Of Blood and Light is a standalone novel set in an Arthurian world. We follow our female main character, River, as she is taken from her sister’s bedside in hospital. She is transported to a world parallel to her own, known as Thule, where she finds that Arthurian legends are true and she just might be part of them.

Starting off this audiobook, I was very intrigued. The beginning chapters are very attention grabbing and the voice acting is great! I was very into it from the start. If anything is gonna grab my attention, it’s world parallels and fantasy retellings. We meet Hadrian, our male main character pretty early on. At the same time, we learn that River will have to pretend to be Hadrian’s wife. Let me just say… we know where this one is headed.

I love a good forced proximity storyline when it’s done right and… this was done RIGHT! The “will they - won’t they” nature of their relationship was real!! I was rooting for them but also, I was very worried. I don’t want to spoil anything but, there are problems with this scheme.

The world building was really good, having capybaras in a fantasy book was not on my 2024 bingo card, but I’m here for it. Can we talk about how CUTE that was?! Adorable! But it also made me laugh a lot. And speaking of animals, that bonus epilogue… a fight with a duck… PERFECTION. That’s all I will have to say about that.

The only thing I would say is that I did predict a few things would happen. I knew where some of the plot twists were headed and who would turn out to be a bad guy. I’m not usually fussed about figuring these things out since I like to Nancy Drew my way through stories, but I know that not everyone is into it.

If you’re into Arthurian retellings or world building and funny fantasy books and even capybaras and duck fights, this book is for you.

Thank you NetGalley, Yaypub and C. Monk for this advanced audio review copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 ⭐️’s

Thank you to NetGalley & Yaypub for letting me listen to the ALC - I devoured the last 50% of this book, nothing could make me put it down!

Our FMC River is taken from her sisters bedside in the hospital, and transported to a parallel universe called Thule - which happens to be full of Arthurian lore! There she meets "his grace" Hadrian, and must pretend to be his wife to make it through this mysterious new world (and you just KNOWWWW that forced proximity is good!!!).

The world building was so vivid & intriguing (did somebody say pet capybaras?), and I loved the modern humour in a Victorian-esque setting! Some of it was a bit silly & goofy - but in a way that sort of reminds me of Zodiac Academy which is one of my favourite series!

I did listen to the audiobook, and I must say as a British person listening there are definitely some dodgy accents... But if you can look past them, it's definitely a good listen! There are a lot of people & places, so did get a little confusing at times, but I'm also not very clued up on Arthurian legends so maybe if you knew slightly more it wouldn't be as overwhelming!

Not going to lie, I didn’t really know what to expect for this book, but I was pleasantly surprised! Who can mix ‘aliens’ with Arthurian legends to modern-day AND bodice-ripping vibes? Camilla Monk. That’s who! lol… She somehow made it all WORK and did it well at that. Probably one of my most memorable reads this year. The audiobook version was soooo good. The narrators fully embraced their characters and made the story fun and engaging. The story was refreshing, full of depth, and I’m swooning over Hadrian and even more over River. You’ll stop a few times and think, ‘what the… am I reading?’ but you’ll follow. Thule and capybaras and unicorns and the Knights of the Round Table… ALL of it; even this mystical language. I don’t know exactly what he’s saying but I UNDERSTAND. ;) Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more from C. Monk.

Of Blood and Light" by C. Monk is a fresh and captivating fantasy that blends modern-day elements with Victorian charm.

The blending of modern-day humor with a Victorian setting brought a lot of laughs, particularly as River tried to navigate the formalities of Thule. It was a fun and unexpected contrast I didn’t know I needed!

While I usually gravitate toward pure fantasy worlds, the mix of contemporary and Victorian elements was a delightful change of pace. The intricate descriptions of Thule’s languages and landscapes painted such a vivid picture, it felt like I was there with River.

The plot twists kept me hooked, and though the spice level is minimal, the story itself was compelling enough to hold my attention. It had a graphic novel meets fantasy-dystopian vibe that felt unique and exciting.

If you’re looking for an engaging read with a mix of romance, fantasy, and fresh twists on familiar tropes, I’d definitely recommend giving Of Blood and Light a try!

The story follows River Greer, a modern teenager who is unexpectedly transported from Earth to Thule—a magical, mythic world steeped in love, intrigue, and danger. In Thule, she encounters Hadrian Landevale, a duke struggling with personal and political issues. His wife has mysteriously disappeared, and their world has an ominous blight, and River's arrival only adds to the chaos.

