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Underworld Gods #1
River of Shadows
"Magical, witty, deliciously seductive...River of Shadows is a uniquely immersive & tantalizing journey of love and sacrifice that has you rooting for Death and his little bird." - Bestselling author Sav R. Miller
Take Hades & Persephone, transport them into twisted Nordic mythology, add in Beauty & the Beast and some Alice in Wonderland, and you get the high steam dark fantasy, River of Shadows.
When 24-year old Hanna Heikkinen's estranged father dies, she reluctantly makes the trip to Northern Finland for his funeral. Being in the enchanting land of ice and snow feels miles away from Hanna's busy life back in Los Angeles, especially under the complicated circumstances.
But when Hanna discovers that her father's body is missing, that's when things really get weird. A mysterious man, Rasmus, tells Hanna the her father was a powerful shaman who went into Tuonela, the Realm of the Dead, in order to barter for more life, and has been held captive by Tuoni, the God of Death. The only way her father can be freed is if she travels with Rasmus into the mythical underworld to rescue him.
Willing to do anything to have a second-chance with her father, Hanna accompanies Rasmus into the dark and bloody realm, traveling via the River of Shadows, stalked by dangerous creatures, monsters, and the living dead, until they finally come into the haunted kingdom ruled by Death and his family.
Only for her to be captured and held prisoner by the God of Death himself.
Turns out Death is intrigued by Hanna's beauty and fierceness and makes a bargain with her. If she marries him, and spends an eternity in the Realm of the Dead as his wife, he'll set her father free.
But even the most noble sacrifices come with hidden costs, and Hanna's might involve the most unexpected of all her heart.
River of Shadows is the first book of the Underworld Gods series and is not related to any other previous books. While it fits in the sub-genre "dark fantasy" it is NOT dark enough to be considered a "dark romance." That said, it does contain dub con, captive situations, graphic sex scenes, filthy language, and scary situations, so sensitive readers (especially those sensitive to dubious consent) please take heed of this warning. It also ends on a cliffhanger.
Take Hades & Persephone, transport them into twisted Nordic mythology, add in Beauty & the Beast and some Alice in Wonderland, and you get the high steam dark fantasy, River of Shadows.
When 24-year old Hanna Heikkinen's estranged father dies, she reluctantly makes the trip to Northern Finland for his funeral. Being in the enchanting land of ice and snow feels miles away from Hanna's busy life back in Los Angeles, especially under the complicated circumstances.
But when Hanna discovers that her father's body is missing, that's when things really get weird. A mysterious man, Rasmus, tells Hanna the her father was a powerful shaman who went into Tuonela, the Realm of the Dead, in order to barter for more life, and has been held captive by Tuoni, the God of Death. The only way her father can be freed is if she travels with Rasmus into the mythical underworld to rescue him.
Willing to do anything to have a second-chance with her father, Hanna accompanies Rasmus into the dark and bloody realm, traveling via the River of Shadows, stalked by dangerous creatures, monsters, and the living dead, until they finally come into the haunted kingdom ruled by Death and his family.
Only for her to be captured and held prisoner by the God of Death himself.
Turns out Death is intrigued by Hanna's beauty and fierceness and makes a bargain with her. If she marries him, and spends an eternity in the Realm of the Dead as his wife, he'll set her father free.
But even the most noble sacrifices come with hidden costs, and Hanna's might involve the most unexpected of all her heart.
River of Shadows is the first book of the Underworld Gods series and is not related to any other previous books. While it fits in the sub-genre "dark fantasy" it is NOT dark enough to be considered a "dark romance." That said, it does contain dub con, captive situations, graphic sex scenes, filthy language, and scary situations, so sensitive readers (especially those sensitive to dubious consent) please take heed of this warning. It also ends on a cliffhanger.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2022
3354 people are currently reading
51770 people want to read
About the author
Karina Halle
119 books19.2k followersKarina Halle is a screenwriter, former music & travel journalist, and the New York Times bestselling author of Grave Matter, Blood Orange, & The Royals Next Door, as well as 80 other romances across all sub-genres, ranging from spicy rom coms to gothic horror and dark fantasy. Needless to say, whatever you're into, she's probably written an HEA for it.
When she's not traveling, she, her husband, and their pup Perry, split their time between a possibly haunted 120 year-old house in Victoria, BC, and their condo in Los Angeles.
When she's not traveling, she, her husband, and their pup Perry, split their time between a possibly haunted 120 year-old house in Victoria, BC, and their condo in Los Angeles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,130 reviews
November 4, 2021
Rating five stars for how excited I am to write it! After losing both my brother and my father in the span of six weeks, I was fearful I'd never write again. The grief has been too much to handle, and I've been drowning. And yet I FINALLY feel excited to write something and I'm so happy it's this one. I've had this story on my mind for seven years now, an adult dark fantasy romance based on Finnish mythology (proud Finn here!) and I can't wait to finally do this. It's dark, creepy, sexy, and magical, set in the Realm of the Dead in the underworld of Tuoni and if you love Labyrinth and all those "girl on a scary quest in a mythical world to save a loved one from a sexy bad dude" vibes and wish that Connelly had ended up with/succumbed to the Goblin King (hello, all that sexual tension...and those pants!), this book will scratch all those itches :D
Release date is some time in January. Hope to have a kickass cover soon.
