OH MY GOD!!!!! This book was amazing and the cliff hanger?! I cannot! The twists and turns of this book were phenomenal! This is one of the better books I’ve read this year! I honestly can say that this book left me wanting more more more!

The spice was everything a girl could want and the slow burn was even better! I do not even know how to put into words some of this review because the praise wouldn’t do this book justice.

At the beginning I always suspected the villain, but how it played out I never could’ve guessed! Thank you a million times over for this opportunity!

Thank you Netgalley and Victory Editing Net Galley Co-op for the ARC.
Blood Queen was a fresh new take on Romantasy! It was definitely a lot easier to read as it gave the energy of an entrance to romantasy vibe. It was intriguing, fast paced and funny. I would def recommend this to those who are newer to the romantasy game!
Caitlin was able to master the confusion and discovering of what was Layla’s truth to the actual truth and it was a trip. Rune was both endearing and infuriating but overall he was understanding. Especially when he had a right not to be at time.

Thank you to netgalley and Victory editing for the chance to read this eArc for an honest review.

First the cover caught my attention, love the title and that it plays into the book! I instantly loved the characters and the sassy banter. Keir is my favorite, i love when the animal has a attitude but obviously loves their human. The idea of soul shard was interesting, a great original idea! Rune and Laylas on page chemistry is fantastic, they compliment each other very well. I also appreciate the names, they aren't to common but also not ones I had no hope of pronouncing like some fantasy books. The world building was pretty good but I definitely would have liked a bit more.

The Blood Queen was a nice fast read, I would definitely recommend it. I do wish it hadn't felt so rushed. Layla was to quick to just leave the castle, she wants to do what she can for her country but decides to leave it in the hands of a man she suspects is trying to take it from her? I just think a bit more indepth writing on that part would have made it better. The book takes place over a week or less I think? I'm definitely excited for the second book and hopefully we get more indepth with some of the stuff that was going on. Layla is acting like a 15 year old so I'm hoping she acts more her age in the next one.

3,5/5

This was a quick and easy read. It has multiple popular tropes (Enemies-to-lovers, hidden identity, arranged marrage, animals, etc). The story sounded promising at the start (badass FMC with shadow magic who murders people) but the writing style is not for me.

The FMC is 28 years old but she came across as very childish. There was some romance but it felt a bit weird: they went from enemies to being in love but we could not see them fall in love, it happened so fast.
It felt like some plot parts were missing: suddenly they ran into a monster (What? Why?) and side characters were murdered (Who? How?).

The best part about this book was definitely the animal companion, a talking crow! I need it!

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for the copy I received. This is my honest review.

✨ARC Review✨
📖: Blood Queen
🖋️: Caitlin Denman
⭐️: 5 of 5
🌶️: 5 of 5
💬: “All I had to do was play the lost innocent boy, and you were putty in my hands.”

⚠️: Please check the warnings as this book may not be suitable for all readers. As always, protect your mental health.💛

Tropes, Topics & Themes:
✨Arranged marriage
✨Dark Fantasy
✨Secret identities
✨Twists and turns

After Layla loses her parents, Layla steps up to look over her kingdom. Not fully prepared for all that’s to come with the responsibility. She seeks advice from her uncle.

While everyone knows who Layla is, she’s known as the Blood Queen after protecting a little girl in the alley that was being attacked by her father.

The night before she meets the prince she’s supposed to get married to. She hooks up with a stranger but that won’t be the last time she sees him again.

“Did you think you were the one playing me, Blood Queen?”

Prince Rune has a reputation just like the Queen. While he’s not happy about the arranged marriage. He has plans of his own that he plans to see happen.

“Keir, where are you? I’m getting hanged up by a child and a horse?”
“I know. I’m watching. It’s rather endearing.”

Layla’s crow had me laughing so much. I loved it! The way it was always looking out for her as well. When it got hurt, I almost cried hoping that it would be okay.

From secret identities, lies, betrayal, and more. Layla must figure out who’s behind taking over her kingdom.

