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Blood & Souls Duology #1
Blood Beneath the Snow
A heart-pounding romantasy following a rebellious princess who must compete to the death against her siblings for the crown to ensure justice, while fighting her feelings for her country's most powerful enemy by debut author Alexandra Kennington.
Revna is no stranger to struggle. As the only member of the royal family without a magical ability, she is seen as an embarrassing mistake to her kingdom and a blight on her family tree. Luckily, Revna has found family in other outcasts in her kingdom. But when her two closest friends� lives are put in danger, she is determined to save them by any means necessary, no matter the cost. The Bloodshed Trials—a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne—might just be the ultimate price.
Revna turns down her arranged marriage and commits to competing for the throne only to be kidnapped by the mysterious and terrifyingly powerful Hellbringer, the general of her country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to rend souls with the flick of his wrist and is every inch as intimidating as the war stories say he is. But Revna wonders if there may be some humanity left in him—especially when he reveals there are other parties who want her on the throne for their own furtive reasons.
Revna is no stranger to struggle. As the only member of the royal family without a magical ability, she is seen as an embarrassing mistake to her kingdom and a blight on her family tree. Luckily, Revna has found family in other outcasts in her kingdom. But when her two closest friends� lives are put in danger, she is determined to save them by any means necessary, no matter the cost. The Bloodshed Trials—a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne—might just be the ultimate price.
Revna turns down her arranged marriage and commits to competing for the throne only to be kidnapped by the mysterious and terrifyingly powerful Hellbringer, the general of her country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to rend souls with the flick of his wrist and is every inch as intimidating as the war stories say he is. But Revna wonders if there may be some humanity left in him—especially when he reveals there are other parties who want her on the throne for their own furtive reasons.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published March 11, 2025
119 people are currently reading
31k people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
February 7, 2025
Blood Beneath the Snow was unfortunately a letdown for me. Sigh. I really loved the idea of a wintery tournament where siblings fight to death to win a crown. What I got instead was 200 pages of training sequences and a main character who constantly needed to remind everyone of how terrible but also how special she was at the same time. *Pulls hair out*
Not to mention a love interest 'dark and dangerous mystery man' is called The HellBringer? 🤡 No. I cannot take that seriously. I kept thinking about a mid-aged biker. The Hellbringer lol.
The story opens with a bunch of side characters the main character interacts with. And then the side characters basically cease to be in the narrative, even though the main character claims that everything she does, she does for them. The side characters felt underdeveloped and indistinguishable.
The pacing was horrid in this. I was actually enjoying the first little bit of the story. I'd say until about 25% lol sounds sad because it's so early on, but the beginning was very action packed, with our FMC running through the city to escape capture. But we're quickly drawn to a halt and slammed with lengthy dialogue chapters with nothing actually really happening.
For me, this put a huge damper in things... There's not much worse than dreading picking up a book and/or skimming over chapters and constantly looking at the minute count left. That's where most books go to die for me.
It's like, we started with all of these characters and to me, what felt like a vast world and the author whittled all of that away and left us with the annoying FMC stuck in a cave - and we're just left to our on imagination as to what is going on in the world on the outside of this cave. The friends, the people, the whole ass war.
I typically prefer third person to first person because I don't like being trapped in the main character's head. This is first person and not only are we trapped in the FMC's mind, but the author completely shuts the reader out of what is going on aside from this boring mundane 'training' between this supposed pair. It was like hitting a brick wall. Day after day I'd struggle to get through these chapters.... They're long and there's many of them. Such a huge chuck of boring plotline.
Speaking of the romance - or lack thereof. These two felt really forced to me. I didn't feel the chemistry; they barely communicate with each other. It's all kind of all tell no show type of scenario. Because the author said so and so it is �. Ugh. No.
I also thought the Hellbringer's character was poorly constructed. To avoid potential spoilers, I won't go into specifics, but it just didn't feel authentic or likely. He's like the Temu version of Rhys.
To me, this felt like a poor attempt at a mash up of many popular romantasies. If these tropes are your jam though, give it a try - hope that it works better for you. If you're looking for something well written, original and thoroughly entertaining - might give it a pass.
❤️One Bed
👑Feminine Rage
⚔️Captor x Captive
❤️Forced Proximity
👑Morally Grey MMC
⚔️Grumpy/Mysterious MMC
❤️Strong/Feisty/Stabby FMC
հ
⚔️Religious x Political Intrigue
❤️Secret Identity
👑Training Sequences
Expected Publication Date - 03/11/25
Many thanks to Berkley Publishing via NetGalley for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts and opinions are my own. 💐
⋆✴︎˚｡� ˗ˏˋ★‿︵� ˚ ₊⊹
Not to mention a love interest 'dark and dangerous mystery man' is called The HellBringer? 🤡 No. I cannot take that seriously. I kept thinking about a mid-aged biker. The Hellbringer lol.
The story opens with a bunch of side characters the main character interacts with. And then the side characters basically cease to be in the narrative, even though the main character claims that everything she does, she does for them. The side characters felt underdeveloped and indistinguishable.
The pacing was horrid in this. I was actually enjoying the first little bit of the story. I'd say until about 25% lol sounds sad because it's so early on, but the beginning was very action packed, with our FMC running through the city to escape capture. But we're quickly drawn to a halt and slammed with lengthy dialogue chapters with nothing actually really happening.
For me, this put a huge damper in things... There's not much worse than dreading picking up a book and/or skimming over chapters and constantly looking at the minute count left. That's where most books go to die for me.
It's like, we started with all of these characters and to me, what felt like a vast world and the author whittled all of that away and left us with the annoying FMC stuck in a cave - and we're just left to our on imagination as to what is going on in the world on the outside of this cave. The friends, the people, the whole ass war.
I typically prefer third person to first person because I don't like being trapped in the main character's head. This is first person and not only are we trapped in the FMC's mind, but the author completely shuts the reader out of what is going on aside from this boring mundane 'training' between this supposed pair. It was like hitting a brick wall. Day after day I'd struggle to get through these chapters.... They're long and there's many of them. Such a huge chuck of boring plotline.
Speaking of the romance - or lack thereof. These two felt really forced to me. I didn't feel the chemistry; they barely communicate with each other. It's all kind of all tell no show type of scenario. Because the author said so and so it is �. Ugh. No.
I also thought the Hellbringer's character was poorly constructed. To avoid potential spoilers, I won't go into specifics, but it just didn't feel authentic or likely. He's like the Temu version of Rhys.
To me, this felt like a poor attempt at a mash up of many popular romantasies. If these tropes are your jam though, give it a try - hope that it works better for you. If you're looking for something well written, original and thoroughly entertaining - might give it a pass.
❤️One Bed
👑Feminine Rage
⚔️Captor x Captive
❤️Forced Proximity
👑Morally Grey MMC
⚔️Grumpy/Mysterious MMC
հ
⚔️Religious x Political Intrigue
❤️Secret Identity
👑Training Sequences
Expected Publication Date - 03/11/25
Many thanks to Berkley Publishing via NetGalley for the advanced digital copy - all thoughts and opinions are my own. 💐
⋆✴︎˚｡� ˗ˏˋ★‿︵� ˚ ₊⊹
March 11, 2025
Thank you to Alexandra and Ace for the advanced copy! All opinions are my own.
