan was fighting for wasn't well-represented and they reminded so much of the two-dimensional survivors from The Last Hour of Gann. In my opinion, Land of the Beautiful Dead could have been trimmed down to a long novella. I felt like DNFing but held out because I appreciate this author's work. At the end of the book, my eyes were red and swollen yet I felt distinctly unsatisfied. Nevertheless, I look forward to other original works by R. Lee Smith.

Grade: D

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit: Wrote a long review http://smexybooks.com/2015/11/joint-r...


I'll be writing ALL my thoughts soon. Must let it soak in for a few.

Hero is NOT a zombie - although he creates them. He is Undead. There is a difference! He is tortured and misunderstood. And yes, he does torture others.

No rape in this one. The heroine does become his mistress - she sleeps with him to convince him to get rid of his zombies. They fall in love. Omg - their love.

The heroine is fantastic. So, so, stubborn. The hero - complex. Severely scarred. Lonely. Intense.

Intriguing world - I'll go into it all in my full review. Otherwise I'll just keep babbling ;)

I <3 this author. Hard.

[Denisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author never disappoints !


God, I cried like a little girl in the last part (especially the last few pages). It's been ages since that happened and I absolutely love and respect authors who can make me have so many feelings for fictional characters.

These were 800 pages that finished way too fast. A long book that wasn't long enough. I wanted to see more, read more, just be part of this world more.


Ok, I will stop with all the feelings now (although I still feel like crying every time I think of the ending). It doesn't end bad or sad or anything like that (don't worry), but I loved these characters too much not to be sad that I'll never get to meet them for the first time again.

How to convince you to read it?
Well, if you've never read R Lee Smith before, you'll be most definitely impressed.
Don't get scared by the number of pages (trust me, you will never feel them). Even more, you'll most likely be sad there weren't more of them.
R Lee Smith has a way with words. She has a rare talent, she could probably write a cookbook and make it fun and interesting to read.
If you're looking for an amazing world, a book with a great world-building capacity, try this author.
If you want interesting, complex, extraordinary characters, this is the author you need to try. There aren't many people out there better at this than this chick.


Yes, her books are long and they might feel like a pretty big commitment, but once you start you won't be able to put them down.
Definitely worth reading!

[juli✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 3.5 Stars ✰

“I don’t do subtle. I don’t even know how to spell it.”
“With a B.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” Lan snapped. “I’m illiterate, not stupid! I know there’s no B in subtle!”

-ˏˋ Initial Thoughts ˎˊ-


First things first, YAY me! I finally finished an R. Lee Smith book! Ah, I feel so accomplished✨ I love that feeling, I really do! I mean not only did I finally finish my first R. LEE SMITH book, but said book was about 700 pages long, no joke. Land of the Beautiful Dead is a hefty tome of a story, an investment if you will. Now that said that I guess the question is, is this book worth your time? The answer. . .kinda. I think it really depends on what you want from this book. If you want a book that's going to serve you a great plot, an electric romance, some zombie-apocalypse realness, and likable characters, welllll you might just want to move along.


Here's an example of how the book went. . .you're welcome 😉✨

Lan: Azreal please stop the Eaters.
Azreal: no.
Lan: *proceeds to recite a long rambling tone-deaf speech*
Azreal: no.
Lan: i guess i'll sleep with you for the good of mankind.
Azreal: *looks slightly aroused* sounds like a plan. *pats lap* let's get right on that.
Lan: hey, sooo, can you stop the eaters now?
Azreal: no. *begins long ass diatribe about life & shit*
Lan: i guess we can have sex again, oh and i love you.
Azreal: . . .

I kid you not the above demonstration is basically how the book went. So, if ANY of that interests you? Well then go forth and read LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD . If not then maybe try The Last Hour of Gann instead??


-ˏˋ The Plot ˎˊ-


London, England - unknown date - dark times have befallen humankind. The dead no longer stay dead. The world is now a harsh and unforgiving place with humanity hanging on by a thread. Enter Lan. Lan believes if she can make her way to the King of Dead and have an audience with him he'll call off the eaters. solid plan. However, when Lan comes face to face with Azrael things don't quite work out that way. Now, trapped(?) / voluntarily staying(?) who knows in Haven (Azreal's own personal town), Lan will trade her nights with Azreal in exchange for an audience with him. Thus the question arises, will she change his mind? Will he stop the eaters?


-ˏˋ What Worked ˎˊ-


✧ Any Character That WASN'T Lan ✧ Yep, you guys read that right. Lan was. . .Lan was. . .well she was not it. Luckily almost every other character was! Azreal made for a compelling villain and love interest, Wickham was the most perfect tutor a girl could ask for (that .5 star is for him), and I truly believe he deserved better, and Serafina Lan's maid(?) was saying what we were all thinking -

“Sorry.”
“Yes, you’re always sorry when it’s too late to do anything else.

While also dropping little nuggets of wisdom. . .like the boss she is -

“They say the opposite of love is hate,” Serafina told her. “But it isn’t. It is merely the absence of love. I see you don’t believe me, but it is true, you know. One cannot grieve without first having loved…and you living can love anyone, for any reason, even in the most miserable conditions.