PS this is a standalone unrelated to any of my books, but it may become a series.
Release date is some time in January. Hope to have a kickass cover soon.
PS this is a standalone unrelated to any of my books, but it may become a series.
October 12, 2022
this book reads like a 12 year old who just discovered wattpad and wrote their first ‘beauty and the beast’ fanfic.
in other words, its not great. lol.
i honestly cant get over how badly written this is. its as if the author is trying to connect to a younger audience, even though this is a book for adults (at least it should be), and googled “teen slang” in order to find what kind of language to use. its the very embodiment of this meme.
but its 100x worse. because KHs attempts at being relevant/current make the MC come across as the most juvenile 24 year old ive ever read. i couldnt stand hanna. she offers absolutely nothing to the story and i just dont care about her.
this is a strong NO THANKS from me.
↠ 1.5 stars
in other words, its not great. lol.
i honestly cant get over how badly written this is. its as if the author is trying to connect to a younger audience, even though this is a book for adults (at least it should be), and googled “teen slang” in order to find what kind of language to use. its the very embodiment of this meme.
but its 100x worse. because KHs attempts at being relevant/current make the MC come across as the most juvenile 24 year old ive ever read. i couldnt stand hanna. she offers absolutely nothing to the story and i just dont care about her.
this is a strong NO THANKS from me.
↠ 1.5 stars
February 4, 2022
Who knew Finnish Mythology was so macabre and dark? I kind of liked it though 💀💀
🆗 IT TOOK A WHILE for Hanna to actually make it to Death and for the main part of the story to start, but I think this is okay because it allowed for a really great setup of the atmosphere and setting
✅ THE WORLD BUILDING and the setting were really creative and different from what I typically see in fantasy romance. It was grim and gothic but still light-hearted enough to not be too dark. I didn't know anything about Finnish Mythology and was honestly quite surprised with how creepy it was... but it grew on me a lot
Art credit to teroporthan
✅ THE ROMANCE was something I was very curious about going into this book because in the author's introduction, she described this as a dark fantasy but not a dark romance, which after reading this book, I definitely agree with. Although Death is definitely alpha and liked it a little rough, he was still caring and didn't take advantage of Hanna at any point.
✅ THE INTRO ALSO MENTIONED DUB-CON, but honestly, I did not think there was any dub-con. Everything sexual seemed consensual to me but idk maybe I'm more fucked up than I thought 🤷♀️ Also helped that underneath all the creepy masks Death was super hot and had a man-bun. I can't help but swoon for a man-bun, sorry not sorry 🤤
🆗 DEATH'S PERSONALITY was a little lacking but generally I liked it. He was obviously controlling and domineering, but still really seemed to care about his realm, his family and is starting to care for Hanna. Sometimes it's annoying to have these "ageless" love interests who are like thousands of years old, but his aloofness and directness kind of made his age seem more realistic.
✅ ALL OF THE OTHER FEMALE characters in this book were really badass and kind! This definitely did not have any girl-on-girl hate, which was super refreshing
✅ THE ENDING WAS very exciting and I absolutely can't wait to see what happens next, especially considering that cliffhanger. I'm really curious about Rasmus because I can't tell if he's an ally or an enemy... guess we'll see in the sequel
Overall, I thought this was a really good introduction to a new series! It's a little slow and honestly not a ton happens, but it's a quick read and it sets the foundation well for the next book will be a lot more complex and exciting. Thankfully, the next book is planned to come out in April so I won't have to wait too long 😆
Steam Scale: 🔥🔥🔥/3
Swoon Scale: ❤️/3
🆗 IT TOOK A WHILE for Hanna to actually make it to Death and for the main part of the story to start, but I think this is okay because it allowed for a really great setup of the atmosphere and setting
✅ THE WORLD BUILDING and the setting were really creative and different from what I typically see in fantasy romance. It was grim and gothic but still light-hearted enough to not be too dark. I didn't know anything about Finnish Mythology and was honestly quite surprised with how creepy it was... but it grew on me a lot
Art credit to teroporthan
✅ THE ROMANCE was something I was very curious about going into this book because in the author's introduction, she described this as a dark fantasy but not a dark romance, which after reading this book, I definitely agree with. Although Death is definitely alpha and liked it a little rough, he was still caring and didn't take advantage of Hanna at any point.
