Dark and different - the hunter and the hunted, but the hunted isn't quite as much the villain as the hunter expects. Hidden identity, guilt, revenge, redemption - all come into play in this dark and twisty paranormal romance.

"Wh-what are you?" he stammered, backing away from her toward the door behind him, toward his only means of escape.
She graced him with a menacing smile, displaying her full set set of masterful fangs.
"Death," she hissed and then pounced.

A Lust for Blood took off right from the start for me. KC Smith did an amazing job with the world-building and the characters. Bringing the story and all involved to life with a magical flow of writing.

This was a beautiful debut novel from the author! Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meets the Witcher! Amazing.

This book had great pacing, cool world building, and fleshed out characters. This was the classic case of falling in love with the side characters, so I hope for more on them in book 2.

Could you love a monster, especially if the monster is yourself? An action packed storyline filled with magic and a whole lot of horror. Full of dark lore and a twisted curse this book definitely keeps you on your toes and begs the question would you be able to love the monster that you came to kill?

I thought the premise of this book was cool but the writing style wasn’t for me.

I was honestly just bored. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the book, but it’s just not the type of book for me.

3 stars out of 5.

This book just wasn't really for me. I found myself bored for much of the book, and I had to make myself finish just to see what hapened. The main characters fell instantly in love but then spent the rest of book barely interacting? I did enjoy the Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde vibes and MC was a decent character over-all. I guess the plot is where it kinda fell flat for me.

[ARC REVIEW]

"The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meets the Witcher in this debut Adult Dark Fantasy novel."
This is quite possibly the most apt description I have ever read.

I loved Oriana's story and Garren's character development.
Should there be a second book?
IMO this would be great as a stand alone but, we shall see!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me early access to this book.

<b>the dedication:</b> to those who dare to break free and become who they were always meant to be
<b>the cover:</b> I loved it at first sight and I love it even more after reading!
<b>FMC:</b> Oriana- a vampire who has been cursed to be a slave to her bloodlust every full moon. She has travelled centuries to find her current home until the curse takes permanent hold over her consciousness. Just as her time is running out, she encounters Garren who seems intent on helping her break the curse.
<b>MMC:</b> Garren- a demon slayer who stumbles across a magical forest and is brought to safety by an unknown woman whose enchanting face he cannot forget. As he wakes, he sees his mystery woman… but then he doesn’t. Did he hit his head when he lost consciousness or does this woman keep shifting forms? He’s intent on saving this village from the mysterious magical forest that has cut them off from the outside world and slay the demons that lurk within, and this shift woman might be all the help he needs.
<b>POV:</b> 3rd person, dual POV
<b>HEA:</b> yes
<b>spice:</b> there is 1 spicy scene but otherwise no spice or steam!
<b>TWs:</b> murder, death, graphic depictions of murder and gore, self-harm, attempted suicide, suicidal thoughts, manipulation
<b>standalone:</b> book 1 of Realm of Curses series
<b>final thoughts</b>: the art (cover, chapter images, map) are beautiful!! The world building was amazing and I kept picturing the town from Red Riding Hood-that Amanda Seyfried movie- mixed with the town from Midsommar (but without all the ick LOL) and it was so well done and beautiful I could feel myself in every scene that was written. My drawback was that while the scenery was well done and the writing was amazing I felt like the romantic/intimate relationship came out of literally nowhere?? Yes, tension and attraction throughout but I felt like it went from a crush to “yeah we’ve been banging for months” within a paragraph and maybe that’s just me and others didn’t feel that way? It wouldn’t stop me from reading the rest of the series though because I <i>thoroughly</i> enjoyed their writing style and storyline

read this book if you love
🧛 vampire MC
🔮 supernatural creatures
🪄 magic
💖 paranormal romance
🌍 world building
🗺️ world maps included!
🌀 twists and turns
😳 forbidden lovers (hunter/hunted)

A Lust for Blood is dark and gory, complex, and romantic.. If you’re a fan of the Witcher this is perfect for you!

