I want to start by saying, I LOVED the premise of this book, and the cover? Gorgeous! But I feel like it fell short for me

The start was so strong and I was hooked right off the bat, we had a strong FMC however I was left disappointed by Jessamine as the book went on, female rage where?

I felt the character development was lacking and we often had a lot of repetition/flowery writing that really didn’t help me understand what was going on and actually just made the magic system / plot and history harder to follow rather than adding to the story. I was a little confused by the world, we had medieval buildings and vibes but then we were reading about sewers and factories? It’s a small thing but it really didn’t help with the immersion.

It felt a little surface level and I feel like I missed the world building and depth that I was craving, but this is probably a me problem! I’d love to read the next to see if actually we get more depth as like I said, I really loved the premise of this story and I think it could be really strong!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ebook!

Very much liked the premise but the characters were not likeable at all. I could understand where she was coming from but the demon no, I mean an immortal behaving like that gives me the ick. And don't even get me on the insta sexual attraction, please give me at least a bit of angst.

𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙝...

When Princess Jessamine’s kingdom is overrun by an incurable plague, she does her duty and enters a political marriage to save her people. Too bad her new husband’s first act is to slit her throat and seize the throne.

But death isn’t the end for Jessamine. Her spirit is met by the Deathless One, a god of death yearning to return to the mortal plane — and he needs her help to resurrect him. But deals with Gods are never straightforward. Deathless One is a dangerous ally— but the longer they spend together, the more Jessamine is drawn to him. Perhaps the more appealing throne is the one by his side...

This was my first time reading an Emma Hamm book and I absolutely flew through what has been described as one of the hottest new slow-burn romantasy releases of 2025. I loved the entire premise and the gothic, dark romantasy vibes that comes with a plot centred on gods and ancient witchcraft. It offers an interesting exploration of power, resurrection, and the irresistible allure of loving something that is equally divine and damned.

The Deathless One is an ode to female rage and taking back what is stolen from you. While Jessamine starts off as the perfectly prim and proper submissive princess, she transforms into the beautiful undead and learns to harness the power of her rage and thirst for revenge with the help of Sybil and The Deathless One who’s appearance is revealed and teased gradually as their connection strengthens. He’s divine, shadowy and morally grey but also lonely, tortured and starving for connection. For touch. For her. Be prepared to be wooed by his aching, battered heart and dirty mouth along with shadowy play and a spicy throne scene 👀

The only reason I’m not rating this book higher is because I would have liked to have experienced more of Jessamine‘s world before her murder for extra emotional impact.

Thank you for my arc copy in exchange for an honest review ✨

Overall, I thought it was just okay. I felt like I’ve read this story a thousand times before, it didn’t really feel like a new or unique story, which is something I personally like to seek in newer fantasy books.

As a whole though, I felt the book lacked important worldbuilding and religion that would help us understand motives of our main characters. I felt like I was only getting half of the story and I wished there was more info / backstory of the lore that drives the plot. I also thought the villain wasn’t fully developed either , as I didn’t think his reasons for doing what he did made any sense. Plus, his betrayal did not really hit considering we did not get to know him and his relationship with the FMC prior to the reveals.

The writing style was very good though, and is part of the reason why I have three stars. The other reason being there were some scenes that gave me chills.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A 4 star rating from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling and relatable, likable characters. Loved every single second reading it.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book over on NetGalley. 🫶🏻

Review:
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this story, and it did not disappoint in pulling me in right from the beginning. The opening was packed with action and excitement, and I instantly connected with the FMC, who really stood out as the heart of the story. I also really liked the love interest and the mystery surrounding him. It was unique and spicy all in one!

That said, about midway through, I found myself feeling a little lost. The pacing slowed down and the momentum seemed to flatline for a while, which made it harder to stay fully invested. Thankfully, the story picked back up toward the end, bringing back the action and energy that hooked me at the start. The finale was just as thrilling as I hoped it would be, and it left me feeling satisfied.

Overall, while there were moments where the pacing lagged, the strong character work, exciting beginning, and gripping conclusion more than made up for it. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good read with a unique premise and a FMC worth rooting for. 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. (Review contains mild spoilers).

