I don’t think this was for me. The characters felt a little flat and I had a hard time connecting with the story and the characters. Also the lack of chapters didn’t help either. I really wanted to like this one.

A wedding, a vampire, a trip to the underworld to save a young girl?
This sounded like something I just needed to read when I saw the synopsis!
There is absolutely no hanging around at the beginning of this book, and the reader is thrown straight into the action. However, I wish perhaps that this book had been part of a duology in order to better understand and get the know the characters more from the start. I'd have liked a bit more world building and more on the Romanian folklore aspects, for me, would have really boosted this book.
The story is told in parts instead of chapters, which didn't bother me so much, but I know it could be a turn-off for others. Part 2 took up a very long proportion of the story without very much really seeming to happen other than roaming the underworld with no real way of driving the story forward.
Stefan's sarcastic humour and backstory just made me fall in love with him from the very start of the story, but I'd have loved more from his 'before' as part of his character arc.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book via Netgalley.

Thank you so much to the publisher for granting me access to this book.

I just cannot. I finished this book approx. 1 hour ago and I am still lost for words. I loved this book so so much. The atmospheric writing, the plot and the characters all had me in a chokehold throughout this book. I’m a sucker (lol) for a vampire and Stefan did not disappoint. When the MMC gives you the pet name ‘cauliflower’ I’m always going to be routing for you. I want to be someone’s cauliflower!

I did not expect this book to make me feel so many emotions, and I cried. I don’t cry at books so if one can get me in the feels like this one then I am absolutely going to rate it 5 stars.

I am really struggling to find the words to describe my feelings for this book, nothing I write is doing it justice. This book and its characters are going to stay with me for a long time and I would love more books from this world and author.

A haunting, heart-aching descent into grief and myth

J.J.A. Hardwood's A Steep and Savage Path is haunting, beautiful, and impossible to put down. It weaves myth and folklore with raw, human grief in a way that feels timeless—like stepping into a fairytale where the woods know your name, and Death might just speak back.
The writing is lyrical without sacrificing clarity, and the pacing is near perfect. Hardwood doesn't over-explain her world, but gives just enough for you to feel rooted in it. The gothic atmosphere lingers long after the final page, but it's the emotional core that truly left an impression. This is a story about loss, love, and the jagged path between them.
The banter—sharp, clever, and emotionally fraught—brings unexpected lightness to the darker themes, and the romance is one that aches in all the right places. It hurts, but you want it to.
This is a must-read for fans of gothic fantasy and romantic narratives that don’t shy away from emotional depth. Just keep tissues nearby.

Recommended For readers who loved The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Spinning Silver, or The Death of Jane Lawrence—stories where magic, melancholy, and myth hold hands.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review

Sadly, I just couldn’t connect at all to the characters or story in this. I did enjoy the beginning parts, I loved the elements of Romanian folklore and the premise of this story, however there was so much I didn’t enjoy. I found the plot pace rather lacking, there wasn’t enough character development to make me connect and large parts of this just felt very repetitive. I struggled not to DNF as I really hoped at some point it would pick back up and end somewhat satisfyingly but sadly I just didn’t get that ending.

As a reader who actively avoids romantacy, and hates the enemies to lovers trope, and who also has an aversion to vampires (blood phobia), I was absolutely not looking forward to this title that I was invited to view.

So, imagine my surprise when I absolutely loved it. Devoured it in a day and a bit. It’s not spicy, just a bit kissy, but I did scan over the bloody bits I’ll admit though they are tame as well (I just can’t handle anything!).

I loved Irina and I loved Stefan, and I just loved the plot. This is such a lovely, easy, comfortable read, and this author is definitely one I’ll pick up again.