In addition, the captain of Azreal's army, Deimos, was most definitely sexy, and Batuuli was, well, beautifully tragic. What I'm saying is the secondary cast brightly outshone Lan our. . .herione(?) and more then made up for her annoying presence. What I liked most about all the supporting cast was the humanity they infused into the dead. Going into LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD things seem very cut and dry. Azreal = bad / Humanity = good. Yet that's too easy. Humanity, as we all know, is not always good, and villainy almost always has shades of grey. Through the secondary characters we were able to see the dead's motivations, how they worked, and why they did what they did. They were honestly more human than our very human protagonist.


✧ The Bones of the Story ✧ While I do have my many issues with LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD I also can't help but be in awe of it. The idea and world building for this book is spectacular. I wanted to know everything about Haven and the humans surrounding it. I wanted to know about where Azreal came from, the mechanics of the eaters and raised dead, why humanity doomed itself, and what was happening outside of London. There was so much potential in this story that I'm sad more wasn't explored. It kinda sorta most definitely sucks that we the audience were trapped in Haven for almost the entirety of the story, but alas. The concept was brilliant though, and if the the page length is any indication then its clear that R. LEE SMITH thought so too.


-ˏˋ What SORTA Worked ˎˊ-


✧ My Mans Azreal ✧

Okay. . .hmmm. . .I'm very undecided about my feelings towards Azreal. On the one hand, guilt by association *cough* he's Lan's husband/boyfriend/enabler *cough* but on the other hand he was deliciously evil, which as you all know, I'm a total sucker for.

“Tell me, is it a virgin who has come so fearlessly to this dragon’s lair?”
“No.”
“All to the better.”

See when Azreal was being badass evil Azreal I was all for him. Not only did he have a compelling ass story, but I found his dilemma, if you will, very engaging. He seems like this supreme evil being and yet he was born in death and horror. At every turn he practically begged humanity to prove him wrong, but we never did. Thus I could understand where he was coming from even if I couldn't ever fully support him. BUT, and this is a big but, he is really really REALLY weighed down by having Lan as a love interest. I just never understood the appeal. I just could not believe that Lan was the ONLY woman who ever made him feel "love". I just couldn't. It seemed like while Azreal attempted to grow and change - we love a man who demonstrates growth 👏✨

“We’re oil and water, me and you. You can shake us and shake us, but we’ll never mix.”
“Oil and water?” he echoed with a tired sort of humor. “No. We’re flint and steel.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh yes. And when we strike together, there are sparks. Fire, by its very nature, cannot help but consume and destroy, but still it can accomplish great things.”

Lan. . .didn't. She demonstrated zero amounts of character growth, and honestly at a certain point I started judging his ass for being with her. You know those couples who ONLY EVER FIGHT and it gets to the point where you can't help but think, "oh i know the only thing keeping you guys together is the banging sex", well that was Lan and Azreal.

"There were good ways,” she interrupted herself anxiously, “weren’t there? It wasn’t all fighting and fucking, was it?”
“No.”

I truly do believe the only reason they lasted as long as they did was mostly because of the sex. Also, man could this guy go on long ass waxing and waning rants. At a certain point I couldn't help but roll my eyes and think "we get it dude, you hate "man" can you talk about ANYTHING else?" Due to that, I can't sit here and say I love Azreal, but I also didn't hate him. I'll charitably say, he had his moments.


-ˏˋ What DIDN'T Work ˎˊ-


✧ Lan, The WORST Negotiator to Ever Exist ✧

Here's a hot spicy take✨🌶, if humanity ever needed someone to argue on its behalf, the last, and I mean LAST, person you would ever want to take that job would be Lan. Dear lord this woman was the worst. And I hate bashing on heroines who don't fit the typical "heroine mold", but I couldn't with Lan. Her thought process was. . .flawed if I'm being nice, fucked, if I'm being mean. Seriously this woman or "child" as her love interest called her, was a H O R R I B L E negotiator. Truly the worst. While her overall goal of stopping the eaters was admirable - let's give her some points for that - her execution was terrible. Her ingenious plan was, wait for it, to ask Azreal to stop the eaters. Seriously, that's it. That was her whole entire plan.

“You set the fucking terms! You did! And then you sent me to my room and brought Miss Sniveling Thing down here to proxy me? Fuck you!” She brought both hands up and shoved him hard in the chest. It hurt her shoulders a little. It didn’t budge him an inch. “Get in that bed!”

Okay obviously I spoke to soon, her plan b was to utilize her magic vagina ✨ Which again I applaud her for - true ingenious thinking - but at some point I couldn't help but think, "is that it?", and yes, yes that was it. She pretty much thinks because they are smashing he'll kindly stop the eaters. HOWEVER, h o w e v e r, what annoyed me even more was the fact that at a certain point it didn't even seem like she gave a shit about humanity. She was beyond selfish, didn't ever think through any of her actions, forced Azreal to listen to her side but refused to ever truly listen to his, and she decides to kill herself to. . .teach Azreal a lesson. . .

