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Brimstone and Fire #1
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth
Kellan Manchester, an indentured political assassin, wants to lead a life of his own choosing. But as one of the Fallen - celestial descendants who are still paying for their ancestor’s mistakes - he has no choice but to do as he’s commanded.
All Cassian Evermore wants is to pay off his father’s debts and ensure his mother’s safety. Being forced to work for someone he hates is soul-crushing, but when he meets Legion assassin Kellan in the garden of a target’s home, he can’t help but wonder if he’s finally found something interesting.
Thanks to a fortuitous meeting in a nightclub, the two men form a tentative agreement to work together to solve a brutal string of murders in Spiral City. Kellan finds himself struggling to connect the dots, while Cassian juggles the emotional toll of targeting someone he’s come to see as a friend.
And neither of them can ignore their budding feelings for one another, even while the bodies continue to pile up.
Kellan and Cassian are two men with no control over their own fates - but this case could spell the same for the entire world.
All Cassian Evermore wants is to pay off his father’s debts and ensure his mother’s safety. Being forced to work for someone he hates is soul-crushing, but when he meets Legion assassin Kellan in the garden of a target’s home, he can’t help but wonder if he’s finally found something interesting.
Thanks to a fortuitous meeting in a nightclub, the two men form a tentative agreement to work together to solve a brutal string of murders in Spiral City. Kellan finds himself struggling to connect the dots, while Cassian juggles the emotional toll of targeting someone he’s come to see as a friend.
And neither of them can ignore their budding feelings for one another, even while the bodies continue to pile up.
Kellan and Cassian are two men with no control over their own fates - but this case could spell the same for the entire world.
405 pages, Paperback
Published April 4, 2023
4 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
T.M. Ledvina
3 books40 followersT.M. Ledvina is an avid reader and writer with a bachelor of the arts in English, and loves all things fantasy and romance. They live in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, Ryan, and certified good boy, Cori. When they aren’t writing, you can find her watching anime, playing ttrpgs, or enjoying video games. Ledvina is the author of the Brimstone and Fire series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 11, 2023
*Thank you again to Tia for giving me an ARC of Of Blood, Bones and Truth!*
First of all: a big yay for the queer norm! I adore stories with queer characters that don’t just revolve around their sexuality. Reading representation like this always fills my heart with so much joy and warmth!
When I say I devoured the last 100 pages, I DEVOURED the last 100 pages. All the little hints slowly fell into their place and figuring out this mystery alongside Cassian and Kellan (who are the softest baby bois) was a thrill. And that cliffhanger…. I needed some time to pull myself together before writing this review. I am still not okay.
The characters all stood out to me in their own way. I was rooting for Kellan and Cassian from the beginning, but my favorites might be Selwyn and Vaida. These women are just so well written and SMART. And you can’t go wrong with sassy remarks like Vaida’s.
I don’t read a lot of sci-fi but I would heavily recommend this book to anyone who wants to dive into the genre! The world of OBBT is well thought out and not too complex, which makes it very easy to follow.
If you’re still not convided, I highlighted a bunch on interactions between Kellan and Cassian that had me giggling, smiling and “awwwh” -ing out loud. The one with the bandages GOT me. But for now, I will leave you with this one:
“Stay.”
“Please.”
“I’ll stay.”
First of all: a big yay for the queer norm! I adore stories with queer characters that don’t just revolve around their sexuality. Reading representation like this always fills my heart with so much joy and warmth!
When I say I devoured the last 100 pages, I DEVOURED the last 100 pages. All the little hints slowly fell into their place and figuring out this mystery alongside Cassian and Kellan (who are the softest baby bois) was a thrill. And that cliffhanger…. I needed some time to pull myself together before writing this review. I am still not okay.
The characters all stood out to me in their own way. I was rooting for Kellan and Cassian from the beginning, but my favorites might be Selwyn and Vaida. These women are just so well written and SMART. And you can’t go wrong with sassy remarks like Vaida’s.
I don’t read a lot of sci-fi but I would heavily recommend this book to anyone who wants to dive into the genre! The world of OBBT is well thought out and not too complex, which makes it very easy to follow.
If you’re still not convided, I highlighted a bunch on interactions between Kellan and Cassian that had me giggling, smiling and “awwwh” -ing out loud. The one with the bandages GOT me. But for now, I will leave you with this one:
“Stay.”
“Please.”
“I’ll stay.”
March 29, 2023
First off, thanks so much to Tia for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review :)
It's giving Shadowhunters but make it sci-fi and queer :) we ate this UP!
Ledvina is easily one of the best world-builders I have ever seen! This world is so LUSH and you can easily visualize every detail of its' inhabitants and its' locations. Especially given how much action there is in this book. I find it so important to understand the surroundings in these top-thrill moments and Ledvina did this FLAWLESSLY. Cassian's over here chasing this dude on the roof and I'm screaming "take the alley between 32nd and 69th and cut him off at the Morgenstern's vacation villa east of here!" Like, shit was rich.
Absolutely LOVED the diverse cast of characters in this :) And not just because there were a variety of fantasy races (i.e elven, draconic folk, fae, etc) but because each character brought unique characteristics in their personalities and occupations, as well as sexuality. There are queer assassins. There are women running top technological companies and women leading research, and being the best at it. There are characters resolute on diminishing the hate toward the human race, and using their money (to which, there is a lot) in this cause rather than blowing it on materialistic desires. Demons and demon-worshipers aimed at making the world their own. And tons of pasts shrouded in mystery. There is truly something to love for everyone here and this cast diversity is truly something we need more of in books. (I can think of quite a few popular fantasy series that are exhaustingly one note in the diverse category, gag)
This book is extremely plot-driven which, if you have seen some of my past reviews, I am a major fan of! When it's something other than a romance book. The romance is there, but Ledvina focuses more on the high-stakes thriller of a plot she has whipped up for and sweetie, I'm buying :) Honey people are turning into demons left and right from some impossibly-derived drug and Cassian is over here tryna wrap this assassination up but then lover boy is like "wait, but high-key can you help me with these demons" and because Cassian's tryna get that dick wet, he's like yeah lets get this bitch but I have a deadline and my old homie is crazy strong and weird so like, lets go fast...so with ALL of that going on shit gets CRAZY! But we live for the chaos so grab some popcorn henny and enjoy the show!
While the romance is not the focus, I do wish it had a bit more of a consistent build. The miscommunication/who's gonna make the first move, thus nothing happens trope leaves me craving a bit more. I think had something built steadily throughout, it would have felt like there was more on the line and made an already thrilling plot even more thrilling!
I also wish we got more of *KIND OF SPOILER ALERT* Cassian's new untapped power at the end. It was very quick and I was like wait...homie was supposed to be a Prince of Hell and this sudden outburst somehow just saved the entire day in the matter of like two paragraphs? Gahhhh I wanted Cassian and Princey to duke it OUT! Save yo man Cassian!
It's giving Shadowhunters but make it sci-fi and queer :) we ate this UP!
Ledvina is easily one of the best world-builders I have ever seen! This world is so LUSH and you can easily visualize every detail of its' inhabitants and its' locations. Especially given how much action there is in this book. I find it so important to understand the surroundings in these top-thrill moments and Ledvina did this FLAWLESSLY. Cassian's over here chasing this dude on the roof and I'm screaming "take the alley between 32nd and 69th and cut him off at the Morgenstern's vacation villa east of here!" Like, shit was rich.
Absolutely LOVED the diverse cast of characters in this :) And not just because there were a variety of fantasy races (i.e elven, draconic folk, fae, etc) but because each character brought unique characteristics in their personalities and occupations, as well as sexuality. There are queer assassins. There are women running top technological companies and women leading research, and being the best at it. There are characters resolute on diminishing the hate toward the human race, and using their money (to which, there is a lot) in this cause rather than blowing it on materialistic desires. Demons and demon-worshipers aimed at making the world their own. And tons of pasts shrouded in mystery. There is truly something to love for everyone here and this cast diversity is truly something we need more of in books. (I can think of quite a few popular fantasy series that are exhaustingly one note in the diverse category, gag)
This book is extremely plot-driven which, if you have seen some of my past reviews, I am a major fan of! When it's something other than a romance book. The romance is there, but Ledvina focuses more on the high-stakes thriller of a plot she has whipped up for and sweetie, I'm buying :) Honey people are turning into demons left and right from some impossibly-derived drug and Cassian is over here tryna wrap this assassination up but then lover boy is like "wait, but high-key can you help me with these demons" and because Cassian's tryna get that dick wet, he's like yeah lets get this bitch but I have a deadline and my old homie is crazy strong and weird so like, lets go fast...so with ALL of that going on shit gets CRAZY! But we live for the chaos so grab some popcorn henny and enjoy the show!
While the romance is not the focus, I do wish it had a bit more of a consistent build. The miscommunication/who's gonna make the first move, thus nothing happens trope leaves me craving a bit more. I think had something built steadily throughout, it would have felt like there was more on the line and made an already thrilling plot even more thrilling!
I also wish we got more of *KIND OF SPOILER ALERT* Cassian's new untapped power at the end. It was very quick and I was like wait...homie was supposed to be a Prince of Hell and this sudden outburst somehow just saved the entire day in the matter of like two paragraphs? Gahhhh I wanted Cassian and Princey to duke it OUT! Save yo man Cassian!
January 2, 2023
I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of Of Blood Bones and Truth from the author and I devoured this book. I read 70% of it in one sitting and it was absolutely incredible!
These characters had my heart from the moment they came on to the page. All of them, even the side characters, just had so much depth and so much past trauma that I want to know more about. I just wanted to protect them and not let them get hurt, but alas they got hurt. My absolute favorite was Vaida, don’t tell Kellan and Cassian, though there wasn’t much of her this book, I just really loved her personality and can’t wait to see more of her.
This world and magic system was so wonderful. All the different technology and the different supernaturals just enhanced the story even more and were so cool. I loved how the world building was gradual and not all dumped on you at once. I really enjoyed the dark aspect of it, especially towards the end. The creepy part of it fit so well into the story and had me at the edge of my seat. It was gross at times and so dark and I loved it.
My boys Kellan and Cassian will now forever have my heart. They’ve been through so much and have just had such a hard time, but they keep going. Even when it looks like there isn’t a future of freedom and togetherness, they continue to fight for their world and for each other. Though they didn’t admit their feelings for a while, it was the perfect build up full of so much angst.
All lovers of sci-fi fantasy will enjoy Of Blood Bones and Truth. Even if sci-fi isn’t normally you’re thing, I recommend giving OBBT a shot. It’s not a super complicated world and the magic system is easy to understand. It’s full of badass characters, cinnamon roll bois, and angsty mm romance. Add OBBT to your tbr immediately, or better yet, order it now!
These characters had my heart from the moment they came on to the page. All of them, even the side characters, just had so much depth and so much past trauma that I want to know more about. I just wanted to protect them and not let them get hurt, but alas they got hurt. My absolute favorite was Vaida, don’t tell Kellan and Cassian, though there wasn’t much of her this book, I just really loved her personality and can’t wait to see more of her.
This world and magic system was so wonderful. All the different technology and the different supernaturals just enhanced the story even more and were so cool. I loved how the world building was gradual and not all dumped on you at once. I really enjoyed the dark aspect of it, especially towards the end. The creepy part of it fit so well into the story and had me at the edge of my seat. It was gross at times and so dark and I loved it.
