King of Flesh and Bone (The Pale Court, #1)
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- Create Date：2022-05-14 04:19:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Liv Zander
- ISBN：B096G8R6PS
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A Dark Fantasy Romance
Worse than a ruthless king。。。 is a king obsessed。
Isolation， darkness， and rotting flesh，
Surrounds me， suffocates me，
But I am the vile ruler who controls it all。
I long for warmth，
Yet， all that I touch，
Is cold。
Then， she stumbles in to my domain，
Lost and frightened，
Alone and confused。
And I terrify her even more。
She calls me the devil，
So I show her pleasure，
Like only the devil can。
I am the heat that stirs her flesh，
The longing that trembles her bone。
She begs her body to refuse，
To escape my embrace，
But I am her master，
The puppeteer of passion。
I am the King of Flesh and Bone。
Welcome to my court， little one。
King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel， and book one in The Pale Court duet。 The two-part story features a ruthless man， the woman who can't escape his love， and a HEA。 This world contains dark themes， violence， loss， and elements of horror some may find disturbing。 What this book doesn't contain is a hero - because villains do it better。
Worse than a ruthless king。。。 is a king obsessed。
Isolation， darkness， and rotting flesh，
Surrounds me， suffocates me，
But I am the vile ruler who controls it all。
I long for warmth，
Yet， all that I touch，
Is cold。
Then， she stumbles in to my domain，
Lost and frightened，
Alone and confused。
And I terrify her even more。
She calls me the devil，
So I show her pleasure，
Like only the devil can。
I am the heat that stirs her flesh，
The longing that trembles her bone。
She begs her body to refuse，
To escape my embrace，
But I am her master，
The puppeteer of passion。
I am the King of Flesh and Bone。
Welcome to my court， little one。
King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel， and book one in The Pale Court duet。 The two-part story features a ruthless man， the woman who can't escape his love， and a HEA。 This world contains dark themes， violence， loss， and elements of horror some may find disturbing。 What this book doesn't contain is a hero - because villains do it better。
Reviews
Rachel H
，
DNFI found this story to be absolutely revolting。 The "king" is a truly vile character who can control people， both dead and alive， like puppets and he forces the female main character to perform oral sex on him and then he anal rapes her。 This is their first sex encounter together。 Afterwards， he watches her while she sleeps and he thinks to himself about how he torn her but it was ok because she was so tight and it felt good。 This is not romance！ This is straight up rape and it's disgusting！ I DNFI found this story to be absolutely revolting。 The "king" is a truly vile character who can control people， both dead and alive， like puppets and he forces the female main character to perform oral sex on him and then he anal rapes her。 This is their first sex encounter together。 Afterwards， he watches her while she sleeps and he thinks to himself about how he torn her but it was ok because she was so tight and it felt good。 This is not romance！ This is straight up rape and it's disgusting！ I will not read anything else by this author。 。。。more
Helena
，
This book was better than I thought it would be。 There is definitely a lot of horror elements to the story， but it was done well。 It took me a while to get the hang of the world in which this story takes place。 If I am honest there are still a few things that are unclear， but it didn’t take me away from the story too much。 I am looking forward to the sequel。
Angela Smith
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ada and Enosh have a rocky start but Ada's reaction to being dragged off to The Pale Court is very realistic。 He essentially traps her there and loves her against her will until she yields enough to start to like him。 Yeah she misses her father who needs her support but it's better to live in the Pale Court rather than in the mud and death and fear of a priest driven society。 This is a faster paced book than I feel like it should be and has room for improvement。 But I still recommend it， though Ada and Enosh have a rocky start but Ada's reaction to being dragged off to The Pale Court is very realistic。 He essentially traps her there and loves her against her will until she yields enough to start to like him。 Yeah she misses her father who needs her support but it's better to live in the Pale Court rather than in the mud and death and fear of a priest driven society。 This is a faster paced book than I feel like it should be and has room for improvement。 But I still recommend it， though I can see it not being for everyone。 The spice is good。I look forward to reading the rage of a god of death that should not be provoked。 Especially by humans。 。。。more
Tamotha clark
，
