Reviews with content warning for Blood - House of Bane and Blood

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

House of Bane and Blood by Alexis L. Menard

11 reviews

novellearts's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

This book needed some further editing done. There were some grammatical and structural errors throughout the book that I found but it was otherwise, pretty well written.

I enjoyed the first book much more than the second. I'm not really sure what went wrong in this one, but it felt lacking to me. It took me quite a while to finish due to not really being super interested in the story. Some aspects of the story felt forgotten.

I didn't get the discussion between Milla and Nico about Milla's time spent as a prisoner that I was hoping for. It almost felt like it was swept under the rug and dismissed. I didn't think this book showed a realistic depiction of the trauma and healing that she inevitably would've had to go through after being held prisoner and being tortured. Unless she is just incredibly resilient, I suppose.

I also felt let down by Camilla's use (or lack of use) of her powers. Camilla was set up to be a powerhouse of a character with really intriguing abilities, but we didn't get to see much display of them except when she was forced to use them as a prisoner. Once she was freed, she (for the most part) went back to avoiding her powers and how she learned to use them.

The story was repetitive for me as well. The conflicts seemed flat and overused. I felt as though I kept reading the same conflict interactions throughout the whole book and ultimately they all had the same resolutions. The ending also seemed rushed.

We find out that Camilla's mother is still alive and looking to be found by Camilla and then the book simply ends!

It felt as though there should've been at least 1 more book in this series.

I'm upset because I really wanted to like this! Book 1 was better rounded, overall more enticing and enjoyable.

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mwalsh97's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book started as like a 2.5 star book but it quickly won me over into a 5 star book. I love the Peaky Blinders meet Romeo and Juliet in a steampunk and nontraditional magic world. It's dark and dreary and full of tension. The back and for with Milla and Nico is so well written it had me giggling like a teen with their first crush. This book perfectly balances good plot with spice. You could take the spice out of the story and the characters would still work, as would the plot. The spice is just that, spice. Wonderfully delicious spice.

I love even more that it is only a duology. So many authors these days seem to write unending series or stretch their plots way to thin. This plot feels perfectly paced for two books.

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rheagoveas's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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tguccione's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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belle13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

❤️Arranged Marriage of Convenience
❤️Peaky Blinders Vibes
❤️Family Dynamics
❤️Rival Families
❤️Magic and Science
❤️Slow Burn
❤️ Rivals to Lovers

Amount of spice:🔥 - Extreme Slow Burn
Explicitness: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did but I absolutely ate it up. They just had such a fun dynamic and I loved the way Milla was actually the one saving Nico most of the time, she was such a sassy little badass. I’m also a huge fan of a slow burn and for me, this was just the right amount of burn and by the time they actually got physical I was absolutely hooked.

There were lots of twists and turns and it was a bit of a wild ride at times. There were parts that felt a little confusing and hard to keep up with but I was addicted nonetheless. The last 20% was particularly wild and it ends on such a bang!

The only thing I would have liked more of was the family dynamics. The supporting characters have so much potential and I desperately want to know more about all of them so I hope we get to see more of them and that they become a little more fleshed out - each encounter with them seemed a little too brief.

I would recommend it if you liked Kingdom of the Wicked or Serpent and Dove or you love a badass FMC and an MMC that can’t help but fall head over heels for her.

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karapillar's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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jilliri's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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vi_holmes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book, especially the first half! Camilla is a great character! A real badass, witty, and smart. The Attano family were also a big highlight for me. So many great personalities. Nonna had me cackling.

My only complaints are that Camilla's willfully blind faith in her brothers (especially Aramis) got tiring.

I didn't care for his explaination for his behaviour either. He would have been a better character for me if he remained cold and selfish as he was portayed.

And the ending felt rushed. I'm very keen to see where it will lead in the next book, but I just didn't love the ending. But I will say

Giles deserved better

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sienasummerrreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

“He was a mistake, the most gorgeous one I would ever make”

This follows the heiress Camilla whose family is well known with power in Lynchaven. They own the Iron Saint Railway which has been in the family a long time and they will do anything to make sure it doesn’t go under. Then along comes Nicolai an enemy and part of a rival family who has an offer that she has no choice to refuse.

What a book. I went into this all because I saw the author say she binge-watched Peaky Blinders for three days straight and that’s how the book was born. THIS DID NOT DISAPPOINT. You could feel the Peaky Blinders inspiration in this book which I loved so much. The magic system and the storyline created by Alexis was fantastic. Camilla and Nico are both strong leads. They had this hate banter and tension between them which made you fall in love instantly. The things that man said in this book have me weak and wanting more. The slow burn wait to the spice was worth it. Chapter 35 was perfection I was screaming. Then we get to Chapter 41 I’m in shock I’m questioning did I read that, it can’t be real. Chapter 42 I was balling my eyes out and I couldn’t carry on. I had to take a breath before finishing. Once I got myself together I was back at it and then I finished the Epilogue. To say I’m excited for the next book is an understatement. It consumed my every thought for the past three days I honestly didn’t want it to end.

If you love:

🔹Adult Fantasy Romance
🔹Marriage Of Convenience
🔹Rivals
🔹Magic System
🔹Slow Burn
🔹Perfect Amount Of Spice

Genre/Type: Adult Fantasy Romance 18+
APK: Physical Read
Pages: 434
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️.5
Series or Stand Alone: Book 1 In The Order And Chaos Series
Tropes or Themes: Marriage Of Convenience, Rivals To Lovers, Found Family, Slow Burn, Protective MMC, Strong FMC, Contracts, Magic System, Prison, Power, Betrayal, Secrets, Mine, Jealousy, My Wife, Eyes On Me, Taken Care Of, Guns, Murder, Sexual Content, Virgin, Praise, Breath Play, Injury, Death, Cursing and Cliffhanger.
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫

All Round Romance Reader
Sienasummerrreads 💕📚
TikTok | Instagram | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Everand | Amazon | Audible Reviews 💫

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beersbooksandbooos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I follow the author on TikTok and when she said this was Peaky Blinders mixed with the Grishaverse, I knew I had to pick up this book. Peaky Blinders is one of my favorite shows, so this book was perfect. I would have read it in one day if I didn't need sleep. The magic system was Chef Kiss and I could see where the Grishaverse magic system inspired the author. Though I really liked this magic system a lot more. I have also found my new book boyfriend in Nico, I kept picturing the musician Ren as Nico. I loved reading about Milla's growth, and how she became stronger and was able to stand her own. The side characters also made me love this book and I really can't wait to see more of them. I am glad I don't have to wait a whole year for book two, just half a year.

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