My boys Kellan and Cassian will now forever have my heart. They’ve been through so much and have just had such a hard time, but they keep going. Even when it looks like there isn’t a future of freedom and togetherness, they continue to fight for their world and for each other. Though they didn’t admit their feelings for a while, it was the perfect build up full of so much angst.
All lovers of sci-fi fantasy will enjoy Of Blood Bones and Truth. Even if sci-fi isn’t normally you’re thing, I recommend giving OBBT a shot. It’s not a super complicated world and the magic system is easy to understand. It’s full of badass characters, cinnamon roll bois, and angsty mm romance. Add OBBT to your tbr immediately, or better yet, order it now!
April 16, 2023
"A longing for a life he'd never even had. Was it possible to miss something he'd never experienced before?"
Hello fellow bookworms🤍✨
Today I’m back with my review of OF BLOOD, BONES, AND TRUTH🙌. It is a cyberfantasy novel that follows an indentured assassin Kellan as he tries to solve a brutal string of murders in a futuristic city-state. The author was kind enough to send me an ARC and I can’t thank her enough !!😭 The good news is that it's available for pre-order now, online, wherever books are sold and it’s releasing very soon on April 4, 2023!!!
Fae creatures and others isn't new but I could tell right from the beginning with the extensive reading guide (which I really appreciated btw) that there was a real effort to create a whole new urban fantasy world, and I hope we get to explore it even more in the next books. I was most pleasantly surprised by the writing style: it was very pleasant and so easy to read, I also felt like the author relied heavily on sensory elements which made it very immersive and I could really picture the cyber futuristic city with its towering skyscrapers and neon vibes.
Character-wise, she served us with two soft boys🥺 Cassian was definitely my favourite, he is so precious I can’t🤍, but it was easy to relate to both, and I have to say her characters felt so human??? I can't even explain but this book was just emotionally charged and had a very incisive writing, when they hurt it hurt too basically lol🫠. I also didn't expect the romance to be such an important part of the story right away? I didn't mind it at all though😌and it wasn't heavy heavy, it’s the kind of romance that lies in subtle touches and stolen glances and smiles and omg that first kiss scene?? So good!!!
I have to say though that I wasn’t as smitten by the other secondary characters as I thought I would be. I did enjoy the dynamics between the different characters but, and I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t get their povs🤔, Selly, Pontius, Vaida (such a girlboss), and the others really felt, well, secondary to me…
I did feel like some stuff got solved or revealed a bit too easily and quickly but I get that it was necessary for the plot and there is still so much we don't know and things to be explained, especially with how the book ends??? Heartbreaking and promising at the same time, the author clearly knew what she was doing tehe🫣👌.
Side note and I’m gonna try to be vague on this but the “villain” here is a real piece of work and a psychopath but also low-key cool and charismatic??😅😂
All in all, I really had a great time with this story and these characters, it was a solid first book in a series and I can't wait to see what's next on this new journey! 🙌 Thank you again to the author!
Hello fellow bookworms🤍✨
Today I’m back with my review of OF BLOOD, BONES, AND TRUTH🙌. It is a cyberfantasy novel that follows an indentured assassin Kellan as he tries to solve a brutal string of murders in a futuristic city-state. The author was kind enough to send me an ARC and I can’t thank her enough !!😭 The good news is that it's available for pre-order now, online, wherever books are sold and it’s releasing very soon on April 4, 2023!!!
Fae creatures and others isn't new but I could tell right from the beginning with the extensive reading guide (which I really appreciated btw) that there was a real effort to create a whole new urban fantasy world, and I hope we get to explore it even more in the next books. I was most pleasantly surprised by the writing style: it was very pleasant and so easy to read, I also felt like the author relied heavily on sensory elements which made it very immersive and I could really picture the cyber futuristic city with its towering skyscrapers and neon vibes.
Character-wise, she served us with two soft boys🥺 Cassian was definitely my favourite, he is so precious I can’t🤍, but it was easy to relate to both, and I have to say her characters felt so human??? I can't even explain but this book was just emotionally charged and had a very incisive writing, when they hurt it hurt too basically lol🫠. I also didn't expect the romance to be such an important part of the story right away? I didn't mind it at all though😌and it wasn't heavy heavy, it’s the kind of romance that lies in subtle touches and stolen glances and smiles and omg that first kiss scene?? So good!!!
I have to say though that I wasn’t as smitten by the other secondary characters as I thought I would be. I did enjoy the dynamics between the different characters but, and I don’t know if it’s because we didn’t get their povs🤔, Selly, Pontius, Vaida (such a girlboss), and the others really felt, well, secondary to me…
I did feel like some stuff got solved or revealed a bit too easily and quickly but I get that it was necessary for the plot and there is still so much we don't know and things to be explained, especially with how the book ends??? Heartbreaking and promising at the same time, the author clearly knew what she was doing tehe🫣👌.
Side note and I’m gonna try to be vague on this but the “villain” here is a real piece of work and a psychopath but also low-key cool and charismatic??😅😂
All in all, I really had a great time with this story and these characters, it was a solid first book in a series and I can't wait to see what's next on this new journey! 🙌 Thank you again to the author!
March 3, 2023
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book!!!! THIS BOOK! I adored the world building, the characters, the story and the plot twists, all the mysteries I was desperately trying to solve. I came up with so many theories during my reading and half of them got debunked but I got some things right 😂 I felt like I was solving the murder mystery with the boys.
Speaking of the boys, Kellan and Cassian are my ride or die, they're just so *squishes their cheeks*. I was so emotionally invested in seeing their friendship and relationship blossom, it all just felt right, and I always crave a good slow burn romance 😂 Besides not trusting half the cast at first - I'm so sorry Ponty - Vaida was the character I related to the most and I can't believe how much I ended up loving her and her sassy remarks. Tarin…. you know what you did Tia, I won't say more about him 🥲 The Villain is also finally someone who's just, you know, bad, an asshole if you will 😂 I love a Villain who I can hate because they're just irredeemable. But yeah, he can rot in hell.
The world building is phenomenal! I love seeing authors give so much love and attention to the world of their story 🥹 As someone who tends to have a movie going on inside their head whenever I'm reading something and imagining the scenes, it definitely made my time reading this book even better! The plot is on ANOTHER level and I stand by this forever, the fact that I even got to read this magic of a story is unreal to me.
I'm definitely gushing and I have a LOT more to say but I'm running out of space and this review is a mess like my emotional state after finishing the book 😂
This book!!!! THIS BOOK! I adored the world building, the characters, the story and the plot twists, all the mysteries I was desperately trying to solve. I came up with so many theories during my reading and half of them got debunked but I got some things right 😂 I felt like I was solving the murder mystery with the boys.
Speaking of the boys, Kellan and Cassian are my ride or die, they're just so *squishes their cheeks*. I was so emotionally invested in seeing their friendship and relationship blossom, it all just felt right, and I always crave a good slow burn romance 😂 Besides not trusting half the cast at first - I'm so sorry Ponty - Vaida was the character I related to the most and I can't believe how much I ended up loving her and her sassy remarks. Tarin…. you know what you did Tia, I won't say more about him 🥲 The Villain is also finally someone who's just, you know, bad, an asshole if you will 😂 I love a Villain who I can hate because they're just irredeemable. But yeah, he can rot in hell.
The world building is phenomenal! I love seeing authors give so much love and attention to the world of their story 🥹 As someone who tends to have a movie going on inside their head whenever I'm reading something and imagining the scenes, it definitely made my time reading this book even better! The plot is on ANOTHER level and I stand by this forever, the fact that I even got to read this magic of a story is unreal to me.
I'm definitely gushing and I have a LOT more to say but I'm running out of space and this review is a mess like my emotional state after finishing the book 😂
April 1, 2023
Uffff! What a ride! This book took me thru every bump and corner on full speed and i enjoyed every bit of it!
Demons, assassins and murder mysteries! In other words, my cup of tea!
The world building was spectacular! The characters were freakin’ bada$$! Cassian is my fave! And the ending had me in a million pieces! I have never made that many WTF faces till i read this book! And i mean that in a good way! I cannot wait for the next!
Thank you Tia for sending me your E-Arc for an honest review! I honestly and truly loved it!
If you like Crescent City but with more mayhem and zero spice, this is the book you’re looking for!
Demons, assassins and murder mysteries! In other words, my cup of tea!
The world building was spectacular! The characters were freakin’ bada$$! Cassian is my fave! And the ending had me in a million pieces! I have never made that many WTF faces till i read this book! And i mean that in a good way! I cannot wait for the next!
Thank you Tia for sending me your E-Arc for an honest review! I honestly and truly loved it!
If you like Crescent City but with more mayhem and zero spice, this is the book you’re looking for!
April 2, 2023
I was sent an e-ARC of this novel by the author in exchange for an honest review.
OF BLOOD, BONES AND TRUTH is the first instalment in a new urban fantasy series, the debut novel by T. M. Ledvina.
The author has created, within the span of four hundred pages, a fascinating and rich blend of beautiful and intricate world-building, stunning writing and a whole host of lovable characters. I fell for so many of these characters, but mostly Kellan, one of the point-of-view characters in OBBT. I absolutely loved learning about him, his career, his background, his past, his insecurities and flaws.
One of Ledvina's strongest points in writing has to be their characterisation. Something I love in books is whenever the internal turmoil of the protagonists (or even the side characters) fuse with the themes of the book but are still, in their own way, personal to the characters themselves. Ledvina does this in a remarkable way, exhibiting Kellan's past and depth to us without oversaturating it amidst the plot.
The plot, by the way, is dark as it is magical. This world is teeming with demons, angels and all other kinds of supernatural creatures. Urban fantasy novels set in a secondary fantasy world isn't new, but Ledvina's use of originality and creativity makes for a stunning world. It feels so lived-in, which is exactly what you want when you're starting the first page of a fantasy book. You want to be drawn into a world of possibility and mystery, even if you may not know the mere basics. But neither the characters or the author guides your hand on this journey. You discover it for yourself as our main characters unravel the conspiracy lying within Spiral City.
I want to give a shoutout to my girl Vaida, because I am completely obsessed with her. Honestly, if we get a Vaida novella or a whole spin-off series, I wouldn't be upset. I must just love the serious workaholics with a heart of gold hidden behind all the stone, but I do love Vaida. Her character was so interesting to me, and while I understand that this story mainly focuses on our boys Cassian and Kellan, I want to know more about her. However, since this IS a series, I'll be waiting (im)patiently to find out more.
Before I end this review, I'd just like to touch on the world-building. The lore in this book is so detailed, so complex but so rewarding once all of the pieces click together. And what's even better is there are so many mysteries left to untangle. I won't give much away, but when the answers in this book get revealed, be prepared for more. I feel like this series is just going to get crazier.
Thank you so, so much to Ledvina for sending me an e-ARC (love you, Tia!). I cannot wait to read more of her work. <3
OF BLOOD, BONES AND TRUTH is the first instalment in a new urban fantasy series, the debut novel by T. M. Ledvina.
The author has created, within the span of four hundred pages, a fascinating and rich blend of beautiful and intricate world-building, stunning writing and a whole host of lovable characters. I fell for so many of these characters, but mostly Kellan, one of the point-of-view characters in OBBT. I absolutely loved learning about him, his career, his background, his past, his insecurities and flaws.
One of Ledvina's strongest points in writing has to be their characterisation. Something I love in books is whenever the internal turmoil of the protagonists (or even the side characters) fuse with the themes of the book but are still, in their own way, personal to the characters themselves. Ledvina does this in a remarkable way, exhibiting Kellan's past and depth to us without oversaturating it amidst the plot.