I devoured this book!🔥 I could not put it down and I need the second book already the way it left us!!

Thank you, Caitlin Denman and Netgalley for this EARC! As always, my review is my opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared on my Instagram @Alexandriavwilliams_ shortly.

This one started out pretty well but the ending seemed kind of rushed. I did enjoy it but I think that this is a take it or leave it kind of book. I do not think I would read book two. I also think that the characters could have had better development. A lot of the MC just felt like this was more ya vs adult. Then all of a sudden it would switch. So the writing was odd in places. The plot and pace was ok for the most part. But that ending again was just meh. Overall, I think this one could be great but it needs some work.

Blood Queen is a dark fantasy romance that follows Layla, the queen of a kingdom plagued by murders and rebellions. Layla is determined to keep her throne and her people safe, even if it means marrying a foreign prince she doesn't love. But on the eve of her betrothal, she sneaks away and has one last night of passion with a stranger, who turns out to be more than he seems. As secrets and lies come to light, Layla will have to make some hard choices that could change everything.

I liked this book for its captivating and original story, its complex and flawed characters, and its steamy and emotional romance. The author did a great job of creating a rich and immersive world of magic, monsters, and politics. The plot was fast-paced and full of twists and turns that kept me hooked until the end. The chemistry between Layla and her two love interests was hot and intense, but also realistic and believable. I enjoyed their interactions throughout the story.

Overall, I think this is a good book for fans of dark fantasy romance who like their stories with magic, adventure, humor, drama, and spice. It's not a perfect book by any means, but it's definitely worth reading if you're looking for a thrilling and emotional ride.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

*thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Blood Queen had me hooked from the very first page. The story follows Layla, who becomes Queen of Kusmal following the murder of her parents. After earning the nickname “Blood Queen”, Layla takes a hands off approach in ruling the kingdom and mourns the loss of her parents. The night before she is the meet her betrothed, Layla has what she believes to be one last passionate night with a stranger from the local tavern. When this stranger reappears in Layla’s life, it threatens everything her parents laid out for her. As lies and betrayals come to the surface, Layla must discover who she can trust if she wants to save herself and her kingdom.

One thing I really appreciated about Blood Queen is that this was little to no “filler” chapters. The story was short, fast paced, and right to the point. This is a very bingeable read. It’s also pretty spicy! 🌶️ That being said, this is nothing we haven’t read before. It was very cookie cutter enemies to lovers romantasy. There is not much world building or character development. But, I appreciated this for what it was. My only negative comment is that the ending is ABRUPT. I am assuming there will be a second book, but it’s almost like the book ended mid chapter. I finally got to the end and audible said out loud “WHAT? That’s it?!” 🤣

Rating: 3-3.5 stars.
If you’re looking for a fun, short, spicy read, give Blood Queen a try!

I liked the dark and spicy vibe of this book! When Layla is forced to become queen after her parents death, she has to step up to keep her kingdom safe and even do some things she isn’t proud of. There is mystery, spice and murder and it keeps you wanting more!

I am very thankful to the author and Netgalley for letting me read it and review it. I liked the book; the concept is different, that sucks you in right inside the book. I love the dark vibes I got from the kingdom and the places mentioned in the book.

Overall: ★★★ | 3 Stars

Plot: ★★★ | 3 Stars

Characters: ★★| 2 Stars

Ending: ★★★★ | 4 Stars

Fun: ★★★★| 4 Stars

Spice Level: 🌶| 1/5

I really enjoyed this. It’s enemies to lovers. There’s mystery and deception. There’s surprise betrayals. Good spice! Looking forward to the next one in the series!

I was bored to tears within the few twenty pages of the book. The writing felt childish and repetitive, and I could not stand it. I started flipping through the pages to see if anything happened besides clichés and judgement against sex work, and was shocked to see the main character sleeping with a stranger within the first 10 percent of the book. Don't get me wrong, I like spice, love it even, but the scene felt crude and empty, just porn on the page. I did not finish this book at 11 percent.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 - Blood Queen - @caitlindenmanbooks

this is the fist enemies-to-lovers romantasy book i’ve read in a while that has had me kicking my feet because Denman has got the dynamics perfect between Layla and Rune!!!! There’s nothing in the book that signals anything towards them being fated mates but they are in my head because they are SO compatible and giving ‘equals in every way’ vibes.

