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!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy The Bride of Death, I loved the premise, the atmospheric writing and the tension between the two. However, for me, there was a little bit too much telling rather than actual action filled moments. The cover is gorgeous and this is perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale.

When you grow up with the tales of The Lord of Death, you behave and never step out of line. Zerryn does as she is told and never steps foot where she shouldn't. Until her best friend begins to act weird and may possibly even be possessed. Her whole life takes a turn. I had fun with this book!

This is a gothic fantasy book woven with folklore and an eerie theme.
Zerryn, a girl who grew up listening and believing fairytales finds herself in a situation where she strikes a haunting deal with Erlik Khan, the lord of Death in order to save her friend Celik. The story revolves around how Zerryn competes to be the bride of the death.
I loved how Zerryn was portrayed to be a soft mortal with strong will and a sense of righteousness. All the other characters had their unique personality. If you love folklore/death × maiden trope/dark × light vibes, I would totally recommend this book .
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc !

i am a simple man with simple tastes, and eldritch abomination fantasy romance enemies-to-lovers fits all of them. this is interestingly not the only one recently i read like that (Someone To Build A Nest In showcases the same sort of set, though more horror and less fantasy). at times the main char feels quite weak here still, this one is beautiful. and it's always nice when the love interest has entirely too many eyes. thanks for the arc. 4.5

Thank you to Northern Light Press and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this Turkish-inspired story. It's based on the Turkish folktale/myth of Erlik Khan, the God of Death, and the young woman who is destined to be with him, Zerryn. Of course, it wouldn't be a story without some drama and a mini love triangle involving Erlik, Zerryn, and Zerryn's childhood friend Çelik. I didn't like her friend like at all so I found it difficult to buy into them as an option for Zerryn. I liked Zerryn a lot. I thought she was interesting, realistic, and I admired her desire to stay morally right. I found her flip flopping SO realistic once she got to the underworld and was around Erlik more cause, girl, SAME.

The only reason this is rated so low is cause I thought the spice wasn't quite that spicy for me but I'm fairly certain parts of my brain were rotted by reading fanfic in the early 2000s. That said, I do recommend this if only for the way that Auden recounts the story of Erlik Khan and for Zerryn's character.

I really enjoyed this but again, the low rating is due to spice level which I would put at the Sarah J. Maas level and because some of the writing came across as kind of immature BUT it was still an enjoyable read for me.

Bride of Death is a dark story that starts with Zerryn dying as a young girl, only to be given a second chance at life. Unfortunately her life continues to lead her back to the Lord of Death and the Underworld.

The story and plot were so good, and I wanted to love the book, but for some reason it just fell flat for me. Normally I have harder time rooting for the villain, but Celik was absolutely insufferable I couldn’t figure out why Zerryn ever cared for him. The ending tied up all the loose ends throughout the book, and I did enjoy the epilogue.

*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Brilliant!This is probably the greatest and my favourite book of all time!
I devoured this.Infinite stars.

This book read like a tweens fanfiction. The main character was the typical fantasy heroine, even her physical appearance was generic. I slogged through this book hoping it would get better but the farther it progressed the more it felt like a page out of a horn girl's diary.

I was gifted an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Erlick Khan, the Lord of Death, possesses the body of her intended, Zerryn will do whatever it takes to free him and destroy Erlick. To do so, Zerryn must enter the Underworld and compete in three trials to become Erlick’s bride. It is the only way to get close enough to him to destroy him. But the more time she spends in the Underworld, the more she learns about its mysterious lord. Will her growing feelings for Erlick Khan keep her from her mission?

The first fourth of the book provides background and the lead up to Zerryn entering the Underworld to fulfill her mission. Honestly, I struggled to get through it. The writing was fine, but the frequent flashes between present and past gave my mind whiplash. It was hard to keep the timeline straight. However, once Zerryn got to the Underworld, the story really kicked off and kept my interest.

I really enjoyed the friendship between Zerryn and Beyza, a vampire and fellow contestant in the trials. Zerryn accepted Beyza as she was, and acknowledged Beyza’s vampire instincts without judging her for them. This is the kind of friendship I’d love to see more of in romantasy books.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I typically enjoy stories with enemies to lovers and this delivered. The relationship between Zerryn and Erlick was complicated and Zerryn was very often conflicted about her feelings for him. I do wish there had been more spice in the story, but that’s just personal preference.

Unfortunately this book didn't resonate with me. I found myself being told rather than shown who the characters were and I couldn't connect with them. The writing style wasn't for me.