I appreciate the opportunity to read this but this one is unfortunately a DNF for me.

I'm sure (hope?) it's because it's an ARC but it seems it could have gone through another round of editing. There were several grammatical and spelling errors that were distracting.

Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes but the part I read before DNFing always felt forced. They were seemingly always engaged in one of two F verbs and not actually much plotwise.

I received the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the book!


This was a cute standalone fantasy book. I had picked it up for the plot, we love a steamy vampire fantasy book, with a shadow daddy to come and pick us up!

The story was predictable. The plot was very simple, and sadly, the ending was not what I would have wanted it to be. I feel like the ending was very fast in comparison to the whole development of the relationship between both main characters.

The language was very pretty, but must I say at some parts repetitive. The characters were different from each other and also well built. Even though the FMC could have been smarter at the very beginning. At some spots, she was just embarrassing herself, and she thought it was bravery. It's also a cliché trope, that the FMC never rebels her whole life and then out of the hat starts to have an attitude. The transition was missing. Nevertheless, I liked her characters and her brave and curious spirit.

The world building was also suprlerficial, only mended together to give sense to the reader where the FMC was taken and what the few other different kingdoms were. That could have been more accurate and deep, but in comparison to the book's length, it was sufficient. Otherwise, it would have taken way more space than the story itself.

Overall, I enjoyed it very much. There was a lot of description of food and nature, things I love very much. That also made it different from other fantasy books that only have war, injustice, and cruelty as the main topics. This was a light fantasy.

So this book as a whole caught me off guard. I wasn’t sure what all I was signing up for when I got to the page about trigger warnings. I was a little scared to proceed 😂

However, this book exceeded expectations and delivered a non-stop ride from start to finish. It was set in a beautiful fantasy realm where humans and vampires coexist as members of “The Coalition,” basically a peace treaty that ensures no war between the two species.
At a meeting of the rulers of the land, vampire King Orion sees human princess Levana and decides she is the one for him, even though she is betrothed to another. On the night of her engagement party, Orion whisks Levana away and takes her to his castle of night.
Furious, confused, and afraid, Levana plots her escape and spends her nights hating the King who kidnapped her.
However, as she finds it harder and harder to hate him, the world around them is thrown into chaos. War is imminent, alliances are formed, and the future is uncertain. Will King Orion and Levana see through their differences, or will their choices doom the world.
This sexy, hot, dark, and witty book surprised me. I wasn’t expecting the touching character development or the intriguing plot. Levana and Anika’s friendship was the sweetest thing ever and I just loved it. Made me miss my best friend!
It had a bit of a will-they-won’t-they element as well as some of the following tropes
- he fell first
- vampires
- enemies to lovers
- kidnapped
- special powers
- found family
I think it was a great read and a great story. I gave it 4/5 because some of the dialog in the second half of the book just didn’t flow very naturally and felt a bit clunky.
Also, the spice meter is at least a 4/5. The spicy scenes left me blushing and rapidly turning the pages. Definitely explicit and graphic so wouldn’t recommend for readers under 18+.

This book was amazing I was hooked as soon as the princess dismissed the vampire king when he had only said 2 words to her. The book was very well throughout I do think there were just a few typos but it was not hard to figure out the word that was supposed to be there. It’s thrilling and a great story. I cannot wait for the next book! I will definitely be adding these to my shelf. I don’t want to give any spoilers but this book is a great read! Forced proximity, bdsm blood play (of course it’s vampires) always check your triggers but it was great. A great Hades and Persephone retelling! “She’s worth starting a war for” ❤️

The mmc uses his hands a lot for a shadow daddy 😒

I really enjoyed the book, I liked the premise and the plot. It did say “me and name” a lot (rather than “name and i”) which was fine at first but got a bit distracting.

Masters of Blood is set in a world of humans and vampires living in what appears to be peace between the species and territories of the Kingdom. As with any world where differences are clear, and power struggles are obvious, the concept of peace is on the verge of collapsing. The world that Karolina Wilde has created in this series opens the book up to many possibilities of variety and adventure, but the character development, plot and severe grammatical errors made this book really hard for me to get through. I did finish though, just in case!