The book is fast-paced with short chapters and a relatable FMC who’s just trying to figure out who she can and cannot trust… and when I tell you that you will be trying to figure it out until the end, I am not kidding 🥲

I am not creative enough for this but i need to see fan edits of Rune ASAP PLZ !!!!

Blood Queen have given me emotional whiplash and had me literally unable to put this down and I was up reading it until 2:30
in this morning (if you need a beta reader for the next book i am right here xoxo)

This was going to be a 4 star review but I changed my mind because i’ve been thinking bout it all day so she’s getting 5 stars and a hefty recommendation from me 🤪

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC 💫

#review #reading #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #arcreader #arc #reader #bookquotes #romantasy #romanticfantasy #romance #fantasy #spicybooks #caitlindenman #bloodqueen

Blood Queen is a thrilling novel about a young queen named Layla who inherits the throne after her parents are murdered. She is left so distraught from her parent's brutal murder, that she takes a backseat to the politics of ruling her kingdom and instead puts more effort on taking down the person responsible of killing her parents. Layla is determined to do whatever it takes to bring peace to Kusmal, which is plagued by murders and rebellion. As a way to honor her parents and fulfill her last duty as queen, she decides to marry a foreign prince her father had arranged before his death. Although, she hopes of bringing stability back to her land, she fears that the marriage will lack love and connection. However, Layla didn't expect that a suppose one night stand to have long lasting effects on her arranged marriage.

I will say I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing was so easy to follow and captivating. It was so hard to put this book down, I read it in two sittings. Once you start reading this book you'll love it instantly and you won't be disappointed, it's consistently good all throughout.

Blood Queen gives you, murder mystery, magic, royalty, betrayal, romance, it has it all. There is no other book like Caitlin Denman's Blood Queen. Everything flowed perfectly, the author did a wonderful job at showing us and telling this story. I felt the angst, the hurt, the suspense, I felt it all. I was so lost in this book that I didn't realize I had reached the end until I flipped the page and saw it ended.

Blood Queen is a story filled with intrigue, suspense, and complex characters. It explores themes of duty, sacrifice, and the lengths people will go to protect what they love. This is a must read, I cannot wait for the second book!

2.5 ⭐️

This book needs trigger warnings.

This was a tough one. I was really excited about the story and the plot based on the summary of the book & just the fact it reminded me of other fantasy books I've read that I've really enjoyed. Going into it, I did like it in the beginning (you really have to swallow down the fact this was really misogynistic to get through this book, like REALLY swallow it down), but I found the more I read the less I actually liked Layla as a character.

The spice was fine, although there's a difference between dominance/safe BDDSM practices and near abuse and I don't think that the author did a great job especially in the first spicy scenes. I definitely had to read this book head empty to enjoy it, because the world views of women and sex work in this book made me feel downright icky.

I love the enemies to lovers trope and I feel like this book didn't hit the mark with it, I just felt like they hated each other the entire time and there was no huge development of love towards one another. However it does end in a cliffhanger so I'm curious to see if in book two the author grows their relationship a little more! I won't hold my breath for book two, but I will probably be picking it up to follow up with this story in hopes it gets better.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this one because I’ve always loved the fantasy books where the FMC is forced into an arranged marriage. However, this book fell flat, and I DNfd around 20%. It is so awkwardly written. Sometimes I didn’t know who was talking. The descriptions did not flow from the dialogue or plot line. The intimate scene at the beginning made me cringe. Honestly terrible.

Rating- 4.5 stars
Many thanks to Caitlin Deman, Victory Editing and NetGalley for giving me the oppournity to read and to give my honest review of this book.

