Daughter of the Blood

"This is a very epic story so prepare for the headache of trying to remember every person and place. Unfortunately, this does not come with a map so I felt very disconnected from the world at times and the three different dimensions didn't help. I don't even know where to start. This world is dark and gritty and although I feel like I'm running to my doom I cannot stop reading. The words were twistedly perverse, brutal, and captivating. Please look at the trigger warnings here. I usually don't because I'm not bothered by most things, but this was harsh. Honestly, it's a story I love but could not recommend. Jaenelle was such a gem in this bleak world. Everyone was drawn to her, whether bad or good, and so was I. She was like that classic Maden you see petting a unicorn alone in the meadow. Even the animals loved her. Also, I wish I would have gotten to know Lucivar better. I really connected with him in the beginning. There were many A Court Of Thorns and Roses vibes here. I'm sure Sara J. Mass got inspiration from Anne Bishop like the Eyrien Warriors who rule the mountain with membranous wings and names like Surreal, Prythian, and High Lord. I noticed similar darkness in both that is rare but beautiful. Daemon was one such darkness. Able to kill without thought and hurt those looking for comfort with him. Daemon, though 1,700 years old, was finally experiencing childhood. Jaenelle pushed his buttons and taught him to fly. In one instance, Daemon became a sullen child because he thought Jaenelle wouldn't invite him to go riding. He is such a conundrum. To be so old and so unsure of yourself was an intriguing dynamic. There were many emotions and even more information. The plot just kept thickening till my head spun. Honestly, I was torn with how to perceive Jaenelles' and Daemon's relationship. Many scenes made me cringe. I realize many of these moments are important to the story, but I wish the book could have been less cruel. "

"So dark, but very compelling "

"I loved this story, it was creative and the Magic system was amazing but then there was some things I couldn’t get pass (like ******* child grooming!!!). Long story short, I am ******* traumatized by the fact that the author thought this was “cute”."

"Amazing high fantasy. Loveable characters, great story line and world building. "

"I got sucked so hard into this series that I ended up reading books two and three in an afternoon. I think that says something on its own. I gave up a whole day to this, rather than the hour or two I like to devote to reading.<br/><br/>It's funny, too, because the style of the series really annoys the heck out of me. I love the darkness of it -- and I don't mean that it's set in hell with demons and witches and whatever. The author really does deal with some incredibly dark issues, and that tends to fascinate me. Add into that the fact that the author is alarmingly good at making me laugh out loud at silly things.<br/><br/>I think the thing that gets me about things is how completely off-the-scale everything ends up being. I mean, the author sets her own scale and immediately broke it. And then broke it again. And then broke the broken break. And the time-spans involved! The author doesn't have anything against having someone be alive 50,000 years ago, or something happening 1,700 years ago, or whatever. It's unreal. I honestly wish she had taken a zero off of everything, just to make it a little more palatable.<br/><br/>Magic seems absolutely limitless; it really doesn't feel like there's any rules at all to Jaenelle's magic, like she's capable of absolutely anything. <br/><br/>The characters lack depth: the villains have nothing to redeem themselves, and there are hundreds if not thousands of people that fall into the category of totally, purely evil. The good guys are purely good, sometimes bumbling, often opinionated and full of knowing looks. I really think the only two characters that were fully developed were Jaenelle and Daemon, though by the end of book three I could add in Karla and Surreal.<br/><br/>And, and. Naming conventions. Really. Gah. Ugh. It's a truly amazing horde of hokey names: Saetan, Daemon, Lucivar, Cassandra, SaDiablo, Hayll, Hepsabah, Hekatah... the list goes on... and the rings of obedience? The hokey was nearly overpowering.<br/><br/>Yet, despite all that, I did enjoy this quite a bit. Your mileage may vary."

"#dark #romance "

"One of the best books I have ever read. I think I've read this one and the series at least 5 times. Own them on paper copy, kindle, and audible. Can't get enough! #darkfantasy #fantasy "