Revisiting an older favorite here, this is the first book in a completed series! I dove into this a few years back, and with the audio just released, I decided to do a reread/listen and I wasn’t disappointed one bit.

Favorite line:
“Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to play with knives?” “No. They taught me how to sharpen them.”
― Miranda Lyn, Blood and Promise

High Fae and Lesser Fae battling for equality. The magic system is unique, the world-building is beautiful, and the FMC doesn’t wallow in self-pity when things get tough—she just tackles the bloody mess as needed! This was Miranda Lyn’s debut novel, and while there are some parts when it feels a bit juvenile the book is executed beautifully and really leads into bigger and better things. I’m usually critical about stories with multiple POVs, but the transitions here are seamless and make you feel like you’re right there with both characters.

It leans more towards high fantasy than romantasy, which is not a bad thing! The MMC, Temir, is such a cinnamon roll, and I'm totally here for him!

While I received an audiobook review copy, I ended up reading the book in ebook format.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, it had so many of my favorite tropes and the pacing had me hooked!

The narration though fell really flat for me. I'm not sure if it was the Netgalley audio player or not, but the narration sounded like it had been slown down in editing and came across as extremely robotic.

Every single one of Miranda’s books that I have read have been magical. I love her writing and her story building. I started back with her unmarked series and was so happy when I saw these were published as audio! It was so good and I loved it.

Loved this book, and cannot wait to read further in the serries...I love a good cliff hanger, but this one was way cliffy...

I read this years ago in physical form but this audio is EVEN better! I loved it in audio format. If you like plot driven books Miranda Lyn is always a wonderful one to pick up.

I am now officially sucked into this world. Why did it have to end on such a cliff hanger?! On to book 2 as I need answers!

Narrators were fabulous.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the two plot lines that will hopefully converge in future books. It was constantly entertaining and such an interesting world. The writing was impressive and I have nothing bad to say. I recommend !

📖 Genre: Fantasy / Fae / Enemies-to-Lovers

🖋 Author: Miranda Lyn

⭐️ Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

🔥 Tropes: Court Intrigue, Found Family, Morally Gray Heroine, Hidden Powers, Opposites Attract


Miranda Lyn’s Blood and Promise throws us into a world where the only rule is survive or be hunted.

If you love Sarah J. Maas-style fae fantasy (think ACOTAR meets The Bridge Kingdom*) with courtly intrigue, a morally grey assassin heroine, a cinnamon-roll healer hero, and a plot packed with betrayal and rebellion….this book delivers.


In the treacherous world of fae courts, where power is everything and lies are currency, we follow two protagonists:

Ara – A high fae assassin from the Court of Marsh, raised to be a weapon. After escaping captivity at the hands of the Sea Queen, she returns home—only to find everything she knew shattered. Now, she's hunted, betrayed, and questioning everything. If she wants to survive, she’ll have to embrace the killer she was raised to be.

Temir – A lesser fae with healing magic in the brutal Court of Wind, where power determines worth. His magic should make him safe, but instead, he’s a prisoner in gilded chains, controlled by the northern king. But when he stumbles upon a secret that could change everything, he has to make a choice: play it safe or risk it all for freedom.

As Ara and Temir’s fates intertwine, they find themselves drawn together despite their differences. She’s sharp edges and deadly precision. He’s soft hands and quiet strength. But with the courts closing in, hunters on their trail, and a rebellion brewing, they’ll need to decide:
-Will they fight together?
-Or will their secrets tear them apart?

What I Loved: A Deliciously Dark and Addictive Fantasy

✅ Court Politics and Betrayal at Every Turn – If you love scheming royals, shifting alliances, and fae backstabbing each other for power, this book is full of that. Every court has its own deadly rules, and our characters are caught in a web of lies and manipulation.

