A.M. Strickland

A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark YA fantasy by A.M. Strickland, author of Beyond the Black Door, whom Richard Kadrey calls “a storyteller of both grace and power.” In Thanopolis, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception. Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul. Together, they uncover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis. To save them all, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and spirit battling for her heart—if she doesn’t betray them first. An Imprint Book

In the Ravenous Dark

Linara K.S

dnf lost interest after 50 percent and the writing style was peculiar in my opinion

Power never dies . . . and neither does desire. A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead, in this dark fantasy by A.M. Strickland, author of Beyond the Black Door. In Thanopolis, magic is rare - and closely controlled. Those blessed - or cursed - with power are kept under constant guard, assigned to undead spirits who watch their every move. Ever since her father died to save her from this fate, Rovan has kept her magic a closely guarded secret - until an accident exposes her powers for the world to see, and her tenuous freedom comes crashing to an end. Brought to the royal palace against her will, and thrust into a maelstrom of intrigue and deception, Rovan is drawn to two people she cannot fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling and rebellious princess struggling against her own destiny, and Ivrilos, the handsome, powerful spirit she has been bound to, who can control Rovan, body and soul. Together, they uncover a terrible secret that could destroy everyone in Thanopolis - the living and the dead. To save them, Rovan will have to start a rebellion in both the mortal world and the underworld, and find a way to trust the princess and the undead spirit vying for her heart - if she doesn't betray them first . . . A.M. Strickland's richly imagined dark fantasy features court intrigue, a revolution that stretches across life and death, and a pansexual love triangle that will leave readers desperate to find out what happens next.

Nessa Luna

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the review copy!

Oh wow, I really enjoyed this rollercoaster ride of a book. About halfway through the book some thing started happening and I knew I just had to sit down and FINISH this book. (view spoiler)[Also I'd like to take this moment to say I appreciate the way the main relationship(s) in this book went. I was kind of scared it was gonna be the typical love triangle stuff that I'm 'used to' in YA books but this went a completely different direction and I LOVED it (hide spoiler)]

One thing I do have to say, though, is that I think that this book could have been a bit longer in order to flesh out the last couple of chapters a bit more. I felt that the final battle was kind of rushed and maybe if the book had been longer (or even if the book had been split in half and it had been made into a duology) it would have been a bit nicer. (view spoiler)[Some of the things that happened in that battle went by way too fast - someone would die and I'd barely have time to react before something else would happen. I know that's how things happen in real battles but still... the whole part just felt rushed. (hide spoiler)]

Taylor

** spoiler alert **
           a very strange ending to a hell of a ride

Megan Lowe

3.75 stars.

This was a different book for me. I don’t really do the gruesome, and this is that, in parts.
I do adore the diversity in this book, and the acceptance. It’s brilliant.
The story kind of plods along until roughly halfway through and then finishes in a rush.
I like Rovan in parts. I like Lydea in parts.
I really loved Japha and Ivilros.
This is an interesting book, but not for those who aren’t into dark and gruesome.

laura

4,5 stars
this was so good like 70% in and then the last 30% just were so rushed i feel like it should’ve either shortened the first act or made the last 30% of the book last longer but still a fun book to read i’m gonna ignore that last 30% which was basically characters dying

Zahia Saeed 

Plot was very interesting 
Loved the magic system
My problem was with the character development

Meghan M

So honestly I have mixed feelings about this book. I was very between three and four stars while reading it. I liked the authors representation of the pansexual main character and the non-binary best friend, especially that the author didn't give the readers any indication to ponder their gender identity. The characters were honestly not but bad the romance was very forced and out of nowhere. With Lydea is was instant attraction, but every other relationship just kind of happened out of nowhere which was a little confusing to me. There was also about 50 pages of just straight fantasy info dump and it took me a while to sort it all out and see where it made sense and *spoiler* then there were vampires? It was very all over the place, but definitely wasn't a bad read. I do enjoy a good unhinged character moment and this DEFinitely had that.

Sarahi

I gotta say, that's the best resolution to a love triangle that I've ever read.

I’m not usually a fan of fantasy, but I’m always looking for books with a good polyamorous representation, so here I am.

The world building and the magic system were actually really cool, I liked them a lot, but I found some of the passages to be too simplistic.   

Some of the relationships between the characters change in a heartbeat, from enemies to allies/friends, to lovers sometimes. I didn’t like the main character most of the time and the ending seemed too rushed. There were a couple of amazing plot twists, but it wasn’t enough for me to say that I really enjoyed this book.

