What an absolutely breathtaking novel! I could not put it down! I binged it in a day and a half and I have no regrets! I feel like the author captivated me from the beginning! A must read and a must have physical copy!

A young woman ventures to the Underworld to save her friends and family by undertaking three tasks in order to win the hand of the Lord of Death.
An absorbing tale of myth and folklore. Yes this book is in the same vein as some others out there but it very much has its own identity. The story flows and captivates.
The relationship didn’t overpower the storytelling until much later in the book- and I preferred those first parts to be honest.
Yes you could the plot is tropey but it is done so well!

When it comes to crafting the intricacies of a relationship between two complex individuals with thought and mastery, Aden is in a class of her own. I’m so looking forward to see what else does the author has in store for us this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Northern Lights Press for the advanced copy.
This was a well-crafted, folklore-inspired book that I definitely enjoyed! I found the protagonist, Zerryn, to be fascinating, though she was frustrating at times with the way she was constantly flipping back and forth.
I really enjoyed the world-building, which was very vivid and unique! The cast of supporting characters were also standouts for me. (Minay and Beyza in particular were wonderful!) I found the beginning a little slow, but I really enjoyed myself once the trials started.
I do think this verged more into a dark romance than I expected, and it wasn’t really for me. However, the romance was well crafted, and I know it will definitely play well with other readers, just not me.
Ultimately, I was really compelled! I’m excited to see this on shelves, and I will definitely keep an eye on F.M. Aden’s writing in the future!

Wow. Okay. This book was weird but in the best way. Gothic and atmospheric. Full of Turkic mythology and gripping writing and characters that will keep you locked in til the last page. I love the death and maiden trope and three deadly tasks. This is the perfect stand alone fantasy when you need a good fantasy but don't want to commit to a series

"The Bride of Death" by FM Aden started off exactly as I wanted it to, giving me all the "Bear and the Nightingale" vibes. I absolutely books rooted in folklore and with a hint that these fairy tales or tales told to children by their grandparents/parents have a hint of truth about them. However as soon as it switched to the underworld, I wasn't so interested. This section is very much fantasy and it isn't a criticism of the author's writing but just my own personal preference and for me it was too fantasy. I will be on the look out though for more books by this author in future.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

This one is a 3.5 for me.
The writing style felt disjointed, and I didn't really connect with it- although I did enjoy Zerryn as a character. But the pacing was a bit slow.

Zerryn has always been a bit strange, even as a child, born with a bit of magic with the kernel of Life. Raised isolated and a bit wild, her only true friend is Celik a boy who would seems to accept Zerryn's strangeness.
Because of the magic she has, Erlik Kahn the demon ruler of the underworld, the Lord of Death fears her magic, for it is the only thing that could someday destroy him. Because of this, he taints her with his magic dark magic to counteract the kernel of life, and she is altered with a black eye. marking her as cursed, her village shuns her. Her eye allows her to see death. So see who will die soon. A heavy burden.
Celik becomes possessed by Erlik Kahn and Zerryn sacrifices everything to stop his dark prophecy, try to save Celik and save her village, if the Erlik can obtain a bride, he can overtake the world above, leave his domain in the underworld and run wild with wickedness. To do so, she dies- goes to the underworld to compete for the Erik's hand, if she can win the competition to become his wife, she can destroy him and stop his plans.


This is really a tale of a woman who comes into her own and accepts herself, and her powers and learns not to be afraid.
And who doesn't love an enemies to lovers story?

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Court of the Undead I was thrilled to see this new book and couldn't wait to read it.
I liked the enemies to lovers trope(who doesn't?) although it felt a little too insta-like(love) for me.
I loved the trials, competition is always a win especially a competition in the Underworld with evil mythical beings to boot.

The writing could still use some fine tuning and editing. I found a few spelling errors and some instances where I wasn't sure how we ended up in the setting or scenario. Going from one room to another, one setting to another without explanation..for example when Zarryn is a young child in the forest she falls and the scene following that is slightly confusing or when the three other challengers in the competition are being introduced each has their own paragraph giving a little summary of who/what they are except for Lale, I found that odd. I had hopes that we would figure out exactly how Daryn came into Zarryn's life and why she couldn't talk about Death...just some minor plot points that didn't connect for me. Lastly for a book about Death I was hoping for more darkness. I had a hard time accepting that Erlik would be so...nice(?) from the get go..I was expecting ruthlessness and more shock content.

