#vela roth

[staciass]

[velveteen-lies]

„Who would not count himself fortunate to be your choice, when all your choices are so carefully made?”

- Blood Mercy, Vela Roth

[savvyjournaling]

SPOILERS if you happen to read the entries.

I finished reading Blood Union: Part Two and it was really good! I’m glad I started writing stuff down about what happens in the books because apparently this is an unfinished series and the next book doesn’t come out until late July. These will be good refreshers.

[bmacreadz]

"Blood Mercy" by Vela Roth

"Blood Mercy" is a fantasy novel that promises a slow-burn, steamy romance. It is slow and it is steamy, but it's also cute and sad and interesting.

The reader follows Cassia, who is the human bastard daughter of the King who rules Tenebra - the region of land that sits south of Othros (separated by water) and north of Cordium (or, the Magelands). Right from the start, we realize that Cassia has spent most her life in fear of her father and his court. She has stayed quiet and docile, but has a plan cooking from the very first page. What that plan is - of course, we don't know. And we won't know until at least halfway through the book.

Starting off, there's a lot to unpack and it can get kind of tangled in the mind, if you're like me. The reader is provided all this information that they have to shuffle through all at once to know what's going on and nothing is explained very well in the beginning. The initial chapters are a little daunting, but it starts to clear up midway through if you have the patience.

(There's also a map of the world in the book that helps the reader identify major locations, but doesn't help for the more specific places that are mentioned, like the temples, forests, ruins, etc. AND there's a glossary in the back of the book, which I only realized was there halfway through reading it. It helped a ton, and I'm so glad the author decided to include it.)

Within the first several chapters, we meet Lio - an initiate ambassador from Othros who has traveled to Tenebra with the other members of the Hesperine embassy ("Hesperine" is the name given to the nocturnal people who feed on blood for their life force) to negotiate peace talks with the King and his council (which is the Council of the Free Lords). There's a lot of backstory here about why these negotiations need to take place. Like I mentioned, it can be confusing at first, but it clears up as the story progresses.

Cassia and Lio, fairly early on, form a clandestine friendship of sorts as they maneuver their way through the Summit (which is the name given to the series of talks taking place between the Hesperines and the King and his Council) in their respective roles. Cassia is very limited in what she's allowed to do (by order of the King) and Lio cannot jeopardize his very first diplomatic mission by meeting with Cassia, but alas, she needs whatever answers she's looking for and he just can't stay away from her. Their friendship ultimately evolves into something else, which could expectedly either end very well or very badly for everyone.

"Blood Mercy" is told from both Cassia and Lio's perspective, which was a very good choice by the author. Their lives, perspectives, goals, and feelings are so different from one another. It was nice to see how they responded to each other and the things going on around them through their own thoughts.

Overall, the story was captivating. I enjoyed Cassia and Lio and - because it was more of a slow-burn - I'm glad that the author mainly focused on their interactions. However, despite focusing mainly on the two characters' nighttime rendezvous, Roth still gave the reader a decent picture of each character individually and their day-to-day lives. We learned a lot about the other characters this way, and it worked well.

Now, this is a seven-book series so I don't know if I'll be hanging on through the whole thing. I am not ashamed to admit that I don't have that long of an attention span nor do I desire to read seven books of the same story - especially when they are as long as these ones are. However, I could see myself wanting to read more and eventually maybe reading them all at some point. There was something about this book that makes me glad I read it, though I'm hesitant to get too attached.

The way this story was written kind of set me back a little. The vernacular didn't always make sense and it could get a little cheesy. The dialogue between characters who had known and loved each other didn't always seem familiar or friendly. More than once, the characters spoke to each other as if they were speaking solely to the reader in order to tell a little more of the story, or get a slightly better glimpse into their life, but it didn't flow like you would hope for it to. It seemed forced and a little stale. The friendships here didn't write themselves, if that makes sense? Because of that, I left this book not deeply caring about any of the other characters. Lio and Cassia were the only characters whose conversation seemed to flow without too much effort - thankfully, since their conversations make up about half of the book.

Overall, it was a good story, in my opinion. I definitely liked it. The ending was outrageous, but a phenomenal effort in getting the reader to come back for more. Did it work on this reader? I guess we will see.

[lexilasso]

Blood Ruse, by Vela Roth

¿Does anyone have this book to download? I can't find it anywhere to buy or download, but I know it exists because it's in Goodreads and because it is announced in the final pages of another book from the same author. I would really appreciate some help! I'm dying to read it!!!

[38redroses]

[vinegarce]

Does anyone else read the Blood Mercy series? I’m woefully without fics and fan art having just finished the series as written so far.

Just means I’ll have to do it myself ig

[deanncastiel]

2024 DNF #10

Title: Blood Mercy Author: Vela Roth Genre: Romantasy Series: Blood Grace, Book 1

One human. One immortal. Will their alliance save the kingdom, or will their forbidden love be a death sentence? When Cassia seeks out a Hesperine, he could end her mortal life in a heartbeat. But she has no fear of his magic or his fangs. She knows the real monster is the human king, her father. If he finds out she’s bargaining with his enemy, he’ll send her to the executioner. As a Hesperine diplomat, Lio must negotiate with mortals who hate him. Cassia is different, but politics aren't why she captivates the gentle immortal. He wants more than her blood, and if he can’t resist the temptation, he’ll provoke the war he's trying to prevent.

DNF'd at: 72%

Quick thoughts: This started off fine, but then the MCs got together, and it became so fucking boring. I couldn't fathom finishing this one let alone the next seven in the series. The author is very verbose.

[hermit-paula]

Lio and Cassia in Orthros (From Blood Mercy, by Vela Roth).

[itsteiloh]

There are extraordinary occasions when, in our defiance of all we have been told is right, we find something even more precious…something sacred. Sometimes what we have been told we must not want is precisely what we need. Sometimes rebellion leads us home.

Blood Solace (Blood Grace, #2)

[staciass]

💖💖❤️

[messfc]

i didnt think these vampire romance books would have me in a chokehold but here we are

[thatwritergirlsblog]

Blood Mercy by Vela Roth | SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

[savvyjournaling]

Notes on my current read: SPOILERS if you read the entry.

Blood Union: Part One by Vela Roth

Summarized—

I’m 85% through the book. So far Cassia’s Gifting has been delayed in favor of her and Lio going in search of her older sister Solía, who she’d thought to be dead.

They followed a lead to Solia’s savior who informed Cassia and Lio that she’d entrusted Solía to a famous mercenary for save-keeping. Cassia and Lio then followed that trail to a different kingdom of the Empire. They weren’t able to find that particular mercenary but instead found one called Monsoon, which is right where I’ve stopped reading so far.

I don’t trust the characters it seems I’m supposed to do (Dakk), and I do trust the ones I apparently shouldn’t (Monsoon).

[kyriathanatos]

Have you read the Blood Grace series by Vela Roth? It’s a fantasy series and one of the main goddesses in the religion in that world is named Kyria

WHAT!!! NO I HAVEN'T BUT IM GONNA GO FIND IT NOW

[sagedumortain]

9 people you want to get to know better

i was tagged by @sussoro thank you so much 🌼

last song: not strong enough by boygenius - the whole album, called the record, is absolutely incredible. stunning. amazing. beautiful. i’ve listened to it on repeat so many times.

currently watching: i used to watch many tv shows, but now i mostly watch book videos on youtube or twitch streams, so i don’t really have an answer for this one! 

currently reading: blood solace by vela roth (book two of the blood grace series) - i gave the first book 5 stars and i had to pick up the sequel right away after the ending. fantasy is my favourite genre, and i love fantasy romance ♡

current obsession: video games and particularly the sims 4, fortnite, and the legend of zelda: tears of the kingdom at the moment - i always have a game i’m currently playing, i love video games so much ♡

tagging: whoever wants to answer these!