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.

As soon as I read the description of this book, I requested it.

I loved the start of this book, it did remind me of one of my favourite books “the bear and the nightingale” with its weaving of mythology and folklore. My interest was piqued!

However, when the trials started my attention waned. While I loved the descriptions of the mythology and the Underworld - which held my intrigue, I found parts fell a little flat. I felt the relationship lacked a build up and was quite quick/instant which affected my enjoyment of the book as it just left me feeling detached from the characters and not caring what happened to them.

I also found some character conversations to be intended for a younger audience (not too sure if this is supposed to be YA maybe?) but this also pulled me away from the magic and intrigue.

However, I LOVED world building in this and the exposure of Turkish mythology which I really enjoyed (a new mythology for me to now become obsessed with!). I loved the idea of the plot and the first part of the book, but after that my attention did decline.

“I enjoy sparring with you, sharpening words until they are thin as blades. Some would say it is its own form of affection.”

Zerryn has grown up on stories of Erlik Khan, the Lord of Death. When her friend Çelik is possessed by Erlik, Zerryn must enter the underworld and compete to become Erlik’s bride in order to save Erlik and her town.

When I started this book, I was immediately drawn into it and so much intrigued me. It gave me feelings of a few books such as The Bear and The Nightingale, Belladonna, Bitterthorn a bit, and some Persephone and Hades vibes.

Morally grey would be a great way to describe many, if not all, of the characters of this book. Beyza the ubir (basically a vampire) may actually be my favourite not-quite-a-villain.

Considering this could easily be expected to be a dark romance, it has to be noted that it is a closed door romance.

I think the only thing that really took away from it being a 5 star read for me was the very last part of the book. I felt as though the MC completely abandoned her character and there was a certain level of toxicity to the relationship that was more red flag than hot-morally-grey.

I loved the setting of Anatolia and learning about Turkish mythology.

This book could be for you if you enjoy :
- enemies to lovers
- life vs death magic
- morally grey characters
- quests/tournaments
- mythology
- unlikely friends
- banter

3.75/5 🌟🌟🌟

To put it simply, picture if Ruby Gloom grew up to compete on The Bachelor to be the bride of Death.
To put it another way, Erlik is like the penultimate literary embodiment of a 90's goth pretty boy. Who's also a giant a**hole.
And also, kind of if Mina chose Dracula/ Vlad at the end of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

*he falls first
*unrequited love / Hades and Persephone
*enemies to lovers

On the one hand,

*with its combination of myth and fantasy, I was irresistibly reminded of Naomi Novik, and this pulled me all the way in, right away
*engagingly written and well plotted

And yet,
On the other,
*really predictable in parts
*Erlik is a d*ck, no two ways around it, but you're expecting this, going in
*the spice level is next to nil
*I wanted more of the secondary stories
*it felt like a lot was left unanswered

However, overall, I enjoyed this one and recommend.



Thank you to F.M. Aden, Northern Light Press, and NetGalley for the DRC

This was an interesting read, but I'm not sure it's my thing. It definitely draws on the whole Death and the Maiden trope, which is fine, but it got a little dark for my liking. Recommend to those who like darker fantasies, set in the an underworld. I like a little more light in my entertainment. Really well written, though. I think the author did a great job building the world and characters.

I have mixed feelings on this book! I really enjoyed the premise and I thought the writing flowed very easily, but it definitely needed some further editing. There were several times I had to re-read a passage because the syntax was confusing and a little messy. I also found the pacing to be... kind of bad. It was clear which scenes the author was most excited to tell, since we blazed through everything else until we got to those moments, and then we slowed waaay down. When sections of the book were fleshed out, I really enjoyed it!

It was also unclear whether Zerryn was morally grey or just wildly inconsistent in her motivations, especially in the second half of the story. Re: blazing through sections, I couldn't tell if I hadn't been given enough information to care about a choice, or if she was meant to be flippant. I honestly would have preferred a character making selfish choices over the flip-floppyness that was our Bride.

if you like a gothic, dark fantasy that features a slow burn romance then I'd definitely recommend! for me it didn't really capture my interest but I did really like the main character Zerryn, she's everything that you want in a female lead. the story is also really original like I don't think I've read a story quite like this one. I also enjoyed Zerryn and Erlik's romance but It could've actually done with less smut because the spice in here was kind of corny or cringy to me.

