I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“If only we’d met in your world instead,” he whispers, his lips grazing my ear.
Then maybe we would have had a chance, I finish in my thoughts.
A Curse of Blood and Stone is the second novel in K.A Tuckers gripping Fate & Flame series, and picks up right where the first book, A Fate of Wrath and Flame, ended.
From jewellery thief to interloper to queen-in-waiting, Romeria flees Cirilea a traitor to all. But the yawning distance between her and Zander troubles her more than any king’s bounty on her head. While Zander may have escaped by her side, he seeks to regain his throne, and no immortal will ever welcome her as Islor’s queen. She fears it won’t be long before Zander abandons her as everyone else she’s ever loved has.
Zander sacrificed his crown to save Romeria’s life, yet he dreads what her existence means for the future of his realm. As Ybaris’s plan to destroy Islor unfurls, a more insidious threat, orchestrated by rival fates, lurks beneath the surface. He can offer his allies no honest explanation for why he protects the Ybarisan princess and takes counsel from Queen Neilina’s caster, leading those closest to doubt his wisdom—and his allegiance.
As their company aims for the Venhorn Mountains, steered by prophecy, Romeria is desperate to wield her newfound abilities to undo Princess Romeria’s treachery before the kingdom tears itself apart. But with the mortal rebellion swelling, bolstered by the gift of Ybaris’s poison, it may already be too late.
“I am what I am, and you are what you are, and we can’t change any of it. There is no point dwelling on what we shared in the past because it is just that—in the past.”
I absolutely loved A Fate of Wrath and Flame when I read it last year, in fact it was one of my top reads of 2021 & I’ve been dying to find out what would happen next for Romeria & Zander, and I’m so glad to say I was definitely not disappointed.
I loved getting to see how Romeria & Zanders relationship developed & how they confronted their feeling towards one another while also balancing their different goals; with Romeria trying to learn more about her powers and figuring out what the prophecy means, while Zander is intent on winning back his throne, something he doubts can be done with Romeria at his side despite his feelings for her.
“But it doesn’t matter, does it? What we had is over, just like you said.”
His deep, derisive chuckle fills the tiny room. “I promise you, those were just words, meant to convince myself as much as you.” With a hand on my shoulder, he gently guides me around to face him.
“Words can be more effective than any one of those.” I nod to the heap of weapons he left on the floor. “More harmful.”
A Curse of Blood and Stone features quite a few new characters and I loved each and every one of them. The members of the Legion were an utter delight to get to know, particularly the cynical and antagonistic Jarek who quickly – and surprisingly – became my favourite. I absolutely loved seeing the dynamic between Jarek & Romeria evolve from strong dislike & mutual distrust, to begrudging friendship. These two characters brought a lot of humour to the book and their witty & combative comradery made for some of my favourite moments.
“Until a table of inebriated bastards picks a fight with you.” Jarek jerks his chin at Horik in greeting.
“That has never happened to me there,” Elisaf counters. “I guess you don’t look like much of a threat, because it has happened to me on many occasions there.”
“Maybe you have a face people feel compelled to punch,” I throw back.
I also loved the budding relationship between Jarek and Eden, as well as seeing Elisaf & Romeria’s friendship grow, and I can’t wait to read more about these characters in future books & see their relationships evolve even more.
Like many sequels, A Curse of Blood and Stone did seem to have more of a focus on the plot rather than the characters, but it was still very well balanced & there was plenty of character development, as well as angst & romance, to be had throughout the book.
“I thought you left me. That you ran.” There’s a desperate ring to his words.
“And you’re afraid you won’t get your throne back without your weapon?”
He flinches as if my words are an accusation. “Yes, I need what you are, for Islor’s sake. I need it to have any chance of regaining my throne and stopping what is about to happen to my people. But do not assume that is all you are. Do not assume this is easy for me.”
K.A Tucker was able to expand on the intriguing world she has created as the characters travelled across Islor, enabling readers to explore & learn about the world at the same pace as Romeria. This allowed for a lot of world building to occur at what felt like a very a natural pace, with almost no info dumping or disruption to the overall pacing of the novel.
A Curse of Blood and Stone is an excellent addition to a wonderful & fresh series, and I can’t wait to revisit this imaginative world & it’s captivating characters in future books.
Purchase:
Want To Connect With Me?
I can be found fangirling about books in the following places:
If you enjoyed this post/review and are in the position to do so, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi
Comments