This is the first book I have read by this author. I was really intrigued by the premise of a human being a Bride of Death, especially how Death himself would be characterised.

The story is set in Eastern Europe sometime in the 13th or 14th century, best I can tell, but the world is different from our own. Superstition is rife in the little village where the heroine, Zerryn, lives and because she is strange she is shunned.

The beginning of the book is beautifully written and I particularly liked the tender relationship between Zerryn and her father. Zerryn is a magical child and the prose during this part of the book is whimsical in a way that reminded me a little of 'The Bear and the Nightingale'.

As the story evolves and Death (or the demon of the Underworld, Erlik) makes himself known to Zerryn the magical realism became a little more complicated.

There was plenty of action going on and keeping the characters and their myths straight was a little difficult for me. Still, as I immersed myself in the story, it became very interesting.

I thought there were times when the dialogue between Erlik and Zerryn was a little too flowery and there were moments when I couldn't get a handle on either of their characters. I could see that they were conflicted but they seemed to swing from intense love to hate like a pendulum.

I enjoyed parts of this book - the writing and the myths especially. But I did get a bit lost halfway through the book and rushed a little at the end.

Still, the book highlighted an interesting time and place in history that I would like to know more about.

I received an ARC of this book from Northern Light Press and Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

first off thank you to netgalley and northern lights press for this arc! this was such an enjoyable read for me. a lush, gothic, turkish mythology rendition that I didn’t know I needed in my life. paced perfectly, and had me intrigued throughout. this is a perfect standalone fantasy that had me wishing it was getting a sequel. my only qualms with this is the main character who is a little annoying at times, and wishing that certain plot points were more detailed. aside from that, i really loved this novel and will definitely be purchasing a physical copy when it releases in march!

I couldn’t get into the world of this one, or connect with any of the characters, which made for a pretty difficult read. But the writing was great

This was good? The setting was good and the concept was good but I found the characters to be wholly insufferable. If you can deal with that, you'll probably love it.

“You must never wait for someone to save you,” her magic whispered. “Only you can save yourself.”

First, thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I absolutely loved this book! I love a good fantasy book and this was so great! In order to save her village and the farm boy she loves Zerryn must journey to the Underworld in the hopes of become the kings bride. To become queen Zerryn must compete in 3 trials each more challenging than the next. Her time in the Underworld changes Zerryn and she is more drawn to Erlik, the Lord of Death, than she would like. Zerryn learns so much about herself and the people she was trying to save.

I absolutely loved Zerryn! She has such a quiet strength about her that grows are the story progresses. The connection between her and Erlik was electric. I mean was it weird that he has 4 arms, more than 1 mouth, and extra eye…yes but it’s fantasy and I was on board.

The world building was imaginative and the premise was super interesting. The was great character development and the story moved and flows really well. Fantastic book

This will go viral!! Tik tok will go crazy over this book. So unique. Crafted folklore tale. 5stars

The idea for this book was a solid one but the execution fell slightly short. At times the story felt rushed and at other points it dragged on and went over a lot of the FMC's same angst to the point that I wanted to shake her and tell her to make her mind up.

The start of the book sets up a magical world and gives a lot of Zerryn's history, but it doesn't really seem to have much point beyond going "btw this girl has magic". Exactly why did her nursemaid tell her all those stories? Was she sent by death to prepare her for the trials? We don't know because she's never mentioned again.

It was also a really sudden switch from her being there for her best mate to him being this evil figure living in a castle. The time jump was really jarring. and it didn't seem to really fit.

Things definitely picked up in part two and it got more interesting, but sometimes Zerryn is too annoying to cope with. The character of Erlik was far more interesting and I think getting more of his point of view could have kept things moving.

There were hints that spice would happen too, but all the scenes just fade to black.

While I did enjoy the book, it did drag in places and it felt like there were way too many endings only for it to ultimately be incredibly predictable.

3.5 stars

Never expected myself to find some dude with fi-four eyes, four arms and * mouths hot but here we are.

Thank you F. M. Aden for introducing readers to more Turkish myths with this sophomore book.

While I absolutely enjoyed reading the novel and liked the characters, I couldn't help but notice certain glaring plot holes (hence the deduction in rating). There is time skip whenever the author feels like. You are reading certain scene and next, the game has started without any explanation about what the task is. Another disappointment was how we never got to know how her caretaker appeared, was she sent by Erlik? What's her story?

Now, about the characters, I love Zerryn even though she irked me at times. Spoiler Alert: But watching her character development (or regression) was a delight to witness. Erlik feeling human emotions was nice to read. The grandmother, Beyza and house spirit were the only other characters I adored. Celik irritated me the most with how he treated Zerryn, like she owed him something. The book also has nice touch on feminism at times, I have some quotes bookmarked.

Overall, the book is a good read for anyone looking for a gothic romantasy. It needs a few more editing before getting published as there are some spelling mistakes and grammatical errors too.