As River navigates this uncharted realm, she uncovers key truths about herself that might hold the power to save Thule—but no spoilers here!

Key Tropes:
* (My favorite) Enemies-to-Lovers: The fiery tension between River and Hadrian is undeniable.
* Forced Proximity
* Arthurian Legend
* Victorian Setting
* Parallel Universe
* (My other favorite) Magical Bloodline: This was my personal favorite! The concept of magic as a healing, connective force was refreshing and added an emotional layer to the story.

This was a fresh take on fantasy that had familiar tropes but new plots! The character dynamics definitely kept me intrigued!

It took me a little bit to really get into it, but I enjoyed Of Blood and Light. I listened to the audiobook, and I only had two issues with it…

1. It was a duet, and there were several points throughout where the female narrator had recorded what the male narrator was supposed to say, and either it was said twice, or they just didn’t fix it to replace his audio with hers.
2. The male narrator was kinda mid. He did good as far as different accents for the fmc’s dad vs “his grace”, but he didn’t really change anything up for the other men of Thule, and sometimes I didn’t realize “his grace” wasn’t the one talking.

There were a lot of names that were extremely similar, and sometimes I would get lost on what exactly was happening with who. Not sure if that would have been easier to distinguish if I had read it vs listened to it.

I will say that I probably would have rioted if River and Hadrian had not gotten together in the end. I did absolutely love their story together.

My only other real issue was that it felt like the fight against the big bad was anticlimactic and rushed. I feel like it could have been drawn out more and been much more difficult for the main characters to get rid of. That specific part was a bit of a flop.

All-in-all, though… I did enjoy the book as a whole and would recommend it to others. :)

I want more!! Of Blood & Light by C. Monk was a truly engrossing book. It is just book #1 of The Thule Cycle - I'll be waiting (im)patiently!
River Greer is very protective of her sick little sister, Sage. One night, River rushes Sage to the hospital via ambulance, but River is abducted and is taken to an entirely new world. The worldbuilding, in fact, was stellar - ummm, capybaras? Sign me up!! It was also cool how this world shut off Earth decades ago, and the trinkets from Earth now capture a high cost. The MMC Hadrian was not awesome at first, but as he opened up and the reader learned why he is the way he is, I grew to love him.

I LOVE River as a FMC. She is a baddie, and her sense of humor is so fun. Adventure, great dynamic between the main characters and a story line unlike any I had read before - a total win.

Sarah Kisko and Brennen Blotner did a wonderful job bringing life to the narration - great pitch and speed.

Of Blood & Light by Camilla Monk
3 Stars

The first in the Thule Cycle series, this book takes us from modern-day Toronto to the distant land of Thule, where Victoriana and Arthurian legend meet. The FMC River is kidnapped and along the way meets the mysterious Duke of Caid and begins the search for her long lost twin.

This book was not what I expected and I feel like there’s a real mix of things to put in this review.

Things I liked:

💫The magic system was unique and really interesting, with links to mysterious and brutal old gods. The magic of this world is intrinsically linked to the land and its people.

💫River! This FMC is a great perspective to view the plot unfold from, her lack of knowledge of the world she is thrust into helps you as the reader to find your feet and start to get a grip of what’s going on.

💫The central plot of the missing mother/sister. This story is really intriguing and I found myself really wanting to know what happened to these women, it was a compelling plot.

💫I loved the narration of Sarah Kisko, her accent made the character feel more real and she has a lovely voice for audio books.

Things that weren’t for me:

💫There was just sooooo much going on! As I said, the central plot was really interesting to me, but by trying to cram in elements of Arthurian legend, Victorian morals and technology, political intricacies, modern day references, as well as seemingly random creatures - capybaras and unicorns - that don’t really aid the plot in any way just left me confused at points.

💫The audio effects. Okay it’s not that the effects were bad, they were just really inconsistent, you’d have a long period of nothing (except the swooshing added to signal the end of chapters/scenes) and then suddenly intense effects that sometimes genuinely scared me because I wasn’t expecting a demon voice to start yelling at me out of nowhere when walking my dog.

