Review by Lorelei
Mar 5, 2024Gothic romantasy can be done well or really, really badly. And dark romantasy is really having a moment, so there are a LOT of badly done books out there. But this? This was great.
Book rating: 4/5
Cover rating: 4/5 (Love those colors.)
Elspeth lives in a land that is surrounded by a dangerous fog, where people can catch a fever that gives them magical powers - but these powers cause them to degenerate and die or go mad. The King's Destriers are tasked with hunting down and executing these people, so Elspeth must carefully hide the fact that she is infected. Her only magical power appears to be having an unwelcome visitor in her head, who she calls Nightmare. Unfortunately Elspeth has a run-in with the Captain of the Destriers, darkly handsome Ravyn Yew. But he and his family are not what she expects. She finds herself embroiled in a treasonous plot, fighting her attraction to Ravyn, while also fighting the Nightmare in her head.
I really loved the fact that, while this is clearly romance, it's not ONLY romance. There's an actual story and plot going on that doesn't revolve around the two characters getting together; it's a fantasy story with a romance rather than just a romance in a fantasy setting, which I prefer. I liked Elspeth, but I have to admit, Ravyn was... a bit meh for me. Stereotypical dark hero, but he didn't really stand out to me. I was interested in several of the other characters, though I'd like a little more on them in the next book to flesh them out a bit. And I thought the pacing was great and kept the story rolling at a good clip. I don't want to give too much away, but THAT ENDING. WHAT.
Overall, I'm really satisfied with this book, and I'm looking forward to the next one!
Gothic romantasy can be done well or really, really badly. And dark romantasy is really having a moment, so there are a LOT of badly done books out there. But this? This was great.
Book rating: 4/5
Cover rating: 4/5 (Love those colors.)
Elspeth lives in a land that is surrounded by a dangerous fog, where people can catch a fever that gives them magical powers - but these powers cause them to degenerate and die or go mad. The King's Destriers are tasked with hunting down and executing these people, so Elspeth must carefully hide the fact that she is infected. Her only magical power appears to be having an unwelcome visitor in her head, who she calls Nightmare. Unfortunately Elspeth has a run-in with the Captain of the Destriers, darkly handsome Ravyn Yew. But he and his family are not what she expects. She finds herself embroiled in a treasonous plot, fighting her attraction to Ravyn, while also fighting the Nightmare in her head.
I really loved the fact that, while this is clearly romance, it's not ONLY romance. There's an actual story and plot going on that doesn't revolve around the two characters getting together; it's a fantasy story with a romance rather than just a romance in a fantasy setting, which I prefer. I liked Elspeth, but I have to admit, Ravyn was... a bit meh for me. Stereotypical dark hero, but he didn't really stand out to me. I was interested in several of the other characters, though I'd like a little more on them in the next book to flesh them out a bit. And I thought the pacing was great and kept the story rolling at a good clip. I don't want to give too much away, but THAT ENDING. WHAT.
Overall, I'm really satisfied with this book, and I'm looking forward to the next one!
