I have been in a bit of a reading slump recently, but for me this book has it all, historical type fiction, action, fantasy and a budding romance. It certainly reignited my love for reading, with a well paced, gripping storyline, likeable characters and a strong female lead, I was hooked.

She is the town executioner and local pariah, he is an assassin for hire, hunted by masked men in the shadows, both have received orders to execute the same man, or die themselves. What could possibly go wrong?

Joss is from a long line of town executioners, handed down as an unwanted birthright, despite her gender. A job just as dangerous to her as it is the prisoners she meets. An executioner is given three attempts to complete their task, or be tortured and killed themselves. A law Joss is all too familiar with.
Using her profound knowledge of the human anatomy, Joss spends her free time as a skilled healer, tending to the sick and injured.
After failing to carry out his latest assassination, Aric is badly beaten and left for dead, knowing those masked strangers will be back, if he doesn't finish the job.
Finding him at the side of the road, Joss and her assistant Henrik, take Aric home and tend to him. As his wounds heal, a tender romance blossoms.
The day of the execution arrives as does an unexpected twist, the prisoner has been pardoned, but orders are still to be carried out. Joss' next move could prove fatal for everyone.

I honestly could not put this one down and ended up staying awake all night, just to finish. I was gripped, I have already bought book two and can't wait for book three in November, just in time for my birthday. I definitely recommend reading if you enjoy YA/Fantasy novels.

This was a fun read, but I found the start very slow and it was a little difficult to get into. I really liked the main character Joss, the female executioner angle was interesting to read about and something unique. Definitely will look out for more from this author.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was a fast paced, short novel and I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters because they were flawed and darker. I love the idea of a female executioner and that everyone is fearful of her. And the reveal at the end was very interesting. I will definitely continue this series.

I’ll admit it was a bit slow at first.. but then I realized that’s the point.
Helps to paint a picture of the characters lives and how they came to be who they are.

The slow burning, budding romance between Joss and Aric is carefully written and the heartache is hard to read unfold, but I hope to see more from their story. They definitely come from two different backgrounds and POV on life.

FMC is amazing, I can almost picture her! She is strong and determined and cares about people, but not Adria to do what needs to be done.

Henrik is my favorite 🤩

And I really want to see Muriel happy so I hope she gets what’s she needs back.

I’m almost positive the King is suspicious of his family 🤐 wanna know why… go read the book! It’s a short read and leaves you wanting more!
.

So I had high hopes going into this story because I lived the elements and the premise of the story line but I did feel that it fell a little flat for me. The writing style was great, and the story line was good but I feel that more could be done with it in some places. It was definitely very interesting and I will continue with the series, I would like to know what happens and if the story does improve.

Really cool premise and interesting characters , but fell flat and could not get myself to finish it. There is a lot of potential though for future books.

you know there are certain books that you regret requesting and wanna kill yourself because it got approved too. yeah this was it for me. xo.

Amazing writing and loved the characters. It started a little slow for me but quickly dove into the story.

I don’t even know what to say!!! This was sooo interesting I honestly loved everything about this book!! Such a great read.

This was a very enjoyable book and I really liked where it was going, I did find the ending a little rushed but It was still a good time to read!

I received this book as an arc, thanks to @netgalley and the author @amdunnewin. I really enjoyed reading this original book!

All the Dark Souls is part of the All the Dark Souls Trilogy. The story is about Joss Brevyn, the last heir in a long line of executioners. But she’s special, because in a profession that is mostly male, Joss is a woman. But even though she’s a woman, the same rules apply: “Kill the condemned within three tries, or be tortured and killed yourself.” Joss has a perfect reputation with her mark yet to miss, and even though she spends her free time as a healer (quite the opposite of her job), the town sees her just as a deathsman.

Along the way Joss and her assistant Henrik come across a man whose been quite beaten up. They decide to take him home, but the man and Joss alike are hesitant to reveil their true identities. The man they bring home is called Aric Kayden and he has definitely seen better days. He was supposed to assasinate an important figure in this story, but failed and thus was left bleeding on the side of the road until Joss and Henrik found him there. They take care of him, heal him and make sure he got the time to get better. While healing from his wounds Aric is haunted by the memories of the target he didn’t kill, especially by those memories of the people who paid him to do so.