💫The inclusion of a second narrator. I just don’t think this was my cup of tea, I love a second narrator when you have a dual POV, but just having a male narrator for dialogue made it a bit disjointed and there were a couple of editing slip ups where dialogue is repeated by the male and female narrator. Again it just feels overcomplicated. Also the combination of the slotted-in dialogue and the British accent made the male narrator sound like AI at some points lol

Overall I enjoyed the majority of this read, but struggled to keep engaged at points because of the things listed above. I don’t think it’s a series I would carry on with but had fun with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Camilla Monk for allowing me the privilege of an advanced listener’s copy of this book.

I loved this book! The characters I fell in love especially with River she was such a smart independent woman. I was rooting for her and Hadrian to get together in the end. The adventure and action in this made me where I could not put this down. I finished it in 3 days which is a new for me to finish that fast. I can’t wait for more in this series to come out.

This is the first auto book that I have listened to that has sound effect and music playing in the background as it is being read. It was a bit destructing at the beginning of every chapter however it did as to the mental picture of what the author was describing on what was happening.

Aside from that it was a mystery, enemy to lovers romance.

River is taken from her world because she is set up to take the fall of her sisters crimes in a different world. Thule. But the one thing that the people setting her up didn’t account for was Hadrian. Rivers sisters husband. Hadrian found something very off about who he thought was his wife. Only to find out she wasn’t who he thought she was.

Together River and Hadrian figure out what is going on in an adventure to save Thule from certain turmoil.

Along the way River found out her sisters secrets and the reason why Flow and her mother disappeared.

This new series has got me pining for the second to come out! We start in the modern world and are transported into a fantasy world of Arthurian lore and magic. I can't wait for the next one!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a 3.75/5 for me!
The book felt kind of like a modern Bridgeton story. The FMC is send to another planet where they live in 1800s. There is some misogyny in this book, while fitting in the place and time, I personally had hoped that the FMC would have fought back a little. Overall it's a good book! I enjoyed it. Some minor dislikes for me personally were the modern slang used. I felt like the author was trying to connect to the youth too much with using slang, I had to google some references because I did not get them. I also think the timespan of this book was wayy to short, that this took place in one! week is baffling to me. The characters were interesting and the narrators were incredible. I liked the world building and I am curious to see how the story continues in the next book!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ALC!

Of Blood and Light was not what I was expecting, but it was an enjoyable escapist read. What it is not, high fantasy. What it is, a fun take on the Arthurian legend and how it’s literally connected to the modern world, and a cozy romance, with lovable characters, including capybaras, because why not. Once I shifted my expectations, I enjoyed this read. While there’s some intrigue and conflict, it’s mostly mild, making it a great comfort escapist read.

I legitimately binged Of Blood & Light like no other book this year. I want to scream my praises of this book from the rooftop so that all those stuck reading mediocre social media touted books can have a taste of an actual glorious read.

It is fantastically written while expertly combining all the romantasy and spice (not too much and without the cringe), with the epic world building and lore from high fantasy and a dash of urban fantasy. Camilla Monk has become an auto-read author for me after this book. I’m so impressed and I can’t say enough how her writing is top notch and a mile above many in this genre.

Her characters are multidimensional and you make instant connections and investments in the story. Their depth of personality, feelings and character development are spot on and relatable. I found myself lost in the story and invested in their feelings, thoughts and actions.

I LOVED the subtle science and geekery added in, as well as the linguistic charms of the fictional language (based on actual languages!), the humor, historical fiction flare and CAPYBARAS! The Arthurian Victorian magic of the world C. Monk has created just did it for me and I’m here for the sequel!

I’m still shocked that after reading hundreds of romantasies and fantasy books since this books release, that I didn’t know about it until now. It blows all the overhyped booktok and bookstagram romantasies out of the water.

Please read if you value writing at its finest. This is all the best of fantasy first romance with a fully filled out immersive story. I literally have nothing negative to say about it other than I need book two in my hands asap!

I also want to add that I listened to the audiobook as well and it is one of the best executions I’ve listened to. Both narrators were excellent and the subtle sound effects made the story come alive. It was a thoroughly enjoyable listen!

Now I just need for this book to go viral… and maybe a special edition or two for my shelves!

***Huge thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC, this has been the best ARC read ever!***

I listened to this via audiobook, provided by netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book. It was rich with Arthurian lore, space travel, and high fantasy themes that I found refreshing. The worldbuilding and magic system were fascinating especially when tied into the Arthurian legends as we know them on earth.

