"The Bride of Death" by F.M. Aden takes readers on a mystical and gripping journey into a world filled with legends, demons, and untold power. Set in a small village, the story revolves around a young girl named Zerryn, whose life takes a dramatic turn when her best friend, Çelik, becomes possessed by the Lord of Death himself, Erlik Khan. As the rumors of Çelik's possession and the growing influence of the demon spread, Zerryn realizes that she must confront Erlik Khan and save her friend from a fate worse than death. One of the book's strengths lies in its ability to immerse readers in a vividly depicted world. Aden masterfully weaves a tale of mythology and folklore, bringing to life the mystical realm of Erlik Khan and the challenges faced by Zerryn. The descriptions of the village, the crumbling estate atop Mount Ida, and the eerie presence of the demon within Çelik create a palpable sense of tension and suspense that keeps readers eagerly turning the pages. Moreover, the character development in "The Bride of Death" is commendable. Zerryn's transformation from a timid and reserved girl to a strong-willed protagonist is captivating to witness. Her determination to save her friend, coupled with her realization of the sacrifices she must make, adds depth and complexity to her character. The internal struggle she faces when presented with the daunting task of becoming Erlik Khan's bride showcases her resilience, making her a relatable and compelling heroine. Throughout the narrative, Aden skillfully maintains a steady pace, ensuring that readers remain engaged from start to finish. The plot takes unexpected twists and turns, keeping readers on edge and eager to discover the outcome of Zerryn's journey. The three impossible tasks she must complete to become Erlik's bride introduce a fascinating element of challenge, adding layers of suspense and intrigue to the story. "The Bride of Death" delves into themes of sacrifice, friendship, and the fight against darkness. Aden's prose is eloquent, painting vivid images and evoking a range of emotions within the reader. The fusion of fantasy, mythology, and elements of romance creates a unique reading experience that appeals to fans of multiple genres. In conclusion, "The Bride of Death" is a captivating novel that transports readers to a fantastical world where the line between good and evil blurs. F.M. Aden's imaginative storytelling, compelling characters, and skillful pacing make it a must-read for fans of fantasy and mythology. Prepare to be enthralled by Zerryn's journey as she confronts her fears, battles ancient forces, and discovers her inner strength.

If you liked The Bear and the Nightingale, you'll love this one, although it's a little more NSFW, but not terribly so.

Amazing book based on Turkish folklore. I absolutely love these books that blend folkloric tales with increasing Christianity and also try to humanise the traditional 'villians'. In this case it was the Lord of Death. It is a bit tropey, but it doesn't detract from a fantastic read.

There's good pacing, great characters, and a good plot. I would love to read more like this.

Brilliantly written book with the feel of being inside traditional folklore. This story takes place in Asia Minor and uses the mythology of that area to good effect. The characters are vibrant and deep and the plot itself is fraught with challenges as well as decisions that twist the heart as well as emotions. We are presented with a supposedly simple story of a girl who journeys into the underworld to free her betrothed and save her village by marrying it's king. But there is so much more to this story. The woman herself learning to rely on her own power instead of the men around her. The charm of the King of the dead himself. Her personal magic vs the magic of death. What will she choose and are those she's fighting for actually worth the price she is paying. This is a fantastically written book with a complex world based off mythology of the region. The author does some amazing things here and at the end you are torn and tattered but pleased in general. Great book give it a read. Thanks Netgalley and the Publishers for a first look at this book.

So it’s not that the book is bad….its just it didn’t go in the direction I thought it was going to go…and it made it disappointing.

Without spoiling much, the surprises felt forced…almost as if they happened just so the reader would expect the opposite. Characters felt basic enough to where you forget them. Nothing outstanding.

Thank you for the copy.

Unfortunately, I just did not connect with this book. For starters, I found the characters rather bland and one-dimensional. The protagonist Zerryn read much younger than she was supposed to be, often acting bratty and immature and not showing any real motivations for her actions. For instance, she would claim to despise Erlik and want nothing more than to kill him while simultaneously getting offended if he spoke to any other contestants or if he ignored her summons for any length of time.

Many things throughout the book were told to the readers rather than being shown, such as how good Zerryn is, such as making splints for injured animals, or how Erlik spared her grandmother’s life long ago for Zerryn’s sake. It made it difficult to care about and connect with the characters a lot of the time.

The pacing of the story seemed frequently to be inconsistent. Seeing any of Zerryn’s preparations for the tasks would have been a fascinating way to learn more about the mythology. Instead, the story would usually just skip over those parts and Zerryn would somehow know exactly what she had to do as the task started. It cheapened the experience and the feeling of her earning her way through the trials.

The mythology of the story and the various creatures such as the Korbolko were interesting, and I do wish we got to see more. While I did enjoy some of the side characters as well, such as Berk and the dark children of Erlik, I wish we would have seen more of them, to get to know more of their lives and their motivations throughout the story. It often seemed as though they were an afterthought, or forgotten altogether.

Overall, this story had potential, and it had its good qualities. If you’re looking for just a simple dark romance story, you may enjoy it. However, there unfortunately is not much substance and I likely will not recommend it to others. 2/5 stars.

This is exactly what I wanted it to be. It was a well written and I loved how unique it was. And thank you for not glamorizing the Underworld even though I’m a sucker for those types lol this was really good!