I was so honored that Alex asked me to blurb this book, but was quickly sucked into the story. With definite Norse vibes and a Reylo-esque romance, it was a refreshing read in the romantasy genre.
Here's the official blurb:
Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington is a sizzling new romantasy set in a brutal world where a feisty princess must battle her own siblings for the crown--and her own survival. Between the morally grey characters, the masked MMC, and the forbidden romance, I could not put it down!
I was so honored that Alex asked me to blurb this book, but was quickly sucked into the story. With definite Norse vibes and a Reylo-esque romance, it was a refreshing read in the romantasy genre.
Here's the official blurb:
Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington is a sizzling new romantasy set in a brutal world where a feisty princess must battle her own siblings for the crown--and her own survival. Between the morally grey characters, the masked MMC, and the forbidden romance, I could not put it down!
December 9, 2024
19/09/24
just got accepted for the arc!! so beyond excited to start this soon <33
9/12/24
4 �
🩸🗡�
thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing for granting me access to the copy before the release date in return for an honest review.
now, i've read a good amount of fantasy books in my short 17 years, and it's hard now to find a book that doesn't completely copy another books plot, or is overly-tropey. but, blood beneath the snow was a WILD you guys. an absolute rollercoaster. i was almost HIGH from how many plot twists this book took and i couldn't get enough. this book is definitely not for the faint of heart and i really advise reading the TW's before you dive into this masterpiece.
revna is literally EVERYTHING you could possibly want in a FMC. badass princess competing for the throne. YES PLEASE. she was so cool, and even cooler without the magical abilities. not gonna lie i did have to go into art breeder and come up with a character for her because the physical description left lots to be desired. i could imagine her while reading, but more of looking like me than looking like revna. one reason why i love trails in books is because of the character development and growth, and this was no exception. revna's development through the book was art to be studied. i could've never written something like this before.
the betrayal in this book goes HARD. like backstabbing-don't-look-back-left-you-for-dead-in-the-street kind of betrayal. my jaw was on the floor for PAGES AND PAGES. PLEASE don't go into this thinking you're going to get a sweet trials-and-tribulations kind of fantasy book. i mean, your heart is going to throw up 240495206 times anyway, but i'd rather you go into this knowing that then going in completely blind.
overall, amazing. such a fun experience, though i really wished the characters were given a clearer physical description. that would've made the whole experience 10x better for me, the reader.
just got accepted for the arc!! so beyond excited to start this soon <33
9/12/24
4 �
🩸🗡�
thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing for granting me access to the copy before the release date in return for an honest review.
now, i've read a good amount of fantasy books in my short 17 years, and it's hard now to find a book that doesn't completely copy another books plot, or is overly-tropey. but, blood beneath the snow was a WILD you guys. an absolute rollercoaster. i was almost HIGH from how many plot twists this book took and i couldn't get enough. this book is definitely not for the faint of heart and i really advise reading the TW's before you dive into this masterpiece.
revna is literally EVERYTHING you could possibly want in a FMC. badass princess competing for the throne. YES PLEASE. she was so cool, and even cooler without the magical abilities. not gonna lie i did have to go into art breeder and come up with a character for her because the physical description left lots to be desired. i could imagine her while reading, but more of looking like me than looking like revna. one reason why i love trails in books is because of the character development and growth, and this was no exception. revna's development through the book was art to be studied. i could've never written something like this before.
the betrayal in this book goes HARD. like backstabbing-don't-look-back-left-you-for-dead-in-the-street kind of betrayal. my jaw was on the floor for PAGES AND PAGES. PLEASE don't go into this thinking you're going to get a sweet trials-and-tribulations kind of fantasy book. i mean, your heart is going to throw up 240495206 times anyway, but i'd rather you go into this knowing that then going in completely blind.
overall, amazing. such a fun experience, though i really wished the characters were given a clearer physical description. that would've made the whole experience 10x better for me, the reader.
December 27, 2024
3.25⭐️ | |
What I loved�
- starts off with a bang!
- trials
- elemental magic
- political intrigue
- forced-proximity
- masked villain
- heavier themes that mirror issues in our society
What I didn’t love�
- there is a quite a bit of repetition, reminiscent of what I’d expect to find in a YA novel, lots of reminding the reader about certain aspects that relate to later plot reveals.
- overall the pacing was a bit all over the place
- the romance was one-sided for a large portion and then BAM not so one sided, this felt insta-lust and a bit jarring
I think overall this was a fine book, I would absolutely consider checking out this authors future work.
one final issue - how did she remote detonate a bomb in a world without radio waves/electricity and no magic? No really I need someone to explain this one to me please.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley (ACE) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
What I loved�
- starts off with a bang!
- trials
- elemental magic
- political intrigue
- forced-proximity
- masked villain
- heavier themes that mirror issues in our society
What I didn’t love�
- there is a quite a bit of repetition, reminiscent of what I’d expect to find in a YA novel, lots of reminding the reader about certain aspects that relate to later plot reveals.
- overall the pacing was a bit all over the place
- the romance was one-sided for a large portion and then BAM not so one sided, this felt insta-lust and a bit jarring
I think overall this was a fine book, I would absolutely consider checking out this authors future work.
one final issue - how did she remote detonate a bomb in a world without radio waves/electricity and no magic? No really I need someone to explain this one to me please.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley (ACE) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
March 15, 2025
revna is a godforsaken princess—she’s powerless in a warring nation and the only hope she has is defeating her ruthless brothers in a fight to the death for the crown. she’s at a great disadvantage because her brother magical powers and she does not.
as the fight approaches, she’s kidnapped by the enemy’s assassin, only known as the Hellbringer. he takes her to train her because his queen wants revna on the throne. and then the enemies-to-training allies-to-lovers slow burn kicks in. this felt like a delicious captive x captor romance and I had a great time.
🎧 ellie gossage narrated this and she did a great job! she added a lot to the story and brought emotions and nuance while reading and I super enjoyed reading it with my ears!
❗️ the “trials� this is marketed with are like 3 chapters towards 90% of the book and it’s more of a fight to the death than actual trials.
what to expect
� enemies to lovers
� fight to the 💀 for the crown
� captive x captor
as the fight approaches, she’s kidnapped by the enemy’s assassin, only known as the Hellbringer. he takes her to train her because his queen wants revna on the throne. and then the enemies-to-training allies-to-lovers slow burn kicks in. this felt like a delicious captive x captor romance and I had a great time.
🎧 ellie gossage narrated this and she did a great job! she added a lot to the story and brought emotions and nuance while reading and I super enjoyed reading it with my ears!
❗️ the “trials� this is marketed with are like 3 chapters towards 90% of the book and it’s more of a fight to the death than actual trials.
what to expect
� enemies to lovers
� fight to the 💀 for the crown
� captive x captor
January 30, 2025
Blood Beneath the Snow was unfortunately disappointing. I loved the idea of a wintery tournament where siblings fight to death to win a crown. What I got instead was 200 pages of training montages and a main character who constantly needed to remind everyone of how wretched but also how special she was at the same time. My main problems with the story were as follows:
1) Side characters
The story opens with a bunch of side characters the main character interacts with. And then the side characters basically cease to be in the narrative, even though the main character claims that everything she does, she does for them. No character really had any distinguishable personality, and they existed only to be motivation for the main character. I couldn’t tell them apart, and frankly, I don’t think the main character could either.
