This book is an absolute treasure for lovers of dark romantasy! It masterfully blends the epic political intrigue of House of the Dragon with the intoxicating passion of From Blood and Ash. The writing style is lush and immersive, transporting you directly into a world where dragons soar and love is a battlefield. The author crafts vivid imagery that makes every scene come alive, whether it’s the heat of battle or the quiet moments of connection between the characters. The love between Julianus and Malina is raw and genuine, filled with longing and uncertainty. You can feel their struggles as they navigate a dangerous world, with the stakes continuously rising around them. Their connection is beautifully portrayed, and as they confront their fears and desires, it becomes clear that their love is both a refuge and a source of conflict. It captures the essence of what it means to love fiercely amid chaos and uncertainty. The author’s ability to delve into the characters’ inner lives makes every triumph and heartbreak resonate deeply. If you’re looking for a story that will make you laugh, cry, and hold your breath in suspense, this one is a must-read. It’s a passionate tale that reminds us that love can ignite even in the darkest of times. And, I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Malina is a Dacian dancer who captures the attention of Julian, a Roman general and the nephew to the emperor. Julian does not support the emperor, and he works with others to rebel and assassinate him. Julian installs Malina in his household, but her safety is threatened when the emperor notices how much Julian cares for Malina. This book is written in Julian and Malina's point of views.

I really wanted to like this book. The ancient Rome setting was really intriguing to me, but the book's execution was poor. The book was all telling and no showing. I was not a fan of the instant-love that occurred between Malina and Julian. The sex scenes between the characters was cringey, and I felt like there was not enough relationship building. The worldbuilding was not fully fleshed out and the constant mentions of Malina being a witch didn't feel earned. The magic system in the book was not explained, and it was not consistent. Although the book is written in Julian and Malina's perspectives, the tone and voice in their chapters sounded exactly the same. This is not a good readalike for Jennifer L. Armentrout or Rebecca Yarros.

This publishes on my birthday next year and it’s a sign because this book is freaking glorious. GLORIOUS!

Gloooooooooooooooooooooorious!!

This world is an ancient Roman Empire but also dragons and gods and magic. Like I said. FREAKING GLORIOUS.

Julian is a dragon, but obvs he’s still a man, who finds a beautiful foreign girl dancing one night and gifts her a golden coin. Malina, said girl, is drawn to this dragon man and keeps this coin as protection and never forgets about this man.

Four years later these two are reunited when Julian leads an army that kills the entire village she’s living in (See?! See?! Glorious) and when she’s taken as a spoil of war Julian is NOT having it. He recognizes his foreign dancer girl being attacked by one of his men and his dragon is rumbling suuuper possessively and wonderfully and yaaaaalll. It’s delicious. DELICIOUS. This dragon isn’t gonna let this girl get away this time, no matter what the cost.

I loved this one so much. Gobbled it up. Pre-ordering the beautiful edition of this book. It’s so freaking good. I don’t want to share too much because you just need to read it and trust me that it’s great and thank me later.

Thanks for the ARC, review is my own.