I had both an Earc and the audiobook, and honestly the audiobook made it bearable. I think the plot is sooooo good, and I really like the story, but the constant fighting and then making up by having sex was just so annoying. Even Isolde acknowledges it in the book! Seriously, I think the story between Adrian and Ravena/Ana and Isolde is so interesting, and I will read the next book to see what happens. I just hope there will be less angry sex and more foreplay!

The narrator's for this book were astounding and I really want to hear more from them. I had high expectations for Queen of Myth and Monsters, but it wasnt as good as King of Battle and Blood. Hopefully book 3 picks up the pieces. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really loved the narrators of this one! The voice for Isolde is so soothing.

That being said, I didn’t love this one as much as I loved King of Battle and Blood. I found myself becoming very annoyed with Isolde throughout the book no just want to shake her and tell her to trust her husband 🙃

I adore Adrián. His love and care for Isolde is top tier. Regardless I still loved this book and I am very excited for book three!

I can't say that I hate it but I definitely don't like it. It's an adult fantasy... and while I expected smutty scenes, I think the writer just overdone it. Really there are smutty scenes in every other chapter and honestly that's too much, I got really sick of it. I know your husband is a really hot vampire king but there's people that are dying. I loved the story tho, but the smutty scenes traumatized me so much that I gotta heal before reading the other books of the series.

Scarlett St. Clair… you did that!!! I simply picked this book based on the cover. Yes, at 32 yrs old I’m still that person. I had no clue what I was getting myself into and I am beyond pleased. This book brought back my teen joy of mythology, bad boys and vampires. I started listening and about 25 % through I realized there was a previous book so I stopped and listed to that one 1st. You are simply amazing. I consider myself a #bornagainreader being that I haven’t read for joy in years, this book sparked my interest again. I felt seen as a black woman in the vampire and Greek world. I am already ready for the 3rd installment and going to look into your previous book.

Another amazing book by Scarlett St. Clair! Queen of Myth and Monsters solidified why Isolde is one of my all time favorite female book characters!

Picking up where King of Battle and Blood left off, we are following Isolde as she discovers who she really is, or was. Not only that, but she is still dealing with the betrayal of her father and her people. She’s married to Adrian, the Blood King and the most powerful being alive. Their enemies will do whatever it takes to end him, so they’re going after the one person he cares about most, Isolde.

Not only are Adrian and Isolde dealing with outside forces trying to tear them apart, but they’re dealing with a traitor in their inner circle…and let me tell you, my jaw was on the floor when it was revealed who had betrayed them. Then there’s the goddess Dis, Adrian’s creator, who sees Isolde as a threat. But even in the face of all the betrayal and threats, Isolde is still a QUEEN, and she’s on a mission, not just to free the people of her mother’s homeland, but to seek revenge on those who have wronged her.

This book made me feel so many emotions. Their relationship was put to the test so many times. Oh, and I cried a time or two. There were so many twists and turns, and I wasn’t sure where the book was going to go next. And that ending…I was not ready for that huge revelation! I loved the character development though, for some more than others of course.

I can’t wait for the next book in the Adrian and Isolde saga!

When I listened to the King of Battle and Blood audiobook, I was a little worried about the male narrator. His voice didn't seem like it was a good fit for Adrian. In the Queen of Myth and Monsters audiobook, he has more chapters than he did in the first, and he changed my mind! His voice seemed different than the first audiobook, and I liked it. Love the female narrator's voice, and her take on Isolde.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the ALC in exchange for a review and future podcast episode.

King of Battle and Blood was so good and made me really excited for Queen of Myth and Monsters. There was so much plot and kept you asking for more. QMM picks up right where KBB left off.

The second book was spice-heavy where the spice seemed to be prioritized over the plot and backstory compared to the first book. However, you never question the chemistry both Isolde and Adrian have.

As we know from SSC social posts, we know there is a third book. Which you can definitely feel because this book felt all over the place in the fact that we are getting a lot of background from each of the other characters, as well as flashbacks (when we're not getting spicy scenes.)

Also enjoyed the follow through that Isolde had when she would try to show mercy, but when others would take her mercy for granted, she followed through.

It will be interesting to see where this trilogy/series goes because of how much I enjoyed the first one. Although this second book does not match up to how much I really enjoyed KBB, it is a journey as we go through.

I really enjoyed the female narrator for Isolde. The male narrator is the same from Adrian's POV at the end of KBB.

