Ok, I’m 51% in and I’m calling it. I was so excited for this book, and ultimately utterly disappointed with what I read.

Like the story itself, the writing is not refined or developed by any means. There are extremely repetitive words. For instance dark hair, dark face, dark eyes all in the same sentence. Give me more descriptive adjectives. Raven or black hair, ebony skin, etc. The author makes things very one dimensional when choosing not to utilize more detailed terms. Also, the words “ink”, “inky”, dark”, or darkness” are used quite often. I get it, the world and situations are meant to be bleak, shadowy, and grim to evoke a mood, but it really just ends up flat.

There beginning started out so interesting, but for the majority of what I’ve read essentially nothing is happening. The Deathless One as a character has little depth, and Jessamine is rather whiny considering her desire to get revenge and take back her throne. I don’t care for the style of writing, or its clipped cadence and lack of real direction, so I can’t force myself to endure any more.

I am of the opinion Emma Hamm never misses. Every new world she creates is full of wonders, each feeling unique and original. Wonders that tend to the heart, that expand the mind, that broaden the vision, and, in the case of The Deathless One, wonders that send a rather thrilling chill down the spine. The Deathless One is another extraordinary entry in the magical universe of Emma Hamm books. I was enchanted, awestruck, and riveted by every encounter between the princess and god of death, and the world one seeks to save and the other destroy.

Jessamine is a princess ready to accept a political marriage in the hopes the power of the union can help combat a plague riddling her kingdom. A solemn moment becomes grounds to horror as her would-be husband kills her and seizes her kingdom. Before her soul ascends into the otherworld, the god of death, deemed The Deathless One, revives Jessamine back to the mortal planes...but at a price. The cost being Jessamine learns to be a witch and call him back to life, a life he intends to use to bring destruction to the very home he looks to save.

Between the realm beyond (or should I say between?) to the plague-riddled ruins of a kingdom that once had hope, the world-building in this book both excites and frightens. Not to mention the witchcraft/magic woven throughout! Everything is very well balanced so that you can feel the otherworldliness that incites curiosity against a tangible setting that brings on dread with death at every corner. All this makes for a strong foundation to raise up our fascinating leads. Jessamine and The Deathless One.

Let’s start with my girl Jessamine! I love her duplicity, and what I mean by that is she is never one thing. She can be soft and vulnerable, showing fear, shyness, doubt, and insecurity. But she is also sharp, fierce, and tenacious. When they world turned its back on her, when she was literally cast down into the depth, she rose up. She strived to survive, and that survival turned into a thirst for living. To live and seek revenge while seeking to raise her kingdom to its glory once more. Jessamine's evolution is awe-inspiring. From shy, desolate princess to a witch embracing her powers...and her wrath.

Then we have The Deathless One. Oh, how The Deathless One surprised me! His character was not quite as anticipated. Yes, he is, as expected, formidable and magnetic a presence, but what I did not count on was how soft and full of yearning he is. Betrayed by his lover, betrayed by those he once trust, he, like Jessamine, has been cast aside. A god that should rule above all, is trapped in the depths of a realm. He hates and mistrusts, and Jessamine is nothing but a tool to him. A tool to use and discard. Or, at least, that’s what he wants to portray. But it’s clear from the start he is longing so deeply for something far more in existence. He longs for touch, softness, feeling, smell, and even taste. A breath away from Jessamine, a hand ever so lightly touching her hair, and he unravels. He completely and utterly unravels in such an unexpected way. He is a being that wants to be cruel but time and time again we see him full of warmth, a warmth only Jessamine inspires in him.

The beginning of their connection is one of favor and expectation, life for a life. But it becomes far more. It becomes more as Deathless encourages Jessamine to embrace being a witch. What is a goal for personal gain becomes a blossom of admiration, as he sees his witch begin to take hold of her power. Admiration shifts into something far more. A soft flame ignites into wildfire. As for Jessamine, she has little trust and much fear in this god of death. Reluctant to resurrect him, she finds little trust in him, until he starts to share parts of himself. His past, his loss, his rage. Mistrust turns to understanding turns to a hypnotic allure she cannot– and perhaps does not want to– escape. Obligation to admiration to trust to desire to something more…? Maybe yes, maybe no! Only one way to find out!