The plot, by the way, is dark as it is magical. This world is teeming with demons, angels and all other kinds of supernatural creatures. Urban fantasy novels set in a secondary fantasy world isn't new, but Ledvina's use of originality and creativity makes for a stunning world. It feels so lived-in, which is exactly what you want when you're starting the first page of a fantasy book. You want to be drawn into a world of possibility and mystery, even if you may not know the mere basics. But neither the characters or the author guides your hand on this journey. You discover it for yourself as our main characters unravel the conspiracy lying within Spiral City.
I want to give a shoutout to my girl Vaida, because I am completely obsessed with her. Honestly, if we get a Vaida novella or a whole spin-off series, I wouldn't be upset. I must just love the serious workaholics with a heart of gold hidden behind all the stone, but I do love Vaida. Her character was so interesting to me, and while I understand that this story mainly focuses on our boys Cassian and Kellan, I want to know more about her. However, since this IS a series, I'll be waiting (im)patiently to find out more.
Before I end this review, I'd just like to touch on the world-building. The lore in this book is so detailed, so complex but so rewarding once all of the pieces click together. And what's even better is there are so many mysteries left to untangle. I won't give much away, but when the answers in this book get revealed, be prepared for more. I feel like this series is just going to get crazier.
Thank you so, so much to Ledvina for sending me an e-ARC (love you, Tia!). I cannot wait to read more of her work. <3
January 17, 2024
2.5 stars
Thank you to @pridebooktours and the author for providing me with an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is an urban fantasy novel that follows Kellan, one of the fallen seraphs indentured to be an assassin, and Cassian, an elf who is also an assassin, for both similar and different reasons. Unlikely companions, they are somewhat forced to band together to help solve murders that are happening around the city, and end up with more than they bargained for.
What I liked about this book was that it was queer normative, I always love that in a fantasy. It was an interesting world with diverse characters, magic and structures but, overall it fell flat for me.
It could have been improved if there was more mystery, but as we also had the POV of the villain, here was no intrigue at all. You knew almost exactly what was going to happen. It also wasn’t clear why exactly the villain was a villain, I much prefer when villains have a back story and aren’t just your stereotypical evil people. The writing didn’t hit for me at all, there was a lack of character depth and consistency. They were assassins but had a hard time seeing death and smelling blood? Kellan was an assassin but was also put on a case to solve a murder basically by himself? What exactly were the fallen? There was a huge lack of history there. And then there were chapters with random bits of information, not to mention the over expensive appendix’s prior to the novels start yet I still didn’t completely understand everything. It had potential but wasn’t for me.
Thank you to @pridebooktours and the author for providing me with an electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is an urban fantasy novel that follows Kellan, one of the fallen seraphs indentured to be an assassin, and Cassian, an elf who is also an assassin, for both similar and different reasons. Unlikely companions, they are somewhat forced to band together to help solve murders that are happening around the city, and end up with more than they bargained for.
What I liked about this book was that it was queer normative, I always love that in a fantasy. It was an interesting world with diverse characters, magic and structures but, overall it fell flat for me.
It could have been improved if there was more mystery, but as we also had the POV of the villain, here was no intrigue at all. You knew almost exactly what was going to happen. It also wasn’t clear why exactly the villain was a villain, I much prefer when villains have a back story and aren’t just your stereotypical evil people. The writing didn’t hit for me at all, there was a lack of character depth and consistency. They were assassins but had a hard time seeing death and smelling blood? Kellan was an assassin but was also put on a case to solve a murder basically by himself? What exactly were the fallen? There was a huge lack of history there. And then there were chapters with random bits of information, not to mention the over expensive appendix’s prior to the novels start yet I still didn’t completely understand everything. It had potential but wasn’t for me.
March 18, 2023
STARS: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨ (4.5/5)
What to expect from OBBT:
- 3rd person Multi-POV
- Queer-normative world and M/M romance (no spice, just fluff)
- Sci-fi high fantasy setting
- Women in STEM
- Demons, fae, and magic
- Emotional damage ✨
“Cassian smiled. The sight knocked Kellan breathless. It was clouds parting on a rainy day, blossoms blooming after the winter snow melted, or the first note of his favorite song.“
OBBT is reminiscent of the quick-fire pacing of anime. High-tension action mixed with bursts of light-hearted comedy ensure the novel never feels boring. It’s a breeze to read from start to finish, and there’s never a moment you’re not on your toes. Mysteries and suspense keep you turning pages until you’re met with the stunning conclusion.
To match this pacing, the writing is expertly concise. Beautiful, but never too flowery. Smart, without working too hard to show you. There were scarce grammar or punctuation issues, and never any that drew away from the experience. OBBT feels as though it has had ample time to be considered and edited, becoming the best version of itself. Very impressive for an indie debut!
Ileron and Spiral City are lush with opulent world building and glorious history, shaping the setting profoundly. Ledvina was kind enough to include guides for her characters (including pronunciation!), government, leadership, and politics of the world. Apart from being immensely helpful, it shows how much care the author has put into the world you are about to jump into. The setting provides a superb backdrop for our protagonists, Cassian and Kellan, both on unique journeys which inevitably intertwine.
The duality of Cassian’s shyness to Kellan’s confident swagger creates a wonderful dynamic between the two. The chemistry sparks from the beginning, and the author does such a lovely job with every interaction with them. It’s swoon-worthy romance in such a wholesome, butterflies-in-your-tummy way! It’s certainly secondary to the overall plot, but given just as much care. You can tell these are well loved characters and I loved them just as much!
This journey is punctuated by a thrilling, gut-wrenching conclusion. If you’re into emotional damage, this is definitely the book for you 🥲 I am going to be sending Tia my therapy bills.
And if all this isn’t enough for you, the dedication is tear-jerking and my favourite thing about this whole book:
“For those who need a world where queerness isn’t queer — it’s just love.” 😭
I would highly recommend OBBT to anyone looking for a unique and fast-paced fantasy with threads to queer-lit and anime. This is a fantastic debut and I am highly impressed by Ledvina’s work!
Disclaimer: I was gifted a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review!
What to expect from OBBT:
- 3rd person Multi-POV
- Queer-normative world and M/M romance (no spice, just fluff)
- Sci-fi high fantasy setting
- Women in STEM
- Demons, fae, and magic
- Emotional damage ✨
“Cassian smiled. The sight knocked Kellan breathless. It was clouds parting on a rainy day, blossoms blooming after the winter snow melted, or the first note of his favorite song.“
OBBT is reminiscent of the quick-fire pacing of anime. High-tension action mixed with bursts of light-hearted comedy ensure the novel never feels boring. It’s a breeze to read from start to finish, and there’s never a moment you’re not on your toes. Mysteries and suspense keep you turning pages until you’re met with the stunning conclusion.
To match this pacing, the writing is expertly concise. Beautiful, but never too flowery. Smart, without working too hard to show you. There were scarce grammar or punctuation issues, and never any that drew away from the experience. OBBT feels as though it has had ample time to be considered and edited, becoming the best version of itself. Very impressive for an indie debut!
Ileron and Spiral City are lush with opulent world building and glorious history, shaping the setting profoundly. Ledvina was kind enough to include guides for her characters (including pronunciation!), government, leadership, and politics of the world. Apart from being immensely helpful, it shows how much care the author has put into the world you are about to jump into. The setting provides a superb backdrop for our protagonists, Cassian and Kellan, both on unique journeys which inevitably intertwine.
The duality of Cassian’s shyness to Kellan’s confident swagger creates a wonderful dynamic between the two. The chemistry sparks from the beginning, and the author does such a lovely job with every interaction with them. It’s swoon-worthy romance in such a wholesome, butterflies-in-your-tummy way! It’s certainly secondary to the overall plot, but given just as much care. You can tell these are well loved characters and I loved them just as much!
This journey is punctuated by a thrilling, gut-wrenching conclusion. If you’re into emotional damage, this is definitely the book for you 🥲 I am going to be sending Tia my therapy bills.
And if all this isn’t enough for you, the dedication is tear-jerking and my favourite thing about this whole book:
“For those who need a world where queerness isn’t queer — it’s just love.” 😭
I would highly recommend OBBT to anyone looking for a unique and fast-paced fantasy with threads to queer-lit and anime. This is a fantastic debut and I am highly impressed by Ledvina’s work!
Disclaimer: I was gifted a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review!
March 28, 2023
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is an absolutely fantastic debut from T.M. Ledvina, masterfully weaving the soft touches of a tentative new love against a backdrop of classism, magic, and mystery.
It's hard to not immediately fall in love with the characters and setting Ledvina created for this story. Roles and rules are out the window, leaving a futuristic city scape where even those trained to destroy can be soft and celestial beings share the page with elves, shapeshifters, and demons.
I adored the main characters in this story. Both Kellan and Cassian find themselves destined for a path that their ancestors set out for them, neither in control of how they dirty their hands next. Despite these similarities, Ledvina crafted vastly different characters in terms of both personality and drive. They are an alpha and omega, cut from opposite ends of the same, beautiful cloth.
Of course, as easy as it is to immediately love Cassian and Kellan, it is just as easy to despise the villains that Ledvina created. Shrouded in mystery, the man readers get to know as Shadow has sinister motives which only intensify as the book goes on. Sometimes calculating, sometimes annoyingly disruptive, Shadow sure knows how to ruin things for Kellan and Cassian. Though, as proof of just how well Ledvina wrote these characters, I do truly wish to know more about the villain: his motivations and reasons for doing what he did, his past, his possibilities for redemption.
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is far more than a one-dimensional MM romance. By crafting a world where love is love no matter the gender, Ledvina was able to add so many layers to the story beyond the validity of Cassian and Kellan's romance. Just some of the constraints Ledvina touches on include the inescapable constructs of race and class, the rigidity of societal expectations, and the hopelessness of living when someone else dictates your life. While readers can purely enjoy the surface-level plot, watching Cassian and Kellan find each other and slowly fall in love, there is certainly a whole lot more to dissect in Ledvina's debut.
This story will definitely stay with readers long after the final page has been read, leaving us all clamoring for the next book in Cassian and Kellan's story.
*A huge thank you to T.M. Ledvina for sharing an early copy of her book. All opinions are my own.*
It's hard to not immediately fall in love with the characters and setting Ledvina created for this story. Roles and rules are out the window, leaving a futuristic city scape where even those trained to destroy can be soft and celestial beings share the page with elves, shapeshifters, and demons.
I adored the main characters in this story. Both Kellan and Cassian find themselves destined for a path that their ancestors set out for them, neither in control of how they dirty their hands next. Despite these similarities, Ledvina crafted vastly different characters in terms of both personality and drive. They are an alpha and omega, cut from opposite ends of the same, beautiful cloth.
Of course, as easy as it is to immediately love Cassian and Kellan, it is just as easy to despise the villains that Ledvina created. Shrouded in mystery, the man readers get to know as Shadow has sinister motives which only intensify as the book goes on. Sometimes calculating, sometimes annoyingly disruptive, Shadow sure knows how to ruin things for Kellan and Cassian. Though, as proof of just how well Ledvina wrote these characters, I do truly wish to know more about the villain: his motivations and reasons for doing what he did, his past, his possibilities for redemption.
