Book Review: King of Battle & Blood

I’ve had King of Battle & Blood, the first book in the Adrian x Isolde series by Scarlett St. Clair for a while. Basically since I started reading her A Touch of Darkness series. I finally read it!

The book follows Isolde de Lara, the princess of Lara – a kingdom in Cordova – and Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev, the king of the vampires. For the past 200 years there has been a war between the human kingdoms of Cordova and the vampires in Revekka. The people of Cordova have been sheltered for all these years, living behind walls, making sure to only go out during the daytime, etc. Isolde’s father decides to form an alliance with Adrian, who wants to conquer all nine houses, for protection from other monsters. Adrian is willing to make an alliance and protect Lara if Isolde marries him.

Now Isolde must marry the man who she has always been taught is the enemy, but is also the king of the monsters she’s been taught to hate. Even knowing all this, she can’t understand or deny the immediate attraction and draw to Adrian. As she gets to know him and his trusted friends she begins to think that maybe the vampires aren’t the monsters she’s been told they are and that there are bigger monsters and evil beings out there.

I really enjoyed this book and it was such a quick read. I was a little confused at the beginning because I felt like the action just started immediately, but I pretty much understood everything after the few couple chapters and then it was easy to follow. I love the morally grey aspects of Adrian and Isolde and the explosive chemistry and heat between them. The side characters are all lovable too so I can’t wait to see more of them in the next book!

There is a twist that I predicted about 3/4 of the way through, but I was happy with it so I can’t complain! As the book went on I got more and more invested in the book and now I need to know what happens next. The book is a great set up for the series and I imagine book 2, (Queen of Myth & Monsters, which I have sitting on my shelf waiting for me) will be action packed.

I think I might be a tiny bit more invested in the A Touch of Darkness series, however I think I like Isolde as a fmc more than Persephone. She’s just so bad ass and I love it!

Read this if you’re looking for a spicy fantasy romance with arranged marriage/marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers tropes.

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