Skip to main content

Member Reviews

I picked up A Steep and Savage Path by J.J.A. Harwood after being blown away by the author’s other novel, The Thorns Remain. Once again, Harwood has written a beautifully dark fantasy that will tug at your heartstrings. A Steep and Savage Path tells the story of Irina, a young woman who agrees to wed a dead man. The groom is a vampire who has been mercilessly preying on the village, and the wedding is a desperate attempt to lay the man to rest.

Irina has ulterior motives; she needs to save her sister’s soul from the Underworld after she fell into a coma. To do so, she needs a guide to journey to the Underworld, and as a vampire, her new husband can do just that. He agrees to guide her there and back with her blood as payment. As they head into the Underworld, it quickly becomes apparent to both that they have no idea what to expect or where to find her sister. The ins and outs of life after death are not the only learning curve; they find themselves learning about each other, casting aside their preconceptions.

A Steep and Savage Path is a beautiful tribute to life and death, incorporating Slavic vampire myths and a powerful sibling bond. I enjoyed the adventure in the Underworld and how Harwood interpreted life after death while including familiar concepts. Irina and Stefan are intriguing characters, and I loved how their relationship developed. The banter between them was perfect, and I was chuckling frequently as these two enemies journeyed towards lovers. This book deals with some very serious and dark topics, and the banter helped to balance things quite nicely. It was also great to have two LGBTQIA+ main characters, one demisexual and one bisexual or pansexual (specifically sexualities aren’t specified in the book).

Was this review helpful?

A beautiful refreshing take on a story you’ll think you’ve heard before. The author carried this story in a jaw dropping way and I couldn’t get enough!

Was this review helpful?

This book gripped me from start to finish and didn't let go once. Literally. I read this in one sitting. It has vampire lore, underworlds, gothic vibes, incredible descriptive language, and a MMC to die for. I am a huge fan of slow burn romances, and this did not disappoint. I was almost ripping my hair out by the end, which is exactly the way it should be written. I feel the enemies-to-lovers trope was more "enemies that learn to trust each other" and leant way more into the slow burn, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Was this review helpful?

As the outsider, Irina is chosen as the bride for an immortal vampire who has been terrorising her remote Transylvanian village. But Irina has agreed to this Wedding of the Dead for her own purpose: her sister's soul has become trapped in the land of the dead, and Irina is in need of a guide who can walk between the living and the dead.
On her wedding night, she strikes a bargain with her new husband, agreeing to let him drink her blood if he serves as her guide. The two journey into the afterlife to search for Catalina. But it turns out that getting back from the land of the dead may be the real challenge.

Harwood has written an atmospheric tale of a journey into the underworld. The writing is steeped in folklore and the underworld is modelled on Greek mythology, which helped to make it feel familiar, even though the author put her own twist on it. The descriptions were very visual - I could easily picture the characters in their surroundings in my mind.

I liked Irina's strength of conviction and her determination to save her sister, and I enjoyed following the development of the relationships between her and Stefan and found their bickering, which gradually turned into banter, entertaining. Stefan's backstory was divulged slowly and definitely made me question who the monster was in this novel.

In terms of structure, the story was divided into five parts of unequal length - this may be entirely irrelevant to some, but if you don't like putting a book down between chapters, know that there are none, and that you'll need a decent chunk of time for part 2, which takes up about half of the book.

Was this review helpful?

The Thorns Remain was one of my favourite reads of 2025. I was therefore very excited when I discovered that the author was gonna release a new book. I pre-ordered my copy and when I got an e-mail from Magpie to invite me to grab a digital review copy through Netgalley I didn't hesitate. With the release day coming closer it was finally time to dive in last week!

This book doesn't even have a very spectacular plot. The heroine is determined to save her sister's soul from the Underworld and everything that's happening is because of that. And yet, this read is insanely atmospheric. There were so many scenes I read without breathing. So many times I forgot the world around me because I was focussed on the characters and their journey. It felt like I was there with them. it felt like I was on the same journey with them.

That's partly because the author did an amazing job with the mythology and lore of the Underworld. Since I'm a lover of the classic Greek stories I could predict quite a few elements, but there were also quite a few nice and well thought out surprises! The descriptions were also really amazing and vivid. I could feel the pain and agony every time our heroine had to walk through another door. I could feel the fear and the excitement. I even, and this happens rarely, saw some vague images!