✅ Ara – A Deadly Heroine Who’s Struggling with Her Own Humanity – Trained to kill without mercy, Ara is a morally gray queen in the making. But she’s also more than just a weapon. She wrestles with her morality, her past, and her growing feelings for Temir.

✅ Temir – The Cinnamon Roll with a Spine of Steel – If you love soft boys who heal rather than harm but still have an iron will, Temir is perfect. His journey from self-loathing to rebellion is so satisfying, and his dynamic with Ara? Chef’s kiss.

✅ Enemies-to-Lovers with Fireworks – Their romance is slow-burn and full of tension. Ara is all sharp edges and walls, and Temir melts them down one by one—until she realises she needs him as much as he needs her.

✅ Action, Magic, and Mystery – From high-stakes battles to shocking secrets, the book never drags. The magic system is intriguing, and the looming rebellion adds even more intensity.

What Could Have Been Better?

❌ Some Parts Felt Rushed – With so much going on (court drama, betrayals, romance, magic revelations), I wished a few moments had more breathing room—especially Ara’s emotional journey.


Final Verdict: Read This If You Love…
✔️ Sarah J. Maas-style fae drama and romance

✔️ Morally gray heroines struggling with their dark pasts

✔️ Cinnamon-roll love interests with hidden strength

✔️ Enemies-to-lovers tension and forced proximity

✔️ Court intrigue, rebellion, and betrayals galore


Blood and Promise delivers everything I crave in a fantasy read, dangerous fae, a heroine torn between duty and conscience, a healer who is stronger than he believes, and a world full of betrayal, magic, and rebellion.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced fantasy with high stakes, a sizzling romance, and a FMC who fights just as hard for the truth as she does for survival, this one is worth the read.

3.5 ⭐️

As a big fan of Miranda Lyn's other books, I've been dying to get to her original series. Audios are releasing now, and thought it was the sign to do it! Thanks to netgalley and dreamscape for the ALC!

The audiobook narrators really captured the characters here. I felt they're emotion, hesitance, and strength in the performance, and will be continuing the series on audio!

We're dropped right into the story, following POV of two main characters with wildly different places in a world of scheming politics and where prejudice towards "lesser fae" is rampant.

There wasn't much world building, so I felt as thought it took me a while to pick up on the state of this world and who the key players are, but I eventually did. I love the array of characters we get to meet and, per usual, Miranda Lyn puts them through the wringer 😅. Our MCs are sweet, strong, and each go through some development by the end of the book, and we leave off with each in some... interesting positions. In some ways, this felt like a long prequl, but despite taking a bit to get into it... I'm dying to see where the story goes from here!

**Very minor, not-plot-related spoilers in this review**

I listened to the audio version of this book, so I will start by saying that the narrators, Annalee Scott and Nick Mondelli, were both fantastic! Annalee Scott was especially fantastic portraying Ara's character and her dry sense of humour, which I absolutely loved. Miranda Lyn always writes great characters with very entertaining banter!

I listened to this book immediately after reading Till Death (also on audio, which by the way is a MASTERPIECE, it's honestly the best audiobook I've ever listened to. But anyway....), and while I was waiting for Nevermore to be released. (Which it was, yesterday!)

To me, this book wasn't one book, but it was actually 2. It was two separate stories. To me it was "Ara's story" and "Temir's story". I thought at some point Ara and Temir would meet and their paths would cross and their stories would converge, but that never happens. (I assume it happens later in the series.) Also, based on the synopsis, I was expecting the romance to be between Ara and Temir, but that didn't happen either! (How could it, since they never meet. Ha).

Temir's romance with not-Ara seemed very forced. There wasn't a lot of chemistry there, and it seemed like she didn't like Temir at all, then suddenly a switch flipped and all of a sudden she's in a relationship with him? It was very fast.

What I'm most intrigued about is the Prince's character! He shows up at the beginning, and then at the end of the book, but otherwise there's zero information on him. Now that I think about it, I'm not even entirely sure who he's the son of? The King? The Sea Queen? Hm. The only thing we really know, is at the beginning he knows Ara's name, even though they've never met before. And he may or may not be evil? (He seems evil to me, but who knows.)

