Princess. Tribute. Sacrifice. Is she the one prophesied to unite two warring Fae courts? Or the one bound to destroy them?In a realm ruled by magic, the ruthless Queen of Thorns is determined to destroy her nemesis, the cursed Prince of Evernight.With war brewing between the bitter enemies, the prince forces Queen Adaia to uphold an ancient treaty: she will send one of her daughters to his court … daughters to his court as a political hostage for three months.
The queen insists it’s the perfect opportunity for Princess Iskvien to end the war before it begins. But one look into Thiago’s smoldering eyes and Vi knows she’s no assassin.
The more secrets she uncovers about the prince and his court, the more she begins to question her mother’s motives.
Who is the true enemy? The dark prince who threatens her heart? Or the ruthless queen who will stop at nothing to destroy him?
And when the curse threatens to shatter both courts, is her heart strong enough to break it?
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I need to start writing down why I pick up a book. I can’t remember what made me try a sample of Promise of Darkness. Maybe it was in an Also Bought list? I dunno, but I’m glad I gave it a try because it was fantastic.
I’ve come across Bec McMaster’s name a lot. I think she first jumped on my radar with her steampunk series, but I’ve never really read steampunk, so I never picked it up. I’m going to have to give that series a try because I really loved her worldbuilding, her characters, and the perfect level of romance.
Our heroine, Vi, is the daughter of a cruel Seelie queen. That queen has been at war with the Prince of Evernight, a neighboring kingdom. To sort of ward off war, the queen and the prince agree to exchange hostages, so the princess, Vi, is sent to live with the enemy for three months while he sends someone to her court.
It becomes pretty obvious that something is up. The prince is charming and flirtatious, not the super evil villain the queen made him out to be. Vi is supposed to kill him, but she’s uncomfortable with the idea. Then little things start happening, little conversations are overheard, and we get the reveal. Even though I had an idea very early on about that reveal, I didn’t get annoyed that Vi didn’t catch on. That sometimes happens with books. You read them and you just want to smack the heroine upside the head because she can’t see the Very Obvious Thing that’s going on. In this book, Vi had suspicions that something wasn’t right, but was working toward finding the answers.
Obviously, the queen is a bitch. Is that a spoiler? I mean, she’s awful from page one and it just gets worse. I guess that was the only thing that made me frustrated about Vi. When your mom is that terrible, you owe her no loyalty, amiright?
Anyway, this book had interesting worldbuilding, a fantastic romance, and lots of ohmygosh are they going to survive moments. I was kind of stressed to read it because it felt like something terrible was going to happen. It was kind of like Sarah J. Maas’s books (I STILL haven’t read Empire of Storms because I’m so worried my heart is going to be broken! Plus, I always feel like a shitty writer after reading her books, and I don’t need that kind of depression right now, lol), but Promise of Darkness wasn’t THAT excruciating. Or, it hasn’t been yet.
That brings me to my one BIG COMPLAINT. After all this time of seeing Bec McMaster’s books and finally giving them a try, I choose the book that was JUST published!!! Ugh! That means I have to WAIT for the next book in the series.
Have I ever mentioned that I am NOT patient?
Anyway, this was a fantastic start to a series. The main characters are fantastic, and so are the supporting characters. The Big Bad Ones are powerful and scary. If you’re looking for a fantasy romance in the vein of Sarah J. Maas or Amanda Bouchett, you’ll love this book.
Absolutely fantastic story. Twisty and sweeping and exciting and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Adore Thiago and Vi. WOW!
Phenomenal! Swept up in this new world of lies, betrayal, fae, old gods, powerful magic and steadfast love I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the characters and really enjoyed reading their story and learning more about them. I’m hungry for more and to see what happens next.
WOW! I think this is the best fantasy book of 2019 for me! Its even my first Bec McMaster book! Thankfully, I have a bunch of her back list to work through. I love the blend of Persephone and Hades and of Fae in this series. There are so many likable characters in which I’ve heard Bec plans to do more stories in this series. I can’t wait. I have to say I’ve been doing a lot of audios for reading and I have to say, that I actually physically read this book. It took me 4 days, because I was also trying to savor it for as long as possible. The writing and detail was just that good. Omg and this COVER!!!!!!!! Its so gorgeous! Again, it just might be my favorite. I can’t wait to see the others.
