✅ dual pov
✅ Inner monologue
✅ Suspense
✅ Slow paced
✅ Slow burn

This was an enjoyable read with lots of world building and setting up of the story.

"readers will come for the fantasy and stay for the romance" or whatever the quote was .... it didn't lie! Loved it.

ARC from netgalley,

I absolutely loved this book and cant wait to read the next one.
This is a dark fantasy book with Joss a indentured executioner that has been passed through the generations and her adoptive brother Hendrick who aids her in her job. The book starts with Joss and Hendrick pick up a battered stranger on the side of the road, they take him home and help heal him. Aric the battered man is a hitman for hire who failed to do a job and was punished for it. Most people run from Joss screaming however Aric falls for her and see's the kind hearted woman Joss is.
.
I love that the author choose these jobs for the main characters they are on opposite sides of the law with overlapping qualities that land people dead and it's not something I've seen done before in fantasy book.

What to expect from this book. A.M Dunnewin wrote Joss as a strong Female main character, opposite main characters who become lovers and a fantastic duel perspective with a dark fantasy twist.

#AlltheDarkSouls #NetGalley #ARC

This story follows Joss, part of a line of town executioners, who also tries to heal those in need. She comes across Aric, an assassin, who fails his assignment and is left for dead. This is a fast paced read and I look forward to book 2. Thank you to netgalley for this ARC.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to read this before it expired. From what I did read, it seemed like an interesting one.

I loved having such a strong female lead!
The writing and descriptions made it easy to envision all of it.
I want more of this book, it just wasn’t long enough. I want to learn more about Joss and more about Aric. I really loved their not so aggressive/over the top instant love relationship, it was mild and curious.
The betrayal and cliffhanger it left on definitely has me wanting more!

This was good! I found it on Netgalley under SciFi and Fantasy but honestly apart from it being set in a fictitious medieval kingdom it wasn't very fantasy-ish. Unless something magical is going to happen in future books...?

The book is about the apparently real history (according to the author's note at the end) of executioners being summoned into the role against their will and that duty then being passed down from generation to generation within their family. Which is how our FMC ended up being one.

I thought all the characterisation was really good. I like a quiet, stoic character and both Joss and Aric, the MMC could be described as such. In the opening scene Joss finds Aric beaten and bloody on the side of the road and she takes care of him despite knowing nothing about him. He of course also doesn't know who, or more specifically <i>what</i>, she is.

I felt like we'd only just got going with the story when the book ended only to realise it was only a teeny-tiny 200 pages long! I thought maybe I'd become a speed reader overnight. No such luck!

I really enjoyed this strong start and will happily check out the next one called All The Blood Spilt.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

This novel just wasn’t for me. It was a bit hard to follow and fell short on character details and development. It ended up being a DNF for me.

3.75 rounded up.

I felt that the plot for this book was well thought out and executed well. The author did a good job with the character of Joss, but definitely could have expanded on Aric. We really didn't get much about him and I'm not sure if that was because he was mostly bed ridden for the story or if it was on purpose.

The author does an good job switching between characters POVs without separating the distinction. I found that to be an interesting writing choice since it isn't always the norm.

I think that the author focused more on character development than how it affects the plot and I am interested to see how the next book plays out.

This book was a DNF for me. I tried several times to read it, but I just couldn’t get into it. The characters and the plot didn’t grab me like I thought it would based on the description.

This book was short but I enjoyed the writing style of the author. All the characters I found likeable which isn't usually the case for me. The idea of a female executioner coming from a family of executioners was an awesome idea. I can 100% get behind that. There are a few things I didn't like about the book though. First it was too short. It feels like you were dropped into the main characters life and just made to figure it out on your own. There wasnt really an ending to it either. I felt like I just read the middle part of a good book but no beginning or end. Which kinda sucked. I may try to see how book 2 goes but I am not sure yet.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

Summary:
Joss has inherited a job that has been passed down for generations in her family, town executioner. But strict rules apply...kill the target with three blows, or the executioner will be tortured and killed as well.
After a brutal execution takes place, Joss comes across Aric, a man that she finds brutally beaten on the side of the road, and takes him in. An unexpected friendship forms, but Aric has secrets of his own.

