Reviews with content warning for Child death - King of Flesh and Bone

ML is god of death and ppl basically, FL is human who captured his heart. she is feisty and sticks to her word. she is called unwomen bc she can’t have kids but she is a talented midwife. (i read this book bc of booktok, they told me he breaks her legs to keep her from leaving, (he did it was good.) so yeah it’s pretty good) it ends on a cliffhanger so i’m gonna read the second one rn.

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bluebearywitchy's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

“Your heart will beat for eternity, and no age shall befall your warm body while in my service, little mortal.” The King’s dark whisper hushed against my sweat- pearled temple. “Welcome to the Pale Court.”

This book features morally gray characters, the god most of all, so don't jump in expecting the hero of the story to have a complete change of personality when the heroine appears.

Enosh is a god who's been "demoted" to a mere king and despises mankind for their treatment of him, therefore refusing to lay their dead to rest. He has the ability to control both the dead and living amongst other things and has a checks and balances system with his two brothers Eliam and Yarin. The god craves warmth but has lived the last 200 years in a cold, lonely, empty ass Pale Court since his last object of his affection betrayed him.

That is, until Ada, a midwife who's practically shunned by her people because she's "cursed" to have no kids gets dragged by her mule into his court and he decides to enslave her for his entertainment.

Their relationship is one you'd need to look at through very objective eyes because, remember, these are very morally gray characters. Enosh is a god able to control the flesh, so he makes Ada succumb to him against her will not just physically, but fucks with her emotions as well.

"Her voice trailed off as I slowed her compromised heart, tampering her anger into the faintest tingle beneath her skin....

....“You did that.” She pressed a hand against her chest, but only until her blazing eyes snapped to mine. “So, it’s not enough to take the last bit of pride from me, but now you have to steal my rage?”
.
.
.
He rapes her, chains her to his throne, talks down to her, and breaks her legs anytime she tries to escape.

“You broke my legs.” “Twisted,” he corrected with a sigh of annoyance.

But because he dulls her pain, tends to her, and pleases her sexually (whether it's against her will or not) he doesn't see where the mistreatment lies, despite being told multiple times. He IS a god, after all, so being an arrogant bastard honestly comes with it. However, he does genuinely care for Ada and her devotions to her vows, something that makes her different from humans in his past. And unlike the humans, he's the only one who doesn't see her as defective for not bearing kids.

The ending of this book leaves off with Enosh saved from his torturers and questioning Ada's loyalty to him, meanwhile Ada is pregnant with his child and on the brink of death from getting fucking shanked.

I would have given this book a higher rating, but save for a few quotes, the dialogue was very lackluster to me. And downright cringy whenever Enosh spoke to her sexually. Their chemistry also was pretty nonexistent for, like, 65% of the book.

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literamy's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

The prose in this book was both gorgeous and visceral. I loved Ada, and how her kindness and ferocity were both so present. I am much more of a character person than a plot person, so I didn’t mind that the plot was quick and a bit muddied at times. What I did mind, though, was Enosh. The non-con/dub-con was NOT it for me, and the moments where we got his perspective weren’t enough for me to look past the inherent violence he acted with. I love a Hades/Persephone or Beauty and the Beast retelling, but the way that literal SA and BREAKING OF THE HEROINE’S LEGS were glossed over left a bad taste in my mouth. I am curious enough about Ada’s journey and well-being to read the second one, but I don’t want anything to do with Enosh. A dark romance doesn’t need to involve this much violence to be dark—or effective. I’m in the rest of this series for Ada, and Ada alone, and I hope that Liv Zander’s beautiful writing will branch out into other stories.

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anger566's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

Was like reading porn with no plot

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zabeishumanish's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

This story is the first of a duet. I would highly recommend reading the two books back to back.

Check the trigger warnings.

An important note, there is nothing morally gray about Enosh, just a straight up villain. He is entirely unlikely for most of the book. Truly violent, most of the sex in the book is noncon, bordering on straight up rape given Enosh’s full control over all flesh and forcing reactions from Ada.

I feel a bit bad marking this book down from 5 stars. The story is just a touch too much and a touch too violent for me, all of the magical elements of the book made it a palatable read. I feel bad marking it down, because I think the book is an almost perfect version of the kind of story it has set out to be. This is a truly fantastic take on a dark dark villain romance. Enosh truly doesn’t care about anything, but keeping Ada. One of the best examples of an obsessive and dangerous kind of overwhelming love, or just lust is Enosh is believed.

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