2) Pacing and Plot
The pacing was� not great. The story starts out strong with action and stakes. But then the main character gets kidnapped and proceeds to spend the next 200 pages “training� and complaining about being a prisoner. During this time, there is a war/revolution going on, but the reader never interacted with that conflict. Instead, we just had to take the author’s word that things were happening behind the scenes that would be relevant. There is the idea of conflict in the story, but no actually scaled conflict. I wanted politics and war and collateral damage. Instead, I got a girl sparring and being cold.
3) “Romance�
To make up for the utter lack of external plot, the author pretends that the main character falls in love with her captor. Except they never talk to each other. They also don’t have a lot in common. Or any physical spark. The romance felt forced and like a cover-up for the lack of conflict in other areas. I didn’t believe that the characters were in love, so I never became invested in their relationship. There wasn’t anything compelling about them as individuals, so there certainly wasn’t anything compelling about them as a couple.
4) Writing
Finally, the writing just felt really dry. There was a lot of telling rather than showing. The author would say that a character was a certain way rather than proving it. Additionally, side characters spent a lot of time telling the main character how amazing she was, but the main character never did anything particularly deserving of praise. The dialogue was stilted, yet there also wasn’t enough of it; the reader could go pages and pages without anyone speaking or interacting. As for descriptions, there were no sensory details. The author would simply say that it was cold rather than describing how that cold felt or the visual surroundings.
I received an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
1) Side characters
The story opens with a bunch of side characters the main character interacts with. And then the side characters basically cease to be in the narrative, even though the main character claims that everything she does, she does for them. No character really had any distinguishable personality, and they existed only to be motivation for the main character. I couldn’t tell them apart, and frankly, I don’t think the main character could either.
2) Pacing and Plot
The pacing was� not great. The story starts out strong with action and stakes. But then the main character gets kidnapped and proceeds to spend the next 200 pages “training� and complaining about being a prisoner. During this time, there is a war/revolution going on, but the reader never interacted with that conflict. Instead, we just had to take the author’s word that things were happening behind the scenes that would be relevant. There is the idea of conflict in the story, but no actually scaled conflict. I wanted politics and war and collateral damage. Instead, I got a girl sparring and being cold.
3) “Romance�
To make up for the utter lack of external plot, the author pretends that the main character falls in love with her captor. Except they never talk to each other. They also don’t have a lot in common. Or any physical spark. The romance felt forced and like a cover-up for the lack of conflict in other areas. I didn’t believe that the characters were in love, so I never became invested in their relationship. There wasn’t anything compelling about them as individuals, so there certainly wasn’t anything compelling about them as a couple.
4) Writing
Finally, the writing just felt really dry. There was a lot of telling rather than showing. The author would say that a character was a certain way rather than proving it. Additionally, side characters spent a lot of time telling the main character how amazing she was, but the main character never did anything particularly deserving of praise. The dialogue was stilted, yet there also wasn’t enough of it; the reader could go pages and pages without anyone speaking or interacting. As for descriptions, there were no sensory details. The author would simply say that it was cold rather than describing how that cold felt or the visual surroundings.
I received an e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.
March 28, 2025
2025 reads: 68/300
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
revna is the only member in her royal family without a magical ability, which, in her kingdom, makes her very poorly regarded, both inside and outside of her castle. her father is more than happy to pawn her off to another kingdom, but revna turns down her arranged marriage to compete in the bloodshed trials, a competition where the last living sibling wins the throne. against her godtouched brothers, revna doesn’t have much of a chance…until she’s kidnapped and trained by the hellbringer, the general her country’s greatest enemy. as she learns from the hellbringer, she begins to wonder if his tough exterior is hiding a kinder man underneath.
this was a captivating book! plenty of bloodshed (as the name would suggest), romance, and royalty/war throughout the book. also, revna was such a motivated character, which i loved to see. as a godforsaken royal, she did what she could to use her position as princess to help other godforsaken like her. the romance between her and the hellbringer was so tense, and i could not get enough!
i did think the world building was kind of lacking, but maybe we’ll get more insight into it in book two. besides that, i thought this was an interesting book. i can’t wait for the sequel!
i received a digital review copy from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. this did not affect my rating.
revna is the only member in her royal family without a magical ability, which, in her kingdom, makes her very poorly regarded, both inside and outside of her castle. her father is more than happy to pawn her off to another kingdom, but revna turns down her arranged marriage to compete in the bloodshed trials, a competition where the last living sibling wins the throne. against her godtouched brothers, revna doesn’t have much of a chance…until she’s kidnapped and trained by the hellbringer, the general her country’s greatest enemy. as she learns from the hellbringer, she begins to wonder if his tough exterior is hiding a kinder man underneath.
this was a captivating book! plenty of bloodshed (as the name would suggest), romance, and royalty/war throughout the book. also, revna was such a motivated character, which i loved to see. as a godforsaken royal, she did what she could to use her position as princess to help other godforsaken like her. the romance between her and the hellbringer was so tense, and i could not get enough!
i did think the world building was kind of lacking, but maybe we’ll get more insight into it in book two. besides that, i thought this was an interesting book. i can’t wait for the sequel!
March 15, 2025
DNF 34% chapter 11, 4.5 hours
Mediocre, stereotypical, cringe, cheesy and melodramatic. I've done my time.
Mediocre, stereotypical, cringe, cheesy and melodramatic. I've done my time.
January 16, 2025
When I saw Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington, I'll admit it, I first fell in love with the cover. After reading the summary, I knew I was going to need to read this one so I immediately requested it.
Our fmc is Revna and our introduction to her is pretty intense. As the only member of the royal family without magic, she is treated as an outcast but that's ok with her, she has found family and built friendships with outcasts in the kingdom and they all work together to do what they can to protect others within the kingdom from being punished for who they are or are not. Revna isn't afraid to stand up to her family and that's what gets her into trouble most of the time. When her two closest friends are put in danger because of her actions, she is determined to save them no matter what. For Revna, the cost becomes The Bloodshed Trials, a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne.
The other main character in this book is Hellbringer, the general of Revna's country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to do things with his magic that could end the war today but there are other parties who want Revna on the throne for their own reasons so instead, he kidnaps her and is committed to training her to take on her brothers in the Trials so that she can win. What wasn't expected was that perhaps underneath everything, there may be some humanity left in him and as he and Revna spend more time together locked away from everyone, they become closer.
I thought the story was developed well and the secondary characters were crucial to this story although I didn't love them all. I thought Revna's relationship with her brothers was interesting and was glad that they weren't both horrible human beings. I do wish that when things are revealed for Revna, that because of her prior relationship, there wasn't such fear and anger toward her from those who used to love and trust her... but what can you do. There is plenty of action in this book but I will say I thought the training portion of the book could have been condensed...although maybe it just felt long to me. I don't know - it felt like it dragged at times.
All in all this was a solid Fantasy and Kennington writes well. If you're looking for something new, consider picking it up. I'll most likely grab the next book in the series based on how this one ended as I'm going to need to know what happens next for this cast of characters.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Our fmc is Revna and our introduction to her is pretty intense. As the only member of the royal family without magic, she is treated as an outcast but that's ok with her, she has found family and built friendships with outcasts in the kingdom and they all work together to do what they can to protect others within the kingdom from being punished for who they are or are not. Revna isn't afraid to stand up to her family and that's what gets her into trouble most of the time. When her two closest friends are put in danger because of her actions, she is determined to save them no matter what. For Revna, the cost becomes The Bloodshed Trials, a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne.