This book started off strong and exciting and then just fizzled. The story starts with her getting murdered and then brought back from the dead and then everything else is super lame. It's one of those stories where everything just conveniently works out. "Oh, you need this? Well lucky for you, I have magic that does that exact thing!" type of shit. There was also a giant lack of world building. Sometimes authors can get away with that, but it felt like I was missing so much. Like what do you mean we never go back to the guy that murders her? Or get any background on the new king and barely any information about what he's doing with the kingdom after the coup? I know there's a sequel coming, but it feels like we could have squeezed some of that into the first book since that's literally where the story begins. Also, I enjoy romance with the best of 'em, but the spice in this book gave me the ick so bad that I just wanted to skip over those parts. I'm definitely more of a "fantasy" reader than I am "romantasy". I can be very critical when it starts to get into the "romantasy" (God I hate that word) category because I think that a lot of the time the author replaces world building, depth, and critical thinking with romance, which I don't think most people can successfully pull off. I will say, to not be completely negative here, I did appreciate the FMC's rage. I think that more wronged women should be unapologetically angry. However, personally, I wouldn't recommend this book, and I doubt I'll continue the series.

2.5/5 stars rounded up to 3 for Goodreads.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes:
* She’s a princess and a witch, he’s a god
* Forbidden romance
* Scorned god scared of trying again
* He falls first
* She’s out for revenge

Thank you to NetGalley, Emma Hamm, and Canelo for this eARC!

This book starts off quickly with its plot, and it does well describing the complicated feelings both Jessamine and The Deathless One have towards each other. They both need one another, though they also both want control for their own selves, and their pasts.

The ending is so satisfying, and I don’t want to give many spoilers, but when they finally succeed, I finally exhaled my breath I was holding in! 😱 This is a slowwwww burn, but whew, when they finally join together in the throes of passion, it is steamy (and creative🤭)! I also appreciated that the author added a sneak peek into the next book, and I’m looking forward to reading that soon to see them eventually seek out their revenge!

I wish it would be more depth to the story and plot. It started great and I had big expectations, but it just didn't deliver it. The powers need more consistency and explanation.

I feel bad for the people who dnf’d cause the 2nd half didn’t suffer the same issues as the first half. Unfortunately I think marketing set this book up for reader disappointment and I’ll explain why.

First of all I loved the premise, straight out the gate it’s an arranged marriage that goes wrong.. he kills her for her kingdom. But instead of that being the end, it’s only the beginning. Where she is brought back by the deathless one the only god left. I was surprised that the book was dual pov and I think that worked against it at the beginning because normally for world building like this you learn as the fmc (who knows nothing despite thinking she does) learns. But because he is a god and knows everything about the magic system etc it lead it to become a bit lost and convoluted in explaining. I couldn’t figure out if we had been told what a grave singer was for the longest time and that I had missed it, only to find out nope we didn’t know cause she didn’t know but in his pov it was written like we knew.. see what I mean about confusing. I do think the world building was not the best and could have really benefited from at least another round of edits to help the structure. But once we got going past a lot of teething issues the story really started to develop.

I think the dedication and marketing of female rage left many disappointed because our fmc (the killed princess) might be angry but she doesn’t embody female rage. Instead often giving naive, petulant know it all, she was honestly just very annoying. However the side characters do embody female rage and even the mmc does. He was the biggest surprise for me and his pov with self loathing and hatred I actually found really interesting. Yes he was a bit much insta love but the thought process of his mind made it more compelling and then to switch to her pov and their opposing opinions on the same situation, really brought out why communication issues happen! . I think what the people that dnf’d missed is that in my opinion the end point of the book is the female rage. That what in fact the story is about, again in my opinion, instead of female revenge expecting her to be jaded and vengeful out of the gate, is watching a woman’s whole life and sense of the world shatter around her. As a princess she is extremely sheltered and naive but believes she knows everything and at every step in the ‘real world’ she finds out how wrong she was and how nasty the world is and her over confidence and self of ego is wrong. You watch a hopeful and kind women become vengeful (albeit still with compassion), I think this book at its core is about how to break a woman down to make her become the villain. which makes me think book 2 is going to really be what people thought book 1 was. Plus it won’t suffer the same world building issues (phew) which makes me excited for book 2!

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to see where this story goes

Unfortunately this wasn't for me, I really wanted to love it too. I dnf'd at about 55%. I just felt like things were incredibly sluggish. I enjoy a slow burn romance (despite the early spice that threw me off a little) but the story was also slow to move along.

