A hauntingly beautiful story. The Bride of Death takes us deep into the world of folklore and myth. We follow Zerryn a young girl who has always been a bit different and outcast by the villagers around her. She grows up with a sort of magic coursing through her that she doesn't understand and later gains what many believe to be the touch of death, an eye turned black instead of her natural green. When her village begins being tormented by her betrothed who has been possessed by Death Himself. She must do what she believe it will take to save her betrothed and the village. She must become the Bride of Death. To do this she learns she must compete in a series of trials to win his affection and hand in marriage. The effort will all be worthwhile when she is able to use her new power to save her people.

The book is broken into three sections, Girlhood, Underworld and Death.

Girlhood rapidly takes us through significant moments in Zerryn's life that develop her into who she is. This section at times felt too short and confusing, but as the story continued I understood the Authors intent in showing just particular events.

As Girlhood concludes we enter Underworld. This transition leads Zerryn to her trials and growing connections of a variety of characters who propel her story.

Death is our conclusion. Drawing the journey and the story to a close.

Overall fantastic read. I was gripped throughout the story wanting to know how the journey would continue. one of my favorite aspects of the story was the way that the different characters were described using both the traditional term and descriptors that would help the reader know who this person was in more familiar terms. An Ubir for example, is introduced and not only are the described, but its shared with us that they are called a vampire in other cultures.

I definitely recommend checking this book out if you enjoy historical fiction, mythology, and/or tales of misadventure.

DNF @ 46%

I love a good gothic romance book and that was the main thing going for this book. The only thing that kept me around was pure curiosity on how the sex scenes would go between the FMC and the MMC that has four arms and four eyes. Even then I DNFed the book before I got to that because I couldn't get invested and I didn't like the FMC. If it was from the point of view from one of the three competitors for Elrik's hand and throne, I would've been way more invested. Zerryn was naive and just not an enjoyable FMC to follow. I don't have a whole lot to say about this other than that the atmosphere was great, but the pacing was inconsistent and just meh overall on execution of the plot and characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Surprisingly, this was a 4 star read for me! It was fun, engaging, and really had me on my toes. While it is based on Turkish folklore, I was feeling more of a HadesxPersephone vibe.

If you want a light vs dark, Devil/Maiden story with a truly morally grey MMC, this is a great one. I appreciate how much thought was put into this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC- all opinions are my own.

The Bride of Death by FM Aden is a fascinating foray into a mythological crossover and I absolutely applaud them for this tale

Humans are storytellers, and all faiths have what can be construed as an underworld and deities, so what I like about this novel, is that it nods to various influences but is not puritanical to just one, ergo, it may even appeal to a wider audience and highlight where we share similarities and not the differences.

Aden's narrative style is illustrative, vivid and balances a tightrope between myth and fairytale, rather like the original Grimm tales did but with a style unique to this author. They are forging their own path in fantasy and I am here for this delightful piece of escapism

I believe there is a lot of potential in crossovers that meld different influences and the premise of this novel was very well thought out and original.

Thank you to Netgalley, Northern Light Press and the author F.M Aden for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinins are my own

This gothic fantasy novel took me by surprise with its vivid imagery and how I was rooting for the ~actually~ morally grey MMC. I was excited to read this ARC based on the description, but part one of The Bride of Death was disappointing in that it didn’t really draw me in. It was necessary context about Zerryn and her human life in the above, but I personally was not compelled by the narrative or invested in most of the characters until Part 2.

That said, things really picked up and kept me engaged once we enter the underworld. The new side characters: intricate, enticing. The trials: unique and plot advancing. Erlik Khan: complex, brooding, smitten.

Zerryn’s transformation by the end of the book was extraordinary. I didn’t find it to be too much of a stretch given her character’s life story. Celik? Well, I don’t want to post any spoilers, so I’ll just say 😈

This tale is a romantasy heavy on the fantasy. I’d give it a 🌶️ 🌶️/ 5 spice rating, pretty sparse. The Bride of Death has a love triangle, non-human MMC, several mentions of death, and HEA.

Thank you to the publisher, Northern Light Press, and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Bride of Death by F.M. Aden is out 1 March 2024.