Your life warm meThis is a story of Ada and Enosh。 Enosh is in an land of death and ada happened toncome across him。 She finds he wants her more from her then her warm human body。 He wants her as his wife also wants her love。 This is a wonderful story。 It has so much more then detailed inside then gem of a book 📓。
Shyla Colt
，
An intense gothic nightmarescape with a god who screams unseelie court。 Bones， Blood， and rot。 This one isn't for the faint of heart， because Ms。 Zander pulls no punches for the man who sits on a throne of bones。 Beneath the gruesome details is a heart that's been wrecked and ruined。 The world she created was dark and intriguing。 I don't think I've read anything quite like it before her。 Her heroine was a mixture of tough but caring to a fault。 She stood up for those with no voice against a dang An intense gothic nightmarescape with a god who screams unseelie court。 Bones， Blood， and rot。 This one isn't for the faint of heart， because Ms。 Zander pulls no punches for the man who sits on a throne of bones。 Beneath the gruesome details is a heart that's been wrecked and ruined。 The world she created was dark and intriguing。 I don't think I've read anything quite like it before her。 Her heroine was a mixture of tough but caring to a fault。 She stood up for those with no voice against a dangerous man。 I think her softness helped balance out the sharp edges and hardness of the world and the King of Flesh and Bone。 What can I say about the King？ A cruel enigma with a multi layered personality hidden behind the bone that he wielded as easily as breathing。 To know him is to hate him and then 。。。 perhaps more。 This contains dubcon， serious cruelty and can be triggering if you don't like gore， death makes you itchy or dark romance doesn't appeal to you。 。。。more
Rosalie Williams
，
This weirdly doesn’t have a plot …。 But I still enjoyed it。 Excited for the next book as there is a big cliff hanger。 Check your TWs if you have any as there is some rough stuff in here。
Kate V
，
The Pale Court is the first book in this duet and I'm waffling between wanting to throw my Kindle into a wood chipper or offer Liv all the praise for writing such a dark and emotionally draining story。 “You’re mine， Ada。” His dark whisper against my ear pebbled my skin。 “My servant， my plaything， my woman。 I’ll never let you go。” Ada was handed the short stick in life both with her husband and the fact that she never had a child with him。 Her late husband was not a good man and was physically The Pale Court is the first book in this duet and I'm waffling between wanting to throw my Kindle into a wood chipper or offer Liv all the praise for writing such a dark and emotionally draining story。 “You’re mine， Ada。” His dark whisper against my ear pebbled my skin。 “My servant， my plaything， my woman。 I’ll never let you go。” Ada was handed the short stick in life both with her husband and the fact that she never had a child with him。 Her late husband was not a good man and was physically and mentally abusive。 Drilled into her head， she thinks herself an unwoman and practices midwifery to ease the sting of not having one of her own。One night as she is helping a woman give birth， everything goes to hell in a handbag and she finds herself with the King of Flesh and Bone。 She knows who this King is and knows he refuses to let the dead truly die， including her husband。 But the King of Flesh and Bone is drawn to Ada and now her life is weaved into the fabric of his。 “Flesh of my flesh， bone of my bone。 Never my whore， forever my woman。” Enosh， the King of Flesh and Bone has tied Ada to him and he never plans to let her go。 Ever。 Enosh has a chip on his shoulder （rightfully so） and hates mortals but Ada isn't like the other mortals and her warmth is something he wants to steal for himself despite her extreme reluctance to her new situation。However， the more time they are together， their relationship evolves。 Just when things were starting to look up， the enemy comes and obliterates everything。 Where can Enosh and Ada go from here？This ends on quite the tangled and brutal cliffhanger and I can't say I was too happy about it。 But I think this was a beautifully constructed enemies-to-lovers （well hopefully） story that dragged me into a deep and dark hole of angsty goodness。 The steam in here was off the charts hot but most of it is very dubcon so if that is a trigger for you， I suggest you find a different book to read。 This story is violent and brutal at times so definitely mind the triggers。There aren't many moments of rainbows and butterflies but when they're there you appreciate them as the reader。 The character development is quite good and I look forward to seeing how Enosh and Ada traverse their new realities based off the decisions they made。 I have a feeling the road to their HEA will be bloody and bumpy。Ada had a lot of grit and strength but also had a lot of self doubt and I found myself both frustrated with her but also loving her realness。 Enosh was infuriatingly delicious。。。both a lover and a total grump。 He seems to。。。deep down。。。be a sensitive alpha male but his long life has made him bitter and cruel。 Ada and Enosh bring out the best and worst in each other。Liv did a great job at writing these multi-layered characters that have deeply rooted trauma they're trying to make sense of but I would have liked the world building to be a little more detailed。 I was confused a bit about the 'brothers' and their roles。 Overall， this was a very enjoyable dark romance that still has me thinking about how a HEA is going to happen but I am HERE FOR IT。 For all you dark fantasy romance lovers out there， you need to give this a go。 。。。more
