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The Bride of Death
In the vein of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale— this unforgettable adult debut follows the journey of a young woman who seeks to defeat Death himself and save her village from his torment.
As a young child, Zerryn grew up on tales of the Lord of Death, Erlik Khan, and his penchant for stealing wild girls. In her small village, she keeps to herself and tends to the temple gardens, spending her days with her best friend Çelik. But when Çelik begins to act strangely and removes himself to live on a crumbling estate atop Mount Ida, the rumors of him becoming possessed by a demon begin to swiftly arise. Each month that passes the demon within him grows stronger, his demands of the villagers growing oddly disjointed and nonsensical.
Her chances of saving him become all but impossible once Zerryn learns that it is no lesser demon that has a hold of him but Erlik Khan—a demon of untold power who lords over the dead. It isn’t long before word spreads that he is in search of a bride, and creatures of untold power come before him to rule by his side. Zerryn knows that she cannot take down Erlik without power and she cannot gain power without becoming his bride.
But becoming Erlik’s wife is nothing as simple as an offer for his hand. To become the queen of the Underworld, she must complete three impossible tasks or risk losing everything she holds dear.
As a young child, Zerryn grew up on tales of the Lord of Death, Erlik Khan, and his penchant for stealing wild girls. In her small village, she keeps to herself and tends to the temple gardens, spending her days with her best friend Çelik. But when Çelik begins to act strangely and removes himself to live on a crumbling estate atop Mount Ida, the rumors of him becoming possessed by a demon begin to swiftly arise. Each month that passes the demon within him grows stronger, his demands of the villagers growing oddly disjointed and nonsensical.
Her chances of saving him become all but impossible once Zerryn learns that it is no lesser demon that has a hold of him but Erlik Khan—a demon of untold power who lords over the dead. It isn’t long before word spreads that he is in search of a bride, and creatures of untold power come before him to rule by his side. Zerryn knows that she cannot take down Erlik without power and she cannot gain power without becoming his bride.
But becoming Erlik’s wife is nothing as simple as an offer for his hand. To become the queen of the Underworld, she must complete three impossible tasks or risk losing everything she holds dear.
378 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2024
58 people are currently reading
12868 people want to read
About the author
F.M. Aden
7 books146 followersF.M. Aden is the author of the YA fantasy novel The Court of the Undead and the adult standalone title The Bride of Death. She has been writing ever since she learned how to hold a pen. She grew up in Toronto, Canada, and is a lover of all things dark, gothic, and romantic. She likes to spend her free time drinking iced coffee and baking. When not reading she can be found traveling the globe and discovering new ways to make her characters suffer.
Website: https://www.fmaden.com/
Find me online: https://linktr.ee/f.m.aden
Website: https://www.fmaden.com/
Find me online: https://linktr.ee/f.m.aden
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 330 reviews
February 24, 2024
For a retelling based on Turkish folklore, this is a weird smörgåsbord of vaguely Turkish, Greek, and Christian lore that I'm not sure mixes quite well.
Why do I say vaguely Turkish? Because, despite claims in the blurb and by the author plus the splattering of Turkish words here and there, this doesn't have a genuine Turkish feel at all. It's very evidently written by a Westerner filtering bits of Turkish folklore and shaking it well to serve this strange concoction that's so blatantly just a costume-period mainstream Western fantasy masquerading as diverse folklore. I don't know the author's background, so I'm basing this on the book itself and this is definitely not by someone who's Turkish born and bred, and even if they were, that doesn't preclude the "Westernisation" of the myth for the European/American audience. Plenty of authors with immigrant ancestry do this.
Greek because this steals imagery from the myth of Hades and Persephone, even though the myth of Erlik Khan already has its own complete lore that could've been used in its entirety in this retelling without a need for "borrowing" from anywhere else. Oh, but the original Turkish myth (which is also Mongol and has several iterations in Central Asia) doesn't have the sex-appeal of an Hades and Persephone romance! And without romance, it doesn't sell. Zerryn and Erlik are nothing but Hades and Persephone wannabes, so obvious it's not even funny.
Christian because, even though the Turkish myth does consider Erlik Khan akin to the Devil, they have their own version of what he is like, his looks, his backstory, and his family lore that have nothing to do with the Christian version of the Devil beyond the jealousy towards God and wanting to usurp humankind's worship. Yet, in this retelling, the author goes for the Christian imagery of the Devil rather than the mythological one. Do you know the "Biblically Accurate Angels" graphic & meme nerdom loves to bandy around the web?
Well, the Erlik Khan from the Turkish myth doesn't look like the Erlik Khan in this retelling, who looks like a fraudulent Chinese copy of the higher-tier of terrifying angels described in the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible! Problem is, maybe this author doesn't know the Christian lore at all, or not well enough, but the Devil was never described as any of these angels when he is described (the nerds will know what I mean), so the Erlik Khan in this book looks like a bastardisation of the Thrones and the Cherubim together. Again, this is probably an influence from mainstream Supernatural romances, that sexify angels as hot male model-like beings; it's hard to think of any other reason why Erlik Khan's decidedly unsexy appearance in the Turkish myth was changed.
And on top of this faux-diverse mix, there's the fact that the historical period this is set in couldn't be vaguer if the author tried. When does this story take place? We have no idea, the author says the "Byzantines" are still in power and warring with the Turks, which would mean before 1453 when Constantinople fell. Except that the Byzantines never called themselves thus, they were going all Vive la Rome, vive la Rome . . . still because they considered they were Romans. There's also mentions of the Seljuks here, but those fell to the Mongols in 1335. So, when does this take place? No idea, I told you! Could be anytime from pre-14th century to pre-15th century Anatolia. This is Fantasy Time, after all, no rules of logic apply.
Now, let's get down to the story itself. Following the current trend of likening début books to previously successful books, Bride of Death was marketed for fans of Katherine Arden's "The Bear and the Nightingale." And boy, did that mean literally! Maybe Aden thought only an R separating her surname from Arden was neat, and decided to copycat her into fangirly oblivion, because when I was starting the book I was startled at how similar it was. There's a chapter that is basically a near copy-paste of events in the first book of the Winternight trilogy. You remember Vasilisa and the domovoi she feeds to prevent their disappearance? Well, surprise! There's the exact same thing here, with the bichura Zerryn does with the same as Vasilisa did. What do house spirits have to do with the myth of Erlik Khan, goodness only knows, but an opportunity for copying was seen and not let pass without taking advantage of.
Except that Katherine Arden knows her history and is clear about the time period, the customs of the time, the people's mentality, the historicity of events, etc., and is a much better writer too. Aden isn't a good writer, her writing varies from basic to the point of needing a ruthless editor to whip it into shape to cringey descriptive floweriness. It looks to me as if this book was written at two different times, because the first half is painfully in need of an editor compared to the second part that's better edited and written. Did they slap the two halves together and rushed it to publication without doing one last editing pass of the entire book? I wouldn't be surprised.
And what about the characterisation? Oh, you don't want me to comment on that very much. Those that know me already know my opinion on Hades & Persephone, so do imagine what I think of a sexified and beautified pseudo-Hades with a manga cutie hair and wings that work like a dildo's on/off button when touched (yeah, yeah, I know he lied to get in her pants, but sweet me, that was awful to the point of second-hand embarrassment on the author's behalf). I mean, who in their sane mind writes the Devil like that? And with piercings in his delicate jewels, too? If something would unite the Turks, the Greeks, and the Christians is agreeing that caressing the Devil's wings doesn't cause him an automatic erection. Well, at least I hope they'd agree on that. It's not a Biblically Accurate Angel, that much is for sure.
There's really no chemistry in this faux Hades and Persephone cum faux Turks tale either. The dialogue is standard YA "banter" in which the sexy male says silly things and dad jokes whilst trying to hide his lust (and not get his wings touched) and the I-don't-know-I'm-pretty female says brusque, rude, and cringey things the horny demon will laugh at because it's so "refreshing" that she's the only one who doesn't fear him, unlike 99.99% of sensible beings in the universe. And did I mention there's a love triangle here? Well, a pseudo-love triangle, because it does appear nothing is genuine here. And as with the main couple, the third wheel love interest has no chemistry either, we're simply told Zerryn loves Çelik and that is it. Nothing to show here. And he suffers a character assassination by the end, doing a shock U-turn that only serves to justify the HEA for the pseudo-Hades and Persephone duo. Zerryn's choice at the end is also terribly thought out, and morally questionable as well as over-the-top melodramatic. Making sense isn't the strong point of romantic fantasy, though, and I don't think even I can.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Why do I say vaguely Turkish? Because, despite claims in the blurb and by the author plus the splattering of Turkish words here and there, this doesn't have a genuine Turkish feel at all. It's very evidently written by a Westerner filtering bits of Turkish folklore and shaking it well to serve this strange concoction that's so blatantly just a costume-period mainstream Western fantasy masquerading as diverse folklore. I don't know the author's background, so I'm basing this on the book itself and this is definitely not by someone who's Turkish born and bred, and even if they were, that doesn't preclude the "Westernisation" of the myth for the European/American audience. Plenty of authors with immigrant ancestry do this.
Greek because this steals imagery from the myth of Hades and Persephone, even though the myth of Erlik Khan already has its own complete lore that could've been used in its entirety in this retelling without a need for "borrowing" from anywhere else. Oh, but the original Turkish myth (which is also Mongol and has several iterations in Central Asia) doesn't have the sex-appeal of an Hades and Persephone romance! And without romance, it doesn't sell. Zerryn and Erlik are nothing but Hades and Persephone wannabes, so obvious it's not even funny.
Christian because, even though the Turkish myth does consider Erlik Khan akin to the Devil, they have their own version of what he is like, his looks, his backstory, and his family lore that have nothing to do with the Christian version of the Devil beyond the jealousy towards God and wanting to usurp humankind's worship. Yet, in this retelling, the author goes for the Christian imagery of the Devil rather than the mythological one. Do you know the "Biblically Accurate Angels" graphic & meme nerdom loves to bandy around the web?
Well, the Erlik Khan from the Turkish myth doesn't look like the Erlik Khan in this retelling, who looks like a fraudulent Chinese copy of the higher-tier of terrifying angels described in the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible! Problem is, maybe this author doesn't know the Christian lore at all, or not well enough, but the Devil was never described as any of these angels when he is described (the nerds will know what I mean), so the Erlik Khan in this book looks like a bastardisation of the Thrones and the Cherubim together. Again, this is probably an influence from mainstream Supernatural romances, that sexify angels as hot male model-like beings; it's hard to think of any other reason why Erlik Khan's decidedly unsexy appearance in the Turkish myth was changed.
And on top of this faux-diverse mix, there's the fact that the historical period this is set in couldn't be vaguer if the author tried. When does this story take place? We have no idea, the author says the "Byzantines" are still in power and warring with the Turks, which would mean before 1453 when Constantinople fell. Except that the Byzantines never called themselves thus, they were going all Vive la Rome, vive la Rome . . . still because they considered they were Romans. There's also mentions of the Seljuks here, but those fell to the Mongols in 1335. So, when does this take place? No idea, I told you! Could be anytime from pre-14th century to pre-15th century Anatolia. This is Fantasy Time, after all, no rules of logic apply.
Now, let's get down to the story itself. Following the current trend of likening début books to previously successful books, Bride of Death was marketed for fans of Katherine Arden's "The Bear and the Nightingale." And boy, did that mean literally! Maybe Aden thought only an R separating her surname from Arden was neat, and decided to copycat her into fangirly oblivion, because when I was starting the book I was startled at how similar it was. There's a chapter that is basically a near copy-paste of events in the first book of the Winternight trilogy. You remember Vasilisa and the domovoi she feeds to prevent their disappearance? Well, surprise! There's the exact same thing here, with the bichura Zerryn does with the same as Vasilisa did. What do house spirits have to do with the myth of Erlik Khan, goodness only knows, but an opportunity for copying was seen and not let pass without taking advantage of.
Except that Katherine Arden knows her history and is clear about the time period, the customs of the time, the people's mentality, the historicity of events, etc., and is a much better writer too. Aden isn't a good writer, her writing varies from basic to the point of needing a ruthless editor to whip it into shape to cringey descriptive floweriness. It looks to me as if this book was written at two different times, because the first half is painfully in need of an editor compared to the second part that's better edited and written. Did they slap the two halves together and rushed it to publication without doing one last editing pass of the entire book? I wouldn't be surprised.
