Review: The Blood Curse - Annette Marie
Series: Spell Weaver #3
My rating: {★★★★☆}
Adult Fantasy
Expected publication: March 30th 2018 by Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Source: ARC received from Dark Owl Fantasy
When Clio conned her way into the Underworld to steal magic from the notorious spell weavers of Chrysalis, she thought she was helping protect her homeland.
Instead, she exposed Lyre's most calamitous spell, and now her half-brother Bastian plans to wield it against the powerful Ra family. Clio and Lyre have to stop him before he can unleash it, but Bastian isn't their only adversary.
Chrysalis wants the shadow weave—and they want Lyre dead. And this time, they aren’t trusting mercenaries to get the job done. Lyre's father is coming for him, and no magic can defeat the most lethal weaver in the three realms.
From the scorching deserts of Ra to the darkest corner of the Underworld, Clio and Lyre must chase the shadow weave as both the hunters and the hunted. To make it out alive, they'll need magic more devious and dangerous than either of them alone possesses, and if they fail, the realms will pay the price.
Any quotes used are from an ARC edition and may not be present in the final publication
Ash’s power. Lyre’s weaving. Clio’s magic. Maybe, together, they stood a chance to fix this before his worst nightmare became a reality.
Annette Marie has done it again! How much more of my gushing can you guys take when it comes to this author and her books? I hope it's a lot, because I intend on mentioning them ALL THE TIME.
The Blood Curse is the third and final book in the Spell Weaver series which is the prequel series to Steel and Stone. Although these series can be read in any order or even standalone (but let's be serious, you won't be able to stop reading once you start!!!) I would suggest reading Steel and Stone first and then going to Spell Weaver - not only is this in publication order but it's also so nice to see the little Easter Eggs and reveals between the series that you might not even think anything of otherwise.
The third and final book has it all - the epic showdowns and action packed scenes full of both physical fighting and magical abilities (Annette Marie REALLY knows how to write an action scene); the break-neck pace hurtling you towards the conclusion that will leave you both heartbroken and yet satisfied (mainly because I know there is a sequel series in the works!), the unforgettable characters that I've grown to know and love and then love some more; the amazing world building that creeps up on you so that you don't even realise how much you know about this universe until you try to explain it to someone else; all the feels - laugh out loud moments, utter shock and horror moments and the gut wrenching tear filled moments. You just have to read this series.
Seeing the budding friendship between Lyre and Ash made me smile so hard - I have loved getting some more insight into their past. It's great to see two daemons that are a little different to the rest of their castes connecting and finding some mutual ground and common advantages.
“You’re under orders to kill me.”
“And I will. Just not yet.”
Not yet. A quiet chuckle that was part bitterness, part amusement escaped Lyre.
“Better than nothing, I guess.”
Clio had such fantastic character development and while she's still the sweet and gentle nymph I met in The Night Realm, she's also turned into a veritable badass who has grown into herself so much. I loved seeing her confidence grow and while she had some really tough decisions to make I was glad that family loyalty meant so much to her.
The relationship between Clio and Lyre is fantastic and cements a certain fact for me: I love romances written by Annette Marie. Their relationship is realistic, the chemistry is tangible and I ship them sooooo hard. My only issue was that I felt so bad for Clio so many times! I mean, Lyre is an incubus and there's certain things in his nature and in his very foundation that she deals with so well - maybe too well? In any case, she's a better woman than I!
Mysis appears in this one a lot and I also really loved getting to know this character better and to see some of his earlier years. I really need to re-read Steel and Stone now because I'm dying to see little bits and pieces I might have missed on my first read - things I might have discounted as unimportant previously but that were actually foreshadowing for this series.
Any fans of Steel and Stone, Ash and/or Lyre will get their fill here. I cannot wait for more books in this universe and while I wait, I guess I'll just reread all this goodness!
“My heart is yours. No other woman has touched it, and no one but you ever will.”
