Stunning cover with an even better story! I would highly recommend this book, I have been talking about this non-stop. Do not miss out!

💙🖤 Daughter of Darkness 🖤💙

Wow! So glad I picked this up. I have not really been into Greek mythology before, so I was taking a chance with choosing it, but I am so glad I did!

The prose was beautiful, I was totally captured by the story. What an incredible protagonist! Deina is everything!! Strong, witty female who I rooted for the whole way.

The world Katherine & Elizabeth Corr have created is so well crafted. I could visualise every scene :)

Highly recommend!

Daughter of Darkness turns the well-known story of Eurydice and Orpheus on its head in an original and intriguing way. Deina is a soul severer and her and her companions get chosen to retrieve Eurydice from the underworld. For the main, this story follows their journey.

Deina reminded me in many ways of Amara from Elodie Harper's Wolf Den; smart, stubborn, determined. Whereas I really liked her, I felt a disconnect from the side characters and wish they could have been explored a little more.

I guess the main word I would use to describe this is 'okay'. That character development was okay, the world building was okay, the plot was okay - I liked it but I didn't love it. That said, I'll definitely read the sequel when it comes out and wouldn't hesitate to read other books by these authors.

As not only a lover of Greek mythology, but also a lover of the works of Katherine & Elizabeth Core, I pounced on this opportunity to read this book via NetGalley.

Deina is a Soul Severer in the employe of Hades. Deina is determined to reduce her indentured, however during her last ceremony she was distracted by a face that she had seen during he recent ceremonies. The face she did not know.

The story is full of Greek mythology, action and adventure and is brilliant! I really enjoyed the story and the characters.

Such an exciting trip into Antiquity and the world of Greek mythology. A page turner full of twists and fight against fate. Great take on the classics of the mythology !

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An intriguing deep-dive into the well-known story of Orpheus and Eurydice, told from a different perspective and with many plot twists that will keep you guessing throughout! So much research has clearly been carried out for this novel, with the story feeling completely believable throughout.

The adventure into the Underworld aspect of this novel takes up most of the story and it was a real journey through many plains of the Underworld with cameos from Charon and Cerberus. However, while I understand that this is the world of the dead, all of these settings felt very similar with pretty much all of them being described as bleak and grey in one way or another. It felt very repetitive after a while.

If you love Greek mythology, you will definitely love this one. It's heavily steeped in both the Greek mythology you know, and lesser known aspects as well, and it was so much fun to read!

I am an avid reader of all things related to Greek mythology, fiction and non-fiction alike. Orpheus and Eurydice is a well-known story but Katharine an Elizabeth Corr have turned the story on its head and given it so much more depth and intrigue than ever before. Even if you are familiar with the myths, the twists and turns of this book will surprise you and you will not be able to guess the ending.

What impressed me most was the world-building from the start. The concept of the Soul-Severers is not an easy one, nor the quest that Deina, the protagonist volunteers to undertake. Yet it is introduced in such a clever way that it comes across as believable. You are able to understand this world from the start and get stuck in to the story.

The characters who accompany us on the adventure into the Underworld are flawed and yet I still rooted for them and wanted them to succeed and find redemption. A tense sensation of mistrust is felt from the very start, and we as readers are waiting for a betrayal from one of them, but unsure where it will come from.

The adventurous aspect of the journey into the Underworld takes up much of the novel and the incredible descriptions and situations that take place keep the story alive and exciting.

A must-read for lovers of the fantasy genre and Greek mythology. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

2.5⭐️

I got so close to DNFing this book at the very beginning and closer to the end. At first, this was very slow and heavy on the world building, it got better when they actually went to the underworld but I expected things to be exciting and emotions to be high but it just… wasn’t. I also felt like the underworld was lacking in description.

This was a mish-mash of myths I think and it was at first interesting but then just largely became non-sensical. By the end of the book I found the characters unbearable – the MC was genuinely stupid and there was a lot of the author telling you to be sad or that the characters were sad etc. without any prior evidence to back the connections up.

Overall, I think this book had a great premise and didn’t deliver. Nothing in this book surprised me, there was a lot of logic leaps/flawed logic, I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and I didn’t think the plot made much sense at the end of the book. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me an arc of Daughter of Darkness.

Deina is what's known as a soul severer. She literally severs souls and in exchange a year is taken from her indenture. Her hope is to earn the freedom of both herself and best friend, Chryse and finally be free.

She gets the chance, along with three others, all boys. All believing she shouldn't be there. All with their eyes on the prize Orpheus offers. Freedom. All they have to do is work together to perform the impossible. He wishes for them to go to the Underworld and bring his dead wife back to life.

What follows is a journey of self discovery, rekindled friendships and love and betrayal of the worst kind.

Deina has many questions along the way, but the most important is why does the god of the underworld show such an interest in Deina? And who is the mysterious figure she sees everytime she performs a soul severance?