Amber
，
“I’ve sometimes been quiet。 Now and then， obedient。 I’ve certainly never been both at the same time。” -AdaI normally don't do dark romance but I really enjoyed this。 It's MMC is sympathetic in that he was betrayed by mortals， who tortured him and replaced him with a false god。 The FMC accidentally ends up in the Pale Court， and the MMC is both fascinated by her and wary of her。 There is noncon in the beginning but it lacks the cruelty that dark romance usually holds。 He is selfish， and does puni “I’ve sometimes been quiet。 Now and then， obedient。 I’ve certainly never been both at the same time。” -AdaI normally don't do dark romance but I really enjoyed this。 It's MMC is sympathetic in that he was betrayed by mortals， who tortured him and replaced him with a false god。 The FMC accidentally ends up in the Pale Court， and the MMC is both fascinated by her and wary of her。 There is noncon in the beginning but it lacks the cruelty that dark romance usually holds。 He is selfish， and does punish but doesn't relish in causing pain。 Overall i really enjoyed。 It does end on a cliff hanger but i don't mind that。 。。。more
Leah
，
Wow this was quite a book！ It is definitely what it clames to be and more。 I can't believe it ended on a cliffhanger like that ugggg。 I need to know what happens。 Wow this was quite a book！ It is definitely what it clames to be and more。 I can't believe it ended on a cliffhanger like that ugggg。 I need to know what happens。 。。。more
E。J。 Frost
，
This is a magical book。I enjoyed everything about it， from the very unusual world-building （who knew I'd enjoy a historical setting with restless dead？）， to the mad god with a heart， to the strong but vulnerable heroine。 The turning point between Enoch and Ada brought me to tears。 Such a small "ask，" but such a big moment between these two complex， conflicted characters。 From that turning point， I thought I knew where the book was going to go。 I was very wrong。 Wow， the author really throws a cu This is a magical book。I enjoyed everything about it， from the very unusual world-building （who knew I'd enjoy a historical setting with restless dead？）， to the mad god with a heart， to the strong but vulnerable heroine。 The turning point between Enoch and Ada brought me to tears。 Such a small "ask，" but such a big moment between these two complex， conflicted characters。 From that turning point， I thought I knew where the book was going to go。 I was very wrong。 Wow， the author really throws a curve at the end。 It's set up perfectly from the beginning， too。 Brilliantly written。 Can't wait for book 2！Highly recommended。 。。。more
Angel Faye Bullock
，
If anyone wants to read villains。 Read this。 It is dark pnr romance and yea。 So like this man is just yumm yumm。 Like I’d hit that hard right but。 Tbh。 He’s got some issues like all villains do。 He’s possessive in the extreme overbearing and lawd。 He’s gonna get his pp touched or ahem she’s not gonna like it。 So many times I’m like move woman I’ll do it。 Mouth open thinking all those times as a kid drinking from the water hose。 I’ve been training for this my whole life right？ No？ Ok anyways I’m If anyone wants to read villains。 Read this。 It is dark pnr romance and yea。 So like this man is just yumm yumm。 Like I’d hit that hard right but。 Tbh。 He’s got some issues like all villains do。 He’s possessive in the extreme overbearing and lawd。 He’s gonna get his pp touched or ahem she’s not gonna like it。 So many times I’m like move woman I’ll do it。 Mouth open thinking all those times as a kid drinking from the water hose。 I’ve been training for this my whole life right？ No？ Ok anyways I’m js I volunteer as tribute ya feel me。 A man obsessed but she falls as we do cuz let’s face it villains do it better 🤷🏻♀️ maybe I have issues。 Don’t you dare judge me 👀 …。 But anyways read this shiz。 Book 2 is out in June ppl I’m stoked！！ 。。。more
Literati Literature Lovers
，
