A surprise ending (the twists!) really made this book for me, and I am excited to see what's next! Thanks to NetGalley, Samantha Gonda, and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and BeRead Ltd for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t expecting this to be so emotionally chaotic—and I mean that in the best way. This isn’t your typical seduce-and-destroy plotline. A Reign of Blood gives us a heroine who isn’t just fighting for her people—she’s fighting herself. Her rage. Her grief. Her need for control. Aria is deliberate, calculated, and so deeply broken that every decision she makes carries weight.

The setup is classic: infiltrate the enemy court, get close to the prince, break him. But the moment she sees who he is under the gold mask, the plan starts to fracture. Slowly. Intimately. And that unraveling? That’s the real story.

Gonda builds tension with a scalpel. The romance is enemies-to-lovers, yes, but also power-to-power. Equal parts magnetic and maddening. I wasn’t sure who I was rooting for at times—Aria or her ruin.

And the prince? You’ll want to hate him. You’ll try. But the vulnerability beneath his command, the way he mirrors Aria’s own damage? It lingers. The seduction isn’t rushed. It simmers. It complicates. And when the stakes rise, you feel them.

This book aches with betrayal, passion, and the question we never stop asking: Who do you become when revenge is all you’ve ever known—and love threatens to change the ending?

It’s dark, it’s romantic, and it absolutely left a mark.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½

A Reign of Blood is a dark, moody fantasy with a bloodthirsty heroine, forbidden love, and a world built on shadows, magic, and betrayal. I really enjoyed the tension between Aria and the crown prince, the morally complex characters, and how the story slowly revealed hidden truths and unexpected twists.

The atmosphere is rich and the romance kept me hooked—but the pacing felt a bit slow at first, and I wished for deeper world-building in some scenes. Still, it delivered intense moments, a few gasp-worthy reveals, and that kind of dark fairytale vibe that’s hard to resist. Perfect for fans of forbidden love, supernatural intrigue, and morally grey characters.

Thanks to Net Galley and Samantha Gonda for providing me with an eARC of A Reign of Blood (The Song of the Beasts #1).

Despite the somewhat "insta-love", this was a superbly written fantasy romance. This book had everything! A strong, confident female main character named Aria, a somewhat dark and somewhat charasmatic prince named Raask. Lastly, we cannot forget about Viggo, who will grow on readers as the book progresses. This was so enjoyable to read due to the incredible world building, multiple POVs, and a magic system that was interestedly easy to understand. While this book may not be getting the hype it deserves - I cannot recommened it enough! (4.5/5 stars).

Honest review with some spoilers: This was a confusing read. It lacked consistency, logic, and style. Things like using modern slang (tweaking out) in a fantasy setting really drew me out of the story. There was little to no finesse in the writing. Things like the second task in the woods were so weakly written and weren’t compelling at all as plot lines. Arias plan seemed to have a ton of middle ground between “wash up on shore” and “have my sister marry the king”. I found myself wondering how she ever could be expected this to work. She’s supposed to be this super smart general but can’t even come up with a plan that doesn’t have 10000 ways it could go wrong.

At 50% I wasn’t really sure where the plot was going still. I wasn’t even really sure at this point why Aria was there.

I never understood the lithe part of the story. It was just kind of happening without any explanation.

There was a lot of plot that just made no sense but the author presented it as if it was totally normal and logical. For example, I never really understood why a prince would take in (essentially) refugees into his own palace. That’s like….the most irresponsible thing I can think of. Is there no where else you would send them for security reasons? Also, clearly I was right that this was an insane choice because by the end of the book both times they’d done it had turned out poorly.

Overall, this book had a good underlying plot idea with poor execution and writing. I got this arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review.

Well developed dark fantasy. This story includes multiple POVs, allowing us to see each character’s perspective. Really enjoyed!

A Reign of Blood is a dark, moody fantasy with multiple points of view. With a large cast of characters and intertwining plotlines, I needed to really focus to keep everything straight, especially in the slower-paced first half. However, the second half picks up speed with a story that builds to a twist-filled ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book had SOOOOO much potential but there was so much going on! I got 70% of the way through and thought “finally, we’re getting some answers” and then got super confused again!
The main MMC also had a drastic behavior change mid book with no explanation.
Don’t get me wrong, there were moments where the pace quickened and I got really into it but then something would just fall a little flat for me.

This is the first book of The Songs of the Beasts series and I think I’d swither whether to pick up the next one or not and that’s purely on being nosey

A Reign of Blood (4.5/5)

This was a really great book for a debut author. The only thing I struggled a bit with was that, even if I found the multiple POV intriguing and it helped to understand better different characters and their motives, it made me feel a bit bored from time to time as it was a challenge to keep up with it all and I didn’t enjoy some of the POV’s. So it made me struggle through some parts of the story as I waited for the POV’s I liked better to come up. I see a lot of potential for a series but personally I would like for future books to be more focused on only some characters as we already know them well,
In general it was a good book with a lot of potential.
Thank you to netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rate : 4.72

Seduce, betray and destroy, that is Aria’s mission. She lost her family, her people are being cruelly tortured and enslaved. This girl is on fire and thrilling to destroy the world. She’s undercover as a angelic helpless girl and needed her hero to the rescue. Her hero, the Crown Prince the member of Skierkan Court, the Royal family who she sworn to destroy.

