The first 100 pages were so interesting but then the story got much slower and lost its focus to develop its romance without keeping its original pace in mind. I loved Sayer, he was such a great bi protagonist.
I loved how the city's magic and all worked yet the predictable ending took some of that away.

Archived before i got around to reading this ARC.

Thanks for the ARC though, on the back burner to read now.

It's not very often that I read a synopsis that is dark and mysterious and EVERYTHING I want in a book. Until now. Thank you Ann H. Fox. This book was an absolutely stunner. I love the writing and how you get all the details about everything you want; person, place, thing, etc. This will be one of those books that when people ask you "If you could read a book again for the first time, what book would that be?". I would tell people over and over to read The Blood Hours (if that's their jam of course). I cannot express how much I loved this book without giving any spoilers.

"The Blood Hours" is a mash-up of The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and in a way, a touch of vampire lore.

Sayer is one of two surviving members of a family who all passed tragically--the majority of them in a terrible national rite known as "The Blood Hours." Specific members of society, we find out, are born with marks on their arms. Those marks are equal to years; when those years are up, the person must enter a competition known as "the Blood Hours," where they are hunted by the king's guard. Sayer's little sister is meant to go to this competition when she is 10, and Sayer's life is dedicated to making sure she survives.

What's good: The book is definitely one that hooks the reader. The perspective of Sayer, vs. your typical YA dystopian protagonist, is an interesting one. (Also, I see you, Adam Driver in profile on the cover.) You genuinely feel his love for his sister and his desperation.

What's iffier: As noted, you can't really get through this book without thinking at least of "The Hunger Games." There are some repeated writing elements (Sayer blushes a lot) that caught my eye.

Overall: The book was an interesting, emotional, fast-moving dystopian, and I found it very compelling.

With gratitude to the publisher and to Netgalley for the chance to read an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I DNFd this book about 40% in. I saw a lot of marketing for this book on TikTok and it sounded really good. Who doesn’t want a Hunger Games style book but with magic? The concept sounded right up my alley, but the book itself fell flat for me. The little sister being killed almost immediately made the death feel more like a shock factor kill, instead of a real defining plot point because I didn’t know her well enough to care yet. I also feel like the rules of the Blood Hours are never fully explained (yet, obviously I didn’t finish), and that made the story hard to follow.
The main characters fell pretty flat for me, and I didn’t feel like they had chemistry at all. I honestly think this was a case of an author not having the ideas behind her story fully flushed out, and writing it anyway. I think the pacing hurt the book for me as well, I kept pushing even though I wasn’t enjoying it, because I hoped I would eventually find the action I was craving and it just too way too long to get there.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of the blood hours. this was a solid scifi about siblings trying to preserver in their world.

The Blood Hours by Ann H Fox
Publisher: Lake Country Press and Review
Publication Date 21st March
Genre :Sci Fiction and Fantasy


This is a dark fantasy and I'd recommend for 18 + due to some of the context. The start of this book is sad and Sayer only having a year to live made me wonder why anyone would want to live their life like that and if could escape fate.
I found these characters lacking in any depth even upon meeting Ever there was no banter no charmisa between the two. For me I also felt that the pacing was not correct and it didn't flow 100 %.

My Rating 🌟🌟🌟/5
#bookreview #goodreads #TheBloodHours #NetGalley #bookstagram#bookreview #goodreads #read#bookstagrammer #fyp #booktok #bookclub#booklover

1.5 STARS.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

TW for this novel: mentions of suicide, on page death of a child, murder, etc.

I literally had to drag myself through this novel because it was just not good. There are so many notes so lets just dive in.

I believe that the novel could have started in a different place. I don't care enough about our main character at first to care why he's killing or that he only has one year left to live. There wasn't a ton going on at the beginning of the novel, just tons of over explanation of what he's doing. There is not a real power struggle and I was not heavily immersed in the writing.

He also seemed really angry at Lennon (who just sounds like he wanted to help them survive) and then at the end, he tells us how Lennon was like a father and how he loves him? I was confused.

His sisters death to me was more of like shock value than it was for me to like care about her. And then her having the opportunity to come back to life and it not really happening was like... annoying? Like I get his longing for his sister and it's sad he has lost so many family members, but because I didn't care about him, I didn't care about who he lost.

Sayer had good reasons for killing, but that doesn't make it good that he did that. He was trying to move it out of his mind that he wasn't selfish and that he was trying to save his sister, but it's still bad. I think he realizes it's bad, but he was still trying to justify it bc he was wanting to save his sister and it's better for them to die by his hand than by the bloodhounds. Like, what? lmao.... I don't think so? I know he killed people with low tally marks, but everyone deserved a chance and that was Ever's point as well. And maybe he's written this way for me to dislike his POV, but like I was in his head too long and I just could care less.

