"Blood Beneath the Snow" by Alexandra Kennington is an enthralling romantasy about a rebellious princess seeking equality for all. I'm a sucker for these kinds of books, so I happily dived in.

"Fate is thicker than blood" perfectly sums up this story. The book follows Revna, the only member of the royal family without magical abilities. In this kingdom, there are seven deities, and the people are divided between the godtouched (those with magical abilities) and the godforsaken (those without). The kingdom has been at holy war with its neighbor for the past seven years. The godtouched look down on the godforsaken and treat them cruelly. Revna is abused by her family and the priests due to her lack of powers, and she seeks justice for the godforsaken.

Revna is set to be used as a pawn, forced into marriage with a prince from another country. The book begins with her staging a mini rebellion (preventing the sacrifice of a baby) and then continues with an even bigger one. She refuses to marry the prince and demands to participate in the Bloodshed Trials - a competition where the last remaining royal sibling standing takes the throne. The plot thickens when Revna is kidnapped by the Hellbringer, the enemy's terrifying general who can kill with a flick of his wrist.

The book started strong, dragged a bit in the middle, and picked up the pace again toward the end. That said, there was never a dull moment, and I was invested throughout. I loved the blend of fantasy and romance. However, there was too much focus on the relationship between Revna and the Hellbringer, and not enough on the gods and magic. I adored Revna's determination, grit, and perseverance despite all obstacles, and I enjoyed the interactions between her and the Hellbringer.

While the book features a fair amount of blood and swordplay, it is much more than that. Its world-building, characters, magic systems, themes, and suspenseful plot make it an enjoyable and engaging read. It explores themes of sacrifice, loyalty, abuse, homophobia, moderation, acceptance, and balance. Content warning: the book contains references to alcoholism, blood and mild gore, suicidal ideation, the death of loved ones, explicit sex scenes, murder, self-harm, war, violence, and domestic and religious abuse.

My only complaints are minor. The book is set in a medieval world, so the use of modern curse words, like the F-word, felt out of place. Also, the Bloodshed Trials seemed too cruel and a bit unoriginal (The Hunger Games, anyone?). As a parent, I found it hard to understand the King and Queen’s eagerness to see their children fight to the death in such a bloody contest - it felt unnatural. Lastly, it seemed unrealistic that a kingdom that despises the godforsaken would accept those who are gay. Because of these issues, I decided to deduct a point from my rating.

I liked the twist at the end, although I had my suspicions. The author ties up most loose ends, but a few questions remain unanswered - hopefully, they will be addressed in the next book (if there is one). Overall, I loved the story and would recommend it. Lovers of dark fantasy novels would be well advised to immerse themselves in this story! If you love flawed characters and don’t mind a bit of violent action, then this is definitely for you. I’m already looking forward to the next book!

A powerless princess wanting to escape an arranged marriage and be a contender for the trials that could win her the crown. Revna was an exceptional Female Main Character, And you find that out right at the beginning of this book.

The first scene shows you the background of this kingdom, while at the same time it shows you how brave Revna is by interrupting a cruel sacrificial ritual. Something she know will be detrimental to her since her father and mother, king and queen, absolutely despise her. Revna has lived a life as a discarded royal, not quite a peasant but not powerful royal either, and she struggles to fit in.

When she finally meets the hellbringer, the tension and chemistry was totally there and I thoroughly enjoyed that. The hellbringer is considered the most powerful general of the enemy kingdom. His identity a mystery but soon you find he is just a young man trying to survive and protect. He trains Revna and in their time together, things change.

This book was intriguing from start to finish from that opening scene to meeting the hellbringer to seeing those training scenes and that ending scene with the trial? Absolutely electric. I truly think the booktok groups will devour this book just like I did.

*Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Uhm I have very few words for how good this book was. I picked it up and didn’t put it down until I finished.

For fans of Powerless, this book follows a similar-ish premise of those with magic and those without, but this book and plot were 1000x better.

This book is a must read! Especially if you enjoy a selfless main character, interesting family dynamics, and a mysterious love interest. There was never a dull moment within this story. Every chapter there is something going on that keeps you on the edge of your seat. So much happens and I loved every minute of it. A lot of the plot points I had already predicted but the bantering, tension, dialogue and the small tropes really keep you engaged. 10/10 recommend read!

Blood Beneath the Snow left me wanting. I'm disappointed I didn't like this book as much as I thought I was going too. The beginning of the book started off very promising. The writing was good and the main character came across strong. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, things went downhill. I'm not sure what happened, but the writing started to feel sloppy halfway through. The monologues quickly became lengthy and repetitive. The writing could have used another round of edits. The world, which reminded me From Blood and Ash, felt surface level. I wanted more information about the Gods, politics, and magic of the world. I found the Gods storyline fascinating. It's a bummer that the author didn't expand on it more. I also thought the setting could have been more detailed. I found myself confused with some of the Norse names and words. Was the setting supposed to be similar to the Vikings? I felt indifferent to Revna. I found her character contradictory. I wanted more from her and her relationships. I felt like her relationships with her friends and brothers weren't developed enough. The whole Arne thing didn't do it for me. Why do so many romantasy books have a love triangle? I didn't mind Hellbringer's character. His character was interesting to me. I imagine the second book will delve deeper into his relationship with the Queen. I did have a difficult time believing the Hellbringer's feelings for Revna. I wanted more scenes of them getting to know each other/becoming friends. I also wish the author expanded more on the ending with the Hellbringer and Revna. The whole scene with Mira taking away Revna was not explained thoroughly. The whole drama between those two at the end was not clearly explained. A big point of the story was the trial. I was surprised that the trial only took up a few chapters towards the end. I wanted more out of the trial. I also wanted more of an explanation on the trials. When you really think about it, they don't make a lot of sense. Why would the king want all but one of his children to die...especially when he was using all of their different abilities to help in a battle. Overall, this book just didn't do it for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Ace for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book!! The plot was so interesting and full of adventure that I was never bored. The author did a great job with character development because I was full invested in there stories. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

This is a debut? Wow! I felt so many emotions while reading this and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I can’t wait to see where this heads! It had everything from fantasy, the romance, the thrill, it was all present and really well done. Enemies? Allies? Read to find out. <3

This book was fantastic start to finish. I lost myself in the dark, brutal world built by Kennington.

This wasn’t just a fantasy romance with a few twists, this story contained so much more. I was heartbroken, frightened, and wooed throughout this book. I hope everyone who reads this is as enchanted as I am by the characters conjured by Kennington. The way she was able to make me feel for so many of them is a true craft. To make the impossible seem real is an incredible skill. I cannot wait for the next book and to see where this story goes.

Kennington delivers a gripping blend of fantasy and romance that kept me on the edge of my seat. The writing is vibrant, painting a vivid picture of a world where power and magic collide. I was particularly drawn to the complex dynamics between Revna and her enigmatic captor. Their interactions are charged with tension and intrigue, blurring the lines between enemy and ally in a way that kept me guessing about their fates. Kennington expertly weaves themes of sacrifice, loyalty, and the quest for identity into this thrilling narrative. This debut is not just a story about a fight for the crown, but a heart-pounding exploration of love and the lengths one will go to protect those they care for. I can’t wait to see where this journey leads next.