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“You’re not the least bit sorry for that, you lying bitch! That was the hingepin of your whole poisonous plot, to hurt me and to make me remember that hurt the rest of my eternal life! Whether I have you back or not, no matter how sweetly you take me in or how soft your lips, I will never be free of that moment, and that is just how you planned it, so damn you and damn your hollow sorries!”

It got to the point where her apologies, selfish behavior, and general ineptitude grated on me so much that I just couldn't with her. While she did have her funny moments -

“Who let her in here?” he demanded, turning on his doormen. “Are your orders not clear? When I have not summoned my companions, they are to remain in their chambers! Remove her at once and be thankful I do not pin you in my garden as a reminder you are my guards and not my whoremongers!”
“Nobody mongers me, mate,” said Lan. “I do my own whoring.”

I mostly couldn't with her. She's not the worst heroine in the world, but she's definitely not the best. I kinda wish Serafina had been the heroine instead. Now that woman had an interesting ass story.


✧ Death of a Character (S P O I L E R) ✧ Character deaths in books can be very tricky. Sometimes they're used to propel the plot forward, sometimes they happen to teach other characters a lesson, and sometimes they just fit the tone of the story. However, when they do occur I like them to either A. mean something or B. be shown on page. So, imagine my shock when it's revealed that my favorite character in the whole book, Wickham, the most badass architecture nerd and all around fabulous tutor, was killed OFF - SCREEN, and barely mourned by Lan. This pissed me the hell off if I'm being perfectly honest. I had grown extremely invested in him as a character, and I felt like he was a great example of the ways in which the raised dead still held onto shreds of their humanity. Frankly, he deserved better. PLUS, the whole reason he died was because of Lan's decision and SHE DIDN'T EVEN MOURN HIS DEATH, ugh, if that doesn't cement her garbage can status I don't know what does.


-ˏˋ Final Thoughts ˎˊ-


Overall, I enjoyed LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD . I'm glad I read it and have no regrets about dedicating my time to finishing it. While I did have a few issues *cough* Lan the garbage can *cough* they didn't fully detract from my enjoyment of this book. Personally, I think a lot of the issues were caused by the length of the book. I'm going to be honest, this did not need to be six to seven hundred pages, it just didn't. Due to the length a lot of repetition began to appear and that really exacerbated many of Lans more annoying qualities. Where LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD really excelled was in the world building, story, and writing. MS. SMITH truly has a way with words and can craft one hell of a story. Ultimately, I recommend LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD - with a bit of a warning. If you've never read an R. LEE SMITH book before maybe start out with THE LAST HOUR OF GANN . From what I've gathered it seems to be her most universally loved story and seems like a better place to start. Don't go into LAND OF THE BEAUTIFUL DEAD expecting a likable heroine, Lan she's. . .unique. Be prepared for some repetitiveness, especially around the middle half of the book. If you guys can look past those warnings then I say go for it ❤︎

“My Lan,” he groaned, quiet thunder she felt all the way through to her bones. “My light. My life. My lover. With me, now. With me.”

[Luna8891 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy, this will be an unusual review. You have been warned.

The book starts with Lan. She travels from Norwood to Haven, a city where Azrael, the ruler of the new world lives. She "asks" him to stop the "war" - both terms quickly dismissed by the lord. But Lan doesn't back down. And the heroine's mix of ambitious strength, hope, but also a decent amount of resignation catches the attention of Azrael, who, at first only for amusement, decides to keep her close. But a pact with the devil is always more complicated than it looks.

On a more personal note, I stalked the author for months on her blog and I bought this book as soon as I saw it out. I discovered this author last year and I have been in love ever since. I never saw or talked to her (partially because I'm from another continent, mostly because I'm the definition of anti-social), but I am a huge fan of her work. Her books are powerful, beautiful, elegant, they make me forget about everyone and everything when I read them. For most people this might not sound like much, but it is for me. I will honestly say that I need books like this. They are like air for me. So even if this thing called Internet hasn't covered yet the sending of gratitude ground, I'm still going to try. And I'm doing it now, before I finish reading the book. Why? I blame the R Lee Smith End of the Book Syndrome: when I finish one of her books I can't concentrate for days, I think about it, re-read parts, analyse and I'm not able to write a review. After that life happens and I feel like my review couldn't do justice to the book. So now's the moment.

This book will blow you away. In many ways, it's different from other R Lee Smith books, because of the setting. We find a post-apocalyptic, a destroyed earth. People are few, hungry, barely human. But it's this concept of humanity (true humanity) that the author plays with, again. What does it mean to be human?

In other books we saw aliens that were more human than a human being. I love this play of shadows, it feels so real. The author manages to show both sides of every character, both sides of every species. She doesn't claim that someone if one hundred percent good or evil. And she doesn't do that by forcing a major flaw on the main character and hoping that flaw will attract both attention and love from the readers (like many many writers do). Her characters are real, raw, they always have solid beliefs. And their belief system, like it or not, pushes them forward. This is how a real person acts. And every one of this author's characters has that. That makes them feel so real.