I love supporting new authors and will continue to read whatever F.M Aden writes because even with some editing issues the story was entertaining and engaging!

I don't think this book was for me and I'm sad because it seems that many people enjoyed this story. I too thought that I would being that there were elements of folklore and magic woven into the story. Unfortunately, there were multiple things that I found I didn't end up enjoying about this book. First, Aden's writing style is something I do typically enjoy, however, I felt the biggest downfall and reason the book dragged for me was the characters. I didn't care about them. It wasn't that they were unlikable by any means. I'm pretty sure the main character was supposed to be a likable hero who would do anything to save her friend/lover and her village. That may have been the problem in that the author was trying too hard to make her innocent and likable. It had the opposite effect on me and I ended up finding her quite annoying. I also found that the repetitiveness of her reminding herself of her goal to save the village was a bit too much as well as her "strong" negative feelings towards the King of the Underworld. I probably should have looked more into the premise before picking this one up because I don't think I'm a fan of dark romances and that's what the book was hinting at. Anyway, these are just my thoughts. I know plenty of people enjoyed this book and rated it highly, so I'd still recommend it to a larger audience because it's possible you may enjoy it.

Let 2024 be the year we find men who see our wickedness and love us all the more for it!

“The Bride of Death” breathes life into familiar folktales as a girl caught between the land of the living and the underworld tries to save her love from the clutches of Death himself undergoing a series of trials to win his hand but in doing so she finds that maybe home is within the darkness below.

Ugh I loved every moment of this book!

The characterization was flawless and I adored each and every soul we meet in their own fun and cruel way. The overall arc and character growth amongst the main cast was so much fun to dive into and explore. Zerryn was a misunderstood girl who is trying to do her absolute best and each step she takes brings her closer to unlocking her truest self and becoming a strong woman in her own right and I loved every minute.

The plot is fun with a typical formula of a fantasy like competition backdrop however there were a few moments where I was surprised we didn’t lean into familiar tropes and it was refreshing to see those changes especially amongst the competitors. This book while heavy and fantastic in its romance can also stand tall with how it presents female companionship and I really enjoyed this those interactions played out.

When they mention Novik and Arden they aren’t kidding this book stands up against their familiar and wonderful titles and I look forward to devouring everything this author creates!

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

This was a dark and sensual standalone tale steeped in Turkic mythology. It's not mythology I'm overly familiar with, so it felt like a very fresh and unique tale, and I had a lot of fun researching the myths. While Erlik is the main focus of the story, we also get appearances from: Karaoğlanlar and Karakızlar, Susulu, Basty, Ubir, Korbolko, Yuxa, Irshi, Uylak, with many more cameos from folklore! Not to mention the incorporation of the Turkish language.

SUMMARY:
When Zerryn's best friend Çelik becomes possessed by Erlik Khan, the lord of the underworld, Zerryn sets out to do the impossible: defeat Death himself. She journeys to the underworld and enters a competition to become Erlik's bride, and in order to win she must win in three impossible trials. For the only way to take down Erlik is with the power he grants.

THOUGHTS:
I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. The first part of the story seemed a little hastily written. It spanned the early years of Zerryn's life in order to establish the relationship with Çelik and get her to the underworld. It felt more like an outline of a plot at this point, and I was worried the rest of the book would read the same way. But once we get to part 2, we get a lot more substance to the story. From here on out I really loved the story.

My only other complaint is the lack of spicy scenes. There were so many delicious scenes of them just kissing, and they were wonderful. But it culminated to nothing more. We get hints of them doing the deed but no explicit detail. I felt a little cockblocked honestly. But I get it if the author didn't want to venture into full smut territory.

I love a slow-burn, enemies to lovers romance, and I love an intimate relationship with Death. This was a perfect rendition of that. I loved that Zerryn loved that he had four arms because who wouldn't love a sexy eldritch man with four arms. I loved how their relationship developed, with Zerryn starting out as a symbol for good and then devolving into darkness, and Erlik showing the opposite. They were truly suited for each other.

I really liked how Zerryn befriended the other women participating in the trials, and mostly every other creature of myth she encountered. I love seeing women helping each other instead of tearing each other apart over a man. We love a sapphic relationship with a best vampire friend.

This was not for me. I was so bored and not invested in the plot at all, which is a shame because I usually love this kind of book. The writing just dragged, and I couldn't find my footing.