I had an incredible journey through the first entry of The Gravesinger and I am seated and ever so ready to go for book 2!

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for this outstanding advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily. 4.5

This was a really fun and seductive book! Making a deal after death was a risk Jessamine was willing to take for her people. But as she spends time with the deathless one, she realizes that the fight for her people may not be enough anymore, especially when she could be by his side.

DNF at 38%.

The first chapters were SO good and I was so excited to see Jessamine come back from the dead with a vengeance. But instead, we get long scenes where nothing really happens and she continually denies that she's a witch and that she can't do magic. It got so tedious and repetitive that I DNF'ed.

So this book was okay. I really thought that it was going to be better than it was, but it just took way too long to get to the freaking point of everything. Yes, the story moved along well and believably, but it was so slow and almost tedious. I just never was excited to pick the book back up. Which is unfortunate because I really liked the premise and world building here.

Jessamine is a princess and her kingdom (really all kingdoms) is being ravaged by a plague that nobody can figure out how to stop or even slow. The gods are all dead and witches were blamed for starting it and have been pretty much wiped out, and if anyone is suspected of still practicing they're also killed. Even studying magic is forbidden. But that doesn't stop Jessamine. She's determined to save her people by any means. Which is how she ends up agreeing to marry a man she doesn't even like. Too bad she didn't even think that he would betray her as he does, telling her his real plans for her kingdom and this plague, and killing her on their wedding day.

Despite the world thinking that all the gods are dead, there is one that is not. Which considering he's called "the deathless one" should have been a big hint. Elric may be alive, but he is trapped in his own realm, a prisoner of the witches that sacrificed him, and subject to a nightmarish existence. Until one day he manages to pull free of the torment and finds the body a young girl washed up in his realm. With his powers he's able to see into Jessamine's soul, seeing her past and her possible futures. One future in particular is of great interest to him so he keeps that one for himself before breathing life back into Jessamine and sending her back.

Jessamine didn't know it, but she's actually a witch. And not just any witch, she's a gravesinger. She has the ability to call the deathless one back to their world and give him form and power. Something Elric desperately wants but Jessamine is extremely hesitant to do. Heck, Jessamine refuses to even acknowledge she IS a witch. So much of the book is spent trying to convince her that she is one and trying to teach her spells which she has no talent for. She wants to get her revenge and to save her people once she finally sees how they have really been living, but she has no power anymore and barely any direction. Elric is always there to help her and to try and help her figure out what to do, but his power is limited without a real body and everything he does is ultimately to help himself. It didn't help things that Jessamine was constantly making back decisions and then getting into worse situations.

While I didn't mind these two becoming close like they do, I really did have a problem with Elric's constant self sacrificing mentality. Over and over we're told how he believes he exists to be sacrificed by witches and how he's always betrayed by the ones he thought loved him most. How he knows that Jessamine will also sacrifice him in the end because that's in her nature but he can't help how she makes him feel. This guy was constantly putting himself down and it was such an annoying character flaw for someone who is a GOD. A god with wicked powers no less. On the plus side, Jessamine did acknowledge how what was done to him so many times was wrong and she vowed never to do that to him.

Following some clues and using Elric's power to go back into memories, we're able to figure out who was responsible for everything that day Jessamine was murdered. She refuses to believe that it could possibly be them, but she can't deny it forever. Especially when she does another stupid thing and gets both her and Elric captured by them. At this point, things did become more interesting though. And to save herself, Jessamine finally does the one thing she was given new life to do.

Before my review I wanted to thank Netgalley and Gallery books for my ARC!

I'll start with what worked for me. The foundation of the novel--the magic, the gods, the plot of a dead princess coming back for her throne---is all amazing. I was really looking forward to delving into this one! The first 47% (I checked my progress on the ebook) was pretty good. There were some issues, which I'll get into, but I wanted to praise the initial groundwork first. I think the ideas behind the novel are really engaging.

However, it slowly felt like I was being bogged down by the inky realm mentioned in the novel. It just got slooooow. There's a scene in a shop that also made me think, "OH. This is a billionaire and average girl romance, but make it a god and witch."