[Full review to be posted on release day]

I was initially drawn to this book because of the comparison to Uprooted by Naomi Novik, one of my favorite books. While parts of it lived to that potential, other parts failed. I had some issues with the pacing, especially at the beginning. This lead to issues with the characters being one dimensional.

Despite this, I adored the gothic ambiance of this book. After the first 30%, the pace really improves. I found myself having so much fun reading about the rich world the author crafted. The Underworld descriptions were so cool, and I loved how Erlik was written. Not to mention, the main character Zerryn was actually quite likeable!

Overall, this was a gothic page-turner with an intriguing premise and a solid plot. Some improvements could be made with regards to the pacing at the beginning, but I’d totally recommend this anyway!

Unfortunate DNF for me! I may come back to this at some point, but for now the writing just felt muddled and confused, especially in terms of the pacing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. I really enjoyed the evocative writing of the story but felt like the story could be improved upon. I liked the characters but did not feel overly attached to them and their struggle. However, the atmosphere and tone of the story really shifted and got better as I read. It was an interesting novel. 3 stars.

Rounding up to 3 ✨

was lured in by references to it being like one of my favourite books.... and it failed to lice up to that.
Taking that out of the way, it still wasn't a book I felt I connected with in any way.
Interesting idea, but for ME,it just didn't work.

I enjoyed the writing style more towards the end, but by then, I just wasn't invested.

A dark, sensual tale seeped in Turkish mythology with a loveable female lead and slow-burn romance

My final rating is 3.5 ✰ because I feel like there are a few things that could be improved on but overall I devoured this book at warp speed!

We are introduced to Zerryn as a young girl and told the story of how one night as she dances in the woods, she falls to hit her head and dies, travelling to the Underworld where Erlik Khan (aka The Devil/Death) makes one of her eyes turn black. Zerryn has no recollection of this afterwards, but can curiously sense when someone is about to die and the villagers seem to resent her due to her new eeriness.
She moves away with her grandma to a more accepting village and meets Çelik, with whom they become childhood sweethearts growing up. That is until Çelik is mysteriously possessed by Erlik Khan, who torments him as well as her village. Zerryn agrees to go to the Underworld with the plan to compete in becoming Erlik's bride in order to overpower him and save her village and her love.

Let's start off with Zerryn. She's a really likeable character, kind and resourceful. She has a strong moral compass and is determined to do what is right, sacrificing herself for Çelik and the villagers. Aden does a good job of characterising her, although in the first 20% of the novel as the plot builds up to the trials, we are told a lot of stuff about her, rather than shown - such as her ability to grow and nurture life (something that is quite integral to the plot later, as we find out it links to her magic). I would have appreciated the character building to be a bit more fleshed out at the beginning, whereas I felt we rushed through Zerryn's childhood years too quickly.

I also found the writing improved as the book progressed, which was odd. Firstly, the initial 20-25% of the book for me was way to similar to The Bear and the Nightingale. Thankfully, the story comes into it's own once Zerryn meets Erlik but that first stretch had me worried we were going to get a (substandard) carbon copy of Morozko and Vasya. Secondly, the writing initially was littered with what I can only describe as the most confusing metaphors/similes I've ever read.
"Zerryn grinned wider, as sharp as wolves cutting their teeth on their prey."

"her hair knotted in a messy braid, curls popping out like overstitched buttons"

"crevices lined his face like breadcrumbs"


I'm sorry ... what? None of the above help me picture the scene any more at all, which is surely the point. All this confusing, flowery prose disappears after the first 1/4 of the book, and hopefully the editor gets rid of the rest before it's published.

Now, onto the things I liked:
The rest of the story is really original and well-paced. I enjoyed reading about the trials Zerryn has to do, I liked how she befriends her opponents and especially her friendship with Beyza the ubir. It was refreshing to see a non-toxic female friendship even as they competed for the same man. The trials were challenging enough to build tension in the novel, and they added to the richness of the world by introducing other mythical creatures.

The descriptions of the Underworld were also fantastic and gross at the same time. If you want gothic vibes, it has them all. I liked how Aden made the Underworld a bit rotting and grim rather than trying to glamorise it all.

I thought Erlik was written rather well. I liked how his physical description was a nod to the angels in the Bible (he is a fallen angel after all) with their multiple eyes and scary/beautiful appearance. He never pretends to be anything less than evil, but Aden somehow makes us sympathise with his emotions. Never have I ever thought I'd feel sad for the devil! We see Zerryn's initial loathing of him turn to compassion and eventually love, and the reader goes on that same journey.

Their love story is quite dark and definitely not healthy (could it ever be, considering he's the devil?) but very entertaining to read. I enjoyed their banter, and the sexual tension between them.

Lastly, I found the ending a touch disappointing. Not enough to taint the reading experience but I was expecting something a bit more interesting. I also felt that the confrontation between Erlik/Zerryn/Çelik was less rushed and felt that both Zerryn and Çelik made some rather out of character choices in that scene. Hence why I couldn't quite rate it four full stars.

Overall, if you're looking for a dark, twisty love story with lots of adventure and gothic vibes this is a great book for that. Definitely enjoyed reading it despite some of it's minor flaws!