This is now my third romance by this author, though my first sapphic romance by her! I was excited to see an f/f author from an author I’d enjoyed before, and I couldn’t wait to dive into it. In the end, while I did still enjoy this one, it didn’t entirely click for me either. I might just be becoming more picky with my romances lately, too, because I do see many people loving this one even if it wasn’t a new favorite for me! I also definitely will be reading more of this author in the future, still, and hoping those future books are more for me.

I think overall I wish more aspects of the characters had been developed further. One thing I enjoyed from this author’s previous work was the authentic characters and how fully fleshed out they felt. This book felt a bit more plot-focused than those as well, so I think having a more wieldy plot and needing to make this more ‘outlandish’ premise feel realistic took up more space, at the cost of the development of the characters and their romance.

 

 

I had high hopes going into this book because the premise and world sounded fascinating, and Nigerian mythology is not something I’ve often seen in the books I’ve read. Unfortunately, Forged by Blood ended up falling short of my expectations in a few ways. 

To start, I do have to say that the world itself was quite interesting, at least the aspects centered on that mythology. It made for an intriguing landscape for the story to take place in, and the scenes that were most focused on these more magical or mythological characters were my favorites! It makes me want to explore this type of mythology more. 

Unfortunately, beyond that, there wasn’t much that I really liked or even enjoyed. There was a frustrating love triangle that seemed to dominate most of the plot (and usually just served to make the three MCs look bad). The plot, while interesting at first glance, proceeded in a mostly linear way that ended up just being disappointing. I also often found myself frustrated with the MC and her choices. It just combined into a story that sadly didn’t work for me. 

In the end, I don’t think I’ll move on with this series, though I don’t necessarily regret my time with this first installment. It introduced me to new worlds and magic, even if this exact story wasn’t for me. 

 

I entered this book knowing how much I’d enjoyed this author’s other series (The Storm Crow and The Crow Rider), and honestly, I didn’t need to know much else to be interested. And while This Dark Descent showed some similarities early on, especially due to the focus on being a rider (just of a different animal), it’s a completely unique story from what I remember of The Storm Crow. I overall really ended up enjoying this read, and I loved seeing what the author could do with such a different setting and with such different characters.

One thing that ended up sticking out to me was the two narrators of our story, and how despite them both being women stuck in difficult positions and forced to work together towards the same goals, they were still such unique and distinct people. It was clear was narrator we were currently with, something that some authors struggle with when the two narrators are so close and spend so much of the book together. Their motivations and struggles were both equally compelling, and it was interesting to see how they each thought of the remaining people in their group differently, and how the corresponding romances seemed to bias their perception of certain events.

I also really enjoyed the world and setting of this book, even if this aspect of the story felt a bit more similar to other books I’ve read before. There is oppression, with the people in power being generally horrible and just always trying to find new ways to profit. There’s also a war with a neighboring land, largely perpetuated for the resources it keeps bringing in despite the lives that it costs. However, what elevated this setting for me was how the mythology and magic became interwoven with this setting beyond just a surface-level connection. It’s something I’m excited to explore more in the next book!

Overall, I ended up really enjoying this one, and can’t wait to read the next installment!