My thanks to Netgalley and Rachel Quin Marketing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this epic book

and it is an epic book .... very detailed and long

but then again it is a journey to be made ....

irina and catalina are sisters ....

but on a fine day catalina has an accident and remains in her bed not stirring though she is alive

irina consults with a witch and finds her answer and so begins irina adventure

its a perilous journey fraught with danger but man that ending .... i can see why it moves people to tears....

on the whole its a good read though a tad long... but if you are into vampires and the dead then this is a book for you

I want to start by saying that the atmosphere that this story creates is something I always seek in a book. Dark and romantic, vampirish and grey underworld elegance. The premise was promising and I think with slightly different pacing, this book could have reached its potential. Unfortunately, it fell a little short for me. The romance was not so much fierce yearning, but more force upon the reader.
Sometimes I can get on with a book written in parts rather than chapters, but I think this is to the detriment of the story here. The second part seems to drag on, rather than lead us to anything of relevance. Similarly, the parts seem to focus on an event, rather than a theme, and it creates a long, slow reading experience, without much depth, rather than a quicker paced, deeper understanding that I think this story requires.
I wanted to love this, but unfortunately, it was not for me.

This is such an unusual book - an oddly sweet folk horror about a woman who tricks a vampire into taking her to the land of the dead to rescue the soul of her sister.

The atmosphere is what grabbed me from the first, reminding me of movies such as 'The Vourdalak' or 'The Witch', as the dark sorrow of death mingles with the simplistic hope and love of a family member.

The banter between the (rather rightly!) annoyed vampire and our female protagonist was fun and made the scenario more real and human. The combination of various European afterlife mythologies was also engaging and intriguing as to where the journey would take them next.

The pace does slow a little from time to time, but I still enjoyed this Dante-esque journey.

Irina is willing to make a union with the undead if it will get her into hell and allow her to save her lost sister. But the undead she chooses comes to mean more to her than just a monstrous guide she needs to fear and manipulate in equal measure.

This strange mashup of Persephone, Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus is very rich in atmospherics, and plumbs the Nosferatu visuals nicely to begin with. And the twist of having Irina carry a curse that comes from her touch is a nice inversion of the vampire’s kiss as well.

But as a romance, the central relationship is unconvincing and extremely forced, and in the latter parts of the book, the pacing plods considerably, making getting to the end a little like a chore.

It wasn’t for me, sadly.

I wasn’t really too sure what to expect when going into this one since there were so many mixed opinions, but I think I actually enjoyed it quite a bit!

I loved the idea of this one immediately. Having a main character who was willing to be married to a dead man all so she could save her sister and the village was so intriguing, lest of all that this dead man was also a vampire that was terrorising everyone! It just seemed like it would be full of twists and adventure, lots of snarky banter and an almost enemies to lovers kind of plot.
That already would have been enough to get me into this one, but throw in the fact that they then travel to the underworld!!! Like come on that is so sick! They travel there to find her sister’s soul, and in return her vampire husband who has been guiding her gets to feed from her whenever he wants.

It was really interesting and quite atmospheric the whole way through, and I really did enjoy the first part of the book where she is agreeing to be married, encounters her murderous husband for the first time before they then strike the bargain and head into the underworld.
Just having everything explained as it was happening kept me in the story and didn’t really have too much of a jarring effect either.
Everything is explained so that if you know nothing about vampires or greek mythology you can still enjoy what is happening which I thought was really nice as it didn’t feel like there was loads of info being dumped on us, it all came up super organically.

The one thing I didn’t really like which probably had the most negative impact on the overall experience was the fact that the whole book was split up into parts but not chapters. It just made the whole experience feel that much longer, it dragged, and I never really knew when to put the book down (since I’m the sort who stops at a new chapter).
Having the book split up into parts was good, because it was obvious when we were then moving into a different act / place, but I just feel like chapters could have still been present too, and it would have made things easier to read.

This book did genuinely have a lot going for it, but it was also a little bit of a hot mess. Maybe it needed to be dragged out into a duology for it to make more sense? So that the author could have explored a little more and made the romance and connections seem a little less rushed? Or maybe the romantic element shouldn’t have been included because she was willing to give up her little sister for this vamp dude after knowing him for less than 5 days… Idk ok.
This could have been AMAZING if it wasn’t for a few things, but it was kinda fun in a chaotic and unbelievable way.

A Steep and Savage Path sounded so interesting. I requested this book as an ARC on NetGalley as the premise intrigued me and I haven't read many Vampire Books

But unfortunately, I had to DNF at 42%.