There's potential but it didn't work for me and it fell flat.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you to the author and publisher for an early copy of this!

First of all, the premise of this book sounds incredible. It seems to be a romantasy book about revenge and death, and it’s perfect for spooky season. I did like the world building too and the idea of a deathless god.

I wasn’t able to finish this book, and I was only able to read 30% of it. Although the start threw us right into the action which I personally loved, there was a lot of repetition and brooding from the deathless god which was a bit frustrating. The main thing I wasn’t sure about was about 20% in, the ‘spice’ was immediate and there was no build up to it. Because of this, I found it hard to become invested with the book as that scene just threw me off at how sudden it was.

However, I think this is such a great and unique idea for a book, and dark fantasy/romantasy readers will love this!

I read the deep water series by this author and I absolutely loved it. The world building was so different. I couldn’t wait to read this book as it was meant to be full of witches. I found the fmc a little annoying at times as she was so full of rage but I do think this was the whole point, that she was meant to be annoying? I did find it hard to connect with most of the characters but I did get confused a bit with the story so maybe it was more a me problem. However I did enjoy the mmc. As much as I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would I still can’t wait to read the next book.

DNF at 31%. This book has such an interesting premise but at very almost a third of the way through not much is happening. We had a lot of action right at the beginning, then pretty much tumbleweeds and very repetitive complaining from the Deathless One himself remembering the last time he thought he loved a witch and how he wouldn't be fooled again - I swear I've read the exact same thing at least 4 times now can things please move along??

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

3.5 ⭐

This is a dark Romantasy novel, with a lot of great elements, but it falls down slightly in its execution in my opinion. The dedication was INCREDIBLE and had me diving straight in with a lot of hope for a spectacular read. Instead, a lack of worldbuilding leaves it a little hard to root yourself in the Kingdom, and to fully connect with the character of Jessamine. After her brutal betrayal and murder at the altar, she strikes a deal with a god - The Deathless One - to return and take back her Kingdom. At this point, you're prepared for a character who is full of rage, desperate to restore her Kingdom to it's rightful leader, and whilst Hamm tries to project this, instead you find yourself wondering exactly what Jessamine actually wants her Kingdom back for - she doesn't seem to know much about it or it's residents. The Deathless One, Elric, is introduced as a trickster, with his own agenda whilst seemingly supporting Jessamine - but he very quickly lusts over her - and references to his past show he falls in lust easily, much to his detriment. This cheapens the romance aspect of the novel slightly - if he falls so easily, what makes his romance with Jessamine anything special? However, it was endearing to see them fall for each other, and their shy, almost nervy descent into sexual activity was definitely something I could identify with. I liked the magic being tied to worship of the Gods, and I feel that there is a definite plot trail laid for later in the series when it comes to sacrificing the God for further power. The pacing is a little strange - it starts with a massive bang, peters out in the middle, and then ends with a bang. The events in the middle of the book feel a little laboured, where I would have liked to have seen it keep to a more exciting pace. The end of the villain was SO dark and twisted, I don't think I've seen more of a satisfying comeuppance.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but fell a little in reaching the heights it strived for. I'm looking forward to book two, and the exploration of the new dynamic between Jessamine and Elric as she strives to take back her Kingdom, but the lack of connection with the setting, and to some extent the characters has affected my rating.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book!

A mixed bag of romantasy vibes

This book had an intriguing premise: a murdered princess brought back to life by a death god in a quest for revenge. However, the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While the worldbuilding had potential, we’re thrown straight into the action without much context, making it hard to connect with the setting or understand the stakes early on.

The main character’s motivations felt a bit underdeveloped. She’s meant to reclaim her throne out of loyalty to her people, but we rarely see that connection, which made her drive feel unconvincing. On top of that, the romance leaned heavily into insta-lust, with some scenes and dialogue that came off more juvenile than steamy. The "shadow daddy" love interest had his moments, but his personality and their dynamic didn’t always feel fully fleshed out.

That said, readers who love character-driven romantasy may still enjoy the banter and slow-burn elements here. The emotional vulnerability of the male lead was a nice touch, and there’s definitely a fanbase for morally grey gods with a soft side. While it wasn’t for me, I can see why others are swooning over this one. A decent start to a romantasy series, but not one I’m racing to continue.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Canelo for giving the opportunity to read this book for free for an honest review

Emma Hamm you are truly gifted at slow burn monstrous romantasy. Dark and sweet all in one.