Aden succeeds in her endeavours to twist the folk lore and legends of Türkiye with stories and fairy tales that are more familiar too a western audience.

It wouldn't be right to call this story a straight up retelling as it seamlessly blends tales such as sleeping beauty, beauty and the beast, dracula, greek myth, fallen angels and I am sure many tales of spirits and heroines from Turkiye that I am ignorant of.

Aden also succeeds in bringing modern tropes to The Bride of Death. If you love enemies to lovers, Love triangles, trials and forbidden love then you are in for a treat. The tropes are not forced and fall naturally into the flow of the story.

I have only two real disappointments. The first is we never get beyond a certain level of spice which would be fine but there were so many hints that it would become a little more steamy than it did. The second comes from the conclusion, which I will not spoil but only say I would have preferred a little light to remain in the darkness.

I look forward to reading more by this author in the future

Unfortunately this was a book that I just couldn't force myself to finish. The premise was very interesting and I truly loved the Turkish inspiration, but I really struggled to get even as far into this book as I did (approximately 20%). I found the writing style off-putting. I believe the author was trying for whimsical, but it ended up just reading as stilted. The sense of movement or blocking of the characters were poor, and overall I just didn't find the storytelling cohesive. I really wanted to push through, since many reviewers noted early pacing issues and mentioned that the author found their stride further in the book, but I found attempting to read this felt like a chore and I decided to move on to other books that would be enjoyable for me.

I lost my goddamn mind reading this book.

• a village girl makes the god of death obsessed with her just by breathing
• she has to undergo magic trials to win his hand (so she can destroy him, duh)
• torn between good girl shenanigans and dark queen iconique behaviour

This epic, beautiful, dark AF book is a total sweeps-you-into-a-dark-fairytale indulgent read. It's like Pan's Labyrinth meets Phantom of the Opera meets Hades x Persephone. It was filled with lush prose, interesting side characters, and a visually stunning world that's both decaying and explosive with colourful emotions.

Now THIS is how you write enemies to lovers. I want to feel the hatred twisting with desire and refusing to let go even after they fall madly, horribly, sickeningly in love, and obsessed with each other.

Fave bonus loser-in-love Erlik quotes: "Desire is fleeting, and it wanes like the moon," Erlik said. "You are not a moment's thought. You are all my thoughts."

"You are not nothing," he whispered. "It is I who come to you crawling, a rabid dog hungry for your attention. An unworthy peasant grabbing at your hem. It is you who refuses me always. You who remain unswayed by my power and beauty and might. You who insults and soothes me."

"Look at me, Zerryn, my sweet poison, my wretched beloved. Look at me."

AND I'M SUPPOSED TO THINK HE'S THE VILLAIN? Sure. He's my husband too now, please share, Zerryn. Or we can throuple. I love you, dark queen.

-this is the second book by this author that i requested and I'm really glad to say that i don't regret it one bit. atp F.M. Aden is my go to author for dark fantasy with original story and fast pace.
-Zerryn was an absolute delish albeit a tad annoying with her self-righteous attitude or maybe that's just me folding at the sight of a morally grey character who's practically death himself lol.
-Death, surprisingly, wasn't at all what i had expected of him. like he was menacing but more in a appearance wise, his actions however were quite vanilla but thats okay he was actually adorable.
-There were so many fronts that could've been covered had this been a series or maybe even a tad longer because most of times everything was too scattered to really grasp it all.
-The severity of the stakes wasn't ventured properly so when something did happen i didnt really feel much.
-All in all it is a good one-time read stand-alone.

With thanks to Netgalley, Northern Light Press, and the author, F.M. Aden for the opportunity to read The Bride of Death in exchange for my honest thoughts.

*Monster romance * Gothic * Folklore * Death and a Maiden

This is a departure from my usual fantasy or romantic fare. I was intrigued from the get-go. The author has a truly lovely turn of prose. For the quibbles I might have as a reader the language and escapism was rich, the trials suitably unique and the love story a silver lining.

As a child, Zerryn grew up on tales of the Lord of Death, Erlik Khan. When Çelik, her childhood love, begins to act strangely and removes himself to live on a crumbling estate away from their village, the rumors of him becoming possessed by a demon, none other than Erlik Khan, begin to circulate. With each month that passes the demon within Çelik grows stronger. Until Zerryn takes the responsibility of liberating Çelik by participating in a series of Underworld trials to become Khan’s bride and ergo, release Çelik.

The strong folklorist telling paints a delightfully gothic environment, the forest, the lack of true sunlight, and the fantastical creatures - including the descriptions of Erlik himself paint a mesmerizing world. Zerryn, our FMC, leaves to save her village and her childhood sweetheart but, in doing so, she sheds her mortality, and steps into her power all without losing her morality.

Early on the strength of Zerryn's magic is hinted at, child of light and of the earth. This magical element of growth and new life was not fleshed out as much as the darker magics which was disappointing as I think it would have provided even greater contrast to Erlik.

