Wayward Reviews

---

To save her brothers, Arvelle vows to assassinate an ancient vampire emperor by surviving a deadly gladiatorial arena.
But the court is a minefield of conspiracies, forcing her to ally with the man who broke her heart and a sadistic prince.
With dangerous magic awakening inside her, Arvelle must play a lethal game where one wrong move means execution.

Book Synopsis

Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.

Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the impossible: kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.

She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.

With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.

To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…

*Please note I do use affiliate links occasionally

---

Review

* Non-Spoiler Review*

Oww the FairyLoot Romantacy is serving at the moment!

The last two books from my subscription have been giving me the things I like to see in my romantacy novels. One, strong character development and two, an engaging storyline with solid worldbuilding.

What drew me to the story of desperation and the force of which one is determined to save their family, but at the same time holds their moral compass when challenged. Surprisingly I didn’t find the female lead annoying at all, and what I mean by annoying is that, she was able to assert authority without being an ultra-aggressive and or extremely masculine.

While the overall trope is predictable, the way the story is written keeps me engaged and rooting for both the female lead and funny enough the potential protagonist. The male lead is your typical reserved grumpy sort of male lead, there are some qualities when you learn their back story, however, maybe if it’s something that the author will focus on in the second book, I do find that he is the weakest character in the book. Even with a backstory.

While I am a big reader of fantasy novels, I confess a usually lean towards one’s with aromantic element – so that means I usually find fight scenes overwhelming if they go on and detail. But funny enough, I enjoyed the fight scenes in this book, especially in the arena – pre warning there are a lot of fight scenes in this book!

Overall, this was a satisfying read and I can’t wait for the next installment. I would recommend this book to people who like more of an action fantasy and quite high intensity drama.

Spice Rating: 4/6 – See my rating system here

Book Rating: 4/5