Lord of Ruin

The Age of Blood #2

by K.M. Enright

'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

Genres: Fantasy, Vampires, Adult, Horror, Queer, LGBT, Romantasy

465 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2025

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Lance]

E-ARC generously provided by Orbit in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

THIS COVER HELLO???

[Billie's Not So Secret Diary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lord of Ruin
by K.M. Enright
The Age of Blood #2
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug 12, 2025
Orbit Books
Ages: 21+

After the failed coup by Isaac, the King appointed Shan as the Royal Blood Worker, and Samuel he acknowledged and appointed him as a royal advisor in charge of the law enforcement. Isaac sits in a cell, waiting for his execution.

Hating the backstabbing ways of politics, Samuel begins to distance himself from Shan, who seems to be embracing her role as Royal Blood Worker. And with the help of Shan's brother, Samuel helps break Isaac from his cell.

But Isaac isn't the same person. The magic Isaac used is creating a monster of myth, but one that may be able to beat the Eternal King.


This is book 2 of the series and picks up roughly six months after the first. And while the vampire/blood relationship was better described, the story itself was slow, but the overall plot was ruined by adult content. Sure, I was able to skip it, but I still had to skim it to find out when it ended. If it must be added, make the print smaller so it's easier to distinguish from the real plot and not the “just to jump on the bandwagon to make a few more bucks.”

The cover looks a little generic, but it and the title do kind of match with the plot.

The story is interesting enough that I would like to find out what happens in the next book, and with the... spoilers.... there may not be that much content, but I really don't care to take that chance.

Yes, there is violence, but it's the adult content that makes this unsuitable for readers under twenty-one.


2 Stars

[Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this follow up definitely builds on the first in a positive way, but at the same, I'm still left with the same feelings about the characters asking why. The world building was expanded on in some aspects, but the 3 main characters don't really get any new motivations, and the ones they do get sort of make them worse people?

I don't really understand the purpose of having this be 3 POVs. This story felt like it went from being about Shan to primarily being about Isaac, but still giving Shan chapters in which she basically does nothing. Shan is so selfish that it's hard to really understand why she's pretending to act like her embracing her job is about overthrowing the king when it's obvious she only cares about gaining power. I suppose that could make her morally gray, except she's just contributing to objectively evil things in-universe?

Samuel still somehow has zero agency and only exists to be babied and used as a sex toy even though he has the strongest power out of anyone in this series. Book 1 literally ends with him being OP, but in this he immediately reverts back to getting nothing done and being coddled by everyone around him. He wants to stand up so badly, and he just doesn't. Why not?????

Isaac......is the main character of this story somehow and is using his turning into manananggal as justification to overthrow the oppressive monarchy but....I didn't get why he had to do that to make that particular stance. He's already been arrested and broke out, and he's been contributing to the resistance. I didn't understand why he had to further sacrifice his humanity and turn into a monster to accomplish that? Sure, he was draining ~evil politicians, but like, the whole point of this movement being created was to stop the full body draining of unblooded? So he drains the blood workers instead and willingly turns into a monster?? Drains them and actively gives the oppression ideas on how to create NEW MONSTERS to oppress the unblooded?? It didn't seem smart.

In addition, it felt like the author was trying to add new lore with the manananggal and I could infer that it was Filipino lore (and that Isaac/Shan/Anton are Filipino), but it didn't make sense that Isaac was the only manananggal that existed while everyone else that drained blood in the same way was turned into a vampire. Is it because he's Filipino? What exactly are even the differences between the 2 besides manananggal being able to split their bodies in half? It wasn't explained at all so you're just seeing him splitting in half while other people are vampires that don't split in half. He didn't have any specific powers that warranted making this a noticeable difference.

The romance remains confusing as well. I don't know what either of them saw in Shan, and this was really a romance between Isaac and Samuel who somehow fell in love with each other after communicating not that often in book 1. The scenes also felt randomly placed. Like every time one happened it was like...hmm okay I guess? I will say, that the romance between Shan/Tristan was way more interesting to me. I think we need to let go of Shan being a “good person” and just let her be diabolical. Her pretending she didn't want to be queen even after spending this entire story doing everything in her power to actively oppress people alongside the king was a choice. Just be evil girl.

Idk. This one was better than book 1 in some ways and worse in other ways, but I'll keep reading because I'm still interested to see what happens in the end.

I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Orbit and Netgalley!

[Lilibet Bombshell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I completely understand that writing the middle child book in a trilogy is difficult as hell, but I not only expected more from this book–I expected it to not be as boring as to put me to sleep so often it took me two days to finish reading it.

Mistress of Lies was one of the most interesting, fresh, and dynamic books I read in 2024. Was I completely blown away? No, but I was more than intrigued enough to look forward to this sequel all this year. I don’t know what happened to all that energy and dynamic storytelling from the first book, but Lord of Ruin simply plods along, moving between our three main characters with very little grace or suspense. The story itself feels like it lacks energy or propulsion.

Enbright does a dynamite job with writing the romantic and sexual dynamics between our three main characters and exploring their sexualities; this is especially the case with Issac, whom we didn’t get enough time with in the last book. If there was a character who deserved more page time and attention in this book, it was Issac, and Enbright did make the most out of Isaac’s chapters.

A synopsis of Mistress of Lies is provided at the beginning of the book, and that’s one of the best things about this book. That shouldn't be something I remember the most when I read a book. 3⭐️


I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. All reviews rated three stars or under will not appear on my main social media channels. Thank you.

