Happy Trope Tuesday. This week’s trope is deadly deals and I will be reviewing A Song of Wraiths and Ruin.
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Deadly Deals
Deadly deals are exactly what they sound like, a deal made to kill someone. Usually, these deals are to save a kingdom or a loved one. While deadly deals tend to be a fantasy thing, I have seen them in some of the darker romance books I’ve read. One of the great things about them is, they never go as planned, ever. Often, it is because they fall for the person they are supposed to kill. A song of Wraiths and Ruin has not one, but two deadly deals!
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A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #1
YA Fantasy
Rating:
Synopsis
For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?
Goodreads
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Review
I had heard a lot of good things about A Song of Wraith and Ruin, and it was all warranted. It was mentioned quite a bit that this is an enemy to lovers’ romance, and well, I don’t really think it was, but other than expecting that, I really enjoyed this story.
Karina and Malik were both great characters. I liked the juxtaposition between them, both of them hating the position they were in. Malik coming from nothing, and Karina coming from royalty. But they were opposite sides of the same coin. Both loved their family and were willing to do anything to save them, including making deals to take the life of someone else.
The dual POV was the perfect way to tell this story. Switching back and forth between the two was a great way to get to know the characters and also helped to highlight the differences I mentioned above. I liked how much folklore and history were interwoven into the story. This book was a perfect introduction to a longer story, and I can’t wait to read the next one!
Purchase Links
Amazonǁ Bookshop.org ǁ Book Depository
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