As time past by, she surprised to find the prince is not the monster as his family used to be. Behind his amused charming behavior mask, there is a soft vulnerable and secrets that tempts the darkness inside her and ready to crack her meticulously vengeance plan. Now what path is she going to choose? Her happiness or her people?

A Reign of Blood is a high plus heavy dark epic fantasy with very unique world building. There a strong combination of dystopia and political affairs in the story. Somehow, I feel a little bit Greek Mythology vibe. The FMC, Aria had something mysterious about her and I couldn’t figure out what is it until it revealed. Tension and unexpected plot twist? Don’t your worry about it, this story definitely had it and believe me, is really breathtaking!

This story really had so much potential but however I’m nor really sure about the story plot start in abstract and packed. It feels like someone who force to put more stuff in their suitcase, it too dense and narrow. Also, the characters need more of introduction and the romance plus story plot pace is still too fast. I think is okay for this book more than 300 pages, maybe around 400-600 pages. Beside the previous concern that I mentioned before, I still love how the story goes and continue to read the next book.

In A Reign of Blood, you are transported to a dark and dangerous world where nothing is as it seems. The protagonist, Aria, is a strong and determined young woman who has suffered great loss and is driven by a desire for vengeance. She is a skilled and cunning warrior, disguising herself as a helpless girl in order to infiltrate the Skierkan court and bring down the crown prince.
Gonda does an excellent job of building tension and suspense throughout the novel, as Aria's plans slowly begin to unravel and she finds herself drawn to the prince, despite her better judgment. The prince, who is initially portrayed as a villain, is revealed to be a complex and multi-dimensional character, adding depth and intrigue to the story.
The world-building is a rich and immersive world filled with political intrigue, dark magic, and a brutal class system. The action scenes are well-written and thrilling, and the romantic tension between Aria and the prince is palpable. Overall, this book is a captivating and thrilling read, filled with political intrigue, action, and romance. I highly recommend this book to fans of fantasy romance.

A fantastic series opener with an immersive world, a mysterious lead, and a magic system full of possibility. Highly recommended for fans of rich fantasy worlds with hidden truths and high stakes.

Did not finish. I found this really difficult to get into, the pacing felt off, and the characters were difficult to connect with or relate to. Regarding the pacing, there were times of the text really seem to drag and others where it seemed to move too quickly.

What a dark surprise! I loved a reign of blood! The world building ✔️ the plot twists ✔️ this was such a refreshing break from the typical Romantasy that have been crowds by the book world right now.

Loved this and have all ready purchased for my store! I will be recommending to all of my plot heavy Romantasy girlies!

This too me SO long to get into. I feel so bad, because the description was exactly everything i would've loved but the story and characters just didn't hit for me. I read so many books while pushing myself to finish this one. I just didn't connect with any of the characters and the MMC and FMC didn't have any chemistry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this one. This entire book feels like picking a series up at book two, where all the explanation and exposition has already happened so I should know what's going on, but this is actually book one so I had no clue what was happening most of the time. There is quite literally no explanation for anything. We are thrown into the book and the world with no background information and absolutely nothing is ever clarified. There's a useless glossary at the front, but the random crap that these characters spout like I'm supposed to know what any of it means is insane.

Aria's plan is the dumbest thing I've ever read. I loathe "badass" "bloodthirsty" heroines who are actually just violent idiots. Which Aria is. Mayta is the most boring main character to randomly appear and start having a POV ever. Viggo is just big guy no sense. And Raask is just completely inconsistent. He's mostly a jerk or a creep but we keep hearing how great he is.

Aside from the fact that every single character is obsessed with bread and butter (I'm not joking, it is apparently the only food in this kingdom and is mentioned almost every page), I had no clue what was going on. The book is just a series of random crap happening without rhyme or reason. The attempt at plot twists are laughably stupid and ridiculous.

Both "love stories" are boring insta love, and I didn't care about them or the characters involved. They're also barely love stories. Mostly just like and lust.

Besides from being barely coherent, there are also typos galore and major inconsistencies. A character loses an arm but then has "wrists" to grab. A single drop of poison blood reveals the identity of one character but another character with the same blood loses a limb and no one notices their secret identity. It was exhausting the level of annoying ridiculousness in here.

This book is like if someone read To Kill a Kingdom and decided to write the worst possible version.

One star because at least an attempt was made?