The other main character in this book is Hellbringer, the general of Revna's country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to do things with his magic that could end the war today but there are other parties who want Revna on the throne for their own reasons so instead, he kidnaps her and is committed to training her to take on her brothers in the Trials so that she can win. What wasn't expected was that perhaps underneath everything, there may be some humanity left in him and as he and Revna spend more time together locked away from everyone, they become closer.
I thought the story was developed well and the secondary characters were crucial to this story although I didn't love them all. I thought Revna's relationship with her brothers was interesting and was glad that they weren't both horrible human beings. I do wish that when things are revealed for Revna, that because of her prior relationship, there wasn't such fear and anger toward her from those who used to love and trust her... but what can you do. There is plenty of action in this book but I will say I thought the training portion of the book could have been condensed...although maybe it just felt long to me. I don't know - it felt like it dragged at times.
All in all this was a solid Fantasy and Kennington writes well. If you're looking for something new, consider picking it up. I'll most likely grab the next book in the series based on how this one ended as I'm going to need to know what happens next for this cast of characters.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 10, 2024
4.25 star read for me!! 👑✨�
Okay, Blood Beneath the Snow is an absolute wild ride. If you love twists that leave you staring at the page wondering what just happened—this book is for you. There are enough betrayals in here to make even the most hardened backstabber blink in disbelief. Honestly, the plot is like a game of chess played by psychopaths, and every move has the potential to end in "Wait, what?!" moments.
Let's talk tropes, because this book nails some classic ones that just work: Forced proximity? Check�. Only one bed? Oh, you bet. And then there's the masked villain ... because what's a battle for the throne without some dark, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows? (Plus, it’s always fun to guess who the villain really is, right?)
The heroine, Revna, is everything I wanted in a princess 👸 competing in a deadly fight for the throne—tough, smart, and determined, even without the magical abilities her brothers wield. But if I’m being real, I would’ve loved a little more detail on her physical description. I found myself struggling to picture her, which made it hard to really see her in action sometimes. Still, her character development is top-notch, and her struggle for survival and power makes for some seriously gripping reading.
So, in short: If you’re in the mood for a book full of backstabbing, a lot of "oh my god, I didn't see that coming!" moments, and some excellent forced proximity (with a lot of tension 😫), Blood Beneath the Snow should be on your list ✍️✍️✍️.
Okay, Blood Beneath the Snow is an absolute wild ride. If you love twists that leave you staring at the page wondering what just happened—this book is for you. There are enough betrayals in here to make even the most hardened backstabber blink in disbelief. Honestly, the plot is like a game of chess played by psychopaths, and every move has the potential to end in "Wait, what?!" moments.
Let's talk tropes, because this book nails some classic ones that just work: Forced proximity? Check�. Only one bed? Oh, you bet. And then there's the masked villain ... because what's a battle for the throne without some dark, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows? (Plus, it’s always fun to guess who the villain really is, right?)
The heroine, Revna, is everything I wanted in a princess 👸 competing in a deadly fight for the throne—tough, smart, and determined, even without the magical abilities her brothers wield. But if I’m being real, I would’ve loved a little more detail on her physical description. I found myself struggling to picture her, which made it hard to really see her in action sometimes. Still, her character development is top-notch, and her struggle for survival and power makes for some seriously gripping reading.
So, in short: If you’re in the mood for a book full of backstabbing, a lot of "oh my god, I didn't see that coming!" moments, and some excellent forced proximity (with a lot of tension 😫), Blood Beneath the Snow should be on your list ✍️✍️✍️.
February 21, 2025
3.5*
tbh this was a fun time. thank god the love interests name isn’t actually hellbringer 😭😭😭
tbh this was a fun time. thank god the love interests name isn’t actually hellbringer 😭😭😭
April 7, 2025
not the best
February 28, 2025
3 Stars
The overall premise was strong but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.
I really loved the world and the political intrigue and the unique court life seen ij parts of the book. The characters themselves were interesting and I enjoyed how it started off with a bang and we see early on the mental resilience and strong beliefs that the MFC Revna has.
The action was pretty constant, the trials were great (although they played a very small role in the book), and the twist at the end was great.
On the downside, one primary area of contention is the time period. There is a lot of modern terminology in the book, which heavily contradicts the setting. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if this was intentional or overlooked by the author. Either way it’s one of those odd things that bothers me.
The relationship between the FMC and MMC was also a bit disappointing. It started off very interesting and intriguing, but seemed to go from 0 - 100 in a very short time. There wasn’t really the chemistry there to make this seem believable.
This was an ARC read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy.
The overall premise was strong but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.
I really loved the world and the political intrigue and the unique court life seen ij parts of the book. The characters themselves were interesting and I enjoyed how it started off with a bang and we see early on the mental resilience and strong beliefs that the MFC Revna has.
The action was pretty constant, the trials were great (although they played a very small role in the book), and the twist at the end was great.
On the downside, one primary area of contention is the time period. There is a lot of modern terminology in the book, which heavily contradicts the setting. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if this was intentional or overlooked by the author. Either way it’s one of those odd things that bothers me.
The relationship between the FMC and MMC was also a bit disappointing. It started off very interesting and intriguing, but seemed to go from 0 - 100 in a very short time. There wasn’t really the chemistry there to make this seem believable.
This was an ARC read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy.
Shelved as 'on-my-radar'
March 23, 2025un romantasy adulto lleno de personajes queer con pruebas mortales, el trope de enemies to lovers, protas moralmente grises, una guerra y es solo duología????
dame cien
dame cien
November 6, 2024
3/5
Well. First things first, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
As someone who has read more fantasy books than is probably reasonable in a not so long life so far, I think I'm very good at sensing plot beats, romance beats, twists, and numerous other things that make a fantasy book *good.* I think that for a debut novel, this is a solid book, but I found it had too many issues for me to be able to rate it any higher than 3 stars.
1) I think that this book does not work as a romantic fantasy. If you want the romance in your book to be taken seriously, it should follow certain beats that lets readers know it's important. I felt that this book was not wanting the romance to be as important as the plot, but the execution of the romance didn't seem to align with these plot beats. As our two main characters, Revna and the Hellbringer, don't have a conversation until about 35% through the book, I assumed that we would have a slow-burn romance that likely would be a sub-plot. This I believe is a fair assumption to make when we don't have any romance inklings for over a quarter of the novel.
So I was confused when the romance did take such a centre stage in the novel towards the middle. I was incapable of believing that the interactions we saw between Revna and the Hellbringer made it possible for them to fall in love. They had no chemistry. Revna was just horny for the majority of this book. I did not think that the pacing of the romance made any sense at all, and the love confession made me laugh because it was so out of place. I also found the smut scene to be unneeded... this should have been a multi-book slowburn.
2) The plot was beyond weird. I was under the impression that the Bloodshed Trials would be the main plot of the book. They were not. Instead, Revna just spends the majority of this book in a prison training with the Hellbringer because his Queen told him to, but we never meet the Queen or learn enough about her for the reasoning behind this to be fully fleshed out. I just felt that there was a lot of wandering around that amounted to nothing. I wanted more of the gods and more explanations behind the magic system and the politics of the world. I just felt that the parts of the book I wanted to be further explained in detail were left behind to develop a romance I didn't care for.
