About

The Queen of Blood is the first book in the The Queens of Renthia series written by Sarah Beth Durst.

The Queen of Blood book cover

Blurb

An idealistic young student and a banished warrior become allies in a battle to save their realm in this first book of a mesmerizing epic fantasy series, filled with political intrigue, violent magic, malevolent spirits, and thrilling adventure

Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .

But the spirits that reside within this land want to rid it of all humans. One woman stands between these malevolent spirits and the end of humankind: the queen. She alone has the magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. But queens are still just human, and no matter how strong or good, the threat of danger always looms.

Review

Despite the horror start, the initial glimpse of forest setting, magic system and characters were compelling enough for me to continue. Overall, I liked it but I wouldn't be reading the sequels since it was much too dark for my tastes.

The cover image helped me a lot with the visualization of the forest setting. I loved how the author went about describing the details and mixed plot elements.

Academy setting is one of my favorite tropes, which was another reason I managed to finish the book. The training part under a champion was good, but I'd have liked better if the schooling years weren't skipped so much.

I'd say most of the characters were well written. Highly recommend this if you are looking for a dark epic fantasy book. Most of the plot points were concluded, so you can read it as a standalone too.

My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟☆

What others are saying

From Niki Hawkes's review on goodreads:

Overall, I’m thrilled at how often the book surprised me. The writing was engaging and fluid, making it easy to devour. There were a few things I thought could’ve been developed more, but hopefully they’ll get expanded on in the next book.

From Justine's review on goodreads:

I liked how the main character was not the strongest in ability or the most naturally talented. She ultimately exceeds because of her strength of character. The idea of a whole culture based in a forest and intimately tied to nature spirits who hate humans is really interesting.

Bingo

/r/Fantasy/ 2021 bingo categories:

  • New to You Author
  • Backlist Book
  • Forest Setting (HM)
  • Title: _____ of _____