I normally like happy endings, but not when everything is magically resolved in the last pages of the book with a big hug and a bunch of words on the power of love.

I mean, characters literally die and then turn up alive with the excuse that everything leading to their revival (that took for the protagonist herself days and a lot of efforts from her super powerful ghost guardian) happened “off screen”, all for the sake of the happy ending where everyone is together, mostly alive and in love.  

Rio (they/them)

I hate that I didn’t love this book.

I’m not usually a fan of fantasy, but I’m always looking for books with a good polyamorous representation, so here I am.

The world building and the magic system were actually really cool, I liked them a lot, but I found some of the passages to be too simplistic.   

Some of the relationships between the characters change in a heartbeat, from enemies to allies/friends, to lovers sometimes. I didn’t like the main character most of the time and the ending seemed too rushed. There were a couple of amazing plot twists, but it wasn’t enough for me to say that I really enjoyed this book.

I normally like happy endings, but not when everything is magically resolved in the last pages of the book with a big hug and a bunch of words on the power of love.

I mean, characters literally die and then turn up alive with the excuse that everything leading to their revival (that took for the protagonist herself days and a lot of efforts from her super powerful ghost guardian) happened “off screen”, all for the sake of the happy ending where everyone is together, mostly alive and in love.  

Laura

It started off amazingly but then started to drag towards the end. The final confrontation was kind of anticlimactic, too. I liked the characters but would have loved some more development on their part and less messy plot.

Dilayra Verbrugh

Pansexual MC, lesbian love interest, non-binary best friend, necromancy, blood magic, low key vampires (?) this book has it all! Sometimes difficult to understand for me but I loved it anyway!

Katharina Hoffmann

Y’all know how hard it is for me to write a positive review for a book I actually liked so please bear with me and believe me that this book is really enjoyable because it has it all: a pansexual main character, strong side characters (though ensemble cast would actually be a better term) including a non-binary asexual character who uses they/them pronouns, a lesbian and more lesbians. Oh, and the plot is set in an Ancient Greece inspired world!

Rovan is 19 years old and lives in Thanopolis, the only place she has ever known, as it is cut off from the rest of the kingdom by the blight, an unnatural weather phenomenon that destroys everything in its path. The only thing between the city and the blight is a magical shield that keeps death at bay, and the people of Thanopolis imprisoned in their own city. Here, those gifted with magic are assigned undead spirits to guard them—and control them. Ever since Rovan’s father died trying to keep her from this fate, she’s hidden her magic. But when she accidentally reveals her powers, she’s bound to a spirit and thrust into a world of palace intrigue and deception.
 Desperate to escape, Rovan finds herself falling for two people she can’t fully trust: Lydea, a beguiling, rebellious princess; and Ivrilos, the handsome spirit with the ability to control Rovan, body and soul.

I am aware that the summary doesn’t sound like much, especially the part where the main character is forced to live in the palace, but the story was more entertaining and interesting than I initially thought. What made it so interesting was the diversity and representation that really were *chef’s kiss*.

The author makes the found family trope the main focus of character interaction and development and it works really well. Unlike other books with the same trope, I really understood why Rovan did what she did. Her friends and lovers (yes, baby, plural!) are what drive her actions and whom she would do anything for. Nonetheless, Rovan isn’t without faults. She can be selfish and even a little ignorant concerning other people’s needs but that’s what made her character so well-rounded.

Given that the characters always stay in the same place (well, they do visit the underworld from time to time), I can see why some readers might say there is little to no world-building. In this case, I actually didn’t need more information on the kingdom itself or other parts of the continent. I was satisfied with what we were given though I wish the author had given us more insight into the layout of the city. It would have been nice to get a better feel for Thanopolis and get to know its crooked alleys and dodgy corners.

The book is a standalone, which I massively appreciate, and I think it works well on its own. There might have been space to expand it to a duology but I honestly believe that many fantasy authors these days have forgotten how to write a concise story which is why there are so few good fantasy books that exist without the seemingly mandatory sequels, prequels, and vanilla-villain origin stories.

I must confess that the main reason why I felt generous enough to grant the book a 4-star rating was its fabulous queer rep which simply warmed my heart. It’s not a perfect read and I doubt it will become a classic but this book shows what is possible, what is needed and that it writing inclusive, diverse stories can be done.