Thank you @netgalley and @tantoraudio for this #gifted audiobook!
There's no easy way to say this except to dive right in...but before I do, let me preface by saying this is a list of what I didn't like, and I WISH I could say more positive things but they would be spoilers. So if it seems super negative, please keep that in mind.
I did not like this as much as the first book &3
1 LOVE smut. Okay? I do, I swear! I honestly felt like there may have been too much of a good thing with this one. I think every chapter had a big argument (usually petty) and then a spicy scene. Very little story content. Remember I said I love spicy scenes! I love smut for the sake of smut. I just feel like this particular world could use more detailed storytelling.
Now, that was how I felt the first 70% of the book. Then the story finally picked up. Good twists that I did guess early on, but it didn't take away from the story.
I want to talk about a few positive things but I'm scared to say too much, it's all very spoiler-ish. But know that the last 1/4 was full of good content. It really helped solidify my rating, because I was struggling.
The narrators were excellent, I really love them!
Now, the hard question: Will I continue the series? Yes!
Absolutely!

4.5 ⭐️ 3 🌶 I really enjoyed this follow up to King of Battle and Blood. I loved the plot progression, character developments, and the twist/revelation at the end. My only complaint was the spice sometimes felt unnecessary and repetitive.

Just a few days ago I was so excited about this series but, after reading this sequel I felt disappointed.

Let’s talk about the good things first.
I listen to the audiobook version, both narrators are great and they deliver the story well.
The unexpected betrayal from some characters in the last few chapters pick up the pace and caught my interest again.
The bonus scene about the Mid-Winter day at the very end also makes up a little bit because I find it adorable.

However, 80% of the story filled with Isolde and Adrian fighting each other and make up with sex. At first it was fine but after a while it becomes repetitive and I started to lose interest in the plot since there are not a lot of significant things happening.
My fear from the first book came true in this book, the smut takes over the plot and I’m not a huge fan of it.

Adrian’s character also change, he’s unlike the character I come to adore in the first book. I wish there’s more of his POV to have a change of perspective instead of being in Isolde mind most of the time.
While I understand the change in Isolde’s character after what she’s been through, I find her a bit annoying at times when she couldn’t make any decision about her power and her life.

I have such a high expectation after reading the first book, unfortunately this one seems to have the second book syndrome.
There are more unanswered questions are added from this book and I’m willing to give this series another chance. I hope the next book will be as good as the first book or even better.

Actual rating: 2.5⭐

I received an advanced audiobook copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

I first read this in ebook, loved it and wanted to listen to it. Since I listened to the first one on audiobook. This did not disappoint! I loved that it has dual narrators, absolutely loved it!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


“Let me make love to you,” I said. “Let me worship you.”

Synopsis: Queen of Myth and Monsters is the second book in the epic fantasy series. Newly crowned queen, Isolde, has found a king worthy of her in vampire King Adrian. However their love for each other has cost Isolde her homeland and father. Two opposing goddesses playing vampires and mortals against each other like chess pieces, Isolde doesn’t know who her allies are in the Revekka. As politics in the Red Palace grow more deceptive and a deadly blood mist threatens all of Cordova, she must trust her bond that she’s formed with Adrian. Even when she learns troubling information about his complicated past.

Thoughts: HOLY COW. Similarly to the first book in the series, I could NOT put this book down. This book took me on a roller coaster of emotions and so many twists and turns that I didn't see coming! The ending had me shocked and has left me desperate for the third book to come out, talk about a cliffhanger! Adrian and Isoldes relationship is full of passion, love, and hot steam. They are definitely a couple that is a force to be reckoned with! I love them together and I loved experiencing the book in Adrians perspective too. This book is such a rich fantasy with kingdoms of mortals and immortals, twists and turns, underhanded politics, battle between good and evil, hot spice, and a beautiful romance. I cannot wait for the next book and will be counting down the days till it is announced and released!

This book includes:
Trickery and betrayal
Revenge
Smoldering Spice
Dual pov
cliff hanger
5/5 stars
3/5 spice

Thank you Scarlett St. Clair, Bloom Books, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for an honest review.

I received a copy of the audiobook as an ARC and absolutely loved the narration. I thin they did a phenomenal job!

Scarlett St. Clair is back with even more delicious spice and that beautiful atmospheric writing I’ve come to love. The audio of this featured dual narrators that left me swooning.

Without having read having read the first (whoops) I went in without any idea of what would happen but quickly became immersed in the story and found the plot and characters to easily be followed. The dynamic of Adrian and Isolde is a love/hate featuring an intense fighting and bickering aspect followed by heavy spice- this won’t work for some readers but was a balance that I found to be ok for my preferences.

