I loved this book. I can struggle with audiobooks (being British, there’s a cringe factor to the voice acting) but this story was truly gripping. Our FMC is kidnapped by the Raven Prince - and yes, him and his best friend literally turn into ravens. The story journeys through the background of 3 different characters and considers love, loss, grief, lust, and how all emotions can overlap.

It’s definitely dark romance, and I would check the trigger warnings if you have a sensitive disposition. However if you’re looking for multiple love interests, steamy romance, and the real dark elements of dark romance then this is the book for you.

The book switches between 3 POVs, and the audiobook uses 3 different voice actors. All narrators really commit to the voice acting, which engaged me even on my boring commutes to work.

And (without spoiling anything) the ending had me literally gasp.

4.5
If you do not like dark romance do not read this. This will not be for everyone. Check the trigger warnings, be kind to yourself.

That being said, this book was paced so well. The poor fmc! This was the kind of book that was hard to read at times and yet I could not put it down.

These characters are broken. Most of them cruel. I can not wait to find out where the story goes next.

This author enjoys ending books on cliffies, this one did feel like a full story and an appropriate carry over to book two.

Cliffy
Dubcon
Dark Fantasy Romance
Knife/Blood Play
Raven Shifters
Twisted Enemies to Lovers
MFM

Gave my Amazon profile as the review is pending

Received this ARC from NetGalley and Liv Zander in exchange for my honest opinion of it... Let me say first that the title and cover intrigued me but the description in NO way prepared me for the story. The fact that Galandia was so sheltered yet ignored by her parents gave away the fact that all was not as it seemed in her world. Sabien and Maleir (I know I'm probably spelling it wrong but I chose the book as an audiobook that did not come with spelling of character names) had such a dysfunctional relationship that it was comical. Figure in the fact that the two dunderheads kidnapped the damsel-in-distress who, in turn, got abandoned again by her parents. The ensuing light porn/smut brought to mind the old Harlequin Romance novels with the added sprinkle of polygamous relationships while, also, teaching Galandia that she was not as weak and docile as she'd been raised to be. Funny thing is that Maleir ended up giving her the great sex and soft touches that she had gotten used to getting from Sabien to drive a wedge between her and Sabien... somehow, she believed his ruse and didn't see the treachery from him and CeCe coming. Her nickname of "Little White Dove" came to fruition when Sabien revealed Malier and CeCe's treacherous intent to use her to get into her father's kingdom and kill everyone... the trauma was great enough to force her to shift -- not into a raven like the boys but into a white dove and fly away. Another story putting us in touch with her newfound freedom would be great because those unexpected turns were dramatic/traumatic.

Liv Zander knows how to write a villain lover who remains a villain. Hold on while I cry until November 30th when the second book is released. The cliffhanger on this one breaks you open and then gives you just a tiny glimmer of hope.

Galantia is a sheltered girl that ends up in the hands of her father's enemies. She has never known love or affection so when her father decides it would be preferable to marry her off to the Prince of the Ravens, Malyr, than to trade her for a prisoner, she decides to try to gain some power for herself. What better way to remain protected than to try to get pregnant with Malyr's child? However, she soon develops true feelings for Malyr and for her dutiful protector, and Malyr's best friend, Sebian. But can Malyr get past the horrible things Galantias father did to him? Tough to say.

This book is multi POV, through Galantia and Sebian in the present and Malyr in the past. It is definitely not a hearts and flowers romance. Galantia is a bit meek and definitely not the badass FMC that I know she will become. Malyr is an absolute villain that you love to hate and hate to love. The romance is pretty dark. The spice is spicy. There's a bit of why choose, betrayal, lies, a hint of softness, and the end will have you screaming (in good ways and bad).

I didn't love the narration at first, but overall I couldn't stop listening to it. I'm talking, for hours straight.