And what about the characterisation? Oh, you don't want me to comment on that very much. Those that know me already know my opinion on Hades & Persephone, so do imagine what I think of a sexified and beautified pseudo-Hades with a manga cutie hair and wings that work like a dildo's on/off button when touched (yeah, yeah, I know he lied to get in her pants, but sweet me, that was awful to the point of second-hand embarrassment on the author's behalf). I mean, who in their sane mind writes the Devil like that? And with piercings in his delicate jewels, too? If something would unite the Turks, the Greeks, and the Christians is agreeing that caressing the Devil's wings doesn't cause him an automatic erection. Well, at least I hope they'd agree on that. It's not a Biblically Accurate Angel, that much is for sure.
There's really no chemistry in this faux Hades and Persephone cum faux Turks tale either. The dialogue is standard YA "banter" in which the sexy male says silly things and dad jokes whilst trying to hide his lust (and not get his wings touched) and the I-don't-know-I'm-pretty female says brusque, rude, and cringey things the horny demon will laugh at because it's so "refreshing" that she's the only one who doesn't fear him, unlike 99.99% of sensible beings in the universe. And did I mention there's a love triangle here? Well, a pseudo-love triangle, because it does appear nothing is genuine here. And as with the main couple, the third wheel love interest has no chemistry either, we're simply told Zerryn loves Çelik and that is it. Nothing to show here. And he suffers a character assassination by the end, doing a shock U-turn that only serves to justify the HEA for the pseudo-Hades and Persephone duo. Zerryn's choice at the end is also terribly thought out, and morally questionable as well as over-the-top melodramatic. Making sense isn't the strong point of romantic fantasy, though, and I don't think even I can.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 19, 2024
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷・❥・𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌・❥・ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
💌02/19/24
This book was exceptionally good. RTC soon🤭💘
💌02/16/24
YAYY! GOT THE ARC FOR THIS! I'M GOING TO DEVOUR THIS NOW! also the cover is damnn gorg😍💗 I simply know this ARC is gonna be better than the previous ARC which was an utter disappointment😩✋🏻
Edit: Okay, change of plans, I'm doing this as a br with my prettiest mariam🤭💘
💌02/19/24
This book was exceptionally good. RTC soon🤭💘
💌02/16/24
YAYY! GOT THE ARC FOR THIS! I'M GOING TO DEVOUR THIS NOW! also the cover is damnn gorg😍💗 I simply know this ARC is gonna be better than the previous ARC which was an utter disappointment😩✋🏻
Edit: Okay, change of plans, I'm doing this as a br with my prettiest mariam🤭💘
May 12, 2024
3.25★
'the bride of death' is an adult standalone that originally drew me in due to it's fascinating title and bewitching cover... it's very symmetrical.
the book follows zerryn as she competes in three impossible trials to win the hand of the devil himself to save her village and the boy she loves.
i felt the worldbuilding to be lacking something. it's often why i don't say the worldbuilding is good because the writing was and vice versa. i felt like a lot more could have been explained.
also this is a formal petition for every fantasy book to contain a map. i defo need one for the underworld too.
💌 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽:
⤿ love triangle
⤿ opposites attract (light x darkness + optimist x pessimist)
⤿ enemies to lovers
⤿ friends to lovers
౨ৎ • 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮: confession time - i don't hate love triangles. i know, the horror! but what i don't like is how they're portrayed, especially when the girl bounces from one guy to the next (just make up your damn mind). or when one completely changes their personality in a shatter-me-esque twist (just lazy writing).
...
yeah. umm, anyway. i think it's also a hades x persephone but since i haven't read any retellings/reimaginings i can't be too sure. i generally prefer the enemies-to-lovers arc over the friends-to-lovers anyway
i don't think the smut scenes were necessary in any way since they didn't add much to the story nor did they make me like either character more. i also don't think the relationship between erlik and zerryn was a healthy one, but i didn't expect it to be either.
౨ৎ • 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼: zerryn was a carbon copy of alina starkov (shadow and bone), but not in a good way (if there even is a good way). i did not like zerryn. her character did a complete 180 at the end. and i know, i know, i was begging for her to stop being nice and toughen the fuck up a bit, but she did it so fast that it was completely out of character for her.
erlik reminded me a lot of the darkling. morally-grey (ACTUALLY a morally grey character though, not a literal sweetheart who just happens to wield shadows). his extra ... bits are still creeping me out - i know its because he's a fallen angel, but that doesn't make it any better. yes, it's accurate but i also didn't like it. it hasn't changed my rating though.
celik was a lot like mal. i can't say much about him without spoiling the book though.
my favourite characters were beyza and yuxa. pretty much everyone will agree with me in terms of beyza or else.. BUT YUXA! she should have been the main character. she was so much more intelligent - she did one specific thing that left my jaw on the ground - and i wish we had more scenes with her (ngl i think she would have been a better match with erlik and i am prepared to die on this hill). the same goes for beyza, i loved her friendship with zerryn ... when you take zerryn out of the equation.
i wish zerryn finding out about what happened to her nursemaid could have been a subplot, and the friendship with the girl that helped her arrive in the underworld (i'm really bad with names ugh). i also wish we got to know more about lale. i just want more of everything basically because there were a lot of characters that needed some fleshing out (read: i needed closure to their story instead of zerryn's).
౨ৎ • 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: what this book lacked in the execution of the characters (both metaphorically and literally) she made up for with the gothic and dark atmosphere. would i recommend it? not if romantasy isn't your thing. or if you like the genre but prefer more fantasy. i'm also a character ≤ plot person so make of that what you will.
˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
3★
my arcs suck almost as much as my arc reviews which is coming soon after i figure out how to grow some brain cells --- shit i have 3 arcs to review IT'S COMING SOON (someone needs to hold a gun to my head atp)
˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
guysss we thought cardan's tail was bad.... he has 4 arms, 4 eyes and mouths
also this girl needs to shut up and kill someone already she's too nice
it's giving me shadow and bone vibes but very 18+
˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
aaah i got the arc!watch me continue to neglect my currently reading shelf
'the bride of death' is an adult standalone that originally drew me in due to it's fascinating title and bewitching cover... it's very symmetrical.
the book follows zerryn as she competes in three impossible trials to win the hand of the devil himself to save her village and the boy she loves.
i felt the worldbuilding to be lacking something. it's often why i don't say the worldbuilding is good because the writing was and vice versa. i felt like a lot more could have been explained.
also this is a formal petition for every fantasy book to contain a map. i defo need one for the underworld too.
💌 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽:
⤿ love triangle
⤿ opposites attract (light x darkness + optimist x pessimist)
⤿ enemies to lovers
⤿ friends to lovers
౨ৎ • 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮: confession time - i don't hate love triangles. i know, the horror! but what i don't like is how they're portrayed, especially when the girl bounces from one guy to the next (just make up your damn mind). or when one completely changes their personality in a shatter-me-esque twist (just lazy writing).
...
yeah. umm, anyway. i think it's also a hades x persephone but since i haven't read any retellings/reimaginings i can't be too sure. i generally prefer the enemies-to-lovers arc over the friends-to-lovers anyway
i don't think the smut scenes were necessary in any way since they didn't add much to the story nor did they make me like either character more. i also don't think the relationship between erlik and zerryn was a healthy one, but i didn't expect it to be either.
౨ৎ • 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼: zerryn was a carbon copy of alina starkov (shadow and bone), but not in a good way (if there even is a good way). i did not like zerryn. her character did a complete 180 at the end. and i know, i know, i was begging for her to stop being nice and toughen the fuck up a bit, but she did it so fast that it was completely out of character for her.
erlik reminded me a lot of the darkling. morally-grey (ACTUALLY a morally grey character though, not a literal sweetheart who just happens to wield shadows). his extra ... bits are still creeping me out - i know its because he's a fallen angel, but that doesn't make it any better. yes, it's accurate but i also didn't like it. it hasn't changed my rating though.
celik was a lot like mal. i can't say much about him without spoiling the book though.
my favourite characters were beyza and yuxa. pretty much everyone will agree with me in terms of beyza or else.. BUT YUXA! she should have been the main character. she was so much more intelligent - she did one specific thing that left my jaw on the ground - and i wish we had more scenes with her (ngl i think she would have been a better match with erlik and i am prepared to die on this hill). the same goes for beyza, i loved her friendship with zerryn ... when you take zerryn out of the equation.
i wish zerryn finding out about what happened to her nursemaid could have been a subplot, and the friendship with the girl that helped her arrive in the underworld (i'm really bad with names ugh). i also wish we got to know more about lale. i just want more of everything basically because there were a lot of characters that needed some fleshing out (read: i needed closure to their story instead of zerryn's).
౨ৎ • 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: what this book lacked in the execution of the characters (both metaphorically and literally) she made up for with the gothic and dark atmosphere. would i recommend it? not if romantasy isn't your thing. or if you like the genre but prefer more fantasy. i'm also a character ≤ plot person so make of that what you will.
˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
3★
my arcs suck almost as much as my arc reviews which is coming soon after i figure out how to grow some brain cells --- shit i have 3 arcs to review IT'S COMING SOON (someone needs to hold a gun to my head atp)
˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
guysss we thought cardan's tail was bad.... he has 4 arms, 4 eyes and mouths
also this girl needs to shut up and kill someone already she's too nice
it's giving me shadow and bone vibes but very 18+
˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩
aaah i got the arc!
February 24, 2024
I would like to thank NetGalley and Northern Light Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Surprising no one, I very much enjoyed this! Coming off a spate of reads where “romance” seemed to factor into a space where my choice of S&S/epic/high fantasy usually doesn't lean towards, I found this gorgeously written story utterly captivating! This is my second title by this author and I think I’m very much a fan of Aden’s narrative style.
In a nostalgic way, this way of storytelling reminded me of the grim folkloric stories my father and my uncles and aunts would regale us with at family gatherings back on the island, handed down legends passed onto us from their own childhood memories. It was enrapturing back then, listening to stories about douen, soucouyant, la diablesse et al, and I felt that same curiosity here, as Aden spun her tale about Erlik Khan, the Lord of Death, and the trials to conquer in order to be his bride!
Once I got going reading this, it captured all of my attention! I thought all the characterizations were well done, and while Zerryn did suffer from the same self sacrificing stupidity that I thought Freya from Fate Inked in Blood had, hers was on a much milder level and I was able to look past her ridiculousness at around the 50% mark. It was dumb and I thought Aden could have been more adroit about Zerryn and Erlik’s soul binding, but nothing is perfect and I was happy with everything else!
Erlik Khan?!? hello hi It's a MEGA YES from me!
It was intimated by one of my lovely friends that there were possible other arcs floating around, so mine had absolutely ZERO smut, and if whatever piercings and magical tattoos were something people were taking issue with, as a fantasy reader I can attest to the fact that the genre as a whole employs this aesthetic on the regular! From my current reads alone, 3 out of the 5 feature magically tattooed and pierced main and side characters.
DAFUQ is this noise!? I can’t roll my eyes harder at this shade IF this is really a thing IDGAF.😒
Overall I had a great time with this! I though the language was lush and hypnotic, the world was amazing to traverse, Zerryn didn’t screech shriek or rage like the last few FMCs I’ve read just recently, bless, and straight up this read like what it was: a fantasy romance featuring POC.
As in, it’s not white.
If you can, ignore whatever book splashes marketing uses to homogenize cultural lorescape, because you’ll only be doing yourself a favour.
I thought this was delicious and toothy, and as I’ve read both Arden and Novik and can appreciate them both for their own storytelling prowess, I LOVE that Aden stands unique amongst them! And because I really enjoyed this inspired offering of Turkic mythology, I can only look forward to more of this celebration of POC folkloric narrative, because it makes ME FEEL SEEN in ways that this subgenre has yet to allow!
This was wonderful and I'm very happy that most everything here worked for ME! ofc YMMV as we all experience life through our own lens, but this was a win for me and straight up that's pretty much all that matters to me!✌🏽
Surprising no one, I very much enjoyed this! Coming off a spate of reads where “romance” seemed to factor into a space where my choice of S&S/epic/high fantasy usually doesn't lean towards, I found this gorgeously written story utterly captivating! This is my second title by this author and I think I’m very much a fan of Aden’s narrative style.
In a nostalgic way, this way of storytelling reminded me of the grim folkloric stories my father and my uncles and aunts would regale us with at family gatherings back on the island, handed down legends passed onto us from their own childhood memories. It was enrapturing back then, listening to stories about douen, soucouyant, la diablesse et al, and I felt that same curiosity here, as Aden spun her tale about Erlik Khan, the Lord of Death, and the trials to conquer in order to be his bride!
Once I got going reading this, it captured all of my attention! I thought all the characterizations were well done, and while Zerryn did suffer from the same self sacrificing stupidity that I thought Freya from Fate Inked in Blood had, hers was on a much milder level and I was able to look past her ridiculousness at around the 50% mark. It was dumb and I thought Aden could have been more adroit about Zerryn and Erlik’s soul binding, but nothing is perfect and I was happy with everything else!
Erlik Khan?!? hello hi It's a MEGA YES from me!
It was intimated by one of my lovely friends that there were possible other arcs floating around, so mine had absolutely ZERO smut, and if whatever piercings and magical tattoos were something people were taking issue with, as a fantasy reader I can attest to the fact that the genre as a whole employs this aesthetic on the regular! From my current reads alone, 3 out of the 5 feature magically tattooed and pierced main and side characters.
DAFUQ is this noise!? I can’t roll my eyes harder at this shade IF this is really a thing IDGAF.😒
Overall I had a great time with this! I though the language was lush and hypnotic, the world was amazing to traverse, Zerryn didn’t screech shriek or rage like the last few FMCs I’ve read just recently, bless, and straight up this read like what it was: a fantasy romance featuring POC.
As in, it’s not white.
If you can, ignore whatever book splashes marketing uses to homogenize cultural lorescape, because you’ll only be doing yourself a favour.
I thought this was delicious and toothy, and as I’ve read both Arden and Novik and can appreciate them both for their own storytelling prowess, I LOVE that Aden stands unique amongst them! And because I really enjoyed this inspired offering of Turkic mythology, I can only look forward to more of this celebration of POC folkloric narrative, because it makes ME FEEL SEEN in ways that this subgenre has yet to allow!
This was wonderful and I'm very happy that most everything here worked for ME! ofc YMMV as we all experience life through our own lens, but this was a win for me and straight up that's pretty much all that matters to me!✌🏽
February 26, 2024
Bride of death follows the story of Zerrin, a girl said to be touched by the devil, and seen as ill luck for all that have contact with her. Despite her difficulties being accepted in the community, Zerrin falls in love, and ends up in a quest to save her love, her family and her home.
I was a bit divided with this book because it was a brilliant idea that I feel it could have been better executed. However, I decided to improve the rating for 4 starts because I did like this story very much, and ultimately I felt I was being the mean professor giving a lower rate because the student has the potential to do more.
What I loved in the story:
- I really appreciated the F. M. Aden writing style. I think it was beautiful and added to the story atmosphere and worldbuilding. It captured my attention from the beginning, and I definitely want to read more by her.
- I like fairytales and myths-based stories, and I’ve never read one based on Turkic Mythology. I think it’s great to bring this to the mass market.
- The story was exciting and filled with interesting characters. Moreover, I was surprised by most of the events, which doesn’t happen that often.
- Bride of Death really does have wonderful characters, but Elrik wins the prize for the best one. I think he was quite well written, and Aden was able to influence my emotions towards him in a drastic way.
- I loved Zerryn caring nature and how she used it to befriend everyone, using what would traditionally be seen as a weakness as one of her main strengths. Also, it's really nice to see female friendships blossom, the world needs more of this!
- I would have liked to see one thing done differently in the end, but it was a fitting finale for the story, and I respect the author's choice.
- The author/ editor / publisher incorporated some of the criticisms made by early reviewers. My ARC doesn’t have smut, piercings, or anything particularly modern. The story flows naturally, the writing is consistent along the book, and all sexual scenes are quite tasteful and well written, with nothing too explicit. Honestly, it was quite good and proof that less is often more.
I see two major issues with this book:
- The marketing made comparing it with The Bear and the Nightingale was probably a disservice. I’ve never read it (I really want to though), but I heard nothing but praise for it. It’s never fair to compare books to something that is regarded as somewhat a masterpiece in the genre. It will inevitably raise expectations to levels difficult to fulfill.
- The plot lacked a bit of development. We needed to see more details of Zerryn while growing up to understand her magic and her relationship with the community. We also needed to see more of her and Çelik together, and see their love grow.
As it was, although F. M. Aden does a brilliant job making us like Zerryn, we never truly see her life unfold and how she adjusted to a community that would always look at her sideways. We also never see how Çelik and Zerryn relationship worked. It is easy to understand her love for him as she was mostly an outcast and would easily become dependent on anyone who would give her time and attention. Because we are told, rather than see her life and relationships, we end up losing some of the tension it should have been created. The stakes never seemed high enough to me, because I was under the impression she was an unreliable narrator, and convinced from the beginning everyone would be unworthy. This was a great opportunity for Zerryn character development on the second and third part of the book, instead of a rushed thing in the end.
I did enjoy the book and I believe this story will remain in my memory 😊
I would like to thank Northern Light Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest an honest review.
P.S - Take the reviews with a grain of salt because they may be for different versions of eARC, which still may differ from the published version.
I was a bit divided with this book because it was a brilliant idea that I feel it could have been better executed. However, I decided to improve the rating for 4 starts because I did like this story very much, and ultimately I felt I was being the mean professor giving a lower rate because the student has the potential to do more.
What I loved in the story:
- I really appreciated the F. M. Aden writing style. I think it was beautiful and added to the story atmosphere and worldbuilding. It captured my attention from the beginning, and I definitely want to read more by her.
- I like fairytales and myths-based stories, and I’ve never read one based on Turkic Mythology. I think it’s great to bring this to the mass market.
- The story was exciting and filled with interesting characters. Moreover, I was surprised by most of the events, which doesn’t happen that often.
- Bride of Death really does have wonderful characters, but Elrik wins the prize for the best one. I think he was quite well written, and Aden was able to influence my emotions towards him in a drastic way.
- I loved Zerryn caring nature and how she used it to befriend everyone, using what would traditionally be seen as a weakness as one of her main strengths. Also, it's really nice to see female friendships blossom, the world needs more of this!
- I would have liked to see one thing done differently in the end, but it was a fitting finale for the story, and I respect the author's choice.
- The author/ editor / publisher incorporated some of the criticisms made by early reviewers. My ARC doesn’t have smut, piercings, or anything particularly modern. The story flows naturally, the writing is consistent along the book, and all sexual scenes are quite tasteful and well written, with nothing too explicit. Honestly, it was quite good and proof that less is often more.
I see two major issues with this book:
- The marketing made comparing it with The Bear and the Nightingale was probably a disservice. I’ve never read it (I really want to though), but I heard nothing but praise for it. It’s never fair to compare books to something that is regarded as somewhat a masterpiece in the genre. It will inevitably raise expectations to levels difficult to fulfill.
- The plot lacked a bit of development. We needed to see more details of Zerryn while growing up to understand her magic and her relationship with the community. We also needed to see more of her and Çelik together, and see their love grow.
As it was, although F. M. Aden does a brilliant job making us like Zerryn, we never truly see her life unfold and how she adjusted to a community that would always look at her sideways. We also never see how Çelik and Zerryn relationship worked. It is easy to understand her love for him as she was mostly an outcast and would easily become dependent on anyone who would give her time and attention. Because we are told, rather than see her life and relationships, we end up losing some of the tension it should have been created. The stakes never seemed high enough to me, because I was under the impression she was an unreliable narrator, and convinced from the beginning everyone would be unworthy. This was a great opportunity for Zerryn character development on the second and third part of the book, instead of a rushed thing in the end.
I did enjoy the book and I believe this story will remain in my memory 😊
I would like to thank Northern Light Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest an honest review.
P.S - Take the reviews with a grain of salt because they may be for different versions of eARC, which still may differ from the published version.
May 8, 2024
4.75 ★ stars.
I have no idea what it was but whatever it was, I want more of it. I don't know if I loathe it or love it but it deserves appreciation for dragging me on the crossroads anyway.
This book was a collection of myths and folklore weaved into the story of a brave girl who sought to slay darkness himself. The story was never satisfied settling on one feeling; it whirled and twirled around every fleeting thought, passing emotion, captured it and gave it to us in pieces. I can't describe the amount of pain it made me go through, I'm still aching all over. There were moments that made me 'throw the book across the room' kind of frustrated and some more moments that made me giddy with happiness and surprisingly I loved both. A delightful read with the cold bite of diving through the underworld and the sweet oblivion of loving the unlovable.
—♡ Men fighting duels, going to war to win the hand of the maiden? Boring. Mortal girl competing against otherworldly creatures to win the hand of the king of underworld aka Death? Now that is the tea I'd burn myself drinking.
➣ Zerryn grew up on the tales of magic and she always knew there was magic within her—the way wind sighed in her wake, flowers turned her way for a glimpse, grass parted and branches moved to let her pass—it made the villagers wary of her. Days went by of their absurd cruelty until one day her grandmother came knocking on the door as her saving grace and whisked her far away from the hateful eyes of the villagers. She found herself in a loving home, among people who welcomed her and the bestfriend of a lifetime.
➣ The happiness that felt everlasting crumbled under a plague caused by the Dark Lord who possessed the body of her best friend and doomed her people for eternity. Zerryn is the only one who can make things right. To save her friend, she marched into the underworld to make a dangerous bargain with the Lord of Death; win his heart and he will forsake her kind.
Tropes:
• Competition themed storyline
• Enemies to lovers but make it intense
• Optimist mortal x narcissist immortal
• Love triangle but the other man never stood a chance
• When the son of darkness loves the daughter of light
• Magical adventures full of swoony moments
First of all, I apologize to F.M. Aden, I can't for the life of me pronounce their names right.
—♡ Zerryn (who cares if you're whining as long as you're winning)
Petiton for Zerryn to make a damn choice. I get the urge but girl, WHAT IS THIS? You can't have it all. She wanted the mortal world, wanted the underworld too. She wanted Erlik and wanted Celik too. When Erlik rejected her, she went crying to Celik. When Celik rejected her, she went crying to Erlik. I actually let out an ugly snort when they both rejected her at the same time, like SERVES YOU RIGHT. Let's be honest, Zerryn was kind of useless and had no mind of her own. She would be outsmarted by one of her contestants because of her stupidity and yell at Erlik, telling him again and again how everything is his fault.
Come on Zerryn, REPEAT AFTER ME: I AM STUPID, I ACCEPT MY FAULT. See, not that hard.
It's probably my villain favorism working up but I really think there's a limit to goodness; she's already at a disadvantage yet she goes on forgiving others for playing dirty and throwing her under the bus. She is the kind of person who would bump into the wall and apologize to that wall; she's just that NICE. I appreciated her at times for using Erlik's weakness to her advantage. I mean offering him sex in exchange of having her soul back was a bold move. IT DIDN'T WORK BUT OKAY.
—♡ Erlik (i can get away with being an asshole because i'm hot)
I still don't know what to feel about his 5 eyes, 4 arms, 3 mouths and tall as a pillar form. What goes where, I'll leave you with the guessing. He's like really grey and really questionable but the words that leave his mouth are just gold so I'm proudly going to ignore the extra limbs for the sake of that pretty face and pretty words. He takes on this childish delight in others' misery; violence is both the question and the answer for him, he simply doesn't know his actions might be unfunny and cause harm to others. He's all in for destruction and tricky bargains but at the end of the day, everything is okay since he'd burn the world for the ones he loves and that is to say, he only adores Zerryn. He literally dropped on his back and asked her to use him as she pleased. I cannot be okay after that.
➣ They were the ultimate blueprint of Evajacks but even darker. Hopeless romantic, drunk on fairytales girl, thinking there's something wrong with her because she's not in love with the hero in her story and morally grey villain with questionable intentions who hangs stars in the sky for her, kisses her into madness only to betray her and banish her from his kingdom. I didn't like them as characters, didn't feel connected to them but I liked them together way too much.
—♡ The contestants.
➣ So why do you guys want to marry him?
Lale the pixie lady: As you can already see, I am pretty, he is pretty, and I want pretty babies.
Yuxa the snake queen: I don't care about him. I want to play queen, probably will stab him in sleep.
Beyza the vampire: I just want a sip of his blood. I heard it tastes good.
Zerryn the delulu mortal: He's wearing my boyfriend's skin and I want it back.
That about sums it all up. Most importantly, Beyza and Zerryn endgame WHEN? I didn't care about the contestants much but I liked the trials. They had to participate in three trials, eliminating one contestant on each stage. They were forbidden to harm the other contestants in any way during the trials and no great punishment awaited them upon elimination; it's either be the winner and marry the king or go home and sulk. It wasn't that much of a fierce competition, so I could just sit back and enjoy the show instead of being on edge the whole time.
❝I hate you❞ she said
❝So long as you are thinking of me, I do not care if it is with fondness or loathing❞ he said
—♡ I believe in this kind of love language and they were such darlings for delivering it.
I have no idea what it was but whatever it was, I want more of it. I don't know if I loathe it or love it but it deserves appreciation for dragging me on the crossroads anyway.
This book was a collection of myths and folklore weaved into the story of a brave girl who sought to slay darkness himself. The story was never satisfied settling on one feeling; it whirled and twirled around every fleeting thought, passing emotion, captured it and gave it to us in pieces. I can't describe the amount of pain it made me go through, I'm still aching all over. There were moments that made me 'throw the book across the room' kind of frustrated and some more moments that made me giddy with happiness and surprisingly I loved both. A delightful read with the cold bite of diving through the underworld and the sweet oblivion of loving the unlovable.
—♡ Men fighting duels, going to war to win the hand of the maiden? Boring. Mortal girl competing against otherworldly creatures to win the hand of the king of underworld aka Death? Now that is the tea I'd burn myself drinking.
❝I cannot break you, for I want you, and I cannot want you, for you shall break me.❞
➣ Zerryn grew up on the tales of magic and she always knew there was magic within her—the way wind sighed in her wake, flowers turned her way for a glimpse, grass parted and branches moved to let her pass—it made the villagers wary of her. Days went by of their absurd cruelty until one day her grandmother came knocking on the door as her saving grace and whisked her far away from the hateful eyes of the villagers. She found herself in a loving home, among people who welcomed her and the bestfriend of a lifetime.
➣ The happiness that felt everlasting crumbled under a plague caused by the Dark Lord who possessed the body of her best friend and doomed her people for eternity. Zerryn is the only one who can make things right. To save her friend, she marched into the underworld to make a dangerous bargain with the Lord of Death; win his heart and he will forsake her kind.
Tropes:
• Competition themed storyline
• Enemies to lovers but make it intense
• Optimist mortal x narcissist immortal
• Love triangle but the other man never stood a chance
• When the son of darkness loves the daughter of light
• Magical adventures full of swoony moments
First of all, I apologize to F.M. Aden, I can't for the life of me pronounce their names right.
—♡ Zerryn (who cares if you're whining as long as you're winning)
❝Hurt me and I will hurt you twice as much.❞
Petiton for Zerryn to make a damn choice. I get the urge but girl, WHAT IS THIS? You can't have it all. She wanted the mortal world, wanted the underworld too. She wanted Erlik and wanted Celik too. When Erlik rejected her, she went crying to Celik. When Celik rejected her, she went crying to Erlik. I actually let out an ugly snort when they both rejected her at the same time, like SERVES YOU RIGHT. Let's be honest, Zerryn was kind of useless and had no mind of her own. She would be outsmarted by one of her contestants because of her stupidity and yell at Erlik, telling him again and again how everything is his fault.
Come on Zerryn, REPEAT AFTER ME: I AM STUPID, I ACCEPT MY FAULT. See, not that hard.
It's probably my villain favorism working up but I really think there's a limit to goodness; she's already at a disadvantage yet she goes on forgiving others for playing dirty and throwing her under the bus. She is the kind of person who would bump into the wall and apologize to that wall; she's just that NICE. I appreciated her at times for using Erlik's weakness to her advantage. I mean offering him sex in exchange of having her soul back was a bold move. IT DIDN'T WORK BUT OKAY.
—♡ Erlik (i can get away with being an asshole because i'm hot)
I still don't know what to feel about his 5 eyes, 4 arms, 3 mouths and tall as a pillar form. What goes where, I'll leave you with the guessing. He's like really grey and really questionable but the words that leave his mouth are just gold so I'm proudly going to ignore the extra limbs for the sake of that pretty face and pretty words. He takes on this childish delight in others' misery; violence is both the question and the answer for him, he simply doesn't know his actions might be unfunny and cause harm to others. He's all in for destruction and tricky bargains but at the end of the day, everything is okay since he'd burn the world for the ones he loves and that is to say, he only adores Zerryn. He literally dropped on his back and asked her to use him as she pleased. I cannot be okay after that.
❝I would see worlds burn for you. I would see empires topple to be here with you for the rest of eternity.❞
➣ They were the ultimate blueprint of Evajacks but even darker. Hopeless romantic, drunk on fairytales girl, thinking there's something wrong with her because she's not in love with the hero in her story and morally grey villain with questionable intentions who hangs stars in the sky for her, kisses her into madness only to betray her and banish her from his kingdom. I didn't like them as characters, didn't feel connected to them but I liked them together way too much.
—♡ The contestants.
➣ So why do you guys want to marry him?
Lale the pixie lady: As you can already see, I am pretty, he is pretty, and I want pretty babies.
Yuxa the snake queen: I don't care about him. I want to play queen, probably will stab him in sleep.
Beyza the vampire: I just want a sip of his blood. I heard it tastes good.
Zerryn the delulu mortal: He's wearing my boyfriend's skin and I want it back.
That about sums it all up. Most importantly, Beyza and Zerryn endgame WHEN? I didn't care about the contestants much but I liked the trials. They had to participate in three trials, eliminating one contestant on each stage. They were forbidden to harm the other contestants in any way during the trials and no great punishment awaited them upon elimination; it's either be the winner and marry the king or go home and sulk. It wasn't that much of a fierce competition, so I could just sit back and enjoy the show instead of being on edge the whole time.
April 14, 2024
"Rarely were women hailed as heroes or were ballads sung for them. Rarely were they written of in epics. Nobody ever looked at the wives who raised families while men fought wars. Nobody ever spoke of the women who took up the jobs of men while they marched into battle. Nobody ever spoke of the women who donned the dress of their brothers and became national heroes."
This is a story about Zerryn and the Lord of Death (aka the devil or Erlik Khan). After possessing the best friend/boyfriend of Zerryn, Celik, she decides to participate in 3 trials in the Underworld to hopefully become the Bride of Erlik. But don't worry, our naive Zerryn has a plan...
"Maybe she could steal his magic and use it to destroy him."
... and what could go wrong? It's only the f*cking devil, right? 🧐 I was really into the premise - the dark, twisted, and gothic world, but then I got sooo bored with it. The world building lacked details, Zerryn is super naive and annoying after some time; I can't even say how often the four arms and eyes of Erlik as well as his black hair (that reaches the floor) are mentioned and romanticized...
"She wished everyone had four arms. It felt like she was wrapped in a blanket of stars and dreams"
I know that F.M. Aden stuck to her sources, but I could not enjoy the banter while picturing those 4 arms and 4 eyes staring at me... her writing confused me from time to time, and the pace varied (some scenes went on over multiple chapters but the second trial got wrapped up in a few paragraphs, like what?)
I did like the idea behind the story and enjoyed the last scenes of the book way more than the other 250 pages, but nothing too surprising here as well. The play with the powers could have have been introduced earlier and added some needed intensity.
Everyone knows about the devil and has heard stories about him. And either through those or after reading Faust, First Part, you know that the devil is here to play games and loves to manipulate. So why was I the only one in the story who always kept that in the back of my mind and just waited for a turn of events? ("Oh how the turntables" ~ Michael Scott 😉)
I expected nothing less (probably more from the Lord of Death) and also Celik did not surprise me with his actions. Zerryn not being able to see more than one step ahead did bother me though and made me just want to end this book. And girl? Can you please make up your mind? Do you love, desire or want to kill him? I think that the same story with the POV of Erlik would have been way more entertaining and interesting.
So sadly, this book disappointed for the most part, but this does not mean that it cannot be the perfect gothic book for you. Definitely check out the book description and decide for yourself if you want to give this one a try 💗
Special thanks to NetGalley, Northern Light Press and F.M. Aden for the ARC. I leave this honest review voluntary.
-------------------
Just received this ARC. It's so dark and mysterious - I'm obsessed!
I really hope that this one will be good 🤞🏻
And the cover?? Like excuse me, but why are you so gorgeous?
February 15, 2025
A dark, sensual tale seeped in Turkic mythology with a loveable female lead and slow-burn romance
My final rating is 2.5 ✰ because I feel like there are a few things that could be improved on but as I devoured this book at warp speed, I guess I enjoyed it? Some bits were nice, some bits were ew
We are introduced to Zerryn as a young girl and told the story of how one night as she dances in the woods, she falls to hit her head and dies, travelling to the Underworld where Erlik Khan (aka The Devil/Death) makes one of her eyes turn black. Zerryn has no recollection of this afterwards, but can curiously sense when someone is about to die and the villagers seem to resent her due to her new eeriness.
She moves away with her grandma to a more accepting village and meets Çelik, with whom they become childhood sweethearts growing up. That is until Çelik is mysteriously possessed by Erlik Khan, who torments him as well as her village. Zerryn agrees to go to the Underworld with the plan to compete in becoming Erlik's bride in order to overpower him and save her village and her love.
Let's start off with Zerryn. She's a really likeable character, kind and resourceful. She has a strong moral compass and is determined to do what is right, sacrificing herself for Çelik and the villagers. Aden does a good job of introducing her, however in the first 20% of the novel as the plot builds up to the trials, we are told a lot of stuff about her, rather than shown - such as her ability to grow and nurture life, care for animals, and even her relationship with Çelik. All of these things are quite integral to the plot later (her affinity for life links to her magic). I would have appreciated her character building to be a bit more fleshed out because of this, instead I felt we rushed through Zerryn's childhood years too quickly and it all felt “shallow”.
I also found the writing was all over the place in the first quarter of the book. It improved as the book progressed, which was odd. Firstly, the initial 20-25% of the book for me was way to similar to The Bear and the Nightingale. Thankfully, the story comes into it's own once Zerryn meets Erlik but that first stretch had me worried we were going to get a (substandard) carbon copy of Morozko and Vasya. Secondly, the writing initially was littered with what I can only describe as the most confusing metaphors/similes I've ever read. See below:
I'm sorry ... what? None of the above help me picture the scene well, which is surely the point. All this confusing, flowery prose disappears after the first 1/4 of the book, and hopefully the editor gets rid of the rest before it's published.
Now, onto the things I liked:
The rest of the story is really original and well-paced. I enjoyed reading about the trials Zerryn has to do, I liked how she befriends her opponents and especially her friendship with Beyza the ubir. It was refreshing to see a non-toxic female friendship even as they competed for the same man. The trials were interesting enough to build tension in the novel, and they added to the richness of the world by introducing other mythical creatures.
The descriptions of the Underworld were also fantastic and gross at the same time. If you want gothic vibes, it has them all. I liked how Aden made the Underworld every bit as rotting, dark and grim as it would be, rather than trying to glamorise it.
I thought Erlik was written rather well. I liked how his physical description was a nod to the angels in the Bible (he is a fallen angel after all) with their multiple eyes and scary/beautiful appearance. He never pretends to be anything less than evil, but Aden somehow makes us sympathise with his emotions. Never have I ever thought I'd feel sad for the devil! We see Zerryn's initial loathing of him turn to compassion and eventually love, and the reader goes on that same journey.
Despite that, I’m not sure I liked their love story. It is quite dark and definitely not healthy (could it ever be, considering he's the devil?).
I enjoyed their banter, and the sexual tension between them, although it could have been less of a central focus. I do think the author compromised on character development for the sake of romance - we get a lot of sexual angst and lustful thoughts from Zerryn, instead of what could have been a really rich character arc. There was an attempt at it towards the end, with Zerryn’s belief in humanity challenged by the way the villagers treat her after coming back from the underworld but unfortunately it wasn't fleshed out enough due to the overt focus on her feelings for Erlik. Big opportunity missed for the sake of smut 🙄 And yes there is smut, for me it was all rather odd and felt out of place from the rest of the novel. More would have been less in this case.
Lastly, I found the ending disappointing. Almost enough to taint my overall reading experience. I was expecting something a bit more interesting. I also felt that the confrontation between Erlik/Zerryn/Çelik was rushed and felt that Çelik made some rather out of character choices in that scene. And Zerryn’s moral struggle was skimmed over in a matter of pages, as I mentioned above.
Overall, if you're looking for a dark, twisty love story with some adventure and gothic vibes you may enjoy this.
I enjoyed the read but the writing fluctuated throughout and in hindsight I felt like it was a bit over-sexualized and lacked consistency in characterisation.
Aden could have done more to tell a story about morality, loyalty & evil vs good instead of just focusing on lust. There was a really good message in there somewhere but I'm afraid it's development was overlooked to make space for sensual descriptions.
I received the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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well this was a lot more … ahem … sensual than I’d excepted it to be, but I was there for it
final rating and more coherent thoughts yet to come but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy reading this!
My final rating is 2.5 ✰ because I feel like there are a few things that could be improved on but as I devoured this book at warp speed, I guess I enjoyed it? Some bits were nice, some bits were ew
We are introduced to Zerryn as a young girl and told the story of how one night as she dances in the woods, she falls to hit her head and dies, travelling to the Underworld where Erlik Khan (aka The Devil/Death) makes one of her eyes turn black. Zerryn has no recollection of this afterwards, but can curiously sense when someone is about to die and the villagers seem to resent her due to her new eeriness.
She moves away with her grandma to a more accepting village and meets Çelik, with whom they become childhood sweethearts growing up. That is until Çelik is mysteriously possessed by Erlik Khan, who torments him as well as her village. Zerryn agrees to go to the Underworld with the plan to compete in becoming Erlik's bride in order to overpower him and save her village and her love.
Let's start off with Zerryn. She's a really likeable character, kind and resourceful. She has a strong moral compass and is determined to do what is right, sacrificing herself for Çelik and the villagers. Aden does a good job of introducing her, however in the first 20% of the novel as the plot builds up to the trials, we are told a lot of stuff about her, rather than shown - such as her ability to grow and nurture life, care for animals, and even her relationship with Çelik. All of these things are quite integral to the plot later (her affinity for life links to her magic). I would have appreciated her character building to be a bit more fleshed out because of this, instead I felt we rushed through Zerryn's childhood years too quickly and it all felt “shallow”.
I also found the writing was all over the place in the first quarter of the book. It improved as the book progressed, which was odd. Firstly, the initial 20-25% of the book for me was way to similar to The Bear and the Nightingale. Thankfully, the story comes into it's own once Zerryn meets Erlik but that first stretch had me worried we were going to get a (substandard) carbon copy of Morozko and Vasya. Secondly, the writing initially was littered with what I can only describe as the most confusing metaphors/similes I've ever read. See below:
"Zerryn grinned wider, as sharp as wolves cutting their teeth on their prey."
"her hair knotted in a messy braid, curls popping out like overstitched buttons"
"crevices lined his face like breadcrumbs"
I'm sorry ... what? None of the above help me picture the scene well, which is surely the point. All this confusing, flowery prose disappears after the first 1/4 of the book, and hopefully the editor gets rid of the rest before it's published.
Now, onto the things I liked:
The rest of the story is really original and well-paced. I enjoyed reading about the trials Zerryn has to do, I liked how she befriends her opponents and especially her friendship with Beyza the ubir. It was refreshing to see a non-toxic female friendship even as they competed for the same man. The trials were interesting enough to build tension in the novel, and they added to the richness of the world by introducing other mythical creatures.
The descriptions of the Underworld were also fantastic and gross at the same time. If you want gothic vibes, it has them all. I liked how Aden made the Underworld every bit as rotting, dark and grim as it would be, rather than trying to glamorise it.
I thought Erlik was written rather well. I liked how his physical description was a nod to the angels in the Bible (he is a fallen angel after all) with their multiple eyes and scary/beautiful appearance. He never pretends to be anything less than evil, but Aden somehow makes us sympathise with his emotions. Never have I ever thought I'd feel sad for the devil! We see Zerryn's initial loathing of him turn to compassion and eventually love, and the reader goes on that same journey.
Despite that, I’m not sure I liked their love story. It is quite dark and definitely not healthy (could it ever be, considering he's the devil?).
I enjoyed their banter, and the sexual tension between them, although it could have been less of a central focus. I do think the author compromised on character development for the sake of romance - we get a lot of sexual angst and lustful thoughts from Zerryn, instead of what could have been a really rich character arc. There was an attempt at it towards the end, with Zerryn’s belief in humanity challenged by the way the villagers treat her after coming back from the underworld but unfortunately it wasn't fleshed out enough due to the overt focus on her feelings for Erlik. Big opportunity missed for the sake of smut 🙄 And yes there is smut, for me it was all rather odd and felt out of place from the rest of the novel. More would have been less in this case.
Lastly, I found the ending disappointing. Almost enough to taint my overall reading experience. I was expecting something a bit more interesting. I also felt that the confrontation between Erlik/Zerryn/Çelik was rushed and felt that Çelik made some rather out of character choices in that scene. And Zerryn’s moral struggle was skimmed over in a matter of pages, as I mentioned above.
Overall, if you're looking for a dark, twisty love story with some adventure and gothic vibes you may enjoy this.
I enjoyed the read but the writing fluctuated throughout and in hindsight I felt like it was a bit over-sexualized and lacked consistency in characterisation.
Aden could have done more to tell a story about morality, loyalty & evil vs good instead of just focusing on lust. There was a really good message in there somewhere but I'm afraid it's development was overlooked to make space for sensual descriptions.
I received the ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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well this was a lot more … ahem … sensual than I’d excepted it to be, but I was there for it
final rating and more coherent thoughts yet to come but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy reading this!
February 19, 2024
Edit: it delivered 🤭, rtc, new book boyfriend everyone 🤭🤭
Buddy reading with the gorgeous fadheeee 🤭💗💗 this is going to deliver 🤭
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FUCKING HELL ANOTHER ARC ???I CAN'T BREATHE
Buddy reading with the gorgeous fadheeee 🤭💗💗 this is going to deliver 🤭
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FUCKING HELL ANOTHER ARC ???I CAN'T BREATHE
August 9, 2024
I feel like I was tricked into picking up a cliche romantasy. But it was well written so can I be mad? It was a book an that's it.
Girl needs to save her demon-possessed best friend who moves into a crumbling mansion while having a close connection to Death himself
But only for a few chapters
This dude
“So long as you are thinking of me, I do not care if it is with fondness or loathing,” Erlik said.
“ And as much as she loved stories, she didn’t wish to become one.”
Girl is doing pretty much everything that could put her in danger tho
“How exactly does one make it to the Underworld?” Zerryn asked, placing down her glass of wine, the taste of grapes strong on her tongue. Minay had been kind enough to prepare her a glass to calm her nerves.
“You have to die,” she said.
Zerryn froze. “You cannot be serious.”
“Deadly serious,” she said with a little giggle at her own wit. “I added a little poison to your drink. You’ll be there in the snap of a finger.”
lol
.
Girl needs to save her demon-possessed best friend who moves into a crumbling mansion while having a close connection to Death himself
But only for a few chapters
This dude
“So long as you are thinking of me, I do not care if it is with fondness or loathing,” Erlik said.
“ And as much as she loved stories, she didn’t wish to become one.”
Girl is doing pretty much everything that could put her in danger tho
“How exactly does one make it to the Underworld?” Zerryn asked, placing down her glass of wine, the taste of grapes strong on her tongue. Minay had been kind enough to prepare her a glass to calm her nerves.
“You have to die,” she said.
Zerryn froze. “You cannot be serious.”
“Deadly serious,” she said with a little giggle at her own wit. “I added a little poison to your drink. You’ll be there in the snap of a finger.”
lol
.
February 26, 2024
2.5 stars.
I was initially intrigued by this as it was described as a gothic, mythological book and compared to the Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, which is one of my favorite series. I also thought it was an adult fantasy romance, but it turns out it was not.
I really enjoyed the first third of this book, and it starts out super good, but it changes greatly in the second act. It reminded me so much of Katherine Arden's work, both in tone, setting and characters, so I can definitely see why it was compared to her work. The only criticism I had with the first third is that many year passed by quickly. The story would jump several years ahead, and then begin speaking of events in the past that we didn't read about. It was very much a show versus tell situation.
In the middle of the book we were introduced to a competition that I thought would be more entertaining than it was. I usually love competitions in books, but this one did not make much sense to me. It started to go downhill after this, and I gradually lost interest. The ending was a slog and I almost dnfed it, but because I liked the beginning well enough, I wanted to read to the end to see what happened. Unfortunately, the ending was lackluster and left much to be desired.
At the end of the day, this was an alright book, but I have read books that were similar to this story and much better many times before.
*******From here on out there will be minor spoilers, proceed at your own risk*********
I liked in the beginning how Zerryn was trying to go on a mission to save the innocent boy she loves. However, as she starts to slowly started falling for Erlik I was pretty confused. Erlik and Zerryn have basically no chemistry, and the things he did to make her fall for him made no sense. I did not see how he was appealing to her at all, especially given that he tortured and killed villagers she knew for funsies. Meanwhile, he was still holding her lover boy hostage and she seemed to forget the whole reason why she went to the Underworld in the first place was to save innocent people, NOT fall in love with Erlik, the evil God of Death. I just was not convinced by the pacing or the logic of this book, or any of the relationships. Celik was always a sweet boy, but the end of the book he turned into a completely different person, and also made decisions out of character just to further the plot.
---
Just received a review copy from Netgalley, and I cannot wait!
I was initially intrigued by this as it was described as a gothic, mythological book and compared to the Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, which is one of my favorite series. I also thought it was an adult fantasy romance, but it turns out it was not.
I really enjoyed the first third of this book, and it starts out super good, but it changes greatly in the second act. It reminded me so much of Katherine Arden's work, both in tone, setting and characters, so I can definitely see why it was compared to her work. The only criticism I had with the first third is that many year passed by quickly. The story would jump several years ahead, and then begin speaking of events in the past that we didn't read about. It was very much a show versus tell situation.
In the middle of the book we were introduced to a competition that I thought would be more entertaining than it was. I usually love competitions in books, but this one did not make much sense to me. It started to go downhill after this, and I gradually lost interest. The ending was a slog and I almost dnfed it, but because I liked the beginning well enough, I wanted to read to the end to see what happened. Unfortunately, the ending was lackluster and left much to be desired.
At the end of the day, this was an alright book, but I have read books that were similar to this story and much better many times before.
*******From here on out there will be minor spoilers, proceed at your own risk*********
I liked in the beginning how Zerryn was trying to go on a mission to save the innocent boy she loves. However, as she starts to slowly started falling for Erlik I was pretty confused. Erlik and Zerryn have basically no chemistry, and the things he did to make her fall for him made no sense. I did not see how he was appealing to her at all, especially given that he tortured and killed villagers she knew for funsies. Meanwhile, he was still holding her lover boy hostage and she seemed to forget the whole reason why she went to the Underworld in the first place was to save innocent people, NOT fall in love with Erlik, the evil God of Death. I just was not convinced by the pacing or the logic of this book, or any of the relationships. Celik was always a sweet boy, but the end of the book he turned into a completely different person, and also made decisions out of character just to further the plot.
---
Just received a review copy from Netgalley, and I cannot wait!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 28, 2024
This book is by far the weirdest thing I’ve ever written. It is gothic and dark but also tender and beautiful. It is an adult standalone book that tells the story of a girl who has to compete for the hand of Death himself in order to save her village and the boy she loves. And has some of the vibes below:
🌿Death and the Maiden trope
🌿a girl desperate to save her village and the farmer boy she loves
🌿an eldritch and extremely flirtatious immortal
🌿three deadly tasks
🌿Light vs dark vibes
I hope you all love this book and enjoy it!
🌿Death and the Maiden trope
🌿a girl desperate to save her village and the farmer boy she loves
🌿an eldritch and extremely flirtatious immortal
🌿three deadly tasks
🌿Light vs dark vibes
I hope you all love this book and enjoy it!
January 19, 2024
I cannot decide between 3-4 stars of this so giving this 3.5*** instead.
As soon as I read the description of this book, I requested it as on paper, this is something I would love.
I adored the start of this book, it did remind me of one of my favourite books “the bear and the nightingale” with its weaving of mythology and folklore. My interest was quickly piqued !
However, when the trials started my attention waned. While I loved the descriptions of the mythology and the Underworld - which held my intrigue - I found the book then fell a little flat. I felt the main relationship lacked a build up and was quite quick/instant which affected my enjoyment of the book; it just left me feeling detached from the characters.
I also found some character conversations to be intended for a younger audience maybe (not too sure if this is supposed to be YA?) but this also pulled me away from the magic and intrigue.
Overall, I LOVED world building in this and the exposure of Turkish mythology which I really enjoyed (a new mythology for me to now become obsessed with!). I loved the idea of the plot and the first part of the book, but after that I felt the book declined for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the E-Arc
As soon as I read the description of this book, I requested it as on paper, this is something I would love.
I adored the start of this book, it did remind me of one of my favourite books “the bear and the nightingale” with its weaving of mythology and folklore. My interest was quickly piqued !
However, when the trials started my attention waned. While I loved the descriptions of the mythology and the Underworld - which held my intrigue - I found the book then fell a little flat. I felt the main relationship lacked a build up and was quite quick/instant which affected my enjoyment of the book; it just left me feeling detached from the characters.