My first issue is the lack of Chapters. It has Parts and no Chapters but at 42% in I was still in Part 2.

Part 1 had me reeled in. I was invested in the quest of going to the Underworld to save Irina Sister and using her new Vampire Husband to lead the way. But then the story just halted in Part 2. It was so repetitive.
It was just a lot of walking through darks spaces towards glimmers of light just because her sisters necklace was seemingly pointing that way. I'm sorry but I didn't buy into it and I couldn't force myself to continue.

3.5 stars.
After losing her sister, the main character is willing to do whatever it takes to find her again, even if that means doing a deal with a vampire to travel to the land of the dead and back (she marries him- love sm that trope tbh!!!) . With him as her guide, she dives into a world where the lines between life, death, love, and grief blur.
The whole premise gave me Hadestown vibes (which I absolutely adore, one of my favourites musicals from Broadway), and from the very beginning, I was hooked. You need to go hell and back to recover your sister's soul? YES PLEASE.
What stood out to me the most was the incredibly immersive atmosphere. The author has a true gift for creating a setting that wraps around you like a fog-heavy, haunting, and impossible to escape. It’s one of those books that makes the real world disappear, and I was completely in love with that feeling.
However, I did find myself wanting a bit more when it came to the characters. While they were intriguing and had strong introductions, their development didn’t always meet the expectations that were set up ( this is completly my opinion, obviously). I wished I could’ve seen deeper into their minds and hearts. Some trauma dump don't fix their lack of deepness.
Oh, and the MMC is a vampire called stefan... I'M NOT THAT TYPE OF GIRL ALWAYS OKEY?, but i'm not going to lie, my first though was "like in Vampire diaries, seriously?" - I'm watching that serie rn lol so I'm a little bit biased lol-
Tbh this Stefan from ASASP is so much better tho!!
Also, full honesty,...this was my fourth vampire book in a row, so I didn’t connect with that aspect as much as I might have otherwise. me-problem, not the book’s fault at all. Not in the mood you know.
Still, despite those small things, I really enjoyed the read. The atmosphere alone makes it worth picking up, especially if you’re in the mood for something dark, emotional, and beautifully written <3
Also, the book vibes in general reminds me a lot of my family and The invisible life of Addie LaRue- (that catholic vibe huh...) in the best/worst way possible. It makes Irina, the FMC more relatable

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A dangerous journey to the Underworld drenched in Hungarian folklore, and a forbidden, seemingly hopeless romance that blossoms treacherously. Irina sets out to rescue the soul of her not-quite-dead little sister, but doesn't realise she's going to discover a lot about herself on the way. Stefan appears to be nothing more than a monster, but it takes a living girl and the swathes of the dead to make him realise he's so much more. This was darkly beautiful and strangely touching. I didn't really know what to expect from it and went in pretty blind, but thoroughly enjoyed the journey!

Recommended for anyone who liked The Thirteenth Child, Bride of Death and The Wolf And The Woodsman.

🌑✨ A Steep and Savage Letdown 🧛‍♂️🚪 ✨🌑

Okay… deep breath 😮‍💨 I wanted to love this book so bad. Vampire groom? Tragic sacrifice? Afterlife quests? Literally sounded like a gothic fever dream and I was READY for it 😩🩸

But y'all … this one tested me. 💀 I was out here fighting for my life trying to finish it.

Let’s break it down:

📚 STRUCTURE CHAOS ALERT
No chapters. Just ✨parts✨. Which would’ve been fine… if Part Two didn’t last 47% of the book. FORTY. SEVEN. PERCENT. 😭 I was genuinely concerned my Kindle was broken. Like, how are we still walking through the land of the dead???

The format had me like:
➡️ Enter gate
➡️ Face spooky problem
➡️ Spin three times like we’re in a haunted fairy circle
➡️ Repeat for 200+ pages 😵‍💫

It felt like being stuck in a gothic goosebumps choose-your-own-adventure that never ended, but without the fun.