A demon and a demon hunter fall in love and they're tangled in a centuries long curse... What more could you ask for?!

Some things you can expect from this book:
-Demon vs demon hunter
-Dark and gory
-Dual POV
-Fast-paced
-Monsters & curses
-Action-packed

Thank you to NetGalley, K.C. Smith, and Phantom House Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Lust for Blood really drew me in based off the description as a modern day retelling of Jekyll and Hyde and it did not disappoint. While the very beginning was a bit confusing for me switching between the dual POVs and it not being on the same timeline but once they are at the same time it was perfect! Very fast paced and easy to read. The world-building was absolutely perfect and Smith did an amazing job really describing the FMCs emotional struggles. I am very curious as to where the next book will take us.

📔A Lust for Blood by K.C.Smith
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐/5
.5/ 🌶5

📑SYNOPSIS:
When Oriana awakens in a field of blood and bodies, she is devastated to realize the patchwork of death was caused by her own hand. A curse lingers in the air, and there is only one option to save herself from further bloodshed. Oriana uses her magic to create an enchanted forest imprisoning the monster responsible for the massacre–herself.

📝QUOTE:
"Wh-what are you?" he stammered, backing away from her toward the door behind him, toward his only means of escape.
She graced him with a menacing smile, displaying her full set set of masterful fangs.
"Death," she hissed, and then pounced.

✏️MY THOUGHTS:
This was a perfect spooky November read! This gothic tale really sucked me in with the mystery, blood and monsters!

Oriana was the perfect FMC, she was selfless, strong, conflicted and keeping a dark secret. The world building in this book is fantastic, I loved learning more about the world that she lives in and also I was dying to find out who is that mysterious "HE" who put a curse on her.

There is a lot of buildup in the first 50% of the book, and then around that time we get little bit of a romance. To be honest I actually was more interested in the plot, world building and the secret than the actual romance - Don't worry I surprised myself. I think there was just not enough time to really develop the full on angst and storyline for it, so it was more a sideline event for me.

I really enjoyed the book, the only small complaint I have is the fact that the ending felt a little rushed. We spend a lot of time in the book setting up the plot, build up to the big finale, finding out the secret etc. , but then the big finale was over pretty quickly and with not enough "oomph". I just wish there was few more chapters dedicated for the ending.

If you are looking for a gory, spooky and bloody read, I definitely recommend this one !

This book was advertise to me as a Dr Jekyll/ Mr Hyde retelling with a mix of the Witcher.. While I see what others meant by that, this story it’s it’s own unique tale. it did not feel like a debut novel, and I think the idea of the FMC was brilliant. The way I see it Oriana is a type of witch/vampire. How cool is that? I mean I know exactly what she is but I don’t want to spoil it for y’all.

The writing is really smooth and although I’m not a fan of gore and the beginning of the book has a decent amount of it. The way it was written was so good that I did not mind the bloodshed.

I really enjoyed the development of that internal issue that Oriana has. I love how she not a hero nor a villain but she tries to do better.

The slow burn fated mates had me screaming lol like I really wanted them to kiss and once they did it did not disappoint. Also mhm *that scene*

The world building is just great. I loved the whole enchanted forest small village that the author has going on. The only thing I’m sad about is that this book just came out and I need the next one ASAP.

I want to send NetGalley and Phantom House Press for making it possible for me to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this! I loved the progression of the characters and the world building. I loved seeing this fantasy world come to life.

A Lust for Blood is dark and gory, complex, romantic, and overall a perfect read for this time of year. If you’re a fan of the Witcher this is perfect!