The main female character, Levana, was quite shallow and prissy. Perhaps she was designed this way, but I found her character hard to like for this reason. Her feelings shifted from hating Orion to loving him in a very short space of time. Orion on the other hand seemed overly affectionate from the get-go. It left the typical 'enemies-to-lovers' plot line almost non-existent because I could see where it was going from the start, but neither character created a sense of more than skin-deep affection.

The spelling mistakes were so abundant that I wonder if this was edited? Or if Netgalley provided a copy that hasn't been checked over by anyone?

Overall, I didn't enjoy this book due to shallow nature of the main characters, the anti-climactic love development and the repetitive spelling mistakes. I'm sorry, this was a 1 star rating for me.

Levana describes herself as nothing special. King Orion disagrees and snatches her away to become his wife. Political turmoil ensues. Honestly, this was difficult to read at some times because what editor approved this version? There are many typos and grammatical errors that need to be fixed. The way the characters speak to one another jumps from super stiff to relaxed. There was one point in the book that the author realized she could curse in this book, did it all on one page, then carried on like nothing had happened. Levana and Orion’s love story is semi-sweet but the romance and chemistry isn’t built well enough to be believable by the end of the book. The smut is smutting though. That might be the one redeemable quality. And Anika. Would love more of Anika and Lestat (really??) and Saxon. Please fix the grammar errors.

I really had high hopes for this book considering it was my first ARC. I was so excited when I saw that I got accepted for it. However, I had to dnf about half way in. I think the story could be great and I wanted to love it but unfortunately, all of the grammar, spelling and writing issues caused me to not finish it. I saw that several other reviewers had the same issue as well. I hope that these mistakes can be fixed before it gets published! Here are some things that I did like that lead me to giving it a 2-star:
- the friendship between Levana and Anika.
- the found family feeling between King Orion and his friends.
- sort of a hades/persephone retelling
Overall, the book seemed a little rushed and could have used more world-building. I think the book idea is great but needs some work. I am willing to try this author out again!

Levana , a human, is being forced to marry a king but finds herself being kidnapped by King Orion. King Orion is the king of vampires. He ends up taking Levana’s hand in marriage and through the book she is adjusting to her new life and all the dangers that comes with it. She tries to run from Orion but over time she began me to understand him and develop a liking towards him.

This book was really good and filled with dark and sexy vibes. The overall plot, world building and characters were fantastic.

3.5 stars.
Overall I enjoyed this book! There was sooo much packed into it. Princess Levana is engaged to a King when she is abducted from her engagement party by the Vampire King, Orion. Forced to marry him - Levana tries to escape him every chance she can
- when she realizes that he isn't the bad guy and saves her from a fate much worse.
I loved her friendship with Anika & like the found family feel with Lestat & Saxon. I think the author did a great job with her imagery and paints a dark and gothic world really well. I definitely would recommend if you like vampire books/hades & Persephone retellings!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the eARC of 'Masters of Death' by Karolina Wilde in exchange for my honest review 💫

"𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟."

Masters of Death is a fantastical romantic retelling of Hades and Persephone, but with seductive, yet dangerous Vampires, with political court intrigue in a dark high-fantasy setting.

What I liked best in the book was the genuine friendship between Anika and Levana (can Anika have her own book?). But let's talk about the 'When I saw her I immediately knew I loved her' and 'I'm gonna run away cause I hate it here, but then I run back to you and then hate you and then love you again'. It seems not so realistic (it's fantasty/romantasy I know) but still. In my opinion the book had been better if there was some more depth in Orion and Levana their relationship.

One of the lesser points in the book were the grammatical errors and repetitive sentences/words. It made the book less interesting too read, which is actually very sad, cause the book is good and has a lot of potential!

Tropes:
💫 High Fantasy
🧛🏻‍♂️ Vampires
💍 Arranged Marriage
🌸 Hades and Persephone retelling
🩶 Shadow Daddy

Ratings:
3⭐️/5
2🌶/5

Just finished this book and had mixed feelings about it. Levana, a secluded human princess, caught my interest from the start, but the rapid pace and instant connections between characters left me wanting more depth. While the storyline kept me hooked, I struggled with the lack of agency for the main character, especially regarding her forced marriage and sudden embrace/interest of vampirism. Overall, an enjoyable read, but it could have been even better with more nuanced character development and exploration of themes.

