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A review by juliereadsromance
House of Bane and Blood by Alexis L. Menard
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
~~ REVIEW~~
House of Bane and Blood
By Alexis Menard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
What do you call it when the double crossed double crosses? Is that quadruple crossing?
It was this kind of mind puzzle that slowed me down at the end of this otherwise gorgeous romantasy novel: House of Bane and Blood.
Have you ever read a fantasy romance that felt more like historical romance? I’ve never watched Peeky Blinders, but I’m guessing this book feels a lot like that. The atmosphere feels like old New York or London- when there were gangsters walking around dirty cobblestone streets, smoking cigars and wearing hats down low on their face, and it was basically always dusk or nighttime. Writing in the Fantasy genre gave the author the freedom to create a kind of anachronistic urban world of competing families that could mix old and new, and real and pretend. For example, there are horse drawn carriages but also lots of indoor plumbing. There is some magic but also a lot of science.
The romance between Camilla and Nico here is 🤌🏽 *lip smack sound*.
He’s hot. She’s hot. They hate each other for understandable reasons - their fathers may have tried to kill each other. Although they each do some not nice things to the other, their motivations are based on love and loyalty to their family. So you love them both and just wait until these two hot people let themselves love each other and get it on.
I devoured this book in two days. Even non-fantasy fans will enjoy this romance.
[⚠️ Caution! This is a DUOLOGY and the second book isn’t out yet. So this one ends on a cliff hanger. However, the romance is pretty wrapped up here and book 2 seems like it moreso wraps up other aspects of mysteries in the world the author built. So I don’t think Book 2 is essential for primary Romance readers. ] @alexislmenard
House of Bane and Blood
By Alexis Menard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
What do you call it when the double crossed double crosses? Is that quadruple crossing?
It was this kind of mind puzzle that slowed me down at the end of this otherwise gorgeous romantasy novel: House of Bane and Blood.
Have you ever read a fantasy romance that felt more like historical romance? I’ve never watched Peeky Blinders, but I’m guessing this book feels a lot like that. The atmosphere feels like old New York or London- when there were gangsters walking around dirty cobblestone streets, smoking cigars and wearing hats down low on their face, and it was basically always dusk or nighttime. Writing in the Fantasy genre gave the author the freedom to create a kind of anachronistic urban world of competing families that could mix old and new, and real and pretend. For example, there are horse drawn carriages but also lots of indoor plumbing. There is some magic but also a lot of science.
The romance between Camilla and Nico here is 🤌🏽 *lip smack sound*.
He’s hot. She’s hot. They hate each other for understandable reasons - their fathers may have tried to kill each other. Although they each do some not nice things to the other, their motivations are based on love and loyalty to their family. So you love them both and just wait until these two hot people let themselves love each other and get it on.
I devoured this book in two days. Even non-fantasy fans will enjoy this romance.
[⚠️ Caution! This is a DUOLOGY and the second book isn’t out yet. So this one ends on a cliff hanger. However, the romance is pretty wrapped up here and book 2 seems like it moreso wraps up other aspects of mysteries in the world the author built. So I don’t think Book 2 is essential for primary Romance readers. ] @alexislmenard
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Death of parent