Book Review of Lord of Ruin by K.M. Enright
Name of Book: Lord of RuinAuthor: K.M Enright
ISBN: 9780356521169
Publisher: Orbit
Part of a Series: Age of Blood
Type of book: vampires, dark, LGBtQ+ romances, romantasy, power, blood, adult content, fantasy, love triangle, throuple, MFM relationship, female to male trans character
Year it was published: 2025
Summary:
Dark, sexy, and twisty, this book will seize you by the throat and hold your attention to the very end' Andrea Stewart, author of Bone Shard Daughter, on Mistress of Lies
LOVE WILL BE THEIR RUIN
It has been six months since the failed coup led by Isaac De La Cruz, and Shan LeClaire is struggling under the mantle of Royal Blood Worker. Left with a dwindling blood supply and a ravenous nation whose thirst will drown them, Shan is forced to turn to darker means to fill the need. And that is only the start of the horrors her Eternal King asks of her.
Now Councillor to the King, Samuel is trapped in a labyrinthine world of politics and bylaws. Crushed by the knowledge that he can never change things from within, Samuel breaks from Shan, turning to her rebellious brother to help him rescue the disgraced Isaac de la Cruz from the King's dungeons.
Despite his newfound freedom, all is not well with Isaac. His actions have consequences, the dangerous magic he experimented with changing him from man to monster. But a monster might just be the only thing that can stand up to the Eternal King. Embracing the beast within, Isaac will see this broken nation shattered-even if it would cost the love of those he holds most dear.
Lord of Ruin is the addictive sequel to Mistress of Lies, a dark fantasy romance with sizzling spice, vampiric blood magic and cutthroat politics.
Praise for this
'Politics, family, and desire weave a tangled web across a decadent, blood-soaked city in this stunning debut. Dark, dangerous, and entrancing!' Melissa Caruso
'Dark and gripping, raw and beautifully imagined. With their stunning prose, compelling morally grey characters, inventive magic system, and knack for piercingly heartfelt moments amidst all the horror and intrigue, K.M. Enright is definitely one to watch' Thea Guanzon, author of The Hurricane Wars
'A stunning tale ripe with political scheming, fascinating magic, and deliciously complicated characters you can't help but root for. A decadent story that won't let you go' Sara Hashem, author of The Jasad Heir
'A dark, delicate, beauty of a novel, with all the edges of sharpened steel' K.S. Villoso, author of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro
'Glittering darkly with facets of magic, romance, and deep lore, Mistress of Lies is a seductive and blood-soaked jewel of a debut' Lyra Selene, author of A Feather So Black
'A dark fantasy the way it should be intricately built, steeped in political intrigue, featuring messy families, morally grey protagonists, and visceral blood magic. I adored the world Enright has created, deep and complex, with an atmosphere so thick, you can slice it with a knife' Genoveva Dimova, author of Foul Days
'Captivating and deadly, Mistress of Lies enthralls from the very first page. Twisted through with the darkest of secrets. . . a powerful exploration of race, class and injustice' Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins On Their Bones
Main characters are Shan LeClaire, Samuel Hutchins and Isaac De La Cruz. I don't think their personalities have really changed from the previous books. Shan continues to plot and scheme; Isaac continues to be obsessed with power and to dominate, and Samuel continues to be the conscience for Isaac and Shan. The arcs are definitely a lot more high stakes, and there are more fascinating secondary characters in terms of Shan's brother, Anton and the Eternal King. Anton is a complicated character who is put into a very position, that of a minority afforded more privileges than many of his ilk do. Eternal King could be worked on a lot more, and I am definitely curious as to why the Eternal King is so obsessed with the love triangle. Eternal King is much more darker though and is willing to take what he can at the risk of everything. (Kind of a common theme between all the characters.)
Theme:
What will you sacrifice for power?
Plot:
Just like previous book, this is in third person narrative from Shan's and Samuel's points of view, in addition to Isaac, so yes Isaac gets a point of view (screams inside with glee). And yes reading the previous book is necessary. (The previous story narrative is provided by the way.)The story picks up six months later and the plot is far more interesting and daring and towards the end there are a lot of high stakes decisions that have to be made. Having said that, I don't really find myself interested or intrigued to find out what happens to the characters next, at least for me its not high stakes.
Author Information:
(From goodreads)
Opinion:
This was a lot better than Mistress Of Lies. The world is explained a bit more, in particular that of Blood Workers and a little bit of Unblooded, and its a horrifying world, honestly. For the good parts, there is more exploration of the world such as Blood Working as well as possibilities and limitations. I also loved the Tagalan version of the vampire which sounds extremely creepy, and the pace is picked up which makes it an exciting story. One of the things that I wasn't much of a fan is the constant adult scenes. I enjoyed them ,they were well written, but I am not big on constantly seeing them. I also feel as if the king needs to be worked on a lot. For someone who is a thousand or more years old, the king doesn't really act as one would expect a monarch to do so.
This was given for review
3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
What will you sacrifice for power?
Plot:
Just like previous book, this is in third person narrative from Shan's and Samuel's points of view, in addition to Isaac, so yes Isaac gets a point of view (screams inside with glee). And yes reading the previous book is necessary. (The previous story narrative is provided by the way.)The story picks up six months later and the plot is far more interesting and daring and towards the end there are a lot of high stakes decisions that have to be made. Having said that, I don't really find myself interested or intrigued to find out what happens to the characters next, at least for me its not high stakes.
Author Information:
(From goodreads)
K. M. Enright is a Filipino-American writer of fantasy romance. When not writing, he can be found playing too many video games, cooking, or listening to Broadway musicals. He currently lives in New Jersey with his spouse and their black cat, Zuko.
Opinion:
This was a lot better than Mistress Of Lies. The world is explained a bit more, in particular that of Blood Workers and a little bit of Unblooded, and its a horrifying world, honestly. For the good parts, there is more exploration of the world such as Blood Working as well as possibilities and limitations. I also loved the Tagalan version of the vampire which sounds extremely creepy, and the pace is picked up which makes it an exciting story. One of the things that I wasn't much of a fan is the constant adult scenes. I enjoyed them ,they were well written, but I am not big on constantly seeing them. I also feel as if the king needs to be worked on a lot. For someone who is a thousand or more years old, the king doesn't really act as one would expect a monarch to do so.
This was given for review
3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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