I read the first 5%, which was overwhelmingly about sex and how our lovely lead wanted to get some. It wasn’t for me, but that's okay. I've heard great things about the author.

3-4 stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

I don't usually do vampire books but I really liked this one! The storyline was engaging and kept me turning pages till the very end. Then I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next book! My only issue with the book is that it was a little darker that what I typically read. Keep that in mind before picking up this fantasy romance.

Scarlett St. Clair is a powerhouse in the romantic fantasy world, so I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. And, while this book wasn't totally for me, I can definitely see why! I'll start with what I did like, which was largely much over the grander scope world-building and characters that we have. Isolde was a strong heroine who was snappy and fun through much of the book (though there were also moments where I feel like the author leaned in a bit too hard on the snark, leaving Isolde coming off as a bit more mean than I think worked). I also liked what we got from the romantic hero, Adrian, though we have less of an actual character arc for him. Mostly that's ok, as this is a romance at its heart, so the arc, such as it is, is largely just these two characters coming to love one another.

All of that said, this book was definitely weaker on the plot front than I like in my romantasies. I really enjoy Armentrout's books, for example, which have similar levels of spice to this but seem to have more actual plot at their heart than we see here. It seemed to take no time at all for the hero and heroine to instantly fall into lust with one another. And then the overall balance of spice scenes to anything else felt incredibly out of balance. Like I said, I enjoy spicey scenes, but if that's all the book is...well, that's just not enough of a story for me.

I'll definitely check out another book by this author, however, as she did have strong writing overall and I liked the basic characters that we saw here. I just wish we got a bit more on the actual story front.

This review was long overdue I know and I'm sorry but I haven't been this free in ages due to my University degree. However, since I was in a reading block and haven't fully enjoyed reading and getting hooked on a book in a long time, I am surprised and deeply pleased that this one was the book that brought me back from the dead. King of Battle and Blood has been an enjoyable ride and if there was one word I could describe this whole book with, it would definitely be roller-coaster. I have enjoyed myself reading it as much as I used to do back when I was an avid reader. And I'm forever grateful to the author for bringing me back into my reading phase. It's been an absolute pleasure to make my comeback with King of Battle and Blood. Would definitely recommend to my followers and friends and I will!

A fun addition to the Romantasy sub-genre. King of Battle and Blood has well-plotted world building and a pair of romantaic leads worth rooting for!

I wish I could read Scarlett St Clair books every single day for the rest of my whole entire life oh my GOD

I have liked Scarlett St. Clair's work in the past, but King of Battle and Blood just didn't work for me. The characters and storyline seemed somewhat lacking. I tried several times to give this one a fair shot, but I just couldn't get in to it. Unfortunately, I will not be continuing with Adrian and Isolde's story and will pass on the next installment.

I loved Scarlett's work (Hades & P) but I think this can't compete. I found the romance cheesy, the characters pale and childish. I really do not liked it and I think it was a missed occasion because the plotline were just SO good and it has everything that could make it a 100% 5 - stars - book but sadly it did not happened.

Ironically, I forgot I even requested the arc of this book, and it was when the book was finally released, I bought the book at work, and finished reading it (which I loved) to then came back to Netgalley, and realized that I got approved in the first place. This book gave the vibes of "The Shadow between us" from the whole "I must kill this man with every fiber of my being, but damn why he so attractive" and "From Blood and Ash vibes" with the whole Vampire theme. It did annoy me a lot when Isolde kept complaining about her problems, to then it being pushed aside, because they would make out, and then the problems that they would have would not be solved and just bring in more problems again. This book was not the greatest, but I definitely enjoyed it, it was giving trashy romance, but in a way where you were hooked in by the book, and just couldn't stop reading it.

I know this review is definitely overdue but this is a great choice for those wanting to revisit their vampire stage with a lot more steam.

What an addictive book! A well-constructed plot that hooks you in every one of its pages, mysterious characters, and an amazing aura of tension. I can't wait to continue this series!

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. It took a bit for me to get into but it’s a unique take on vampires, humans, and magic- and how they all interact.

The deeper you get into the book, the more the author drops little tidbits about the world and the history behind the characters- the book has a lot of world building happening so I’m interested in reading the next book to see how the storyline continues.

This book is very well paced and I was immediately drawn in by the characters and the mystery of the secrets that they were keeping. The twists and uncertain allegiances kept the story from feeling too routine and kept the characters from feeling flat. I'll definitely be picking up the second book in this series!

I got sucked straight into this book and could not put it down. I'll definitely be reading a follow-up. The character development was such that I was pulled quickly into the story. My first, but not last by this author.

It's quite a bad rip off of 'From Ash and Blood.' I finally got around to reading it after seeing all the negative reviews...and I kind of wish I didn't.

I am not a huge fantasy romance person, but I really did enjoy this one. Adrian and Isolde are not a common myth to retell, so I enjoyed it! I’m not sure that I’d pick up the second book in this series, but I liked this one.

Very long. I was bored till the last 30% when the plot finally picks up. The characters were a bit bland and I didn't really care for the romance.

This was really fun and I loved every reading it, I do think it's a bit too much like every single other fantasy romance right now like Gild, or From Blood and Ash, etc... but I'm super into that right now so I loved this too.
It could've been a bit more unique but it was still good and I'll probably read more!

I really expected more from King of Battle and Blood. The world-building was good, but the characters could have been fleshed out more. This was vampire erotica with some bits of story sprinkled in. I enjoyed the story that was there, I just needed more.

This authors writing is just what I need when I want a fun quick read. It's the perfect amount of romance mixed with darker fantasy elements. I enjoyed the hades x persephone series a little more, but this is only the first installment so I am excited to see where this story goes!