Definitely worth it and I need book two. I'm not sure how we're going to get a HEA out of this one!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Feathers So Vicious by Liv Zander was an interesting dark romance but definitely not what I was expecting. I think all of the narrators did a wonderful job with this one but I wish the audiobook had listed some triggers in the beginning because this book was full of them. I thought the world building was done well without any large info dumps. The plot was a little lacking for my taste but it was fast paced and engaging. The unique take on shapeshifting was interesting but ultimately a little confusing. And despite being a dark romance lover, none of the "kinks" in this book were up my alley. So while I wasn't a huge fan of this one, I'm sure some dark romance lovers will love it.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars
This was dark and twisted and I don't even know what was happening half the time but I didn't entirely hate it. I did hate that ending though, and I didn't love how there was no character growth for Galantia (I also hate this name, especially after hearing it so often lol). This book is super spicy, but the smut was not my cup of tea (and it could definitely be triggering).

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

A fun smutty dark fantasy.. but be warned.

Thank you to netgally for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook! I want to say that all three of the. Narrators did an amazing job on this. My only complaint with the audiobook is that It didn’t feature trigger warnings at the beginning, something that I think is super necessary for something as dark as this and I’m hoping the finished audiobook will include it.

The magic in this? So wildly cool- a new spin on shifters with a wet and cold world surrounding it? Amazing. I loved the bird tunnels, the traditions, and the way that different birds had different personalities and features. Both a part of them and separate.

I think what felt the most flat to me was the main character and the politics. I think for a fantasy as long as this with so much ‘movement’ in the world should have some kind of politics to fill out the world. We see no generals, no meetings, the prince just seems to make a decision, tell his buddy and then it happens? That was a bit annoying for me, especially when the prince was making world altering decisions just.. on his own.

The main character just had little going for her, she seemed to have the same thoughts over and over again and was out smarted by everyone around. She starts out being sheltered and knowing nothing but she doesn’t change or grow in 400 pages.

I thought the smut and the ‘sharing and caring’ was great. I loved the good cop/bad cop dynamic, how they were good opposites and all three got fulfillment out of the dynamic. I do however think it’s important to stress the trigger warnings, not only for the smut but the MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SA.

I think that’s were I had to lower my rating. The ravens are known to r*pe and pillage their way through everything. Most of the characters have past trauma with SA and most of the smut is non-con. It’s a constant presence through the whole of the novel and never seems to get challenged. Even when her mind changes from ‘maybe they aren’t the villains’ she never seems bother by the amount of r*pe their people have done.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, dark romance does not equal SA and R*pe.

Despite this, I could see myself possibly continuing and would recommend this in the future.

Wasn’t the biggest fan of the female narrator, or the direction that the mfc developed but the ending has me wanting more and I need the sequel. After being raised by a nanny and ignored by her parents she looked for love in ALL the wrong places, and then to make matters worse her father betroths her to the villain, and she decided to secure herself a safe place to stay is to play along, and bed the villain in order get pregnant so he’ll keep her around. Would definitely recommend to friends that love spicy books. If you love shared “love” interests and revenge then this story is for you.

Ravens and spice is my new favorite Fall combo!

Thank you to Liv Zander, NetGalley & Ink Heart Publishing for the AudioARC!

Can I just say OH MY DAMN!!!! This was definitely worth every second of my time and attention. I have read/heard so many romantasy books lately and I was nearly set to give it a break (can I get another trope please) when this beauty caught my eyes. Feathers So Vicious was all it claimed and more. Do you want dark borderline triggering smut? Then this represents!!! Do you want a dark, tantalizingly hot anti-hero that redeems himself for his one true love? Then do not pass go for this one folks because this dark hottie only gets hotter and more diabolical. Do you want a throuple situation that leaves your heart pounding? CHECK!!!! Do you want a naive and borderline idiotic leading lady that realizes her sheltered upbringing was a catalyst to her naughty desires and a cover for her real nature? Then hold on to your hats because this leading lady comes equipped with Sleeping Beauty vibes and monster parents from hell.

The world building was decent, but I think some aspects of the world itself and the different histories of both human and Raven need further explanation. The drama really propels this story, so its not a complete ballpark homerun for me. That said I am desperate for the next book because that cliffhanger gave me a hang-over. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Liv Zander, do not send Galantia into a self pitty party spiral. Please let her come out of this with a heart ready for battle! I need her not to be a Bella Swan after Edward leaves.

