Special thanks to Netgalley and Thelma Mantey for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. The story was very compelling and the characters had distinct personalities (and are fleshed out). In addition, the pacing was spot on, while the book took me longer to read than expected, I enjoyed every minute of it.

There were some glaring errors, while it didn't continue throughout the story, the introduction had way too many metaphors. There were also multiple spelling errors and misuses of words that decreased the readability (which took me out of the moment). While this is a higher rating than I would normally give an ARC with these issues. The story was so interesting and I am very excited for the next book in the series.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

full review to come.

I think if you go into this book just wanting to overall enjoy the vibes and main tropes of it you’ll have a good time! It felt a little off paced for me personally but overall i had a good time, it did what i needed it to do which was just to be a good time. A nice palette cleanser!

This book was surprisingly dark. That being said the trigger warning adequately prepared me. The world building was amazing. It was one of my favorite things about this book. The magic system was easy to follow but also entirely its own. The romance was giving enemies to lovers but slow burrrrrn. The main characters were hard to mesh with and I found myself often hoping they’d get more interesting. However every other aspect made me really enjoy this book.

Rating: 3 stars

All in all, I found this story to be engaging. At no point was I bored and the world's magic intrigued me. that being said, I found a couple of issues with it:

Reading the first few chapters, I felt like we skipped a couple of chapters and put in the thick of things. I say this figuratively because not much is actually happening.

I felt that the plot meandered a little. it didn't feel substantial to me until after the climax- Ha ha-hit.
We are basically playing catch-up along with the protagonist for 80% of the entire thing. Which isn't exactly bad per se. It just didn't suit my taste at present.

I had issues with the Singers, their attitudes and personalities. I didn't think a bunch of centuries-old beings would behave so... unbefitting of their ages. Like a bunch of mean girls... if they were hundreds of years old and could kill with their voices alone... Wait. Scratch that last part.

I also felt the dialogue between characters could be a little...stilted at times. Clunky.
Other than these, I quite liked the characters just fine. The main character, Vindt, took a little getting used to but I loved Asche and his snarky attitude.

With what was revealed at the end, I am curious to know where the next book would lead our protagonist. And hopefully, more details to patch up some weak areas in established lore. I look forward to the next one.

**Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Ocean's Blood is an interesting debut from Thelma Mantey.

It's centered around Vindt, a noble's son who was kidnapped and forced into slavery by the mysterious Singers, superhuman beings who can determine the tide of any given war with their songs (various songs can heal or destroy). He becomes caught up in the machinations of Asche, a powerful Singer who sits on their High Council, even as he relentlessly seeks the freedom he's been denied for the past ten years.

There's a lot of interesting stuff here, including a compelling central relationship between two unequal beings that's upended by Vindt's refusal to cede his agency to Asche (or any of the other Singers).

I felt like there were some pacing issues throughout Ocean's Blood, particularly the first half. That said, I was engaged enough in the relationship between Vindt and Asche (and in Asche's machinations) that I kept going and I'm glad I did.

Mantey drops the reader into the heart of the action without much initial world building; whether that works for any given reader will depend on part regarding the reader's tolerance for some initial confusion. I personally would have liked to see more initial introduction to the universe and some of the concepts (which can be accomplished without the dreaded info dump).

I feel like the "Captive Prince meets Interview with the Vampire" marketing actually does it a bit of a disservice. There is a scene that is very similar to one in Captive Prince, and I actually think I would have appreciated the scene more if the obvious parallel hadn't been right at the forefront of my mind.

I found myself thinking about Ocean's Blood once I was done and I'll definitely pick up the second book. So all in all, a flawed but highly intriguing debut.

Heed the tw.

Ocean's Blood by Thelma Mantey is a captivating dark fantasy novel that weaves together elements of hatred, obsession, and forbidden desire. Set in a world rich with unique lore, the story introduces us to Vindt, a lord's son whose tranquil life is shattered when his homeland falls to Singers—beings with dark song magic.

The Singers, though human in appearance, possess powers that fail only against the demons hunting them. Their secret weapon? A rare and valuable "trait" found in certain humans—one that allows Singers to commandeer their voices. Vindt, unwittingly possessing this trait, becomes bound to a Singer by blood. His struggle for freedom intensifies as he grapples with his newfound connection.

Enter Asche, a smug and mischievous Singer. Their egos clash from day one, but their meeting is no mere coincidence. Asche needs Vindt—for liberation from the curse that plagues their kind or perhaps for more sinister motives. Amidst this conflict, Vindt faces an unexpected adversary: his own feelings for someone he should despise.

