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Trial of Bronze and Blood: A Fantasy Romance Novel by M.K. Deoradhán
3.5
ARC Review
Trials of Bronze and Blood by M K Deoradhan
This slow burn romantasy is heavy on the slow burn and light on the fantasy. With its ancient Roman references, it also gives historical fiction vibes. It’s a blend of multiple genres that coalesced into the first installment of what is sure to be an interesting series.
Drusilla has spent the majority of her life as an assassin, living in the shadows and devoting her life to the Faithless without question. It keeps her out of the way of the tyrannical Imperium that orphaned her and she’s just fine with that. But her latest assignment takes a turn when she runs into Marcus, a former assassin and her one time obsession. Her life starts to unravel and reform into something completely unexpected. Marcus recruits Drusilla to help train royalty for the upcoming Valorem Blood Trials. She will learn more about Marcus, the Imperium, and herself than she bargained for.
There is a lot going on in this book. There is some inclusion of ancient Roman terminology and customs. There is political intrigue with plotting and betrayal. It’s told from the POV of both Drusilla and Marcus, which helps fill in the plot details.
The plot moves slowly at first. Drusilla is aware of the political drama occurring but only in the vaguest sense. She is not privy to the details. Since the first part of the story is told from her POV, it did make me feel like I was missing significant plot points.
For me, I felt the world building could have been more heavy handed. It feels like there is so much going on in this war torn area where only one country has escaped that overwhelming tyranny of the Imperium. I wanted more background and would have loved a map. I spent the first few chapters distracted by Anziano being described as an island but being accessible primarily by a bridge over a river. I really hope that there is more explanation in the books to come in the series because for me that would make this a truly memorable series that I will read and reread.
Vibes this book gives: City of Brass by SA Chakraborty, Merlin (the BBC show), Hercules, mythology
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I received this advanced copy from M K Deoradhan via BookFunnel in exchange for an honest review and feedback.