Wow, what an incredible read!!

Of Blood and Light by Camilla Monk begins with River Greer rushing her little sister, Sage, to the hospital after finding her unconscious at home. Sage has suffered from ill health since she was born and River has helped to care for her most of her own life along with their dad. It is in the anxiety and confusion of Sage being admitted to the hospital that River is kidnapped from her world and taken to another that holds no bearing or familiarity to the one she just left. As River scrambles to try and get back to her sister and dad she starts to uncover one truth after another about her own background and the world that she has been pulled into.

Whoa, this was so good. As River was sucked into Thule, so was I into this powerful, imaginative story. I didn't want it to end! Camilla Monk has done an absolutely wonderful job of building the world of Thule. A world that is so different from our modern earth realm and yet one that sits in a dimension alongside it and is interspersed with its influences. I thoroughly enjoyed going along for the ride through Thule and reading River's journey. I also loved the world building, the buildup of emotion, the turns of the story, and also that the book wasn't finished after the big event at the end. I really appreciated all the loose ends being tied up and the time that was taken to give the story a proper ending.

I truly loved this!!

Thank you to Camilla Monk, Yaypub and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Thulē lawenotwag !"

I'll start by saying that a story based on Arthurian legends is a first for me, and probably explains my 4-star rating. I really enjoyed immersing myself in this new universe, parallel to our own, and discovering this story and Thule.

Several points bothered me, such as the romance between River and Hadrian (I adore that name, though), which seems too fast, insta-love almost.

The plot-twist (related to River and Floe's family in particular, and the fate of the latter) left a big impression on me. That was a clever idea. In reality, apart from the romance that seemed forced at times, the plot is great and the characters are likeable.
The fact that a language, Thulish, was created by the author for this novel, using reconstructed Proto-Celtic words, is absolutely huge ! I loved that aspect and the ending lexicon was welcome and a delight to read.

A story that for some is perhaps not worth 4 stars but deserve them in many ways.
I look forward to reading the novella and I hope that the second volume will be published ! I want to to discover the story of Floe and Eliud.

This is a well written book, as well as a quick read, enjoyed it and got through it quicker then i thought i was going to, even though i wasnt sure on the genre this was in the end, but this didnt stop me for really enjoy it. worth the read highly recommended.

I had high hopes for this book, described as mixing Arthurian legend with bodice-ripping fantasy. Unfortunately, this book just fell completely flat. The world-building seems forced, the writing is ok but not amazing, and the story is just trying to do too much. There were times when I was reading this book and looking at it incredulously - I just could not fathom how and why things were happening. Not a fan unfortunately.

Note: I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

OMG! I absolutely loved this book! I'm not going to lie, there was so much world building that I couldn't take it all in and I wish there was more romance, but, man, what a book! Read it, read it, read it!

Well you had me at capybara so overall I enjoyed the book, I wish it was heavier on the romance side but that is purely because of how much I enjoyed the characters! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Welcome to Thule with its Victorian values and Arthurian memories because yes Arthur and Merlin were real not myth ! Perhaps not much of a welcome though for River as she’s kidnapped from Earth due to her uncanny resemblance to a runaway Duchess. The Duke is cold and aloof but the alternative to staying with him is definitely worse yet River is determined to get home . This world full of magic is dying and as River gets closer to answers about why she finds herself falling in love but around her are lies, trickery and deceit !
Oh my such a fun idea to give the Arthurian legend a bloody twist and yes pun intended ! The idea that blood calls to blood and feeds the land was very original and then to pair it with the impossibly fussy Victorian lifestyle made for often hilarious results as corsets and crinolines definitely don’t help our heroine. Oh yes you will like River as she is fiercely loyal and not shy in speaking her mind. As for Harkin it took a while to see beneath his posturing but if you want a perfect gentleman with morals then he’s definitely your man ! The side characters added greatly to my enjoyment as they enriched the plot and the bad guys are absolutely truly heinous but then who doesn’t love a good villain ? Definitely not what I expected and all the better for it .
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I wanted to love this, and when I saw how high the reviews were I really thought I would. But it was moving sooo slowly and the info dumps were intense. Also, parts of it were way too obvious to take as long to realize as they did in the book.

Arthurian legend meets Victorian fashion meets magic and pet capybaras plus a fictional language but also English.