Asche's enemies dangle freedom before Vindt, but the price is high: deliver Asche into their hands. The stakes are raised, and Vindt must choose between loyalty, desire, and survival. Thelma Mantey's debut promises a thrilling journey through a morally gray landscape where love and betrayal entwine in equal measure.

Thank for you the opportunity but unfortunately this is DNF for me. I tried starting a couple of times couldn't get into the story.

Phew! This book was an unexpected surprise. However, first I would kindly like to thank the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. Now, I have to say I went into this book very neutral, it looked interesting, had an interesting summary, but wasn’t expecting anything. Let me tell you though, by the end I was devouring this book. I was metaphorically, rattling the bars of my cage demanding answers and I loved every second of it.

Speaking of which, the book really doesn’t hold your hand in terms of world building. It throws you in and you just need to swim and the world building is comprehensive. There is languages, names, cultures, places, and mythologies that you just need to collect and piece together. It’s actually been a while since I’ve had that kind of total world building in my books. I enjoyed discovering both Vindt’s culture and the mysteries behind the Singers.

The Singers are such an interesting concept. When I saw the cover and read the summary, I was expecting something closer to sirens, but instead I got these god-like creatures of unfathomable origins. There’s something so sinister about them in the way that their very existence seems to be in the face of nature, which is funny since they mention that the ultimate fate all Singers face is to keep the balance. But the very existence of a creature that can determine the fate of a conflict for something as simple as Kingdom A paid more than Kingdom B is insane! My mind has been twisting and turning trying to even conceptualize such an existence. Which makes me feel very much like Vindt.

As somebody who sympathizes with Vindt, he was my favourite character. I am a villain lover as the day is long, but Vindt is just relatable as a fantasy main character. He fully encapsulates “God let me live another day and I’m going to make it everybody’s problem.” Except its, “Gaal let me survive the battle of Pel and now I’m going to be as spiteful as possible.” Which…. come one… how can you not respect that … honestly, it’s the attitude I strive for. I do think Asche and his unknown plans are interesting, but I truly want him to eat a huge slice of humble pie. Especially after the ending, if you know you know, me and Vindt were basically feeling the same emotions during the last chapter. I know we’re supposed to cheer their romance on, but I just want Vindt to put Asche in his place and then maybe they can act as equals and figure out their emotions … I suppose.

In short, I went in expecting an enjoyable experience, but I instead fell into the book. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and letting the pieces of knowledge full around me, building up to the revelations of the last couple chapters. I honestly can’t wait to see what happens next and I’m going to be Vindt’s biggest cheerleader because he needs to show those Singers what humanity can do!

Release date: Jan 29, 2024
**Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Pros
+ blood-bound amplifier Vindt & deadly singer Asche
+ fantasy with m/m romance
+ super slow-burn (there isn't outright romance in the first book, just set-up for it)
+ eldritch horror monsters abound
+ a master/slave-servant dynamic
+ excellent balance between action, character arcs, and relationship development
+ the timing between reveals and action is so good
+ comparable to Captive Prince by CS Pacat based off of first book (enemies at first, bound together to survive, people want to kill them everywhere, Asche has hidden plans upon hidden plans, court machinations, collar/cuffing, forced proximity, whipping as punishment for touching)
+ Can't wait to see how Vindt and Asche's romance develops. I hope the slow-burn continues like Captive Prince. There isn't any romance in the first book either, but it is one of the best romances by the end because of the set-up. Just have to trust the author to get us there in the end!

Cons
- You're dropped into action immediately, which is fine, except there are many character/place names to remember so at first it was a bit overwhelming.
- Even knowing all the names, the fact that there were so many made the narrative a bit dense at times.

4.5/5 I thought this was great! Good world building, good characters, good tension! It felt very real emotionally in that there wasn’t always just good or just bad feelings but very gray areas that Vindt lived in. Overall this is a darker/moody noveI but it was nuanced and i liked that. Definitely not a romance more maybe enemies to lovers. The story was very compelling and did not pan out the way I was expecting based on the blurb which was exciting.

I thought that the prose was strong and the differences between Vindt and Asche speaking were very clear and enjoyable. I could hear Asche speaking in my head. I cannot wait for the second installment and am really excited for this to release!

Thank you to NetGalley for access to the ARC!

Ocean's Blood is a dark gay fantasy novel that really does do a brilliant job of revealing how the line between hatred and obsession can be almost invisible.

This book is amazingly complex with its own unique lore and world building that is genuinely so well thought out that it surprised me to the point where I had to reread just to make sure I got all the details. For me, this book was relatively easy to read but, I'm aware that for some people, this story could become complex very quickly, with events happening in quick succession and twisted games being played both on and off-page by characters.