3) I hated the fact we had literally no side characters. It's just Revna and the Hellbringer (and to be honest, just Revna alone) for most of the book. Reina's friends and brothers just don't get enough consistent page time across the book. They appear in the first and last quarter so the relationships just felt like we were being told how they were like instead of seeing them interact over the course of 400 pages.
4) The world-building was sort of odd. I mean, it is a fun world and has fun magic, but I wished we'd seen more of it. I'm not sure about much other than Revna hates the priests.
5) the Hellbringer had no personality. He was stoic for most of the book and I couldn't see any development at all happening with his character. I also wonder how he will be justified in his actions at the end of this book? Unless what Revna saw him do was not in fact what actually happened, I don't know how he'll be redeemed. But either way, it's clear he held back a LOT of information from Revna anyway so I'm still not close to liking him.
6) Revna was okay. I can see people liking her but I found her insta-lust to the Hellbringer to be annoying and she didn't have many personality traits outside of hating her family, loving her friends, hating religion, and wishing she was stronger, and finding the Hellbringer hot.
All in all, this is a solid fantasy debut, but I think it has a LOT of room for improvement in further books in the series.
Well. First things first, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
As someone who has read more fantasy books than is probably reasonable in a not so long life so far, I think I'm very good at sensing plot beats, romance beats, twists, and numerous other things that make a fantasy book *good.* I think that for a debut novel, this is a solid book, but I found it had too many issues for me to be able to rate it any higher than 3 stars.
1) I think that this book does not work as a romantic fantasy. If you want the romance in your book to be taken seriously, it should follow certain beats that lets readers know it's important. I felt that this book was not wanting the romance to be as important as the plot, but the execution of the romance didn't seem to align with these plot beats. As our two main characters, Revna and the Hellbringer, don't have a conversation until about 35% through the book, I assumed that we would have a slow-burn romance that likely would be a sub-plot. This I believe is a fair assumption to make when we don't have any romance inklings for over a quarter of the novel.
So I was confused when the romance did take such a centre stage in the novel towards the middle. I was incapable of believing that the interactions we saw between Revna and the Hellbringer made it possible for them to fall in love. They had no chemistry. Revna was just horny for the majority of this book. I did not think that the pacing of the romance made any sense at all, and the love confession made me laugh because it was so out of place. I also found the smut scene to be unneeded... this should have been a multi-book slowburn.
2) The plot was beyond weird. I was under the impression that the Bloodshed Trials would be the main plot of the book. They were not. Instead, Revna just spends the majority of this book in a prison training with the Hellbringer because his Queen told him to, but we never meet the Queen or learn enough about her for the reasoning behind this to be fully fleshed out. I just felt that there was a lot of wandering around that amounted to nothing. I wanted more of the gods and more explanations behind the magic system and the politics of the world. I just felt that the parts of the book I wanted to be further explained in detail were left behind to develop a romance I didn't care for.
3) I hated the fact we had literally no side characters. It's just Revna and the Hellbringer (and to be honest, just Revna alone) for most of the book. Reina's friends and brothers just don't get enough consistent page time across the book. They appear in the first and last quarter so the relationships just felt like we were being told how they were like instead of seeing them interact over the course of 400 pages.
4) The world-building was sort of odd. I mean, it is a fun world and has fun magic, but I wished we'd seen more of it. I'm not sure about much other than Revna hates the priests.
5) the Hellbringer had no personality. He was stoic for most of the book and I couldn't see any development at all happening with his character. I also wonder how he will be justified in his actions at the end of this book? Unless what Revna saw him do was not in fact what actually happened, I don't know how he'll be redeemed. But either way, it's clear he held back a LOT of information from Revna anyway so I'm still not close to liking him.
6) Revna was okay. I can see people liking her but I found her insta-lust to the Hellbringer to be annoying and she didn't have many personality traits outside of hating her family, loving her friends, hating religion, and wishing she was stronger, and finding the Hellbringer hot.
All in all, this is a solid fantasy debut, but I think it has a LOT of room for improvement in further books in the series.
March 17, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up
I was ready to be OBSESSED with this book. I loved the religious deconstruction aspect of it, and I will always love a romantic kidnapping. It feels like if the Mandalorian was a romantasy.
HOWEVER...
I wish the trials would've started earlier in the book. It felt really rushed at the end of the story, like we were trying to wrap up too much, too quickly. I also just wanted... more. Revna is a fantastic character, and the smut was good, but I wanted more depth from our MMC, and I hope that we discover more in the second book. I will definitely continue the series when the second book comes out though. It's an easy read that really pulled you into the world.
Watch the vlog where I read this book! -
I was ready to be OBSESSED with this book. I loved the religious deconstruction aspect of it, and I will always love a romantic kidnapping. It feels like if the Mandalorian was a romantasy.
HOWEVER...
I wish the trials would've started earlier in the book. It felt really rushed at the end of the story, like we were trying to wrap up too much, too quickly. I also just wanted... more. Revna is a fantastic character, and the smut was good, but I wanted more depth from our MMC, and I hope that we discover more in the second book. I will definitely continue the series when the second book comes out though. It's an easy read that really pulled you into the world.
Watch the vlog where I read this book! -
Want to read
March 20, 2025Why was a narrator chosen for this audiobook whose voice/style skews so young? I had to check twice this wasn't YA.
Guess it's on general TBR, but...idk how likely it is I'll get to it as a regular read.
Guess it's on general TBR, but...idk how likely it is I'll get to it as a regular read.
November 19, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a digital ARC of "Blood Beneath the Snow" by Alexandra Kennington, in exchange for a sincere review.
This story had potential, but struggled to deliver a fully rewarding "romantasy" experience.
The start centers on Revna, a princess with no powers in a world where those blessed by the gods with elemental magic are elite-tier citizens, and those without are "Godsforsaken" and bottom-class trash. The disparity between them is markedly stark and grievously bleak.
As an imperial with opportunities other Godsforsaken don't get, by sheer accident of birth, Revna acts as an allied rebel against this caste system, to her royal parents' profound dismay. As she has four brothers and zero arcane power, they can't really be bothered to be anything but deeply embarrassed by her, and so seek to pair her off in a marriage of convenience, just to be rid of her and her trouble making.
Ever the revolutionary, Revna of course isn't content to simply be used as a pawn, and decides she's going to forge her own fate: instead of being forced into marriage, she boldly insists on entering the Bloodshed Trials - a brutal combat contest where the throne goes to the last surviving royal sibling.
Things take a surprising turn, however, when Revna is captured by The Hellbringer, a fearsome enemy general whose sinister capabilities are mysterious, but rumored to be effortlessly deadly. We discover that The Hellbringer is tasked by an enemy queen with training Revna for the Trials, in order to be a ruthless contender and increase her odds of surviving and thriving during the competition.
Without giving away too much of the rest: I feel like the romance plot was one of the book's weaker elements. It was very one-sided through much of the story. Revna was aware of Hellbringer as enticingly masculine and yummy, but he took a very, very long time showing he had any distracting attraction toward her, as well. He was a brooding, stoic teacher -- which is a trope that can be swoon-worthy -- but here we missed out on the reluctant vulnerability toward her that would have made him memorable.
Without any cracks in his armor, without witnessing him fighting his desire for her, without that fiery push and pull between them, Hellbringer's role was merely that of a dangerous mentor she had a crush on....until jarringly, he suddenly wasn't. Because of this absence, the romance felt forced by the author; not something that naturally developed.
