Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington has a strong premise that immediately pulled me in—political intrigue, deadly trials, and a terrifyingly powerful enemy with a hint of humanity. Revna's struggle as the only member of the royal family without magic and her determination to save her friends by competing in the Bloodshed Trials were captivating plot points that promised a lot of drama and tension.

The book starts off with a bang, throwing us right into the action, and the trials were definitely one of my favorite parts. The concept of the Hellbringer, a general capable of rending souls, added an exciting layer of danger and intrigue. I was also intrigued by the morally grey characters and the twists surrounding who actually wants Revna on the throne.

However, as much as I enjoyed the plot, there were parts that felt a bit repetitive, giving it a YA vibe that didn't quite match the darker, more intense aspects of the story. I found myself wanting a bit more depth and complexity, especially in the dialogue and character motivations.

Overall, while it didn’t completely live up to its potential for me, I still enjoyed the action, the trials, and the morally complex characters. If you like political intrigue, morally grey enemies, and trials, then this book is worth the read.

Are you looking for a story with feminine rage, rebellion, fantasy, romance, and plenty of action? Then Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington is the book for you.

Revna Thorunsdotter lives in a world where there are two types of people the godtouched (magical) and godforsaken (non-magical). To complicate matters, she is royalty, and should possess magic powers but doesn't. Revna has chosen a life of rebellion and fighting for the godforsaken, her people. In a war-torn country she finds herself face to face with certain death, the Hellbringer.

Alexandra has done a great job with world building and character development in this story. Revna and the Hellbringer are complicated people living in an intolerant world, and are truly pawns in a larger game they are forced to play. Throughout the story the author has given us queer representation (bisexual MCs and gay secondary character) and mental health representation (main and secondary characters). These types of representation are so important, because everyone deserves to see themselves in a story.

If you enjoy a strong female main character, fighting against injustice, navigating impossible odds, and allowing love a place to shine a light where there is only darkness, get this book.

Open door spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (3/5)

Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington is the 1st book in her Blood & Souls Duology series. We meet Revna, our heroine, who is a member of her royal family, but her family does not accept her; as she has no magic ability, and is considered an outcast. Revna goes out of her way to secretly meet friends in the kingdom, and works with them to protect others, who are treated badly. Revna, is a princess, and has no problem standing up to her family, which does get her into trouble many times; especially her brothers who have Lurae (magic ability), and she is Nilurae (without magic). Her father hates her, and seeks to pair her off in a marriage of convenience to get rid of her. When Revna’s two friends are put in danger, she is determined to save them.

Hellbringer, a deadly warrior, is her country’s enemy; he has amazing abilities, with the strength to kill hundreds with just a thought. In a surprising turn, Revna is captured by the Hellbringer, determined to train her on the Bloodshed Trials, to take on her brothers, allowing her to become Queen. His own Queen wants her to take the crown, becoming part their country, and he is committed to training her. Hellbringer wears a mask, as Revna wants to see his face, as he is enticingly masculine and attractive, but he continues to wear the mask. He is hard teacher, pushing her to learn everything. In a short time, both Revna and Hellbringer (Soren) slowly find themselves growing becoming extremely attracted to each other. As the Bloodshed Trials is close, he arranges for her to be dropped off close to her home; as he leaves her. When the family finds her, they all were not too happy with her, but they rush to find the Hellbringer, to no avail. In that battle of soldiers, Frode was killed, and he was the closest to Revna.

Revna adds herself to the Bloodshed Trials, which is a brutal horrific contest which the last surviving royal sibling will take over the throne. Jac another brother decided to take up Revna’s speech to run away from the games; leaving both Eric and Bjorn, who have no qualms in killing her. Volkan, the one she refused to marry, turned out to be a good friend, in helping her.

Blood Beneath the Snow was a very good fantasy, filled with intrigue, sinister, betrayal, tough and evil family along the way. Blood Beneath the Snow was very well written by Alexandra Kennington. I really enjoyed the story, and though some parts were slow, it was a very good story line. Revna was a fantastic heroine. If you enjoy romantic fantasy, I suggest you read this book. I look forward to the next book.

