Together, then, wife?
Once Written in Gilded Blood
K. M. Moronova
Cruel Fates, book two
ebook, 400 pages
Published August 18, 2026
ASIN 1464293627
ISBN 9781464293627
Netgalley eARC
Love is the sharpest weapon of all….
Born with gilded blood, Alira is a demigod knight forged for war - her rare gift makes her both priceless and disposable in the eyes of the gods she serves. When centuries of bloodshed threaten to consume the world, she is sent into a political marriage with Kalel Lornhelm, the infamous Blood Knight and demon commander of Devicit.
Devicit is a kingdom of beauty and terror, hidden behind a shimmering magical veil. As Alira is drawn into demon life, mistrust slowly gives way to desire, and Alira learns that Kalel has been bound to her fate far longer than she ever knew.
But beneath the city’s splendour lies a devastating secret. As gods rise, war reignites, and the systems that shaped them both demand blood once more, Alira and Kalel must confront the cost of peace….
It's a book two. And, a book two, should never be this damn slow in its pacing.
The first quarter of the story is Kalel lying and Alira sensing those lies. That's about a hundred pages of dull, going nowhere dialogue filled with brunch, backburner suspicion, and an arranged marriage that felt as dry as reality would expect it to be.
She sold herself into a marriage to end the war but, unwittingly, became a Trojan horse instead.
And it couldn't have felt more drawn out.
This is a lovers to enemies tale... and I was begging for the enemies stage for half the book. And even that was bleh when it arrived.
I'm a fan of Moronova, especially her Dark Forces duology.
The first book in the Cruel Fates series, Once Upon a Demon's Heart, was a strong 4-stars from me. I enjoyed it so much that I hunted down the release date for book two, added it to wishlists and shelves, and even set an alarm when the Netgalley drop was announced.
What an unfathomable disappointment it turned out to be.
It's dull. The pacing is excruciatingly slow. The FMC is undoubtedly the most complacent protagonist I've encountered in a long while and her leading male (a demon; not a man!) is too busy wallowing in his self-pity to be bothered to right any wrongs.
Neither of them manages to keep the story engaging, and if it weren't for the gods forcing their hands, they would have been perfectly fine withering away in Mortem while time continued to matter to any and everyone else.
Time certainly felt slower while dragging myself to the end of this book.
2 out of 5 stars.
Available in ebook | hardcover
Previously in the series:
2026/37