I received an ARC via NetGalley – thank you to the publisher for the opportunity. This is my honest opinion.

You know that feeling when you start reading and instantly know it’s going to be a great book? That’s exactly what happened to me here.

From the very first pages, A Reign of Blood pulled me in with its mysterious atmosphere and compelling main character. I loved how the story didn’t give everything away right away—it made me curious, engaged, and eager to piece together who the heroine really was. And when the truth finally came out, it was so satisfying to see that my early suspicions were right.

The worldbuilding is absolutely fascinating. There’s a strong magical system, and especially the presence of water-based creatures and forces, which gave the story a unique flavor I really enjoyed. The magical world feels expansive and full of potential—it definitely left me wanting more.

And then there’s the ending. Let’s just say… that cliffhanger? Wow. I need book two immediately.

One note: The book includes a helpful overview of the lithe system, explaining what they can do. I really appreciated that. However, with so many magical creatures appearing throughout the story, I would have loved a companion guide or glossary to better understand what each of them is. Not all were fully explained, and with such a rich world, that kind of reference would’ve added a lot to the reading experience.

A fantastic series opener with an immersive world, a mysterious lead, and a magic system full of possibility. Highly recommended for fans of rich fantasy worlds with hidden truths and high stakes.

Este libro tiene una premisa realmente atractiva: una mezcla de fantasía oscura, romance prohibido y criaturas mágicas que pueblan un mundo dividido entre tierra y mar. El inicio es impactante —nos lanza de lleno en la acción—, y si bien eso puede resultar confuso al principio, con el correr de las páginas uno empieza a encajar las piezas del mundo y sus personajes.

La protagonista, Aria, es compleja, con un pasado marcado por la pérdida y el deseo de venganza. A su alrededor se despliega un elenco interesante y bastante amplio, con puntos de vista variados que aportan riqueza, aunque en ciertos momentos se vuelve difícil seguir el hilo. El juego de perspectivas, sin embargo, es uno de los puntos más fuertes del libro.

Dicho esto, hay varios aspectos que me impidieron disfrutarlo del todo. Por un lado, la escritura necesita una revisión más a fondo: hay errores gramaticales, repeticiones innecesarias y descripciones contradictorias (como el color de un vestido que cambia entre escenas o la mención de ambos brazos cuando Aria solo tiene uno). Además, la estructura de algunas oraciones resulta poco fluida, y en lo personal sentí que ciertas expresiones no terminaban de encajar, lo que quizás se deba a una diferencia cultural o al uso del inglés americano.

En cuanto a la construcción del mundo, si bien es creativa y tiene mucho potencial, me quedé con ganas de más profundidad: las criaturas, como los wraiths, no están bien definidas, y me costó imaginarlas con claridad. También hay momentos donde las motivaciones de los personajes no están del todo justificadas, lo que genera cierta desconexión emocional.

La relación romántica, por su parte, se siente un poco forzada, con una atracción que surge demasiado rápido y sin suficiente desarrollo previo. Sin embargo, hay momentos de verdadera conexión entre los personajes, especialmente cuando se muestran sus lados más vulnerables.

En resumen, es una historia con elementos muy originales y un mundo que promete, pero aún le falta trabajo en cuanto a estilo, coherencia y desarrollo emocional. Me deja con curiosidad por ver cómo evoluciona en futuras entregas.

Unfortunately I could not get into the book. I tried but I couldn't connect to the story and wasn't a fan of the writing. I wish the author the best of luck.

**Review of "A Reign of Blood" by Samantha Gonda - ★★★★★**

"A Reign of Blood" is a breathtakingly immersive tale that expertly weaves themes of vengeance, betrayal, and unexpected desire. Samantha Gonda crafts a dark and captivating world where Aria, a fierce and determined protagonist, navigates the treacherous waters of the Skierkan court with a singular mission: to destroy the crown prince.

From the very first page, Gonda pulls readers into Aria's tumultuous journey, filled with rich world-building and intricate character development. Aria's internal struggle between her thirst for revenge and the undeniable connection she feels with the prince is beautifully portrayed, making her a relatable and compelling heroine. The tension between their opposing goals creates a gripping narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The prince himself is a wonderfully complex character, defying the typical "monster" trope. His depth and charisma challenge Aria’s perceptions, adding layers to the story that elevate it beyond a simple revenge plot. The chemistry between Aria and the prince is electric, and their interactions are charged with both danger and longing.

Gonda's writing is vivid and evocative, painting a picture of a world steeped in shadows and blood, where every choice carries weight. The stakes are high, and as rebellion brews, the tension builds to a thrilling climax that leaves readers breathless.

Overall, "A Reign of Blood" is a masterful blend of fantasy, romance, and intrigue that will keep you hooked until the very last page. It’s a story about the complexities of love and vengeance that resonates long after you’ve finished reading. This book is a must-read for fans of dark fantasy and romance!