A very different sort of tale - reminiscent of Katharine Arden's Bear and the Nightingale series - where we follow Zerryn as she tries to win 3 quests and the heart of the Lord of Death. It's not giving too much away to say she does succeed but I was left wondering if it was worth it at the end and if she didn't sacrifice too much of herself for it to feel like a victory. It felt a bit unfinished so wonder if there is a sequel.

"Dance, little lamb," they whispered. "The black wolf awaits."

"Do not hide from your fear, child," Archura said. "Accept it and then cast it away.
Monsters are drawn to things that bleed."

"You are weak, my little lamb," he said.
"And so painfully naive. It makes me want to shelter you from the harsh world."

This book is so surprisingly good!!! Perfect for fans of Cruel Beauty comes a dark romantic fantasy book with Turks folklore and culture before the Byzantine came to conquer all. Zerryn is a young girl with eyes of different colours and everyone says she has been marked by the Devil himself, the Lord of Death, Erlik. Only when her childhood sweetheart and her entire village is threatened, she will have to go straight to the underworld to try and win the Lord of Death’s hand in marriage and become his wife in order to protect them. In a game of strength and guilt and power and magic and immortality, where the villain turns love interest we have a beautify main character with a power she does not now how to wield and a dark side that only the dark Lord can help her master. This book was amazing and it’s the definition of enemies to lovers and what happens when the immortal, bad villain gets the girl of his dreams, the one he would be ready to burn down the above world for. Such a great story and one that had me hooked from the very first pages. So painfully beautiful. A book where the line between good and evil seems to be blurred. And so beautifully so!!! And the ending … twisted happy ever after worth every single page of attention !!!

“I cannot break you, for I want you, and I cannot want you, for you shall break me."

“His head bent, and her palm lay on his ravaged cheek. Her sinner and supplicant. Her terror and madness. Her beautiful monster.”

"I would see worlds burn for you. I would see empires topple to be here with you for the rest of eternity."

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

This book is one of the best of Netgalley I read. This book has a lot of legends, myths, and folklore. It was so magical right from the start. a girl living in a small cottage near the first. the village used to call her "beautiful but strange". She is the type of girl who spends most of her time in her head. Her mother died when she was a babe and her nanny Derya brought her up. She died also when Zerryn was a little older and then she was sent to live with her grandmother from her mother's side. Zerryn is just amazing. my heart goes out to her on so many occasions.

MY RATING
Overall: ★★★★★| 5 Stars
Plot: ★★★★★ | 5 Stars
Characters: ★★★★★| 5 Stars
Ending: ★★★★★| 5 Stars 😭
Fun: ★| 1 Star
Spice Level: No 🌶| 0/5
Bookcover:★★★★★| 5 Stars

3.75.

This book was such a rollercoaster of emotions!
When I first started the book, I really enjoyed it, it was a different twist around the Turkish mythology of the god of death.

The tasks (which were the main point of the book) did annoy me. Just personally it wasn’t for me, how he had 5 woman fighting for his hand. I expected he’d have to complete trials but not a fantasy version of the bachelor… the trials were so confusing. I don’t know if it was the fantasy or I was just bored but I had to skim them because it was so bored.

I absolutely loved some of the side characters! Beyza especially and I’m so happy she got her blood in the end!

Çelik annoyed me so much and I honestly don’t see how she sacrificed so much for him… like he acted as thought it was all her fault when it was his fault for being a weak ass man in the first place!

I absolutely loved erlik and Zerryn together! They really are meant for each other (thought I hated her a little for betraying erlik! Like dude was husband material! Although thin banishing her, felt like my heart was actually going to break. The last 10% of the book had me frantic to finish it!

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc in exchange of my honest review!