It was my first Scarlett St. Claire novel and not my last. The cover caught my eyes first. The summary was another thing that made me curious. This fantasy novel is not like any other fantasy book. You will find a mixture of fantasy, mystery, and reincarnation presented in a fresh way. A strong princess with a unique style. The plot is very dark, and bloody, and shows a cruel vampire court. One, that is filled with drama and passion.
King Of Battle And Blood
by Scarlett St. ClairAdrian & Isolde Trilogy #1
Publisher LYX on May 23, 2023
Genre Fantasy
Pages 432
Format Paperback
Source LYX
Goodreads
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Their union is his revenge.Isolde de Lara considers her wedding day to be her death day. To end a years-long war, she is to marry vampire king Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him. But her assassination attempt is thwarted, and Adrian threatens that if Isolde tries to kill him again, he will raise her as the undead. Faced with the possibility of becoming the thing she hates most; Isolde seeks other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. Except it isn't the court she fears most-it's Adrian. Despite their undeniable chemistry, she wonders why the king-fierce, savage, merciless-chose her as consort. The answer will shatter her world.
Story
Isolde is the only solution her father, the king, sees to stop the long war. She is supposed to kill the vampire king Adrian and with that, hopefully, her marriage too. But soon, she starts feeling things, she doesn´t want to. She sees something in the mirrors at the Red Palace and feels that there is more to her feelings and the fact, that she knows things she never heard or saw in her life.
Style
In this novel, a combination of fantasy and mysticism is offered, which in the course of the action mixes more and more into a unique combination. The main character Isolde is idiosyncratic and sees the possibility of sitting on the throne as the first sole ruling queen. A dream that unfortunately does not come true as hoped. The writing style is easy to read and the reading speed is quick. The plot is varied and you never know what will happen on the next page.
Characters
Many unexpected things happen. A father wants to kill his daughter because she doesn't act the way he wants. A man tries to steer his princess just because he doesn't trust her own thinking and a lot of things don't go as hoped either.
Isolde is headstrong, strong, clever, and very beautiful. She knows how to assert herself and sees things that others don't see. But when she has to realize that her own father wants her bad and that she can't do anything about it, she has to decide what to do. And that's painful.
Conclusion
That was a fantasy novel of a different kind. The theme of reincarnation for the main character as the background theme for the plot was interesting and well-implemented. The story itself was varied and very entertaining. Highly recommended.
Happy reading
*This book was kindly provided to me by LYX in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.
Deutsche Rezension
Stil
In diesem Roman wird eine Kombination aus Fantasy und Mystik geboten, die sich im Handlungsverlauf mehr und mehr zu einer ganz eigenen Kombination vermischt. Die Hauptfigur Isolde ist eigenwillig und sieht für sich die Möglichkeit, als erste alleinherrschende Königin auf dem Thron zu sitzen. Ein Traum, der sich leider nicht so erfüllt wie erhofft. Der Schreibstil ist schlicht einfach zu lesen und das Lesetempo zügig. Die Handlung ist abwechslungsreich und man weiß nie, was auf der nächsten Seite passiert.
Charaktere
Es geschehen viele unerwartete Dinge. Da will ein Vater seine Tochter umbringen, weil diese nicht so handelt, wie er es möchte. Da versucht ein Mann, seine Prinzessin zu lenken, nur weil er ihr eigenes Denken nicht zutraut und auch sonst geht vieles nicht so, wie gehofft.
Isolde ist eigenwillig, stark, klug und sehr schön. Sie weiß sich zu behaupten und erkennt Dinge, die andere nicht sehen. Als sie aber erkennen muss, dass ihr eigener Vater ihr Böses will und sie dagegen nichts machen kann, muss sie entscheiden, was sie macht. Und das ist schmerzhaft.
Resultat
Das war mal ein Fantasyroman der etwas anderen Art. Das Thema Reinkarnation für die Hauptfigur als Hintergrundthema für den Plot war interessant und gut umgesetzt. Die Geschichte selbst war abwechslungsreich und sehr unterhaltsam. Sehr empfehlenswert.
*This book was published in the English language by Bloom Books on November 30, 2021
Scarlett St. Clair
Scarlett St. Clair lives in Oklahoma with her husband. She has a degree in Library Science and is obsessed with Greek mythology, books, and the afterlife. Anyone who shares this passion with her will love her books.
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