I love fairy tale retellings - usually. This has such a strong premise that I fully expected it to be amazing. It started off with great gothic vibes and Turkish folklore woven into the narrative. Then... well, then it got kind of boring for me. All that atmosphere evaporated and the plot stopped moving forward. I also had a hard time connecting with the MC. She's supposed to be spunky and independent but I found she tended more toward rude. I think this book had a lot of potential but would have benefitted from some extensive editing. I hope Aden writes more of these kinds of novels - they could be amazing with a more assertive editor.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

In brief very, this book reminded me of my least favorite parts of Emily A. Duncan's Something Dark and Holy trilogy, but with more gratuitous sex that felt inspired by Sarah J. Maas but failed to be anything like erotic (at one point our heroine Zerryn talks about wanting to tear away the curtain of Erlik's skin and "crawl into the space between his bones like a worm" while making out). Suffice it to say, this book really didn't work for me.

A large part of why this was not the right book for me was the, for lack of a better word, body horror. Erlik has five eyes (though really four, because he plucked out the one at the nape of his neck to put into Zerryn's face when she was a child), four arms, three mouths (one on each palm, toothed but lipless), and two big black wings. I'm surprised he only had one penis, to be honest, or didn't have a fourth mouth making him intersex (since he's definitely described as being feminine at some points, though I do realize that in the real world one's behavior need not be dictated by one's reproductive organs). Of Erlik's remaining four eyes, two are where they ought to be, with a smaller one below them. If one takes a moment to consider what that would do to cranial anatomy, one would be horrified: either the eye sockets are built into his cheekbone, replacing his upper molars, or there are no sockets and they just hang out in the flesh of his cheek (I hope not: at one point the sun causes chunks of cheek flesh to peel away). To add to the ick factor, Aden sometimes seems to forget that he's supposed to have wings or cheek eyes, having him lean back against Zerryn while sitting on the ground (where do the wings fit here?) or having Zerryn cup his cheeks (smooshing or poking his eyes, I assume). I also feel obliged to point out that with two wings, four arms, and two legs, Erlik is eight-limbed. Like a spider. The multiple eyes don't help.

Bodily ick aside, because that is very much a me-problem, I realize, I think this was supposed to be a Turkish take on Hades and Persephone, and for all that I enjoy retellings of that myth (or would like to, if they're well-done), this one is very much not for me. Plus, it added a weird aspect of The Bachelor: The Undead Lord of Death edition with Zerryn having to compete to win Erlik's hand so that he wouldn't destroy her town and all the people she loves. Of course, the Bachelor-style competition does get us Beyza and Yuxa, the two best characters in the book (I also liked Minaya, but that's because she looks like a cat sometimes), but I think they could have existed without the competition. Unlike Zerryn and Erlik, whose banter Erlik describes as sharp and clever but is, in fact, neither, Beyza and Yuxa are sharp-tongued and clever. At least by the standards of the rest of the book. (Honestly, I always think it's kind of sad when authors have to have their characters tell the reader how clever their banter is. If a reader can't tell for themselves, it's probably not as clever as you think, author.)

I think that's just about everything. I can't say I recommend this book, but it may be that I'm simply not the target audience. But, seriously, so much ick.

Before I begin, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this chance to review the book before it comes out.

The Bride of Death takes place in a fantastical Anatolia, modern-day Turkey, where the Old Gods and all the spirits and monsters that accompany them still reign despite the Christian God slowly moving into their territory. The Old Gods, and new for that matter, are only mentioned and the story deals far more with Erlik Khan and his ilk, the monsters that lure humans to their doom. Then there is Zerryn, your average village girl, or at least she tries to be. With a nurturing hand and one black eye, those around her can’t seem to pin if she is good or a harbinger of evil. That is until The God of Death unleashes his evil upon her village and seems to want only one thing, Zerryn.

I would like to applaud the author’s use of mythology and folktales in this story. The world she created was interesting and terrifying in equal parts. I know I wrote down quite a few names to see if I could read more about their real-life inspirations. The descriptions of such characters were also great. Though I want to hit Erlik, I can’t deny the author did a great job of making him alluring in his size and appearance. Plus, I agree with Zerryn, four arms for snuggling seems like a great idea for us all! I approve. I also loved Beyza. I’m not quite sure what attracted an immortal ubir to Zerryn but their relationship was adorable.

This book is your classic enemies to lovers’ story, very similar to that of Hades and Persephone. Having said that, this story checks all the boxes for this type of story, the scenes increasing in tension and faltering denial, but what didn’t stick was the pacing. Yes, the scenes were good, but I couldn't help but feel as if they were undeserved, for lack of a better word. As if there wasn’t enough prior to it to justify the progression. I hate slow burns but for once I wished I had waited longer for the pay-out. To feel that “I hate you, but I’m so drawn to you” tension for slightly longer.