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is far more than a one-dimensional MM romance. By crafting a world where love is love no matter the gender, Ledvina was able to add so many layers to the story beyond the validity of Cassian and Kellan's romance. Just some of the constraints Ledvina touches on include the inescapable constructs of race and class, the rigidity of societal expectations, and the hopelessness of living when someone else dictates your life. While readers can purely enjoy the surface-level plot, watching Cassian and Kellan find each other and slowly fall in love, there is certainly a whole lot more to dissect in Ledvina's debut.
This story will definitely stay with readers long after the final page has been read, leaving us all clamoring for the next book in Cassian and Kellan's story.
*A huge thank you to T.M. Ledvina for sharing an early copy of her book. All opinions are my own.*
February 21, 2023
Of Blood Bones And Truth- @tiamae.books
"ᴾʳᵒᶠⁱᵗᵃᵇⁱˡⁱᵗʸ ᵃˢⁱᵈᵉ, ⁱᵗ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵇᵉ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ᵒᵘʳ ᶜᵒᵐᵖᵃⁿʸ ᵗᵒ ᵉˣᵖᵃⁿᵈ ⁱⁿᵗᵒ ᵉⁿᵈᵉᵃᵛᵒʳˢ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˢᵃᵛᵉˢ ˡⁱᵛᵉˢ ʳᵃᵗʰᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ᵉⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉᵐ"
First of all thank you so much to Tia for this ARC! I am so pleased and honoured to be on your street team and to be a part of this book. You have done such an incredible job and you deserve so much praise for this!
I want to start by saying this is one of the most well polished and well written ARCS I have ever read. From start to finish it flowed perfectly and was just a joy to read.
I also loved how Tia started out the book with a character guide, map, pronunciation guide and a whole insight about the world including its politics and the hierarchy of each Leogionair. It really helped me to understand how integral each person was to the story and why they were important. It also shows Tia has thought hard about this world, not just the characters we read about, but background characters who aren't mentioned as such. This is a world with such depth and understanding it more from the beginning was amazing.
The writing style is beautiful. I was captured from the first chapter and Cassian and Kellan stole my hearts (the softest Bois 🥺). Their chemistry is beautifully written, believable and you feel every ounce of their affection towards eachother. If you're looking for a spicy book-look elsewhere. This book is not about that at all and instead you receive this beautiful and luscious and real relationship blossoming. This is an occasion I think spice would have ruined the book for me so I was so thankful it was left out.
Be warned - the last 30% of this book had me panic stricken and I had a pit in my stomach, knowing I was about to be left on THE WORST cliffhanger ever and oh my days.... I am now in pain from that ending 😭
Such a highly emotional book that had me encaptured and wanting more, especially after that epilogue 😱
Highly recommend this book for EVERYONE.
LGBTQ+ inclusive
Women in STEM
Demons
Elves
Soft Bois 🥺
A beautifully written and describes world you can't help but get infatuated with.
"ᴾʳᵒᶠⁱᵗᵃᵇⁱˡⁱᵗʸ ᵃˢⁱᵈᵉ, ⁱᵗ ʷⁱˡˡ ᵇᵉ ᵍᵒᵒᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ᵒᵘʳ ᶜᵒᵐᵖᵃⁿʸ ᵗᵒ ᵉˣᵖᵃⁿᵈ ⁱⁿᵗᵒ ᵉⁿᵈᵉᵃᵛᵒʳˢ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˢᵃᵛᵉˢ ˡⁱᵛᵉˢ ʳᵃᵗʰᵉʳ ᵗʰᵃⁿ ᵉⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉᵐ"
First of all thank you so much to Tia for this ARC! I am so pleased and honoured to be on your street team and to be a part of this book. You have done such an incredible job and you deserve so much praise for this!
I want to start by saying this is one of the most well polished and well written ARCS I have ever read. From start to finish it flowed perfectly and was just a joy to read.
I also loved how Tia started out the book with a character guide, map, pronunciation guide and a whole insight about the world including its politics and the hierarchy of each Leogionair. It really helped me to understand how integral each person was to the story and why they were important. It also shows Tia has thought hard about this world, not just the characters we read about, but background characters who aren't mentioned as such. This is a world with such depth and understanding it more from the beginning was amazing.
The writing style is beautiful. I was captured from the first chapter and Cassian and Kellan stole my hearts (the softest Bois 🥺). Their chemistry is beautifully written, believable and you feel every ounce of their affection towards eachother. If you're looking for a spicy book-look elsewhere. This book is not about that at all and instead you receive this beautiful and luscious and real relationship blossoming. This is an occasion I think spice would have ruined the book for me so I was so thankful it was left out.
Be warned - the last 30% of this book had me panic stricken and I had a pit in my stomach, knowing I was about to be left on THE WORST cliffhanger ever and oh my days.... I am now in pain from that ending 😭
Such a highly emotional book that had me encaptured and wanting more, especially after that epilogue 😱
Highly recommend this book for EVERYONE.
LGBTQ+ inclusive
Women in STEM
Demons
Elves
Soft Bois 🥺
A beautifully written and describes world you can't help but get infatuated with.
April 6, 2023
Of Blood, Bones & Truth is an absolutely solid debut. The story follows Kellan and Cassian, one an indentured angel in the city's Legion, and the other an elf controlled by an inherited debt, both forced into the role of assassin. After encountering each other on the same job a connection sparks between the two. When their paths cross again and Kellan is tasked with investigating some strange murders in the city Cassian agrees to help and so begins an intense murder mystery full of magic and demons.
What is particularly impressive with this book is the world building. Spiral City feels like it could be a real place, a bustling melting pot metropolis, full of magic and different magical races. Like Kellan, I loved the neon aesthetic of the city and with the lore we are given it feels like there is a lot of history to play with for future sequels.
The connection between Kellan and Cassian really shined through, especially with their sympathy with each other for their shared situations. The build up was slow and sweet and highlighted the loneliness and fear they both had of letting anyone new in. I think Vaida ended up being my favourite character. We don't see her a huge amount but her no nonsense approach mixed with her deep sarcasm spoke to me. Sarcasm is my love language. I loved the focus on the sibling bond with Pontius and Selwyn but I would have liked to see more of what drives them individually, especially Selwyn. I don't feel like we really got to know her.
I do feel at times that the dialogue was a little clunky, repeating information rather than telling us anything new, but other than that the book is extremely well paced. There is always something going on to keep you reading onwards and I am excited to see what is next on store.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
What is particularly impressive with this book is the world building. Spiral City feels like it could be a real place, a bustling melting pot metropolis, full of magic and different magical races. Like Kellan, I loved the neon aesthetic of the city and with the lore we are given it feels like there is a lot of history to play with for future sequels.
The connection between Kellan and Cassian really shined through, especially with their sympathy with each other for their shared situations. The build up was slow and sweet and highlighted the loneliness and fear they both had of letting anyone new in. I think Vaida ended up being my favourite character. We don't see her a huge amount but her no nonsense approach mixed with her deep sarcasm spoke to me. Sarcasm is my love language. I loved the focus on the sibling bond with Pontius and Selwyn but I would have liked to see more of what drives them individually, especially Selwyn. I don't feel like we really got to know her.
I do feel at times that the dialogue was a little clunky, repeating information rather than telling us anything new, but other than that the book is extremely well paced. There is always something going on to keep you reading onwards and I am excited to see what is next on store.
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
May 19, 2024
I have a lot of thoughts on this one... jumping rigth into it.
–> World building
The world the book takes place is very rich and has a lot of potential. However, I think the world building is... unbalanced. We have a lot of info dump in the beginning even before the book starts – character guide, explanation how the government, politics and leadership work, how the legion is organized and two maps. To be frank, I really don’t think this is necessarily. I skipped it when I was starting but at some point I skimmed over it and you just don’t need it in order to read the book. I think a lot of readers would force themselves to read it tho and some of them would just give up because of that. I think it would have been better if this guides and stuff are in the back. They see more fitting for a wikia page then the beginning of a book.
We have all of that information and yet we somehow lack important details. For example, in the beginning Kellan is flying and we're told he stopped by two other people mid air. How wings function is never explained. How does he sits or lie down with them? Does he retract them? Do they disappear? After the 60% mark it's mentioned Kellan has wings tattoos - does his wings become tattoos when he's not using them? How does that work? What's going on here?
–> Characters
I liked the two main characters well enough. However, I think it's weird how people that are assassins and supposedly have very harsh training are getting so disturbed by that bodies or gore. This is probably to make the reader sympathize with them more but I found it out of place and honestly, just lacking consistency with building the characters.
I feel a little bad about it but Kellen blaming himself for the murders made me annoyed. Idk about everyone else but I don't think it's good when your characters being tormented is more irritating for the reader than anything else.
As for the side characters, I found their struggles and pain to be very unemotive. We didn't get to know them well enough at all to feel sad for their loss. Moments that were supposed to feel emotional were just falling flat. (E.g. when Mina died, when the Morgenstern siblings were grieving, Cassian and Kellan's thoughts and emotions regarding the siblings, ect.)
I also wanted to point out something else: the commissioner coming to give Kellan a heartfelt pep talk is just ??? He treated Kellen way too nicely from the very beginning and I can't understand why since this is supposedly super harsh and demanding environment - militarized actually. It was undermining to the authority of the whole place. At this point I was starting to think the commissioner's Kellen's secret father lmao
–> Plot
This section is entirely subjective on my part because the idea was simply not my cup of tea. The beginning was kind of slow, maybe too slow. And that's even without the info dump before the beginning. I'm really not into mysteries and I tend to avoid this genre so this was a bit of a miss for me. I wish the book was more focused on the romance then on the mystery because I will have been much more engaged.
–> Romance
I hate to admit it but Kellan and Cassian's relationships didn't feel natural to me. They met two times and the third time they suddenly developed more intense attraction towards each other. Their interactions were kind of few and far in between to be considered up a proper building of their relationship. And even with these interactions happening I couldn't feel any chemistry. It was rather emotionless and random. It was really weird for me how both of them decided they will reveal some top secret information to each other just like that. Kellen deciding to share the whole case that is supposed to be private with a person that should be very shady in his perspective and Cassian revealing the safe house to a random stranger he met a couple of times is just wild to me.
In the end their romance felt especially inorganic and underdeveloped. They had met and talked but there wasn’t any significant intimacy that happened between them so when they jumped into the “I may be in love with him” and then “I’ll follow you until death” was just… uh-huh. And when they finally kissed (after all of everything I mentioned) it was just underwhelming because we had been waiting for so long and all that stuff had already happened, so I was left uncaring.
–> Dialogue
It can be just me but the dialogue wasn’t natural at all. I'm sorry I'm repeating myself but this is the correct word. It felt amateurish and out of place and somehow getting in the way of the other things that were happening. The dialogue just didn't add anything substantial, neither for the characters nor for the plot. It was there just because it had to have some dialogue.
–> Antagonist
Shadow/Leo was too much of a cartoon villain for my taste. I felt like the book was trying to make the main characters morally grey but at the same time make the reader sympathize with them and it just failed for me. But because the villain is, after all, the villain he should be bad and it felt kind of weird how the main characters are supposedly doing some really bad stuff and guilty about it but at the same time to have the villain completely unhinged for no reason.
I also feel like having Shadow/Leo point of view backfired a bit. On one hand it's cool to have the perspective of the antagonist but on the other hand the intrigue in the mystery is completely gone. We already know what is going on and the main characters' enable to figure it out is frustrating.