Bec does it again—no surprise there! In Promise of Darkness, she has beautifully found inspiration from the tale of Hades/Persephone and put her own twist on it. I finished this book in roughly two days, cheering on our MC’s, Vi and Thiago the entire way. There “courtship” left me hungry for more, and by the end of the book, all I could think about is “What will happen next?!”
I don’t know if the series will feature Vi and Thiago strictly in the subsequent books or switch to new love interests, but I’ll happily read on to see how Bec wraps up this dark tale.
A must-read! This story will sweep you off your feet and leave you hungry for more, so please, Bec, do everyone a kindness and release book two ASAP!
I have read all of Bec’s steampunk books, so I started off looking forward to reading her latest book. Promise of Darkness begins a new series which is high fantasy in a world of Seelie and Unseelie fae. There’s a curse, thwarted love, difficult family relationships, battles, and intrigue. There’s enough connection between their legends and ours to make it familiar but enough differences to keep it interesting.
I’m so glad I read Promise of Darkness by Bec McMaster because I had a hard time putting down this book. First off, this book had me from the beginning to the end due to the storyline and characters. I loved how Bec McMaster wrote a fairy twist based on Hades and Persephone’s myth.
Princess Iskvien aka ‘Vi’ is one female protagonist who wants her mother’s love, but never receives it. She’s forced for three months to spend time with Prince of Evernight due to the treaty they have in place. Her mother Queen Adaia wants Vi to assassinate the Prince when she’s with him, but Vi won’t do it, even if she is to gain her mother’s love and trust. Vi knows that there are secrets and will fight to learn them in this story. She’s not one to run and hide. She’s there to learn the truth and knows the Prince of Evernight aka Thiago has his secret agenda with her when she’s with him. He’s very protective and generous with her and doesn’t make a move on her unless she consents to it. He’s a gentleman, but he has another side to him. Every other kingdom fears him because of his other side. Vi sees him in action when they come across one of the Unseelie Queens doing the unthinkable, and they get caught in the crossfires of some ruthless Banes (wolf-like creatures). She’s not scared of him though. She should be because she has been fed lies about him from her mother. The truth is unveiled towards the middle of the story, and it was a big shock.
I knew it was coming from how Bec McMaster wrote the story. I loved how she wrote the story in first person and Vi’s Point of View only. I felt like I was feeling her pain and love in this story. Here is a female character who only wants to be loved, and when she finds love, it’s taken away from her. There’s also the story of the Old Ones that the Seelie and Unseelie courts put away in the Underworld and they should stay there. Unfortunately, others believe the Old Ones should be resurrected. Vi is going to find out some of the Old Ones and if they indeed are evil. She will also find out a lot more in this story that I don’t want to give away.
I kept swiping my Kindle’s screen when reading this book because I had a hard time putting it down. I was intrigued by the storyline and how Bec McMaster kept me wanting more. Now I have to wait for the second book in the series, especially after what Vi had done in this book. She did the unthinkable, but she chose the unthinkable to have what she most wanted in her life. Her mother is a ruthless villain in this story, but be warned other villains in the story will make her seem very weak. I loved this story and anxiously wait for the next book. I’ve read Bec McMaster’s Steampunk Romance books, but this series may become a favorite of hers. I can’t gush enough, and I can’t wait to see where she has all the characters go next in the second book.
Story Rating: 5 stars
Steaminess Rating: 3.5 stars
Standalone or part of series: Part of the Dark Court Rising series and highly recommend reading in order.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, most definitely.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes.
Tropes/Elements: Paranormal Fantasy; Fae (Seelie/UnSeelie); Enemies-to-Lovers; Fairy Retelling of Hades and Persephone
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the Blog Tour Host in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
So one of my favourite authors has only gone and written an adult story about the tricky Fae and obviously I’m definitely on board to read this ! We meet Vi, one of two Princesses of the Seelie Court and I think it’s fair to say her life has been one long battle but her mother’s announcement that Vi become a willing hostage of Thiago, the Prince of Evernight is shocking. Is her mother trying to get rid of her or are there secrets hidden in the Court of Evernight ?