I also loved the characters, their dynamic and how they're growing and learning throughout the story. Both characters are quite complicated and layered. Neither of them is good. Neither of them is bad. Mistakes were made, terrible things were done and yet it's so clear they have a heart. It's even clearer that throughout the story they're growing closer and closer. However, this is not the kind of book where a happily ever after for everyone is guaranteed and that made the finale even more emotional!

Was this review helpful?

A great read for a great author. Perfect for fans of gothic romance and vampires. The world building is excellent and the characters are well developed. Irina makes a deal with a vampire to save her village but she's really looking to rescue her sister's soul. This is an enemy to lovers romance and there were some really heart wrenching moments. This book was hard to put down once I started and the ending is beautiful.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a fantastic surprise, and I devoured it in almost one sitting!

J.J.A. Harwood crafted a beautiful and daunting journey through the underworld, that becomes increasingly emotional the farther we go in.

A Steep and Savage Path is not the typical vampire romance. Instead, it’s a deeply touching story about Irina, a strong female lead who selflessly risks her life to recover her younger sister’s soul, and Stefan, a dear boy who just needed to discover that kindness and gentleness still exist in the world.

“I started seeing her differently. I realized how kind she was. She can be so gentle, but there’s a core of granite to her. Everyone else just… faded away.”

Irina and Stefan’s relationship is sweet and tender. While parts of their story broke my heart, I loved watching them grow closer and fall for each other. I had a feeling from the beginning that I’d care deeply about Stefan—and I couldn’t have been more right. I just wanted to hold him and tell him he deserved love and care.

The romance, though central and beautifully written, does not overshadow the story. The beautiful prose, immersive world-building, and compelling interactions—both between the main characters and the supporting cast—are what truly made this book shine for me.

I also loved the unique perspective this book offers regarding the stages souls undergo before passing into the true afterlife. Although a dark theme, I found Irina’s interactions with death deeply reassuring.

Highly recommended for YA readers and anyone who enjoys dark, gothic settings.

<i>I would like to thank HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | Magpie and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review</i>

Was this review helpful?

This one surprised me in the best way. I went in not knowing the author, but the premise—a journey into the underworld guided by a vampire—felt super interesting!

To be fair, I’m pretty picky when it comes to YA, but this didn’t feel like your typical supernatural adventure. It leans more introspective, slower-paced, and emotionally weighty. At its core, it’s about a girl trying to do the impossible: recover her sister’s soul after a tragic accident. That personal, emotional focus is what really grounded the story for me.

I liked Irina as a protagonist—she’s compelling, and her motivation never feels forced. The male lead took more time to grow on me. His introduction felt a bit too casual and banter-heavy for the tone the story was setting up. I enjoy character banter, but here it felt a little too fast out of the gate.

The writing is clean, emotionally evocative when it needs to be, and flows effortlessly. The different settings we pass through are vivid and well-built, especially the underworld, which felt eerie and weighty in the right ways.

The book also draws loosely from the Aeneid, both in atmosphere and structure. With nods to the rivers Acheron and Lethe, a three-headed dog, and the hazy existence of the dead, the underworld feels distinctly Virgilian. Like Aeneas, the protagonist undertakes a descent guided by a liminal figure—not for prophecy or glory, but for something far more personal.

Now, while this story features a vampire, I wouldn’t call it a vampire story. The character’s presence is crucial, yes, but if you’re expecting fangs-and-blood drama, you’ll probably be surprised. He drinks blood occasionally, and that’s about it—which honestly worked just fine for me.

A note for readers: this isn’t a breezy, plot-driven YA read. The pacing is slower, the atmosphere heavier, and there are some genuinely sad and even gruesome moments. But if you’re into character-driven narratives that explore grief, guilt, and the blurry line between life and death, I’d say this one’s worth your time.

Was this review helpful?

DNF at 30%
I was really intrigued by the premise of A Steep and Savage Path—a girl marrying a terrifying vampire to save her village and enter the land of the dead? Yes, please! Unfortunately, the execution just didn’t work for me. I struggled to connect with the characters or find much chemistry between them, and the pacing felt slow and repetitive. Irina’s motivation didn’t quite land for me either, and the book's structure (very long sections, no chapters) made it harder to stay engaged. That said, the Eastern European folklore and Gothic atmosphere were beautifully done, and I can absolutely see this working for readers who enjoy moody, folkloric fantasy with a darker edge. Just not the right fit for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?

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.

Was this review helpful?