BLOOD BOUND HB

I loved the concept of Blood Bound so much. A witch, a performer, and a dragon rider in a complex and layered world, fighting for the very heart of magic itself? Sign me up! The idea of Princess Astrid, an ice-veined northern princess who can’t cast magic, and Skylar, a street performer who doesn’t even know she has powers, being forced into a deadly duel by an ancient covenant - only to uncover a conspiracy that could change everything - had me hooked before I even started reading. This should have worked, and I was super hyped. Unfortunately, for me, the writing was dragging at times. The characters were great in theory - Astrid’s icy determination, Skylar’s fiery spirit, and the bond forming between them - but they didn’t completely convince me. The pacing was off in places, and I found myself losing focus, especially in the middle. There were moments where the world and the stakes felt so exceptional, but then the narrative would meander and repeat, and I’d catch myself zoning out. 3.5/5 stars Thank you to NetGalley and @harperfiction for the eARC! #BloodBound #Bookstagram #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book! The mix of witches and dragons was nothing new but for sure a safe way for me to enjoy a book. I was into the book straight from page one and it held me in its grip till the end. Both protagonists were really interesting characters with flaws and to watch them become friends was really convincingly written based on how they shouldn’t be friends but enemies. Also compared to most Romantasy books where women are often not working well together and their relationship often is perfect example of misogynistic beliefs it was amazing to see it done differently. Especially how their friendship was not influenced by their romantic relationships was very nice to read. Nope, you don’t need to put the hot sexy guy into main focus for a book to be enjoyable as this proves. The dragons were the perfect add on but my heart will always be with Basted #catmom I cried especially during later parts of the book quite a lot and suffered together with the characters but especially the ending? Wow. I though mate bonds are often boring and repetitive but this added definitely a new touch. And I better hope the author gets the second book done asap- I really can’t wait. Thanks to netgalley for the eARC!