I truly enjoyed this story and it was oh so very obvious that Vi was being lied to and yes I had guessed some of this but there were still a few surprises along the way. Thiago, is doing his very best to tempt Vi at every turn which was very amusing but Vi resists his undoubted charms because she wants oh so much to please her manipulative and cruel mother. Trouble is the secrets kept from Vi are deadly and in order to end a curse Vi will do whatever it takes but in this dangerous world there are always consequences !
A combination of fairy tales and mythology plus a believable slow burn romance kept me glued to my kindle. I defy anyone to read this and not fall in love with these characters. The betrayals just keep coming, the action is phenomenal and the sense of love and empowerment just blew me away. We do get a happy ending but this actual journey is far from over and I cannot wait to find out what these dangerous Fae get up to next because war is coming !
This voluntary take is of an advanced copy and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair
Bloody wow, I actually devoured this story in one sitting it was sheer brilliance from start to finish, I just couldn’t put it down.
Imaginative and with such attention to detail Promise of darkness was the complete package and this just worked for me in every single way.
So this tale was inspired by the Greek myth of Hades and Persophone and set amid the intrigue of the Seelie and Unseelie courts.
Set against a rich fantasy backdrop this fae reimagining perfectly compliments the mythological legend and is a fascinating saga of secrets, half-truths and misdirection.
Promise Of Darkness is a fantasy romance and is the story of Thiago Prince of Evernight and Iskvien Princess of Thorns also the daughter of Thiago’s enemy the cunning and cruel Queen of Thorns.
Iskvien or Vi to her friends as a gesture of peace between there Kingdoms is bartered away as a political prisoner to be the guest of the Prince of Evernight for three months.
But almost straight from the start, it is apparent to Vi that she is being kept in the dark and whatever game is currently afoot here she is last invited to play and the only participant without a full deck.
With no idea what her role in these proceedings might be or even what it may entail Vi is scrabbling around for the answers she is just not getting.
The unfolding mystery here hooked and enthralled me and at times this was just so bittersweet, extremely well written and the only thing that could have improved things for me here was maybe some of Thiago’s POV.
Despite not getting a ringside seat into his thoughts the author has still managed to invest me in him I absolutely adored Thiago he was everything loyal, fierce, protective and so much more and all encased in a tragic backstory what’s not to adore here.
Vi was another winner for me she was a combination of hungering desire needing acceptance and validation from her mother while still having a backbone of steel when it comes to the people she holds dear.
Her core strength is her innate goodness and how she has managed to retain this in her mother’s court is anyone’s guess.
This one was quite slow-burn in nature expertly building-up a sense of anticipation and ratcheting up the heat very subtlety.
This fit the narrative a treat and when things finally exploded I was definitely more than ready and panting right alongside our royal Princess.
I did kinda know roughly what we were heading towards to a point with this being a myth retelling and all so I did have the general gist of it but despite these things, this still felt just so fresh and magical in its execution.
A beautiful and at times tragic story of patience, love and fantasy that made me catch my breath with its brilliant simplicity.
Finally, this one concludes in an HFN but there is definite set-up for further book’s here.
Listen to me gushing all over this but I really did love this a lot.
A brand new author for me, but one I will now definitely be checking out further stuff from as this really did bowl me over.
This one gets a massive thumbs up from me I recommend it highly.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Promise of Darkness (Dark Court Rising, #1).
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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Promise of Darkness is a Romantic Fantasy by Bec McMaster. I was captivated by the cursed Prince of Evernight and how dedicated he is to Princess Iskvien. There’s a big mystery surrounding this love story.
Once you start reading, you’ll find yourself on one wild ride! It has fascinating characters, suspense, intrigue, danger, and romance.
Will the cursed Prince of Evernight succeed at wooing Princess Iskvien who has been given as a political hostage for three months? The princess has her own mission to carry out, secretly given by her ruthless mother. Who is the true enemy? What will happen when time runs out?
Love this author. There is always a great story, wonderful characters, a little steam and the author sets a an excellent pace. I have just downloaded Book 2 and can’t wait for the final book.