LOVE IT & HATE IT Love It and Hate It！ I don’t know how I’m giving a book with rape in it four stars but I am。 The male protagonist is a rapist and he rapes the female protagonist several times。 That makes this a one star book for me。 The author fortunately or unfortunately writes a fabulous dark fantasy world， one with a rich plot。 ARGH， I shouldn’t have liked this book。 It is NO WAY IS A ROMANCE。 So those who bought it expecting a romance will be greatly disappointed。 Both Enosh and Ada the ma LOVE IT & HATE IT Love It and Hate It！ I don’t know how I’m giving a book with rape in it four stars but I am。 The male protagonist is a rapist and he rapes the female protagonist several times。 That makes this a one star book for me。 The author fortunately or unfortunately writes a fabulous dark fantasy world， one with a rich plot。 ARGH， I shouldn’t have liked this book。 It is NO WAY IS A ROMANCE。 So those who bought it expecting a romance will be greatly disappointed。 Both Enosh and Ada the main characters are complex and their story is a complex one too， full of revenge and sorrow。 There is no FAIRYTALE IN THE STORY， so again those thinking this book is like one of those will be disappointed。 This is a dark story， no flowers or sweet words。 A story of forced sex and manipulation; it’s well written and I am torn in giving it four stars。 I am cut completely utter flummoxed in liking a book and understand a villain in Enosh。 I’ve read books where consent is dubious， but those villains through the stories had literary reasons for their actions。 Here I don’t see Enosh reasons， but I will read book two; as the world building is really good。 。。。more
Michele Rathbun
，
an array of emotionsI can not e press how much I loved this book。 I am so invested that when the cliff hanger hit me I had a physical tantrum realizing that the next book does not come out for a month。
Lori McEntee
，
Good read， not great。 First half was tough。
Samantha （everlasting。charm）
，
Wow。 What an intriguing story！ Don’t get me wrong。 It’s dark。 Real dark。 Heed all trigger warnings for this one。 And don’t expect a romantic hero。 I wouldn’t even call him morally grey。 He’s past that。 And yet my warped mind still ended up liking him。 And I really liked his brother， Yarin。 He was funny， okay。 I found myself really interested in the idea of the story though。 A god who must rot the dead， but he refuses his divine duty。 I hope book two comes out soon！ After that ending I NEED it。
E Coop
，
I honestly don’t knowI liked the story but don’t know if I really did。 It took till 47% for it to get exciting。 Spoilers…。。the beginning has spice when there should not have been any。 And as of right now…。the ending and cliffhanger are horrible。 We’ll see if the author can make it ok with the next book。I can say honestly say inhad no idea the cliffhanger was heading in its direction。 But I also couldn’t figure out the plot until 50%。 And the heroine has basically been treated like crap by others I honestly don’t knowI liked the story but don’t know if I really did。 It took till 47% for it to get exciting。 Spoilers…。。the beginning has spice when there should not have been any。 And as of right now…。the ending and cliffhanger are horrible。 We’ll see if the author can make it ok with the next book。I can say honestly say inhad no idea the cliffhanger was heading in its direction。 But I also couldn’t figure out the plot until 50%。 And the heroine has basically been treated like crap by others and is still a doormat at the end…。。Let’s see what happens！！ 。。。more
Michelle K
，
Interesting book。 I was kind of confused at the beginning not understanding the world I was thrust into but it made more sense later on。 It’s written in a way all the gore and rotting corpses don’t really gross you out which was fascinating。 Very distopian vibes which was cool。 I loved Enosh。 He’s a beautifully broken character which I’m looking forward to seeing more of in book 2。
amanda Cummings
，
Alright let me just start out by saying this book captured my attention within the first sentence！！ I was intrigued and a little shocked /confused but in a good way ！ Completely different from any other book I have read 。 If your looking for an enemies to lovers book this is your book 。 Love morally grey characters ？！ THIS is your book ！ Enosh isn't a good guy 。。 like at ALL but I still fell madly inlove with him 。 The writing was good ， story was great and spice was fantastic 。 I personally can Alright let me just start out by saying this book captured my attention within the first sentence！！ I was intrigued and a little shocked /confused but in a good way ！ Completely different from any other book I have read 。 If your looking for an enemies to lovers book this is your book 。 Love morally grey characters ？！ THIS is your book ！ Enosh isn't a good guy 。。 like at ALL but I still fell madly inlove with him 。 The writing was good ， story was great and spice was fantastic 。 I personally can not wait for the next book 。 In face if Liv Zander is looking for someone for an arc I am your girl ！！ But seriously。 This book is perfect quick read for someone who loves to simp over the villain 。 You have one bed trope One horse trope Enemies to lovers A little bit of forbidden love Broken hearts Touch her and die trope 。。 honestly every trope that you love is in this book I will say tho check your trigger warnings ！ And this book is definitely 18+ 。。。more
Lydia
，