[Ashli Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

I’ll be honest. I read this on and off on my kindle in between books so the time taken to read this isn’t because of the actual book.

the thing I loved so much about this first book was the characters relationships with each other. I loved seeing the childhood friendship turned romance between two, the new growing soft romance between the others. I loved seeing the polyamorous relationship grow from nervousness to all consuming adoration. I loved seeing the found family and actual family bonds. however, that was present within this. the characters were all split into different roads because of the plot, which I get and it made sense, but it did mean my main motivation for wanting to continue was missing..

with that being said, the ending really brought it back together and I am intrigued to see where book three takes us. I want my family back together. I want to see them tear down the monarchy together- NO MORE TIME APART PLS.

[Magdalena (magdal21) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m still a huge fan of this series, even if I might be in the minority who liked the second book just a tiny bit less than the first. That said, Lord of Ruin was still an incredibly enjoyable read. I’m very curious to see how things conclude, especially since I didn’t realize this was going to be a trilogy, and I was half-expecting everything to wrap up in this book.

Lord of Ruin picks up right where Mistress of Lies left off. Our main characters – Shan, Samuel, and Isaac – are left dealing with the fallout from the dramatic ending of book one. It’s hard to talk about the plot without spoiling anything, but the consequences of what happened turn out to be far more far-severe than anyone expected, particularly for Isaac.

Speaking of Isaac – while the first book felt mostly centered on Shan, this installment shifts the spotlight more toward him, though we still get POV chapters from all three characters. Isaac’s arc is dramatic, but also quite epic, to be honest. If you’re craving the eat the rich vibes, this is the story for you. Each of the protagonists undergoes significant growth here, although I did feel that Samuel was somewhat sidelined. He seemed to lack a certain degree of agency in this book, but I’m hoping that changes in the final volume.

Plot-wise, the book reads well, though there were moments of repetitiveness and slower pacing. Part of that might be due to my own expectations – I mistakenly assumed this was the final book in a duology, which was obviously my error and not the book’s fault.

One element I wished had been fleshed out more was the emotional dynamic between the characters. Beyond the physical chemistry (this book is definitely spicier than the first), I would’ve liked to see a bit more emotional depth – more yearning between these morally grey protagonists. A deeper exploration of their feelings could’ve elevated the story even more, but that’s a fairly minor critique.

On a positive note, like the first book, Lord of Ruin handles representation exceptionally well. It’s still refreshing to see that in a fantasy setting, where trans representation remains rare. I also really appreciated how Filipino folklore plays a more prominent role this time.

All in all, despite a few minor nitpicks, I had a great time with this book and will be purchasing a physical copy. I’m eagerly awaiting the final installment, especially given how the ending sets up even higher stakes for the conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blood and gore and queers, oh my.


I was genuinely really excited for this book and I was putting off reading the first one so I could try and read them a bit closer together (but of course there's another book after…) but I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in how it all came together.

Now, I said in my review of the first book that I thought this magic system was so interesting and vampiric but as the story progressed into the sequel, the issues I had with the writing style shifted more into focus

But one of my biggest gripes with the book is how drastic the tone is between the two in the series. I did read the warnings and tags but when I read mistress of lies, it never seemed *that* offensive, almost ya in nature and I think it all lulled me into a false sense of innocence. Because when the second book started we immediately turned up the intensity of it all, from the blood and gore to the almost fanfic level of smut in both detail and the random monster-fucking and I was so not prepared. But that is partly on me for not assuming it based on the content warnings I guess.

Honestly my biggest gripe with the book is the sheer lack of breathing room in it all. That's not to say there isn't a lull in the book, because there definitely is, but in the way that too much of the intrigue of it all is spelled out and spoonfed to us continuously, and it doesn't allow the reader to put together the pieces themselves. One of the points in the trope map was on political intrigue, and as someone who usually hates it because it all goes over my head, this all felt very simple to me and still was shoved in my face in case I didn't get it the first 800 times. I think this also added to the whole almost ya vibes of the series as the major conflicts felt too underdeveloped. So all that mixed with heavy sex scenes that felt more like distractions of the flaws to the reader and to the plot itself, I found it hard to categorize and find a pace with this book.


But I do still really love the queer and asian rep in the book, especially the incorporation of the asian vampiric mythology despite how gory and brutal, it was cool to see it all incorporated together.

thanks to netgalley and orbit books for the arc

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Orbit for the ARC!

Shan, they will never make me hate you. N E V E R.

(Also definitely read the content warnings for this one, because it's much spicier and darker than the first book!!!)

While the opening scene doesn't pack quite as much of a punch as Mistress of Lies, I had a great time with this one!

This book was all about growth and managing the fallout of the events of the first book--on top of dealing with the consequences of their actions, Isaac, Shan, and Samuel also have to deal with the impact their actions had on their relationships with each other. And it is M E S S Y. This book is definitely spicier than the first one as all of the characters start with relying on their physical connections with each other to help them cope with the emotional damage done to their relationships while they work to repair those and the trust lost between them.

But also, I'm loving Shan's character arc and how it seems in opposition to Isaac and Samuel--where she was the one leading the charge initially, in this one she's falling down a darker path and appears to be moving away from her ideals and into the "dark side" of things, while those who love her are all part of the rebellion. I loved it--it makes for a much more interesting story and relationship dynamics over everyone being on the same side.