All in all, I don't think I'll continue the series. Only because there are SO many books on my TBR that I can't decide between reading already. But it does seem like this series is heading somewhere interesting.

I enjoyed this book as a whole, but I’m hoping for more character development in the next book! Our FMC Ara and MMC, Temir are from different backgrounds and stations in life, albeit both have their own distinct differences and difficulties. One is high Fae and one a lesser fae, both thrown together by fate.

I know this was her debut novel and unfortunately this it took me this long to be introduced to Miranda Lyn! I will continue this series, and I enjoyed the narration. I am curious where the plot is headed!

I don’t usually listen to audiobooks so this was one of my firsts.

The story itself is slightly slow paced but I do think that worked to add to the detail of the 2 characters and their different stories through the beginning.

The voice actors were great and I loved the emotion they brought to the characters!

Blood and Promise is the first book in the Fae Rising series by Miranda Lyn. Wow! Just wow!!! I absolutely loved this book!

This book was so fast paced, that I did not want to stop! I thought Ara was fascinating and I couldn't get enough of her story! This book has me on the edge of my seat and I want MORE!!!!

I thought the narration by Annalee Scott & Nick Mondelli was wonderful!

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

Blood and Promise (Fae Rising #1) by Miranda Lyn
Narrated by Annalee Scott & Nick Mondelli
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy
Published: January 21, 2025

I enjoyed this audiobook. I would gladly listen to the narrators future titles and read future books by this author.

I received a gifted audiobook. This review is honest and voluntary.

This one was a miss for me and I had to dnf it. The story was too slow and lacked the action I was expecting. After 10 chapters I lost interest in the story and characters. I even skipped ahead to see if the story picks up but it was more of the same, inner dialog and descriptive passages. I'm going to say this just wasn't the story for me.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Overall, I enjoyed this!! But this definitely felt like a "set-up" book, leading into something bigger in book 2? Our two main characters never actually meet, which I was surprised by. The ending sets up for a meet in book 2 and there's a cliffhanger ending so you've been warned. I liked the world building and the plot, but was definitely expecting more romance (maybe in book 2?).

I def think I'll listen to book 2 when the audiobook comes out!

Rating: 3.5 stars

Ara is the leader of the Wild Hunt. She is happy with a quiet life, living with her parents. However, she is forced to attend social balls to match her and marry her off - and the King has an eye for her. Temir is a lesser fae employed by the King who hopes to escape one day.

I was definitely drawn into the beginning with the promise of politics, corruption, betrayal, etc. but not all of this came through for me. I got a little bored and searching for major plot points, and it was just okay for me. I was invested enough to read more from the series.

Audio narration was great !

I enjoyed this one but didn’t love it. I am looking forward to the next book though. It started off slow so it took me a bit to settle in. And I found I didn’t really connect with the FMC but will definitely continue.

Thank you so much for this ALC opportunity

I loved Miranda Lyn's Till Death so I jumped in excitement when I saw this audiobook pop up here on netgalley.

This story starts off slow, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to stay interested. But once the plot picked up, I was hooked. The dual POV took some time to get used to, especially since the characters’ storylines don’t cross. Ara is strong and capable, almost too much so, but her journey was interesting to follow. Tamir had a quieter strength, and while his chapters felt a bit aimless at times, they helped paint a bigger picture of the world’s conflicts. The romance was minimal, and I kept expecting the two leads to meet, but that never happened... maybe in the next book? I felt like the narrators did a great job portraying the characters and brining them to life.

If you enjoy Romantasy, fae politics, magic, and a slow-burning plot, then I would recommend this one for you!

I enjoyed this book even though it started off as a slow burn. I would definitely recommend this to others. I am interested in reading more books from you.