A review by etymoye
Court of Blood and Bindings by Lisette Marshall

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Genres: New Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Paranormal / Supernatural
Tropes: Age Gap, Enemies to Lovers, Fae, Possessive Hero, Competent Heroine, Magic, Morally Gray Hero, Royalty/Aristocracy, Slow Burn

Available on Kindle Unlimited

Wow, this book was good. Even in a borderline over-saturated subgenre (fae romance), this one really stands out. I can’t make up my mind if I want to binge the series or try to drag it out to savor it. 

Both Emelin and Creon are well-developed and complex even if we admittedly didn’t get all the Creon backstory that I’d have liked. Creon really does straddle the morally gray line–Emelin (and by extension the reader) have access to a softer side of him, but for the most part, the book doesn’t try to keep vague or whitewash the terrible things Creon has done. Emmaline’s struggle to understand the dichotomy of these two sides of him felt very believable to me thanks to Marshall’s skilled writing. 

The age gap in these kinds of stories always has the potential to be problematic, but even though Emelin is comparatively young compared to Creon (20), she’s capable, pragmatic, and at times, ruthless, making their dynamic feel much more equal than the age gap would suggest. 

Safety Stats:
Ages:
Emelin is 20, Creon is 368.
Cheating:
None.
Other Man/Other Woman:
None, but there is a hint dropped by Creon’s mother that he may have some kind of past with another woman.
Separation:
Separated in the third act. Emelin and Creon argue, Emelin is essentially kidnapped. Creon does rescue her but is seriously hurt, so the couple doesn’t really get a chance to discuss the argument and fallout in this book. Ends in a cliffhanger.
Triggers:
Some mentions of war, death, and violence, including the death of children.
HEA/HFN?:
Cliffhanger, 1st book in series.
 
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