But also....they're still hiding things from each other and trying to do everything on their own (looking at you, Shan) so it really shows how love can be blinding and the things we'll do for those we love know no bounds.

Oh, and we've got actual vampires now. VAMPIRES, FOLKS!! And more incredible worldbuilding with Fillipino roots. I am so here for it and can't wait for the next one!

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

DISAPPOINTED!!

I LOVED Mistress of Lies, like so so much. It was such a treat and so amazing, but everything that gave Mistress its strength seems to fizzle out in Lord of Ruin leaving me so empty and frustrated.

The characters that I adored were like caricatures of themselves from the first book. Shan was so flip floppy and I honestly would have much rather she just went full evil. She follows the Eternal King up until the last 10% of the book and only changes her mind when her ex-fiancé (Samuel) gets hurt by the King. Genuinely, her chemistry with the King was 1000 times better than with either Samuel or Isaac.

Samuel was described as an innocent golden retriever boyfriend as he’s actively helping the rebellion and setting up the murder of his political rivals. He’s literally a huge whiner the whole time and serves only as a sex toy for both Shan and Isaac. I genuinely cannot believe that either of them actually liked him.

ACTUALLY I can’t believe any of the threesome loved each other. Their relationship was solely lust based and they constantly SAID they loved each other but genuinely didn’t ever show it outside of the sex scenes. Also the amount of random smut in this book (especially compared to the first book) is ramped up an insane amount and I found a lot of it cringy but again that’s because I didn’t believe the relationships one bit.

I came for the political vampires, which does deliver, but it just wasn’t the forefront like I wanted. The politics almost get shoved to the side but the vampire lore (especially the Filipino inspired lore) was SOOO cool. I wanted to just live in the vampire scenes, they were gory and insane.

I felt like I was pulling teeth to get through this and that is such a major disappointment to me. Thank you to Orbit and Hachette Audio for the eARC and ALC!

[chloecanread · Rating 4 out of 5]

With thanks to Orbit and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

3.75 stars

This book throws us right back into the political turmoil where book 1 left off. I really enjoyed the multi POVs in this book, and I found it easy to tell which POV I was reading from. I really liked the continuation of the plot from book 1. There’s no rehashing of the storylines, we are put straight into the action.

The politics and worldbuilding in this book are just as strong as the first one, and we learn more about the conflict and the ongoing political machinations. We also learn more about the king, and I was fascinated with those scenes!

The only thing stopping this from being a 4 star read for me was the relationship between our 3 main characters. I love Shan, Isaac, and Samuel individually as characters. However, we are TOLD that they all love each other, and we don’t really get shown that they love each other through actions. They have sex on page but I feel there’s something missing.

I did enjoy this book and I do intent to keep reading this series because I am fascinated by the world the author has built. I am hopeful that the next book will have more moments between our three characters.

[Kyrsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had missed this messy world so much! Shan, Isaac, Samuel, the whole gang - it was nice to be back with my friends :p

As a sequel, we pick up where we left off from Mistress of Lies.. and we left off in QUITE a pickle. Shan, Samuel, Isaac and more are really tested throughout this book and I'll tell you.. not everyone passes the tests they're given.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I am very interested to see where we go with the next one!

Big thank you to NetGalley & Orbit books for the advanced copy of this book!

[Lucia]

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

[Niki · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the fuck happened?!?! I loved “Mistress of Lies”. It was exciting to have a level of gender and sexuality representation we don’t see as often as I’d like. But this book was soo bad no forced myself to finish it convinced it would get better - then at 80% forcing myself just to finish it to see if the 3rd book would be worth it.

My thoughts:

The Romance
Mistress of Lies had its problems. It told more than it showed and I had been so confused especially with the love (esp Samuel and Isaac who barely interacted) but I waved it away because “gay! Yay!” The problem is, this is still a major issue. I could not tell you why these three love each other. They *talk* about loving each other but I don’t really see it. The author does a lot of the characters inner monologue focus that is recycling the same sentiment over and over:
-Isaac and Samuel both loving Shan but also she’s selfish and power hungry but also soo smart and beautiful
-Samuel being tired of treated like a good boy doggo who gets “protected”
-Shan clearly being down bad for the king but also feeling really bad about it esp cause Samuel is such a good guy(!)
-Blah blah blah

Character Development
I mean this exists sorta. But again, sooo much inner monologue that doesn’t feel earned, esp at the end when Shan goes to the “good” side. All 3 are less likable. For example:
-what the fuck Isaac is a proud monster killing people…and not all are evil! Especially the brand new guards at the end of the book. And he’s a fucking nasty predator, eating his prey in the grossest way possible. Yet Samuel thinks he’s beautiful with his intestines falling out? What the fuck yo.
-Samuel leaned into evil telling Isaac who to kill. Which, they deserved it. But there was a lot of “they treat me like I’m innocent good boy doggo but I am also Bad”

No Real Consequences
-Sooo Isaac went on a murder rampage and then the regular Unblooded were punished. People surely died and were tortured because of him. He gets some negative reaction from the rebel leaders for that and does show some contrition but basically everyone is like “you might be a monster but you’re our monster go kill more bb”
-the ending with Shan and forgiveness…I dunno, it didn’t feel earned.

