Genres: Dark Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy, NA Fantasy | Release Date: 11 October 2024 | Series: The Broken Blade | Series Book: #2 | Pages: 410 | Indie Author | Review
“Let it out, Witchling.
Evelyn Ward
All that power, all that rage.”
Overview:
A huge thank you goes to Book Sirens and Evelyn Ward, for letting me read an e-ARC of The Blood Witch! This dark romantic fantasy is the sequel to the brilliant book one in The Broken Blade trilogy, The Queen’s Blade. And can I just say… The stakes have never been higher. How awesome is that?! Now before I fangirl much more, let’s give you an overview!
Two years have passed since Fey and her Blade sisters brought down the reign of Queen Edelin, ending the suffering of many of the citizens of the Eternal City. But that hasn’t meant everything has been easily fixed, or that all of the residents are glad for the council who are now in charge. When Vee’s power grows to an immeasurable strength, she hatches a plan. It’s not enough that the Queen is dead, she wants to topple Princess Amalia’s right to the throne, too. Not only that, but the council? They also need to go. Can anyone make a stand against Vee? Why is Fey’s sister so scared of this power? And how can Fey persuade everyone that she’s best left alone?
Happiness Boost:
The Blood Witch is such an unusual tale, in terms of how it actually focuses on the long-term aftermath of a toppled reign. How rare is that?! Honestly, this dark romantasy is a brilliant, terrifying glance at how new powers will rise to fill a void… And how they’re often just as deadly (if not even more so) as that which came before. Evelyn’s ability to weave shadows, deadly magic and political machinations together is pure perfection. I’m telling you, it really doesn’t feel like a book of 410 pages!
Within this dark fantasy, we get an example of how found family can be your salvation. We also get a spicy polyamory thread woven throughout the pages. But, most importantly? Within The Blood Witch we see what it means to embrace who you really are. It can be both a good and bad thing, but in terms of what Fey is going through? I love that she’s encouraged to be herself, to stop making herself smaller to appease everyone else. Give me our feisty Broken Blade, the one who can level kingdoms without a thought. I *want* to see her fire, her courage, her huge capacity for love and doing what’s right.
Just when you think things can’t get any more treacherous for our beloved cast of characters, Evelyn pulls out *all* the stops. If something can go wrong for them? It does! But you know what I adore about this romantic fantasy? We also get splashes of humour, to ease the weight of darkness upon our shoulders. Case in point: when Fey decides to be helpful and cook dinner. Oh glitterbugs. I laughed so hard, I woke up my ginger floof, who was snoozing beside me at the time.
Downside:
This incredible dark fantasy has no downside!
Final Thoughts:
The Blood Witch by Evelyn Ward is a fantastic dark romantic fantasy, brimming with deadly powers, hurting hearts and found family. I’m extremely excited to see what happens in the finale, but I know I need to be patient… Which is incredibly hard right now! But suffice to say, if you love the sound of this story from my review? Just click on the link below to pre-order yourself a copy! Happy reading, glitterbugs!
You can pre-order The Blood Witch via this link: Amazon
