[ARC Review] King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
I was so happy to finally read King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair. I've loved her Hades and Persephone books for years, and when I heard she was writing a fantasy/paranormal romance book, I was so very excited. Even with all the hype, this book did not disappoint.
Princess Isolde knew when Adrian Vasiliev, the vampire Blood King, entered her father's territory, things would never be the same for her or her people. But just as the rest of the Nine Houses of Cordova fell to Adrian's power, Isolde fell in her own way: first by sacrificing herself as his bride in order to keep her people safe, then by learning to love Adrian and his people - the very vampires Isolde was raised to hate. Even as Isolde takes her rightful place as wife and Queen of Revekka, there are forces at work conspiring against her and Adrian. With centuries of history standing between Isolde and Adrian when the past comes back to haunt them both, they will need their love for each other if they are to survive.
I honestly was pleasantly surprised at how much I got into King of Battle and Blood and these characters. I had heard many people comparing this book to From Blood and Ash, and I really wasn't looking for another book like that. While there are some elements that can be compared (fantasy elements, vampires, heroine taken from her homeland by vampires, heroine realizes she's been lied to her whole life), I did not find myself actively comparing the two books while reading. I immediately loved and felt drawn into this new world that St. Clair created. Cordova was rich in detail, and it was very easy to visually imagine every little detail St. Clair put into her world-building.
Isolde was a solid heroine, for both herself and her people. I loved that she wasn't a prim and proper (and skinny) princess; she was a trained warrior with the curves to match. But even as she established herself as a fighter for her people, I loved the little hints right from the beginning that she didn't quite belong even among her own family and friends; she had darker skin than her father, she wasn't as pliant as her commander wanted her to be, she was willing to sacrifice her happiness for her people when they would not do the same for her. All of those little hints and details played beautifully into the ending of the book, and I loved how St. Clair wove it all together.
St. Clair borrows from several different vampire lore to create Adrian and his people, and that combination created a breed of vampire unique to any fantasy or paranormal story I've ever read. As Isolde grows more in her position in the next book, I can't wait to learn more about Adrian and the other vampires through her lens. I feel like we've only hit the tip of the iceberg on St. Clair's type of vampire, and I'm excited to see what else she adds to her own particular vampire lore.
King of Battle and Blood is a longer book, but for those wanting the spice, it surprisingly doesn't take too long to get there. As with any St. Clair story, the steam between the main characters was illicit, full of tension, and sure to please fans of forbidden romance.
After the way St. Clair concluded King of Battle of Blood, I can safely say I am counting down the days until the next book is released. Between the world-building, character development, and plot, I devoured Adrian and Isolde's story and can't wait to see what comes next.
A huge thank you to Sourcebooks (Bloom Books) for providing an advanced review copy of King of Battle and Blood. All opinions are my own.
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Release date: 11/30/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided by Bloom Books via Netgalley
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