Karolina Wilde's Masters of Blood is a mesmerizing and dark fantasy romance that breathes new life into the classic Hades and Persephone myth. Princess Levana Rhazien finds her meticulously planned life upended when she is kidnapped by the powerful vampire king Orion Lothaire, throwing her into a world of danger and seduction. As Levana navigates the treacherous political intrigues and supernatural threats in the wintry north, Wilde weaves a tale of love, sacrifice, and power that keeps readers enthralled until the very last page.

This captivating retelling balances the allure of dangerous vampires with a lush high-fantasy setting, drawing readers into a world where love and darkness collide in a thrilling and romantic dance. Wilde's exquisite world-building, complex characters, and simmering tension create a riveting reading experience that will appeal to fans of Sarah J. Maas and other enchanting fantasy romances. *Masters of Blood* is a spellbinding journey that pulses with passion, suspense, and magic, making it a must-read for lovers of dark fantasy and mythic retellings that push the boundaries of traditional romance storytelling.

The premise of this book was intriguing and I liked the overall story arc. It is not the type of book I usually pick up, but I’m glad I tried it. I was surprised that I enjoyed the spicy scenes as much I did! However, I did end up skimming a lot of the book after about 40% in. There were a lot of grammatical errors which made it difficult for me to stay engaged. I also found some of the dialogue stilted and wish there was more showing, not telling (except I do wish there was more telling in regards to Orion’s appearance. I didn’t get a very clear image in my head!). Overall, I think this book has promise but needs some additional editing. Thanks Karolina and NetGalley for the chance to read and review!

❥ hades and persephone retellings
❥ arranged marriage
❥ vampire king
❥ stolen princess
❥ forced proximity
❥ political court intrigue
❥ dark high-fantasy setting

This read was dark, it was delicious and I cannot wait for more! I didn’t want to set this book down. I ate up every single page of this. We start by following our princess as she’s taken from her engagement (for her arranged marriage) dinner by our delicious Orion our VAMPIRE KING and man when I tell you that their spice and their chemistry and ALL OF THE THINGS between these two was perfect for me…I mean it. I loved it.

Secrets from Levana’s life start to unravel. I love how we get to see friendships within this book and I do truly love that there is found family aspect in here as well. I recommend reading the trigger warnings before going into this book because of course, that’s the responsible thing to do. Back to it…the storyline was fantastic, the development throughout this book was spot on and I can’t wait to configure this story into book #2!!

I usually don't read Vampire fantasy books. However, this book was dark, broody, spicy, and a page-turner. I can't wait to read the next book. Great plot and story

I actually really enjoyed this book!

We follow Princess Levana as she prepares for the arranged marriage to King she doesn't like, until she gets kidnapped from her engagement dinner by the seriously sexy vampire king, Orion, and forced into a marriage she learns to love.

This book kept me immersed the whole way through, The character development was good, we watch Levana really come into herself as Queen, challenging the rules she was so good at following as a Princess, we learn the truth about her parents, watch as Levana learns how to love, all with Orion by her side.
It had the potential to be turned into more books, but it wrapped up nicely into a good standalone.

There are a couple of spelling errors in the latter half of the book, a couple of missed letters, so maybe another editing run could help before release. Otherwise it was a good book!

I'm a new NetGalley user, and I was so excited when I got the approval on my first request. As someone who loves romantasy, Masters of Blood seemed to be right up my alley. Unfortunately, I could not get past the writing--to the point that I was distracted from the actual story being told. Every scene was telling me rather than showing me what the characters were doing. The dialogue was choppy and unnatural. The characters were underdeveloped and unbelievable. And I could not, for the life of me, understand what time period the story was meant to be set in. I fully understand the author is building a fictional world, but it still needs to be grounded in a specific moment in time. The royalty, castles, and customs felt medieval, but the language used throughout the text was too modern to match that. Ultimately, these factors + the typos and repetitive adjectives/descriptions (that were sometimes used multiple times in a sentence), made this book a less than enjoyable experience.

