Thank you Netgalley and the author for the advanced copy for review.

Spice: 🌶️
Plot: ⭐
World-Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Development: ⭐⭐

A woman executioner? As soon as I read that I was instantly interested. In this fantasy, Joss Brevyn a small-town executioner, lives in what seems to be a medieval-like town except they have electricity and guns. She and her brother's simple, yet satisfying life is deterred when they find and save Aric. Together they try to help him rectify his mistakingly botched assassin job.

Pros:
This book took a minute to get into, which I don't blame that on the story, this usually happens if I read anything back to back. This cast of characters is all skilled, each able to handle their own and I found that to be utterly refreshing. I found it easy to get behind their cause. You could tell the author really put time and effort into their stories.

Cons:
This is a short book, and the pacing felt rushed in some areas and stagnant in others. Personally, I love world-building, but I love interactions and conversations between the characters more. Here, I found the world-building to override most of the plot and some of the characters' interactions.

With « All the Dark Souls » by A. M. Dunnewin, you get a glimpse at the life of an executioner, what it was like for them. The burden of it all and how they were marginalized by society even though they were part of the law.
All in all, I’ve really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward for the next part of this story. What will happen to Joss and Henrik, and Aric?

Loved it has plenty of action and adventure with a hint of romance. The author keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering if the MMC and FMC end up together or will they go their seperate ways..

Thank you NETGALLEY for the opportunity to receive the advance copy of this read.

I found myself really bored and having to skip through so much because I just couldn’t find any liking. I went into this read really excited and expecting more I mean there was a women Executioner and that was enough to grab my attention. I really do think there is potential for the next books if they focus more on the world building, fantasy and action. I do think this book is so well written that I hated that it lacked for my personal taste.

Joss Brevyn is an executioner in a small country town, and spends her time outside of the beheadings occasionally saving wayward strays from ill fate. After she and her adoptive brother Henrik save Aric after he botched his last assassin job, things start to fall apart in her relatively unpleasant but still stable life, and Aric is given the opportunity to either rectify his mistake and try again to kill his mark, of the cloaked figures who hired him will kill him and his hosts.

This book took me a bit to get into. It’s set in a fictional place (as far as I can tell) and everyone seems to be riding horses but there’s mention of water powered electricity as well as guns. Aside from that we just get small tidbits of information here and there about the main three characters and it doesn’t make a ton of sense until later if you’re going in blind without reading the synopsis. I would’ve liked to have seen Dunnewin dove deeper into what goes on in Joss’s life as an executioner, and why Aric decided to be an assassin. It was a little predictable and a little brief.

A great start to the series - POVs were distinctive so I didn't have to spend an age figuring out what narrative I was following, and has left lots of questions to be answered in the next book.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the exploration of the characters within such a stripped-back fantasy setting - while I personally would have liked a bit more of a dive into Aric and his past, it made sense that he didn't reveal is to Joss, and although their romance was somewhat limited by the length and structure of the story, it was still cute. I know that this is the first in a trilogy, but I felt that it was cut off a bit too soon; there wasn't much of a denouement for all the characters to process their feelings for my personal taste. I also felt that some of the descriptions of character actions could be a bit excessive - I think the characters and story stood strongly enough by themselves to not need prose for every tiny action they did.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Dark Hour Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A woman executioner? SIGN ME UP!

All the Dark Souls by A. M. Dunnewin is a fantasy novel that follows the dual perspectives of Joss Brevyn and Aric Kayden. Joss is an executioner, bound to her duty to kill in three tries or be tortured and killed. In her free time, she is a healer to a town that will only see her for the blood staining her hands. Then one day, her and her apprentice find a mysterious man beaten within an inch of his life. And they're all hesitant to reveal their true selves. Aric is said beaten man, left for dead after failing to assassinate his last target. But as he starts to fall for Joss, their lives become embedded with serest neither of them wish to reveal. Even if it means the death of one of them.

I was all here for this book! With the amazing cast of bad-ass characters, and the romance between an executioner and assassin. I was ready to be wowed by this book! But it fell kinda flat.

The worldbuilding was amazing, you can tell Dunnewin put in some time and effort into their research. But at times, it felt like that worldbuilding was just endless info-dumps. And there was little to no actual plot. Instead it just felt like a really long prologue, that had me waiting for the actual story to start. But it didn't. Overall the pacing was a little weird, the plot was almost invisible, and the characters were the only thing keeping this book together.

I was drawn to this book by the idea of a woman inheriting the position of executioner. In fact, Joss is one of the most sympathetic and relateable character as is her "brother" Henrik.

The book was short, serving as an introduction to a trilogy.. It ends on a cliff hanger hinting of the court intrigue to come.

I would like to see what happens in book 2.

I received an ARC from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This was a lovely quick read.

The book follows Joss, a female executioner, and Aric, a man she finds by the side of the road and nurses back to health.

Joss doesn't tell him her profession as executioners aren't well loved. Aric himself has a secret and both Joss and Aric find themselves navigating their feelings for the other while hoping neither finds out their secrets.

I loved Joss' character. She's a strong woman, having to be strong in her profession, but she's soft at heart. I understood her not telling Aric about what she does for a living, wanting to be treated as decent human being.

Aric I feel fell hard and fast for Joss and I wonder if that stems from him having to isolate himself from people in his own profession. He's never had anyone to care for him and so when a beautiful woman helps nurse him back to health its no surprise he grows to have strong feelings for her.

Aric's past catches up to him, however, and it puts him, Joss, Joss' assistant Henrik and everyone else involved in a very precarious and dangerous situation.

You can find my review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5515871596

I'd probably actually rate this as a strong 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because we don't do half star ratings.