You can add Lan to the strong heroine list. As a side note, I don't think that R Lee Smith could ever write a weak heroine. Like, ever. No one needs convincing regarding Amber from The Last Hour of Gann, but I think that Olivia was also strong. Each of them was strong in her own way. Lan is no different. She has this almost naive determination that may seem weak, but it empowers her. Don't compare her to other heroines, she is a brand new character. She doesn't fight for survival or a community or someone else, she fights for the world. She is a gamechanger. She is fighting for something she didn't even witness before, something she doesn't really know. This is what makes her so special and what makes you as a reader ask yourself where does her power really come from. She is always hoping to win and, at the same time, always ready to lose. You have to love her. In a world that burns, she is the only one who finds the courage and determination to search for the devil and ask him to stop.

If you like erotic horror, this book is for you. If you are an adult looking to escape in a fascinating story, this book is for you. And finally, if you ever secretly wished to change the world, or save it or make it better one way or another, this book could make you relive those old feelings and make you ask yourself some questions...

A 5 star novel. A thank you for the author and happy reading!

[Tiffany S · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I own you. Before ever I set eyes on you, I owned you. You were born into my possession. You have waited all your life upon my whim to claim you.” He took a breath—her breath, drawn from her body—and snarled, “And I am done bartering for what I own. Say that you are mine.”


I thought this was incredible. Truly. I want to recommend it to everyone and no one, because I could not handle someone telling me they didn’t also love it. It is every villain story you ever wanted, but with the villain truly bad. And still getting a hea. And I like that a lot.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I loved this book so much.

What I most like about this book was the characters will's, battling through out the story. It moved the story into the most shocking, and unexpected places. I myself loved every page of this book, I wouldn't change any part of it. But in the interest of helping other readers I will say this, if you don't connected with Lan in the first half of this book it may feel too long.

The author also killed one of my favorite characters, but she did it in such a way, that it honored them giving the character more depth, and added more to the story as a whole, this is the only reason I was ok with this part of the book.

This book reads like Beauty And The Beast retelling's, because of Azrael looks, power, and the danger Lan finds herself in when provoking Azrael's temper with her boldness, and lack of thought for her own safety. The Selection is also a book I thought of, because of Azrael many Dollies, and the drama that follow's, when so many women are trying to get the attention of one man for what ever reasons they have for wanting to be with him.

This is also the best book I have read with zombies in it.

I really love this book and can't recommend it enough.

HAPPY READING 📚📚📚📓📖

[MDWolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+++stars!

I am always happy when I find some unusual book in good way. This one wasn't different in that field.

Simple words and beautiful sentences.
Hard world and strong characters.



On the beginning I had feel that this one is going to be just like ''The Queen of All That Dies'', but only connection that this two book have are that both H had a big part for the shity world in book. And both books are great!!!



Lan is one girl from village in country that used to be United Kingdom. Now that is island where Azrael have his palace. They place of dead. The place of Eathers. And Lan is so, so sick about it. So she decide that she will go to Azrael town, find him and ask him nicely to stop Eathers.
Don't think that she is stupid. She is very well aware that she is probably going to die, but how do you know what will happen if you don't try.

While reading this I laughed. I cried. I was confused. Angry. Sad. Happy. And I loved every last second of that.



The end..God, the end... I don't remember last time that I cried so much, but here I did. No need to worry- it is happy end.

If you need one more reason why you should read this one- it is one of my favourite five books ever.

[edith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved and fucking hated this book. I loved and hated every single character, Azrael, Lan, all of them. But what I felt went so far beyond just love or hate. The emotions I felt were so intense and sickening in the best way possible. It's impossible to rate this just on romance or plot because it's not really about either of those things.

While reading, I had this strange feeling in my stomach. Maybe because of how unapologetic it is, how brutally honest it is about human nature despite being set in a dystopian, apocalyptic world. The author doesn't shy away from how awful people can be. This isn't escapism, and it isn’t the kind of comfort we often seek in fiction, especially in romance. Her books are cold, and this one is no exception.

Maybe it's just me, but I like being uncomfortable when I read. Maybe because it is safe, it's fiction. This book makes you deeply uncomfortable. And I want to talk about that.

The plot and the world are unforgiving. The dead don't rest, they rise as "eaters." Sex and touch are currency. Loyalty does not exist and people fall to their worst instincts. From the beginning, we're dropped into a world so cold and hopeless that we question whether it's even worth saving. Lan, the FMC, still wants to save it. That question of whether this world should be saved becomes an irritating question.

She ends up in Azrael's court, begging him to end the eaters, to let the dead rest. That's the premise, stretched over 700 pages and not once was I bored. I felt EVERYTHING except boredom.

Azrael isn't a hero. And this isn't a romance in the traditional sense. He's not even human. He’s a ruler, a god and a tyrant who’s let his wrath mutilate the world while living in detached luxury.