Writing
-this book was soooo slow. Again inner monologue with a lot of telling not showing. But it made it boring. I kept thinking this was a duology and was like “thank god” until I learned 80% way through that there’s a book 3. I need fantasy romance authors to stop doing fucking trilogies or multi-book series! So many strong readers along when in reality they could tell a better story in fewer books

What I liked-
-Asian rep
-Trans rep
-Queer rep
-discussions of revolution and whether you work within the system like Shan or blow things up
Like Isaac

Overall I kinda hated it. My strong feelings are partly because I loved the first one and feel let down.

[Cyd’s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this book I’m rating it 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

Well damn what a follow up to book 1! Book 2 takes you on a whirlwind of emotions that I genuinely did not see coming. There’s so much conflict and emotion bringing the current situation unfolding to a boiling point. The eternal king is as toxic, scheming and volatile as always and this story picks up with our favourite trio at the heart of the story. Our main characters from book 1 seem to take such differing paths from the get go and its hard to say who will make it out alive. Our side characters were pivotal in this book and I feel like book 3 will see them become even more vital to the survival of everyone depending on them.

I will always recommend this series for fans of fantasy with rebellion, dark and flawed main characters who live to not be predictable. There’s romantic entanglements that will break your heart, but have you hoping for a redemption arc at every opportunity. I am so invested in this, book 3 needs to be available asap.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t finished this, but it’s like pulling teeth. I’m going to, I just have to get the courage to keep reading even when it’s pissing me off.

It should be an actual crime that a book with political intrigue that I LOVE has me this upset

Shan 😠
is the fucking worst in this book. I’m 54% in and she’s basically the eternal kings bitch. SHE dragged Samuel into this entire thing only so what? So she could use him for the king? So she could elevate herself to make up for her insecurity about not fitting in?! Boo hoo poor Shan grew up rich and had a place in society but she is foreign so oppressed… meanwhile humans are being arrested for nothing just to be unwilling blood bags on HER ORDERS! If she tells that eternal c u n t Samuel has his power again I will riot.

Back again at 79% and oh yeah FUCK SHAN. Seriously? You’re gonna BE WITH the eternal king because Samuel doesn’t want to be a coward and give in like you? Gross.

This book would be better if Shan got what she deserves…

I take that back she finally comes out of her selfishness when she sees what the king did to Samuel 🙄🥴

Everyone else is freaking golden. I cannot believe you got me to like Issac.
I did NOT picture this going this way in Mistress of Lies

Okay now that I’m finished and don’t loathe Shan (as much), this book is bananas and I’m definitely reading the next one because I need to see Tristan get taken down.

I’m upset Samuel hasn’t made good use of his special power and now the king has it?! Missed opportunity to make him the chosen one.

[Audreysreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the writing style, like first book
I did not really appreciate Shan in the first book. In this one she is morally grey and has some personal and political schemes but I had a hard time with her behaviour.
I liked Isaac's pov that I found was missing in the first book
Samuel and Shan had to play a double game in politics, but how far are they willing to go? Especially Shan.
Shan is morally grey like Isaac, on a different level. I was siding with Isaac. It was interesting to see how she redeemed herself.
The history behind the "vampires" was quite interesting. The author took his inspiration from Filipino culture and myths.
I loved how the sex scenes were a part of the characters development and how they expressed themselves through it.
I thought it was a duology, as it turns out it's not and I'm glad I'll get more of this story!

Thanks Little Brown Book UK for the ARC on Netgalley!

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit from Little Brown Book Group UK for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Release date : 12 August 2025

[Athena Freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. - Freya, arc & monthly book box pick reviewer (athenafreyag on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/athenafreyag/ )

Initial thoughts: I loved Mistress Of Lies!! I loved the different characters, the quick, clever plot, and the worldbuilding of Blood Working alongside the social nuances of class. I was very excited to read the sequel! More fantasy with trans rep please!!

What I liked 🤩: Isaac's character arc was amazing. We didn't see him very often in the first book, but he owns the second one. He learns from his mistakes, he learns to find allies and partners because he is not alone anymore. He doesn't shy from the aftermath of the first book, he holds himself accountable for the consequences of his actions, and I really loved that. Isaac is my favourite character because he is smart and doesn't pretend to be something he is not. And he fights for the people.

I was confused about how Samuel was portrayed for a good part of the book. The whole innocence facade drops when he tells someone to kill a person, in my opinion. And it got really old, really fast. He is no longer innocent, and Isaac and Shan should just see Samuel for who he is now and not who he was when they first met. People change lol. I mean, Samuel is still moral, and he still fights for the people, and yeah, he doesn't have extensive knowledge of how to navigate politics, but he is not innocent. But I realized later on that my problem was with Isaac's and Shan's perception of Samuel and not Samuel himself. He never attached the "innocent" label on himself. He wanted others to see him for who he was, and even though he is still a good person, he is not innocent, and he wanted others to recognize that. As soon as I realized that, I liked Samuel a lot, and it was prob my issue.

I liked the worldbuilding, too. We see more Filipino lore in this book as Isaac transforms, and it was really well done!! Since we saw Isaac much more in this book, we also saw more trans rep, and it is so needed!!!!!!!!!

Here, we also saw Anton, Shan's brother, a lot! I really liked him!!! A clever person who admits they were narrow-minded and actively changes to embrace more?! Oh my my, gimme more! Anton and Isaac was the best thing about this book!!