I finished this book in 24 hours and let me just say that I LOVED it. This book combined historical fiction, romance, fantasy, and the gothic into one dazzling story. I sometimes find that books dipping its toes in so many genres can sometimes loose themselves but this one totally delivered. It has a grotesque setting and some unsightly characters but the storyline is beautiful. It is based on Turkish folklore and fans of The Bear and the Nightingale will really enjoy this!

I really enjoyed the mythology behind this story and the way that the author was able to write the Lord of Death. I have read many romances where the FMC gets intertwined with Death and more often than not, the evil that Death does in those stories is portrayed as “not who he is” or as a mask. I’m here to report that that is not the case here. This Death is vengeful and angry (as I think he should be.) I can see people thinking that the romantic relationship is toxic but keeping in mind that it’s a story of the devil…it really shouldn’t be surprising that it isnt the healthiest.

I felt like the beginning was a little drawn out and choppy with the time jumps but they were definitely necessary in order to build the plot and understand the FMC’s motivations.

All of that said, I loved this so much and will certainly be reading anything else F. M. Aden releases.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.
This was a fascinating and gripping fantasy that kept me attached to my kindle until the last page. The plot was so well written, and full of details from Turkic mythology (which I had great fun researching - I knew nothing of this mythology, and it's so amazing I highly recommend you look it up yourself!).
Zerryn was a stubborn, clever, and strong young woman and I loved her so much! Despite the villagers not liking her, she risked everything to save them. Her story arc was one with real Scorpio energy and I WAS HERE FOR IT!
I highly recommend this book, it will give you everything you're looking for, and if you're in a reading slump, this will reach down in that dreadful pit, and bring you back up to the land of the readers.

Thank you for the arc of “Bride of Death”

Winter fantasy vibes. Reminded me of a mixture of the kingdom of the wicked and winternight. A story full of imagery lore and legends. The world building was incredible and just added so much depth to the story.

The mutual love between Zerryn and her father (Hakan) was so touching I was crying in the second chapter. I also love her ghost friend Minay, and the princes of the underworld. The court of the underworld was odd but in a good way, horrifyingly amazing and unique.

The LI is the definition or morally grey if you can really even call him that. You love to hate him and hate to live him.

The “Bride of Death” is a story of sacrifice, duty, trials and enemies to lovers romance at its best. I was hooked from the beginning to the end and loved this book whole heartedly

This book was so good!

The writing was great. It was the perfect mix of lyrical and dark and it fit the overall tone of the book very well. I also enjoyed the folklore elements that were present throughout the story.

I was immediately hooked by the premise of a mortal girl competing in trials to become the bride of Death in order to save the people she loves. The trials were well described and I liked how they were utilized to progress not only the plot but the character relationships as well.

I really liked our main character, Zerryn. She was strong but flawed and I enjoyed seeing her character arc throughout the story. As for the main relationship, there was the perfect amount of tension, banter, and barriers to where I truly did not know where it would end up. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to whatever F.M. Aden writes in the future!

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and Net Galley.

I did really enjoy this and I raced through it reading in just a couple of days. It was gripping, compelling and I really needed to know what happened. I did have some small issues with it but overall this was an exciting read.

I loved the setting and folklore in this book. It’s absolutely magical. This is a wonderful exploration of death magic. It’s recommended for fans of Spinning Silver and The Bear and the Nightingale and I’d heartily agree with that (I also loved both those books). This book follows Zerryn who is raised on folklore stories by her nanny which gives her a unique knowledge. She also is touched by death as a child giving her a strange looking pupil and earns her the whispers and suspicion of local townsfolk. She’s protected largely by her father but goes to live with her grandmother where she’s exposed to more people. In a bid to save the life of the boy she loves who is also her best friend she must brush with death again and complete a set of trials.

The trials were great, this trope has been getting a little tired in some books lately, however it’s done well here. They are challenging and require creative thinking from our main character. I liked the magic in this book, both death magic and other types that we come across throughout the book.

I was worried towards the end about the direction the book was going in, however the author pulled it back at the end and I understood why they made the choices they did.

My small issues were: the love/hate dialogue was repeated too frequently between the main characters. I felt a bit conflicted about the romance as it’s somewhat toxic, now the male MC is the Lord of death so he clearly wasn’t going to be a sweetheart and reading it in this toxic meant I could still enjoy the book, however at times it did feel uncomfortable. The jump between the early story to the next part in the tower happened so quickly that it was a bit jarring and hard to understand Zerryn’s motivation for the extreme choice and action she takes.

