Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC

A dark and delicious romantasy novel. I highly enjoyed the romance and found the push and pull greatly written. The worldbuilding was fantastic and I will say it was an amazing start to the series. Can't wait for the next novel.

This was a rough read for me. I just felt like the entire book was super choppy and awkward.
I think what really made me not fall in love with this book was that from the very beginning I did not like Emelin. In the first chapter you started to relate to her and feel bad for her but then her complaints and whining just kept going... and going. It felt like that went on for at least 50% of the book.
It had a lot of bulky breaks between sentences and had awkwardly placed curse words to try to fluff it up to make it more "badass".
The magic system did not draw me in the way I hoped it would either. It's not that it was hard to understand, it's just that it wasn't interesting to me.
But the very best part of this book was definitely the romance, I really liked how the author slowly built there unique romance and communication.
But unfortunately, the bittersweet romance was not enough for me to like this book.
I won't be reading the next book but will definitely consider other books this author writes in the future.

“Perhaps even nostalgia required some vague sense that my old life had at least been real, rather than a dream that was already fading now that I had opened my eyes.”

“Court of Blood and Bindings,” by Lisette Marshall

I loved this book so much. I loved the lore and story with the Fae, gods, phoenixes and the peril of the main character being human with magic in the Fae land. I loved how she was kidnapped by a winged fae man who cannot speak, it was actually sweet when they communicated with each other because he could talk to her. The color magic aspect was very interesting, my brain cannot let it go about how it all works. There was a ton of banter between the two main characters. Creon’s childhood trauma was so sad and really made me love him so much. With the way it ended I need to read the next book so bad! 5 out of 5 stars, perfect.

-Fae, gods, phoenix
-Magic
-Kidnapped
-Mute
-Enemies To Lovers
-Winged MMC

Thank you for the free copy, Netgalley.

“…if someone doesn’t know there is a choice in the first place, can you really blame him for what he ends up doing?”

The book felt a bit protracted at times, with long chapters, but I really enjoyed Emelin's story. The world building gives us everything the protagonist Emelin sees and witnesses while leaving enough mysteries for following books. The magic system is one of the engaging parts, simple to understand and left me wondering about using other colours than primaries and hope this becomes part of the plot. While sometimes a bit trope heavy, I am a sucker for them and they served the book well including fake dating in a fantasy world, to only one bed and forced proximity.

Emelin as our protagonist has giant mood swings, yes she's in a 'chosen one' situation, but sometimes her rationale was difficult to stomach. But the book excels during her moments with The Silent Death. Creon is mute and communicates through sign language and notes, which is a fresh change. I was worried that the dialogue would lean on Emelin too much, but it is balanced very well. The Mother is a suitably good villain but I would like to get a bit deeper into her backstory to understand her motivations other than her love for blood and death. Maybe this part was lost on me?

The book has some nice twists, all of which make Creon more compelling as a character. The book really picks up its pace in the mid point and continues until the end. His relationship with Emelin is well crafted and believable. I also appreciated that Emelin was given true agency and purpose and this was built up through the climax. It is a SPICY book!! My favourite character was actually the Labyrinth, the best ally to Emelin! I loved the multicoloured jewels and how it just wanted a kind word. There's a cute relatability in just wanting some praise.

I agree with other reviewers that the title doesn't sell the book well. It feels like a book that will be darker than it actually is and doesn't reflect the plot's key points. 'Unbound' would be a better title, or even leaning on the often quoted line 'Red is for Destruction'. But I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and see what happens next to Emelin and Creon.

"A Court of Blood and Bindings" is a mesmerizing fantasy that sweeps you off your feet from the very first page! Emelin's journey, from a human caught using forbidden magic to navigating the dark, dangerous Crimson Court, is packed with tension, high stakes, and unexpected twists. The dynamic between her and the Silent Death is pure fire—full of secrets, slow-burn chemistry, and a dangerous game of trust that keeps you glued to the pages. The world-building is absolutely stunning, with the treacherous fae politics and the ominous beauty of the Fae Isles pulling you deeper into this captivating world.

What truly makes this book stand out is the perfect balance of heart-pounding action, gripping plot twists, and a romance that simmers beneath the surface. Every chapter left me wanting more, and the Silent Death's enigmatic character, with his hidden depths and sharp edges, adds an irresistible layer to the story. If you're a fan of thrilling fantasy with unforgettable characters and a plot that keeps you on your toes, this is a must-read!

⭐️ 6/5... yes, you read that right.
🌶 3/5
❤️ 3/5
⚔️ 3/5

Don't ask me how many times I have read this book. This entire series owns its own place on my bookshelf.

This series is on my Roman Empire God Tier list.