I also found some character conversations to be intended for a younger audience maybe (not too sure if this is supposed to be YA?) but this also pulled me away from the magic and intrigue.
Overall, I LOVED world building in this and the exposure of Turkish mythology which I really enjoyed (a new mythology for me to now become obsessed with!). I loved the idea of the plot and the first part of the book, but after that I felt the book declined for me.
Thank you to NetGalley for the E-Arc
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2024
The comp to Winternight is criminal. Please keep Katherine Arden out of this mess.
February 21, 2024
I have so many feelings about this book! Both positive and negative, so I'm going to just offer you the run down and get to it.
Zerryn has a really great life, but when a crisis hits, she puts it all on the line to go through trials to win the heart of the Lord of Death and save her village and true love.
This is enemies to lovers. It's an adult stand-alone and has a love triangle. The love triangle is where my problem lies!!!! Just... make a choice! Sheesh!
Out March 1, 2024!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
Zerryn has a really great life, but when a crisis hits, she puts it all on the line to go through trials to win the heart of the Lord of Death and save her village and true love.
This is enemies to lovers. It's an adult stand-alone and has a love triangle. The love triangle is where my problem lies!!!! Just... make a choice! Sheesh!
Out March 1, 2024!
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!
February 26, 2024
It wasn't until I was immersed in the world, that I realised just how much I was going to adore this book. It is all the things I love, The dark gothic fairytale setting for one, from the very beginning I loved spending time getting lost in the bone forest among the dark creatures and spirits. It's also filled with mentions of folklore, such as the irshi, jinn, ubir and uylak. The main characters are very reminiscent of Hades & Persephone, with their warring magical energies of life and death, light and dark.
"The forest released a deep sigh the moment Zerryn entered. It was a subtle shift in the air, the mere sway of the branches stretching to scrape the sky before gently tracing the dirt, almost as if they were welcoming her home. The trees shifted to make way for her like earthen escorts sent to bring her to the demon who ruled their land."
There are so many beautiful quotes throughout the book, including words of wisdom often spoken from one woman to another. I appreciated that our main character was able to forge bonds with women at unlikely times.
I enjoyed seeing the arc of the monster becoming a man in Zerryn's eyes and her in turn losing her innocence and naivete. He wasn't the traditional morally grey leading man we have come to expect from fantasy romance books, mostly due to his hair, additional eyes and limbs but the strangeness of his appearance faded once I became familiar with his character as a reader.
I wasn't totally satisfied with the resolution of the plot surrounding the main character's magic, however, I do feel like this book had an overall satisfying ending. Although the plot or tropes themselves weren't groundbreaking, each stop along the way of the journey brought fresh life to the story through magic, folk and legends, which lent uniqueness to the story and kept me engaged until the very end.
Thank you Northern Light Press and F.M. Aden for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
"The forest released a deep sigh the moment Zerryn entered. It was a subtle shift in the air, the mere sway of the branches stretching to scrape the sky before gently tracing the dirt, almost as if they were welcoming her home. The trees shifted to make way for her like earthen escorts sent to bring her to the demon who ruled their land."
There are so many beautiful quotes throughout the book, including words of wisdom often spoken from one woman to another. I appreciated that our main character was able to forge bonds with women at unlikely times.
I enjoyed seeing the arc of the monster becoming a man in Zerryn's eyes and her in turn losing her innocence and naivete. He wasn't the traditional morally grey leading man we have come to expect from fantasy romance books, mostly due to his hair, additional eyes and limbs but the strangeness of his appearance faded once I became familiar with his character as a reader.
I wasn't totally satisfied with the resolution of the plot surrounding the main character's magic, however, I do feel like this book had an overall satisfying ending. Although the plot or tropes themselves weren't groundbreaking, each stop along the way of the journey brought fresh life to the story through magic, folk and legends, which lent uniqueness to the story and kept me engaged until the very end.
Thank you Northern Light Press and F.M. Aden for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Read
January 4, 2024Overview :
- He fell first
- Unrequited love
- Monster Romance
- "Survival games"
- Hades and Persephone
- One sided insta love
- Enemies to lovers
⭐⭐ Check out more of my opinions on Enemies to Lovers books on my blog Enemies To Lovers Source ⭐⭐
The Bride of Death follow Zerryn, a young woman chosen to fight for death's affection. But she doesn't want the underworld. She wants to save her childhood love. The lord of Death Erlik has other plans for her. He wants Zerryn to be his bride, and in order to become that, she must first become ruthless. Imagine a more lyrical Kingdom of the Wicked.
This one sadly did not do it for me. I am a die hard F.M Aden, but this book is far less original than her amazing, unreal good Court of the Undead series. Nevertheless, I will give some positives and negatives.
Starting with what I liked, the side characters were INCREDIBLE. Zerryn has the misfortune of fighting for Erlik's hand against some of the most vicious women in the world. From snake girls to fae, and one vampire who is prepared to kill just about anyone, these ladies are so much fun. Unlike other "Hunger Games" trial stories, I love how much personality Zerryn's rivals have and how much they color the book. I thought she had better chemistry with the vampire girl than she did with her love interest.
Second, FM Aden can write a damn book, and her prose is beyond lush. She can craft an absolutely beautiful fantasy world that truly feels lived in and magical.
Also this is a legit monster romance. Homie has like multiple eyes and arms its awesome.
Now onto what I didnt like, but my attract some readers:
The Court of the Undead was made for romance and fantasy fans sick of standard romantasy tropes. The Bride of Death is a romantasy for people who love romantasy. You want the evil character pining obsessively over the main character with absolutely no build up? You want a full blast of unresolved sexual tension? You want the main character getting the hots for the villain out of nowhere? You got it. All of the things the girlies like. This book felt like it checked off the boxes of this type of story that is becoming very popular, though I will say its written FAR BETTER. FM Aden knows her way around prose and actually knows how to write side characters.
I just found the main romance boring. I am over an allegedly evil guy whose obsessed blindly with the main character while she grumbles about what a meanie he is. Erlik is just not that interesting, though he had the potential to be.
If you are into this Hades Persephone romantasy subgenre, you will love this. As I like relationships that burn slower and hate insta lust, this was a miss for me.
- He fell first
- Unrequited love
- Monster Romance
- "Survival games"
- Hades and Persephone
- One sided insta love
- Enemies to lovers
⭐⭐ Check out more of my opinions on Enemies to Lovers books on my blog Enemies To Lovers Source ⭐⭐
The Bride of Death follow Zerryn, a young woman chosen to fight for death's affection. But she doesn't want the underworld. She wants to save her childhood love. The lord of Death Erlik has other plans for her. He wants Zerryn to be his bride, and in order to become that, she must first become ruthless. Imagine a more lyrical Kingdom of the Wicked.
This one sadly did not do it for me. I am a die hard F.M Aden, but this book is far less original than her amazing, unreal good Court of the Undead series. Nevertheless, I will give some positives and negatives.
Starting with what I liked, the side characters were INCREDIBLE. Zerryn has the misfortune of fighting for Erlik's hand against some of the most vicious women in the world. From snake girls to fae, and one vampire who is prepared to kill just about anyone, these ladies are so much fun. Unlike other "Hunger Games" trial stories, I love how much personality Zerryn's rivals have and how much they color the book. I thought she had better chemistry with the vampire girl than she did with her love interest.
Second, FM Aden can write a damn book, and her prose is beyond lush. She can craft an absolutely beautiful fantasy world that truly feels lived in and magical.
Also this is a legit monster romance. Homie has like multiple eyes and arms its awesome.
Now onto what I didnt like, but my attract some readers:
The Court of the Undead was made for romance and fantasy fans sick of standard romantasy tropes. The Bride of Death is a romantasy for people who love romantasy. You want the evil character pining obsessively over the main character with absolutely no build up? You want a full blast of unresolved sexual tension? You want the main character getting the hots for the villain out of nowhere? You got it. All of the things the girlies like. This book felt like it checked off the boxes of this type of story that is becoming very popular, though I will say its written FAR BETTER. FM Aden knows her way around prose and actually knows how to write side characters.
I just found the main romance boring. I am over an allegedly evil guy whose obsessed blindly with the main character while she grumbles about what a meanie he is. Erlik is just not that interesting, though he had the potential to be.
If you are into this Hades Persephone romantasy subgenre, you will love this. As I like relationships that burn slower and hate insta lust, this was a miss for me.
March 12, 2024
3.5⭐️
This book was both enrapturing and messily done at the same time. It definitely had some issues that I couldn't really get past, but I still found myself unable to put it down.
Zerryn, who lives in a small village, was touched by Death as a child, and as a result has become alienated from her neighbours. When her best friend, Celik, gets possessed by Erlik, the lord of the Underworld, Zerryn finds herself making a deal with him - if she enters a competition to become his bride, he will leave Celik and her village alone.
This novel is less so about fighting darkness, and more about succumbing to it. Zerryn finds herself becoming more and more enraptured with Erlik and the Underworld, and drifting away from the Above and the world she knew.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The banter and the romance were fun, and I was really intrigued by the prose. However, a lot of things felt really rushed and unbelievable - how did Zerryn get her magic to begin with? Why is Erlik so obsessed with her, when she is literally just a human with no idea of her own power? The love triangle between Zerryn, Erlik, and Celik reminds me of the love triangles that I absolutely hate - when there is a clear choice on who she should be with, but for some reason can't seem to make a decision. In this case, however, both Erlik and Celik are horrible choices. Erlik cannot accept who she once was, and makes every attempt to change her throughout the book, whereas Celik despises who she has become. They both claim that their love is unconditional, but that is obviously not the case.
The setting of this novel was very interesting. This is a Hades x Persephone retelling, with elements of Turkish folklore and mythology, and I found myself really enjoying that aspect of it. However, aspects of the worldbuilding felt quite messy. I could not explain the magic system if I wanted to, and I have no idea about the rules of the Underworld or how it functions precisely.
All in all, most of this book felt completely out of left field, and the way the protagonist kept relying on Erlik to help her get through the competition took away a lot of her agency and idenpendency. This was a very entertaining book, but I think it could have used a couple more rounds of editing.
This book was both enrapturing and messily done at the same time. It definitely had some issues that I couldn't really get past, but I still found myself unable to put it down.
Zerryn, who lives in a small village, was touched by Death as a child, and as a result has become alienated from her neighbours. When her best friend, Celik, gets possessed by Erlik, the lord of the Underworld, Zerryn finds herself making a deal with him - if she enters a competition to become his bride, he will leave Celik and her village alone.
This novel is less so about fighting darkness, and more about succumbing to it. Zerryn finds herself becoming more and more enraptured with Erlik and the Underworld, and drifting away from the Above and the world she knew.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The banter and the romance were fun, and I was really intrigued by the prose. However, a lot of things felt really rushed and unbelievable - how did Zerryn get her magic to begin with? Why is Erlik so obsessed with her, when she is literally just a human with no idea of her own power? The love triangle between Zerryn, Erlik, and Celik reminds me of the love triangles that I absolutely hate - when there is a clear choice on who she should be with, but for some reason can't seem to make a decision. In this case, however, both Erlik and Celik are horrible choices. Erlik cannot accept who she once was, and makes every attempt to change her throughout the book, whereas Celik despises who she has become. They both claim that their love is unconditional, but that is obviously not the case.
The setting of this novel was very interesting. This is a Hades x Persephone retelling, with elements of Turkish folklore and mythology, and I found myself really enjoying that aspect of it. However, aspects of the worldbuilding felt quite messy. I could not explain the magic system if I wanted to, and I have no idea about the rules of the Underworld or how it functions precisely.
All in all, most of this book felt completely out of left field, and the way the protagonist kept relying on Erlik to help her get through the competition took away a lot of her agency and idenpendency. This was a very entertaining book, but I think it could have used a couple more rounds of editing.
March 12, 2024
⭐️ 3 stars
I really wanted to like this book but I can't. The blurb gave a promising gothic fantasy vibe but yeah, the plot was just meh. Zerryn, the main character is supposed to save her loved one and her village from death by going to the underworld and fighting him but oops, I'm sorry, the Death is so handsome and I'm in love with him, so I just forget all my plans and instead I fight for my place to become his bride. The love triangle is also weak, she didn't even care for that first boy when she only swooned for Death and the author wants the reader to love Death but sorry I can't, because he killed people for fun pls. Zerryn is also granted powerful magic and everyone around her knows that and is trying to say to her to use that to fight but once again because she is so foolishly in love with Death, she doesn't want to think about using it to save her people. By the end of the plot, all she is doing is nothing yk and yeah, she finally becomes the bride of Death why? because that's what the title said. And of course, she's fine when people in her village and the first boy she loved died because again, I'm in love with Death so I don't care about anything else.