I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would when I initially starting reading it。This was a fast-paced read with a decent villain romance。 The steamy scenes were enjoyable and I thought there were some really great quotes between Enosh and Ada as they began to warm to each other more。I also really loved the side character， Yarin， he provided some comedic relief which was much needed during more intense scenes and had me laughing out loud。I do feel that the writing did let the story down I ended up enjoying this more than I thought I would when I initially starting reading it。This was a fast-paced read with a decent villain romance。 The steamy scenes were enjoyable and I thought there were some really great quotes between Enosh and Ada as they began to warm to each other more。I also really loved the side character， Yarin， he provided some comedic relief which was much needed during more intense scenes and had me laughing out loud。I do feel that the writing did let the story down at times， one example being the constant mention of the sound something would make like "crk-crk" or "ba-boom" which I felt was unnecessary。There was also some more modern dialogue from the characters at times which didn't really fit with the setting。I also didn't particularly like how the story ended， especially the fact that the cliff-hanger came from miscommunication between the two main characters。Overall I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced dark romance and I'll certainly be picking up the sequel when it comes out。 。。。more
Ailís
，
Amazing I have no words for how freaking good this book was！ We have a dark villain， who does some unspeakable things to our strong willed， takes no prisoners FMC。 We have a dreary， depressing setting in a dark and unforgiving realm， filled with utterly contemptible mortals - this backdrop sets the tone for this story。 A story of two people who have been through a lot of personal pain and how they each choose to cope with it。 I really liked Ada， our FMC; yes she was stubborn， strong willed and v Amazing I have no words for how freaking good this book was！ We have a dark villain， who does some unspeakable things to our strong willed， takes no prisoners FMC。 We have a dreary， depressing setting in a dark and unforgiving realm， filled with utterly contemptible mortals - this backdrop sets the tone for this story。 A story of two people who have been through a lot of personal pain and how they each choose to cope with it。 I really liked Ada， our FMC; yes she was stubborn， strong willed and very opinionated， but what I loved the most about Ada was that she wasn’t overbearing， which I have found in a lot of FMCS of late。 I have to say I fell in love with Enoch almost instantly。 Yes he does some horrible stuff to Ada， but we come to understand the reasons for his actions and also the fact that he’s a god and can’t really relate to mortals that much。 I loved reading about these two and their lush and pull relationship and towards the end， their newfound love and devolution to each other （even if a certain FMC doesn’t know it yet）。 I knew going into this book that there would be quite the cliffhanger。 The ending had me in tears。 This was a brilliant dark fantasy romance read and I can’t wait for the next instalment！ 。。。more
Jennifer
，
The world building is so intriguing it’s almost a character in itself。 FMC has a sharp tongue and honor in her words。 Be forewarned this is a dark and gritty story where the villain gets the girl。 MMC is a villain。 His goal is to possess her fully。 Don’t wade in if dark romance isn’t your genre。 Check TW/CW。 This ends on a cliffhanger。 Book 1 in a duet。 Book 2 comes in June。
Andrea Marrie Bryant
，
King of Flesh and BoneThe story started off well and then evolved into confusion。 The relationship between the two main characters is nothing but glorified assault and rape。 I'm sure that this fits the description of someone's villan， but it does not inspire the idea of a relationship or help with story building in anyway。 （Spoiler）。。。。。。。。。。。。。I know that there was a trigger warning for dark material， however I do not agree with leaving the cliffhanger on the （almost certain） death of her unbor King of Flesh and BoneThe story started off well and then evolved into confusion。 The relationship between the two main characters is nothing but glorified assault and rape。 I'm sure that this fits the description of someone's villan， but it does not inspire the idea of a relationship or help with story building in anyway。 （Spoiler）。。。。。。。。。。。。。I know that there was a trigger warning for dark material， however I do not agree with leaving the cliffhanger on the （almost certain） death of her unborn child。 I gave stars for such a great idea and baseline for a story， but I took stars for such poor character building and reliance on sexual assault as the basis for the relationship。 。。。more
Stacey
，