Jessamine is a beautiful princess being forced to marry a cruel prince in order to help save her kingdom from a horrible plague.

Unfortunately the wedding doesn’t take place a coup does , been outed as a witch and a reader of the dark arts it’s takes her soon to be husband literally seconds to kill all that’s loyal to her and then slit her throat chucking her out a window off the tower.

The deathless one waits for the witch the gravesinger to appear in his realm could this really be her the answer to all his anger rage and connection to the real world.

Soon she is resurrected scared after making a bar again with a demon a god of old magic.

Their connection soon becomes more than witch and god but of of longing and wanting.

He’d do anything for her and she will sacrifice her humanity to take back her kingdom and reclaim her rightful throne with her god beside her.

As I’m leaving a review on sites i don’t want to give any twists or spoilers away.

Just know you should read this book , you should listen to audio which I think will be so delicious.

The deathless one soon I’ll read the heartless one so excited thanks again

I will start off by saying I did really enjoy reading this book.

I loved the characters and their relationships. I enjoyed The Deathless One and Jessamine's connection, and how obsessed he was with her. I loved Sybil and her gentle guidance. I adored Nyx the shadow cat.

The betrayal and angst was just amazing and I loved the look into The Deathless One's past and his time as a God alongside his coven.

I think the writing was beautiful and I loved the premise of the story. I had a lot of fun reading this which is part of why I gave it 4 stars. I also feel as though this book focuses more on the romantic relationship between the Deathless One and Jessamine more than Jessamine's revenge (not that there is anything wrong with that).

No issues jumped out at me until I had finished the book. Whilst the premise is interesting and the first few chapters were phenomenal, I found some of the chapters to be a little stagnant although I did find them interesting. I did find some aspects of the book a little repetitive. Despite this, I did really enjoy the end and the overall story.

My other minor issue with this book was the world building. I found it to be rather vague, whilst we are given enough information to get by, I do think some aspects important to the story were just brushed over; specifically the death of the Gods and the plague. However, as the second book is yet to be published, I have hopes that these plots will be expanded on in that book. With the amount of emphasis that was placed on these subplots in this book, I can only assume that they play a vital role in the overall plot. I do hope that these issues will be worked on and developed in book 2.

However, I am excited to see where this story goes and that Jessamine gets to have an insane female rage arc because she deserves it.

After being murdered on her wedding day, Princess Jessamine is resurrected by The Deathless One, the last remaining god who is now cursed to a shadowy death realm. Fuelled by vengeance and the need to save her Kingdom, Jessamine makes a deal with the ruthless and mysterious god, though he warns her that she won’t like what he asks of her. The Deathless One (aka Elric) yearns to be resurrected and freed to the mortal realm. For that he needs a particular kind of witch, and luckily Jessamine fits the bill.

Elric had no business breaking my heart like that. Sure, sometimes he was the powerful and ancient shadow daddy death god I expected, but he was also giving strong sad boi vibes. He’d been used and betrayed so much over the years that he comes to expect nothing else, and he’s just so desperate for a bit of warmth and kindness that he basically becomes helpless for Jessamine (I loved it).

I honestly thought that Jessamine was going to come back and reign hellfire and vengeance down on the ones who betrayed her, but when she’s resurrected, she’s lost and scared. Her confidence is shaken, and whilst her anger gives her the drive to survive, it takes time for her to recover and connect to her magic. Her kindness and compassion for her people was impressive (I would have chosen to burn it all down and start again), and you can see the Queen she could be.

The dynamic between Jessamine and Elric was gorgeous. As the connection between them develops and strengthens, Elric becomes more real and his humanity starts to return to him. He remembers his name, and that he was someone else before becoming The Deathless One. Jessamine grows so much in the latter half of the book, and a lot of that is through Elric’s influence and support. He reminds her of what she could do, who she could be. And the way Jessamine wanted to take away Elric’s pain melted me.
Also that first spicy scene between them - whew! Hot!

This story was steeped in vengeance and wrath, but tempered by an unexpected love which will change the course of the Kingdom. I can’t wait to see where the sequel will take Elric and Jessamine next! 

*I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley - this is my honest opinion.