There just seemed to be missing pieces of the puzzle, like what if Minnay hadn’t told Zerryn about the trials how would she have known, what did Erlik do to be cast down, Çelik’s spiral into grief, Çelik and Zerryn’s romance, what was Vasily’s story and what did it mean for Zerryn, what was the prophecy, etc. So many scenes that could have given depth to the characters and their motivations and possible redemptive (or damming) qualities just missing. However, I was willing to overlook it just to enjoy the romance….

<spoiler> And then the last 15% of the book happened, and it made me feel a certain type of way. I like villains. I love morally grey characters. I love complex beings that show the full scale of human experience, but I could not get behind Erlik and Zerryn after that ending. He snuffed out her innate magic, filled her with his, banished her knowing she would be rejected and persecuted, took over her to the point that her soul split apart, and I’m supposed to be happy they ended up together? I honestly couldn’t care that he was mourning her, she was literally in agony for months and then when she was made whole again, she clung to him as if he was her savior. If this was an allegory about abusive relationships and trauma bonding, I could understand, but that’s not love.

I was expecting some kind of Yin or Yang ending, two contrasting powers brought together to bring balance. Maybe Erlik would support her as she came into her power and only being able to see each other during a certain time, bittersweet love. After the fight in the throne room, I even expected Zerryn to kill both Erlik and Çelik. I could have supported any of those but the moment he destroyed a part of her, I was left feeling deeply hurt for Zerryn. I’m not willing to accept that love means you must destroy a wonderful, beautiful part of yourself. </spoiler>

I wish this author nothing but success and I would like to see her future works, but in this case, just because of that one plot point, this story wasn’t a hit for me. Though it had a lot of great qualities and world-building to it.

3/5 ⭐️

My friend recommended this book to me! I enjoyed but at the same time I felt it was missing.

Don’t get me wrong it was such a fun time but it was missing something. I will say though the writing was DREAMY and we love a good enemies to lovers but I WASNT PREPARED FOR THE LOVE TRIANGLE 😭

Its a fun vibey read and I do recommend :)

This is a very well written and captivating book. It was absolutely a wonderful read! I can absolutely see what others are saying about it in relation to The Bear and the Nightingale so if you liked that book you will definitely enjoy this one.

Let me start off by saying the WRITING in the book is DIVINE. It reads like a magical fairy tale, whisking you away into a world of magic and wonder. I felt so transported by the writing in a way I haven’t in quite a while. This story follows Zerryn, a girl who seems to be kissed by darkness. After the boy she loves becomes possessed, she decides it’s up to her to save him. She’s prepared to make a deal with the devil (literally) to keep the people she loves safe and compete in a set of trials to become the Bride of Death and use that power to defeat him. Her plan begins to shatter when she finds herself seeing the man behind the face of Death and he says to her “You are the one in power, and you have brought me to my knees.” I loved that Zerryn struggles with light vs. dark and that this book explored the complexities of looking at things in a “good vs. bad” light. So many stories follow that type of framework and it’s always refreshing to find stories that explore more of that grey area. We love a powerful love interest, but even more we love a powerful FMC. I only wish there had been even more of the romance because I could not get enough!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Northern Light Press in exchange for a fair review.

First of all, I loved the title and cover art and that’s what really drew me in… and then the description sounded beautiful, but unfortunately I have to admit that because I wanted to treat this book fairly, I allowed myself to add this to my DNF at about 60% because I lost complete instrest before I even hit 40%.

The beginning was so good and I wish it went deeper into the back story of the grandparents and better develop her love interest. I loved the backstory to Zerryn and her black eye but it felt rushed over and just brought up randomly as if to contrast her light to Erlik’s darkness but to be honest, Erlik was a super fluffy softie and Zerryn was an overly untitled brat who would say such hateful things unprovoked. She was a very hard character to like and Erlik had nothing about his character to fear for being the underlord. It was honestly boring and it made me not care about their uncomfortably awkward romance. I had second hand embarrassment and I honestly don’t even know why.


The other bit I didn’t enjoy at all was the world building. I couldn’t get a feel for anything and Erlik would just appear out of no where and I couldn’t tell how Zerryn would be with some people one second then him the next. Then there were the scenes that felt more real than the actual scenes but then you found out they were just fantasies. It was super confusing and made me lose interest.


Outside of the strong beginning with the dark mystery of the outcast girl with the black eye, I didn’t find myself enjoying much else about this book. I hate not finishing books and I fought to get through this one because I kept hoping that there a light at some point, but sadly I couldn’t keep going. I do appreciate this early read and I’m very sad that this book was not what I was necessarily looking for. I’ll keep the author on my radar for future reads!