He and Lan strike a deal. They give and take, lie and manipulate, in her hopes of changing things. Their connection starts as an exchange of mostly sex but spirals into something much darker and much deeper. I honestly don't know how to explain their relationship. It's not a relationship, it felt like a fact of fate. I really believe they were meant to be in a tragic way.

But, the author never lets us forget the world outside their intimacy. We're constantly reminded that Azrael is not a man. He keeps women in his court to serve him. He imprisons and tortures. We want him to change for Lan, but he never does. In stories like this, we hope for the tortured hero's redemption and that hope is ignored here. He keeps other women. He keeps killing. He inflicts pain on children, the elderly, anyone. He has no moral code because he is not even a "man", he's dead.

And Lan is not some redemptive force. It's disturbing and maddening, but by the end, I appreciated the cold truth that nobody in this world is good and a girl from nowhere can't change that fact. Azrael is not an exception. Their connection doesn't purify the world or redeem anything.

Azrael and Lan's "love", is tragic and senseless. I had to let go of my traditional expectations of love and devotion to enjoy it. Many readers won't be able to do that and I understand, I couldn't accept it until the very end either. We're conditioned to expect devotion and fairytale love. This world does not allow for either.

This book is not romance or fantasy in the way we usually crave. It's brutal and honest in ways that make you hate everything about it. And because of that, because I hated everything and was uncomfortable, because I had to abandon my expectations, I can't stop thinking about it. This author knows exactly what readers want and chooses to do the opposite. And I appreciated that.

[CharlieB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not want this book to end! Loved it. R. Lee Smith is a automatic read for me.

[Galateea · Rating 5 out of 5]

But it's of the very, very good variety of the "I don't know what I'm feeling" spectrum. I am once again officially pledging my first born in service to R. Lee Smith as well as my immortal soul in the bargain with no regrets and a full truck of aplomb.

Reading commencing.

So far, I'm tempted to pout into the bargain a few generations of my future descendants too, the book is that good. SO, after failing to sleep for 48 hours (for obvious reasons) and reading this superb piece of epicness three times at least because anything less than the minimum magical number would be a gruesome insult to this genius, i can honestly say that:


Post apocalypse setting, beautifully done?

Check.

Beautiful and gruesome zombies?

Check.

Main characters that made you wish for said zombie apocalypse?

Check.

What i love about R. Lee Smith is that her characters actually seem real. They have the same reaction any individual might have. The personality, the characteristics, you name it. They're not just a type that you can find in every book with all that expected predictability. They make mistake. They admit to making those mistakes and actually seem realistic. I was mad with Lan in this book. Awfully so. She understood Azrael only at the end and while i do understand her reasons during the book for requesting the same thing and trying to bargain for it, she never actually stopped to think about everything from his perspective. In her defense she did that at the end, but by that time everything had already been set in motion. I'm more than sure Azrael had his faults too (he kinda did, but didn't) but i was siding with him most of the time. Not because i have a soft spot for the aloof, wounded male characters, but because he was hot in his own way.... Yes, he was even with the scars and the um debatable rate of regeneration. Stiillll


I can't complain much. Mainly because there is no book written by R Lee Smith that i haven't worshiped from the ground up. Hard finding a truly good read these days without stumbling through cliches and moderately tolerable books. Thus, my lowly conclusion (because i wept like a newborn at the ending and at how much Azrael suffered)is the following:

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book sad to finish.

I cannot say enough good things about this book, Land of the beautiful dead is a story I have lived and breathed over the last week,I have laughed and cried and become so emotionally attached to these two flawed characters Lan and Azrael ,I love R L Smith and did not think anything could surpass The Last Hour Of Gann for me but this did. My only criticism is it had to end lol, this book is one story I am unlikely to forget yet again BRAVO! R L Smith another unique triumph.

[Federica the heir of fire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!R.Lee Smith is a genius and this book proves it.There aren't many book that make me feel so many emotions that i'm completely knackered in the end but this one managed it just fine.I felt sadness,happiness and every emotion in between,i was a little reluctant to read this book because zombies are not my thing but i'm very happy that i did.This story is like Beauty and the Beast meeting the walking dead: scary,confusing,exciting and captiveting.
Both characters(Lan and Azreal) were interesting and awesome at the same time,i have to admit that both were very frustrating at times so much so that i wanted to shake them but they reedemed themselves in the end.
I love the writing it's descriptive without being too verbose,the author has the amazing quality to make you fall into her world with her words and love every minute of it.
So if you haven't already,go read it right now.

[Annica ⚡️ annica_reads_books ⚡️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every now and then, I read a story that imprints itself onto my soul, and Land of the Beautiful Dead is exactly that kind of story. I am a changed person now having read it, and I know that this book will consume my thoughts for a long time.

There is no beauty in that final night, no flights of angels come to comfort you, no welcoming light to guide your way, but there is…oh, so much time.