What I didn’t like 🙃: I didn't like Shan at all in this book. In the first book, she was against societal norms and expectations, she rebelled against them, and here, she almost dreamed to be on the side of the Eternal King just for the power and immortality and what she could achieve. Delusional ambition, that was what Shan was about. The narrative pushed towards that, but at the same time, there were instances where Shan eluded to other motives. It felt like she lost all hope or all morals. She was portrayed as someone who feared the total change, when in the first book, she didn't like how things were at all.

Which brings me to their relationship. How can Isaac and Samuel, who are on the same side and have the same goals, still love Shan who appears to be on the opposite side? It felt like they were still stuck on the people they were in the first book and didn't see who they were in this book.

The last 20% of the book should have been the main plot for the entire book, if you ask me. Isaac, Samuel, Shan, Anton, and the rest of the rebellion working together.

Overall: I can't wait to see how the series wraps up in the third book. I hope for a deeper character arc. I love Isaac and Anton, and I still like Samuel a lot!!

We need more fantasy books with trans rep by trans authors!!! To be honest, if this series was written by a white cis author, it would have been glorified. And this is a big issue in publishing.

SE info: The Illumicrate edition is up for sale.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whatever else I may say about Lord of Ruin, I can’t deny just how readable it is. It’s got a certain page-turner quality, keeping me engaged, even as I had to switch off my brain just a little. The writing’s not perfect—another editing pass could have cut a lot of same-sentence word repetition—but generally quite decent.

In a way, many of Lord of Ruin’s plotting problems are very typical of second novels in a series/trilogy. There are so, so many pages, but when you get down to it, not much is resolved and it doesn’t feel like a whole lot happens. Probably because the bulk of it is setup for book 3.

Chiefly, we have three character arcs to focus on. Of the three, I enjoyed Isaac’s the most. His transformation felt vivid, and a manananggal is eons more interesting than your garden variety vampire. Unfortunately, this same transformation meant that basically nothing save the Eternal King himself posed any sort of challenge to Isaac, and that killed any potential tension deader than dead in many scenes.

Samuel’s arc also had some merit. Not gonna lie, I found him a bit of a drip in the first book. Here, he still has his moments of uselessness. But then he remembers he can delegate! And when Samuel delegates, bitches die. I can get behind that, especially as his revolutionary convictions firm up and get pointy.

And then, there’s Shan. Shan in this book came very close to being utterly irredeemable. She angsted and whined, but ultimately kept proving over and over again that she didn’t care meaningfully about anyone other than herself. And she was SO freaking condescending every time she thought about Samuel, I honestly found myself feeling guilty for every mean thought I ever had about him. (I also didn’t love the way both Shan and Isaac waxed poetic about Samuel’s innocence, goodness, and purity. It felt melodramatic and infantilizing.) She did, ultimately, pull through somewhat in the eleventh hour, taking responsibility and taking action to redress some of her wrongs. Again, I didn’t love how both Isaac and Samuel instantly forgave her, but to be fair, I didn’t love the way Samuel instantly forgave Isaac after the events of book 1. Love me some hard-earned redemption; hate me some unearned forgiveness.

I’m also sorry to report, the main trio lost much of the chemistry they had in Mistress of Lies. Isaac’s most meaningful interactions, and thus best chemistry, felt like they were all with Anton. Shan had her badwrong vibes with the King (which made me wish Enright would commit to just letting her be a villain and letting those two be a wrongbad villain couple.) And I’ll be the first to raise a glass to the good ship Samuel/la revolucion. The trio had romantic conflict and professions of love aplenty, but honestly, I just wasn’t feeling it anymore.

The sex scenes were plentiful, but they were honestly just kind of okay. And I like me some sex scenes. Two of my favorite books are Kushiel’s Dart and The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. But Enright doesn’t quite have Carey’s or Jemisin’s way with prose, character, or tension-ratcheting intrigue, all of which contribute to the hotness of sex scenes in their own way.

But you know what, those pages kept turning. I was never tempted to DNF, and I actively want to know what happens next. Against a series of odds, I still care. And that gets an otherwise flawed book three stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lord of Ruin is the sequel to the queer dark romantasy Mistress of Lies. After thwarting Isaac’s coup, Shan now serves the Royal Blood Worker, second in power to the Eternal King, working alongside him while furthering her own agenda. Samuel has accepted his place as heir but continues to resist both the trappings of his station and Shan’s apparent complicity, instead turning to her brother to support the rebels. Meanwhile, haunted by the consequences of his failure, Isaac embraces the beast within, determined to bring down the Eternal King by becoming something even darker. With blurred lines and shifting loyalties, each must navigate the treacherous complexities of politics, magic, and power that threaten to drive them apart.

While I was initially invested in these characters, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the directions their arcs take. Shan, who once stood out for her defiance of her father and societal expectations, feels completely unraveled here. Her goals were always somewhat unclear, but in this book, it’s hard to discern what she’s even working toward (despite the narrative insisting otherwise). She acts in service of the very king she was supposedly against, with little visible conflict or resistance. The story wants her to be a tragic figure, but it’s hard to see tragedy in someone who consistently and consciously chooses a destructive path when alternatives are clearly present.

Samuel, meanwhile, is depicted with an exasperating degree of infantilization. He is constantly described as sweet, precious, and innocent—which might be forgivable if he showed any sign of resisting that characterization. Instead, he embraces it, using it as an excuse to avoid meaningful action, leaving others to do the necessary dirty work. For someone positioned powerfully as the heir, he feels oddly powerless and lacking in any agency of his own.