Why it isn't 5 stars for me:

-The fantasy and old feel of the world is thrown off for me by mention of modern sounding phrasing and words: "pants," "fire escape," "factories," and just a sewer system. There are a few others too, but the mix of those ideas had me wondering just when this would take place.
-I felt let down by Jessamine's seemingly weak nature when she had promised to go on a rampage for her throne. We're promised female rage and a quest for revenge, but it immediately is dismissed when she's back. She is physically weak, which I forgave as she was dead, but this is a constant issue. The denial of who she was was extremely annoying. I was willing to forgive as I expected growth, but it doesn't happen until past the 60% mark, which is a veeeery long time to wait for our protagonist to gain confidence and power. I wanted to spend more time with her confidence and actual moves for her throne. Without spoiling anything, the way she starts letting others know of her survival in the kingdom is very, very weak. It was not the brave and amazing thing that Jessamine was clearly thinking she was doing.
-Jessamine is painted as the perfect princess, but she clearly doesn't know anything about her people. There is shock at the way one district is living, her naivete is exposed. She is consistently saying she wants to claim her throne and help her kingdom, but she was never doing anything for them when she was alive. Jessamine was known for being pretty and nice (taking from a quote in the book). There is no base or evidence that she can actually DO something for her kingdom. Based on the ending, I'm wondering if we'll see the opposite occur in book 2. In fact, I'd encourage that opposite! You don't get to see many villian POVs without them turning into a hero, so I'd be happily surprised with a push in that direction.

The ideas behind this book, the potential to be better and a couple nice spice scenes are what give it 2 stars.

<i><blockquote>"You and I, nightmare, we're going to destroy the world together."</blockquote></i>

This book is a romantasy for the romance lovers!! I ate up every second of this book. I was giggling and kicking my feet while I was reading. This was also a book about female rage. I've said this many times but I support women's wrongs AND women's rights!! I want everyone to read this book just to experience the giddiness I felt while reading.

The Deathless One by Emma Hamm follows princess Jessamine Harmsworth on the day of her wedding to save her infected kingdom. She is set to marry Leon Bishop of Orenda, a King who has promised to help her kingdom. However, the day takes a deadly turn when she is murdered at the alter by Leon. Her spirit is found by the Deathless One, who needs her help, so he resurrects Jessamine. Their story begins there..

The Deathless One and Jessamine begin a relationship that is very rocky to begin with. Jessamine knows she cannot trust the God, but has made a promise to him in order to get her throne back. The Deathless One does not trust Jessamine because of his past history with other Witches'. However, the more time they spend working with each other the more they realize that they need to trust each other in order to achieve what they both want.

Once they start opening up to each other, their banter and playfulness was amazing! I sat there giggling while reading because of some of the things that the Deathless One said. I found the Deathless One to be really funny, he had this dry humor that just worked for me. I also LOVED the things that he said to Jessamine.
<i><blockquote> "You are bitter and intoxicating, like the most divine absinthe. I stain your skin with every touch, and gods forgive me, I'll do it again." </blockquote></i>
But this wasn't all giddiness and love, there were some very serious moments that had me on the verge of tears multiple times. The things that both of these characters go through, you just cannot help but root for them and hope they destroy anyone in their way!

Jessamine is such a strong FMC, one who you will love straight away. But also one who finds her confidence after years of trying to be as demure as possible, someone who was always known to be quiet and kind. I adored watching her gain her confidence but also finding the balance of being ruthless but thoughtful as well. She was a joy to read about and I cannot wait to continue reading her growth in the next book.

This book was so much more than I was expecting and I am so glad that I took my time to truly apprecate the story that was being told. The found family, the romance, and the character growth were truly well done in this book. I am excited for the next book to come out! I'm really excited to see what her familiar, Nyx, will become because we did not get to see much of it in this book.

Overall, this was such a great reading experience and one I strongly recommend. Take your time with this book because it is more than a simple romantasy, it is one about betrayal and men with audacity.

Final rating: 4.5 stars ✨

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Deathless One by Emma Hamm, this was a joy to read!

A dark fantasy that pulls you in and makes you root for revenge. The story had me on the edge of the seat right away. We went straight into violence and revenge and I loved it. A big part of this book is Jessamine working through what happened to her and planning what she would do about it. Loved The Deathless One, he was perfect mix of morally gray. I think this book went through a lot of character work to set up for hopefully a lot of action in the next book. I’m excited to see where it goes!