In hand with that, the book also centered its focus heavily on the training and prison sequences. It could have worked great, but without the aforementioned spicy friction to hold our interest, they dragged. The occasional alternative plot tidbits that did appear therein weren't satisfying. To my mind, this could be fixed by either expanding upon the romance, or shortening the captivity scenes to focus way more on Bloodshed Trials, and what happens after.
The enemy Queen's motives for supporting Revna also remain frustratingly vague, and her absence from the story felt like yet another missed opportunity to flesh out the trials and their dangerous nature, and to show us more of the bureaucratic power dynamics Revna unwittingly ends wrapped up in.
The author writes well, and "Blood Beneath The Snow" is not a bad read, when all is said and done. There are some points of political intrigue that keep you reading, and some unexpected surprises and twists, but it didn't feel like a romance book at all.
If you're in the mood for fantasy plot with conspiracy, complications, and competition trials, this might scratch the itch - but it's not a book I'll be enthusiastically recommending as a must-read romantasy.
This story had potential, but struggled to deliver a fully rewarding "romantasy" experience.
The start centers on Revna, a princess with no powers in a world where those blessed by the gods with elemental magic are elite-tier citizens, and those without are "Godsforsaken" and bottom-class trash. The disparity between them is markedly stark and grievously bleak.
As an imperial with opportunities other Godsforsaken don't get, by sheer accident of birth, Revna acts as an allied rebel against this caste system, to her royal parents' profound dismay. As she has four brothers and zero arcane power, they can't really be bothered to be anything but deeply embarrassed by her, and so seek to pair her off in a marriage of convenience, just to be rid of her and her trouble making.
Ever the revolutionary, Revna of course isn't content to simply be used as a pawn, and decides she's going to forge her own fate: instead of being forced into marriage, she boldly insists on entering the Bloodshed Trials - a brutal combat contest where the throne goes to the last surviving royal sibling.
Things take a surprising turn, however, when Revna is captured by The Hellbringer, a fearsome enemy general whose sinister capabilities are mysterious, but rumored to be effortlessly deadly. We discover that The Hellbringer is tasked by an enemy queen with training Revna for the Trials, in order to be a ruthless contender and increase her odds of surviving and thriving during the competition.
Without giving away too much of the rest: I feel like the romance plot was one of the book's weaker elements. It was very one-sided through much of the story. Revna was aware of Hellbringer as enticingly masculine and yummy, but he took a very, very long time showing he had any distracting attraction toward her, as well. He was a brooding, stoic teacher -- which is a trope that can be swoon-worthy -- but here we missed out on the reluctant vulnerability toward her that would have made him memorable.
Without any cracks in his armor, without witnessing him fighting his desire for her, without that fiery push and pull between them, Hellbringer's role was merely that of a dangerous mentor she had a crush on....until jarringly, he suddenly wasn't. Because of this absence, the romance felt forced by the author; not something that naturally developed.
In hand with that, the book also centered its focus heavily on the training and prison sequences. It could have worked great, but without the aforementioned spicy friction to hold our interest, they dragged. The occasional alternative plot tidbits that did appear therein weren't satisfying. To my mind, this could be fixed by either expanding upon the romance, or shortening the captivity scenes to focus way more on Bloodshed Trials, and what happens after.
The enemy Queen's motives for supporting Revna also remain frustratingly vague, and her absence from the story felt like yet another missed opportunity to flesh out the trials and their dangerous nature, and to show us more of the bureaucratic power dynamics Revna unwittingly ends wrapped up in.
The author writes well, and "Blood Beneath The Snow" is not a bad read, when all is said and done. There are some points of political intrigue that keep you reading, and some unexpected surprises and twists, but it didn't feel like a romance book at all.
If you're in the mood for fantasy plot with conspiracy, complications, and competition trials, this might scratch the itch - but it's not a book I'll be enthusiastically recommending as a must-read romantasy.
March 9, 2025
Rating: 4.5/5⭐️
Spice: 2/5🌶�
A lack of abilities. A family who despises her. An uprising to help lead.
Revna is the crown princess, but only in name. She’s the only one of her four siblings to not have had an ability manifest as a child, effectively making her the black sheep of the family. Once the Bloodshed Trials are coming, a competition to choose who from the family with ascend the throne next, Revna is determined to compete for the chance to lead and prove everyone wrong. Her plans are shattered, however, when her country’s most powerful enemy, Hellbringer, kidnaps her and forces her to be his prisoner. Could it be that he, and the powerful forces backing him, want to support her in her quest to overthrow her family?
I am still reeling from this story! This book was thick and delicious, but went down so incredibly smooth. I loved the magical world which Alexandra built in BBTS� it was fascinating to hear about all of the different powers and the chess board at play between the kingdoms. I don’t think there are many people I hate more right now than certain members of Revna’s family� which means that Alexandra’s storytelling was top notch! Hellbringer was� something else. A dream, someone I wanted to hold, perfectly imperfect. I’m so out of sorts by his and Revna’s ending� WHAT IS HAPPENING! I can’t believe I have to wait to figure out what’s going on! This story was so incredibly fun to read and I highly recommend it!
What I Loved About This Story:
✨Enemies to lovers AND WHAT A JOURNEY IT WAS
✨A slow burn that had me DYING to get to the inferno!
✨Rocky-esque training montage� I love a heroine who gets strong enough to take on any foe
✨Loved, loved, loved the multiple different sexuality reps
✨Twists and turns which I did not see coming
✨A relationship cliffhanger that gutted me
Thank you for the free book @BerkleyRomance and @acebooks! I am grateful to be a Berkley Romance 2025 Influencer and given the opportunity to read this book early; my review is all my own.
Spice: 2/5🌶�
A lack of abilities. A family who despises her. An uprising to help lead.
Revna is the crown princess, but only in name. She’s the only one of her four siblings to not have had an ability manifest as a child, effectively making her the black sheep of the family. Once the Bloodshed Trials are coming, a competition to choose who from the family with ascend the throne next, Revna is determined to compete for the chance to lead and prove everyone wrong. Her plans are shattered, however, when her country’s most powerful enemy, Hellbringer, kidnaps her and forces her to be his prisoner. Could it be that he, and the powerful forces backing him, want to support her in her quest to overthrow her family?
I am still reeling from this story! This book was thick and delicious, but went down so incredibly smooth. I loved the magical world which Alexandra built in BBTS� it was fascinating to hear about all of the different powers and the chess board at play between the kingdoms. I don’t think there are many people I hate more right now than certain members of Revna’s family� which means that Alexandra’s storytelling was top notch! Hellbringer was� something else. A dream, someone I wanted to hold, perfectly imperfect. I’m so out of sorts by his and Revna’s ending� WHAT IS HAPPENING! I can’t believe I have to wait to figure out what’s going on! This story was so incredibly fun to read and I highly recommend it!
What I Loved About This Story:
✨Enemies to lovers AND WHAT A JOURNEY IT WAS
✨A slow burn that had me DYING to get to the inferno!
✨Rocky-esque training montage� I love a heroine who gets strong enough to take on any foe
✨Loved, loved, loved the multiple different sexuality reps
✨Twists and turns which I did not see coming
✨A relationship cliffhanger that gutted me
Thank you for the free book @BerkleyRomance and @acebooks! I am grateful to be a Berkley Romance 2025 Influencer and given the opportunity to read this book early; my review is all my own.