–> Final thoughts
I think I misled myself with the cover a bit here. I expected the book to be dark and lush urban fantasy that will have a lot of (well build) slow burn and yearning and maybe more prominent romance. Instead we have this mix of sci fi-fantasy of a book that doesn't know if it wants to be high fantasy or sci fi-ish mystery and it just fails in both.
I tried to enjoy it while reading because it was a buddy read in a discord server and the author was in the thread (I don't intend to share this review there) so this was fun for me. Otherwise I would have DNFed the book if I'm completely honest. I won't be trying to continue with the second book because... yeah. At this point I'm just glad to be over with it.
–> World building
The world the book takes place is very rich and has a lot of potential. However, I think the world building is... unbalanced. We have a lot of info dump in the beginning even before the book starts – character guide, explanation how the government, politics and leadership work, how the legion is organized and two maps. To be frank, I really don’t think this is necessarily. I skipped it when I was starting but at some point I skimmed over it and you just don’t need it in order to read the book. I think a lot of readers would force themselves to read it tho and some of them would just give up because of that. I think it would have been better if this guides and stuff are in the back. They see more fitting for a wikia page then the beginning of a book.
We have all of that information and yet we somehow lack important details. For example, in the beginning Kellan is flying and we're told he stopped by two other people mid air. How wings function is never explained. How does he sits or lie down with them? Does he retract them? Do they disappear? After the 60% mark it's mentioned Kellan has wings tattoos - does his wings become tattoos when he's not using them? How does that work? What's going on here?
–> Characters
I liked the two main characters well enough. However, I think it's weird how people that are assassins and supposedly have very harsh training are getting so disturbed by that bodies or gore. This is probably to make the reader sympathize with them more but I found it out of place and honestly, just lacking consistency with building the characters.
I feel a little bad about it but Kellen blaming himself for the murders made me annoyed. Idk about everyone else but I don't think it's good when your characters being tormented is more irritating for the reader than anything else.
As for the side characters, I found their struggles and pain to be very unemotive. We didn't get to know them well enough at all to feel sad for their loss. Moments that were supposed to feel emotional were just falling flat. (E.g. when Mina died, when the Morgenstern siblings were grieving, Cassian and Kellan's thoughts and emotions regarding the siblings, ect.)
I also wanted to point out something else: the commissioner coming to give Kellan a heartfelt pep talk is just ??? He treated Kellen way too nicely from the very beginning and I can't understand why since this is supposedly super harsh and demanding environment - militarized actually. It was undermining to the authority of the whole place. At this point I was starting to think the commissioner's Kellen's secret father lmao
–> Plot
This section is entirely subjective on my part because the idea was simply not my cup of tea. The beginning was kind of slow, maybe too slow. And that's even without the info dump before the beginning. I'm really not into mysteries and I tend to avoid this genre so this was a bit of a miss for me. I wish the book was more focused on the romance then on the mystery because I will have been much more engaged.
–> Romance
I hate to admit it but Kellan and Cassian's relationships didn't feel natural to me. They met two times and the third time they suddenly developed more intense attraction towards each other. Their interactions were kind of few and far in between to be considered up a proper building of their relationship. And even with these interactions happening I couldn't feel any chemistry. It was rather emotionless and random. It was really weird for me how both of them decided they will reveal some top secret information to each other just like that. Kellen deciding to share the whole case that is supposed to be private with a person that should be very shady in his perspective and Cassian revealing the safe house to a random stranger he met a couple of times is just wild to me.
In the end their romance felt especially inorganic and underdeveloped. They had met and talked but there wasn’t any significant intimacy that happened between them so when they jumped into the “I may be in love with him” and then “I’ll follow you until death” was just… uh-huh. And when they finally kissed (after all of everything I mentioned) it was just underwhelming because we had been waiting for so long and all that stuff had already happened, so I was left uncaring.
–> Dialogue
It can be just me but the dialogue wasn’t natural at all. I'm sorry I'm repeating myself but this is the correct word. It felt amateurish and out of place and somehow getting in the way of the other things that were happening. The dialogue just didn't add anything substantial, neither for the characters nor for the plot. It was there just because it had to have some dialogue.
–> Antagonist
Shadow/Leo was too much of a cartoon villain for my taste. I felt like the book was trying to make the main characters morally grey but at the same time make the reader sympathize with them and it just failed for me. But because the villain is, after all, the villain he should be bad and it felt kind of weird how the main characters are supposedly doing some really bad stuff and guilty about it but at the same time to have the villain completely unhinged for no reason.
I also feel like having Shadow/Leo point of view backfired a bit. On one hand it's cool to have the perspective of the antagonist but on the other hand the intrigue in the mystery is completely gone. We already know what is going on and the main characters' enable to figure it out is frustrating.
–> Final thoughts
I think I misled myself with the cover a bit here. I expected the book to be dark and lush urban fantasy that will have a lot of (well build) slow burn and yearning and maybe more prominent romance. Instead we have this mix of sci fi-fantasy of a book that doesn't know if it wants to be high fantasy or sci fi-ish mystery and it just fails in both.
I tried to enjoy it while reading because it was a buddy read in a discord server and the author was in the thread (I don't intend to share this review there) so this was fun for me. Otherwise I would have DNFed the book if I'm completely honest. I won't be trying to continue with the second book because... yeah. At this point I'm just glad to be over with it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2023
This is such an amazing debut!!
The characters (main or side) are all so beautifully developed and fleshed out that readers get a great sense of who everyone is without the plot being bogged down with too much exposition. Ledvina absolutely shows and doesn’t tell, which makes everything about their story compelling, interesting, and engaging. I rooted so much for everyone.
The villains and the mystery were also so well organized and crafted. Not even halfway through I wanted the next book, and this one isn’t even out yet. It was just so easy to get into, and I absolutely need to know what happens next. Several characters already have intriguing potential plot lines, but new characters are adding fascinating new threads that I’m excited to see pan out.
The best part of this was the actual slow burn. The characters’ relationships were intense in all the best ways without relying on smut, and I loved that. Absolutely recommend it!!
Thank you so much to T.M. Ledvina for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review!
The characters (main or side) are all so beautifully developed and fleshed out that readers get a great sense of who everyone is without the plot being bogged down with too much exposition. Ledvina absolutely shows and doesn’t tell, which makes everything about their story compelling, interesting, and engaging. I rooted so much for everyone.
The villains and the mystery were also so well organized and crafted. Not even halfway through I wanted the next book, and this one isn’t even out yet. It was just so easy to get into, and I absolutely need to know what happens next. Several characters already have intriguing potential plot lines, but new characters are adding fascinating new threads that I’m excited to see pan out.
The best part of this was the actual slow burn. The characters’ relationships were intense in all the best ways without relying on smut, and I loved that. Absolutely recommend it!!
Thank you so much to T.M. Ledvina for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review!
March 30, 2023
WOW! This book was my introduction to the fantasy genre and it has exceeded my expectations on how a fantasy book would go for me. Great storytelling, characters and the flow of the book was just phenomenal. I’m normally one to get drawn into the plot before characters but you couldn’t not just get so invested in the characters and what they were feeling.
I was just feeling for Kellan as he was thrown into a murder investigation and having to deal with the emotions that came with trudging through such a challenging job for him. The love-at-first-sight that Cassian had but was nervous to act on was heartwarming. There is just a perfect balance of being able to get to know all of the characters enough for this story but there is still some mystery to the characters. And enough mystery that not knowing now doesn't just leave you hanging. I, for one, have many.
I honestly cannot wait to continue the journey as we are hinted towards the next series of events for Cassian and Kellan. I think we are in for a wild ride and I am here. For. It.
I was just feeling for Kellan as he was thrown into a murder investigation and having to deal with the emotions that came with trudging through such a challenging job for him. The love-at-first-sight that Cassian had but was nervous to act on was heartwarming. There is just a perfect balance of being able to get to know all of the characters enough for this story but there is still some mystery to the characters. And enough mystery that not knowing now doesn't just leave you hanging. I, for one, have many.
I honestly cannot wait to continue the journey as we are hinted towards the next series of events for Cassian and Kellan. I think we are in for a wild ride and I am here. For. It.
April 2, 2023
Damnnnnn it I don’t want to wait to find out what happens next 😩
Thank you to Tia for allowing me the opportunity to be on the street team and for providing me with an eARC to read and review!
REVIEW:
I absolutely loved this book so much, and I cannot wait to see what happens next (especially with that ending!). Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is the first book in a new urban fantasy series, featuring shape shifters, demons, angels, elves, a blend of cyberpunk and classical fantasy aesthetic, swords, and a sweet, slow burn romance.
The world Ledvina has created is so immense and detailed - admittedly I was quite intimidated at first - but it never actually feels overwhelming to the story. Instead, you’re given the information you need to know as you follow along. And! If needed, there is a handy dandy guide included to break things down.
Spiral City, where the story is primarily set, is so vivid that I felt like I was there. I loved all the descriptions of the architecture and the neighborhoods. It made it so easy to visualize, which is always appreciated.
The characters are all fantastic, and I loved them immensely (or in the case of the villains, loved to hate them). I adored the siblings, Pontius and Selwyn, and the relationship they had. They were so different from each other but would do anything for each other. Vaida is another one of the main supporting characters, and she just shines every time she’s in a scene. I really hope we get to know more about her in the next book.
Cassian and Kellan are both so incredibly soft and sweet, on their own and together. I love seeing characters that can kick ass and hold their own in a fight but are also so caring and gentle. They were so tender with each other, even before they were open about their feelings with each other, and it made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I absolutely need more of them being cute together, and I’m begging you Tia, please be kind to these precious babies. They deserve so much happiness.
Thank you to Tia for allowing me the opportunity to be on the street team and for providing me with an eARC to read and review!
REVIEW:
I absolutely loved this book so much, and I cannot wait to see what happens next (especially with that ending!). Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is the first book in a new urban fantasy series, featuring shape shifters, demons, angels, elves, a blend of cyberpunk and classical fantasy aesthetic, swords, and a sweet, slow burn romance.
The world Ledvina has created is so immense and detailed - admittedly I was quite intimidated at first - but it never actually feels overwhelming to the story. Instead, you’re given the information you need to know as you follow along. And! If needed, there is a handy dandy guide included to break things down.
Spiral City, where the story is primarily set, is so vivid that I felt like I was there. I loved all the descriptions of the architecture and the neighborhoods. It made it so easy to visualize, which is always appreciated.
The characters are all fantastic, and I loved them immensely (or in the case of the villains, loved to hate them). I adored the siblings, Pontius and Selwyn, and the relationship they had. They were so different from each other but would do anything for each other. Vaida is another one of the main supporting characters, and she just shines every time she’s in a scene. I really hope we get to know more about her in the next book.
Cassian and Kellan are both so incredibly soft and sweet, on their own and together. I love seeing characters that can kick ass and hold their own in a fight but are also so caring and gentle. They were so tender with each other, even before they were open about their feelings with each other, and it made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I absolutely need more of them being cute together, and I’m begging you Tia, please be kind to these precious babies. They deserve so much happiness.