There were some parts of the prose in this novel that hit. Like when Sayer was thinking about Ever at one point, he thought, "but I'm too caught up trying to tease meaning from the complexities of her words." I loved that. However, with most of the novel I was having trouble connecting with the prose.

I have a ton of notes and could go on and on, but I just believe that this novel was not for me and I will not be reading the second novel if there is one that is to come out.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I docked half a star for how much I disliked the beginning of this book, and for the predictability.

I think it's a bit much to classify this book as queer. Yes, Sayer was in love with a man, but that story happened before this one and is only briefly touched upon. It's also mentioned that Ever's mother married a woman, but again, it's simply mentioned. Don't go into this with high hopes for all the gayness.

I found I really quite disliked Sayer at first. He didn't really grow on me so much as fade into an acceptable version of himself. I hope future books have more character development.

Still, I did find myself quite immersed in the story once I made it to the halfway point. It gives some vibes of Blood and Ash crossed with the Hunger Games. I think that this book sets a decent foundation for books to come, and sometimes that can be very hard to execute without writing a big bag of infodropping shit. This book has managed not to entirely sacrifice itself for the cause.

I did find it quite predictable, but I'm curious what will come next, and I do want to read the next one.

I was interested in the Hunger Games theme and decided to read it. The first chapters and the way the characters and their goals are presented to us were very interesting.
I was heartbroken right from the start!

But, despite having fun, I think the couple lacked chemistry and character development. While I enjoyed all the flirting, I thought it was too fast and lacked emotional connection for both of them to be already so in love with each other as it is presented towards the end of the book.
I would liked to have seen more about Sayer's dilemmas, traumas and feelings, caused by the whole situation involving his people and the fact that he had to kill to try to save his sister. We as readers know he is upset but we don't seem to know his real feelings. The female lead was a little shallow too.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- this was an okay read! i really liked the worldbuilding and the way the characters acted, however, the extremely long sex scene (all consensual but feels like it should be in an erotica novel) left me feeling turned off and having to put the book down. i usually don’t mind sex scenes as long as they fade to black or focus on the emotional aspect of the activity, but if we’re going full detail into each and every move, i will not engage with the story. that was one major thing that turned me away from this book, but the concept was intriguing and executed alright.

Fox has crafted a fantastic debut and I can't wait to see what comes next from this author! I was sucked in from the first page and although I mostly read contemporary romance, this was a story I couldn't stop coming back to. The stakes are so high and I LOVED how Sayer is willing to do whatever it takes to protect his sister. Ever and Sayer have my heart and I can't explain how awesome it was for me to see plus-size representation in this story! The prose was stunning and I couldn't help but reread some of the descriptions because of how visceral it was. I felt so grounded in the setting and was rooting for them from the start. Definitely a must read!

“My name, like my little sister’s, came with a promise- a promise of death once all seventy-two lines were gone. I’ve carried these tallies with me since I was a month old, and done terrible horrific thing to make them disappear. One by one, over the last few years, they have.”

Dark, atmospheric and unique, this book was exactly what I was in the mood for. I really loved the concept and the way the plot played out. The Blood Hours is an absolutely ruthless event, which kept me engaged and fascinated from the first page through the last.

Fans of the Hunger Games who are looking for something a little more mature and darker should absolutely add The Blood Hours to their TBRs.

--- 4/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 25%

I really tried but unfortunately the writing style was just not for me.

The title was archived before I could download this so although an arc was given to me, I ended up reading a finished copy. Why is this important? Because the story opens up with errors in grammar and syntax and immediately that threw me off. Additionally the author tries to do a lot with the writing and instead it comes across as repetitive and clunky.

From the quarter of the book that I read, I wished it delved more into the character of our MC and talked about why he felt things the way he did instead of just being told that he felt things.

Regardless, if you’re looking for a story that feels like exactly the Hunger Games with Magic, and bi representation, this might be for you! It just didn’t work out for me ◡̈

I was a bit disappointed with this when I hoped for so much more, Sayer felt like he was bisexual just to add some representation, also if he’s killed so many before the start why doesn’t he seem more affected and ending of the book just felt a bit too much, sadly not for me

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The first half of this book is so addicting I could not put it down. I found myself up late at night trying to get to the next page faster and faster. Overall, this was a really excellent book. I did find myself wanting a bit more from the second half but it didnt deter me from loving it.

This book had great potential, but was too slow for my liking. About 1/3 could have easily been omitted and been a fantastic read! It felt a lot like The Hunger Games, but with magic. The descriptions about the setting and certain actions were extremely detailed. It almost took away from a lot of drama and action that should have been included. For instance, two whole weeks went by and the MCs weren’t attacked? I find that very hard to believe.
Loved the twist at the end! Thought that was a great way to tie it all together.

