Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter

Author : Ellis Hunter

Book : Blood Bound

/YA,Fantasy/

/ Cursed Covenant Book 1 /

Publication date : May 7, 2026

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Blurb:

You duel or you die.

Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions, and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.

Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra’s capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.

As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.

My thoughts:

Magic, dragons, familiars, and political tension made for a page-turning combination, and I had a great time reading Blood Bound.

We have two royal families cursed to sacrifice their firstborn heirs in a ruthless duel that only one of them will survive. That is the only way to decide who will rule over the source of their magic - the Heart.

Astrid is the last Nachstern heir, and all her life she has spent learning and preparing for this moment. But nothing can prepare her for her dragon-riding warrior opponent, Zryan.

Zryan turns out to be more than a ruthless warrior and her enemy, and they end up on a quest for answers in the name of their kingdoms that could cost their lives.

Skylar is a street performer with unmatched skill with knives. That keeps her belly full and grants her a sort of family among the other performers she is travelling with after her mother was killed by the king's elite guards.

After her dearest and only friend, Cam, unexpectedly disappeared, her world is turned upside-down, and, against her will, she gets embroiled in secrets from which there's no turning back.

I love how the brightest star in this story is the unbreakable female FRIENDSHIP and how the relationship between Astrid and Skylar evolves throughout the journey. Just beautiful to witness.

Combined with the romantic line, it creates a unique vibe of friendship and romance found in the most unexpected places.

There are a lot of side characters who get under your skin and make you love them, and Jessa and the sarcastic familiar Bastet, are amongst mfavourites te🥰❤️ I mean, who wouldn't love a talking, grumpy, sarcastic cat😂

Honestly, there is a character's death that absolutely gutted me😭💔 And I'm intrigued how the book ends, so I'll hop on the ride when the next instalment comes😁