This had such a promising beginning with the trials and training. It had quite the start, similar to Fourth Wing where things just happen right away. Unfortunately it started lagging at parts and the pacing threw me off a bit. All in all, I think our readers will enjoy this romantasy.

Blood Beneath the Snow has many things I love in a new adult fantasy romance: a tortured, dark haired, and powerful man, a crappy family dynamic, and high stakes with an underground rebellion. I had a decent enough time reading through this and found myself on The Hellbringer’s side and rooting for him. The Hellbringer is a sweet bean and I’d die for him, I don’t care what anyone says!!! My only real complaint is mostly the long winded training montage went a bit long without much relationship development or plot movement. Otherwise, I think the last 20% of the book really grabbed my attention and had me on the edge of my seat. I think Alexandra has set up the next installment nicely, and I cannot wait to continue The Hellbringer and Revna’s story!

Thank you to Ace, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

A deadly competition where siblings fight to the death for the throne? A terrifying, masked general who kidnaps the princess and trains her for battle? A slow-burn romance filled with tension and sharp words? Sign me up!!

Blood Beneath the Snow is a debut romantasy packed with high-stakes action, slow-burning tension, and some of my favorite tropes—forced proximity, only one bed, and a mysterious, morally grey love interest. From the moment Revna crashed that sacred ceremony, I knew I was going to enjoy the book. She's a magicless princess in a world where power means everything, and she’s spent her life being overlooked and underestimated, especially by her family. Luckily, she has an amazing found family that makes her feel accepted and supported. But when her best friends are in danger, she throws caution aside and makes a choice that changes everything.

Revna is a stand-out FMC with a compelling arc. Fierce and stubborn, she refuses to let anyone decide her future for her, and I love that so much. Revna enters the Bloodshed Trials, where she has to fight her own brothers to the death for the throne. But before she even gets the chance, she’s kidnapped by the Hellbringer, the masked general from the enemy kingdom. He’s dangerous, unreadable, and could kill her without a second thought, but instead, he offers to train her.

The Hellbringer barely speaks for a good chunk of the book, which made it hard to feel connected to him at first. However, as the story progresses, you learn that there is so much more to this broody and gifted male, and it was interesting to finally get behind his steely mask. The romance also took a little while to grab me because of this, but once he started opening up, I really liked their dynamic.

The pacing is a little uneven and dragged at times. The first half is fast and gripping, but the middle slows down while Revna is held captive and trains with the Hellbringer. I also wanted more world-building and a deeper exploration of the political and magical systems. What was there was fascinating, and I hope the sequel explores it all a bit more because there's a lot of potential there. The final third of the book is quicker-paced and ends with some action-packed sequences and shocking twists that left me eager for the sequel. Oof -The trials were brutal and full of creative challenges that had me on edge the entire time. And the betrayals? Absolutely gut-wrenching. The action was non-stop, and there were twists I didn’t see coming.

Despite a few pacing hiccups in the middle, I really enjoyed this one. It had everything I love in romantasy—high stakes, a determined heroine, a mysterious love interest, and plenty of tension. Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

If you love your fantasy with a side of simmering tension, moral dilemmas, and a world so vividly crafted you can feel the snow and blood in the air, then Blood Beneath the Snow is an absolute must-read. This book delivers an enemies-to-lovers arc that will leave you breathless and a forced proximity setup that turns every interaction into delicious, unbearable tension.

❄️ Revna & The Tension-Filled Romance ❄️

Revna is sharp-witted, guarded, and carrying more emotional scars than she’s willing to unpack. When circumstances force her into uneasy cooperation with a person she has every reason to despise—tension crackles like a live wire. Their dynamic is a masterclass in slow-burning, hate-to-love intensity, where every glance, every argument, and every reluctant moment of trust pulls you deeper into their orbit. The romance is earned, full of complex emotions, and utterly devastating in the best way.

🩸 Blood Family vs. Found Family 🩸

One of the book’s strongest themes is the contrast between the family we’re born into and the one we choose. Revna’s relationship with her blood relatives is tangled and painful, steeped in duty and betrayal. But where the novel truly shines is in its portrayal of found family—the people who stand beside you not because they have to, but because they want to. Watching Revna navigate who deserves her trust, and who she’s willing to fight for, makes the emotional stakes feel raw and real.