Book review 📖

📜The Deathless One
✍️Emma Hamm
📠Gallery Books
📚Fantasy Fiction
🗓️Pub date: August 5, 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @gallerybooks for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

✨Princess Jessamine, a born leader for her people, is forced to enter a political marriage once an incurable plague takes over her kingdom. A union that should have brought hope instead brings death as her husband murders her at the altar and takes the throne.

✨Jessamine’s death is only the beginning, as she meets The Deathless One, a god of death who yearns to return to mortal life. They make a deal, bargaining her life and kingdom in exchange for his resurrection. Only The Deathless One is a known trickster and a deal with him is one made in blood.

✨Bargaining with the god of death is a dangerous undertaking, and Jessamine knows she’s in for trouble. But as her bond with him grows deeper, the more she realizes she doesn’t want their contract to end.

✨If you like witchy vibes and shadowy mists that transport you into darkness, this is the romantasy book for you. Well told and an interesting plot, this was a first from this author for me and certainly won’t be my last.

#netgalley #thedeathlessone #emmahamm #gallerybooks #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #summerreleases #fantasyfiction #romantasy

Overall, I liked the story. It did take me a little to get into the story. I enjoyed the magic of the Deathless one, his past, and what his abilities could do. I love the familiar he created for Jessamine. I also loved how protective he became of her. Jessamine was a good FMC, but she didn't really stand out or make a ton of character growth. I'm curious to see how vicious she may be in the next one. I also would like to see the other gods appear.

3.5

I was interested in reading this when I read the description, mostly because I wanted a good witchy read. But I feel like I didn’t get that until I passed the halfway mark of the book. It was hard for me to be engaged with the story in that first half. It just felt like the plot was stuck.
I did enjoy the chapters from Eldric’s POV. I liked knowing more about him directly from his thoughts. Jessamine started like a strong FMC but somewhere in the way she got a bit lost. At the end I finally saw her again as she should be. I was so entertained when she finally finds the courage to find answers about her death. That’s when I finally felt the thrill of the book. The whole plot kept me guessing in a way. At the end, I was happy with the ending but very surprised with the last line. Seems like book two will have more excitement and I would be interested in knowing where the plot goes.

This book had so many things that I should theoretically like, but it just didn't work for me at all. I gave up on this at the 56% mark and felt that at this point there was very little character development or plot progression. Everything big and exciting happened right at the beginning, so the events thereafter were kind of a let down. Jessamine gets resurrected, finds out she's a witch, communes with the Deathless One, and tries to find answers so she can exact her revenge... and it's boring. I didn't connect with her or the Deathless One and wasn't really invested in any developing attraction between the two. I honestly would have given this up much sooner, but a cat familiar appeared and my hopes were rekindled. For naught, as it turns out, as the cat really wasn't going to save this book.

The Deathless One is a dark romance book with an FMC and MMC who you can not help root for. In a world where the gods were killed and the witches were burned, our FMC is a princess just trying to find the source and a cure for a disease that is slowly taking over her kingdom. Thinking she is helping her people by marrying someone from another kingdom, she is murdered on her wedding day. But the last remaining god, the Deathless One, has his own plans for our FMC, and brings her back to life so she can get her revenge, find a cure, and bring him back to the mortal world. I loved the whole premise if the story, and I cannot wait for the next book to see how what happens. The Deathless One is a slow burn dark romance. Shadow daddy MMC with a strong FMC. There is lots of death, witches, magic, and mystery. Best book about witches I have read so far this year! Thank you to netgalley for the gifted eARC.

I had such a great time reading The Deathless One! I’m a big fan of dark fantasy and this totally hit the spot. The atmosphere is rich and haunting, and the writing really pulled me in — it felt like stepping into a dark fairytale (in the best way).

Jessamine is a really compelling main character — tough, a little broken, but never boring. I loved watching her grow into her power and find her place in a world that basically tossed her aside. And the Deathless One himself? Mysterious, powerful, and just the right amount of emotionally closed off (you know, the kind we love to root for!).

