Karolina Wilde's 'Masters of Blood' offers a fresh twist on the Hades and Persephone myth, blending elements of vampires and political intrigue in a setting reminiscent of the far north of GOT. While the premise holds promise and the plot is engaging, the execution falls short due to editing issues and inconsistent characterization. The protagonist, FMC, comes across as insufferable rather than intentionally complex, detracting from the overall reading experience.

Despite its flaws, the novel shines in its world-building and the dynamic relationship between Anika and Levana, who authentically embody the bond of best friends navigating political tensions and alliances. However, the continuous errors in spelling and grammar, along with inconsistent tone and dialogue, prove distracting and detract from the story's immersion. While 'Masters of Blood' offers moments of intrigue and spice, it ultimately struggles to deliver a cohesive narrative, leaving readers longing for a more polished execution.

This book surprised me, it was the right amount of plot and spice. It had Vampires, Fated mates, kidnapping, found family and some comedy in it.

The characters were good, I liked Orion and Anika the most and I look forward to Anikas book next. Overall the relationship between Orion and Levana was good there was enough enemies to lovers in there as well and I liked the light bondage the book had.

Overall I thought it was a good vampire romance and I enjoyed it! There were a few word slips where they weren’t in the correct tense but other than that it was well written.

This is a Hades x Persephone retelling that is advertised as for ACOTAR fans (but really isn't?). Not every book can be for fans of ACOTAR and that's okay, but advertising it as such puts a certain expectation in your readers mind before they even start...

The tropes were well chosen and the plot had a ton of potential but unfortunately there were too many missing pieces and typos to overlook. A lot of the story was predictable in a way that some readers might enjoy but the ending left me wanting more.

I will say, this is a more light-hearted fantasy (less emphasis on war and fighting) so if you're just looking for a good time and to not have to think very hard, give it a try!

Overall, I definitely really enjoyed this title! The spice was great and I think the plot itself was interesting and kept me hooked. The characters were fun and the interactions between the FMC and the MMC's friends was super entertaining. The main reason for deducting stars was the amount of errors that I believe could have been fixed with another round of editing - usually I'm not stickler for that but it happened often enough that it became distracting and took me out of the story when I picked up on it. I would give this a 4 for plot and spice, but have to drop it to a 3 for the errors, but if this ever gets picked up by trad publishing and put through another round of edits I would LOVE to give it another chance because I really think this has sooo much potential! And I definitely plan to continue on with book 2 whenever that comes out, I look forward to it!!

Thank you to NetGalley & Karolina for the complimentary copy of Masters of Blood, in exchange of an honest review.

Vampires are making an absolute comeback in 2024.. and Masters of Blood is giving a vampiric spin the Hades x Persephone retelling. Masters of Blood was, overall, an enjoyable read. It read more like a young adult fantasy with mild spice; it was very easy and digestible.

If you're looking for:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Romantasy
- Vampires
- Dash of spice

This is the book for you!

I would say this is a 3.75 ⭐️
I loved the story it was very cute. I loved the romance. The FMC got a little annoying, though, in the middle, and it continued for a while, and I didn't enjoy it as much. The ending was also a little underwhelming. I was expecting something big, and it was something more mild. A few things were left out that were never really talked about, and I think their could have been a little more insight into the vampires. It was a cute romantic read, though.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn't influence my review. The book had potential, but I did not like it.

I really enjoyed this book! I have not read a romance book involving vampires in quite some time so I was unsure how I would feel about it at first. But the story really drags you in!!

It was a well told story with plenty of information but not too much that it drug out or was boring. The spice was AMAZING!!! I really need to get me a vampire or something!

I honestly can’t wait for the next book!

3.5/5 I absolutely love the story of Hades and Persephone. I was worried I wouldn’t like a retelling involving vampires, but I was pleasantly surprised. Overall a different read than I’m used to but still enjoyed.

I really liked this book, Levana is such an powerful women, the world building and story is beautiful and i mean who can say no to a vampire king? i can really recommend it!