River Greer is a 21 year old with an impressively extensive vocabulary who has a chronically ill younger sister (Sage), a loving hippy biker dad, and a twin sister (Floe) who disappeared - along with her mother - 17 years ago.

During one of her routine trips to the ER for Sage, River is kidnapped and finds herself on another planet; one that survives solely on magic (ichor) and is stuck in a Victorian time period. She meets Hadrian, a knight who's prematurely graying and wrinkling but also oddly handsome and charming. He also keeps a pastry-loving, rug-defiling capybara for a pet. River learns that this world also houses Camelot and the knights of the round table, but with a history that conflicts with what she knows about Arthur and his knights on Earth.

Over the course of a week, River soon finds herself in the middle of a worldwide dilemma that (surprise!) only she can fix. Can she save Thule, get back to Earth, find a cure for her sister, and refrain from falling head over heels for a married knight who insists on giving her an endearing nickname and speaking in pantalette-dropping prose?
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Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was a fun story that really picked up in the second half of the book. I admittedly am not very versed on Arthurian lore, but at times it felt like the author was trying to throw too many things in the mix. There were many characters who seemed very inconsequential, where I found myself forgetting who they were when I picked the book up to continue reading a few days later.

Personally, I wish it was more heavy on the romance and spice. It's not quite closed door, but not explicit either.

But, the banter was fun, the capybara was funny, and the sci-fi feel woven in kept me wanting more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Camilla Monk for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I’m not sure what genre to classify this book. It’s historical, fantasy, some romance and maybe a dash of sci-fi? It’s different for sure. There’s was SO MUCH world building and I had trouble keeping up, however that doesn’t negate from how much I liked this book. This isn’t a book you can read and not pay attention, the details matter. The main characters and love interest are likeable. Amazing plot twists and a beautiful ending!!

I really enjoyed this take on King Arthur, it was unique & fun. The setting of it being on another planet intrigued me. But I felt like some parts felt rushed and could have been made into another book to fully develop the story. I thought River was a good FMC and Hadrian was a good MMC. But since the story felt like it was forced into one book. I wasn't able to fully connect with them as characters. The story was still enjoyable and I would still recommend it


I just reviewed Of Blood & Light by C. Monk. #OBAL #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL.

Of Blood and Light by C. Monk
Absolutely honored to be granted a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A kidnapping, and the hunt for a vanished mother and sister, with links to clues guarded by plesiosaurs. Her reality in question, a suspicious stranger’s interrogation, and a newly discovered magic, twist everything River Greer previously knew about Arthurian legend, teasing her hope of saving her dying sister.

An undeniably satisfying read in the fantasy genre, I was pleasantly surprised by the artful execution of such a great story idea. The dedication to the development of Thule, its inhabitants and their language, and what drives their existence is apparent throughout. Fulfilling plot twists and a great balance of humor and conflict kept me easily intrigued.

An innovative and gripping use of Arthurian legend I didn’t see coming. C. Monk’s clever and well-balanced use of literary devices creates vivid imagery with prose that allows effortless reading, understanding, and connection to well-developed, relatable characters with natural and well-executed arcs, granted me the type of immersion that causes irritation at the requirement for sleep.

I kept hoping there was more and am looking forward to the continuing adventures.
I’ll be watching out for more from this author, for sure.
Saljārād for an incredibly enjoyable read, C. Monk!

In short: I really enjoyed the book.
The romance is beautiful and you can feel the chemistry between these two characters blow up the pages. I really enjoyed the main character, her personality is very relatable. The love interest is so healthy and his development in the book was extremely enjoyable and swoon-worthy.
I really love books where a person from our world goes into a fantasy world, I think it makes it easier for us to related the MC and also is so much for to see characters experience our world through the MC's references. And that is exactly what happened here.
I did have a hard time at times understanding the world, but in general I think the world-building wasn't bad at all.
The plot twists were really good, although at a certain point you can definitely see them coming. I did feel there was too much fluff in the writing, sometimes I had to skim a bit since the pace was feeling incredibly slow.
I also liked the ending A LOT, it was unique and beautiful, but I wish we'd gotten to see more of the main couple.

As a last comment, I feel making it so related to the legend of Camelot, Merlin and Arthur was a huge disservice to the story. The plot, characters and the world were so good, they should've stood on their own, especially when it isn't even similar at all to Camelot and Arthur.