🧤 The Glove Saga™
Listen. The idea that Irina couldn’t touch anyone without sending them into a trauma spiral? 🔥 Concept. Super creepy. But do I need to watch this exact thing happen like every 10 pages until we magically find gloves?? No. No, I do not. I got it the first couple of times (ok maybe 5), but by the last, I was ready to climb into the book and just HAND HER SOME MITTENS MYSELF 🧤🤡

🧛‍♂️ Stefan: The Deadpan Delight
Okay here’s a bright spot 🌟 Stefan was entertaining in the beginning. The dry banter? ICONIC.

When Irina’s like “I’ll starve without food and water” and this undead sass king hits her with:
“Imagine being driven mad by hunger. Truly, no one knows how you have suffered.”
💀💀💀 Sir. That’s comedy.

And don’t get me STARTED on him calling her “my little cauliflower” 😭 Like…why is that weirdly cute??? Who let him be funny AND brooding???

💔 Romance? Or Trauma Bond?
Now… the “romance.” 👀
I’m sorry but you’ve known this man for like 5 business days, and suddenly you’re contemplating giving up your SEVEN-YEAR-OLD SISTER to save him??? BABE. NO. BE SO SERIOUS RIGHT NOW 🤨

You don’t even LIKE him until like 60% in. Before that it’s just him being gloomy and her being like “ugh he’s annoying” 🙄 Then suddenly it’s:
"Irina, I don't want to forget you. You're the only thing that's going to get me through Hell."
AND NOW WE’RE IN LOVE?? The whiplash 😵‍♀️

⚰️ The Ending… Girl What
After all the angst, grief, impossible choices and emotional build-up… the ending just felt like the author went:
“nvm ❤️ happy ending time!”
LIKE NO. Make it HURT. Make it mean something.
I would've respected the tragic ending. Let it break me!!! Don’t hit me with this soft wrap-up and call it closure 😩

📉 Overall Vibes
The premise had SO much potential. The haunting afterlife world? The sacrifice bride trope? The poetic quotes?? It should’ve devoured me like Stefan devours blood. But instead, I felt like I was wading through narrative molasses while yelling “HELLO??? PLOT???”

🧛‍♀️ I almost DNF’d halfway through, and honestly… I probably wouldn’t have missed much. The last 40% does pick up slightly, but not enough to redeem the rest for me.

🚪 Final Verdict:
An aesthetic vibe with a killer premise… but very little payoff. Needed tighter pacing, more tension, and honestly, better gloves.

2 stars. I stayed for the banter and the cauliflower.🥀

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunatly, a DNF (28%) for me. The main character were lacking chemistry and their dialogues felt flat. In addition, the book doesn't have chapters, so I had a hard time keeping my attention.

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the arc!

You think a mix of vampires, the underworld of Greek mythology and a general mood and rural setting slightly reminiscent of Marissa Meyer`s Gilded sounds interesting? Well congratulations, you found another addition to your (probably already overflowing) tbr!

A steep and savage path follows the journey of our brave, stubborn and lovable main character Irina into the underworld in hopes of finding her not-quite-dead sister and bringing her back. But as we all know, living things do not belong to the land of death, so in order to have a chance at succeeding in her mission, she needs a guide - a guide dead enough to bring her into the underworld yet alive enough to be of any use for, well, guiding. Fortunately for her (and only her), a nearby village is terrorized by a monstrous vampire, slaying villagers in cold blood and spreading carnage and fear. Whilst any person with a healthy survival instinct would stay at least a days march away from such a place, Irina sees a chance of finding someone to take her to her sister in this circumstance. Together, they embark on a journey through the land of the death reminiscent of the tales of Alice in Wonderland, meeting all kinds of odd creatures and impossible situations whilst maybe realizing that a monster is often not born, but made.