This is a Hades / Persephone retelling between King Orion, a vampire ruler, and Levana, a human princess who is betrothed to another king. Levana grew up with King and Queen parents who didn't care for her wellbeing and promised her hand in marriage to another ruler. King Orion kidnaps her and marries her in his kingdom. Throughout the story Levana starts to find her feet and become more confident in who she is as her own person.

What I liked:
- The plot. I loved the idea of a Hades / Persephone story
- The friendship between Anika and Levana. It was so nice to see genuine friendship between women and have it be an important part of the story
- The side characters. I sensed a "found family" feel amongst Orion, Saxton, Lestat, Anika and Levana
- The general dark and gothic vibes of the story. The author set the scene well
- The shadow powers of Orion. Who doesn't love a shadow daddy?

I would have liked the relationship between Orion and Levana to be fleshed out more. One minute she hated him and the next she was professing her love. I also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style.

Overall I would recommend it if you enjoyed books like The Serpent and The Wings of Night. I think it has a lot of potential and I would definitely read other books from this author. Thankyou Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We begin with a prologue with King Orions pov and it is here we see him meet Princess Levana for the first time. For some reason she is the most beautiful person he’s EVER seen and he’s instantly in love and willing to break peace treaties over him even though the extent of their conversation is him saying hi and her saying “no thank you”…. Then we’re put into the mind of Princess Levana. *SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD* Seriously it’s not really spoiling anything as I only describe some instances that happen up to 30% in the book but just incase you want to go in blind stop now. We learn that her father is absent, her mother is abusive and her bestfriend is oblivious. I just feel like you should be able to pick up on even the slightest sign of abuse when you literally live with your bestfriends family. Anyway Levana is to be wed to a loser king from a poor land that she has no interest in but she’s the dutiful daughter so ofcourse she’s willing do go along with it. She talks about her blood boiling over it, she mentions not knowing how she will sleep with her husband because she’s not at all attracted to him but she’s willing to shut up and do what she’s told. During her engagement party she is kidnapped/recused by Orion and the first thing she does when she realizes is slap him and demand he take her back. Now don’t get me wrong I get it, he’s a stranger, a vampire, blah blah… but like home girl your life wasn’t that great to begin with and you like him so why the hardcore pushback. I’m not saying she should be fine with being kidnapped but I am saying she shouldn’t be demanding to be taken back to her sucky life so fast. 😂 Also give me a break, she’s meek, obedient, and cowers to everyone else in her life but I’m to believe she has all this bravado and defiance for this hulking, powerful vampire king whom she actually should be scared of? Then as she’s having the conversation with Anika where Anika tells her she’s allowed people to walk all over her her whole life and that maybe staying in the vampire kingdom might be better she just thinks, “Anika doesn’t know what it’s like to live with a mother who always finds reasons to punish me and a father who isn’t there” and it’s like ding-dong that’s exactly what she and all of us are saying…. Why are you so dead set on returning there?? Like I appreciate a stubborn MFC just as much as the next person but I feel she’s being stubborn just for the sake of being stubborn at this point and it’s holding the story back. I’m ready to move on Levana… if she was trying to escape to go off on her own I would 100% understand it but she’s claiming to want to leave because she doesn’t want to be in another “golden cage” but you’re running away right back one, one that was a whole heck of a lot harsher. Moving on we get to her failed escape attempt, who didn’t see that coming, and then the wedding date is moved up. Now I love a possessive MMC, but I don’t like that he straight up FORCED her to marry him. I can usually get with it if we have even a semblance of a real reason, like if it was for her protection or it was going to save someone else but he literally hardcore FORCED her during the ceremony just because she found her attractive. I will say all of this is only 30% into the book so it’s kinda dragging and I’m not enjoying Levanas character but whatevs. Next up on not really believable, we have previously meek and quiet Levana showing up to a council meeting to meet a bunch of vampires for the first time naked in hopes to “make Orion so annoyed he regrets marrying her” but like all I could do was roll my eyes.
Anywayssssss…….. this book has a TON of grammatical errors. Misused words, words using the wrong tense and so on. I would highly recommend having it edited again. I enjoyed the premise of the book, and it seemed like a good story that I would absolutely love if done just a tad better. Again, I did not like the MFC so that’s a bummer but what I did love was her bestfriend. Give me her book honestly! Lol. I would still recommend this if you can look past errors when reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.