Isaac’s arc is the only one that truly resonated with me as the consequences of his last act in the previous book catches up with him. His body is being corrupted, manifesting physically into something monstrous, and not just into the mythical vampires, but a manananggal (of Filipino mythology) due to his “Tagalan” heritage. His slow evolution is compellinglg evocative, and his embracing of the change understandable.

Their central throupling fell flat. Beyond lust, there’s no longer any emotional connection between them. The book insists they’re in love, but offers little evidence outside of sex. Instead of having the difficult but necessary conversations that could move the plot or convince us of the depth of their relationship, they simply have sex instead—often at the expense of the narrative. As sexy as some of those scenes are, I would’ve gladly sacrificed them in favor of any actual development. Too often, the story grinds to a halt from the spice when it should be accelerating.

In the end, Lord of Ruin is a sequel that feels like it has lost its way.

*Thank you Little, Brown Group UK for the eARC via NetGalley

[Emily Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to K.M. Enright, Orbit, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of Lord of Ruin in exchange for my honest review.

Lord of Ruin is the second book in The Age of Blood series. There is a slight time jump between the end of the first book and this one; however, it is not an overly significant jump. Rather, the purpose of this jump feels as though it was meant to allow some time for Shan, Sam, and Isaac to all get accustomed to their situations in life. Overall, the character development in this book was outstanding. As a reader, I could feel how the characters were growing into the situations that they had put themselves in and how the plot of the book was shaping them as characters. We get to see Sam start to realize that he does not like the situation that he is in, and we get to see both Sam and Isaac make decisions that they know might send them on an opposite path from Shan. As for Shan, we get to see her try to survive in a role that she never wanted, and as readers, it is apparent that Shan's version of a better future is dramatically different from everyone else's. Shan was on her villain arc in this story, a little bit, or rather, she was morally gray. She was doing what she thought was right, even if it was not right for everyone. It was interesting to get to see what her thoughts were about the situations that she was in, and how her actions were interpreted by those around her. One thing became clear, however: Shan is going to have to fall hard if she is ever going to get on the same page as those she loves. Shan's arc made me wonder if a happy ending was even possible for her and what that would look like if it were. All I know is that she will have to go on a difficult journey if she is ever going to get to a semblance of a happy ending.

In many ways, this book was a filler plot, wise to get us from the first arc of this series to the second arc. However, it did not feel like a pointless story. It was very much needed if the next book is going to succeed. The character development that happens throughout this story is necessary, and even though the overall plot was not this fast-paced mystery or rebellion, it was a necessary one if we want that action-packed next book. I appreciated how, even though there did need to be these developments made and these bridges created, it was done well, and that it felt essential to the overall plotline of the series as a whole. Overall, a great book, and I look forward to book three. I have to know what is going to happen next, and even more, I am dying to know if peace is even possible for these characters.

[Acantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main two complaints from the previous book are here again, but somehow worse?

Shan... Shan I want to love. She should be this amazing powerful woman, but instead she comes across as more evil and stupid than the last one. Again she uses, lies and manipulates the people around her, the people she 'loves' and then gets mad and upset when they don't tell her things? She offers them no reason to trust her but is surprised when they don't. Eventually, she does come around and acknowledge this, but she did that last book so to see her having learnt ~nothing~ and have to sit through the same storyline of hers, only with higher stakes, was disappointing.

Samuel... what can I say about his arc? Page after page of characters going on about how pure and innocent and perfect he was, how they are *ruining* him. Meanwhile, when Samuel isn't with his loves, he's going around trying to make deals, make law and plan murder. This is no wide eyed innocent and the determination of everyone else to make him that remains deeply uncomfortable.

The characters seem to spend a lot of this book in a holding pattern almost. They repeat the same actions, the same thoughts, chapter after chapter.

It's infuriating because there is so much to like, so much I enjoyed and so much I wanted to enjoy.

The world remains a star, and we got to see a tiny bit more of it here, outside the city, which I loved. The blood working played a slightly less important part of the story overall, which fit perfectly in with the fact there is rationing. This is a hungry city in so many ways, so many layers and teeth.

The side characters are developed further, they have their own spark and I felt connected and engaged with all of them, be they good or bad.

The Eternal King was also fleshed out brilliantly, this is a villain to truly fear and the showdown when it happens, is going to shake the foundations of everything. I have no idea how they are going to be able to defeat him, not after the actions of this book.

I wish we could have learnt more about Mel's past, but her transformation was pitiful and terrifying in equal measures. The promise of her is a chilling one, and what comes next is going to be something to behold.

Anton is again, the star of the show, the real hero and I love him so much. He didn't have enough time with Bart, but he effortlessly stole every single scene he was in. Viva la Anton.

~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~

[Leah Harlann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, rounded down.

Lord of Ruin suffers from sequel slump in some ways, but also develops the relationship between our main trio in new and fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) ways. I truly struggled to sympathize with Shan as she "fell under the spell" of the Eternal King throughout this book. Shan as a character can certainly be tempted by the king, but I feel like if that was the case she should have been angling to be his queen much sooner. Enright tries to depict Shan being pulled in opposite directions by her love of power and her love for Isaac and Samuel, but it just doesn't come through until almost the end of the novel. She ends up having very little agency for most of this book compared to the first, and her emotions feel very wishy-washy regarding her loved ones, the people she is supposedly putting everything on the line to protect.

