Author: Emily Blackwood

Series: The Golden City

First Published: 31 July 2024

“Fear will make even the sanest creatures do insane things, especially for survival.”

I will start by saying that I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank so much Emily for sending a copy my way!

Huntyr knew better than to trust anyone.

She made it into The Golden City, only to find out that everything she dreamed of is gone. There is no safety, no luxury, no elite society. There’s only the evil archangel and his dark, twisted plans to use her for power.

Those plans include marrying Huntyr and Wolf, even though she’d rather die than be wed to him.

Huntyr is forced to learn about her real heritage and her untapped magic while she’s paraded around The Golden City as the archangel’s new favorite weapon. Wolf can do nothing but watch as she’s manipulated and toyed with, but one thing hasn’t changed: He’ll never let anyone else lay a hand on what’s his. Even if she despises him.

Betrayal runs deep, but blood runs deeper. Huntyr and Wolf navigate tests of loyalty and new truths as they’re faced with the downfall of one power and the rise of another. Families break. Friendships rise. Do they have what it takes to survive? And are they strong enough to right the wrongs from decades ago?

Thankfully, Blood So Brutal picks up right where Wings So Wicked left off. My jaw dropped at what happened. I adore how we learn more about the world. I do hope we get more books set in the world, as while Wolf and Huntyr have got their HEA there is still plenty left to resolve.

Now that Huntyr is in The Golden City, she quickly sees that the stories told at Moira Seminary are nothing but lies. She is coming into her power and turning into the very thing that she was trained to kill. Huntyr starts to figure out that she’s nothing but a pawn in a twisted archangel’s game. She constantly manipulated and toyed with them as they tried to figure out the depth of her powers. Huntyr’s forced to marry Wolf, and she cannot help but wonder if this is just another trick or game to break her. Wolf has already betrayed her, and she wouldn’t put it past him to do it all over again. They will have to test each other’s loyalties and see if they can save each other and the world from the archangel’s authoritarian rule.

I adore watching Huntyr character growth. In the first book, Huntyr thought she was learning the way of the world only to be manipulated and backstabbed. She struggles with her growing power and thirst as she tries to reconcile her heritage with the lies she was fed growing up. I adore that we do see her struggle and mourn what she’s lost, as it makes her feel like a fully developed character. She rages at the injustice that’s been thrown her way and feels chained by the responsibility of her family’s heritage. She doesn’t want to have to be the one to save the lost kingdom. All Huntyr wants is to live a peaceful life with her best friend, Rummy. I loved that vulnerability in her, which is refreshing to see from a fantasy romance character. Huntyr rants and curses her fate before sucking it up and doing what’s right.

Ah, Wolf. He has fast-tracked his way to my top book boyfriend list. The way he shows his care for Huntyr is his action, and when he finally voices his feelings left me swooning. Seriously the things this man says melted me. The way he risks his revenge plans and puts his own neck on the line to protect Huntyr is amazing. My heart ached at what he lost, and I’m so glad his sacrifices all worked out in the end.

The tension in here is so delicious! And the addition of an arranged marriage made everything sweeter. I just wanted to shake the pair at times so they would make up and get back together. The dual point of view adds to the angst because you can see just how much Wolf feels for Huntyr, but due to how dangerous The Golden City is he needs to hide his feelings to protect her. But on the flip side, there are several moments from Huntyr’s perspective where it looks like Wolf is setting her up. It was explosive when they finally got back together. I don’t even care that the ending was a touch cliché because these two deserved their HEA. I was cheering for them!

The political landscape here was wonderfully rich. I adore the scheming and plots. There is a lot unsaid. Neither Wolf nor Hunter knows who they can trust, so we must try to piece together all the schemes. They do what they can to try and overrule the archangel and hope the lies don’t destroy any of their relationships.

I loved seeing Huntyr and Wolf’s HEA. But this duet ends with the vibes of, while we have won the battle, we still have the war to go. I would love a book focused on Jessiah since I just adore him. If you are in the mood for a dark romantasy with political ingrate, lost kingdoms, vampyres, angels and a steamy enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-back-to-lovers romance, this duet is for you!