This book was my first introduction to Camilla Monk’s writing and I am hooked! This was an addicting mix of sci-fi, fantasy, legend, and just enough romance that it didn’t take away from the plot.

River, the main character, is kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity and finds herself in an unfamiliar land. I don’t want to give anything away but fans of classic literature and lore will love the connections made and nods to some of your favorite stories.

Dimensional family relationships add to the relatable factor of the book- you are rooting for River from the very first chapter. The world-building was fantastic (I would love to visit the fantastical Thule), and there are some plot twists that I didn’t see coming.

If you like books with a satisfying ending- you will be happy with this one. I am looking forward to more in the series to explore other characters in depth.

Overall, Monk finds a brilliant balance of fantasy and reality within the pages of this book, and you will find an enjoyable escape as well.

WOW WOW WOW.

I did not find the second half of this book slow and could not wait to get back into the world of Thule when I wasn't reading it. I am a hopeless romantic and I was cheering for River and Hadrian immediately.

I enjoyed the different twist on magical characteristics with ichor being the source of magic and life in Thule. The spice level is low, but still swoonworthy.

I truly did not expect the twists regarding River and Floe's parentage or the awful experiment her uncle was spearheading.

My only critique is that I found it difficult to switch to the Thulish dialogue explanation and definitions in the back of the book during the course of reading. I ended up foregoing this pretty quickly into reading and chose to figure it out in context.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I liked a lot of things about this book but overall I didn’t love it. I liked the FMC and the MMC but I felt like the world building was a bit confusing (on a different planet, ~200 years less advanced than earth, and a knights of the round table retelling). I also didn’t love how the FMC was *okay* with settling into a misogynistic society or the “insta love” in the story.
However, I love the cover of the book, I love the title, and I think overall this was a unique story.

This book had an interesting concept and style. It was futuristic but also historical. Our heroine is sent to another universe where they are living in the 1800s. Mythological creatures are real but electronics are not well used or understood. Elements of Arthurian tales, the force from Star Wars, Victorian ton, and a foreign language that my Kindle would never be able to translate, all exist and make sense together. It was never confusing but took a while to figure out with rather large information dumps. Sometimes I questioned the logic of why they have one thing but not another but I tried to remain focused on the mystery of the story. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to delving into this universe again. Thank you NetGalley and Camille Monk for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully fabulous read! Cool magic, parallel universe, capybaras, slow burn romance, battles, mystery, and deceit....oh and did I mention capybaras? Yup! This was an Arthurian legend story I didn't know I needed. Sometimes I got lost in some of the names, people, world building, but overall a very enjoyable story that I'd love to read more....highly recommend.
Posted this rating and review on Goodreads and Amazon as well

This was a well written book however the background seemed a little too foreign for me. Aliens from a different planet who happened to be related to King Arthur. I would have liked it better if the author used only one of those settings. I liked the characters and thought they were relatable. The plot line kept me hooked, I wanted to see what happened right until the end. It ended tastefully with the two characters and glad they ended up together and the sisters were happy. I just wish that the two main characters had more time to develop. It seemed unrealistic that they fell in love in a day (aka 60 hours).

Of Blood & Light
Of Blood & Light #1
by C. Monk

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Sci-fi and fantasy, romance, new adult

Well, you know how it is, new to you author but the premise sounds interesting so – do you or don't you? I did, and I'm so glad, this was a fabulous read, bringing a different slant on the supernatural side, weaving in a bit of Arthurian legend, combined with a strangely Victorian Britain theme....
There are secrets here, secrets upon secrets and poor River is lost. Who Are these people? Where Is she? They seem to feel she is someone else, a wayward wife no less.
I loved so much about this story, the fabulous new world I entered, the strange characters within it, some who were decidedly not what they seemed. And of course the magics :-)
I really felt for River, loved her determination, her love for family, and her attitude of DLTBGYD. Then Hadrian, who appears cold and aloof, but time proves otherwise. So many fabulous characters here, and some real nasties too. I do love finding those in a story.
Its an intense read, full of drama, action, ballgowns and corsets ;-) and a hero who is a true gentleman, not the usual pushy Alpha grunting type! There's a really useful section at the back explaining about Thule and its inhabitants, I found that excellent as I was a little confused to begin.
I'm off to look for what else the author has written, and I really, really hope we're getting more of this.

Stars: Five, a cracking, unusual take on the fantasy romance genre.
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ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers