Bound by Death

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to booksirens and the author for the opportunity.

Rating: 3.25 stars

This one took me a bit to get into. It was unexpected because I liked the premise and the incorporation of old mythology with the faerie lore. You can tell there was a lot of research and work put into it, if only from the use of Egyptian and Greek terms (I was very intrigued by the layers of the soul and how they relate to each other and how they affect relationships). The plot was interesting as well with the son of Hades being “shipped off” to marry the daughter of the Night Court Fae King, plus all the tribulations that came from her all consuming destructive power.

All that said... I could just not connect to the characters. I wasn't sold on their love story if only for how quick Ahmed adored Euthalia while barely even knowing her and having never seen her face. In addition, their personalities came across a bit juvenile, not what one would expect from beings who are supposed to be adults (and I'm assuming also some centuries old, albeit in the youth of their immortality). I was also a bit put off by the constant self-deprecating - I get it, his dad wasn't the nurturing type and the whole thing with his mom traumatised him further, but having to read someone put themselves down all the time just made me want give up on the book several times tbh.

Still, I imagine that my view on characters and their dynamics is just something very personal. I still enjoyed the story and don't regret giving it a go - plus I'm curious about that last scene and how things will progress from there. I'm hoping the character development at the end makes it easier to connect with Ahmed and Euthalia on the next installment, so I will probably give the next book a try :)

Really interesting read.
A unique gender-swapped Eros and Psyche fantasy romance retelling with an arranged marriage, Egyptian lore and full of mythological influences. Overall, a really wonderful story with two powerful main characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.