NO REGRETS!!!!

September 12, 2023
5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 across the board with a whole bunch of 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🔥 on top!
HOT DAMN!! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!

When I had the chance to grab a Liv Zander audiobook ARC, I lost my mind with excitement. BUT I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS!!!!

The Pale Court ( King of Flesh and Bone Queen of Rot and Pain) were such incredible reads and I think this one was even better, something I didn't think was possible. So while my thoughts are gathering, I will break it down for you. First of all, READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS!! or just assume that there are all of them. If you get triggered by anything, know that nothing seems to be off limits in this book.

The world building in this book is completely captivating and so well laid out. There grudges from ancient wars, kingdoms that hate each other, clashing cultures, prejudices, political machinations and scheming, plotting and loads of violence. And it all centres around Galantia. I don't want to give too much away or give any plot spoilers, so I will try proceed with caution. She is the unloved and ignored daughter of a queen and king, who have kept her has been sheltered, ignorant and restrained her whole life. Unwanted and desperate for any form of affection, she finds herself in her enemy's court, alone and powerless. Here, she starts a relationship with Malyr and Sebian that is a complete rollercoaster.

All I can say, is prepare yourself for anything and everything. There is insatiable lust and steamy spice and SO MUCH PAIN. I knew that this book would have open door erotica but there is a lot of it. One of the reasons that I liked this book so much, is that the book can hold its own without the spice. I think it speaks a lot to an author that is able to do that. I was completely captivated from start to finish. Galatia's character will make you ache with a pain so deep that you just want to jump into this book and reassure her that it will all be okay. She is just a pawn in a much larger game that I am looking forward to exploring in the next Court of Ravens book. There were so many times that I was surprised at plot twists and turns that I just didn't see coming. And I have so many unanswered questions I'd love to find a forum or other readers to discuss theories with. It was that good. Pure writing genius.

*(yet another) WARNING * One of the craziest cliffhangers EVER*** It is not like I didn't see it coming, because I did, but it still had me gasping all the same and salivating for the next book. I am pretty sure that my neighbours heard me yell out "OH MY GOD! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!"

The audiobook readers were phenomenal! 10/10!!

I received a free ARC audiobook from Netgalley and the author. This review is left willingly and is is 100% my own opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the Advanced copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

The voice actors were great. I loved that there were 3 different narrators to voice the 3 MC's. It always adds an extra level of enjoyment in audio books for me.

The only reason I am giving this one 3 stars is because the first 1/3 of the book was really hard to follow. After that point though things seemed to become easier to follow and I was fully invested in the characters. The raven shifters were a pretty unique theme and I loved all the dark aspects of this MFM romance. The group scenes were pretty depraved but I was fine with it. This is a pretty dark and messed up story so I would definitely check trigger warnings before jumping into it.

Overall, I had a good time with this one. There was a TON of spice! And I can't wait to continue this series.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio ARC.

This was my first foray into dark fantasy and if this is indicative of what the genre is like, I think it will be my last. I finally DNF at 40%. I don’t think there is a single positive thing I can say about this book.

I have to start by saying that the narrators did a fantastic job with this story, but the author did an amazing job because this story exceeded my expectations. I will not give anything away, but I absolutely loved it! I'm already searching for when the next audiobook will be released because I need it right now. This story has it all. There's suspense throughout this story, but there's also torture, devastation, death, healing, regret, betrayal, planning, plotting, surprises, anticipation, romance, some major steamy scenes between three of the main characters, laugh out loud moments, war and more. That cliffhanger ending....OMG! I knew something major was going to happen at the end of the story because of the hints dropped within the story but I was not ready for that betrayal. I am excited to see if Galantia has a little surprise in the next book along with that huge, unexpected surprise at the end. I also want to see if Malyr will keep his promise because he did exactly what he said he was going to do I just want him to follow through with everything he said afterwards.