Blood Queen follows Layla, a queen who's kingdom has been plagued by murders. The whispers of rebellion and dissent grows daily and Layla will do anything for her kingdom to be peaceful. Layla agrees to marry a foreign prince to bring stability back to the kingdom. But on the eve of her marriage, Layla goes and enjoy one last passionate night with a stranger. But doing so has consequences.

Blood Queen was such a fast-paced book that made it super hard for me to put it down. It was filled with so many twists and turns which I was unable to guess at times. I especially loved the animals companions and thought they were quite unique. It was especially interesting to learn that royalty had animals companions which were known as soul shards.

The tension, the mystery and the suspense really made this a great dark fantasy romance. Although, I knew where the story was going in the last couple of chapters or so, I still really enjoyed it and I can not wait for the next book. I would definitely check this out if you're looking for a strong female character, animal companions and a morally grey MC.
If you like:
Touch her and die
Arranged Marriage
Lovers to Enemies to Allies
Morally Grey MC
Cliff-hanger ending
Then you will love this book.
This has also been published on Goodreads.

**This is an independent and honest review in exchange for a digital ARC. Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Publishing, and Caitlin Denman. **


Caitlin Denman’s fantasy novel, Blood Queen, follows young royal Layla as she uncovers new truths about the kingdom she rules, the people she trusts, and the enemies that wander her streets. I enjoyed Layla’s arc; we see her go from a princess who rules in name but follows others’ lead when it comes to managing her kingdom to a queen who reigns fiercely. Layla, as a royal, is able to wield power, and her power manifests as shadow. This is a force we often see male characters wielding as it conveys mystery and sometimes sinister leanings. I maintain that Layla is a morally gray character, and I hope that this holds true as the series continues. Layla is always accompanied by her soul shard, Keir, a witty black crow who communicates with Layla both mentally and verbally. I love the way Denman incorporated soul shards, and I wish the magic behind them had been more fleshed out. Are they, like powers, associated only with royals? Do they manifest at a certain age, find their companion at a certain time? I want to know more!

I ran hot and cold on the male love interest, <spoiler> Rune <spoiler>. I felt he also ran hot and cold on his feelings for his betrothed. I understand the nature of enemies to lovers is a contentious one, and there are often backslides in the course of these romances. However, his characterization was inconsistent. At times, he pledges himself to Layla and finds her doubt of him completely unfounded, but he is <spoiler> one of her fiercest attackers, trying to literally kill her with very little information to go off of. <spoiler> Maybe others won’t mind this, but I like my MMC to be so obsessed that the FMC could literally try to kill him and he still can’t bring himself to hurt her.

Layla’s characterization often felt forced to me, and I find her motivations unclear. To me, she was told and not shown: her emotions, her actions, etc. She behaves erratically and makes impulsive decisions, but the way they’re shown feels inorganic. It reads like I’m watching someone who’s been told to act that way rather than watching someone who naturally does act that way. Again, while I like her arc, I think her character is rather 2-dimensional with inconsistent motivations.

I thought the ending contained an excellent twist– I thought I knew what was coming, and I did to some degree, but I was surprised by the depth of the reveal and the implications of it. The end comes rather suddenly (in fact I assumed there was one last chapter) and there’s no resolution whatsoever. It feels less like a cliff hanger and more like she just stopped the paragraph and never continued on.

Overall, I think Blood Queen has a great premise with an interesting magic system. The characters needed fleshing out and maturing, and the plot could have been more clearly executed. I think with improved editing this could shape up to be a solid fantasy series.

This is the first instalment of a new adult romantasy series that follows Layla, an orphan young queen that has been doing everything to protect her people. She’s the FMC and is a badass character going through some betrayals in the story. Then we have Rune, our MMC, who is strong, loyal, and morally grey character, so what’s not to love about him?

I really liked the “touch her and die” trope and some of the darker themes that the book explores while adding a touch of mystery to it. However, the world-building was lacking something.

Overall, it was a fast-paced fantasy book that left me wanting the next part of the story since it ends on quite the cliffhanger. But the story was well written, and Layla is a great character full of sass. The romance was nice and with a little more world building it would have been better.

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.