Not sureSo I’m not entirely sure how I feel about what I just read。 I’m a lot of emotions right now but mainly irritated beyond belief… I pre-ordered the next book and I would have given this 5 stars， but I’m currently angry and I was going to give it 3 stars because I’m so angry but the author did what they are meant to do and I have all the feels and whatnot so I talk my self into 4 stars。 I might change it to 5 stars but I’m gonna have to see how the next book goes。 I have absolutely no idea Not sureSo I’m not entirely sure how I feel about what I just read。 I’m a lot of emotions right now but mainly irritated beyond belief… I pre-ordered the next book and I would have given this 5 stars， but I’m currently angry and I was going to give it 3 stars because I’m so angry but the author did what they are meant to do and I have all the feels and whatnot so I talk my self into 4 stars。 I might change it to 5 stars but I’m gonna have to see how the next book goes。 I have absolutely no idea how you are planning on redeeming the H （not hero but source of my anger） but I have a feeling it’s gonna get worse especially after reading the blurb… his torture didn’t go on long enough in my opinion。 But still I need for her in some way to take control and make him regret EVERYTHING！！ 。。。more
Cécile Smits
，
King of Flesh and Bone has intrigued me from the moment i read the blurb。Finding it up for pre-order on Apple Books，i immediately one-clicked。To my unpleasant surprise，it failed to download once it was live，and i asked Liv Zander what went wrong。She told me Apple Books should’ve informed me it was withdrawn…。。To my véry pleasant surprise，she then offered me a free copy to make up for my loss！And i’m só glad she did，because it was a great story…。even if it does come with the cliffhanger from hell King of Flesh and Bone has intrigued me from the moment i read the blurb。Finding it up for pre-order on Apple Books，i immediately one-clicked。To my unpleasant surprise，it failed to download once it was live，and i asked Liv Zander what went wrong。She told me Apple Books should’ve informed me it was withdrawn…。。To my véry pleasant surprise，she then offered me a free copy to make up for my loss！And i’m só glad she did，because it was a great story…。even if it does come with the cliffhanger from hell…。All Ada ever wanted，was a child of her own。But her late husband never fulfilled her dream，and even worse，he called her barren，an unwoman。Being a midwife meant she at least could help others with childbirth。Until one faithful night…。when everything went horribly wrong and she ended up with the King of Flesh and Bone。The same one that refused to allow the dead to rot。The one that became fascinated with her。And the one that refused to ever let her go。Which would mean a very long time，because Enosh made it so she’d live forever。Enosh had had enough of mortals，they were deceitful and backstabbing。He’d paid the price when the love of his life left him，when she’d died，200 years ago。But the mortal that dared to cross the Gate into the Pale Court awakened something in him。She intrigued him with her resistance and her morals。Asking him to allow her late husband to rot，to let him rest in peace。Because she’d made a vow，and she wanted to fulfill it。Not only that，she didn’t seem frightened of his court of bones…。The longer they were together，the more they started to change，little by little。She kept saying she hated him，and hated the fact that he manipulated her，but the fire behind those statements was gone。He kept saying he’d made a vow to never allow mortal corpses into his court again，but once he saw how much it hurt her to see children suffer，he promised to let them rot。But in the meantime，the enemy was plotting…。。This was a story that drew me in from the start，that held me hostage until the last page。I’m left with a desperate need for the next book，the second half of this duet，Queen of Rot and Pain。I can only hope it won’t take tóó long before it’s here…… 。。。more
Vita_Nova
，
“What we fear most is what we don’t understand。” I have no particular love for villains… But then again Enosh is not *just* a villain and Ada not a damsel in distress。Welcome to the Pale Court… A place full of despair， rot， grit and darkness。 Expect its Master equally terrible， ruthless， heartbroken， nonetheless always honest in a twisted sense of the word。 You will hate him， then hate him some more。 Then you will feel compassion and sympathy， and then you will love him。 There is no other way。“Y “What we fear most is what we don’t understand。” I have no particular love for villains… But then again Enosh is not *just* a villain and Ada not a damsel in distress。Welcome to the Pale Court… A place full of despair， rot， grit and darkness。 Expect its Master equally terrible， ruthless， heartbroken， nonetheless always honest in a twisted sense of the word。 You will hate him， then hate him some more。 Then you will feel compassion and sympathy， and then you will love him。 There is no other way。“You’ll never see the outside world again。” Oh， but I would。 “Never is a long time。”Ada finds herself accidentally and unwillingly to his Court。 She is an honest， proud， defiant， stubborn and brave woman who hadn’t had it easy in her life。 However， she makes no bones about her dislike of Enosh or her opinion about anything that might displease him。“I’ve sometimes been quiet， even obedient every now and then。 Certainly， I’ve never been both at the same time。”Welcome to a twisted world full of angst， sorrow， betrayal and rage， yet deliciously sinful。 The characters are so different yet when they come together， their explosive passion will shake the ground to the core…What happens when a God that has been repeatedly wronged loses the woman he came to desire and cherish？ Wicked humans soon will find out that “worse than a god in rage is a god in love”。*This is definitely a dark fantasy novel， not for the faint of heart。 Please check the trigger warnings。 It also ends in a heart-stopping cliffhanger。*I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review 。。。more