🌙 Magic & World-Building 🌙

The magic system here is chillingly unique—rooted in blood, sacrifice, and power that always comes at a cost. It’s not just a tool; it’s a force that shapes the world and the people within it, adding layers of tension to every decision. And the setting? Kennington’s prose makes the snow-covered landscapes feel both hauntingly beautiful and brutally unforgiving. Every scene is rich with atmosphere, from the eerie silence of a frozen battlefield to the crackling warmth of a fire shared between uneasy allies.

🌟 Final Thoughts 🌟

If you love The Shadows Between Us, The Wolf and the Woodsman, or anything that makes you question who you’d trust with your life (and your heart), Blood Beneath the Snow is an absolute must-read.

✨ Enemies-to-lovers? Check.
✨ Forced proximity that makes you scream internally? Check.
✨ A richly built world that lingers in your mind? Double check.

Full disclosure here, I've only read about 20% of this book so far, but I am so invested and will be picking up a hard copy. I have different reading experiences when reading ebooks and hard copies and for me, this one needs to be hard copy. I enjoyed the first 20% enough to be invested in how the story turns out and will be picking up a copy on pub day!

4.25 rounded down.

Color me surprised! I read this one on a whim, as it didn’t seem to be my type of book. However, this was great! A shunned child, godforsaken if you will, who knows her place in her family and in her kingdom. Yet, she’s brave anyway. That’s when we see how brave Revna is. So, when she’s kidnapped, I knew she could survive, or I suspected. A strong character with a desire to do what’s right.

Advanced reader copy provided by Berkley and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I can see the potential and I’m excited to see what happens in the next book! The beginning and end of Blood Beneath the Snow are action packed and will keep you on your toes. With chase scenes and a tournament to the death, there is so much happening. That being said, the middle of this book drags a bit. You know how action movies will have montage scenes that are a couple minutes long? Imagine if those scenes became 20-30 minutes long. It’s just be too much and that’s what the entire middle of this book is, training scenes.

I think the main character, Revna, was well developed and I understood her motivations clearly. She was fun to read about and her ending was fantastic! I do think some of the side characters weren’t as well developed and felt a little bit like plot armor. Also, I couldn’t believe Revna fell in love in five weeks. I was here for the lusty relationship but love? Didn’t like it.

Blood Beneath the Snow is showered in betrayal, plot twists and a slow-burn love story. Revna is fighting for her throne to overtake her father's reign. To get there she must beat her brothers in the games, and unleash her magical powers. She's been kidnapped, and trained by the notorious Hellbringer. What's under his mask is more than she bargained for...

This enemies to lovers romantasy is action-packed. Excited to see where this new series, Blood & Souls Dulogy, takes the reader in the next installment.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group | Ace

This book feels like a lot of other books in the genre. There is a tournament, kidnapping and a hot evil guy. Overall I felt the book fell a bit flat. I wanted more world building, tension, and a better flowing plot. I think it definitely has potential though and if you love this kind of book I would recommend giving it a try.

This was such a let down for me! I absolutely loved the premise but it really didn't deliver at all. We spent the majority of the book in the prison training with the Hellbringer and then only had the trials in the last 10% and they only went over the span of about 3-4 chapters. I really wanted more form this and instead I left feeling like I wanted more and was just very underwhelmed. I don't know that I will continue in the next book of the duology

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to Ace Pub and Berkeley for the free book!!

This was an amazing book but... what was that ending? It was so abrupt, with so many loose ends left untied, and I just have to hope there's an unplanned sequel. What did the Kryllian Queen want with Revna? What becomes of her and The Hellbringer? Will her powers develop more? There has to be answers. I'll be disappointed if not.

That said, I really enjoyed this. I struggle to get through romantasy books sometimes, and I didn't find myself struggling with this one. Historically, for me, it usually takes upwards of five days minimum for me to get through a romantasy/fantasy, and this took me around 2 days. It was easy to get through, compelling enough for me to want to keep turning the pages, and wasn't so filled with straight filler or too much clunky plot that it tripped me up. The one thing I think I'll continue to be hung up on, however, is the end. I'm gonna be stewing about that one for a while. I did like how the romance developed, I saw others say they thought that the romance was too instalove, but I felt it wasn't too much. They met officially around 36% if I remember correctly, but didn't do anything until around 70%. Now, the time in between during the story was more like a month and a half, but I've seen stories end in coupling in less time than that-- couples who end up saying I love you after two weeks --so for me, this wasn't that bad. I was satisfied with the romance aspect, save for the fact that I wouldn't really market this as a romantasy as it ends in an ambiguous, everything is up in the air happy for now, and the romance, well, I won't spoil what it's like by the end. Definitely makes me feel like a sequel is coming.