Land of the Beautiful Dead is a dark, dystopian romance with gothic elements, and some parallels to the beloved story, "Phantom of the Opera." The romance begins with Lan, a human whose goal it is to save humanity, traveling to meet Azrael, pleading with him to "end the Eaters" (zombies), only for him to refuse. Azrael, the immortal Lord of the Dead, allows Lan to live with him as a Dolly (a concubine) as payment for the opportunity for the chance to convince him, and a better life away from extreme poverty.

“I own you. Before ever I set eyes on you, I owned you. You were born into my possession. You have waited all your life upon my whim to claim you.” He took a breath—her breath, drawn from her body—and snarled, “And I am done bartering for what I own. Say that you are mine.”

Lan is one of the most flawed female protagonists I've had the pleasure of reading, but I loved her for it. Her spirit and idealistic outlook on life left her naive at times. While some might find that incredibly frustrating, I loved it because it showcased her humanity. A trait that was very necessary for this story.

But he’d told her, hadn’t he? ‘You think you have no more innocence to lose,’ he’d said, ‘but you are wrong.’ She’d just sold it in pieces, like everything else. And some of the pieces, it seemed, were small enough to slip her notice.

Azrael is cruel, smart, disfigured, cold, damaged and stubborn, AKA - the tortured anti-hero of my dreams. He's like a cornered, wounded animal, lashing out at any hint of a threat. His body and face are grotesque, and he wears masks to hide his true form from the world. I couldn't help but fall deeply in love with Azrael's character as his layers were slowly peeled back through the story. What I loved most about his character development is that he stayed true to who he is to the end. His character develops, but he remains the same Azrael we met at the beginning of the story at his core.

“There was a time I would have given anything just to have someone talk to me. But that time is over.”

“If you stay,” he said at last, stressing the first word, “you will…pretend…you want to stay.”

Lan and Azrael's imperfect selves meshed together to create my favorite type of romance—a romance where both characters go through countless challenges and fight the inevitable pull between them, only to come out of it with awe-inspiring love towards each other. I love seeing guarded characters slowly break down their walls through vulnerability with the other.

“I see you,” he said softly. “As you were. As you are. And they are one.”

I was shocked at how emotionally challenging this book was for me. In fact, I had tears in my eyes during several scenes, and I was truly taken aback by it. I didn't expect Smith's writing to cut me as deeply as it did, but her evocative storytelling weighed heavily on my heart.

“Do you think I do not realize the evil that I do?” He waited for a reply and, hearing none, turned around. His eyes left tracers in the air, their brightness belying the quiet of his tone. “Do you think I do not feel its weight? And have I not done a lifetime’s penance before I ever committed the sin?”

The Earth may be Man’s home, but it didn’t have to love them for it, and in its unflinching eyes, humans were parasites, no different and no more deserving of life than any other worm feeding on a body from within. They were not owed victory.

“I lived most of my life without any better notion of time than yesterday or tomorrow, now or later. But once I had understood hours, I have never been able to stop feeling them.”

This book is for you if you like slow, provocative storytelling about humanity and death, tortured anti-heroes, and love stories without end. If you want a one-of-a-kind story that’s going to leave you ruminating over its profound messages long after you turn the final page, look no further than LotBD. It’s perfect in my eyes! 🥹

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

New book to add to the all time faves bookshelf! But it is an R Lee Smith novel so I'm not surprised. :)

Overall four stars because while I loved it A LOT- I still love Last Hour of Gann and the Arcadia series the most. But here's the thing... every R Lee Smith book is pretty amazing. Saying "it's not as good as her others" is like deciding between giving it an A+ versus an A. The amount of imagination and forethought that goes into her books is phenomenal. It's like her books make books by other authors look bad. Like afterwards I want to drop one star off of all my other reviews simply because I'm reminded what's possible in a book after reading one of hers.

As per the usual- Land of the Beautiful Dead (I love that title!) is full of all of the following:
fantasy
horror
romance
erotica
dystopia
stomach churning gore
violence

If you don't like any of those things- this book isn't the book for you.

Lots of philosophical musings on death, life, love, religion, and racism but blended in so seamlessly to the story it never feels in your face.

Summary:
At the core of this book is the question of what it means to be human. Azrael the undead ascended to power on Earth. He's neither living nor dead but some strange alien mix of in between. He has the power to control the dead and animate them. At his core he's not a bad person but he's so jaded by his past that he's capable of some truly evil things. Humans of earth viewed him as a threat to their existence. They didn't like his immortality or his powers so they continuously tried to torture, maim, and kill him. He's like a super powered cockroach who can think. And he wears the story of his past torture on his skin. By all appearances he's truly monstrous.

As you can imagine that left him with a pretty bad taste in his mouth when it comes to humans so as a result he created a race of undead zombies (known as eaters) who run around mindlessly killing humans. He also makes it so that humans turn into eaters when they die. This act plummets the earth into a state of dystopia where the humans who are left live in small walled up towns constantly fighting and fearing for their lives.

Enter Lan- a nobody really. She lives on the continent which was once England. Her only tie to this life is her mother and after going through the terrible experience of her mothers death (and inevitable transformation into an eater) Lan decides she's going to travel to the city of the dead where Azrael lives and ask him to do away with his hordes of eaters. Sounds easy huh?