This book have a very well written concept for dark fantasy romance.
This book is a mfm with severely scarred heros, mentally and physically, with a female that is naive but not so naive to not see what's happening. You may like her better at the end once you see what they do to her and how they hurt her, you'll like her more then when you feel sympathy.
Mallyr is the worst of the two. He will play with Galantia like a cat playing with a mouse, not fun. He will ruin her self-esteem and plays with her emotions while watching her break. Sebian has been nicer to her, but still keeps her at arms length. The last 30 pages was a wild ride that ended with a cliffhanger...I sense tension in the next book.

Thank you Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC

After a long talk with an avid Romance reader I decided why not, let’s try a dark romance. This one is full of the tropes that lovers of the genre enjoy. Is the prince who loves pain capable of love? Is there strength in a girl who seems so vulnerable and broken? Sexy dark haired men that turn into ravens, um sure. With lots of spice this will probably be a hit in its genre. Overall, it was better written and developed than I expected.

For those that aren’t die hard dark romance readers this one has a lot of the issues that I find whenever I venture into the genre. The expression of past trauma sexually without any attempt to heal. The writing that is way over the top (better than the ones that read like they were written with a cat sitting on the keyboard, but still). The reliance on physical attraction to make up for character development…etc.

The main issue I have with both this title and the rest of the genre, is not the kink. To be honest, I don’t care what consenting adults do. But there is the rub… CONSENT. This tale leans heavily into the Madonna/whore dichotomy, rape is used as both a plot driver and when sexual assault happens it is treated like kink, which perpetuates rape culture. The push back is that this is fantasy and on the page anything should go, and if this were to stay on the page I would agree. Go wild, read about whatever you want. However, by romanticizing certain elements of dark romance (action without consent) we are dulling the autonomy in the real world. So, if you are a reader who enjoys these tropes, power to you, but be very aware of how you are interpreting the world beyond the page. In a day an age when domestic partner violence is common, victim blaming is still running rampant and blowback against the Me Too movement is still growing, we need to be cognizant of our own thinking and actions. Go ahead and enjoy the read, but make sure you take the time to think and process what you read and not just call it kink and move on.

One of the most intriguing stories I have listened to this year!! Zander not only created a world and story that’s captivating but adapted popular BookTok trends in a unique way. The love dynamic kept me on my toes, the spice level was 5/5 intense. With multiple points of view within the story I loved that Zander ensured at the beginning of each chapter you knew who, where, and when the chapter took place. I knew going into this I would feel a bit uncomfortable with some of the trigger topics but Zander does a fantastic job of slowly ramping things up. Focusing on the narration, two points of view kept me engaged while the deepest voice at times didn’t fit the character especially for the past chapters. In my opinion this was one of the very few things I cringed at times about. Overall this book is currently sitting in my favorite read’s category. I’m anxiously awaiting the second book!

4.5 stars

I don’t read a lot of “dark“ romance, although I am fine with a lot of gray areas. There was just something about the synopsis for this book featuring raven shifters that spoke to me and I had to have it. I did not look up the triggers on the author’s website and I maybe should have. SA takes place several times on page (adult and child), and it was difficult to read. I have additional triggers listed in the comments. Despite this, I really really enjoyed this book. Whether you want to call the two mmc’s morally gray or just straight up villains, I don’t care, I was here for both of them. I loved the world building and I thought some of the little touches with the ravens were very well done. As an example, when they shift from human to raven form they don’t shift into one raven, they shift into five. At that point they don’t refer to themselves as “I“, it’s “we“. And they collect little shiny trinkets for their future mates 😊

The book does end on a big fat cliffhanger, and I am waiting with bated breath for November. Need it need it need it!

Wait, wait, wait. What the hell. That ending?! Good lord, I can't wait to read the next book in this series. The spice was *chef's kiss*. The characters are my favorite color - "morally gray". This was the dark fantasy romance I never knew I needed until now. Malyr and Sebien are so hot and Galantia is so innocent (or is she?). I really can't wait to learn more about all of these characters and see who is really good and who is really bad.

Also that cover? Yum! I immediately need to go read all of Liv's books to see what else I have been missing.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Liv Zander for the ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first and will NOT be my last book by Liv and holy guacamole it was amazing!!! So much action An adventure around every corner. Pnr, dark, addicting and mind blowing.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book was definitely not for me. I DNF’ed it at 17%.