When I reached halfway through the book, I just wished something twisty happened for Zerryn but nothing did instead, it is what we could say a predictable plot. I think the writing is okay and even though I said I don't like how the plot is going, I still enjoy some parts like Zerryn's kindness, her grandmother who still believes in her and also Celik, who is still trying to save her even though he has to go to the underworld again. Overall, I give this 3 stars because it's an okay plot with a lot of misses but still enjoyable for me.
I really wanted to like this book but I can't. The blurb gave a promising gothic fantasy vibe but yeah, the plot was just meh. Zerryn, the main character is supposed to save her loved one and her village from death by going to the underworld and fighting him but oops, I'm sorry, the Death is so handsome and I'm in love with him, so I just forget all my plans and instead I fight for my place to become his bride. The love triangle is also weak, she didn't even care for that first boy when she only swooned for Death and the author wants the reader to love Death but sorry I can't, because he killed people for fun pls. Zerryn is also granted powerful magic and everyone around her knows that and is trying to say to her to use that to fight but once again because she is so foolishly in love with Death, she doesn't want to think about using it to save her people. By the end of the plot, all she is doing is nothing yk and yeah, she finally becomes the bride of Death why? because that's what the title said. And of course, she's fine when people in her village and the first boy she loved died because again, I'm in love with Death so I don't care about anything else.
When I reached halfway through the book, I just wished something twisty happened for Zerryn but nothing did instead, it is what we could say a predictable plot. I think the writing is okay and even though I said I don't like how the plot is going, I still enjoy some parts like Zerryn's kindness, her grandmother who still believes in her and also Celik, who is still trying to save her even though he has to go to the underworld again. Overall, I give this 3 stars because it's an okay plot with a lot of misses but still enjoyable for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2024
As a fan of Naomi Novak and Katherine Arden, I love to read now and then fantasies written in a way told in the old ways- that is nostalgic of when I used to sit around the fire in winter listening to my grand-grandmother telling of monsters, maidens and adventure.
So, the premise of this book was very appealing to me. And to be honest, I enjoyed most of it. ⚜Genre: Cultural Retelling Romance Fantasy
⚜Theme: Hades/Persephone Paranormal romance
⚜Targeted audience: New Adult
⚜Characters: witches (Zerryn), devils (Elrik Khan), demons
⚜Representation: POC
⚜TW: cults - kidnapping - beheading - body possession
⚜ tropes: slow-burn, love-triangle
⚜ POV: one side third POV - Zerryn's
⚜ spice 🌶
⚜ rating 🌟🌟🌟
⚜standalone: yes
⚜Ending: resolved HEA
Zerryn is cursed with magic. she is somehow shunned by her village. Moving to her grandmother's village, she develops a relationship with Celik who is later becomes possessed by the Dark UnderKing. To save him, Zerryn had to die to travel to the Underworld and defeat the Dark Lord Elrik. To do that she had to undergo a trial with three tasks.
During these trials, Zerryn is faced with the dilemma of being torn between her life in the Above and her dark desires in the Underworld. She has to make a choice "Whom would she choose?"
a normal life with a pridful farmer or eternity with a cruel lustful demon
finishing her trials, she forms a friendship with Beyza, a vampiric huntress, and Yuxa, a serpent Queen.
The book is well written, though needs editing, and the story rises and falls in tempo. It is short for a fantasy, 370-something pages, yet some parts come off as very slow to read because of the heavy description, repetitive events, and internal monologues. And then the story picks up again so fast you get whiplash.
What I loved about the book:
1- The cultural references. I do not know from where is the author. I think somewhere around Turkey/Russia cause the names and some characters appeared like that. Also, there were familiar names to me like Kaftan, Borek, Darbukas, Jinn...to make me think it is Turkish.
2- most of the time, Zerryn was not a pushover. She is not this ALL-HOLLY female lead. She has her flaws and darkness even though she wants to do the right thing and save the village people who drove her away and the boy she loved.
3- The banter and comebacks between Zerryn and Elrik were really enjoyable
"Whoever lies shall have to remove an article of clothing." "You are a child in the body of a man "
"I have four eyes. It was safe to assume I also had four arms"
"any other limbs I have yet to see?"
"Not any a gentleman can name"
4- the feminist voice
"How like a man to take credit for the actions of a woman"
Rarely were women hailed as heroes or were ballads sung for them. Rarely were they written of in epic. Nobody ever looked at the wives who raised families while men fought wars.
5- The deep feelings Elric has for Zerryn
"You are not nothing," he whispered. "It is I who come to you crawling, a rabid dog hungry for your attention"
6- The friendship between Zerryn, Beyza and Yuxa. Girl Power all the way.
Things I did not like
1- How long it felt. I understand that descriptions are important, but do we need to know the description of every single thing?
some plot stories were dragged also. The first trial was pages and pages long, while others just... happened
2- some characters were suddenly introduced to advance the plot and then they disappeared.
3- I did not understand when Zerryn fell in love with Celik! I know they were friends but when did they form connections?!
4- but what I was frustraited most about was the how Zerryn's arc turned out to be. All the time she was presented as this strong smart witch who was coming to accept her powers and that she doesnt need anyone but her faith in herself. Only for her to end up needing the help of a man to save her in the end. The sleeping beauty theme right at that moment did not sit well with me.
I am not saying that she should have rejected love! not at all! but all that begging and heartache and defeat towards the end destroyed her character for me. I was rooting for a different end
5- as I mentioned up, the book do need editing and not just for the structure mistakes but the plot holes and storylines.
As a debute novel, this was quite good. I wish all the best for the author
Thank you for NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review
So, the premise of this book was very appealing to me. And to be honest, I enjoyed most of it. ⚜Genre: Cultural Retelling Romance Fantasy
⚜Theme: Hades/Persephone Paranormal romance
⚜Targeted audience: New Adult
⚜Characters: witches (Zerryn), devils (Elrik Khan), demons
⚜Representation: POC
⚜TW: cults - kidnapping - beheading - body possession
⚜ tropes: slow-burn, love-triangle
⚜ POV: one side third POV - Zerryn's
⚜ spice 🌶
⚜ rating 🌟🌟🌟
⚜standalone: yes
⚜Ending: resolved HEA
Zerryn is cursed with magic. she is somehow shunned by her village. Moving to her grandmother's village, she develops a relationship with Celik who is later becomes possessed by the Dark UnderKing. To save him, Zerryn had to die to travel to the Underworld and defeat the Dark Lord Elrik. To do that she had to undergo a trial with three tasks.
During these trials, Zerryn is faced with the dilemma of being torn between her life in the Above and her dark desires in the Underworld. She has to make a choice "Whom would she choose?"
a normal life with a pridful farmer or eternity with a cruel lustful demon
finishing her trials, she forms a friendship with Beyza, a vampiric huntress, and Yuxa, a serpent Queen.
The book is well written, though needs editing, and the story rises and falls in tempo. It is short for a fantasy, 370-something pages, yet some parts come off as very slow to read because of the heavy description, repetitive events, and internal monologues. And then the story picks up again so fast you get whiplash.
What I loved about the book:
1- The cultural references. I do not know from where is the author. I think somewhere around Turkey/Russia cause the names and some characters appeared like that. Also, there were familiar names to me like Kaftan, Borek, Darbukas, Jinn...to make me think it is Turkish.
2- most of the time, Zerryn was not a pushover. She is not this ALL-HOLLY female lead. She has her flaws and darkness even though she wants to do the right thing and save the village people who drove her away and the boy she loved.
3- The banter and comebacks between Zerryn and Elrik were really enjoyable
"Whoever lies shall have to remove an article of clothing." "You are a child in the body of a man "
"I have four eyes. It was safe to assume I also had four arms"
"any other limbs I have yet to see?"
"Not any a gentleman can name"
4- the feminist voice
"How like a man to take credit for the actions of a woman"
Rarely were women hailed as heroes or were ballads sung for them. Rarely were they written of in epic. Nobody ever looked at the wives who raised families while men fought wars.
5- The deep feelings Elric has for Zerryn
"You are not nothing," he whispered. "It is I who come to you crawling, a rabid dog hungry for your attention"
6- The friendship between Zerryn, Beyza and Yuxa. Girl Power all the way.
Things I did not like
1- How long it felt. I understand that descriptions are important, but do we need to know the description of every single thing?
some plot stories were dragged also. The first trial was pages and pages long, while others just... happened
2- some characters were suddenly introduced to advance the plot and then they disappeared.
3- I did not understand when Zerryn fell in love with Celik! I know they were friends but when did they form connections?!
4- but what I was frustraited most about was the how Zerryn's arc turned out to be. All the time she was presented as this strong smart witch who was coming to accept her powers and that she doesnt need anyone but her faith in herself. Only for her to end up needing the help of a man to save her in the end. The sleeping beauty theme right at that moment did not sit well with me.
I am not saying that she should have rejected love! not at all! but all that begging and heartache and defeat towards the end destroyed her character for me. I was rooting for a different end
5- as I mentioned up, the book do need editing and not just for the structure mistakes but the plot holes and storylines.
As a debute novel, this was quite good. I wish all the best for the author
Thank you for NetGalley and the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review
December 31, 2023
Let 2024 be the year we find men who see our wickedness and love us all the more for it!
“The Bride of Death” breathes life into familiar folktales as a girl caught between the land of the living and the underworld tries to save her love from the clutches of Death himself undergoing a series of trials to win his hand but in doing so she finds that maybe home is within the darkness below.
Ugh I loved every moment of this book!
The characterization was flawless and I adored each and every soul we meet in their own fun and cruel way. The overall arc and character growth amongst the main cast was so much fun to dive into and explore. Zerryn was a misunderstood girl who is trying to do her absolute best and each step she takes brings her closer to unlocking her truest self and becoming a strong woman in her own right and I loved every minute.
The plot is fun with a typical formula of a fantasy like competition backdrop however there were a few moments where I was surprised we didn’t lean into familiar tropes and it was refreshing to see those changes especially amongst the competitors. This book while heavy and fantastic in its romance can also stand tall with how it presents female companionship and I really enjoyed this those interactions played out.
When they mention Novik and Arden they aren’t kidding this book stands up against their familiar and wonderful titles and I look forward to devouring everything this author creates!
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
“The Bride of Death” breathes life into familiar folktales as a girl caught between the land of the living and the underworld tries to save her love from the clutches of Death himself undergoing a series of trials to win his hand but in doing so she finds that maybe home is within the darkness below.
Ugh I loved every moment of this book!
The characterization was flawless and I adored each and every soul we meet in their own fun and cruel way. The overall arc and character growth amongst the main cast was so much fun to dive into and explore. Zerryn was a misunderstood girl who is trying to do her absolute best and each step she takes brings her closer to unlocking her truest self and becoming a strong woman in her own right and I loved every minute.
The plot is fun with a typical formula of a fantasy like competition backdrop however there were a few moments where I was surprised we didn’t lean into familiar tropes and it was refreshing to see those changes especially amongst the competitors. This book while heavy and fantastic in its romance can also stand tall with how it presents female companionship and I really enjoyed this those interactions played out.
When they mention Novik and Arden they aren’t kidding this book stands up against their familiar and wonderful titles and I look forward to devouring everything this author creates!
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
Read
February 25, 2024Another ARC I am dnf’ing ughhh. I really wanted to like this. The writing was fine(?) and the folklore was interesting. The setting was dark and atmospheric but I was just so bored. I genuinely am so bummed but I just can’t push through books I am not 100% enjoying anymore.
February 27, 2024
3.75⭐️
Thank you Netgalley and Northern Light Press for an ARC copy
***********Contains some spoilers ***********
“I am heartless, Zerryn, and there will be days when you despise me more than you like me, but I won’t ever hurt you. You shall never be the victim of my wrath. You shall never be the one my coldness touches.”
This book is more on the fantasy side, romance comes later on. Its a slow story, it takes time to get into it, especially for romance readers. But the romance between them is quite good
The cover is stunning, that and the title was what drew me to this book
This book is a retailing of Turkish /greek/Christian/mythology. I cant comment much about it because i dont know anything about the background of turkish mythology. But i can say that Erlik khan is nothing like the christan devil. So it was interesting to read about mythical creatures I’ve never heard about.
I loved the writing despite being in 3rd POV
The story follows zerryn completing in a trial to become deaths husband to save her village.