August 13, 2023
Wow. This book absolutely blew me away. I’m obsessed with the world that T.M. built and the characters that live within it. I can’t wait for the second installment in the series to figure out what happens…because…that ending 👀
March 23, 2023
first off, thanks to the author for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
i thought the story started off strong, with the promise of a mystery and a cool urban fantasy setting. i enjoyed getting to know the main characters and the side characters, and i thought the world was interesting and complex. i also loved the diversity of skin color/hair, fantasy race, and sexuality/gender identity. that’s not always present in fantasy and so i appreciate when it’s done naturally and seamlessly.
unfortunately the story did start to slow down for me as i approached the middle and end. i just didn’t connect to the characters and the plot got a little complicated for me. sometimes it felt like i had started reading a sequel, with certain situations not fully explained to me while the characters had a deep knowledge about them. i was also confused by the shadow chapters and who that was really supposed to be, as it wasn’t super apparent to me even though i had a pretty good guess.
all in all, i enjoyed parts of the book and the actual descriptions/ideas were good, but it didn’t feel fully developed enough for me to continue with the series.
i thought the story started off strong, with the promise of a mystery and a cool urban fantasy setting. i enjoyed getting to know the main characters and the side characters, and i thought the world was interesting and complex. i also loved the diversity of skin color/hair, fantasy race, and sexuality/gender identity. that’s not always present in fantasy and so i appreciate when it’s done naturally and seamlessly.
unfortunately the story did start to slow down for me as i approached the middle and end. i just didn’t connect to the characters and the plot got a little complicated for me. sometimes it felt like i had started reading a sequel, with certain situations not fully explained to me while the characters had a deep knowledge about them. i was also confused by the shadow chapters and who that was really supposed to be, as it wasn’t super apparent to me even though i had a pretty good guess.
all in all, i enjoyed parts of the book and the actual descriptions/ideas were good, but it didn’t feel fully developed enough for me to continue with the series.
March 21, 2023
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth
"I usually like to learn the name of my conquests before I do this sort of thing in a back alley, but I can make an exception for you.”
Thank you, Tia, for this ARC!
This book was so fun to read. The futuristic city setting was so refreshing and exciting. The world building, while complex, is easy to understand and completely immersive. There are so many different layers to this world and characters yet you can tell how much time was spent making sure it is readable and understandable. I didn’t find myself lost or confused once.
Kellan and Cassian are adorable (even though they’re assassins) and I was rooting for them the whole book.
The twists and turns were perfectly timed and paced, that I simply had to keep reading. I had no idea how it was going to end and I loved that I was always guessing.
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth release April 4th!
Highlights:
✨ Queer normative world
✨Assassins, crime, and mystery
✨Futuristic world and technology
✨ Women in STEM (LOVED these characters)
✨Adorable romance subplot
"I usually like to learn the name of my conquests before I do this sort of thing in a back alley, but I can make an exception for you.”
Thank you, Tia, for this ARC!
This book was so fun to read. The futuristic city setting was so refreshing and exciting. The world building, while complex, is easy to understand and completely immersive. There are so many different layers to this world and characters yet you can tell how much time was spent making sure it is readable and understandable. I didn’t find myself lost or confused once.
Kellan and Cassian are adorable (even though they’re assassins) and I was rooting for them the whole book.
The twists and turns were perfectly timed and paced, that I simply had to keep reading. I had no idea how it was going to end and I loved that I was always guessing.
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth release April 4th!
Highlights:
✨ Queer normative world
✨Assassins, crime, and mystery
✨Futuristic world and technology
✨ Women in STEM (LOVED these characters)
✨Adorable romance subplot
April 4, 2023
**ARC Review**
"I'm not sensitive. You're just an ass."
"I know, but that's part of my charm."
Thank you Tia for giving me such an amazing opportunity to read your book before release day! 🥰
Soo where to start ... I'm going to try and do this without giving too much away! ....
If you love mystery, murder, mayhem, suspense, tension and badass side characters as well as main characters then this book is for you!!
My favourite I think is Cassian with Vaida a very close second 😅
I absolutely loved this story and Tia is amazing at world building as well as character building! Her descriptions were fantastic I actually felt like I was in this world with them!
I have laughed, cried and seriously wanted to throw it across the room towards the end 🤣🤣 How many omg's and wtf moments can you squeeze into the last 3rd of a book!!
I adored all these characters and what Tia put them and us through ....well I have no words for that! 😅
Tia I NEED book 2 ... Like now! You can't leave us hanging like that! 🤣🤣
"I'm not sensitive. You're just an ass."
"I know, but that's part of my charm."
Thank you Tia for giving me such an amazing opportunity to read your book before release day! 🥰
Soo where to start ... I'm going to try and do this without giving too much away! ....
If you love mystery, murder, mayhem, suspense, tension and badass side characters as well as main characters then this book is for you!!
My favourite I think is Cassian with Vaida a very close second 😅
I absolutely loved this story and Tia is amazing at world building as well as character building! Her descriptions were fantastic I actually felt like I was in this world with them!
I have laughed, cried and seriously wanted to throw it across the room towards the end 🤣🤣 How many omg's and wtf moments can you squeeze into the last 3rd of a book!!
I adored all these characters and what Tia put them and us through ....well I have no words for that! 😅
Tia I NEED book 2 ... Like now! You can't leave us hanging like that! 🤣🤣
January 15, 2024
2.5/5 stars
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is a scifi-fantasy series opener following two indentured assassins. Kellan is a Fallen, born indentured as part of the seraph race that lost the war, and is now working as a political assassin for the empire. Cassian is an elf, forced to work off his father’s debt as an assassin for a crime boss. When their assignments intersect, they form a tentative partnership to solve a series of demonic murders with an undercurrent of mutual attract and shared circumstances.
I’d describe this book as a queerer and noir Crescent City, which may appeal to a lot of readers. It is set in a queernormative futuristic world full of magic and technology inhabited by humans and all kinds of magical races like the seraph, fae, elves, and demons. And while there is a central gay romance, this is more of a thriller and focuses on the mystery aspect of the story.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. It shoots itself on the foot by giving the villain their own PoV chapters, cutting much of the tension and mystery for us readers because we already know what is going on from the very beginning. Even without naming the villain in their chapters, it was very obvious early on who they were. As for the romance, I didn’t buy into it as much as I could have because the two protagonists barely interact through much of the book. And when they do, it is fairly dry and passionless, without much chemistry in all honesty. I liked both men, but their romance was just sorely underdeveloped.
The book is also fairly inconsistent narratively—everyone is just so bad at their jobs despite how good they are supposed to be, character's purported relationships don't line up with what is actually shown in the book, the story keeps taking leaps with characters seeming to know things they shouldn’t, and things seemingly happen out of nowhere without adequate foreshadowing. There's just this weird sense that characters are having conversations that shouldn't be happening yet because it hasn't been set up properly. I’d actually rather have had the book focus on the romance more than the mystery, and these problems would have actually been much less noticeable.
I understood what it was going for, but Of Blood, Bones, and Truth just didn’t pan out.
*I received a complementary ebook copy as part of its book tour.
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is a scifi-fantasy series opener following two indentured assassins. Kellan is a Fallen, born indentured as part of the seraph race that lost the war, and is now working as a political assassin for the empire. Cassian is an elf, forced to work off his father’s debt as an assassin for a crime boss. When their assignments intersect, they form a tentative partnership to solve a series of demonic murders with an undercurrent of mutual attract and shared circumstances.
I’d describe this book as a queerer and noir Crescent City, which may appeal to a lot of readers. It is set in a queernormative futuristic world full of magic and technology inhabited by humans and all kinds of magical races like the seraph, fae, elves, and demons. And while there is a central gay romance, this is more of a thriller and focuses on the mystery aspect of the story.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. It shoots itself on the foot by giving the villain their own PoV chapters, cutting much of the tension and mystery for us readers because we already know what is going on from the very beginning. Even without naming the villain in their chapters, it was very obvious early on who they were. As for the romance, I didn’t buy into it as much as I could have because the two protagonists barely interact through much of the book. And when they do, it is fairly dry and passionless, without much chemistry in all honesty. I liked both men, but their romance was just sorely underdeveloped.
The book is also fairly inconsistent narratively—everyone is just so bad at their jobs despite how good they are supposed to be, character's purported relationships don't line up with what is actually shown in the book, the story keeps taking leaps with characters seeming to know things they shouldn’t, and things seemingly happen out of nowhere without adequate foreshadowing. There's just this weird sense that characters are having conversations that shouldn't be happening yet because it hasn't been set up properly. I’d actually rather have had the book focus on the romance more than the mystery, and these problems would have actually been much less noticeable.
I understood what it was going for, but Of Blood, Bones, and Truth just didn’t pan out.
*I received a complementary ebook copy as part of its book tour.
December 31, 2023
OF BLOOD, BONES, AND TRUTH - 5/5 STARS
I'll say it off the bat: this is far from an unbiased review since I'll never stop praising Tia for this amazing book she wrote, but that's not to say this praise is any less deserved. I've been on this journey with her since one of the first drafts, and I am incredibly proud of them for deciding to self-publish and doing such a DAMNED GOOD JOB AT IT. Look at this beauty; you can't tell me it doesn't invite you to read it just by looking at the cover. So, eh, yeah, consider this my pitch as to why you should also join the Kellian fandom.
Queernorm, soft boys, slow-burn romance. Kellan is the perfect mixture of sass and emotion, and Cassian really does deserve all the love he can get. Together, they make for an incredible duo, and there shouldn't be anyone else you'd want to get to the bottom of demonic attacks rampaging a city.
Amazing world-building. Tia poured her heart into this book, and it shows. The city feels vibrant and alive, jumping off the pages with descriptions that contain just the right amount of detail. A lot of thought has been put into the book's setting, and it shows how passionate they are about ensuring the reader is properly immersed in the story.
Faceless villain. The Shadow keeps you on your toes with a threatening POV interwoven in the rest of the story as you feel them lurk over your shoulder while you try to decipher the clues Kellan and Cassian discover.
In short, read this book; you won't regret it.
I was given an ARC of this book, likely for an unbiased review, but I'm biased and won't apologise. Tia, you did AMAZING, and I can't wait for the rest of the world to fall in love with your book as I did.
"It wasn't like he'd never seen someone die before. It was a routine part of his everyday life. But he'd never watched someone die who shouldn't have. Someone he'd wanted to save." (Of Blood, Bones, and Truth).
I'll say it off the bat: this is far from an unbiased review since I'll never stop praising Tia for this amazing book she wrote, but that's not to say this praise is any less deserved. I've been on this journey with her since one of the first drafts, and I am incredibly proud of them for deciding to self-publish and doing such a DAMNED GOOD JOB AT IT. Look at this beauty; you can't tell me it doesn't invite you to read it just by looking at the cover. So, eh, yeah, consider this my pitch as to why you should also join the Kellian fandom.
Queernorm, soft boys, slow-burn romance. Kellan is the perfect mixture of sass and emotion, and Cassian really does deserve all the love he can get. Together, they make for an incredible duo, and there shouldn't be anyone else you'd want to get to the bottom of demonic attacks rampaging a city.
Amazing world-building. Tia poured her heart into this book, and it shows. The city feels vibrant and alive, jumping off the pages with descriptions that contain just the right amount of detail. A lot of thought has been put into the book's setting, and it shows how passionate they are about ensuring the reader is properly immersed in the story.
Faceless villain. The Shadow keeps you on your toes with a threatening POV interwoven in the rest of the story as you feel them lurk over your shoulder while you try to decipher the clues Kellan and Cassian discover.
In short, read this book; you won't regret it.
I was given an ARC of this book, likely for an unbiased review, but I'm biased and won't apologise. Tia, you did AMAZING, and I can't wait for the rest of the world to fall in love with your book as I did.
June 17, 2023
Do you want Crescent City vibes but actually queer? Well this one is for you! I absolutely adored the world this is set in, the mix of
magic and technollogy is such an awesome vibe and makes the city itself into a character that will intrigue you!
