Overall, the story is a quite fabulous dark and evil start to the series and I loved every aspect of it! I would like to preface this review with the fact that I have not read many dark fantasy romance stories, so I am not sure if the content of this book is typical for the genre or if the dark elements are not aligned with what the genre is meant to be. I do plan on reading more dark fantasy romance in the future, so I may revisit this review following additional reference points. We are first introduced to Ada, a widowed midwife who had been forsaken by her people for being unable to give her late husband children. The world she lives in is one surrounded by death and wandering corpses due to a curse created by the King of Flesh and Bone. Due to a misfortunate event involving a wayward mule ends up dragging her into the Pale Court at the feet of the King of Flesh and Bone himself. She finds herself his captive and spends much of this book plotting the best way to escape her eternal binds to him. No, because there is no hero in this book. There is, however, a villain readers will hate to love. I have no intentions of redeeming him because, well… villains do it better.

And the writing flows effortlessly with plenty of style and form. Every description, every word is a testament to this author’s talent. At its core, this dark fantasy romance is about how love can turn us into fools for liars and monsters. The book asks the reader if villains deserve to be loved, and if we can root for such a couple against the guidelines of morality. As for the overall story, you’ll have to go in blindfolded, letting the first chapter give you a good spin. Below are the worlds this author has built around these two characters. The details of both worlds are so incredibly vivid that you can easily imagine each element.

Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Auri Alden and Gregory Salinas, via NetGalley. An advanced reader's copy of this audiobook was provided to me via NetGalley by Dreamscape Media in exchange for an honest review.

Truth be told, I don’t give self-care enough time. But when I do, I usually seek out silence. Nothing refreshes me more than a drive in the car, or an hour away from the loud noises of my personal life. Be advised that this story is about a villain. Not a hero. There is no redemption. There is no good. Just a dark and distorted god and a lot of smut (including quite a bit of peach play, in case you were interested). SpoilerThe villain has a strong disdain for the living, with a complicated past involving another human woman. So much so that he has isolated himself in the Pale Court. When Ada is dragged into his presence, he takes this disdain out on her in the form of nonconsensual sexual punishment, as he strongly desires her warmth. The entirety of their relationship is nonconsensual sex - where he not only physically forces her into acts, but also uses his abilities to force her flesh and bone to comply with his demands. Towards the end of the book, Ada begins to feel conflicted by her body's arousal response to these acts and distorts this natural bodily response to assault for real building emotions of affection towards the King. This portrayal of a traumatic response as affection did not sit well with me and played a large role in me wanting to hate this book.

King of Flesh and Bone

The second book however....well, see my review of that book for more information. Overall, I would have recommended this book, but the second book in the series was enough for me to say that I will not be recommending this book. QTP. Question The Premise. What works for 99% of writers might not work for me. Writers, teachers, and gurus love to preach how we just “have to get the story out in a first draft” or “stop editing as we write”. Not only is it untrue for me but causes me frustration and stress I don’t need. Becca Syme from the Better Faster Academy truly helped me understand how my writer brain works, and how to trust my process, no matter how odd it may seem. Heed the warnings that this is too dark a romance for most people’s tastes. If he can handle Tillie Cole and HD Carleton, chances are he can take that level of determination. The reason I can still enjoy the book is probably that the rape scenes aren't truly fleshed out - we get the mechanics, we don't get a lot of description of how it feels (beyond "my ass still hurts") or the fallout (ie. how does Ada feel afterwards, what physical and mental effects are there). This doesn't diminish what happens, of course, but it does make it much easier to focus on the slow process of her seeing more of him and gaining some understanding. (Fwiw, the worst part for me was her reaction to him "twisting" her legs - so much more palpable, and gave me more of a visceral reaction). That aside, the writing is nothing outstanding and there is no plot (and what little plot does exist feels forced). The pacing is fast, very fast. The explanation of the King, his brothers, and their entire existence/purpose/boundaries of their powers is very underdeveloped. Also, it ends on a cliffhanger, which is neither here nor there.

My TBR is an electronic dumpster fire with random books tossed together from any and all genres. I might read an alien romance one night, then a fictional biography about the last princess of Korea the next. And how about we toss a horror in there? Or a book about 20 ways to make pancakes? It didn’t change my life, but it certainly sparked my love for dystopian and dark fantasy worlds. Too bad that I don’t remember the title. I was in elementary school when I read it. A story about children who grew up during famine. Could have been set in Ireland, but it was an alternative world since there were no adults. As a kid at the age of 8 or so, the idea of having to fend for myself and group together with other kids fascinated and terrified me. First of all, the characters blew me away! Especially Enos. He’s the bad boy that every woman fears but secretly fantasizes about. He is by no means a good guy, as he will demonstrate at the beginning of the book. Ada is a fighter, brave and unaware of her true worth. Eventually it ends with a cliff that could make you propel objects with telepathic rage. Fortunately, the second book is now out and it works exceptionally well with Ada’s transformation, keeping you engaged with the twisted, macabre and taboo. King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel and the first book by the duo The Pale Court. The two-part story centers on a ruthless man, the woman who cannot escape her love, and a HEA.As a full-time author and homeschooling mother of 2 young boys, I don’t have much free time. When I do, I love to go to the museum, try out new recipes, or sit in my chair in my office to daydream. I love how dark and forlorn it is, allowing my gory and macabre side to come out and play a little. The world-building was great, super interesting take! Also enough mystery left for book 2. SpoilerI'm curious about the brothers... like, the god of whispers seems as horrible as the MMC.

Staying true to the character arcs I chose for Ada and Enosh. It’s not easy to make a reader fall in love with a villain without redeeming him. As for Ada, she will have a character arc in book 2, Queen of Rot and Pain, that is seldomly done in fiction, and certainly not in romance. Writing that took lots of chocolate and pacing my office.It does start a bit awkwardly. But as long as you get past chapter 2 the story starts To write itself almost. I did struggle with the 1st chapter understanding what was happening once I did I couldn't believe the story I was falling into. Enos: God responsible for spreading the “rot” and taking the dead into his palace for the dead to pass through. But he hasn’t done that in 200 years, so the dead try to flee every full moon. He’s a hateful immortal god who tries to punish everyone, and I mean everyone, for their misery. He is a malevolent god, not a human, and a being who only knows how to bend others to his will instead of treating relationships as businesses like humans do. I just moved to Texas and am currently setting up my new office. It’s a large room with plenty of light, modern and airy. Having enough wall space is crucial to me since I work with Post-Its a lot. I also have a massive whiteboard for brainstorming, a treadmill so I can walk while I write (yes, it truly works), and a comfy chair in the corner by the window for thinking thinky thoughts. Euphoria. The people are so gloriously messed up in that show, it’s such a delight to love and hate them in a constant pendulum. King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel, and book one in The Pale Court duet. The two-part story features a ruthless man, the woman who can’t escape his love, and a HEA. This world contains dark themes, violence, loss, and elements of horror some may find disturbing, and readers can find more detailed information on www.livzander.com. What this book doesn’t contain is a hero – because villains do it better.