Isaac, in contrast, carries most of the story's intrigue and building tension in both his transformation and journey seeking redemption. He brings new world-building in the manananggal, even though we still know little to nothing about the world beyond Aeravin and Dameral. His work for the revolution and leveraging of his new powers are incredible story lines to explore his desire to repent and the violence in rising up against oppressive forces that dehumanize the people on which it relies to exist.

Samuel was mostly a supporting character this time, but that feels natural for him. He is a foil to both Isaac and Shan, and a mirror in which they can see when they have gone too far. Samuel saw the futility in trying to change the system from within, choosing instead to aid and condone the revolution even when they take extreme measures. He is sort of serving as a guide for the reader, trying to explain why the actions of the revolution can be forgiven when similar actions are perpetrated by the king and his government.

I will still read the final book, because I am interested in the conclusion and how far Blood Working can be explored in Enright's world. But I am not sure if this will be a series that stays with me long enough to keep it in my collection; I still like it for its poly rep (toxic as it is) and the blood magic system, but this is definitely a trilogy that appeals to a more specific audience.

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Mistress of Lies' was one of my favourite books of 2024, as a new and highly original take on a world of not-quite-vampires by an author who seems to have both a great imagination and a planned story with a beginning, middle and end. My only problem with it was that it ended and I was left waiting for the sequel!

So here at last we have the next phase of the tale. Nothing's quite going as planned; the three protagonists are each battling their own personal spiderwebs as their roles in this cruel society seem to drag them deeper into darkness no matter what they do.

The plot is complex without being overwhelming. Shan, Samuel and Isaac are so beautifully drawn that I was somehow rooting for each of them, even when they're at odds. The brief moments of union are bright lights of hope that are quickly dashed, and this whole book seems to be made up of one tragedy after another.

It did strike me a few times that this is the 'middle child' in the series, in the same manner as 'The Empire Strikes Back' and the second 'Godfather' movies. Political machinations, personal drama and tangled relationships all play their part. Each of our protagonists has to commit monstrous acts, and the truly villainous Eternal King always seems to be several steps ahead.

I'm unashamedly 'Team Isaac', and to see his continued transformation and associated pain was difficult at times, especially as the author doesn't shy away from graphic violence. Nor do they have qualms about Adult Content in general, but the bedroom scenes were handled entirely appropriately for the characters, adding to the relationship woes at the same time as the lovers desperately try to reconnect. I also appreciated the multicultural and queer themes tied seamlessly into the story, as they really add to the colours of this world.

I was left with absolutely no idea what Book Three will look like - perhaps a sort of Dracula-meets-Dangerous-Liaisons? I'm still 100% invested and more than glad to recommend to readers who want something raw, emotional and original in their vampire adventures.

I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.

[Brooklyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you orbit and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
It took me a month to finish book bc of life but during those 30 odd days I still kept having the same two questions over and over again every time I picked the book back up: will Samuel stop being a push over and have some development, and will Shan finally pick a side. The answers to those question is no and yes respectively. Unfortunately, the two questions and their answers are the major problem with this book in my opinion.

Samual at end of book one, is this powerful person and that is never brought up again until something happens towards the end of book and then it was convenient to bring it back up again. In this book he essentially becomes very one-dimensional with his personality trait of being a golden retriever boyfriend who likes pain and being told what to do. This is brought to our attention many times through dialogue (rehashed dialogue) and the sex scenes…. Lots of sex scenes. One might argue too many random sex scenes. Overall, Samuel becomes a very boring character who seems like he is only here to be a plot device and for sex scenes to happen. I want to see more of HIM in the next book.

Side tangent: look personally I was reading this book for the plot, not the smut. Some of these scenes just feel so random that it’s jarring at times.

Shan ,unlike Samuel, is a very interesting character. The scenes between her and Tristian are awesome. My problem with her is that I felt like the scene which portrays her tipping point into picking a side is lackluster. It just leaves me with the question of why now and not at the beginning of the book when we see what happened to Issac?

Overall I enjoyed the book and I will read the next one when that comes out because I am interested to see where this is going.

[Alicia Gruber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lord of Ruin is the second book in the Age of Blood series following the Mistress of Lies. One thing I very much appreciated about this book was the great synopsis of book two right at the beginning. There's a lot going on with this story, so it was nice to have a recap before jumping back in. When I first started reading I thought this book was going to be the conclusion of the story, but realized halfway through that it is book two out of three. Knowing it's a trilogy, the pacing of the story makes a lot more sense.

I enjoyed the multiple POV's and diving deeper into interactions with the King. Each of the main characters are intriguing on their own, so it was nice to get inside of their head for a bit. I struggled a bit with the relationship between the three, especially where Shan was involved. There is on page spice, and more scenes than the first book.

Similar to the first book, Lord of Ruin handles representation of a trans character very well. It's rare that a fantasy book has a trans character at all. I appreciated the bits of every day life that were included and important but not made into the focus.

Without giving away spoilers, I thought the addition of Filipino folklore was very interesting, and had me researching more on my own.

The biggest surprise (though it probably shouldn't have been) was the depiction of violence that was in this story. It is more descriptive than the first book and more of it. Some of it was a bit hard to read, though it is a story about vampires and blood working. I really shouldn't have been that surprised.

In all I enjoyed the book, and thought it did a nice job diving deeper into the characters and moving the overall story along for the final book next year.


Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What price would you pay? For peace, for stability, for freedom, for power?

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for this ARC eBook; my review is all my own opinion.