The writing style was a combination of lyrical and modern that I loved, and the interspersed humor was a great touch that really helped to pull me through the occasional slow bit.

I love the narrators, Sarah and Brennan. This book is phenomenal as even with Sarah narrating, Brennan voices the male characters. There are even some bonus sound effects at the beginning of some chapters!

The storyline is pretty good. I will admit that the beginning hooks you in with a mystery, but it slowed down right away for me and took me a couple of days to get through the first 10 chapters or so. After that, I could barely stop listening and finished this within two days.

Thank you NetGalley and Yaypub for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Really fascinating, well written and entertaining. The story was unique and I really enjoyed the world we got to explore within this book. I loved the relationship and the writing was incredible. I could see and feel everything. The audio book was also amazing the sound effects were really well done. My only issue with the book is my fault not the books but I struggled to wrap my head around all the politics and the explanations to what was going on, but I’m just dumb it’s not at all the books fault. I recommend.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 23rd November and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of December.

This book has it all. Welcome to Thule! Action, adventure, romance, humor await you. The narrators for the audio book are amazing. The world building is equally as amazing, and I can’t wait for another. It really was a breath of fresh air as far as fantasy Arthurian type stories go.

What's not to love about a world of Arthurian legend, romance, capybaras, and magic (yes, Hadrian. Magic)? Also can we take a moment for a new language being developed for this book??

Camilla Monk creates captivating characters in this novel. River Green is a phenomenal protagonist. She is brave when she has to be yet flawed and understandably in need of care after spending so long caring for everyone else. Hadrian's stoic and intense mask hides his true love for the land and his people. Their attraction is a little jarring at first given (view spoiler), but it makes sense given their experience. Even the minor characters are beautifully developed and left me wanting to know more!

The magic system is intriguing without being too complex, and I loved diving into a new twist on old legends. This was my first foray into Arthurian legend and I am sold! The book was just twisty and turny enough to keep me guessing, but I wished the major faceoff had drawn out just a little more. I enjoyed the relationships built throughout, but I wanted a little more action and even more conflict (I'm a sucker for a brawl, what can I say). I want to know more about Lancelot and ichor and everything Thulish. I loved getting to know more about the knights and customs, and I especially enjoyed getting to learn about the Children of Mordred. I wouldn't mind a spinoff featuring them!

It took me a little time to get into the female narration of this book, but I really loved the male voice. By the end, I thought they were the perfect complements to one another. I also really enjoyed the audio production and the variety of sound effects. It really added to the feel of the story.

I hope this isn't the end of the Thule cycle! I want more. More Juvenal. More Sfjona.

*I was provided an arc of this audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for my review. *

Like nothing I've read before!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️.🫑(Lots of angst and 2 mild intimate scenes)
🧙🏻‍♂️ Arthurian legend with a unique magic system!
⚔️ Lots of action and adventure
🫂 Found family, sort of (avoiding spoilers 😉)

This was such a unique read and was packed with so much action and adventure! Our FMC River, a modern young woman living in Toronto, finds herself thrown into a world of Arthurian legends she never could have imagined called Thule! She forms alliances with some of the knights of the round table to prove her innocence for crimes she hasn't committed and desperately trying to get back to Toronto. Throughout this whirlwind of a completely new world (language, magic, capybaras, and all!) River discovers deeply guarded secrets about herself, the dwindling prosperity of Thule, and how they're connected. We have a swoon-worthy MMC, Sir Hadrian, who gives Maxantarius vibes from Daughter of No Worlds. There are some spectacular side characters who I hope we see again that offer many different avenues for further additions to book 1. Sorry if my review seems a bit vague but I'm trying to not spoil anything because there are sooo many unexpected plot twists 🤯 This book is so under hyped and I can't wait to get my fellow readers onto this wild ride!

✨ Thank you Netgalley for the audiobook version of OBAL, all views are honest and my own. The dual narrators were fantastic and they really captured the essence of River and Hadrian. The use of minimal sound effects was also very well done and added depth to the experience while listening ✨

Sage is very ill in hospital when her sister River is kidnapped and taken across the universe to Thule. Here she will encounter her missing sister’s husband Hadrian Lavendale of Caid. The adventure starts and there will be lots of excitement, fear, adventure and love. River and Hadrian are both in danger.

Excellent well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Great characters over two very different worlds. Can River save her sisters and the future of Thule? Book one of the series so much more to look forward to.