Emelin and Creon.... far out. WHERE DO I START WITHOUT DOING THIS VERBATIM?!🤔

👉 So Emelin is a human girl who is living in the human world, wanting the midnight train going anywhere... she also has some accidental magic and can totally change the colour of items around the house, and explodes some things - total inconvenience to her parents 🤷‍♀️

👉 She wakes up one night, and her house is burning down, and her useless POS parents are no where to be found - total inconvenience. In her panic, she runs outside into the arms of death - no wait - the Silent Death 💀 (otherwise known as the scary evil murderous fae male sent by the evil queen... often used to scare children into submission, but also actually kills loads of innocent people).

👉 Anyway, I digress. Emelin now goes with the Silent Death back to his house, because, why not 🥲 He proceeds to make her pancakes, lots of tea, makes her read books, yells at her with paper because he can't actually talk - yes he is mute, hence the SILENT part, moving on - he shares his ONE bed, ONE couch, and ONE beach 🤔 Yer, so he is slightly ✨️dramatic✨️ and hates sharing his beach.

He eventually admits to his name - Creon, swoooooon 🥵 He has BIG wings *cough* and a BIG bed, and BIG.... heart? Yes. That. And he has scars 🥹

They make a bargain (fae bargain of course) to kill the evil queen, and then a whole bunch of learning soke really unique colour based magic systems happens, LOTS of letters, and some cute love languages, and compromises.

There is SO MUCH more I could share, but I withold to keep those beautiful and chaotic moments a surprise.

I will forever obsess over this series.

Series complete:
❤️ Books 1 to 4 are about Emelin & Creon.
❤️ Book 0.5 is about a very specific couple in the series (READ AFTER book 2)
❤️ Book 4.5 and 5 are on their way to releasing soon.

TROPES:
💙 Morally Grey Dramatic Fae Prince
💙 Mute MMC
💙 Clumsy Human FMC
💙 Fae bargains
💙 Found Family
💙 Some Spice
💙 Unique Magic System (a favourite)
💙 Heartbreak
💙 Sacrafice
💙 Personal Growth
💙 ROMAN EMPIRE

Tropes:
Wound tending
Snarky banter
Witty characters
Fake relationships
Enemies to lovers
Romantic tension
Colorful magic
Sign language

Thank you to NetGalley and author, Lisette Marshall, for allowing me to read this book. When scrolling through NetGalley, I was drawn to the title, and then after reading the description…I knew I wanted to read it!

I was immediately drawn into the unique magic world that is based on colors…yes, you read that right. Lisette’s masterful storytelling centers around a colorful magic, unlike any books I have read to date.

The story centers around Emelin and the Silent Death (aka Creon), their unlikely partnership, serious romantic tension, and the need to save the world by destroying an untouchable queen. To top it off, Creon is mute, his voice taken over a century ago by the vicious Queen…leaving his only way to communicate by writing or by allowing himself to learn to sign with his hands (something he has refused to do before Emelin).

The book ends on a cliffhanger…and thankfully the next few books are available on KU, with the author currently working on book 5!

Rating: 5 🌟

Favorite character: Creon (of course)

Favorite side character: The Mountain ⛰️

Intriguing storyline: 5 🌎

Spice level 3/5 🌶️

Language level 1/5 👄

Quotes:

I hadn’t been forgotten at all. Quite the opposite–I had been remembered.

I'd rather be your equal in danger than your toy in safety.

Note: this review differs from that linked on my GoodReads.

I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I had hoped I would. This book was on my TBR for a long time, and I was so excited when my NetGalley request was accepted. That being said, this book did not meet my expectations fully.

Em’s back and forth decisions made this book lag a little for me. Every other chapter, her feelings for Creon changed. She’d hate him, then she was in love, then she hated him again. It made it hard for me to enjoy the book with her constant back and forth. Similarly, I felt like there were chapters missing in this book. Things kept getting mentioned that I didn’t remember, so I would back track to reread, but the content just wasn’t there. I felt like this really took from the book because the characters are talking about things we never saw happen, making their actions and thoughts feel less real.

There were some positives to this book though. I really liked how Creon wasn’t able to verbally communicate and the role that played on the story. It added some extra elements of mystery and drama that this story needed. I also loved the magic in this book. The idea that magic relies on colors and just the right color combinations added a great element of intrigue to the story.

While I had negative comments on this book, I absolutely will keep reading the series to see what happens next. The cliffhanger left me wanting to know what happens to the characters, and whether or not Em and Creon are okay.

This book was a great length and kept me on the edge of my seat in the final chapters.

Thank you so much to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for an ARC of this book.

Alternate reviews have been posted on my Goodreads and Instagram, linked below.

all together, I really enjoyed this fantasy book. the magic in it was creative and interesting, and the characters had a lot of chemistry. the storyline didn’t really click for me, but I thought it was an overall pleasant read!

You’ve got me hooked here. I’m a big sucker for the misunderstood, brooding death machine hotties. What drew me in was the complexity of Creon’s backstory. It felt really well thought out and the compassion it elicited from me left me heartbroken for him (not the usual emotional response for me with these type of books). I’m not head over heels for the FMC but I’m hanging on for the next book to see how all the plot lines connect.

Also pleasantly surprised by the labyrinth. A little cheesy at first but it grew on me.