The Wolf and the Crown of Blood
The Broken Accords Series
The pulse-pounding first installment in Elizabeth May’s dark new series, The Wolf and the Crown of Blood includes bloody rebellion, crackling tension, and not a hero in sight.
Three centuries ago, the gods were at war with the mortals of Vartena. After devastating losses on both sides, the last princess of a proud dynasty sought out the king of the gods, Alexios, to make a bargain: the blood of her family in exchange for peace. But humans have shorter memories than immortals, and the people of Vartena have started drifting toward rebellion once more, worshiping Bryony, the youngest Princess of the Blood, over the gods whom she is repeatedly sacrificed to appease. When Alexios revokes his favor, making Bryony no longer an acceptable sacrifice, she is marked for a more permanent death. Alexios assigns his most feared assassin, the Wolf, to the job.
As Evander sets out to complete his mission, he finds Bryony anything but a sacrificial lamb. His intrigue turns to hesitancy as the pair navigate a delicate, dangerous dance. Still, the gods demand blood, and the consequences of defiance may be far worse than death.
The book is not intended for audiences under eighteen, as the opening list of content warnings underscores. Bryony’s family being bound to ritualistic sacrifice opens up themes of self-harm and suicidal ideation, while Evander is more morally black than gray—a vicious, unapologetic killer whose attraction to Bryony is as much about possession as it is about lust. The dynamic between these two flawed leads is blistering as they attempt to balance their desires with their duties, holding one another at arm’s length but unwilling to let go completely.
A fiery romance sparks in the ashes of a dormant war in this promising start to a new dark romantasy series.
Reviewed by
Danielle Ballantyne
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