Some things you can expect from this book:
-Demon vs demon hunter
-Dark and gory
-Dual POV
-Fast-paced
-Monsters & curses
-Action-packed

Thank you to NetGalley, K.C. Smith, and Phantom House Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dnf 67%

I really tried to read this. Initially, each time jump chapter confused me to the point I was struggling within the first 3 chapters. I then had a deep sense of foreboding that I wasn't going to enjoy the rest of this. I'm just not a fan of this style at all. I will say some of the descriptions were interesting but also at times were over done. I just couldn't keep up where I was at in the story. This one sadly wasn't for me.

I received this book at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an arc this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much more to express than disappointment. I was super excited going in, since the premise (Jekyll and Hyde meets The Witcher) and the beginning was incredibly promising. The rest of the book just didn’t deliver t something satisfying enough for me. I’d have liked for the characters to be more fleshed out, the romance less hurried, and for the demon hunter to not be on board with the FMC being a demon that fast.

All in all, a lot of potential which I enjoyed, but the execution of it just wasn’t for me.

This review will be up on my Instagram (@Kratist0) sometime this month.

A demon and a demon hunter fall in love and they're tangled in a centuries long curse! I don't think it gets much better than that! I loved how fast paced and action packed this story was.
I was not expecting some of those plot twists but they were absolutely amazing! I loved how the story ended!

Thank you Netgalley and Phantom House Press for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Once the tenth blood moon rose, the monster would be all that was left..."

A Lust for Blood starts with a fantastic opening chapter: Oriana wakes in the middle of a forest surrounded by blood and the massacre she left unknowingly.

I liked the switching POVs and timeline jumps between Oriana and Garren. Both the storyband characters are well-developed and entertaining. The story is simple yet complex as it introduces gods and goddesses, monsters and demons, and Garren: a demon hunter who stumbles upon the Phantom Wood where Oriana hides her true self from humanity.

I did like the writing and I look forward to it's sequel. A Lust for Blood is a fast paced romantic fantasy that doesn't shy away from the gore of Oriana's kills.

The romance is sweet and has a kick of spice. The tension felt rushed and too instant for me. I think I would have preferred a more drawn out, slow burn style romance so we could feel the tension and passion Garren and Oriana had for the other. Sometimes when the romance is too quick, it comes across as shallow and dull. I had higher hopes going in and felt slightly disappointed towards the end.

Overall, a good stand-out debut in an overpopulated genre and I'll be on the look out for book two.

4 stars

A Lust for Blood caught my eye because it was tagged as a cross between Jekyll and Hyde and the Witcher. I admit that I've never watched the Witcher TV show, but I knew enough of the premise to be intrigued by the book. I was not disappointed. This is a book that flies by. The pacing is excellent and while the characterization sometimes dips in and out, it's a solid debut. What made me love this book though was the world-building. A lot of fantasy romances feel like they are contemporary stories with a thin layer of fantasy veneer. Not A Lust for Blood. The world-building is woven throughout the story and when the big reveal occurs, I was able to see all the clues that Smith had laid out in prior chapters.

What kept the book from being 5 stars for me was the ending. It felt a bit rushed that the characters were able to solve the riddle and I felt that it was a little too easy for all the angst that went on before.

Thank you to Netgalley and Phantom House Press for a copy of the book for review purposes.

Wow wow wow! I read this book in a single sitting. I couldn’t get enough of it!

The book opens with our MC, Oriana, waking up in a field of bodies covered in blood. Name a better hook than that!

I love Oriana and Garren so much and I cannot wait to read what happens to them next. I’m also very excited to read more about the side characters in this world.

The world is well built and sets up for an exciting series. Based on the title and cover I thought I was going to be reading another vampire book, but WHEW I was so wrong. I’ve never read a book like this and it was so refreshing to have new ideas in the fantasy genre. (If there is something similar I haven’t found it yet).

🌕 Demon x Demon Hunter
🌕 Gods and monsters
🌕 Deadly curses

ALFB comes out in just TWO DAYS!!! Please go buy your copy on release day. I know I will be because I NEED a physical copy on my shelf.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.