3 Stars

The overall premise was strong but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.

I really loved the world and the political intrigue and the unique court life seen ij parts of the book. The characters themselves were interesting and I enjoyed how it started off with a bang and we see early on the mental resilience and strong beliefs that the MFC Revna has.

The action was pretty constant, the trials were great (although they played a very small role in the book), and the twist at the end was great.

On the downside, one primary area of contention is the time period. There is a lot of modern terminology in the book, which heavily contradicts the setting. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if this was intentional or overlooked by the author. Either way it’s one of those odd things that bothers me.

The relationship between the FMC and MMC was also a bit disappointing. It started off very interesting and intriguing, but seemed to go from 0 - 100 in a very short time. There wasn’t really the chemistry there to make this seem believable.

Finally! A unique fantasy romance read that didn't feel like every other fantasy book out there. We've got a magicless FMC who gets kidnapped by the enemy. She can't see his face for the majority of the book, which kept the mystery alive for me. He trains her to compete in the Bloodshed trials where she and her brothers will compete for the throne. There has never been a godforsaken on the throne, and Revna is determined to be the first.

It was a slow burn, hate to lust, and forced proximity fantasy with a small amount of romance. The betrayals are numerous, and the action is great! Can't wait for the next book!

Revna a "godforsaken" is a royal who is treated as like a commoner. In a family in which she is the only daughter among multiple brothers, she is treated less than - especially from her father. When an offer comes for Revna to strengthen a stronghold through a marriage Revna's father accepts. But Revna will only agree if she is allowed to fight in The Bloodshed Trials - in which only one of her siblings will be left standing and whoever is left will sit on the throne. But fate has other plans because soon Revna is captured and taken captive by none other than Hellbringer - her country's greatest enemy. While being held captive by the Hellbringer, Revna gets to know him. What are his ulterior motives and why is she suddenly starting to have feelings for him?

Blood Beneath the Snow started off really strong for me. I really liked learning about headstrong Revna and her relationship with her brothers, her father and her townspeople. And the mysterious Hellbringer definitely had me intrigued. I really liked his snarky, broody character - especially paired against feisty Revna.

The second half of the book wasn't as strong as the first half. The romance started to feel very insta-love and I felt like the pacing was off.

Overall a solid 3 star read.

Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington
Thank you to NetGalley, Ace Publishing, and Berkley Publishing for the gifted ARC!

Wow—what an incredible debut! This book had so many of my favorite tropes: forced proximity, only one bed, a morally grey MMC, a masked man, and trials. Plus, the wintery, snow-covered setting added such an atmospheric touch—I absolutely loved it. I flew through this in less than 24 hours!

The FMC was a standout—her determination to fight for the weak and oppressed made her character arc so compelling. On the other hand, Hellbringer, her love interest, had limited development early on. Since he barely spoke for a good portion of the book, it was tough to connect with the romance at first. But once he started talking, their dynamic became much more engaging.

One small thing I noticed was the lack of physical description for the FMC, which made it hard to picture her clearly. That said, it didn’t take away from the story. The plot was solid, well-paced, and kept me hooked the whole way through. The ending was fantastic, and I can’t wait for the next book—I’ll definitely be reading it!

Releases March 11, 2025—add this one to your TBR!

the worst part of reading an arc is that the second book is definitely no where close to out yet, and i fear i will be obsessing over this book for a while.
i went through all the emotions reading this one, and i just need everyone to pick it up. there's magic, spice, one bed, rivalries, a hot captor, good brothers and also awful brothers, and everything sucked me in.

I had a great time with the Blood Beneath the Snow! Sometimes the pacing felt a little chopped up, but for the most part a really great debut. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am eagerly awaiting its release!