Enjoyed this and it is a book I would read again.

This was a book that I knew nothing about. The title was intriguing and the short blurb I read about it seemed interesting, so I thought I would give it a shot. I'm SO glad I did!

The novels feels like a retelling of a folktale, with the princess at the center rather than the prince. It felt warmly familiar in many ways, though it more often than not surprised me.

There were many things that I loved about the novel: it's unique vision, it's delightful characters and friendships, the sense of adventure even in the darkest times, the description of the underworld and its denizens, and especially the relationships between the main characters.

The characters are beautifully written and I keep wanting to know what will happen next. I was strangely invested in not only Zerryn and Erlik, who are the two main characters, but I was particularly fond of the secondary characters of Yuxa, Minay, and Beyza as well.

In fact, I found myself so invested in them that I often found myself turning each page with a small sense of dread, expecting something horrible to happen to one of them. I found myself wishing for certain things to happen and for the story to go a certain way. It's not often that I find myself wishing for more predictability in a book!

There was very little that I disliked about the book. I admit that I had trouble with some of the non-English words in the first couple of chapters, describing the various spirits that haunt the forest near the heroine's home, but luckily the book includes a glossary at the back.

There were also a couple of times when starting a new chapter (particularity the first few chapters), I had the feeling that I'd missed something. The author used early chapter breaks to skip ahead in time, focusing on what we next needed to know, rather than a whole drawn out telling of a life lived.

At first I wasn't thrilled with it, but once we got into the thick of things I more fully understood the author's creative choice; these “missing parts” weren't necessary and would have slowed down the narrative. Although it was a bit jarring at first, I'm really glad I just “went with it” and kept going.

The story, without giving too much away, revolves around Zerryn, a common village girl in Asia Minor who has an affinity for taking care of the plants and animals around her, a gift of sorts. Çelik is the childhood friend that she loves who becomes possessed by the devin in the form of the lord of the dead and of the underworld, Erlik Khan.

To save Çelik and rid her village from the misery and famine that Erlik Khan has brought them, Zerryn must go on a quest into the land of the dead! She descends into the underworld and must withstand three trials in order to claim the right to marry Erlik Khan, and become the queen of the underworld, whereby she would then have the power to destroy him and free Çelik and her village. At least... that was the plan.

Needless to say it all goes horribly pear shaped and many truths are revealed along the way. By the end of the novel you're not entirely sure who you should be cheering for, but you will undoubtedly have your favourites.

It's a wonderful, wild ride! This novel was worth every minute that I devoted to it and my only regret is that it ended too soon.

This is not a Young Adult novel. I believe it was written with an adult audience in mind. That said, there are very few sexual situations (nothing graphic), and there is no swearing or explicit violence. I believe the story is suitable for mature readers even if they are teens. It makes the reader ask themselves a lot of “big” questions, and there are some interesting philosophical dilemmas that add an extra layer to the storytelling. It is a novel that will stay with you.

SImply stunning.

The Bride of Death follows a young girl, Zerryn, from childhood to adulthood, centring around her encounter with The Lord of Death at a very young age and how this affects her as she grows up.

She’s heard tales of The Lord (Erlik) and the dark creatures at his mercy, but when her closest friend is in danger at his hands, she has no choice but to face death head on. Entering the underworld to take Erlik down, she discovers something about herself that she absolutely was not expecting.

In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into with this book having never read any books within this genre before. I usually read rom-com type books so this was a step into the unknown.

Had I known what was in for, I’d have hurtled into the unknown a lot sooner!

This book was beautiful. Dark, but beautiful. Aden’s written descriptions of the underworld are visually captivating and the emotional connections you’re able to make with the characters as a result of her writing style are incredible.

I was so torn because I couldn’t put this book down as I needed to keep reading, but I also didn’t want it to end so had to make myself slow down! Exactly the reaction a great book should generate.

I would (and already have) recommend this book without hesitation.

Thank you for the read.

The Bride of Death by far is the most interesting book that I have read this year! I have never done any reading of folklore/mythology from Turkic/Mongolian peoples and WOW! I am so glad I went into this story completely blind. I love how books open a whole new world that you have never would have thought to explore.
The Bride of Death felt a lot like a mix between The Bear and the Nightingale with a bit of House of Salt and Sorrows for me in the writing style, which has a way of you excited but also nervouse to turn the page!
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking to expand their knowledge of various folklore through a gothic romantasy adventure.