I loved this book! There was so much to it and it was all so beautifully created. I loved Deina’s character, she was empowering and strong and felt real. I was enthralled by the plot and the quest that the characters went on both literally and figuratively. The character developments were written well and in a way that wasn’t forced or rushed. I appreciated the references to relationships prior to the narrative as it showed a good development and foundation for the relationships and characters that we are presented especially Theron.
I really loved how each of the characters in the team showed a different strength and that the moral of the story was that working as part of a team is usually greater and more gratifying than working alone.
I did except the twist regarding Deina however the execution was done so well that it didn’t matter. I loved the snippets of Nat’s character and wished we’d gotten more of him and his dynamic with Deina although I did enjoy the dynamic between Deina and Theron as well.
I was thoroughly engaged with the narrative as it drew to a close and found it addictive to read. I can’t wait for the next one! I need it now please!

[actual rating - 4.5/5]

(Thank you to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

I’ve never read a Greek mythology retelling before so was super excited to read this and ended up loving it!! I now need to read more books about Greek mythology!

The plot is a little slow for the first couple of chapters (although it does a great job at introducing us to the characters) but then it picks up and becomes fast-paced and action-packed. There were lots of plot twists and the cliffhanger at the end left me wanting more, I can’t wait for the sequel!

I loved all the characters, they were all unique and created an interesting group dynamic as they didn't really like each other to begin with. The main character Deina was fantastic! She’s stubborn, a bit of a trickster but loyal and a fun character to follow. If you like Greek mythology, I think you’ll love this book!

A wonderful novel full of high adventure, slow burn romance, reluctant allies and skeletons. So many skeletons.

Deina is a very fun character to follow. She uses guile and trickery to achieve her means but is also skilled with a knife and her fists when she needs to. She's fiercely loyal and stubborn. Her people skills could use some work.

The adventure is well paced and well told with enough danger and peril to keep things interesting and each person in the party bringing essential skills to the continuation of the quest. There were some neat twists, some of which I saw coming and some I did not. What I particularly enjoyed was the dark touches that really elevated this into something with stakes and energy.

Usually I find romance in YA fantasy a bit tiring but I didn't mind it in this one. It didn't feel too forced and the two characters actually have history and chemistry and communicate with each other throughout which makes the eventual revelation of romance feel quite organic.

I'll absolutely be picking up the second one and checking out more from these authors.

Deina is a Soul Severer, taken as a child to live her life in servitude to the god Hades. But all she yearns for is freedom, stealing money and items where she can to be one step closer to that elusive goal. When the Tyrant, King Orpheus, offers freedom to the Soul Serverer who can retrieve his dead Queens soul from the underworld and bring her back to life, Deina jumps at the chance. Yes, it will be a deadly quest  but she can't pass up the chance to finally be free <i> 'Guaranteed bliss in the afterlife is all very well, but she wanted a life this side of the veil too- a better life than this' </i>
She and a group of soul severers embark on their quest, and along the way they must navigate many hidden dangers of the underworld and decide who can be trusted.

As a lover of mythology, I was SO excited to get an eARC of this book! It started off strong, and I was intrigued by the mysterious boy of shadows and was curious where our morally grey MC, Deina's,  quest would take her and how he was involved. And so I read, waiting for some sort of connection and action. And waited. And waited some more...
I'm sure there are many people who will love this book, I personally just found it lacked that certain spark that made me reluctant to put it down. It was, infact, easy to put down, and up till about the 70% mark I found it a bit of a slog. The group adventures through the underworld annnnnndddd, that's about it. I found the story didn't have much progression for such a big bulk of it, then loads was shoved into the last 30% of the book!

I enjoyed the characters and the mythology woven throughout this tale, and I do look forward to where this series is going to go, I just found this first instalment slow and a bit underwhelming, hinting at more excitement and romance and adventure and character and plot development, but not actually hitting the mark.

3.5 🌟


*** Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review***

Thank you so much to Hot Key Books and Netgalley for sending me a copy of Daughter of Darkness.

I found the premise behind this story so interesting, we have seen Orpheus and Eurydice's story so many times. And I like this "darker" take on it.

We follow a group of Soul Severers as they journey to the Underworld on a quest to find and restore a spirit back to life. It is kind of like a more grown up Percy Jackson, or so I thought.

I loved our main character, Deina who was a strong, well-written character. She was really a shining light throughout the novel.

However, for me there was something missing here. I found that I had no interest in picking it up and found some of the chapters just meandering. It didn't grip me the way I wish it did.

The Corr sisters never fail when it comes to their books, I've loved every single one of them so far and I think this may be my favourite of the lot!

You can't go wrong with a bit of Greek myth in my opinion and this was one of my most anticipated read and it did not disappoint!!

I really enjoyed the characters, their development throughout the book was done so well and the plot was so interesting that I'm dying for book two 😍

Oh damn. Oh damn! OH DAMN!
(Yes I am channeling my inner Raymond Holt)

I have read every book @katharinecorrwrites and @lizcorrwrites have written, so believe me when I say THIS IS THE BEST YET.

Playing with history and legend, What if Bronze Age Mycenae had never fallen? What if Orpheus had succeeded? What if actually that tale was way more messed up? This story packs punches, death, betrayals, revelations and heartbreak that Homer and Euripides would be proud of.

But they'd hate the fantastic feminist undercutting of basically all of Greek mythology (CAN YOU TELL WHY I've BEEN AND AM SO EXCITED? GREEK MYTHOLOGY, FEMALE AGENCY? Give me all of it.)

Deina our protagonist is indentured to the service of the God Hades. Scarred by smallpox she doesn't have the one advantage a Greek woman could have, beauty. But she's fast, clever and conniving. And driven to prove she's better than the boys particularly the treacherous Theron. So when King Orpheus arrives with a heroic quest she wastes zero seconds or thoughts about leaving her only friend to complete this task and win the freedom she craves. Even if it means going to the Underworld.

Playing with much more than just the myth of Orpheus but also much deeper levels of the very foundations of the Hellenic pantheons this book is an absolute thriller that kept me so hooked I couldn't put it down.

Liz, Kate I will happily beta book 2 or alpha, which ever, because the ending has me hanging off the proverbial cliff by the ragged remains of my fingernails.

Daughter of Darkness is the first installment in the gripping House of Shadows series and follows Deina, a Soul Severer, who, taken as a child, now serves Hades on earth by severing and guiding souls from this mortal world. Deina is desperate for her freedom and when Orpheus the Tyrant offers a group of severers the chance to win their freedom, Deina jumps at the chance to volunteer – they just have to travel to the Underworld and bring back his dead wife Eurydice.

This is a busy book, so much happens but it’s easy to follow, don’t worry. The star of this book is the world building, the underworld is so richly described, the characters and creatures the group encounter so delicious on the page and you can really picture the uneasy, sometimes beautiful, always threatening, landscape the group walk through and the challenges they must encounter. There is a lot of action on the page in terms of challenges and threats encountered walking through the Underworld, a lot of character development (literally you start the book hating half the alliance and loving them by the end) and the concept itself, Ancient Greece with a twist, is really fascinating.
The writing style also is easy to get on with and I appreciated that while the violence isn’t gratuitous, it doesn’t hold back – the threats are real, the bloodshed in the name of victory and ‘power’ is real, and the cost is real. I’ve read a few books that are set in dangerous settings and you don’t feel at all uncomfortable because it doesn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable – but it should, you should worry for characters, you should find actions unfair or cruel, and this book allows you to see that.

In terms of criticisms, I don’t have any. Yes there are quite a few characters introduced, and their names or names of places etc, may get a little confusing – but that’s the Ancient Greeks for you! I personally enjoyed how the authors put a fresh spin on what we already know and if you don’t already know it then it’s no big deal, it’s still an enjoyable, easy book without the context of any familiarity.

Deina is an interesting character, she isn’t nice but she is essentially good, and you get to see her open throughout the book and through the alliance with the rest of the severers, all who start the journey competing with each other for freedom. I enjoyed these different dynamics work off of each other although while I saw one twist coming, I so wish it wasn’t true!!!!!

I’m glad I read this book and I’m looking forward to where it goes. Nat, in particular, is someone I am looking forward to reading more about. Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review

What a brilliant book! I adore Greek mythology so as soon as I came across this book I knew I had to read it. The premise is fantastic - a group of Soul Severers (people in the employ of Hades to assist in the deaths of others) sent on a quest to the underworld by the tyrant King. Deina is an engaging MC - she's out to save herself, determined to claim the King's reward and buy her freedom, but so are the other members of her team. This story is rich with detail from this mythological world, with betrayals and revealed truths that will keep you on your toes the whole way through. I am very excited for the sequel!

The Corr Sisters return with a riveting journey through the perils of an Underworld over-run with spirits, monsters and selfish Gods.
A perfectly weaved tale that would make even the Fates jealous.

I really enjoyed A Throne of Swans and A Crown of Talons so I was really excited to read Daughter of Darkness……and it did not disappoint!

We follow Deina - a soul severer who is trapped in the life of shepherding the dying on from the mortal world. Deina can buy her way out, but only if she can earn enough or shepherd enough souls, which is unlikely as the men are treated much better than the women and only get the bad jobs.
One day the ruler Orpheus comes to visit and declares that he will free any severer, if they can bring back his dead wife. Sounds easy……but of course it isn’t!
The journey is long for Deina and working with others who would rather kill you is very tiresome!
What Deina and her group encounters is not what they expected and they battle to save themselves as well as trying to find Orpheus’ wife!

The story is full of Greek mythology, action and adventure and is brilliant! I really enjoyed the story and the characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.