Rating: 4.5 STARS Genre: LGBT/Fantasy/Paranormal Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: April 2021 Illumicrate Box! A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead. In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception. Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul. Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first. TW: Murder, death of loved ones, violence, blood, gore, body horror, alcoholism, forced marriage, threat of rape/abuse, enforced gender roles.
A note before I get started: I always try to include TW/CW for any books that I read as I know they're really crucial for a lot of people BUT I know if I'd seen the warnings above before opening this book, I might not have read it and honestly, that would have been awful since this book turned out to be fantastic. So, without trying to spoil the book, I just want to say that this book doesn't have a tragic ending and 'murder/death aside' a lot of the warnings above are quite mild and just made the story more powerful. I've also seen several people commenting on the fact that queer characters die in this book, but pretty much all the main characters are queer, and things happen in a way that I don't for a second think this is an attack on queer identity. Okay, on to the review. ------------- I LOVED THIS BOOK! At the moment, standalone books are really my thing. I'm really tired of series, especially really long series which are feeling a bit tedious right now as I'm swamped with work and don't have as much time to read as I used to. So, I love that this book is a standalone. The ending was perfect and while I'd really enjoy a novella, I think things wrapped up pretty well. In the Ravenous Dark starts with a pretty epic prologue, where we're introduced to our main character, Rovan, as a young girl, forced to hide and watch as her father is captured and killed by the blood mages who serve the king. This opening scene was truly epic, bloody and a perfect way to open this book. We then jump forward in time to see Rovan at nineteen years old, passed out from drinking too much on top of a building after fooling around with a girl from the village, when an accident leads to her magic being revealed for all to see. I think Rovan is a really fun character. She's feisty, unashamed and reckless to a fault. She adds a lot of humour and spice to the book, and she's realistic in that she's a complete mess. She's pansexual and openly queer (as are most of the main characters), which was a refreshing take, and this book has a ton of great representation incl. lesbian relationships, pansexual characters, polyamory, and non-binary characters. The pacing of the book was great, if almost a little too fast, as certain things felt a bit rushed, mainly the relationships, but I'm so glad the author didn't drag things out unnecessarily and turn it into a series. I basically couldn't put it down once I started and read it in a few sittings. When Rovan is captured and taken to the palace, we meet a variety of characters incl. the lovely and friendly Japha, the beguiling Lydea (a princess trapped in a life she doesn't want), and dangerous Ivrilos (a centuries-dead spirit bound to Rovan against her will). The palace is a dangerous place, full of dark secrets, and Rovan must work out who she can trust. Overall, this is a really dark, gripping book. I love how the author blends blood magic, ghosts, found family, and a really great and unique queer relationship to create a blood-thirsty, darkly funny and tense fantasy that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I personally feel that this book would be better suited to an older YA/adult audience. It feels like, if it were a film, it'd be rated either 15 or 18 as it does contain some gore and heavier themes, but I loved it and will definitely be on the lookout for other work by this author. Comments are closed.
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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