Lu Kluck

In a city where the dead walk among the living, all blood mages are assigned a shade, undead spirits brought from the underworld, to be their protector, at least according to the king, the truth is much darker, through dangerous power exchange, shades are able to control their wards, body and soul. 

Rovan is a nineteen-year-old pansexual blood mage who's been hiding her true identity since her father was killed by the king's wards. But when she accidentally reveals her abilities, she is forced to take a shade as her protector and is thrown into a whirlwind of palace intrigues and deceptions. 

While the main character uncovers secret after secret, she finds herself falling in love with two people she cannot trust, the cunning and dangerous princess Lydea and Ivrilos, the undead spirit tasked with protecting - and controlling - her. 

The world-building in this novel is fascinating in its simplicity, the magic system and geopolitical interactions are straightforward and uncomplicated. Despite that, the reader comprehends the deeper nuisances as the main character learns and questions them. Rovan comes to understand and establish connections between the opposing kinds of magic and the different aspects of her society and its inherent rottenness.

Notwithstanding that this novel isn't perfect, it has its qualities, namely the breathtaking representation of grief, gender non-conformity, and sexuality. The main cast of characters was lovable and complex, they addressed matters such as mourning, acceptance, and identity through healthy and heartfelt dialogues. 

The narration was enjoyable to read, as the main character was impulsive, selfish, and caring, all of which complimented interestingly her impressions of the world and people around her. The prose and narration were fluid and added a certain rhythm to the plot, where the various conflicts had the tools and the time to be explored and for them to play out excellently.

When it comes to the ending, however, readers might differ, some might think (like myself) that it had a lot of potential for emotional impact, it could have been an ending I would spend days thinking about, and it just wasn't, for me, it was underwhelming and bland. Again, other readers might disagree, and overall the book is undoubtedly worth your time, for the characters, the world-building, the plot, the writing style, and the representation.

••••••••••••••••••••••••📜••••••••••••••••••••••••
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 9.5/10📕
𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 5/5⭐
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 - 5/5⭐
𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭 - 4.5/5⭐

𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Forced marriage - Rape recounted & threats of rape - Forced pregnancy - Alcoholism & alcohol abuse - Graphic blood & gore depiction - Body horror - Emesis - Death of a parent (on- & off-page) - Death of a sibling by suicide (off-page) - Murder

my_bookalicious

Quite easy and nice reading. Thumbs up for all the LGBTQIA+ representation. Even though I really enjoyed this book, I didn't attached to characters, and I wasn't fully "in" the story.

Lily D

HOLY SHIRT BALLS I LOVED IT 💖💛💙

review to come!

Nikki Sojkowski

Interesting pansexual rep, cool polyamory rep too. 

My gripe with this is the pacing. It has a very slow first 2/3rds that I wasn’t quite my style.

For a standalone NA romance/fantasy, it was pretty good! For those who care, there were two medium spicy scenes but the romance didn’t rely on lust scenes to hold it all together.

Caitlin Johnson

I absolutely loved how snarky and rash the main character, Rovan, was. She put up with absolutely no nonsense and did everything she could to defend herself and her family, but ultimately to a fault. The side characters had interesting and intricate personalities, and I loved what each one brought to the story. I honestly want to be friends with Japha pretty badly, haha! I also loved how gender and sexual identities were presented in this book. The ways characters decided to dress, love, and present themselves was heartwarming and refreshing. 
I definitely didn't see many of these plot twists coming, and I admittedly screamed out loud in my car a few times! (Audiobook) Also the tension between both Rovan and Lydea, as well as Rovan and Ivrilos kept me on my toes just as much as the dark plot did. The magical system was unique, dark, and lush when paired with the world, and I loved the Roman/Greek style that Thanopolis modeled after. I would gladly read more from this world, but it was a very well done standalone!

Tania Joana da Silva Monteiro

You know when people talk about dark fantasise? To me this is a true dark fantasy. Maybe I am wrong, but this story has death and darkness and the underworld and IMO it explores it so well. I wished it would have explored it more tho. I also love that we got a poly amorous relationship! It felt so well constructed, not forced. And the diversity doesn’t end there.

Heather Killeen

Rating: 4.5/5 Mysterious Sigils

Format: ebook then switched to hardcover. I’d like to thank the author and Macmillan for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

To sum up:
“A pansexual bloodmage reluctantly teams up with an undead spirit to start a rebellion among the living and the dead.”