The slow-burn romance was chef’s kiss and the magical world had just the right mix of eerie and enchanting. Honestly, I flew through this one and was a little sad when it ended. Excited for more by this author!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely loved this book. One thing Emma does so well is create interesting worlds, and the Kingdom of Inverholm (with its districts and troubled citizens doing what they can to survive) and the inky dark realm of the Deathless God are no exception.

From the very beginning, we are met with big "did that really just happen?" moments. This book starts out with a bang, and even though I read the book description, I was still in shock reading what happened to Jessamine on her wedding day. Filled with a rich history that includes Gods and Witches and their complicated symbiotic relationships and spells, and sacrifices, it did not surprise me that a good portion of this book is dedicated to world-building and setting the foundation of this fantastical universe. But Emma weaves all of this information for us so seamlessly into the story I felt like I was just along for the ride. Without giving too much away, there comes a point in the book where I just could not put it down; it's very possible that I ignored my adult responsibilities and stayed up late finishing this one.

Our main character, Princess Jessamine of Inverholm, finds herself betrayed in the deepest of ways. And has set out on a mission to take back what is hers. The self-growth and found family she makes along the way made this a five-star read for me. Again, without giving too much away, I am delighted (and pleasantly surprised) that not all is handed or given to Jessamine. She has to work hard and even fail (a few times) to become the person she is meant to be.

Our Deathless God, trapped for years in his dark suffering realm, suddenly finds himself with a tie to the living world that he so desperately wants to be a part of again. An opportunity that he cannot miss. A villain in everyone's story, will he be the hero in Jessamine's? Even if that means risking everything he's ever wanted?

The tension between these two characters is delectable, and while I would consider this a spicy slow burn, my romantic little heart was fed and satisfied throughout the entire novel. Overall, I one-hundred percent loved this book and will recommend it to everyone.

"I'm going to keep you," he murmured. "You and I, nightmare, we're going to destroy this world together." - The Deathless one - Emma Hamm

The Deathless One is one of those books that starts strong and atmospheric, with a wickedly sharp premise that immediately caught my attention... a murdered princess, a deal with the god of death, and a mission for revenge? I was all in.

The world itself is eerie and elegant, dripping in folklore and black ink. The tone was moody in all the right ways, and the setup had such potential. I appreciated the connection woven between Jessamine and the Deathless One, it definitely had those dark fairytale vibes I usually love.

But somewhere in the middle, the story lost momentum. The pacing dragged, and I found myself skimming more than I wanted to. For a story about vengeance, gods, and power, it lacked urgency, backstory and explanation. Jessamine was intriguing at first, but I never fully connected with her or the emotional weight of her journey. The romance, while slow burn-ish, felt more like a whisper than a blaze. I wanted more tension, more payoff, more punch.

It’s not a bad book, not at all. The bones are good. The mood is intense. But it left me wanting a bit more in the execution. More depth, more drive, more heat.

I’ll keep my eye on the next book, because if the pacing tightens up and the emotional arcs and explanations get deeper, this series could really shine. Just wasn’t quite there for me yet.

I know a lot of readers have said they are sick of shadow daddies, but not me. Give me all the shadow men. Also? He summons a shadow kitty for her so he automatically gets a half star for that. I think the beginning of this book was exciting and tragic and I was hooked. After about the 50% mark or maybe a bit before this book slowed down for me and I found it a little hard to stay invested but I'm glad I stuck with it. I liked the ending and I think this one is set up great for the next book in the series. Overall this was a good read. 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was SO MUCH fun. it's the perfect mix of feminine rage/dark romantasy. I've been in a reading slump for weeks and this didn't just pull me out of it-it yanked me! So excited to read more from this author in the future!!
Thanks so much to NetGalley for this ARC!! 💜

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I want to start by saying I love Emma Hamm books. However, I just don’t think this one was for me.

The book started and ended so strong, but the pacing in the middle was tough to get through sometimes. I also had a hard time connecting with any of the characters and found there to be some info dumping with how the magic system works that made it confusing and very slow.

I do think the plot was interesting and a unique idea with the give and take of the god and witches. The cover art is also beautiful!

I think a lot of people will enjoy this, but I do think the pacing is my biggest issue with the book.

Emma Hamm can never do wrong and I love everything that she writes. This is one I know I will be picking up a physical copy of and wanting to read again. She is a comfort fantasy author for me and this book was simply incredible.