Thank you NetGalley for my gifted audio copy

Once again I love the story Scarlett gives us but I could do with less spicy. I understand that's my personal opinion and others will enjoy that and it's also how she deals with trauma. I just enjoy more story than spicy in my books.

Now, this one definitely is a build up book. It's giving us just a little bit here and there making your mind work and hold on to see what's going to happen, between the shape shifting, killing and back stabbing you understand why our blood king is the way he is.

I also wish we got more from his P.O.V. just something about Scarlett's male povs that has a spot in my heart.

I know I will absolutely read the next one because I need some answers!

I found myself becoming frustrated with Isolde, finding her incapable of seeing the bigger picture most times. Her selfishness came through more in this book than in the first and did much to temper my enjoyment. Isolde and Adrian butt heads more here and this strains their marriage and causes much misunderstanding.

The sex is ever present as before but I wish these two communicated more before issues came to a head, which always leads to arguments.

The reveals and surprise turns in character introductions added some enjoyable elements, but were still obscure. The mythology behind this world is a bit vague and that affects how I engage with and enjoy a book. If the world-building had been deeper, with more explanations to certain aspects, this would have only made this a better read.

This was a little bit of a letdown after the first book. The overall story was fine, but the writing seemed different and the plot was buried beneath endless instances of fighting and sex between Adrian and Isolde. While I understand that this is a romance and that is a big part of it, the first had so much more going on and this book just felt flat and one dimensional.

There were a few twists that I wasn’t quite expecting, but looking back, they make perfect sense. I will continue on with the series, but my expectations are a lot lower after this one than they were after the first book. I also wish we had gotten a little more from Adrian’s perspective. There was so little that his sections almost felt unnecessary.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio, and Scarlett St. Clair for the audiobook of Queen of Myth and Monsters in exchange for an honest review.

This review is not an easy one. I really loved the first book. It was a great balance of fantasy & dark romance. What really irritates me is that I have to say something that I had hoped to never say in a review. This book is mostly fighting and fucking. Here is the sentence I never wanted to say: there is too much sex. OH God. That hurt. I am a firm believer in the axiom "Banging is the plot." I have no problem reading books that are just about banging and a few other encounters outside that .
However, if you are writing a fantasy book where there is a world you have created and a plot that is steeped in an old story, there has to be plot and the sex has to further that plot.
These two seemed to have taken several step backwards in maturity. 85% of the book is them fighting with one another, being angry , or banging each other on every available surface.
In total, about 20 percent of the book has information that moves the story forward.
I am interested enough to read the next book but I will do it a bit grudgingly.

I did not realize this was the second book in a series when I started it, then I saw an ad for it and realized it was. With that said I feel like I only missed a little and was still able to enjoy this book without having read the first.

This audiobook’s narrators did a great job. I really loved their voices and how they pushed the story forward.

With no knowledge on what happened previously I liked learning about the magic system as well as how Adrian and Isolde build their relationship despite what is happening around them. Even amongst poisonings they find time make love.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review.

Ps be warned there are quite a few spicy scenes. I was not expecting it, but have no issues with them.

I was very excited for this book to come out. This story continues where King of Battle and Blood left off with King Adrian and residing in the Red Palace with his Queen Isolde. Adrian and Isolde have a connection to each other unlike people who just met. There is something magical twining their souls together, while the intense desire they feel for each other is also there.

Without giving any spoilers I can say this book is a merging of timelines. There are things we learn from the past that affect Adrian and Isolde's current relationship. Quite often Isolde feels so conflicted she cannot decide how she feels so she seeks refuge within her husband's arms. There was quite a bit of kiss and make up and less of a story line continuation. Perhaps I was confused too, but it seems like this is leading to a third book that will tie things together. The writing is great I can't believe I'm saying that the make up times were too many but I guess I just wish the plot had moved along a bit more.

A vampire king, a not so magical witchy wife and kingdoms on the brink of revolting.

It's the second book in Adrian and Isolde trio. For the lovers of Romantasy this book shall be amazing. The heat level is quite high here, as in all the books by Scarlett St. Clair 🔥.

So if you do enjoy fantasy with smut romance you would love it. For me the smuttines was a little too high and I was skipping those areas and concentrating on the vampires, war, magic spells and other shape shifters in the story.

Overall a decent read n because I have already read these 2 books, looking forward to the 3rd part because there wasn't a clear ending in this part and a part of the story is left unsaid to pick up in its next release 🤞

Narrator's voice is amazing though 🥰

Genre: #fantasy #romance #vampire #adult
Rating: 3.5/5

Thankyou @netgalley @authorscarlettstclair @tantoraudio @read_bloom for the Audio Copy for review