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A Curse of Fire and Blood
Not yet published
Expected 13 Mar 26Fleeing a shattered past, Gideon finds refuge on a hidden island of mutated hunters, where he rebuilds his life and discovers love. But tragedy pulls him back into the shadows of his former kingdom—now threatening his niece and nephew, heirs to the throne of Aduro.
As war brews and ancient prophecies awaken, Gideon must face demons both literal and personal to save his family and the realm.
Steeped in Greek and Norse myth, A Curse of Fire & Blood is a dark fantasy epic of redemption, sacrifice, and the fight to protect what remains when the world turns to ash.
As war brews and ancient prophecies awaken, Gideon must face demons both literal and personal to save his family and the realm.
Steeped in Greek and Norse myth, A Curse of Fire & Blood is a dark fantasy epic of redemption, sacrifice, and the fight to protect what remains when the world turns to ash.
Unknown Binding
Expected publication March 13, 2026
11 people want to read
About the author
James Róisín
6 books19 followersJames Róisín is an Ontario-based author of dark epic fantasy, drawn to stories where beauty and brutality coexist and power is never innocent.
Their work explores morally grey ambition, the slow seduction of evil, and the intimate violence of choice—where love lingers at the edges of ruin rather than offering salvation.
Their debut adult fantasy series, the Aduro Kingdom, unfolds in a realm shaped by fire, blood, and legacy, where devotion corrodes, crowns demand cruelty, and survival often requires becoming something unrecognizable.
Their work explores morally grey ambition, the slow seduction of evil, and the intimate violence of choice—where love lingers at the edges of ruin rather than offering salvation.
Their debut adult fantasy series, the Aduro Kingdom, unfolds in a realm shaped by fire, blood, and legacy, where devotion corrodes, crowns demand cruelty, and survival often requires becoming something unrecognizable.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 5, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a fabulous prequel to AKOBAB. I am utterly gutted by Gideon’s story and will not be recovering any time soon. Odin, my sweet baby angel we didn’t have enough time.
“Then I’ll stay with you until it no longer burdens you, and every night afterwards.”
Still sobbing over that line!
Getting to see the Hunters at a younger age was so fun, you can really see the ease of brotherhood. It’s obviously not as shrouded in stress and sadness as we see in AKOBAB. the jokes and playfulness felt so familiar.
“Just because someone says so doesn’t mean it is so. No matter what others try to make you believe about yourself, you still have the power to choose who you will be-every day”
There’s a theme of coming into one’s own in this book. We get to see Gideon grow and strengthen as well as seeing younger Briar and the history that made her so hardened. Even seeing Benjamin and the man he was able to become and the injustice he and his sister both felt while growing up apart.
Getting to see a softer side of Briar and her introduction to Eiren was also nice. Though looking at it from that perspective, it is fascinating how things shifted so much when we get to the beginning of AKOBAB. She’s a very complex lady.
“Then I’ll stay with you until it no longer burdens you, and every night afterwards.”
Still sobbing over that line!
Getting to see the Hunters at a younger age was so fun, you can really see the ease of brotherhood. It’s obviously not as shrouded in stress and sadness as we see in AKOBAB. the jokes and playfulness felt so familiar.
“Just because someone says so doesn’t mean it is so. No matter what others try to make you believe about yourself, you still have the power to choose who you will be-every day”
There’s a theme of coming into one’s own in this book. We get to see Gideon grow and strengthen as well as seeing younger Briar and the history that made her so hardened. Even seeing Benjamin and the man he was able to become and the injustice he and his sister both felt while growing up apart.
Getting to see a softer side of Briar and her introduction to Eiren was also nice. Though looking at it from that perspective, it is fascinating how things shifted so much when we get to the beginning of AKOBAB. She’s a very complex lady.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A Curse of Fire and Blood is exactly what I need after reading A Kingdom of Beasts and Betrayal!!
James continues to carry her poetic way of writing into ACOFAB. I am drawn in right from the beginning and it carries through the book.
After reading AKOBAB, I had so many questions about the characters back stories and why they were the people they were now or how they got into the position they became to be in. ACOFAB does just that! My heart breaks for Odin and Gideon! I wanted nothing more than to see their relationship grow! For them to just be free to embrace each other! It really opened my eyes on how Gideon became to be in the Hunters and would he grew as an individual but also with his found family.
I think about these books and the complexity of how James has integrated each persons story within the other. James did a great job with the multiple POVs!
Thank you James for an eARC! It's a stunning prequel! I can't wait for the next book!
James continues to carry her poetic way of writing into ACOFAB. I am drawn in right from the beginning and it carries through the book.
After reading AKOBAB, I had so many questions about the characters back stories and why they were the people they were now or how they got into the position they became to be in. ACOFAB does just that! My heart breaks for Odin and Gideon! I wanted nothing more than to see their relationship grow! For them to just be free to embrace each other! It really opened my eyes on how Gideon became to be in the Hunters and would he grew as an individual but also with his found family.
I think about these books and the complexity of how James has integrated each persons story within the other. James did a great job with the multiple POVs!
Thank you James for an eARC! It's a stunning prequel! I can't wait for the next book!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I love getting to read a prequel story and this one filled in so much leading up to book one. I wasn't expecting to have so many in-depth aspects linked together and it definitely kept things a lot more interesting than focusing on one storyline. It really added so many pieces to the puzzle and answered a lot of questions. I also had a lot of fun with the multiple POVs and getting a lot more insight in that regard. This definitely made my heart ache for Gideon and also broke me a little bit for characters that I didn't know much about like Eiren. Such a fun addition to this world!
Thank you to the author for an early copy to read and review!
Thank you to the author for an early copy to read and review!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews