Review - In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland

 

Title: In the Ravenous Dark

Author: A.M. Strickland

Pages: 401

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Release Date: 18th May 2021

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

 Power never dies . . . and neither does desire.

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark fantasy by A.M. Strickland, author of Beyond the Black Door.

In Thanopolis, magic is rare - and closely controlled. Those blessed - or cursed - with power are kept under constant guard, assigned to undead spirits who watch their every move.

Ever since her father died to save her from this fate, Rovan has kept her magic a closely guarded secret - until an accident exposes her powers for the world to see, and her tenuous freedom comes crashing to an end.

Brought to the royal palace against her will, and thrust into a maelstrom of intrigue and deception, Rovan is drawn to two people she cannot fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling and rebellious princess struggling against her own destiny, and Ivrilos, the handsome, powerful spirit she has been bound to, who can control Rovan, body and soul.

Together, they uncover a terrible secret that could destroy everyone in Thanopolis - the living and the dead. To save them, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and the undead spirit vying for her heart - if she doesn't betray them first . . .

A.M. Strickland's richly imagined dark fantasy features court intrigue, a revolution that stretches across life and death, and a pansexual love triangle that will leave readers desperate to find out what happens next.

 

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 My Review:

 

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley*

 

 Rovan lives in Thanopolis, a place where the rare magic of bloodmages is strictly controlled.

Rovan's father drilled into her the importance of hiding her magic, and since his own magic was discovered which resulted in his death, that is what she's done.

That is, until Rovan is witnessed using her powers and is taken to the royal palace where she is assigned a dead being as a guardian who watches her every move.

Can Rovan escape the palace and her new guardian Ivrilos?

Can Rovan trust any of the royals, such as Lydea the gorgeous princess?

 

The premise of this book with its bloodmages, royals and deceptions intrigued me, as well as the cover. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would in the end.

Rovan was a protagonist that I liked overall, but there were many times when she acted without thinking and could be quite selfish.

I liked Lydea and Japha more than Rovan and found them interesting.

While I wasn't a huge fan of the romance, I did really like the diversity.

The plot was enjoyable and held my attention until around 70% when the story went in a direction that I really didn't like. After that I lost all interest and investment in what happened. I continued reading seeing as I was close to the end, hoping that things would get better, but they didn't.

The concepts of the bloodmages and the sigils they used were interesting.

The writing style was easy to follow.

It's a shame that I didn't enjoy this as much in the end as I did to begin with.

 

Overall, this was a mixed read.