The side characters, Grandmother, Minay and Beyza, deserve special acknowledgment. Each character offered subtle scrutiny for Zerryn, who she was, who she is and, who she can be. Beyza was particularly a single voice to clarify Zerryn’s thoughts.

I did find Zerryn whiny during the trials. Yes, she’s mortal yet with a well placed aide here and there, a willing companion in Beyza and Erlik’s own favour, she wasn’t as meek as she believes. There is a constant push and pull between Erlik and Zerryn through the trials.

The romance is a subtle subplot. The reader sees Erlik seeking Zerryn out and softening and trying to woo her in his own bizarre style. He is captivating, sensual yet, ghastly in his visage. Zerryn’s conflicted feelings toward Erlik during the trials were her crucible.

As the trials concluded and Zerryn made the realisation that there was no going back, the mortal part of the story whirled to a crescendo. Before the love story had its diminuendo as its light and dark elements pieced together for eternity.

This was a foray into folklore and monster romance I didn’t know I was looking for.

Thank you, Northern Light Press and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of The Bride of Death.

This one was rounded up from 3-1/2 stars. It started rather slow, but the story did seem to pick up about 20% of the way through, and the pace was rather steady after that. This novel was a story of stories. It beautifully wove Turkic mythology into a story of a formidable female lead and her shadow daddy, the Lord of Death. It was a definite slow burn that had you rooting for the darkness and the light at the same time. I found myself so torn between the two. While I was on the fence about continuing or DNFing in the beginning, I'm glad that I ultimately decided to keep with it.

I have some mixed thoughts on this book, giving it two stars. While I appreciate the author's attempt to take the story in an interesting direction, the premise is engaging. However, I couldn't shake the feeling of being overwhelmed by the abundance of names in the book and the sensation of being thrown into this complex world without a proper introduction. As a fan of fantasy reads, I found this written in a too high-fantasy manner for my taste, making it less accessible and enjoyable.

If there had been an anchor character to latch onto, the experience might have been different. Unfortunately, starting with Zerryn as a baby made it challenging for me to connect with her in that initial state. Her dad came across as off-putting, and her nanny felt like an anomaly, leaving me feeling overstimulated and struggling to find my footing in the narrative.

I won't be sharing this review publicly because I believe it's simply a case of personal taste misalignment. I don't want to criticize the author for a difference in taste, especially since I can see the effort to create an interesting story.

Absolutely obsessed with this book. The combination of integration of unique folklore with the “death as the love interest trope” was seriously top tier. This author executed this trope flawlessly unlike a lot of other authors in this genre. I predict this will go viral.

The Bride Of Death is a story steeped in moral ambiguity, of good vs evil. The story of Erlik Khan is one I had never heard of before and yet am completely familiar with: The Lord of Death, of the Underworld. Most cultures have a similar type of story, and it was really enjoyable to read this version.

I was both intrigued and repulsed as I read the story through Zerryn's perspective, and I have mixed feelings about everything that happened, which I suspect is part of the point of this book. The book makes you question your own morality as you go through the story- would you make the same choices as Zerryn? As Erlick? What does that say about you as a human? Is their connection toxic or is it pure?

Overall a very beautiful book!

I could not get into/through this book. I DNF'd it at only 10%. I give it two stars because I can see where the author was trying to go and the premise of the book is interesting but I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the names in the book and the feeling of being thrown into this world rather than introduced to it. I enjoy fantasy reads but I feel this was written in a too high fantasy way for me to find it accessible and enjoyable. If I had an anchor character to care about maybe it would be different but because it begins with the Zerryn as a baby, I am unable to connect to her in that state and her dad is off-putting and her nanny is such an anomaly I was just overstimulated. (I will not be posting this review anywhere but here because I think this is simply a case of it not being my cup of tea, and I don't wish to bash an author for a difference in taste)

This book was magical, twisted, and beautiful. The writing is so so good with many phrases that keep going through my head. The romance is an unexpected delight that had me almost in tears multiple times.

I’m a huge Bear and the Nightingale fan, and this author and book gave me really similar feelings. The folklore, the moral dilemmas, the trials. I loved every second.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

The Bride of Death by F. M. Aden is a historical romantasy based in Turkic folklore, particularly the story of Erlik Khan, the lord of the Underworld.

Zerryn is a young woman living in a village, her eye blessed by Erlik Khan, when her childhood friend is taken by the lord of the Underworld. She volunteers to save not only her friend but also her village and winds up competing with four other women to be Erlik’s wife and queen.

There's a lot of references to the Mediterranean and the folklore of the area, making for rich, but grounded worldbuilding that is both familiar and new if you don't have a lot of experience with Turkic stories. Erlik Khan has four eyes and arms, creating a human with monstrous qualities for the main love interest. The spice level is at a medium, I think, with more focus on tension than on depicting sexual content.

I would recommend this to readers looking for an adult historical fantasy based in the Mediterranean or readers looking for a monstrous love interest.