A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

A Curse of Blood and Bloom by Santana Saunders

Series:
Blood and Bloom

Genre:
Fantasy, Romance, High Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism, Author's Arc

Publication Date:
May 23, 2023

Read Date:
May 3rd , 2023

Date Finished:
May 4th, 2023

Rating:
4.3 out of 5

Blurb:

The Isle of Meraki has been ruled by women for four hundred years. That is certain, but what the legends don't tell us is how they overtook the throne.

Evanthe Sideris, 27-year-old daughter of a fallen monarch, is determined to bring honor to her mother's name once more. She's a trained Stone Holder of Meraki, likely to earn a place in the next Noonsnight, but that isn't enough for her. In a moment of desperation, she makes a dire bargain to gain advantage and is left with a burden so deadly she may lose everything she has worked for.

Aero Vouvali, 30-year-old Prince of Baros, has learned above all else- Never trust a woman. Many years ago, his ancestors were banished from Meraki and left to fend for themselves on a foreign isle. Despite the odds, they thrived- until now. His people face a grave famine and taking back Meraki may be their only way to survive. When the consequences of Evanthe's pact threaten his expedition, he must set aside past grievances and fight beside her or lose everything.

She owes him an island.

He owes her his sword.

Together, they get so much more than they bargained for.

Review:

"Bring glory to our name once more, Evanthe."

I have been on the fence with this book since the beginning. The female lead has not been anything I could imagine. She is supposed to be 27 years old but there have been times I glimpse her acting like an eighteen-year-old. She grated on my nerves to the point that I had to actually put the book down and go do something. I don't like doing this because I tend to lose focus on the book and the rest of the series seems to drag on for me.

And I understand her reasoning for acting as she does. Her mother is dead. Another has taken the spot that belongs to her and now she has to find a way to gain back the throne. And even worse the woman who played with her and treated her differently when she was younger had taken something from her. So, I can understand her distrust of people.

But the thing that bothered me the most was when she was with that creature in the water. I don't understand why she would take a bargain without much thought. She didn't question him nor did she think that all of this could be a bad idea. All she thought of was becoming stronger than Athena and Hera. I wanted so much to go in there and smack her for it.

And the romance. The romance was a chef's kiss. It was nice and sweet and slow-burning. It was a really nice change from the books I have been reading lately.

The world-building was interesting. An Isle belonging to only women. This was the first thing I had seen in a high fantasy novel. I found this fascinating that the women of this isle had banished all men to another place and took up roles that once belonged to the males such as blacksmiths and tavern owners. You don't normally see this at all. Plus the Omens and vampyrs.

I also loved how Greek Mythology was used. When I first saw Athena and Hera's names, I was giggling madly. I would have loved to have had her father named Zeus. xD But seriously this adds so many points to this book because I am a really big sucker for anything Greek Mythology.


*Disclaimer: Thank you to the author for allowing me to read and review this book. The opinions of this review are mine and mine alone.