One thing that makes this book stick out for me is how easy it is to both hate and adore the characters simultaneously with nothing to differentiate if you should or shouldn’t back them. No character is ever really good, and no character is ever really evil; each character has their own individual motivations and reasons for being and it is a really well brought-across feature of the book. Morally grey characters can be difficult to write well, but Mantey does it with grace.

Mantey discusses themes of struggle, obsession, hatred and love throughout this book and I think it's a beautiful representation of all these emotions. Everything discussed is raw and vulnerable and I don't think in any way presented falsely. Often I feel as though the topic of suicide and the thoughts surrounding the topic are either overly exaggerated or downplayed but Mantey does the topic a great service with her inclusion of the topic.

Personally, this book was a brilliant read and I’m very happy to have been able to read this.

"golden boy"

In a word, Ocean's Blood is a complicated book: the characters, their actions, and their moral views all had my head spinning.

Let's start with the things that I liked: first and foremost, I absolutely loved the world-building. I really enjoy reading about worlds where the author has obviously spent a lot of time and thought: although there were a a whole lot of details provided about Singers, Verdurs, local customs and other various aspects of the world where the novel takes place, it did not feel like information dumping at all and I could easily follow along; explanations were offered in small doses and only when relevant. The pacing was generally consistent and the plot's flow was quite natural. I also loved the characters to bits, their dynamics especially, and a certain sassy drama queen Kvahad-thed specifically. I had mixed feelings about the narrative, but mostly, I thought the prose was rather beautiful: though some might call it elaborate, I do not think flowery writing should inherently be considered a bad thing.

As for the things I did not like about this book: (SPOILER) Vindt's seemingly inconsistent attitude toward same-sex relationships: even though he had asserted multiple times in the narrative that, according to him, sex between Singers was unlikely/unthinkable because they were all males, when he was later presented with evidence of the act taking place between two men that he personally knew and was in immediate contact with, he accepted it rather casually and just moved on: it felt like a clash between "I'm only gay for you" and the author's either deliberate or unconscious effort not to make him seem outright homophobic. Another thing that irked me was, while the novel's pace was on the slow side for the most part, the scene where he was first bound to Asche felt rather rushed and awkward. While reading it, I had the vague impression that I missed a page or two.

Still, the worst thing about this book is that it's barely out, but I already want the next one XD.

All in all, Ocean's Blood is truly an enjoyable read with a promising plot and just the right amount of angst, banter, and sexual tension (the holy trinity of quality MM). After taking into consideration the trigger warnings, if you enjoy dark fantasy and morally grey characters, this might be for you.

I like that I’ve not heard of this concept before. This story feels fresh and interesting. I want to know more about the events leading up to this story and more about the characters involved. I felt like the pacing was good up until the end. I do have some problems with some of how the relationships developed. The power dynamics are unsettling and I’m sure if that can be reversed if future installments(or even if that is the direction intended). The end does leave you wanting to know more. I’m not sure if it’s my cup of tea, but I’m sure it is somebody’s. I will look at the second book when it’s available.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️

"With my blood, I bind you. I bind your body and your soul. My blood will fulfill your destiny."

Let me start by saying I loved Anne Rice growing up, so for me this was an instant like already! Also - please check the TW on this as it is a dark fantasy and there are sensitive topics.

We meet Vindt, a Thyd, a human tied to a Singer to be the conduit when using their powers, bound to them for life, when their Singer dies, they too die. He has a deep hatred of his Singer, bound to them with no choice for the rest of his life, it's not the story he wanted for himself. He is single-minded with a deep, deep hatred of the bond, he will stop at nothing to free himself or he will die trying.

Our Singer in this story is Asche, a cunning and devious character, charismatic in his own right, he is an amazing character, very well written as you truly cannot read him in some scenarios, which adds to his mystery. Singer's are a vampire of sorts, they have a magic voice in which they can evoke chaos, killing millions or heal an entire army, using the Thyd for help and protection. They bind themselves to the Thyd's through a bond forged through blood, that cannot be broken.

This is not your typical MM fantasy book, the burn is so slow, you don't realise it until at last 50% in, but what we get is incredible world-building, plot driven events, with a carefully constructed and super imaginative magic system (which I love!), and violence. The lust and tension between our MC's at times is overwhelming, it makes you think is this as a result of the bond or is it something more?

I am absolutely here for this and for the next book, I cannot wait to see what happens, will we get a HEA?