Add to that some lovable protagonists straight out some anime and you have a winner on your hands!
magic and technollogy is such an awesome vibe and makes the city itself into a character that will intrigue you!
Add to that some lovable protagonists straight out some anime and you have a winner on your hands!
September 30, 2023
***SPOILER FREE***
Disclaimer: The author is a close personal friend of mine. I will try to remain objective in my review, but that’s probably impossible.
Summary: Kellan Manchester, an indentured servant employed as an unwilling assassin for Spiral City’s Legion, and Cassian Evermore, an unfortunate henchman of Ebenfell’s most notorious crime boss, are living the lives they expected but never dreamed of. Neither dream of doing death’s bidding, but when a series of mysterious murders, demon sightings, and dark contracts begin to wreak havoc in the bustling, neon metropolis that is Spiral City they are confronted with more than they ever imagined. Kellan finds himself assigned to the murders’ investigation, and an unsuspecting Cassian finds himself on the trail of the philanthropic son of the famous Morgernstern family. After a brief meeting and accidental reunion at one of Spiral City’s many lavish night clubs, they grow close learning that they can’t accomplish their goals alone, and that the only comfort available in their darkening world may be each other.
This book was such a rollercoaster in the best way. When I first picked it up, I anticipated more romance than what I got, and in this case I think it was the right choice for the story. The pace is snappy but never glosses over the important details. I also found that the little details that initially seem unimportant will spring to life when you least expect it. As a fan of epics, that really appealed to me.
Some of the things I really liked: I will stand on the top of a mountain and scream to the heavens that I love Kellan Manchester. His character achieved something that many characters have failed at for me in other novels. He does not back down from his beliefs. He does not allow privilege to go unchecked. He is NOT afraid to demand answers to the difficult questions, even if they make him unpopular. The best part though, is that he doesn’t attack the issues in front of him with rage or cruelty. He is able to handle himself with grace. Kellan is not an inherently angry or aggressive character, which is something that he often struggles with in his indentured servitude as an assassin. I think the author could have accidentally tipped over the line in a few instances, pushing him too far out of character, but they never do. The line for Kellan is walked with a steady pace.
I also really enjoyed the Shadow chapters. At the risk of saying too much, I will keep it brief. He is an interesting character with mysterious motives, but that’s not what I loved about his chapters. I felt like they were a dark, delicious taste of the gruesome underworld that juxtaposed nicely with the light delivered by Kellan and Cassian. I found the chapters with the Shadow to add a necessary heaviness to the story that would have otherwise been too hopeful/upbeat for the nature of its storyline. A perfect balance was struck here.
Another thing I loved was the imagery. The descriptions are bountiful and detailed in this book. Unless you struggle with aphantasia, you will have a vivid movie running in your head the entire time. I enjoyed the way colors were assigned to emotions and how the use of characters’ senses grounded them in their world. It was a fun way to feel the magic of the setting as a reader.
I really enjoyed many of the other characters in addition to Kellan. While I struggled to connect with Cassian’s personality, I felt he was a good companion for Kellan, his sad boy vibes weren’t for me. That’s more of a personal preference though, and I think he was written well enough to be more relatable to others. I also really loved a minor character named Vaida. She didn’t have much “screen” time, but her sarcasm and wit add some nice color to the story overall.
Some of the things that I wasn’t as fond of: The Morgensterns weren’t my favorite. I think that was partially intentional on the author’s behalf. I felt like their behavior represented many things that are wrong in the world. Their interactions with Kellan are one of the primary reasons I loved Kellan so damn much.
I really wished we had more information behind the motives of certain characters. I won’t dive in too much at the risk of spoilers, but there were a few characters that would’ve jumped off the page more with clearer motivations. I’m someone who loves a good backstory moment. My hope is that we will get some more of that in the sequel. I left Of Blood, Bones, and Truth with several questions, and I believe those answers are on the horizon. I just would’ve preferred some of them a little earlier.
Lastly, I’m not a fan of instalove stories. Cassian and Kellan have a SUH-LOW BURN to their actual big moments, but they immediately fell for one another. As someone who literally survives on sun, water, and tension, that fell a bit flat for me. I was still very much cheering them on and yelling for their success as I read.
So would I recommend this story?
Hell yeah! Not just because the author is like the dopest person to ever breathe air, but also because it’s genuinely fun, gritty, and heart-warming/heart-breaking. If you enjoy feeling a full spectrum of emotion, fast paced murder mysteries, and sci-fi/fantasy, I think this is a good book for you.
Disclaimer: The author is a close personal friend of mine. I will try to remain objective in my review, but that’s probably impossible.
Summary: Kellan Manchester, an indentured servant employed as an unwilling assassin for Spiral City’s Legion, and Cassian Evermore, an unfortunate henchman of Ebenfell’s most notorious crime boss, are living the lives they expected but never dreamed of. Neither dream of doing death’s bidding, but when a series of mysterious murders, demon sightings, and dark contracts begin to wreak havoc in the bustling, neon metropolis that is Spiral City they are confronted with more than they ever imagined. Kellan finds himself assigned to the murders’ investigation, and an unsuspecting Cassian finds himself on the trail of the philanthropic son of the famous Morgernstern family. After a brief meeting and accidental reunion at one of Spiral City’s many lavish night clubs, they grow close learning that they can’t accomplish their goals alone, and that the only comfort available in their darkening world may be each other.
This book was such a rollercoaster in the best way. When I first picked it up, I anticipated more romance than what I got, and in this case I think it was the right choice for the story. The pace is snappy but never glosses over the important details. I also found that the little details that initially seem unimportant will spring to life when you least expect it. As a fan of epics, that really appealed to me.
Some of the things I really liked: I will stand on the top of a mountain and scream to the heavens that I love Kellan Manchester. His character achieved something that many characters have failed at for me in other novels. He does not back down from his beliefs. He does not allow privilege to go unchecked. He is NOT afraid to demand answers to the difficult questions, even if they make him unpopular. The best part though, is that he doesn’t attack the issues in front of him with rage or cruelty. He is able to handle himself with grace. Kellan is not an inherently angry or aggressive character, which is something that he often struggles with in his indentured servitude as an assassin. I think the author could have accidentally tipped over the line in a few instances, pushing him too far out of character, but they never do. The line for Kellan is walked with a steady pace.
I also really enjoyed the Shadow chapters. At the risk of saying too much, I will keep it brief. He is an interesting character with mysterious motives, but that’s not what I loved about his chapters. I felt like they were a dark, delicious taste of the gruesome underworld that juxtaposed nicely with the light delivered by Kellan and Cassian. I found the chapters with the Shadow to add a necessary heaviness to the story that would have otherwise been too hopeful/upbeat for the nature of its storyline. A perfect balance was struck here.
Another thing I loved was the imagery. The descriptions are bountiful and detailed in this book. Unless you struggle with aphantasia, you will have a vivid movie running in your head the entire time. I enjoyed the way colors were assigned to emotions and how the use of characters’ senses grounded them in their world. It was a fun way to feel the magic of the setting as a reader.
I really enjoyed many of the other characters in addition to Kellan. While I struggled to connect with Cassian’s personality, I felt he was a good companion for Kellan, his sad boy vibes weren’t for me. That’s more of a personal preference though, and I think he was written well enough to be more relatable to others. I also really loved a minor character named Vaida. She didn’t have much “screen” time, but her sarcasm and wit add some nice color to the story overall.
Some of the things that I wasn’t as fond of: The Morgensterns weren’t my favorite. I think that was partially intentional on the author’s behalf. I felt like their behavior represented many things that are wrong in the world. Their interactions with Kellan are one of the primary reasons I loved Kellan so damn much.
I really wished we had more information behind the motives of certain characters. I won’t dive in too much at the risk of spoilers, but there were a few characters that would’ve jumped off the page more with clearer motivations. I’m someone who loves a good backstory moment. My hope is that we will get some more of that in the sequel. I left Of Blood, Bones, and Truth with several questions, and I believe those answers are on the horizon. I just would’ve preferred some of them a little earlier.
Lastly, I’m not a fan of instalove stories. Cassian and Kellan have a SUH-LOW BURN to their actual big moments, but they immediately fell for one another. As someone who literally survives on sun, water, and tension, that fell a bit flat for me. I was still very much cheering them on and yelling for their success as I read.
So would I recommend this story?
Hell yeah! Not just because the author is like the dopest person to ever breathe air, but also because it’s genuinely fun, gritty, and heart-warming/heart-breaking. If you enjoy feeling a full spectrum of emotion, fast paced murder mysteries, and sci-fi/fantasy, I think this is a good book for you.
March 30, 2023
This is one solid, good-paced, futuristic and women-in-STEM-fantasy, let me tell you! Queer-normative world, cute semi-slow-burn romance, fleshed-out, realistic characters, and lots of high-paced adventure. Honestly, I’d recommend this book to just about any reader.
I found myself wanting to return to the book when I was doing other things, thinking about the darlings Kellan and Cassian, the two main characters–both with tragic pasts and lots of heaviness to carry, but so much love to give. Also giving me morally greyness by doing immoral things for logical and emotionally impactful reasons, making my heart ache for them. Fun villainous characters too, the “main” one catching me by quite the surprise (though I simultaneously had my suspicions–I literally thought to myself “I knew it!” when it was revealed who they were). I liked the chapters from the villains’ POV which created a lot of intrigue, though part of me wished the mystery around these chapters would remain for a longer time, just because I love a good, looong build-up of intrigue. I would also say the romance may have moved a tiny bit too quickly for what I usually want in a fantasy (especially a slow-burn), but that really only comes down to personal preference. I must admit though that it did give me the feels and was very endearing. Besides that, I highly appreciated the lack of sex in this book–to me, sex more or less disrupts the entire feel of fantasy/sci-fi, so I loved the building tension between them that never moved beyond romance.
To sum up, this book mixes fantasy with sci-fi elements with demons and hell in a dark, fun, adventurous fantasy that had me in a chokehold the last twenty pages and MY GOD do I need the second book right now please and thank you Tia I will be first in line for that ARC! 😁 Suffice it to say, I certainly enjoyed this one.
4,5/5 ☆
Speaking of Tia, thank you so much for sending me this e-ARC for an honest review! It has been a pure joy reading your words 🥹 Follow and support this fellow indie-author please, I’m telling you that you will most certainly not regret it! 🫶🏻
I found myself wanting to return to the book when I was doing other things, thinking about the darlings Kellan and Cassian, the two main characters–both with tragic pasts and lots of heaviness to carry, but so much love to give. Also giving me morally greyness by doing immoral things for logical and emotionally impactful reasons, making my heart ache for them. Fun villainous characters too, the “main” one catching me by quite the surprise (though I simultaneously had my suspicions–I literally thought to myself “I knew it!” when it was revealed who they were). I liked the chapters from the villains’ POV which created a lot of intrigue, though part of me wished the mystery around these chapters would remain for a longer time, just because I love a good, looong build-up of intrigue. I would also say the romance may have moved a tiny bit too quickly for what I usually want in a fantasy (especially a slow-burn), but that really only comes down to personal preference. I must admit though that it did give me the feels and was very endearing. Besides that, I highly appreciated the lack of sex in this book–to me, sex more or less disrupts the entire feel of fantasy/sci-fi, so I loved the building tension between them that never moved beyond romance.