Zerryn was okay but she seemed like any other fantasy protagonist. The difference here is she grew up hearing all the stories/tales about all the creatures but she still ignores logic and does not take any advices given to her. She is too naive for her own good. But she is 22 so i will give her the benefit of the doubt.
I did prefer Erlik more in this book, Although his appearance did weird me out.
This story involves a love triangle
Enemies to lovers.
MMC was obsessed
Morally grey MMC
Overall, i am happy to have read it.
For my safety readers
Virgin h
Om:
- she kissed her best friend at the age of 21( before she met erlik)
- Erliks prince(prince of lust) flirts with her and uses his power to make her lust after him. He invited her to his party and erlik was jealous she staid with him
- She still had feelings toward celik( her best friend) even after kissing and developing feelings towards H
- There is this guy who flirted with h and made a pass on her and he did kiss her infront of the H but it was harmless ( merly a goodbye kiss as friends)
- Her best friend kisses her around 86% percent, that was after she knew she was inlove with H. But she hasn’t chosen yet and she still was thinking of 🔪 H
Ow drama:
- one of his prince mentioned H was a manwhore
- When she rejected him at the party he sat next to a girl while she fed him and he sucked her fingers. of-course its to make her jealous. And then he said to her that he would bed the girl. Again it was only to make her jealous he never looked at other women after that
- he never mentioned his past and he wasn’t with anyone after he met her and also during separation
- Most of the things i did ignore because he has been alive since the dawn of time and he is the devil.
Hea
Epilogue
**********
Edit 1: i forgot to mention, before reading this book i read the sentence on the book and the blurb and thought if she won the competition she would actually be free not only set her family free, she is doing it for them but she would be married to H
**********
Thank you Netgalley and Northern Light Press for an ARC copy
***********Contains some spoilers ***********
“I am heartless, Zerryn, and there will be days when you despise me more than you like me, but I won’t ever hurt you. You shall never be the victim of my wrath. You shall never be the one my coldness touches.”
This book is more on the fantasy side, romance comes later on. Its a slow story, it takes time to get into it, especially for romance readers. But the romance between them is quite good
The cover is stunning, that and the title was what drew me to this book
This book is a retailing of Turkish /greek/Christian/mythology. I cant comment much about it because i dont know anything about the background of turkish mythology. But i can say that Erlik khan is nothing like the christan devil. So it was interesting to read about mythical creatures I’ve never heard about.
I loved the writing despite being in 3rd POV
The story follows zerryn completing in a trial to become deaths husband to save her village.
Zerryn was okay but she seemed like any other fantasy protagonist. The difference here is she grew up hearing all the stories/tales about all the creatures but she still ignores logic and does not take any advices given to her. She is too naive for her own good. But she is 22 so i will give her the benefit of the doubt.
I did prefer Erlik more in this book, Although his appearance did weird me out.
This story involves a love triangle
Enemies to lovers.
MMC was obsessed
Morally grey MMC
Overall, i am happy to have read it.
For my safety readers
Virgin h
Om:
- she kissed her best friend at the age of 21( before she met erlik)
- Erliks prince(prince of lust) flirts with her and uses his power to make her lust after him. He invited her to his party and erlik was jealous she staid with him
- She still had feelings toward celik( her best friend) even after kissing and developing feelings towards H
- There is this guy who flirted with h and made a pass on her and he did kiss her infront of the H but it was harmless ( merly a goodbye kiss as friends)
- Her best friend kisses her around 86% percent, that was after she knew she was inlove with H. But she hasn’t chosen yet and she still was thinking of 🔪 H
Ow drama:
- one of his prince mentioned H was a manwhore
- When she rejected him at the party he sat next to a girl while she fed him and he sucked her fingers. of-course its to make her jealous. And then he said to her that he would bed the girl. Again it was only to make her jealous he never looked at other women after that
- he never mentioned his past and he wasn’t with anyone after he met her and also during separation
- Most of the things i did ignore because he has been alive since the dawn of time and he is the devil.
Hea
Epilogue
**********
Edit 1: i forgot to mention, before reading this book i read the sentence on the book and the blurb and thought if she won the competition she would actually be free not only set her family free, she is doing it for them but she would be married to H
**********
April 15, 2024
4 stars!
thank you netgalley and f.m. aden for the e-arc!
this was really good! i didn't have much expectations going into this book mainly because i dont know much about the folklore that it's based on but as a book on it's own, it was really well written in many aspects. the characters were diverse enough to feel like actual people and the plot was super interesting and i was really intrigued to see how the story would unfold and eventually wrap up.
if you're looking for a fun eerie, dark romantasy book, i would highly recommend this one.
thank you netgalley and f.m. aden for the e-arc!
this was really good! i didn't have much expectations going into this book mainly because i dont know much about the folklore that it's based on but as a book on it's own, it was really well written in many aspects. the characters were diverse enough to feel like actual people and the plot was super interesting and i was really intrigued to see how the story would unfold and eventually wrap up.
if you're looking for a fun eerie, dark romantasy book, i would highly recommend this one.
March 17, 2024
if you’re looking for a standalone fantasy, add this to your tbrs expeditiously:
- turkic mythology
- gothic
- enemies to lovers (but not rlly bc he’s obsessed with her)
- three tasks/competition storyline
- death and the maiden motif
- dark evajacks vibes
- turkic mythology
- gothic
- enemies to lovers (but not rlly bc he’s obsessed with her)
- three tasks/competition storyline
- death and the maiden motif
- dark evajacks vibes
March 5, 2024
Great in theory, but the execution was poor. How many metaphors that made ZERO sense I was 😅 atmospheric but didn’t land for me.
March 5, 2024
Note: I received an ARC in exchange for this review.
I have found my new mythology romantasy obsession and I am INSISTING you read this immediately.
The Bride of Death is a story that has everything: a compelling young heroine, a dynamic romance, a brooding protagonist, and beautiful dialogue. Zerryn, a young farmer’s daughter, finds herself entangled with the Lord of Death to save her friend Çelik and family from certain peril. She vies for his hand in a series of tasks to try and convince him to spare those she holds dear, but finds herself in an internal war. Torn between what is right and what she wants, Zerryn fights for her own power and to find the real meaning of love.
I started this in the morning and I promptly finished it by the evening: I could not put it down. It has everything I love in a romantasy: amazing characters, wonderful dialogue that tugs the heartstrings, diabolically intense chemistry, and moral greyness that I appreciate in an adult fantasy. As a mythos girlie, I also loved how this was inspired by Anatolian mythology (modern day Turkey) and that was a huge part of what lured me in. I always love learning about a new mythos and I think this is a really great option for those of us who might want something different than the Greco-Roman mythos that is super popular currently.
Zerryn has my absolute heart: she’s idealistic but determined to see her goals through. She understands her limitations but doesn’t let that deter her from trying. She’s so endearing I just want to give her the biggest hug. Erlik, the Lord of Death, is so incredible charming, and his voice is written so well that I was thoroughly convinced that someone with four arms and eyes was devilishly attractive. Their chemistry is lovely and gives wonderful enemies-to-lovers vibes.
I just loved everything about this book: I was blown away in every aspect. The plot is wonderfully paced, the characters are beautifully developed, and the themes and romance are just to die for. This is one of my favorite reads of this year, and you are sleeping on this if you have not read this yet.
I have found my new mythology romantasy obsession and I am INSISTING you read this immediately.
The Bride of Death is a story that has everything: a compelling young heroine, a dynamic romance, a brooding protagonist, and beautiful dialogue. Zerryn, a young farmer’s daughter, finds herself entangled with the Lord of Death to save her friend Çelik and family from certain peril. She vies for his hand in a series of tasks to try and convince him to spare those she holds dear, but finds herself in an internal war. Torn between what is right and what she wants, Zerryn fights for her own power and to find the real meaning of love.
I started this in the morning and I promptly finished it by the evening: I could not put it down. It has everything I love in a romantasy: amazing characters, wonderful dialogue that tugs the heartstrings, diabolically intense chemistry, and moral greyness that I appreciate in an adult fantasy. As a mythos girlie, I also loved how this was inspired by Anatolian mythology (modern day Turkey) and that was a huge part of what lured me in. I always love learning about a new mythos and I think this is a really great option for those of us who might want something different than the Greco-Roman mythos that is super popular currently.
Zerryn has my absolute heart: she’s idealistic but determined to see her goals through. She understands her limitations but doesn’t let that deter her from trying. She’s so endearing I just want to give her the biggest hug. Erlik, the Lord of Death, is so incredible charming, and his voice is written so well that I was thoroughly convinced that someone with four arms and eyes was devilishly attractive. Their chemistry is lovely and gives wonderful enemies-to-lovers vibes.
I just loved everything about this book: I was blown away in every aspect. The plot is wonderfully paced, the characters are beautifully developed, and the themes and romance are just to die for. This is one of my favorite reads of this year, and you are sleeping on this if you have not read this yet.
April 18, 2024
Save me enemies to lovers save me
I DEVOURED this.
The Bride of Death follows Zerryn, who grew up hearing the tales of the Lord of Death, Erlik Kahn. She soon discovers how real these tales are when her best friend, Çelik begins to act strange. Rumours of his possession spread around the small village like wildfire and it’s not long until it’s revealed it’s the very Lord of Death who has taken control of Çelik’s body.
The Lord of Death is searching for a Bride and Zerryn believes she can’t defeat Erlik without gaining the power she will get becoming his bride. To her, it’s the only way to save Çelik’s life. The only way to do this? She must complete three impossible tasks against creatures of untold power.
There was truly so much to love about this and I found myself wanting to savour the book and not finish too quickly. The world-building and the atmosphere of this book were so fantastic and immediately drew me in.
What I loved the most was how wonderful the characters were. I often say characters are unique whenever I read great books but in this context, they truly are. There was not one character that was two-dimensional. They all held such beautiful and powerful depth to them and I found myself so intently focused on each character we came across, even the ones considered antagonists.
I found myself falling in love with Zerryn and Erlik. They are such beautifully written characters with so many layers to them and I will be thinking about them often.
I am so excited to eventually get my hands on a physical copy because I will definitely be revisiting this in the future.
What a fantastic standalone!
Thank you to NetGalley and Northern Light Press for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I DEVOURED this.
The Bride of Death follows Zerryn, who grew up hearing the tales of the Lord of Death, Erlik Kahn. She soon discovers how real these tales are when her best friend, Çelik begins to act strange. Rumours of his possession spread around the small village like wildfire and it’s not long until it’s revealed it’s the very Lord of Death who has taken control of Çelik’s body.
The Lord of Death is searching for a Bride and Zerryn believes she can’t defeat Erlik without gaining the power she will get becoming his bride. To her, it’s the only way to save Çelik’s life. The only way to do this? She must complete three impossible tasks against creatures of untold power.
There was truly so much to love about this and I found myself wanting to savour the book and not finish too quickly. The world-building and the atmosphere of this book were so fantastic and immediately drew me in.
What I loved the most was how wonderful the characters were. I often say characters are unique whenever I read great books but in this context, they truly are. There was not one character that was two-dimensional. They all held such beautiful and powerful depth to them and I found myself so intently focused on each character we came across, even the ones considered antagonists.
I found myself falling in love with Zerryn and Erlik. They are such beautifully written characters with so many layers to them and I will be thinking about them often.
I am so excited to eventually get my hands on a physical copy because I will definitely be revisiting this in the future.
What a fantastic standalone!
Thank you to NetGalley and Northern Light Press for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Read
February 5, 2024Another arc from Netgalley... Let's hope this gets me out of the slump I'm in.
February 8, 2024
okay, i found this book through finding this author on twitter and all of her marketing tweets for it and when i tell you this DELIVERED. i have one major issue with this and that was i was expecting celik to you know, be worth going to the underworld and courting Death for. he was not, and quite frankly, i did not enjoy that love triangle aspect (though, it was only through the climax of the book where i realized, hey this is technically a love triangle, so points for that Aden). the writing was atmospheric, i feel like i stepped into the world. uh what else...
their relationship was very much giving "you came." "you called" from that scene in sandman and when i tell you any!!! relationship that reminds me of calliope and morpheus im on my knees for!!!
oh, final thing: him loving her despite her anger and hatred towards him and her sour attitude? that is the yearning enemies (used very loosely) to lovers i adore.
thank you to netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!
their relationship was very much giving "you came." "you called" from that scene in sandman and when i tell you any!!! relationship that reminds me of calliope and morpheus im on my knees for!!!
oh, final thing: him loving her despite her anger and hatred towards him and her sour attitude? that is the yearning enemies (used very loosely) to lovers i adore.
thank you to netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!!
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