What to expect:
• M/M
• Morally grey men
• Only one horse
• Demons, magic, violence and blood!
• Enemies to chaos

I enjoyed Ocean's Blood and put everything on hold to read it in one day. This book was more complex than I was expecting, and it has a very unique take on vampires and a fantasy world. I really enjoyed reading about the world in which this book was set, and I like that the author took the time to fully describe and immerse the reader in it. Ocean's Blood features non-human (though human looking) beings called Singers that have their own loose government system and can be hired to help humans win wars. However, each Singer needs a human to help them channel their magical singing which is where the main character comes in.

The main character in this book has a complex, traumatic past and seeing him start to become more in control of his life and make his own choices was one of my favorite parts of the book. I also really appreciated that the book is a very slow-burn. For these characters, one who hates being bound to a Singer and one who is the new Singer bound to him, I would not have felt that the relationship was real if it had not taken a long time to build up to it.

That being said this book is not quite enemies to lovers. It is definitely the first in a series, and it will take longer for these characters to potentially reach a HEA. I am just sad about waiting until the next book.

"With my blood, I bind you. I bind your body and your soul. My blood will fulfill your destiny. You will be my shield and my sword. You will be my voice. You will depend on me as I will depend on you. You will defend my life with yours, and I will do the same for you. This Bond is sacred. It shall only be broken by death."

This book grabbed me from the first sentence, establishing a grim world with high stakes. The narrative style is easy to follow and the worldbuilding is woven in without stopping the story to monologue/infodump. That does mean I experienced a certain level of confusion for the first part of the book but so does our MC so I didn't mind. I was wary with the Captive Prince comparison but it's a perfect series to compare Ocean's Blood to. If that series rocked your world like it did mine, it's definitely worth giving this book a shot. Heads up – just like Captive Prince, this book is just the beginning of a story so it doesn't end in a HFN or HEA. I'm so glad I picked up this book and now I'm dying to read the next book!


- Morally gray MCs
- ACTUAL enemies to lovers!! This is so rare to find
- The slowest of slow burns
- Dark queer fantasy
- Captive Prince but add vampires
- All from Vindt's pov

TW: blood drinking, sexual content, dubcon, torture, war, past suicide attempt mentioned

4⭐️

I genuinely enjoyed this book, but there were times where I felt like I couldn’t fully understand what was going on.

I was very intrigued when I saw it was compared to the Captive Prince, as I enjoyed that series.
It’s not what I would normally have picked out for myself as I’m not a dark fantasy person, but it didn’t disappoint!

It definitely picked up in the second half of the book, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Vincent and Asche.

I definitely recommend checking out TWs before picking up this book as there are some darker themes that can be triggering.

“ʜɪs ɢᴀᴢᴇ ғᴀsᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀsᴄʜᴇ, ᴄᴀʀᴇʟᴇssʟʏ ᴅʀᴀᴘᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʜɪs ᴄʜᴀɪʀ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴘɪᴛᴏᴍᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴғɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʟᴇ ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴏғ ᴜɴᴇᴀʀᴛʜʟʏ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇs ᴀ sᴇᴀ ᴏғ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋɴᴇss.”

“ᴀ ᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʜɪs ᴛʜʀᴏɴᴇ, ᴀ ɢᴏᴅ ᴏғ ᴀʀʀᴏɢᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛʏ.”

“ᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀʙɪᴇs ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴜsᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴏɴ ᴛʀᴇᴇs, ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ. ғᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ sɪɴɢᴇʀs ᴅɪᴅ ᴇxɪsᴛ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜs ɴᴏᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏғ ᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀs ʙᴜᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ, ᴛᴏ ᴇᴠᴏʟᴠᴇ, ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴛᴀɢɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ.”

“sᴏ, ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ʙᴏʏ, ɴᴇxᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ɪɴ ᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘ, ᴛʜᴇ sʟᴀᴠᴇ— ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ.”

When I originally picked up Ocean's Blood, it was purely because of the stunning cover I had seen floating around, and the taste for something different from my usual read. Thelma Mantey definitely delivered with Vindt and Asche's story, which is enriched in plot and lore; without stunting the stories overall flow.

Vindt begrudgingly finds himself once again trapped in servitude—a Thyd to a Singer—without any means of an escape that wouldn't result in an eternity of inflicted pain in the pits of Thithid, a hell of a different kind to his current one. And even that option has been stripped from Vindt, and by a Singer, adding gasoline to his already burning hate for the breathtakingly beautiful beings, whose songs have immobilised enemies in their tracks.

All the burning antagonism on display, and core manipulation, makes this ensnaring power play unputdownable. And has me begging for their return, as we have only superficially breached its surface, and I can't wait to see what Mantey serves up from the depths of The Drowning. And the morally gray characters that you will loathe to love. Love them I did, especially game loving Asche with his underwater octopus decorated—outwardly monstrous looking home. I think he will be the most captivating of puzzles.