I really liked this one! It was a wonderful combination of so many lovely elements, from the east European villages to the fantastical settings in the underworld. It was a creative yet eerie approach to the life beyond dead which I am sure will keep me thinking. The writing style was extremely pleasant without lingering too long on descriptions whilst also painting a clear picture of everything going on. I was surprised to like Irina so much, as I feared she just was a naive, hot headed hero trying to save her sister at any cost, but the author managed to create great character depth for both her and Stefan - and honestly every other character

The ending felt a tiny bit rushed and the division in 5 parts felt a little bit unnatural to me. Also, I think this book would have worked really great without a romance plot, instead experiencing friendship and trust between two likely yet so unlikely people in an impossible situation - but that might just be my taste.

Overall, I would definitely recommend for fantastical world building, lovable characters and a fun spin on classic concepts.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book, I’m rating it 4.0 stars.

This is a fun adventure with the purest intentions (on the FMC’s part). I love the way this involves vampires and death, it takes fantasy using mythical creatures and lands we’ve read about before but gives it a fresh twist, and I really like the motivations that set the FMC on her path.

This is a fun and somewhat fast paced romantasy, the world building and dangerous scenarios kept me hooked.

A STEEP AND SAVAGE PATH is a vampiric quest to the underworld.

This book combines largely Greek mythology on the underworld with Eastern European vampire folklore. I liked that it never committed exactly to which versions of the tales were being used, instead using them as a starting point for the author's own interpretation of them. It's not the Greek underworld as we know it, but it's familiar enough to feel like the Greek myths are the tales that escaped, warped and misremembered.

It's quite fun to try and spot the different myths that have made it into the book, but also to see the other elements that have been added. The town walls made of tombstones was particularly unsettling because it's so benign on the surface but super creepy when you spend any amount of time thinking about it.

There are a fair few "descent into the underworld" stories being published right now, but the fact this one is married with a vampire trope helps it stand out. The pair have an antagonist relationship but have something the other wants, forcing them into an alliance. It was a lot of fun watching that push and pull turn into desire as they're forced to rely on one another.

The climax of this book is an emotional choice rather than a big fight sequence. It's a really nasty choice and I liked watching Irina wrestle with it. I wasn't sure which way she was going to go with the choice until she did it - there were arguments to be made for each, which I liked.

The book has no chapters, only five parts (which are the only points the book is split at.) It does make it harder to find points to stop and put the book down. If you have a decent chunk of time and can read from section to section, it's great as it means you don't have anything stopping you. If you do need to put it down (say there are chores to do) it's a little harder.

A Steep and Savage Path is a breathtaking, heart-shattering story that I know will stay with me for a long time. Inspired by Greek mythology and Romanian folklore, it follows Irina, a young woman willing to risk everything to bring her sister’s soul back from the underworld, and Stefan, the reluctant vampire she enlists to guide her. Together, they navigate the eerie and beautifully detailed underworld—a setting so vivid and original it feels like a character in its own right.

The writing is haunting and atmospheric, weaving together gut-wrenching grief, tender hope, and flashes of dark beauty. Every step through the underworld revealed new lands and new trials, and the depth of the world-building blew me away. From the crumbling cobblestones to the chilling details of each realm, you can feel how much love and thought went into crafting this story.

Irina and Stefan’s relationship is everything. While you could call it enemies-to-lovers, that description hardly does it justice. Their bond is born from mutual need and wariness, slowly blossoming into something so genuine and tender it completely broke my heart. It’s a slow-burn romance built on healing, vulnerability, and learning to truly see and accept each other. Both characters carry so much pain, and watching them grow together was both beautiful and devastating. I also loved the quiet, subtle ways they were queer-coded—it added another layer of depth to an already rich and emotional story.

This book isn't just a journey through the underworld; it’s a journey through grief, forgiveness, and self-discovery. It explores the desperate, reckless love we have for those we’ve lost and the difficult path toward letting go and moving forward. I laughed, I ached, and by the final pages, I was ugly crying in a way that very few books have ever made me. It absolutely gutted me—and I loved every second of it.

If I have any complaint, it’s only that the book is structured into five long parts without traditional chapters, which sometimes made it harder to find natural stopping points. But honestly, I didn’t want to stop reading anyway. I was so invested that the real world just disappeared around me.

A Steep and Savage Path is a rare, beautiful story that left me feeling hollow and full at the same time. I can’t recommend it enough.