Romantasy at it's best! A loose parallel with Hades and Persephone, but with vampires, and fae, and humans - fated mates and strong friendships vs evil families, huge ego, and greed. Betrayals, adventure, and steam round things out and everything comes together in a HEA. A super fun read!

Vampires, forced proximity, forced marriage and tension.. Well this book definitly as it all.. I devour it and I love it.. How can I resist a book like this,, The plot was great and the story still has a lot more to explore and I can't wait for it

Princess Levana Rhazien, the only heir to a big-shot in Eziron, never gave her fate a second thought. Chillin' in her dad's palace, she hangs with her plants and pets, waitin' for her time to be queen. But then, outta nowhere, the vampire ruler from up north snatches her up at her party. Now she's all by herself up in the freezing north, with vamps everywhere. She's gotta figure out how to stay alive in this crazy new world she's stuck in.

In the story, Levana's character changes a lot. She goes from being a sheltered princess to a tough survivor who has to deal with a lot of challenges that make her stronger. The vampire king, Orion Lothaire, brings an interesting twist to the story and makes things more exciting. Levana's emotional journey is really well written by Wilde, making her a character that readers can root for. The descriptions in the book really make you feel like you're in the wintry landscapes and in the middle of all the palace drama. There's a good balance of action and reflection that lets you connect with the characters on a deeper level. The imagery in the book really sets the tone for the dark fantasy world that Wilde has created, making it a really immersive reading experience. The pacing of the story keeps you hooked and wanting to know what happens next.

The book talks about power, duty, love, and sacrifice. Levana struggles with being a princess and wanting freedom. The interactions between vampires and humans make you think about prejudice, trust, and alliances. The author blends these ideas well into the story and makes you think about your own choices. "Masters of Blood" is a captivating mix of romance, fantasy, and politics. Fans of similar books will enjoy the dark and passionate vibes. Some people might find the pace a bit off sometimes, but it leaves a lasting impression. I suggest this book if you want to escape to a world of danger, desire, and secrets. It's definitely worth starting a war for, like the tagline says.

#MastersofBlood #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The overall premise of the book was interesting. The execution, however, was significantly lacking. I almost DNFed this book at multiple points for the following reasons:

- Strange / incorrect word choice for common objects
- Incorrect grammar choices
- (Personal preference) Contemporary language in a fantasy setting. This takes me out of the world and story.
- The FMC was frustrating and annoying

I got emotional whiplash between the split second where the FMC decides that she loves the MMC and he goes from feral to sweet and emotional.

I think the biggest let down was that the book blurb, which initially drew me in to request this ARC, was more well-written than the book itself. 🥴

Leveana is a human Princess and only heir to a human King. She is kidnapped from her engagement party by the Vampire King Orion. She finds herself in his kingdom surrounded by vampires and at the mercy of the vampire king she knows nothing about. Orion is hellbent on making her his bride, and does very little explaining as to why and has a consequences be damned attitude about it.

Let me start off by saying I didn't read the description very well because I missed the whole Hades and Persephone retelling but I love retellings so when I clicked in my brain I was all for it. I actually really liked Leveana, I like how her character growth was almost immediate and it was pointed out more than once by her best friend. I adore Amika- shes a true girls girl. Orion, wow just wow. Honestly he gave me the vibes of Hades with the shadows but also very much Dracula. I loved the nods to vampiric compulsion, even as subtle as they were. I enjoyed his character a lot. But I do absolutely adore Hades so this did surprise me. I was surprised by the Lestat character and would've loved more on him. I enjoyed that Orion didn't immediately turn Leveana and the explanation was well done. The touch her and die trope was very obvious and just added to the attraction of Orion. But i loved even more so that he gave Leveana choice and power.

Okay enough about the characters and more on the rest. I enjoyed the story line and how a lot of it kept me guessing what was going to happen next. It picks up from page one and was paced really well. I did not feel bored at any point. The world building was interesting. Different realms within a larger Kingdom. Some areas were obviously more built than others. I enjoyed the magic especially the shadows. I loved the attachment to the animals and plants too, I don't know why or how that caught me off guard, but I LOVED it. I could definitely see inspiration coming from different sources, Hades and Persephone, Dracula, maybe a little Twilight (looking at you secluded island for 2). I did notice a few typos which were a little distracting usually I can look past them but more than once I had to reread to make sure i was getting the point.

Overall this was a 4/5 for me. I know this is a standalone and it was tied up really nicely but I think I need more!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me this ARC.

I was very intrigued by the plot of this book when I first read it and was very excited to read this ARC. The idea of a vampire Hades and Persephone retelling sounded amazing! Unfortunately, I just don't think this book was for me. The idea was there but I don't think it was executed very well.
This book was extremely fast paced to the point where the relationship between the MCs' felt too insta-lovely and I just didn't feel any real connection between them, it was just lust and nothing more. It was very rushed to the point I couldn't really enjoy it.
There were also a couple of grammatical/spelling errors that were missed during editing.
The world was fine, I just wish it had been more detailed. I wanted a little more world building than what we got.
Since the beginning of the book, it felt like we were setting up for this big epic battle and the ending that we got was just felt very anticlimactic.

I'm sure there are a lot of people that will enjoy this book very much, which makes me happy; but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

Regarding the story - I loved it! This was an easy romantic fantasy read and it gave me all I wanted from that genre. Orion has my heart, and can call me good girl any time!

Regarding the writing - I know this is an uncorrected proof, but it had SO many typos, weird sentence structure, and grammatical errors. I truly hope the published version is cleaned up and improved as it made the reading experience a bit difficult when I ran into so many errors,

Masters of Blood is the vampire romance I didn’t know I needed. While I normally tend to not like vampire romance, due to how cheesy they can be, “Masters of Blood” is anything but. From the first chapter you are thrown in a world , that to me, is brimming with this gothic sort of ambiance and magic. I was instantly captivated by our Vampire King and totally see what his appeal was all about. This book is a semi fast read that for sure got me out of my deep reading slump.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this ARC.

The Not So Great:
•The romance in this book felt very rushed from both sides. Orion deciding that he needed to marry Levana immediately felt too unrealistic, even for a fantasy romance novel. I wish there had been moments during the initial meeting where Orion got to know her so their relationship didn’t feel superficial.
•There wasn’t time for flesh out an enemies to lovers story between them because the relationship built out of almost nothing.
•Orion and Levana being twin flames is out of nowhere and incredibly too cliche in the worst way. The concept of twin flames is fine, but without fleshing out the characters and their relationships well, it doesn’t pay off as well as the audience would have wanted it to.

The Fine:
•The spice is fine. On a story level, it would have meant more if their relationship would have been built up. It just felt like two horny individuals enjoying each other.
•I’m at a loss as to if I’m supposed to feel like the story ended and wrapped things up or if there are supposed to be loose threads. I wish this story would be a larger ongoing story without having books with individual storylines of different characters.

I unfortunately didn't like this book.

I didn't feel like Levana had any actual depth. Her character was very flat and extremely stubborn at every turn. I do attribute some of that to the fact that she was extremely sheltered, however she didn't seem to have any direction. It also put me off that all it took was her arrival in Orion's castle to bring out a supposedly 'feisty' personality. It felt very much like she just wanted to be difficult, and I had an extremely difficult time relating to her character.

Beyond that, I don't really understand what the plot was. There was all this mention of preparing for war, this building conflict related to Orion taking her, and then it just went absolutely nowhere. The first half of the book didn't really have a storyline beyond Levana arguing with Orion, and while things did turn around a little in the second half, I was expecting building conflict. The ending/resolution to the war situation was very anticlimactic. I'm not quite sure if it's the style of writing or if I think this could have used some more editing, but this just wasn't for me.