Author : Beck Michaels
Book : King's Bride
/Fantasy,Retelling/
Publication date : May 23, 2023
Blurb:
He’s the God of Death. She’s the bride sent to kill him. Their union may be the end of them both.
The Everfrost is ruled by the King in his castle of ice. Some call him the Ice Phoenix, others the God of Death. The clans survive by one law alone: pay the King the homage he is due and never take what belongs to him. But when Sunnëva Morkhà n’s brother falls gravely ill, she will have to do exactly that.
Against every warning, she sneaks into the castle to steal the one thing that would save him—a magical rose. But you don’t steal from the King and live to tell the tale. When the Ice Phoenix discovers her theft and demands payment, the cost is too steep. Mourning and enraged, she challenges him, only to lose. To spare her clan from the King’s wrath, her father offers her as a bride, and for a reason she cannot fathom, the King agrees.
Revenge is a delicate game Sunnëva is determined to play, even if killing the God of Death is no easy feat. But as secrets unfold around the alluring King, and dark threats emerge from the shadows, Sunnëva struggles to hold on to her hatred—and her heart.
Inspired by Beauty and the Beast, King’s Bride is the first book in Beck Michaels’ companion prequel series, the Chronicles of Urn—dark fables founded in forbidden love and strong-willed women who bring kings to their knees.
My thoughts:
A spicy and captivating retelling inspired by Beauty and the Beast is the first book of the Chronicles of Urn series by Beck Michaels.
Everfrost is a kingdom where the ice and snow are a constant and few are left to tell the tale of when the land was green and warm. As a result, all the clans are struggling with providing food and the rations that are granted to them by the King are not enough to cover their basic needs.
The Ice Phoenix, or the God of Death as some call him, is a ruthless ruler that everyone fears and won't dare cross his immense power and wraith.
So, when Sunnëva bravely decides to steal an enchanted rose from his castle's garden to save her brother…. It's only a matter of time that he comes for her and her Morkhan clan and makes them pay for it.
Seeing no way out to save her people, Sunnëva challenges the God of Death…only to lose…but the shock hits her when her father offers her hand for marriage instead and the Ice Phoenix accepts.
Hellbent on revenge and finding a way to kill him to avenge all the people that she has lost, she is forced to play along in order to succeed.
But how does one kill a God?
Wonderful world building, magic system and various magical creatures from fae,mages,vampires, demons and more that contribute perfectly to the story.
The one thing that I love is that the story touches in a splendid way the topic of trauma and the hard road to healing and although scarred (emotionally or physically) and not the same, there is a way and there is hope for happiness.
The chemistry and the banter between Sunnëva and Jökull (the God of Death) made me laugh so hard, and the nonchalance he shows towards her efforts to kill him are absolutely hilarious.
Personally, the character that I fell in love with was Rune and I sympathized him for everything that he'd been trough and I believe that he truly loved Sunnëva.
Not only the main characters, but all that were around them had a distinctive vibe that contributed to the whole feeling splendidly and fit in their place in a perfect way.
As for the spice….there is plenty, and who doesn't like spice in the book they are reading.
Wonderful start for the series and I'm curious to see what comes next.