The writing was ridiculously easy to read, and while the story was somewhat light on, for a first book in a series it set the scene, introduced the characters and gave the reader the hook needed to want to read book 2. If you enjoy fantasy, particularly with royal intruige and plots, I feel book 2 will unravel the set up book 1 has set nicely.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of a female executioner, and the look into what that role actually means for the families that get tied to it. The stigma, the whispered names and for Joss, the personal heartache and even some of the perks that go with it.

Aric was a meh character for me. A lot of this book he's just kind of there. I can't say I love him, or hate him. I feel that he'll become more of an interesting character in book 2, but that remains to be seen as book 2 isn't even released yet!

Henrik was a delightful supporting cast member, who had his own history and character arc which I thoroughly enjoyed. I do hope we learn more about him.

A touch on the short side, at only just over 200 pages, this one shouldn't take you too long to devour.

*I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley*

***4.5 Stars***

What an amazing book! My only complaint about this book is that it wasn't longer! The author sucked me in faster than a book has in a long time. There is something about the writing and just really how well written it is that keeps you glued to the story.

Joss is a legacy executioner and it seems she is one of the only women to hold this position. If she does not properly execute or refuses she will be tortured or killed. She also is a healer in the town and she and her assistant, Henrik, take in a man they find on the side of the road. Because of the way executioners are looked at, they don't tell anyone that they take in what it is Joss does. Aric is an assassin who has been punished for not killing his target. Aric is taken in and also keeps his occupation a secret. Joss and Aric begin to form a relationship, but they both know it cannot possibly continue because of who they are. Aric's target is actually a prisoner about to be executed and all he needs to do is make sure everything goes as planned and eliminate anyone who tries to stop it.

I think the only thing this book was really lacking for me really was the length. Everything felt very rushed and I didn't feel that the story developed as completely as it could. This is especially disappointing because the writing was so well done. Everything flowed very well and A.M. Dunnewin does such an awesome job of keeping you immersed in the world. I am greatly anticipating the next book in the trilogy!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Joss is a female executioner that has been passed down by family. She meets Aric, who has been beaten and left for dead on the side of the road. Joss brings him back to fix him up and let him recover. There are twists in the story that I kinda did see coming at times. There are other important side characters and the story is very plot driven with some romance tension. I’m interested in reading book two when it comes out!

Jos inherited the role of executioner from her father. A role she must hold with respect and dignity otherwise she is to be put to death herself. She finds Aric, battered, bruised and bloody by the side of the road and vows to heal him back to health, to balance the universe in which she takes death. However, he is not as he seems and she finds herself in more danger and uncertainty than she ever imagined.

- I found this book to have a lot of promise and although i enjoyed it i wanted more from it than it gave me. I appreciated that it is a short story however i felt that it would have been better if it was longer, the last few chapters in particular i found to be rushed and wanted more from. i am
hoping there will be a sequel and then i can get the missing pieces that i felt were needed in the first one.

Everything about this book is wonderful! So original and fast paced from cover to cover. I am in love with Aric, Joss, and Henrik. I can’t wait for the second book! Can’t recommend enough!

I finished this in one sitting, I’m not sure if it was because the plot kept me so captivated or due to it being relatively short. The world building wasn’t too much or too little, I felt like I knew what was going on and was able to paint a good picture in my minds eye! You can absolutely tell there was a lot of research conducted to have such precise details.

I loved the dynamic between Joss and Arik, did I wish there was more to it, absolutely! I like the change in character perspectives, some of my favorite reads have been like that. I like that it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of characters either. I’ve read some where it gets confusing this was perfect.

I feel like the pacing could’ve been better, having said that the ending felt rushed. Overall, I would recommend this to my friends and I will be looking out for a book two.

Thank you NetGalley for accepting me for this book!

I really loved the idea behind this book, a female executioner, but when reading, I’m not sure I really liked it that much? It definitely wasn’t what I was expecting

I thought the storyline had the potential to be really good, but i found things a bit too repetitive which made me want to put it down often.

To begin with, I read this really quickly and got quite into the story. But by midway, I found the pacing to be slightly off and a bit of a struggle, however this could have been me. Everything picked up again around 75% in, when more was happening and there was more action involved. I really loved reading about the executions as I thought they were really interesting and exciting to the story. But I think the story would work better as a longer book rather than broken into a trilogy.

I really liked the relationship between Joss and Aric though, it seemed to develop pretty quickly, this didn’t bother me too much as I’m not a fan of a slow burn, but I can see other readers wondering how they went from 0-100 in a short time.

Overall, I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. Having said that, I will probably read the next book just to find out what happens next!

Joss is an executioner by birthright. She meets Aric, a hired assassin unbeknownst to her, when she finds him beaten nearly to death. Joss takes him home and tends to his wounds. As she nurtures him back to health, a friendship and bond develops. Unfortunately, their professions cause their paths to cross in possibly disastrous ways.

I was worried toward the end of the book that there wasn’t time to wrap everything up. Thankfully, it is the first book in a trilogy. I love the idea of a female executioner, but do wish the relationship between Joes and Aric would have been fleshed out a little more. I do feel like the last part of the book was rushed, but I believe I might understand why when the second book comes out. Solid read and definitely worth the time! 3.5 Stars!

I absolutely loved it and would totally recommend it to all of my friends. I love dark romances there on of my absolute favourite tropes so a 5/5 from me

The premise of a female executioner was very fascinating but the story fell a little flat. It was also too insta-love for me. I enjoyed Joss’s character but Aric, the MMC, felt under developed. For a fantasy novel, the world building could’ve been more fleshed out. The plot is pretty straightforward so far but I’m intrigued to see if the story will take any unexpected turns in the next book.