I mean, that sums it up pretty well! Notable characters are Rovan (the pansexual bloodmage), Ivrilos (sexy ghost warrior bound to Rovan), Lydea (hot princess with eyes on Rovan), Japha (non-binary, beautiful badass, and Lydea’s cousin). This quartet gets thrust together and must decide whether to trust each other in order to save their city.

What I enjoyed: 
This was such a dark, twisty, and sassy tale! I loved the writing style, Strickland is sharp, clever, and took this story to interesting and satisfying places! It does have mature content, so be aware younger readers, look up the content warnings beforehand (I’ll list a few below!). I thought the magic systems were complex and interesting. I loved the whole idea of Rovan’s magic being tempered by ancient grumpy ghost that feeds off her magic to stick around! I also super enjoyed the casual queerness in this story. It was so cool to see this Greek-Roman-inspired world without homophobia and fierce queer characters living their best lives in an opulent and dangerous environment. 

What was meh:
I actually didn’t realize it was a standalone until I got about ¾ of the way through and started to panic for these babies lol I think this book could have paced better as a duology because the last quarter felt a little rushed. I also felt like the magic outpaced the plot a little towards the end. Without going into spoilers, certain characters gain immense power very quickly and somehow are very good at it? I think the author had to do this in order for the climax to work, but if this had been broken up into two books then we could have seen them struggle with new abilities for a bit to make this more realistic. 

Overall, I loved this dark and sexy story. It’s got ghosts, political intrigue, awesome rep, powerful magic, cool fights, and spicy romance! I will definitely read whatever Strickland writes next and I hope we get to revisit these characters again! 

CW from the author: 
- Death (lots, major and minor characters)
-Death of queer characters, but most main characters are queer
-Parent death, on page and off
-Sibling death by suicide (off page)
-Fratricide
-Violence (lots)
-Blood (lots)
-Gore (not excessive, but there’s, uh, a scene or two for sure)
-Mild body horror
-Mild substance addiction (alcohol)
-Enforced gender roles
-Forced marriage and pregnancy (including rape, but the latter is off page, in the past, and not involving main characters)
-Threat of rape/abuse of the main character

Jessie G

Overall enjoyable just too much romance for my liking.

Kinga 

4.5? I can't decide yet - there's things that could be even more developed but as it was, this was still a wild, emotional adventure, with amazing characters. 
RTC

Tw(full list can be found in the author's review on Goodreads): 
blood/gore (not overly explicit though.), death, semi-graphic sex scenes 

Rep: pan MC, lesbian love interest, non-binary side character 

 
“In the Ravenous Dark” is, first and foremost, an action-filled, immersive adventure. It grabs you from the very first page and takes you on a thrilling journey through a death-obsessed city, filled with mysteries, blood magic and unexpected bonds. 

Much of that is thanks to the dynamic plot and the main character’s (and narrator ) cheeky personality. Rovan was truly a delight - sassy and bold, yet not caricatural in any way. She does provide some hilarious commentary and dialogue – I laughed out loud quite a few times. 

One of this book’s biggest assets was the vivid imagery of the world – despite the first-person, fast-paced narrative, I quickly got immersed in the magical city of Thanapolis. Its aesthetic easily transferred from the page to my imagination- I could picture the scenery with little to no effort, which made reading much more pleasant. Despite my initial worry about the book taking an “edgy” turn – due to the heavy focus on blood/death – I'd say the matter was handled rather elegantly, without excessive describtions.

I have to say not much of the magic system was actually explored – Rovan ( understandably) knew few sigils, death magic wasn’t given enough spotlight. Part of that is a result of the quick-paced plot and first-person POV, but it still feels like a loss not to have these elements expanded. It left me a little underwhelmed, as I would have liked a wider perspective of the world, but maybe this was never the intention. It still worked well enough as a setting, and combined with the intense main storyline, wasn’t that noticeable. 

The quick pacing did come at a (small) cost of some relationships (not all of them) - while built on a solid skeleton (pun intended), they felt a little too rushed - more on-page development would be appreciated. The potential was there – I could see those characters, I cared about them, but they lacked the spark to stay with me for longer – which is a shame, because considering how invested I was, it wouldn’t take much more to cement their place in my heart. Not that they didn't still make for a wonderful cast - but that's exactly why I kept wishing we could see more of them.

