Unfortunately not my kind of read. I requested it due to.the author and i have read and enjoyed her previous books in the thriller genre. This was a DNF for me I am afraid

Thank you for the opportunity to review

What makes a happy ending? In the old days it’s our hero or heroine settling down, getting married and of course that was it. Fairy tales saying that was the ending all girls should have tells us a lot about how society saw women. For me a happy ending is one that takes characters to where they need to be and stays true to who they are. Ideally all the key plotlines are wrapped up (even if some characters don’t have a happy ending) but I want to go away feeling the journey and the destination worked. In Sarah Pinborough’s final novella in the Tales From The Kingdom series we have Blood which neatly brings a conclusion to the four previous new takes on classic tales and manages to both offer a new take on Rumplestiltskin and impressively brings four different plots into a final adventure and a very satisfying ending.

Lilith formally known as The Wicked Stepmother is now happily married to Snow White. Cinderella also known as Rose is settled down with a charming prince and now having a child. In an enchanted forest there is a kingdom where all are asleep and only Tony who becomes a wolf and the smart Petra are awake. All seems calms until Rumplestiltskin appears at the palace and reminds the Prince that he has promised to give way his first child to him. Everyone needs to work together to stop this but perhaps only a sociopathic genie named Aladdin has the key?

So fans old and new of this revised series with now a new starting point in Magic and this to conclude the series (for now?) brings all four plotlines and groups of key characters back and it’s again really impressive how well Pinborough finds a plot strand and use for all of them. No scene feels like a little winking nostalgia but everyone we meet has a key part to play. The interplay and crossovers work beautifully at novella pace and keeps the story changing tone and direction with ease. This is storytelling to sit back and savour the craft being used.

Character wise fans of the series show reflect how everyone has moved on. Lessons have been learnt and people are in better places. Here the couple are less together because of plot but because they actually work together - couples who communicate, trust and enjoy their lovemaking (yes again these are not YA tales) and importantly treat each other as adults. One theme here is he’s you may have been cruel and selfish but have you now learned from that and grown up? If you have then perhaps you do actually deserve happiness. This time our more dangerous characters Aladdin who loves to murder for the fun of it and the Beast (a Princess cursed with a truly wicked side) return and have major parts to play and even though they’re quite deadly we may find ourselves thinking even they deserve a little forgiveness….a little. Again the story makes these points subtly but adult readers may find some lessons are still here to be learnt.

Lastly, I do have to say there is some gorgeous fantastical magic and scenes to enjoy here. An exchanged palace frozen in time and a powerful scene with a dragon all shone with power that keeps you appreciating the world and that sometimes the magic is real and needed. It’s not simply set dressing it’s part of the story itself.

Blood wraps up stories and characters with joy and a little deviousness that should make fans of the series enjoy their return immensely. A better kind of happy ending awaits us. Perfect for a cold evening when you want warmth and perhaps a wicked smile on your face as you turn the pages. Strongly recommended!

Amazing retelling of rumpelstilskin, Blood has all the components needed to make an absolutely amazing book in my opinion including dragons , a curse , a father who is out for vengence and of course dark fantasy. Yummy !

One should never judge a book by its cover but all of the covers in this series are absolutely gorgeous and will look stunning on any bookworms shelf.

I have been loving my fantasy reads recently, so a retelling of Rumple sounded amazing... and It lived up to my expectations, and more!
I found myself struggling to put this book down at the best of times. The story was paced perfectly and had me fully invested throughout, and the way the characters are developed as the story progresses is wonderful!.

This is so much more fun than the original Rumplesilkskin. Much more of a real adult fairytale, definitely not for the kids. Super series of books.

A little over a decade ago Sarah Pinborough ended the Tales from the Kingdoms trilogy with the unlucky in love prince apparently getting his happy ever after, but with the presence of a mysterious figure suggesting more to come.

Blood picks up shortly after the events of the third, and now not so final, book in the original series, Charm, and the sinister figure is revealed to be none other than Rumplestiltskin who wants the prince to fulfil a promise. A promise presumably made in the other new book is the series, the as yet unread Magic.

The tale that follows takes all the loose ends and characters from the original trilogy, and I guess the new prequel Magic, and weaves them into another of Pinborough's trademark sexually charged fairy tales that's more Grimm than Disney. Does everyone finally get their happy ever after? Well, that would be telling

I can't wait for the publication of Magic, and the opportunity to finally read it and the rest of the series, but this time in chronological order.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gollancz and the author for an advance copy.

Dnf. I struggled with this purely because I did not realise it was part of a series. You have to read the previous parts of the series to know who and what is going on.
From what I read, this is another serving of the romantasy trope that is so popular right now, and will appeal to readers that enjoy fairy tale retellings.
3 stars as average, and dnf.

I have really enjoyed these dark fantasy and sometimes lustful reads.

They are definitely not for the children but are perfect for the dark nights closing in this season.

I loved Rumplestiltskin as a child and this retelling was just perfect.. It is twusty and clever and definitiely worth recommending..

A great continuation of the original series, I loved rejoining the world Pinborough built many years ago with Beauty, Poison, and Charm. For fans of the original trilogy this is a must read! It is easy to sink back into the world and into the prose. Expect lots of unexpected twists and turns in the plot, but everything does end up drawn together in a fitting way at the end. This is the dark fantasy fairytale reimagining we’ve been missing!

I’ve finally finished the series and I feel a little bereft. I’ve loved these twisted, dark and just a little sexy retelling of fairy tales. This one is the perfect culmination to the takes that went before and I really think you would miss out if you tried to read it standalone. This one brings together the other three perfectly. Can’t wait for Magic to add to the set!

Thank you, Netgalley, for this review copy for an impartial review
Bravo 👏 on this dark conclusion to a 'Grimm' and grisly retelling of Fairytales known the world over. I wondered how the author would bring all of the stories together and if it could be done well - I should never have doubted. A great big dark but happy ever after ending for all of the characters in the series. Will definitely be recommending and rereading in the future.

I read and very much enjoyed the original three books in this series quite a few years ago and I hoped that eventually the series would be expanded. And finally it has been! 'Blood' is a sequel to the original series that was made up of Beauty, Poison and Charm. The other new book, 'Magic' is (I believe} a prequel.

It is difficult to say too much about Blood without spoiling the story of the original series, but I feel that I must say that Blood is NOT a standalone tale but s a very natural continuation of the story and readers should know this from the get go. Most of the characters names will be recognisable from fairy tales we all know and love. Snow White, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin to name just a few, but the stories in these books are not what we remember from childhood. These stories are more twisted, mashed-up and messed up than you can possibly imagine, and that is what makes them so wonderful. Oh, and these are certainly not stories for young children as there is more than a little bit of saucy spice sprinkled in.

I really enjoyed Blood, revisiting the world of The Kingdoms, and reconnecting with all the fantastic characters and now I look forward to the prequel, Magic.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for approving me for this book.