Leading almost directly on from Mistress of Lies, the second book in the series explores the repercussions of book one, especially the magical fallout of Isaac's blood working. Yet again, the Eternal King proves that he has remained empowered for so long for a reason and it will not be easy to overthrow the regime.
Can Shan, Samuel, Anton, Isaac, and Bart work together or will they be pulled apart by constant machinations and lies?

Plot wise I felt like this was less tight than Mistress of Lies, but that is maybe to be expected of a second book in a series- we're unravelling a lot of loose ends and not yet tying many up.

Shan as an FMC is still a favourite morally lacking character. I found her infinitely less likeable in this book and that's no bad thing. The character growth of all of our suite of main characters through this book is very well done, and I did enjoy the expansion of POVs in this part of the series. Samuel definitely comes into a character more in his own right in this book in comparison to book one.

I would rate this as a slightly higher gore level than book one, although still manageable for someone who is rather squeamish. That is just personal opinion though.

I recommended the previous book for enjoyers of political intrigue, interesting magic systems, and yearning. There is certainly less yearning in this book as the romantic relationships are already established (the spice level is brilliant though), but the different plots and plans both political and magical certainly make this a book that readers who enjoyed Mistress of Lies will want to dive into.

Again, a 4-star read from K M Enright.

[Hannah Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy!

Our story takes a darker, sexier turn in this sequel to Mistress of Lies. Shan has fully embraced her new role as the Royal Blood Worker and is gaining more of the Eternal King’s trust each day. Samuel has quickly become a political adept, making deals on and off the council floors, and Isaac is six months into his imprisonment after his shocking betrayal. More surprising, however, is the transformation of his body from that of a blood worker into something more mythological and deadly.

My favorite aspect of this book was the Eternal King’s seduction of Shan into his world of secrets and magic. Every move she makes is an act of self-preservation and defiance, an attempt to stave off his suspicion while continuing her research and protecting her people. But she does her job a little too well, isolating herself from her friends and playing right into the King’s hands. His mystery and charm draw her in, making it easy to forget why he has ruled Aeravin for centuries with no challenges to his power.

As our trio turns up the heat in this installment, the dynamics of the relationship change dramatically as a result of the characters’ choices. Shan slowly drifts away from Isaac and Samuel as she realizes how their motivations put them in conflict with hers. Samuel turns to Isaac to soothe the pain of Shan’s absence, finding comfort in the man’s love, self-assurance, and his newfound magical abilities which help advance their goals.

While Lord of Ruin reads a little more slowly than its predecessor, the characters and story have completely hooked me and I can’t wait for the finale, Prince of Ash, expected in January 2027. This gothic, magical, paranormal story is right up my alley, and I loved the author’s incorporation of Filipino folklore into Isaac’s nature in this installment.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book picks up right where the first one ends: Shan is now the Royal Blood Worker, and Samuel has been appointed to be the Councilor of Laws. Shan has been working away trying to solve the blood supply issue, after the disturbing discovery of the blood-letting labs, but Samuel, with his good conscience, can't get behind any of it. Meanwhile, Isaac, after absorbing so much blood, is turning into something monstrous. Will all the lovers finally be united together or does disaster await?

Before I even get into the details let me tell you that this one has a lot more smut added to it. I can't tell if I liked this one better than the first one - the world building expanded a bit, but the development of the characters was severely lacking unless we are supposed to hate every decision they make and question why they don't communicate at all to each other except at the very end and still things are being held from each other. Curious as to the decision to add in Isaac's POV so now the story follows three POVs - I understand his transformation is important, but I think it would have been better to experience it from Shan and Samuel's eyes. The first book went from feeling mainly about Shan to being mostly about Isaac. The things I do really like about this series is the queer representation from trans rep to gay to bi, the gore is fun, and the magical system is interesting with the blood magic/vampire-sort of forming. I will read the next one to see where this ends up going as shit has really hit the fan by the end of this book.

Thanks Netgalley and Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Why did I read? I had the first one from Illumicrate + the blood magic was interesting. Would I read again? Maybe.

[Cayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

K. M. Enright’s Lord of Ruin, the second installment in this dark fantasy series, is a compelling and skillfully crafted continuation that not only builds upon the foundation of the first book but deepens it in all the right ways. Where the debut novel introduced us to a vivid world of shifting loyalties (patricide!), ancient powers, and morally tangled characters, Lord of Ruin dives headlong into those tensions with greater intensity and emotional depth.

The stakes are higher, the characters more richly developed, and the consequences more harrowing. Enright excels at layering personal conflict with political intrigue, and in this second volume, the fallout from previous choices begins to ripple in unexpected and satisfying ways. Relationships evolve...sometimes explosively... and the plot advances with the kind of momentum that feels earned .. rather than forced.

One of the greatest strengths of Lord of Ruin is how it rewards readers of the first book. This isn’t a sequel that rehashes what came before..it expands it, exploring new corners of the "world" and testing characters in more complex (often brutal) ways. Enright’s prose remains confident and evocative, with a talent for weaving tension into even quiet moments.

Though the pacing lags slightly in the middle, Lord of Ruin doesn’t just continue the story ...it elevates it. For fans of layered world building, flawed "heroes", and slow burning tension, this sequel to Mistress of Lies is a what makes fantasy fiction fun and a worthy experience.

Thank you to K. M. Enright for transporting me into this story (again)! Orbit Books, you do not miss, thank you for allowing me on this journey!