I very much bargain for a rage; coming from this author which is why it isn't as bad compared to if this was your first time with Clair's work. this was a welcome relief after all the melancholy and deaths I have been encountering in more than half a dozen books that I read prior to this. However, what I have come to find is that there’s a very thin line between being a powerful and fierce heroine and being aggressive and mean for no reason whatsoever. Clair’s story fits within a few great romance tropes, such as marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers, but it also employs some of my favorite tropes across any genre, for instance wrong/fake history being revealed for what it was, misconceptions being broken down, and an epic revenge story revealed gradually with great effect. I understand that this book is now well beloved by many but you guys cannot tell me that this had a decent plot.

This is one of the most frustrating “tropes” (and I say trope because that’s literally what it is at this point) to read about. This didn’t totally bother me because things were continually revealed as the book went on, and I know any plot holes or threads left over will be dealt with in further books.I mean most worlds filled with vampires and other creatures are not usually that hard to fascinate me. I was just expecting quite a bit more, and would have recommended cutting a lot of the traveling back, or simply writing more after their arrival, to balance with the traveling, so the pacing doesn’t feel so disjointed. Isolde goes from completely rejecting vampires to accepting them and their way of life in the span of a few pages. Amidst the chaos, he encounters Isolde, a fierce and enigmatic woman with mysterious powers that she doesn't fully comprehend. The stakes are higher than ever as they confront mythical beasts, malevolent gods, and personal sacrifices.

I disliked the relationship between Isolde and Adrian, mostly because it wasn’t a relationship/romance, it was just sleeping together. A surprise it was when I found myself feeling okay as I read further, though a few things still irked me. As for the whole “witches” side plot and the big reveal at the end, the only thing that would surprise me about this “twist” is if anyone actually was surprised by it. However I must say this, the author toes the line of gratuitous smut overshadowing the plot, and she does it pretty well, remembering that she does actually have a story to tell and not getting completely carried away with the erotica bits of her novel (there would be nothing wrong with that per se, it just wouldn’t be my thing).

The author spent too much time focusing on the relationship drama, and not enough time on the plot and developing the characters. To end a years-long war, Princess Isolde of Lara is willing to do whatever it takes, even if that means marrying her enemy, the ruthless vampire king, Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, and kill him.

There is stubbornness, there is doubt, and betrayal, but also some lovely comic relief and camaraderie, as well as several soft moments of feels. If you like enemies to lovers, the arranged marriage trope, insta-sexual attraction, a feisty dagger-wielding female MC, and vampires/witches/gods, then you’ll probably enjoy this book.

So to wrap up, this is not the kind of book everyone might enjoy for the above stated level of sexual content, but it is also a story full of mythical monsters, vampires who may not be the villains they seem, ancient curses and mysteries, as well as a solid cast of side characters that prop up a main duo that has awesome potential to become the power couple to rule them all, especially in the sequel coming out this December. And it does not help that Isolde is feeling horny all the freaking time and everything was just so rushed and insta-lust.