What would you do for the people you love?

This is the question Sayer Terrin has to answer in the brutal dark fantasy that Ann H. Fox weaves together in her debut novel. The Blood Hours takes readers on a heart-stopping survival adventure that’s packed with magic, steamy romance, and heartbreaking tragedy.

In the opening pages of The Blood Hours we meet Sayer Terrin, a young man cursed with magic like the rest of his family. In this brutal world magic users, known as ebbers, are assigned a specific number of years to live before they have to participate in the blood hours, a deadly month-long bloodbath where the holy people of Toeska hunt down ebbers in order to sacrifice them.

No one has ever survived the deadly Hunger Games-style competition. But Sayer is determined to save his ten-year-old sister by entering with her and making sure they live to see the dawn on the final day. From there we dive into a story of sacrifice, love, and revenge.

CW: death, gore, language, suicide, some others. Please check the author’s website for a full list as necessary.

In the city of Toeska, ebbers, people who can manipulate energy, are hated. Every time the blood moon rises, ebbers are pitted against the city’s elite hunters in a 28 day long battle to survive. Sayer wants nothing more than to keep 10 year old Ena safe; if they can battle through the blood hours, he’ll succeed. Ever, also a participant in the blood hours, is fighting for her own sister.

Shout out to NetGalley for another marvelous read! This one’s been sitting on my shelf for a little while now and honestly I don’t know why it took me so long to get to it. I loved pretty much everything about this book. Seriously, how can you be displeased with a book that has lines like “Monsters with good intentions are still monsters, after all” and “If I have to choose tonight, them or us, it will be us. It will be you every time…”

First of all, the magic. It’s beautiful and, although it’s not explained ‘in depth’ like some stories I’ve read, you know as much as you need to know to understand what’s going on.

Up next: the characters. You meet them, you love them (or hate them), you feel for them. The real focus here is on the Sayer and Ever, so we don’t really see a lot of other people for most of the story, and it somehow works. The dynamic between the two of them is just amazing and they both feel incredibly real. They aren’t perfect, but they’re human and they’ll make you laugh or groan or grumble and it’s just…yes. That’s all I can say about them. I love them, I love how they relate to each other. It’s beautiful and I simply *cannot* cope with the level of emotions I have about the whole thing. (Also, a curvy FMC and LGBTQ rep? I think yes.)

And finally, the writing. It’s absolutely amazing. The details are phenomenal. Everything about the environment and the people and the story is so wonderfully clear and well-designed. It’s an amazing blend of both ‘show’ and ‘tell,’ and I had no trouble whatsoever clicking with the story and the characters. I want more. I want two more books and 16 novellas and I need them ASAP (to the best of my knowledge, that’s not currently an option. But I’ll be waiting…). I feel like my words simply cannot do this story the justice it deserves, so I must insist that you go read it for yourself. Right now. Immediately.

"When the blood moon rises, the killing begins."

If you're debating whether or not to read this book, READ IT. You won't regret it.

Characters:

Sayer: I'll avoid spoilers here, but let's just say that I love a morally gray character willing to do whatever it takes to save the ones he loves. Sayer grapples with powerful, wild magic he was never trained to control, and has to do this under immense pressure and during a period of great change in his life. He also has to find purpose when all seems lost. Though this is a fantasy novel, his struggles felt relatable and real as a reader, and his triumphs are also extremely satisfying.

Ever: I'll try to keep spoilers to a minimum, but you've been warned. First, she's an extremely powerful mage in this setting, and entered the Blood Hours which NO ONE HAS WON IN OVER A CENTURY on even the off-chance of saving her sister. Second, I love a THICC girl when I read one. A woman with curves who is realistically strong, and is a powerful magic user, is a great combination. Ever is a love interest worthy of Sayer's admiration, as well as the reader's. She's a total badass.

Plot:

This will be short to avoid spoilers, but this book did NOT go in the direction I expected. In a good way - it was refreshing in how it subverted tropes. Every time I thought I was nearing the end, another twist came flying at me and I had to readjust. Multiple times, my understanding (and Sayer's understanding) of the corrupt city and systems in place changed, with each revelation being more horrifying and gut-wrenching than the last.

Overall:

Sometimes, a book leaves a taste in your mouth once you finish it. It sticks in your mind. You find yourself thinking about it at night, or as you get groceries, bits of particularly poignant dialogue working their way back into your head. That's what this book did with me. I went into it expecting The Hunger Games with magic, but I got something better - a story of love, sacrifice, and finding meaning and purpose despite all odds.