And when a man set to be executed claims that he is the missing crown prince, Joss must choose between her duty or the risk of being put to death. Her whole world unravels as her and Aric’s secrets come to light.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
0 /5 spice

Tropes:
Forced Proximity
Reluctant Companions

My Thoughts:
Let me start by saying that I really, really liked this book. Like I was mad when it was over I liked it so much. My only complaint is that it did end somewhat abruptly, and even though it was set up for a sequel, I would have liked at lest one or two loose ends to be tied up. Having said that, I bought book two and preordered book three!

Triggers:
Execution
Torture
Parental disappearance

🪓⚔️🪓
🪓Book Review🪓
4🌟🌟🌟🌟
📚84/100
📖All the Dark Souls
💫Genre: YA Fiction/Romance/Suspense
✍️ A.M. Dunnewinn
✨✨✨✨✨✨
📝Synopsis 📝
Joss the town executioner, yes you heard that correctly, and her loyal sidekick Henrik find Aric left for dead. They take him in and nurse him back to health not knowing he’s an assassin with a mission.

💭My Thoughts 💭
Wow 🤩 this was such a good and unique read, and it was a first from this author for me. I requested this ARC because the cover is absolutely gorgeous🖤
I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. An executioner and assassin ummmm yes please ❤️‍🔥 The lies but then the sacrifices made to save each other. And I just loved how strong Joss was. The cliffhanger in the end was the cherry on top, and gave it an entire new direction. Only thing I wish to have seen more was more communication between Joss & Aric since it was mainly inner thoughts. I also wanted to know about Aric’s background since we are only told everything about Joss and how she came to be.
I’m definitely going to read the sequel.

✨Thank you @netgalley and DarkHourPress for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

📌Publication Date:
November 01, 2022
✨✨✨✨
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The book had already been released, and I was too late to read it. So, I will make sure to receive a copy and still write my review on it on my website. My standard rating is 3, and I will edit it as soon as I read it.

This novel just wasn’t for me . It was a bit hard to follow and fell short on character details and development . I just kept wishing for more and more. The story has so much potential that maybe one day it will become something delightful .

What an incredible premise for a book - an executioner that’s also a healer stumbling across a man who is secretive about his identity too… what could go wrong?
I liked the build up in learning about the characters and their backgrounds and how they became what they are, I liked the main character Joss too! The story feels super unpredictable and I can’t wait to see where it goes next!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this but didn't feel it held as much punch as I was hoping. I felt the characters didn't have much depth and the storyline was quite repetitive and a bit boring and the ending was predictable and a bit of a let down which is a shame as the synopsis sounded really good. This is book one of the trilogy and the storyline does have potential so I will still try and read book 2. The book wasn't terrible but felt it didn't fulfill the expectations I had after reading the synopsis.

I have tried, but just couldn’t get into this story. While having read even more than half of the book, I was still not vested in the story or characters…. Such a pity.

An Executer with a duty to kill or be killed discovers an assassin near death and nurses him back to health. This initiates a friendship and romance that will go awry when the two find themselves in each other’s professional crosshairs.

For me, the dual first person perspective did not serve the book well, and this book felt like more of a prologue than a fully fledged start to a series. The world building was extensive and detailed, so fans of a good fantasy series might want to give it a chance, since book two is now available.

I had a very difficult time getting into this book. I probably picked it up at least three different times trying to read it which I do think skewed my views of it.

Thoughts:
-The writing wasn't my preferred style, but it wasn't bad
-The world building was probably the highlight of the book
-I think I would have enjoyed it more if the pacing had been different and the characters more relatable.

I do think this book and series have promise, but I'm unsure if I'll try to read the next book.