There’s an undeniable attraction between Joss and Aric, but even despite this attraction they can’t bring theirselves to tell the truth. For Aric that would be to tell Joss that the masked figures who hired him knows where he is and that his original target is the mysterious prisones who was recently sentenced to death. To hold up the deal he had made, he had to make sure the execution goes on as planned and he has to eliminate anyone who stand in the way of him doing so. That includes Joss, who will be the prisoners executioner. Bound by their duties, they both assume this next kill will be easy, but when one of them has a change of heart, that sparks a chain reaction that could put one, or maybe even both of them, in grave danger.

I thought this was a very original story, with Joss being a female executioner. I also like the contradiction of her being a healer too. The story was fast-paced and the characters were well written out. It often felt a bit like a setting like in the Witcher and I really enjoyed that. I am really curious how Joss and Aric will continue their journey and how this will end. This should be very exciting!
“Not everyone who leaves comes back. Sometimes the silence is the goodbye.” – Joss
“Kindness takes courage.” – Aric

#book73 # readingchallenge #femalexecutioner #historicalfiction #Joss #Aric #executioner #medievaltimes #Witchervibes #books #arc #AllTheDarkSoulsTrilogy

This story was short and mostly exposition. It wasn't easy to pick it up after getting to a certain point due to my lack of interest, as nothing exciting was really happening.

Very interesting concept, however a very short story. I really liked the characters and the writing, but the book was very plot driven and the ending felt very rushed. I truly enjoyed the pacing of the book for the first 70% but the last chapters really lost me, which is sad, because this story had so much potential in my eyes. I can't elaborate much further because nothing really stuck to me in the end.

I enjoyed the read. The quality of the writing was good, and I particularly appreciated its vivid descriptions, which effortlessly painted a clear picture of the scenes in my mind.

Joss assumes the role of an executor, a vocation passed down through generations. Escaping this destiny seems impossible—failing to kill thrice leads to her own demise. On the other hand, Aric, an assassin, survives an execution attempt on his latest target only to be left for dead. Enter Joss, who discovers him and alters their fates.

Although I have mixed feelings, I was engrossed and racing through the pages, drawn into the unfolding narrative. However, around the midpoint, the pacing seemed to falter, posing a challenge for me. But I pushed through and thought overall it was really good. I recommend it! 3.5 stars

I was drawn in by the synopsis, but I quickly realized this wasn’t something I’d usually pick up. The idea of a female executioner was intriguing but I found myself getting bored. For such a short book it did take a long time to get through mostly because I found myself not wanting to pick it back up. I will say things did pick up the last 3rd of the book. Not sure if I will continue the trilogy.

Absolutely brilliant. A quick, immersive read that held my attention throughout the duration of the novel. Joss and Henrik were everything!

I read this in one sitting and I wasn't expecting to love it this much. It's a different kind of FMC from what I usually read, and I liked seeing more into the reality of executioners at the time. They were chosen and had to comply with the duty that was given to them, setting them apart from the rest of society. The fact that it was a woman added even more stigma around her. I really liked Joss, and Aric is still so mysterious, that I really feel like I need more answers and will need to find book 2 ASAP. I recommend it for anyone wanting to know more about the historical role of an executioner and looking for hidden identities, very slow burn and action.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Joss is an executioner. A female one at that. And if she fails in her duty, she will suffer the same penalty as a man: Death by Execution.

It is interesting to see how others act towards her because of this. Some are fine with it. Others are not. A few can’t quite figure it out - they cuddle her because she is a woman and therefore frail, yet they recognize that she is quite proficient at her job and highly capable.

The story begins with Joss finding an injuried man in the side of the road partly hidden among the foliage.

After this, the story slowly unfolds with a budding romance, assassinations and political intrige.

This is the first in a trilogy.
The very comprehensive worldbuilding is compressed in a rather short book, which unfortunately makes the plot feel slow for most of the story. Which in turn makes the majority of the book feel like a prequel instead of the first actual book in a series.
That being said: The worldbuilding is both interesting and well researched.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this e-arc.
I actually really enjoyed this but even though it's short it took me so long to read. It wasn't something I would personally binge because of the way the book is setup. I did quite enjot this book though and the romance was very cute allow not perfect obviously.