To avoid war and protect his kingdom, Isolde’s father, the King of Lara, surrenders to Adrian; the notorious and powerful vampire “Blood King” who is known for unmercifully conquering kingdoms. As part of the terms of the surrender, Adrian abruptly demands that the mortal Princess Isolde become his bride (and Queen) and live with him among the vampires. Despite their undeniable chemistry right from the get-go, under the influence of her father and the people of Lara, Isolde believes that she must find a way to kill Adrian to protect her people. But, as Isolde spends more time with Adrian and the vampires in his court, Isolde starts to question what she’s been told about the history of the kingdom (including the disappearance of magic, the burning of witches, and the creation of vampires) and starts to wonder if Adrian is really the villain or monster that he’s made out to be.
King of Battle and Blood is a fast-paced new adult paranormal romance novel featuring the “enemies to lovers” trope. The plot of this book reminded me of The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen and A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Additionally, the genre, vibe, “enemies to lovers” trope, and romance featured in King of Battle and Blood were reminiscent of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas and From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. So, if you’re like me and you love spicy and action-packed new adult fantasy romance novels, then you should definitely check out King of Battle and Blood! This book deals with themes such as appearance versus reality, darkness versus light (or in this case, wolf versus sparrow), change versus tradition, growing up, quest for power, love and heartbreak, family, female roles and feminism, fate versus freewill, inner and outer strength, war and sacrifice, and knowledge versus ignorance. In my opinion, the morals of King of Battle and Blood are trust your heart, believe in yourself, and refrain from passing judgement before you have heard both sides of the story.
First off, the plot and action in King of Battle and Blood was fast-paced and Adrian and Isolde’s romance was the opposite of a slow burn! You get to drive right into the action and romance within the first couple of chapters, which makes this book very intriguing and hard to put down. Similarly, I loved Adrian and Isolde’s instant chemistry and passion; it’s filled with spice and romance throughout. King of Battle and Blood also has lots of unexpected twists and has an action-packed ending; it will keep you guessing and leave you wanting more. You’ll also see the book touch on feminism, female roles, and female empowerment. Like in A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, Rhys refreshingly treats Feyre as an equal by appointing her as the high lady of the night court, and in this series, despite being a mortal, Adrian treats Isolde as an equal partner both in their relationship and their reign. Lastly, since I am into design, I must compliment the stunning cover art (that I think perfectly reflects the vibe of this book) and illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.
On the negative side, I didn’t like how the chapters were very long in length as I don’t like stopping in the middle of chapters, so I felt like I had to set aside longer periods of time to read this book instead of picking it up for a few minutes here and there. I also found Isolde’s conflicting feelings toward Adrian (constantly going back and forth between freely falling for Adrian and feeling like she should push Adrian away to remain loyal to the kingdom of Lara) to be very frustrating.
Overall, I adored this book, especially Isolde and Adrian’s spicy romance, the fantasy elements, and the action-packed plot, and I found myself unwilling to put this book down! This was the first one of Scarlett St. Clair’s books that I’ve read, and it totally exceeded my expectations. If you enjoy new adult fantasy and romance, I highly recommend picking up a copy of King of Battle and Blood!
King of Battle and Blood is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up King of Battle and Blood? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From fan-favorite Scarlett St. Clair, the bestselling author of the Hades & Persephone series, comes a new fantasy filled with danger, darkness, and insatiable romance.
Their Union Is His Revenge.
Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. ⠀
But her assassination attempt is thwarted and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most, Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. ⠀
Except it isn’t the court she fears most—it’s Adrain. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king——fierce, savage, merciless—chose her as consort. ⠀
The answer will shatter her world.
Hello.
First off. I wanted to state that Scarlett St. Clair’s book, “King of Battle and Blood” is fantastic. Because of my work schedule, I have to use an audio-book to listen to the story. Anyway, here are my pros and cons of this book.
Pros:
1. I like how Isolde de Lara stands firm about her values. She knows what she wants and stands by them. She will value her people and then worried about her safety.
2. Different nationalities. This would be the second time I found a book that has different nationalities that introduce readers that there is a whole world out there that isn’t consist of one nationality. Not only that, interracial marriage is beautiful.
3. Different aspects of ‘zombies’ and vampires. Love it.
Cons:
1. I hate how Isolde de Lara has been demonstrated. She was first introduced as a brown skin woman, who likes sex a lot, can fight ( either defending herself or abusing someone else, cough husband, cough), and get jealous easily but a the same time, demands respect.
To me, it sounds like a stereotyped with bit of sex addition.
2. Why is Adrian being a one-dimensional character? All I know about him is that he is blonde hair, blue eye super handsome vampire that has a past and that is about it. Hell, I don’t even know the description of the other characters besides the five or six of the side characters that only appear once or twice, and that is it. Four are Lara’s father’s post guards and Adrian’s blood human that his wife, Lara, didn’t like.
I really wanted to go into full-blown detail of why I just don’t like this book. Just go and read this book and find out yourself.