With a lot of luck and ingenuity Lan succeeds in making her way to the city of Haven. She intrigues Azrael enough to not be killed outright. The next 600 odd pages are filled with their story. It's at times sad, funny, heartbreaking, romantic, and exciting. There's a bit more angst in this novel which at times I got a bit sick of but it helped nail down the point that Azrael does NOT want to get rid of his eaters. They're his first line of defense against humans trying to uprise and hurt him.

Lan is crude, rude, and hysterically funny. Azrael is epic, alien, and engrossing. But somehow R Lee weaves her magic and the two of them work together. This story is a battle of wills of two very headstrong people. And its a bit like Beauty and the Beast meets zombies.

One of the best things about R Lee Smith books is they are all LONG (700-1000+ pages). If you enjoy epic storylines where you can really sink your teeth into a story then give this one a try. It's really different but I think it's a great kinda different. :)

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was such a disappointment. I LOVED Heat, Cottonwood, Last Hour of Gann and I really hoped for an epic tale with believable characters, fabulous world-building and a plot that grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go until I had read every single word. (and not easy when a book is as long as Heat, Cottonwood, etc!)

MAJOR spoilers ahead. Be warned!!

LotBD failed on every aspect. The characters were close to being clichés, - the evil and hideously ugly overlord, his just as evil, scheming and hideously beautiful family, the quite boring Revenants and ….. Lan.

I simply could not understand Lan. She was two-dimensional, shallow, and seemed to fall in love/lust with Azrael more or less on first sight/sex. I couldn’t believe in her.

The world building confused me. Lan’s mother came over from America aged 7, lived alone for several years and STILL retained a pretty good memory of her life/culture from her childhood. Nah.

There were pages and pages and pages of dialogue, the same conversation repeated over and over, Lan and Azrael and her demands. Or the ‘children’ being just thoroughly obnoxious. I like angst, a lot. I even like hefty horror, but this was just….. page after page of the same thing, over and over. (boring isn't it ;) )

Other points that really irked me. What was with Lan not knowing how to use cutlery? What was with her later desperate plea to Azrael not to burn someone – she came over as distraught and almost hysterical and yet she had spent the first night in Haven chained in the garden while a man burned like a slow torch and that didn't seem to bother her too much. I didn’t get any sense of real deep emotion there.

I lost patience with this book, lost interest as well to the extent that I kept going to playing Candy Hero Story and trying to complete Level 146 (unsuccessfully). Yes, LofBD had me by the throat but it was more of an annoying and irritating tickle in the throat that needed coughing up, than a desperate, breathless need to get to the end, whatever the cost.

And the end?

Sigh. Rather too predictable and a generally unsatisfying conclusion.. As a ‘straight' horror story it would be three stars, but I was expecting (as with Gann and Heat and Cottonwood) something passionate. steamy, sexy, a damaged hero and a brave heroine, life threatening situations, a world that was detailed and ‘visible’ to the reader.

I have to be honest. I really didn’t like this book, but that fact isn’t enough to stop me purchasing other novels by Smith. (And the cover is just wrong. )

[Tiffany Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

R.Lee Smith writes books that captivate you from the beginning to the very end. I couldn't put this down, and when I did, I couldn't wait to pick it up again to continue.

The world and the characters are detailed and flushed out, but not to the point that you are overburdened by them. She has a great writing skill and she paints a picture enough that you can imagine it all as you read. She sucks you in and you feel what her characters feel. This book made me sad, frustrated, and angry, right up until I had tears in my eyes, and then finally...happy. I was so worried this was going to have a horrible, tragic ending, but R.Lee Smith gave a beautiful ending for her beautifully dead Azrael.

I don't need to rehash what the blurb already says, but you are with Lan throughout the book and her struggles. Despite what others think, she is not a selfish woman. She gives up much of herself and more for what she believes is right. But she is honest and loves deeply. You view Azrael as a villain at first. A creature who hides behind a mask, who created this world they live in now with Eaters (mindless zombies) roaming the world and all the dead within Haven. But you discover things about him and you feel for him. You understand why he did the things he did, and why he refuses to end the Eaters. But there is one thing he holds more dear by the end: Lan herself.

If you are not squeamish about reading love scenes with Lan and Azrael...who is pretty much a corpse...then you will love this. It came to not really caring that he was to me, as you feel the connection that they have and you forget. It just comes down to feeling. Wonderful read!

[Steelwhisper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Damn it.

I usually adore Smith, but once in a while she writes something which I find either "meh" or don't like at all. One thing I noticed is that this tends to be so when she writes hate-sex/angry sex. I really, really dislike this trope regardless of the author, but when she does it it takes away too much from where she shines. Here however I also was really bored.

Damn it. I was really waiting for this one.

Sigh.

[Izzah ꒰Duchess of Cabria ಇ ⭑✧ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ ✧ ⋆꒱ · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚋𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛

As I write this, I will try my best not to compare this with Smith's masterpiece but some comparisons, I think, are unavoidable.


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𓆩・・˖ The magnificent ˖・・𓆪
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──★ Once more, I feel as if Smith is trying to put two opposing sides against each other and answer the question of "who is right?" with yes.
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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[Parvati Patil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A recommendation from one of my favourite authors. Original and unique.

Not safe, though. There's tons of OW, basically many of my triggers are here, but the world is enchanting and the story really different so I didn't hate it.

[FV Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted at http://fictionvixen.com/read-wednesda...

I’ve been checking this author’s website regularly for any, and I do mean ANY, new updates on a possible release date for Land of the Beautiful Dead. I was like a stalker there for awhile, which means I spent most of my year steeped in disappointment, waiting…

Then on Oct. 30th, out of nowhere it suddenly appeared on Amazon! *fist bump* *high five* Who gives a crap if it’s Halloween AND Homecoming weekend and I had lots of stuff to do? I was one-clicking and cracking this baby open. 751 pages? No problem.

I’m not sure the description of horror erotica quite fits this book. It’s definitely fantasy and post-apocalyptic. There is sex, but not so much that I would consider it erotica. It is gory at times, although not as bad as I was expecting with the whole zombie thing. It did make me think, which always seems to happen when I open a new R. Lee Smith book.

The heroine is named Lan and she is on a mission to enter the great city of Haven and do whatever she has to in order to get an audience with Azrael. Azrael is known by many names… Azrael the eternal, Azrael the immortal, and also Azrael, lord of the beautiful dead, because that’s what makes up his court. Lan is of the living and Azrael is lord of death. He is undying and after finally winning the war with humans he retreated to his great walled city of Haven with his remaining children and left behind the dead to rise again as Eaters that would forever threaten every human left alive and keep them in check. After watching her mother rise up after death and become an Eater, Lan decides she’s had enough and sets out to convince Azrael to get rid of the Eaters and let the living reside in peace. Whatever she has to do means she will even become his dolly and let him into her body in the chances that she can convince him to end the status quo.

If you think you have any idea who the bad guy is in this book, trust me you’d be wrong. If there is one thing this author does and does well, its blur the lines of good and evil. The person who you would think is awful and terrible, really isn’t. And as uncomfortable as it may be, his assumptions about man’s actions do get proven correct. While Lan might start out being the good girl who sets out to do great things, she does make some stupid mistakes that you just know will come back and bite everyone in the ass later. But she’s a strong heroine, funny and crude and tries to follow her heart.

I loved the romance between Azrael and Lan. On Twitter this morning my friend Lexxie mentioned a Beauty and the Beast comparison and I kind of squinty-eyed it at first, but now that I think about it, she’s right. Although the beast never changes his looks, only his willingness to hope and embrace a new life and the beauty eventually becomes more like her lover as she falls in love and learns a few lessons about the hearts of men. But that almost seems too tame, I really believe this book is also about war, redemption, pride, class structure, man’s quest to win despite the consequences, finding a home where you least expect it, and discovering connections despite vast differences. That’s right off the top of my head, I’m sure there is much more that I haven’t even thought through yet, but I’m writing this review mere hours after I finished and am still kind of working it all out.

Yes, I loved this book. Not quite as much as Last Hour of Gann, but it’s up there. I think my favorite part was the ending. Gah! I’m getting kind of teary eyed thinking of it. For those of you who need an HEA, don’t be afraid, I was so happy with the way everything wrapped up. Also don’t let the page count or label of horror erotica deter you, trust me you won’t regret setting aside your TBR stack to pick this one up.

Favorite Quote:

“
She put her arms around him and pressed her brow to his, pressed hard. “I want you to miss me when I’m gone. Not for a thousand years or a million, but all of them, until there’s no more way to count them. I want to give you the best night of your life and I want you to remember it forever.”

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

R. Lee Smith is officially one of my new favorite authors! I mean, who else can write 700+ page books about things like alien men who have faces and skin like lizards (in the The Last Hour of Gann), or in this book, a man who has cold gray skin that is missing in parts complete with bones showing through, and turn that into a kind of romance-ish book that instead of being disturbing, is absolutely captivating? These books have seriously impressive characterization, world building, and plots, they are not meant to be read as just smutty romance books, even though they are definitely not PG-13. I absolutely flew through this book. Now to go find more books written by this author! I think I will read her Lords of Arcadia series on the recommendation of my GR friend Holly :)

[Mandapanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting love story between a lord of the dead mysteriously come to earth and a desperate farm girl. Although the setting and the lord's past actions are horrible, this book is not as dark as other stories by this author. It has a static feel because it all happens in one place (Haven) and most of the story is made up of Lan and Azrael negotiating their relationship. There are some big themes here of what it means to be human, the price of peace and the need for revenge. Although I thoroughly enjoyed it I was surprised/ambivalent about some aspects. In particular killing off Azrael's children so early in the story, never really finding out why Azrael was there, Wickham dying off page. My sympathies vacillated between the two MC's which I'm sure was the author's intention. This book makes me want to reread Gann.