To sum up, this book mixes fantasy with sci-fi elements with demons and hell in a dark, fun, adventurous fantasy that had me in a chokehold the last twenty pages and MY GOD do I need the second book right now please and thank you Tia I will be first in line for that ARC! 😁 Suffice it to say, I certainly enjoyed this one.
4,5/5 ☆
Speaking of Tia, thank you so much for sending me this e-ARC for an honest review! It has been a pure joy reading your words 🥹 Follow and support this fellow indie-author please, I’m telling you that you will most certainly not regret it! 🫶🏻
April 4, 2023
March 2023
Format: eBook
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
A big thank you to the awesome author for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! I’m so grateful I got to read this 😊
I JUST finished this book and my head is spinning, I don’t even know where to begin with this review. The ending really sneaks up on you and I was not ready!
—>Me reading the last several pages
After following the author on Instagram, I started seeing posts about this book being urban high fantasy vibes meets murder mystery and I was like SIGN ME UP. And I’m happy to say this book did not disappoint. It’s literally Crescent City, but with a demon murder mystery thrown in and I was 100% here for it.
First of all, this universe was so flipping fleshed out. The book opens with pages (yes pages as in MULTIPLE) of guides about this world and how it’s structured. A character guide, government guide, pronunciation guide, etc and I could have CRIED I was so grateful. I was able to bookmark them and refer back anytime I was confused and it was so nice!! CAN WE NORMALIZE THIS PLEASE?!?!
But I have to say, my favorite part of this book was the characters. I just… UGH. Kellen and Cassian are such smol cinnamon rolls, I loved them so much. I want to give them a hug. I also really fell hard for Pontius and their little friend group. Watching everyone become friends was so wholesome and I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY 😭 Also need to take a quick sec to declare my undying love for my girl Vaida who is the most awesome badass queen EVER. I LOVE HER.
I did end up taking off a star because the mystery part of this book fell a little flat for me. I was able to guess the bad buy pretty quickly, which took the wind out of my sails a little while I was reading. Maybe that’s just a me thing, but I still had a ton of fun getting to know these characters and this new universe.
FINAL WORD
“Life comes with suffering, Private, but even so, we experience these things because we are alive. Isn’t that wonderful?”
I had such a great time reading this! The world-building of this novel is awesome and I officially have a new fictional friend group to obsess over. If you love high fantasy and murder mystery books with some slow-burn romance on the side, pick this up!
Format: eBook
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
A big thank you to the awesome author for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!! I’m so grateful I got to read this 😊
I JUST finished this book and my head is spinning, I don’t even know where to begin with this review. The ending really sneaks up on you and I was not ready!
—>Me reading the last several pages
After following the author on Instagram, I started seeing posts about this book being urban high fantasy vibes meets murder mystery and I was like SIGN ME UP. And I’m happy to say this book did not disappoint. It’s literally Crescent City, but with a demon murder mystery thrown in and I was 100% here for it.
First of all, this universe was so flipping fleshed out. The book opens with pages (yes pages as in MULTIPLE) of guides about this world and how it’s structured. A character guide, government guide, pronunciation guide, etc and I could have CRIED I was so grateful. I was able to bookmark them and refer back anytime I was confused and it was so nice!! CAN WE NORMALIZE THIS PLEASE?!?!
But I have to say, my favorite part of this book was the characters. I just… UGH. Kellen and Cassian are such smol cinnamon rolls, I loved them so much. I want to give them a hug. I also really fell hard for Pontius and their little friend group. Watching everyone become friends was so wholesome and I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY 😭 Also need to take a quick sec to declare my undying love for my girl Vaida who is the most awesome badass queen EVER. I LOVE HER.
I did end up taking off a star because the mystery part of this book fell a little flat for me. I was able to guess the bad buy pretty quickly, which took the wind out of my sails a little while I was reading. Maybe that’s just a me thing, but I still had a ton of fun getting to know these characters and this new universe.
FINAL WORD
“Life comes with suffering, Private, but even so, we experience these things because we are alive. Isn’t that wonderful?”
I had such a great time reading this! The world-building of this novel is awesome and I officially have a new fictional friend group to obsess over. If you love high fantasy and murder mystery books with some slow-burn romance on the side, pick this up!
March 30, 2023
Kellan Manchester is a Fallen. An indentured seraph who works as a political assassin for the government. While on a job he runs across Cassian Evermore (who himself is an assassin who is working for a crime boss to pay off the debts of his father). The two keep being thrown together by happenstance when the pair come across a crime scene. An eviscerated man and a woman with her throat slit with her fingernails all missing. Kellan is assigned to investigate the growing string of murders plaguing the city and, unofficially, Cassian agrees to help....as long as the investigation doesn't get in the way of his own current mission.
Honestly this book was such a good time. There is a big info dump right at the start of the book in the form of several indexes that explain the world and it was quite a bit daunting soaking all of that in from the jump. Once you get past that feeling and start to read its really easy to just get lost in the book. The worldbuilding is incredibly rich and its obvious that Ledvina has put a lot of thought into all aspects of the world.
The people surrounding Cassian and Kellan were a great set of supporting characters (particularly I loved Vaida). I'm really looking forward to read book two in this series to continue on the journey with this world and cast of characters.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Honestly this book was such a good time. There is a big info dump right at the start of the book in the form of several indexes that explain the world and it was quite a bit daunting soaking all of that in from the jump. Once you get past that feeling and start to read its really easy to just get lost in the book. The worldbuilding is incredibly rich and its obvious that Ledvina has put a lot of thought into all aspects of the world.
The people surrounding Cassian and Kellan were a great set of supporting characters (particularly I loved Vaida). I'm really looking forward to read book two in this series to continue on the journey with this world and cast of characters.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 25, 2023
*The biggest thank you to Tia for an ARC of Of Blood, Bones, and Truth! All thoughts and comments are my own.*
I absolutely loved this story and could not put it down!! Tia has put so much thought and care into this book. From the beautiful dedication to the map to the pages of world building before the story even starts. Every little detail has been consciously planned to perfection.
OBBT is a queer normative urban fantasy that follows Cassian and Kellan, an elf and a fallen. Their separate missions intertwine in one of my favorite meet cutes of all time. The story is told in 3 POVs, Cassian, Kellan, and the mysterious Shadow. There are so many twists and turns! I was constantly trying to guess who the Shadow was and what was going to happen next. I was always wrong. 😆
The characters are perfection. Kellan and Cassian each wove themselves into my heart so quickly and their struggles broke me every time. Their circumstances are so different, but their lives of forced service is a heartbreaking commonality. Vaida is my queen! She is smart, capable, no nonsense, and would do anything for her friends!
Kellan and Cassian have the sweetest romance! No spice here friends, and TBH it's not needed. Their moments together gave me all the butterflies and their relationship everything!
Things you can look forward to:
-LGBTQIA+ inclusive society
-Women in STEM
-Slow burn MM romance
-Elves, seraphs, shifters, and more
-Portals and magic
-A cliffhanger that made me yell, No! outloud. I'm still not OK!!
I cannot stop thinking about this story and these characters! I can't wait for the sequel already! I love this book and Tia's characters so much! I can't recommend it enough!
I absolutely loved this story and could not put it down!! Tia has put so much thought and care into this book. From the beautiful dedication to the map to the pages of world building before the story even starts. Every little detail has been consciously planned to perfection.
OBBT is a queer normative urban fantasy that follows Cassian and Kellan, an elf and a fallen. Their separate missions intertwine in one of my favorite meet cutes of all time. The story is told in 3 POVs, Cassian, Kellan, and the mysterious Shadow. There are so many twists and turns! I was constantly trying to guess who the Shadow was and what was going to happen next. I was always wrong. 😆
The characters are perfection. Kellan and Cassian each wove themselves into my heart so quickly and their struggles broke me every time. Their circumstances are so different, but their lives of forced service is a heartbreaking commonality. Vaida is my queen! She is smart, capable, no nonsense, and would do anything for her friends!
Kellan and Cassian have the sweetest romance! No spice here friends, and TBH it's not needed. Their moments together gave me all the butterflies and their relationship everything!
Things you can look forward to:
-LGBTQIA+ inclusive society
-Women in STEM
-Slow burn MM romance
-Elves, seraphs, shifters, and more
-Portals and magic
-A cliffhanger that made me yell, No! outloud. I'm still not OK!!
I cannot stop thinking about this story and these characters! I can't wait for the sequel already! I love this book and Tia's characters so much! I can't recommend it enough!
April 1, 2023
Of Blood, Bones, and Truth is an absolutely fantastic queer fantasy/sci-fi book and it was an adventure that left me needing more! If you want more queer people and/or diversity present in Crescent City, then this book may be for you.
Before we even get to the story you’re provided with maps, pronunciation guides, political structure, and history. I love this because it makes the book feel more real—like reading a true account. It created an instant emotional connection to the story for me. And my goodness, the world building within the story is phenomenal!
Cassian and Kellan; these sweet boys (despite their assassin jobs ARE good! Sometimes good people do bad things and vice versa) deserve all the hugs and kisses. A soft romance built on common interests, and friendship.
And the villain?! Never have I hated a villain so much! Like a brutal eye stabbing with a hot sauce bottle on a bed of legos would be too good for this villain—and I loved that. As much as I love a redeemable and lovable villain, sometimes it’s nice to have a good old fashioned hatred for the bad guy.
Before we even get to the story you’re provided with maps, pronunciation guides, political structure, and history. I love this because it makes the book feel more real—like reading a true account. It created an instant emotional connection to the story for me. And my goodness, the world building within the story is phenomenal!
Cassian and Kellan; these sweet boys (despite their assassin jobs ARE good! Sometimes good people do bad things and vice versa) deserve all the hugs and kisses. A soft romance built on common interests, and friendship.
And the villain?! Never have I hated a villain so much! Like a brutal eye stabbing with a hot sauce bottle on a bed of legos would be too good for this villain—and I loved that. As much as I love a redeemable and lovable villain, sometimes it’s nice to have a good old fashioned hatred for the bad guy.
June 23, 2023
5 stars
Genre: urban sci-fi/fantasy with a romance subplot
POV: 3rd person limited, 3 perspectives
Age: Adult
Romance: Yes, male/male
Smut: None
Violence: Yes, high
Language: Yes, moderate
I was sent an ARC that I didn’t finish, and ended up purchasing the book myself. My thoughts are honest and my own.
Easiest 5 stars I’ve given in a while. I need everyone to read this book.
The characters are great. The dialogue is fast and snappy and genuine. We have a modern, advanced city with different species (elves, seraphs, demons, humans) and lots of cool tech that feels modern and advanced while also being approachable. It feels really fresh. The plot was quick—murder mystery. The romance was slow, subtle, but just enough.
I laughed out loud multiple times.
I mean, that’s all. Read this. You won’t regret it.
Genre: urban sci-fi/fantasy with a romance subplot
POV: 3rd person limited, 3 perspectives
Age: Adult
Romance: Yes, male/male
Smut: None
Violence: Yes, high
Language: Yes, moderate
I was sent an ARC that I didn’t finish, and ended up purchasing the book myself. My thoughts are honest and my own.
Easiest 5 stars I’ve given in a while. I need everyone to read this book.
The characters are great. The dialogue is fast and snappy and genuine. We have a modern, advanced city with different species (elves, seraphs, demons, humans) and lots of cool tech that feels modern and advanced while also being approachable. It feels really fresh. The plot was quick—murder mystery. The romance was slow, subtle, but just enough.
I laughed out loud multiple times.
I mean, that’s all. Read this. You won’t regret it.
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