This book originally pulled me in because of title and cover! Digging in a little deeper I learned that the premise sounded incredible, I love anything involving completely impossible tasks and especially love the folklore sprinkled in to this novel. While I did enjoy this book, some parts fell a little flat to me. Because the world-building confused me, I found other parts confusing me as well and would have desperately loved to have a map to look to. I am giving this 3.5 stars and rounding to 3. Thank you netgalley!

I have a lot of mixed thoughts on this book.

On the one hand, I flew through this book. I was obsessed with Erlik and Zerryn and I needed to know what was going to happen. The story is dark and twisty with so many great gothic vibes.

On the other hand, so much of this book reads like your sub-standard YA novel. The male love interest says something vaguely witty and the female love interest says how much she hates him while inwardly thinking how beautiful he is. The actual writing compared to the dialogue are like reading two different books. I found the writing to be beautiful and descriptive and the dialogue was honestly just awful.

Overall, I think the plot suffers a bit because of the focus on the romance. But I still ate it up.

All Zerryn wanted was to be accepted by her village. But after being touched with a sign from Death, her only companions lie with stories of the Underworld and tales of Lord Death himself. She finally finds comfort with her grandmother’s village, growing closer with her friend Celik and eventually forming a budding relationship. However, Celik begins to withdraw from her and the village, making increasingly more and more disturbed demands. Zerryn is determined to exorcise the demon the village believes is possessing the boy she loves, but once she is faced with him, discovers he is possessed by Lord Death, Erlik Khan himself- and what he desires is none other than Zerryn. In order to save the boy she loves and the village she has only ever wanted to be accepted by, she must travel to the Underworld and compete in three trials to become the Bride of Death. But the longer she spends in the Underworld, the more her desires are blurred and her path unclear… until even Zerryn herself questions the path she is on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. The blurb hails it as a book for fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale, and I definitely got vibes of both in this book. The scenes were definitely atmospheric, and I felt like I could have lifted my eyes from the novel and be right next to the characters. It has the feel of a Hades and Persephone retelling, but with its own twists. We have enemies to lovers, a morally grey male character, and a female main character who comes into her own. If you’re looking for a good romantasy tale with some low descriptive spice, this one is for you.

I do wish I had a map. It would have been fun to be able to follow along with Zerryn as she makes her way through the trials. I also felt the beginning of the book was a little disjointed and rushed. I would have loved more details before she entered the Underworld and I was left with several questions about plot points I didn’t understand why they were included.

Definitely giving this book a solid 5 stars!

There are so many good things to say about this book, but let me highlight a few:

1) THE PLOT! This book's plot is incredibly rich. The romance! The thrill! I got totally immersed in the narration. 🥹

2) The writing style is straightforward and easy to understand. Anyone can enjoy each moment effortlessly and get right into the feels.

3) The world-building is outstanding. The detailed descriptions are impressive.

4) Every character is unique, with interesting aspects that make us wonder what they'll do in each arc!

Minus points?

I forgot long ago what the minus of this book, really

I really wanted to like this book. It intrigued me from the very beginning and the premise drew me in. However, I found myself putting off reading this book more and more. I unfortunately had to dnf this book. The story felt slow, too slow. I’m a fan of dark fairytale retellings and morally grey villains, but this fell flat for me.

I’ve read that the author has another book in this world and I’m wondering if maybe I read this book in the future with that book if that wouldn’t make me like the book more.

I’m not opposed to trying this book again in the future because the writing is very pretty, the story telling is there but the pace of the book is what killed me.

I was definitely intrigued by the cover and synopsis of this story that combines fantasy and romance. In the end, it didn't hit perfectly for me, but is still a solid read. I enjoyed the trials, the side characters, the main characters, but overall world building seemed to lack a little. Read this one if you like: enemies to lovers, folklore and mythology, slow burn dark romance, magic and demons. Thank you to Netgalley and Northern Light Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Zerryn finds herself on a hero's journey to the Underworld to save her village and her childhood sweetheart from the Lord of Death's destruction. To save herself and her village she must win his hand in marriage and survive the Underworld with its many creatures and undead servants.

After the clunky first act, this book really shines in act two. The trials are fun, the character development of not only the FMC and MMC but also the assistant characters is great. Bride of Death hits that beautiful mark of gothic fantasy romance without relying on over used tropes. This book is based on Mongolian and Siberian mythology and was a great introduction to a different myth system that we rarely see in romantasy.

A fantastical world, where all the odds are against you, the only way to win is sacrifice. Aden creates a realm that whisks you into dangerous times, where you feel helpless against the protagonists fight. Though, as the ploy unfolds, you become her champion almost fighting with her to the very end. Complete page turner. Read and re-read.