January 19, 2025
3.5 🌟 thank you NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for the gifted arc! the beginning of this book started out so interesting and action-packed, but then it dragged a lot in the middle. It picked up again at the end, but the middle was honestly just really repetitive.
Revna was a cool FMC—she was a badass despite the odds not being in her favor. She was resilient and probably the highlight of the book for me. I feel like the Hellbringer left something to be desired. I truly don’t feel like he did enough to really warrant an opinion about him.
I wanted more from the romance. It was very insta-lust and it didn’t feel like their relationship really progressed naturally. It kind of just went from “I hate you� to “I’m obsessed with you� in about two seconds. I do have hope for the romance in future books though based off of the ending.
I did find the politics of this world to be really interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing that explored in future books. The plot was interesting, but I feel like it got put on the back burner with Revna and the Hellbringer’s forced proximity. Overall, it was a good debut, and I’m looking forward to see how the story continues in future books!
Revna was a cool FMC—she was a badass despite the odds not being in her favor. She was resilient and probably the highlight of the book for me. I feel like the Hellbringer left something to be desired. I truly don’t feel like he did enough to really warrant an opinion about him.
I wanted more from the romance. It was very insta-lust and it didn’t feel like their relationship really progressed naturally. It kind of just went from “I hate you� to “I’m obsessed with you� in about two seconds. I do have hope for the romance in future books though based off of the ending.
I did find the politics of this world to be really interesting, and I’m looking forward to seeing that explored in future books. The plot was interesting, but I feel like it got put on the back burner with Revna and the Hellbringer’s forced proximity. Overall, it was a good debut, and I’m looking forward to see how the story continues in future books!
March 9, 2025
4.5⭐️
thank you ace publishing & berkley romance for the e-arc and PRH audio for the audiobook. all opinions in this review are my own.
blood beneath the snow was a thrilling fantasy romance with found family, forced proximity, trials, enemies to lovers, and it hooked me right at the start.
we have our fmc, revna who is godforsaken (which means she has no powers in her world) but she is one badass princess who will go to the ends of the earth to save her people and her chosen family. she ends up kidnapped by the hellbringer and both of their limits are tested, her trying to leave and him following orders by his queen (and revna’s enemy).
the tension between the two was delicious and so addictive! i loved their quips between each other and the enemies to lovers were deeeefinitely enemies to lover-ing 🙂↕� i also really loved the setup of revna inserting herself into the bloodshed trials, how she turned down the arranged marriage because she knew she wouldn’t stand for it. revna was so badass and i love a woman who trains hard, is calculated, & stands for what she believes in. the way she wanted to save her chosen family was admirable! as for the hellbringer, he had me swooning as well with his strength and broodiness. the politics and elemental magic was also so intriguing and i cannot wait for the next book!
thank you ace publishing & berkley romance for the e-arc and PRH audio for the audiobook. all opinions in this review are my own.
blood beneath the snow was a thrilling fantasy romance with found family, forced proximity, trials, enemies to lovers, and it hooked me right at the start.
we have our fmc, revna who is godforsaken (which means she has no powers in her world) but she is one badass princess who will go to the ends of the earth to save her people and her chosen family. she ends up kidnapped by the hellbringer and both of their limits are tested, her trying to leave and him following orders by his queen (and revna’s enemy).
the tension between the two was delicious and so addictive! i loved their quips between each other and the enemies to lovers were deeeefinitely enemies to lover-ing 🙂↕� i also really loved the setup of revna inserting herself into the bloodshed trials, how she turned down the arranged marriage because she knew she wouldn’t stand for it. revna was so badass and i love a woman who trains hard, is calculated, & stands for what she believes in. the way she wanted to save her chosen family was admirable! as for the hellbringer, he had me swooning as well with his strength and broodiness. the politics and elemental magic was also so intriguing and i cannot wait for the next book!
February 27, 2025
4.5 rounded down for pacing...but wow!!
April 22, 2025
I was sold when I saw the mmc wearing a bone wolf mask� but I stayed for everything else!
This book was fun and well done. It is romance forward but a strong fantasy plot wrapped around it all. It sets everything up really well for the second book in the Duology and I’m excited to see what happens.
It’s a slow burn with spice, and I liked seeing their relationship develop except to me it did feel like the mmc just suddenly switched midway and loved her?
Overall it’s a very easy book to get lost in and I had a fun time.
This book was fun and well done. It is romance forward but a strong fantasy plot wrapped around it all. It sets everything up really well for the second book in the Duology and I’m excited to see what happens.
It’s a slow burn with spice, and I liked seeing their relationship develop except to me it did feel like the mmc just suddenly switched midway and loved her?
Overall it’s a very easy book to get lost in and I had a fun time.
December 28, 2024
I really, really enjoyed this read! I think the FMC may be one of my favorites ever. I had the absolute pleasure of reading an ARC version of this and if you like: Enemies to Lovers, Trials, and One Bed tropes this one if for you. This comes out in March of 2025 so don’t walk, run to your local book haunt and buy it when it releases!
April 17, 2025
Thank you so much to Ace Books, PRH Audio, and Netgalley for providing advanced copies of this book! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
A debut fantasy romance that lived up to my own inflicted hype. This definitely won't be for everyone but the relationship dynamics, world, and magic were just my taste.
If you like an underdog heroine, overthrowing the crown, and opposite sides of the war romance - this is definitely one worth checking out. Just know that this book is bloody and brutal. There are no punches thrown here.
The heroine, Revna, is the only person in the royal family without magic. Making her an often abused outcast and pawn in their never-ending war. After she refuses to follow through with the marriage of alliance and commits herself to be a part of the Bloodshed trials, she's captured by her kingdom's greatest enemy.
But of course, he turns out to be much more than she thought.
Alexandra Kennington was able to make me connect with side characters who had very little actual on page time. The magic system was unique (albeit with some slight unexplained holes - why was her brother's power always on while the hero could turn his on and off?). And the ending was absolutely brutal in the best way.
I've had quite a few misses with debut fantasy romances this year (which I think is in part due to the fact that they're being pumped out left and right) but this one definitely hooked me. I'm excited that it's just a duology and can't wait for the conclusion.
A debut fantasy romance that lived up to my own inflicted hype. This definitely won't be for everyone but the relationship dynamics, world, and magic were just my taste.
If you like an underdog heroine, overthrowing the crown, and opposite sides of the war romance - this is definitely one worth checking out. Just know that this book is bloody and brutal. There are no punches thrown here.
The heroine, Revna, is the only person in the royal family without magic. Making her an often abused outcast and pawn in their never-ending war. After she refuses to follow through with the marriage of alliance and commits herself to be a part of the Bloodshed trials, she's captured by her kingdom's greatest enemy.
But of course, he turns out to be much more than she thought.
Alexandra Kennington was able to make me connect with side characters who had very little actual on page time. The magic system was unique (albeit with some slight unexplained holes - why was her brother's power always on while the hero could turn his on and off?). And the ending was absolutely brutal in the best way.
I've had quite a few misses with debut fantasy romances this year (which I think is in part due to the fact that they're being pumped out left and right) but this one definitely hooked me. I'm excited that it's just a duology and can't wait for the conclusion.
February 11, 2025
Okay, I LOVED this. This is what I had wanted Quicksilver to be! Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC of this book!
Revna is one of my favorite FMCs in the modern romantasy era. She's a princess, but she's also godforsaken--meaning she doesn't have magic, and her family despises her for it. She's angry and full of rage (my favorite!!), wanting to bring down her own family in a fight to the death just to make change. When she's kidnapped by the Hellbringer--the most deadly warrior on the opposite side of the war, able to kill hundreds with a thought--everyone rejoices. Little did they know, their problems are just getting started.
This being marketed as being centered around deadly trials is a bit of a misnomer--there is a set of deadly trials, but it happens in in the last 15% of the book for less than 50 pages. This is really a book centered around the training and preparation for said trials with extensive world building and character development. But I ATE. IT. UP. The foreshadowing of the twist at the end is a little heavy handed (or maybe I just read too much fantasy?) but I found that I really didn't care, I was so invested in seeing HOW it came to fruition, I didn't care that I already knew WHAT was coming.
If you love found family and are just in general tired of men--this is going to be incredibly satisfying. Not to mention no one in this book has plot armor, so if you're tired of reading fantasy books where main side characters somehow never die because they're main characters, you'll be very pleased with this one!
I can't believe this is only a duology, because I definitely would read a whole trilogy or cycle of this series! I can't wait to see what happens next, and I'm so bummed I have to wait even longer for it now.
Revna is one of my favorite FMCs in the modern romantasy era. She's a princess, but she's also godforsaken--meaning she doesn't have magic, and her family despises her for it. She's angry and full of rage (my favorite!!), wanting to bring down her own family in a fight to the death just to make change. When she's kidnapped by the Hellbringer--the most deadly warrior on the opposite side of the war, able to kill hundreds with a thought--everyone rejoices. Little did they know, their problems are just getting started.
This being marketed as being centered around deadly trials is a bit of a misnomer--there is a set of deadly trials, but it happens in in the last 15% of the book for less than 50 pages. This is really a book centered around the training and preparation for said trials with extensive world building and character development. But I ATE. IT. UP. The foreshadowing of the twist at the end is a little heavy handed (or maybe I just read too much fantasy?) but I found that I really didn't care, I was so invested in seeing HOW it came to fruition, I didn't care that I already knew WHAT was coming.
If you love found family and are just in general tired of men--this is going to be incredibly satisfying. Not to mention no one in this book has plot armor, so if you're tired of reading fantasy books where main side characters somehow never die because they're main characters, you'll be very pleased with this one!
I can't believe this is only a duology, because I definitely would read a whole trilogy or cycle of this series! I can't wait to see what happens next, and I'm so bummed I have to wait even longer for it now.
February 27, 2025
Revna a "godforsaken" is a royal who is treated as like a commoner. In a family in which she is the only daughter among multiple brothers and the only one without any magical powers, she is treated less than - especially from her father. When an offer comes for Revna to strengthen a stronghold through a marriage Revna's father accepts. But Revna will only agree if she is allowed to fight in The Bloodshed Trials - in which only one of her siblings will be left standing and whoever is left will sit on the throne. But fate has other plans because soon Revna is captured and taken captive by noneother than Hellbringer - her country's greatest enemy. While being held captive by the Hellbringer, Revna gets to know him. What are his ulterior motives and why is she suddenly starting to have feelings for him?
Blood Beneath the Snow started off really strong for me. I really liked learning about headstrong Revna and her relationship with her brothers, her father and her townspeople. And the mysterious Hellbringer definitely had me intrigued. I really liked his snarky, broody character - especially paired against feisty Revna.
The second half of the book wasn't as strong as the first half. The romance started to feel very insta-love and I felt like the pacing was off.
Overall a solid 3 star read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Blood Beneath the Snow started off really strong for me. I really liked learning about headstrong Revna and her relationship with her brothers, her father and her townspeople. And the mysterious Hellbringer definitely had me intrigued. I really liked his snarky, broody character - especially paired against feisty Revna.
The second half of the book wasn't as strong as the first half. The romance started to feel very insta-love and I felt like the pacing was off.
Overall a solid 3 star read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
October 20, 2024
4.5/5
Alexandra Kennington's Blood Beneath the Snow is a fast, sinister, epic fantasy story filled with political intrigue, power-hungry characters, loss, and betrayal. I really enjoyed the stark world that Kennington created, especially between Lurae (magic users) and Nilurae (those without magic) in her kingdom. The reader instantly sympathizes with Revna's status in her own kingdom and is immediately of her cruel and abusive family. When Revna decides she will cast her hat in the ring for the title of Queen -- against her more powerful and ruthless brothers -- alliances are made, new villains rise, and help comes from unlikely fronts (though I still do not fully trust it).
Kennington's cast of characters are fascinating to follow -- each with their own motives and intentions for every action. I really enjoyed many of the supporting characters (and there are some I am still hesitant on!) of Volkan, Frode, Jac, and the Hellbringer. It was interesting to see which characters truly supported Revna and which only supported a version of her they held in her mind. I am excited to see how Revna's character develops and grows in the next book given the challenges, loss, and betrayal by the end of of BBTS. I also NEED to do know what Frode understood in his scene with the Hellbringer -- I know something happened and I can't wait to see what he learned in those moments.
This book is a wonderful start to Revna's journey to build herself physically in order to rise as Queen, yet I know her struggles are not over, especially with all the loss she deals with at the end of the book. I think she has a lot new emotional and mental dealings to sort through and I do hope some of the characters rise to support her. The story closes on such a bleak outcome for Revna -- I am intrigued to see where it goes next and hopeful for the return of some characters that will support Revna on the next steps in her journey.
If you are in need of your next epic fantasy romance, look no further than Blood Beneath the Snow. It is a fast-paced adventure that will leave you spinning as you follow Revna's journey to Queen.
Alexandra Kennington's Blood Beneath the Snow is a fast, sinister, epic fantasy story filled with political intrigue, power-hungry characters, loss, and betrayal. I really enjoyed the stark world that Kennington created, especially between Lurae (magic users) and Nilurae (those without magic) in her kingdom. The reader instantly sympathizes with Revna's status in her own kingdom and is immediately of her cruel and abusive family. When Revna decides she will cast her hat in the ring for the title of Queen -- against her more powerful and ruthless brothers -- alliances are made, new villains rise, and help comes from unlikely fronts (though I still do not fully trust it).
Kennington's cast of characters are fascinating to follow -- each with their own motives and intentions for every action. I really enjoyed many of the supporting characters (and there are some I am still hesitant on!) of Volkan, Frode, Jac, and the Hellbringer. It was interesting to see which characters truly supported Revna and which only supported a version of her they held in her mind. I am excited to see how Revna's character develops and grows in the next book given the challenges, loss, and betrayal by the end of of BBTS. I also NEED to do know what Frode understood in his scene with the Hellbringer -- I know something happened and I can't wait to see what he learned in those moments.
This book is a wonderful start to Revna's journey to build herself physically in order to rise as Queen, yet I know her struggles are not over, especially with all the loss she deals with at the end of the book. I think she has a lot new emotional and mental dealings to sort through and I do hope some of the characters rise to support her. The story closes on such a bleak outcome for Revna -- I am intrigued to see where it goes next and hopeful for the return of some characters that will support Revna on the next steps in her journey.
If you are in need of your next epic fantasy romance, look no further than Blood Beneath the Snow. It is a fast-paced adventure that will leave you spinning as you follow Revna's journey to Queen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 26, 2024Thank you to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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