Still, the romance was truly swoon-worthy, and one of my favourite elements of the book – the build-up, the tension, the banter, the drama, all of it was well written, and beautiful, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was also great that the story explored importance of different kinds of love, and challenged popular ways of thinking about relationships, and was very sex-positive, so points for that!

Now, let’s be honest, I’ve read this some time ago and now that the “dust has settled” I can say it’s not exactly a book that stays with you. But it’s fun and gripping, and very pleasant to read – for numerous reasons listed above, such as the banter, the aesthetic world building, the romance. I think it’d make a splendid movie - it has the visual potential, is fast paced, and you wouldn’t be missing out on writing, as it’s rather simple. 
I would still highly recommend it as an intense romantic adventure to lose yourself in for a few hours, but keep in mind not to expect too much complexity in terms of the technicalities of the world-building. 

PS: I admit, I’m totally letting the “hundreds-year-old falling for a 19-year-old” slide this time. Guilty as charged. (Although he’s dead? So, we can pretend he doesn’t mentally age, like ghosts?) I loved the love interest and their relationship. But if that’s a “no” from you then keep that in mind

A. M. Strickland

Tw(full list can be found in the author's review on Goodreads): 
blood/gore (not overly explicit though.), death, semi-graphic sex scenes 

Rep: pan MC, lesbian love interest, non-binary side character 

 
“In the Ravenous Dark” is, first and foremost, an action-filled, immersive adventure. It grabs you from the very first page and takes you on a thrilling journey through a death-obsessed city, filled with mysteries, blood magic and unexpected bonds. 

Much of that is thanks to the dynamic plot and the main character’s (and narrator ) cheeky personality. Rovan was truly a delight - sassy and bold, yet not caricatural in any way. She does provide some hilarious commentary and dialogue – I laughed out loud quite a few times. 

One of this book’s biggest assets was the vivid imagery of the world – despite the first-person, fast-paced narrative, I quickly got immersed in the magical city of Thanapolis. Its aesthetic easily transferred from the page to my imagination- I could picture the scenery with little to no effort, which made reading much more pleasant. Despite my initial worry about the book taking an “edgy” turn – due to the heavy focus on blood/death – I'd say the matter was handled rather elegantly, without excessive describtions.

I have to say not much of the magic system was actually explored – Rovan ( understandably) knew few sigils, death magic wasn’t given enough spotlight. Part of that is a result of the quick-paced plot and first-person POV, but it still feels like a loss not to have these elements expanded. It left me a little underwhelmed, as I would have liked a wider perspective of the world, but maybe this was never the intention. It still worked well enough as a setting, and combined with the intense main storyline, wasn’t that noticeable. 

The quick pacing did come at a (small) cost of some relationships (not all of them) - while built on a solid skeleton (pun intended), they felt a little too rushed - more on-page development would be appreciated. The potential was there – I could see those characters, I cared about them, but they lacked the spark to stay with me for longer – which is a shame, because considering how invested I was, it wouldn’t take much more to cement their place in my heart. Not that they didn't still make for a wonderful cast - but that's exactly why I kept wishing we could see more of them.

Still, the romance was truly swoon-worthy, and one of my favourite elements of the book – the build-up, the tension, the banter, the drama, all of it was well written, and beautiful, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was also great that the story explored importance of different kinds of love, and challenged popular ways of thinking about relationships, and was very sex-positive, so points for that!

Now, let’s be honest, I’ve read this some time ago and now that the “dust has settled” I can say it’s not exactly a book that stays with you. But it’s fun and gripping, and very pleasant to read – for numerous reasons listed above, such as the banter, the aesthetic world building, the romance. I think it’d make a splendid movie - it has the visual potential, is fast paced, and you wouldn’t be missing out on writing, as it’s rather simple. 
I would still highly recommend it as an intense romantic adventure to lose yourself in for a few hours, but keep in mind not to expect too much complexity in terms of the technicalities of the world-building. 

PS: I admit, I’m totally letting the “hundreds-year-old falling for a 19-year-old” slide this time. Guilty as charged. (Although he’s dead? So, we can pretend he doesn’t mentally age, like ghosts?) I loved the love interest and their relationship. But if that’s a “no” from you then keep that in mind

Rowan Jones

Catalina Petre

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I absolutely loved the word building, the characters, the magic system and the intrigue. This book is dark, inclusive and gripping. One of my favourite books this year and probably ever.

In the Ravenous Dark

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