L。 Ashley Gage
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Check TWs。 Twice。 Or more。 This is a 250 page original， dark， smutty， and twisted tale。 In short， I loved every damn moment。I’m so glad I went in blind to it， but it won’t be for everyone。 This is especially not for anyone triggered by child death or infertility。 Triggers are explained in greater detail at the very end of the review if you need more context。I can’t even comment on the quality of the writing because I don’t know - it was good enough that it couldn’t break my total immersion in th Check TWs。 Twice。 Or more。 This is a 250 page original， dark， smutty， and twisted tale。 In short， I loved every damn moment。I’m so glad I went in blind to it， but it won’t be for everyone。 This is especially not for anyone triggered by child death or infertility。 Triggers are explained in greater detail at the very end of the review if you need more context。I can’t even comment on the quality of the writing because I don’t know - it was good enough that it couldn’t break my total immersion in the wicked story so there’s that。 Our main characters: Ada: widowed， midwife with a sharp tongue and incessant need to fulfill her promises Enosh: God responsible for spreading “rot” and welcoming the dead to his palace so the dead can pass。 But he hasn’t done this for 200 years so every full moon， the dead try to break out。The plot: I don’t even know where to start。 Maybe the zombie babies？ Yes。 Let us start there because that’s where the book starts and I’ve never been more fascinated by the macabre thought。 Why hasn’t anyone else asked what happens if a baby is made undead at birth？ Is it alive？ Would you know？ Next， let’s introduce some whiplash and go from the undead to non-consent smut … （clarification on this below if you want to know）。 The smut was so dynamic and frequent to begin with， I was wondering if it should have been classified as erotica， but the plot picks up。 Now， let’s fall in love with the morally grey love interest who， dammit， just wants to be loved。 A broken， morally grey immortal man who will slaughter the entire world for her？ Yes， please！ He can create clothes and home furnishings from dead bodies？ Sign me up！Finally， it ends with a cliffy that could make you propel objects with telepathic fury。 The next book is out in June， so not terrible， but some may wait because it’s gnarly。 More on triggers below …Non-consent occurs through compulsion， not physical force。 Infertility is a consistent theme。 Dead children are mentioned & featured consistently， as is parental grief。 On-page child death。 Occasional gore。Smut pushes beyond the usual fantasy romance steam。 。。。more
Rhiannon
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Dark but beautiful This book is not for everyone。 Check the content warnings。 It was however for me！ I loved it。 Dark and twisted but also beautiful。 Well written and great world building。 Watching two broken souls repairing each other， the pain they both carry described so well。 Created such an emotional connection。 Great world building too。 I did not appreciate the cliffy though。 Now I am dangling on the edge in sorry till part two。 I hate Waiting。
Victoria
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Not what I thought it was going to be。
Page Gobbler
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I was going to give this book 3 stars…。 That was until I read the last 5 pages。 This book ends on a major cliffhanger！！！！ It will leave you feeling unwell！ I enjoyed the plot and developing feelings between the main characters， how they each had their own trauma to work through - just two broken peoples’ paths crossing with the potential to be good for each other， but the last few pages ruined all of this for me。 It’s like baking a delicious cake and then just throwing it in the bin。 All that wo I was going to give this book 3 stars…。 That was until I read the last 5 pages。 This book ends on a major cliffhanger！！！！ It will leave you feeling unwell！ I enjoyed the plot and developing feelings between the main characters， how they each had their own trauma to work through - just two broken peoples’ paths crossing with the potential to be good for each other， but the last few pages ruined all of this for me。 It’s like baking a delicious cake and then just throwing it in the bin。 All that work for nothing！ I also felt like trigger warnings aren’t detailed enough- if you are sensitive to pregnancy issues/ infertility/ miscarriage/ stillborn then please don’t read this book。 。。。more
ChristinaReads5
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