✅ THE INTRO ALSO MENTIONED DUB-CON, but honestly, I did not think there was any dub-con. Everything sexual seemed consensual to me but idk maybe I'm more fucked up than I thought 🤷♀️ Also helped that underneath all the creepy masks Death was super hot and had a man-bun. I can't help but swoon for a man-bun, sorry not sorry 🤤
🆗 DEATH'S PERSONALITY was a little lacking but generally I liked it. He was obviously controlling and domineering, but still really seemed to care about his realm, his family and is starting to care for Hanna. Sometimes it's annoying to have these "ageless" love interests who are like thousands of years old, but his aloofness and directness kind of made his age seem more realistic.
✅ ALL OF THE OTHER FEMALE characters in this book were really badass and kind! This definitely did not have any girl-on-girl hate, which was super refreshing
✅ THE ENDING WAS very exciting and I absolutely can't wait to see what happens next, especially considering that cliffhanger. I'm really curious about Rasmus because I can't tell if he's an ally or an enemy... guess we'll see in the sequel
Overall, I thought this was a really good introduction to a new series! It's a little slow and honestly not a ton happens, but it's a quick read and it sets the foundation well for the next book will be a lot more complex and exciting. Thankfully, the next book is planned to come out in April so I won't have to wait too long 😆
Steam Scale: 🔥🔥🔥/3
Swoon Scale: ❤️/3
January 8, 2023
How could Death be anything else but utterly seductive?
River of Shadows was extremely good and insanely hot.
A bit weird and very very very fast-paced, but unique and enjoyable, nonetheless.
Karina Halle is an underrated and gifted author who needs more praise.
I've read the little review she left for this book and I felt it in my soul. The way she processed Hanna's grief for the loss of her father really touched me in a very personal way because I lost my beloved grandma in February and I felt how genuine the feelings were.
I was incredibly surprised by this book. When I first started it I expected it to be dark and heavy on the smut, and while it was indeed dark and exceptionally steamy, I was pleased to realize it had more depth, many more nuances that catapulted me into a world full of myths, scary creatures and a God of Death who's basically the fictional version of Jason Momoa.
Can't say I was complaining.
🚩𝙿𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙱𝙻𝙴𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙲 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙰𝙻𝙴𝚁𝚃!*🚩
*𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍/𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌/𝚝𝚘𝚡𝚒𝚌/𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎.
𝙸, 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠, 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍, 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚣𝚘𝚗𝚎, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎:
-𝙸 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢;
-𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎;
-𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 "𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌" 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜/𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜/𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗;
-𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙾𝙽𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚂𝙴 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙺𝚂, 𝚢'𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠?
February 6, 2022
After reading and loving The Royals Next Door last year, it's fair to say I was very fucking excited for this steamy Karina Halle book involving the actual God of Death. I mean, if you need more convincing than that…
Our heroine, Hanna, grew up in California, with yearly visits to her dad in Finland. At twenty-four, she receives the devastating news that he unexpectedly passed away.
Given her mother's complete disregard for her ex-husband, Hanna is forced to travel to Lapland by herself for his funeral, which is being held at his newly opened wellness resort. She finds herself surrounded by a creepy atmosphere from the resort staff, all supposed good friends of her dad's, and soon finds out that they are not what they seem, and have been lying to her all along about her father's death.
She meets Rasmus, who tells her that her father was a powerful shaman, and claims to be his apprentice. With his help, Hanna sets out on a journey to Tuonela, the Land of the Dead, to bargain with the God of Death, Tuoni, for her father's life.
Tuoni is… hot. He's boisterous and cold-blooded and possessive and seven-feet-tall and also has Ikea furniture in his castle and is obsessed with coffee and Peter Pan, which I'm on board with.
At one point, the story is accurately described by Hanna herself as a "bizarre extended gothic sex dream", which is perfect and made me laugh out loud.
The book takes us on an addictive, thrilling ride inspired by Finnish mythology, which I didn't know much about and am now obsessed with! I was immediately enraptured by Tuoni and his whole deal, and I can't wait for the sequel. That cliffhanger!!! What???
Our heroine, Hanna, grew up in California, with yearly visits to her dad in Finland. At twenty-four, she receives the devastating news that he unexpectedly passed away.
Given her mother's complete disregard for her ex-husband, Hanna is forced to travel to Lapland by herself for his funeral, which is being held at his newly opened wellness resort. She finds herself surrounded by a creepy atmosphere from the resort staff, all supposed good friends of her dad's, and soon finds out that they are not what they seem, and have been lying to her all along about her father's death.
She meets Rasmus, who tells her that her father was a powerful shaman, and claims to be his apprentice. With his help, Hanna sets out on a journey to Tuonela, the Land of the Dead, to bargain with the God of Death, Tuoni, for her father's life.
Tuoni is… hot. He's boisterous and cold-blooded and possessive and seven-feet-tall and also has Ikea furniture in his castle and is obsessed with coffee and Peter Pan, which I'm on board with.
At one point, the story is accurately described by Hanna herself as a "bizarre extended gothic sex dream", which is perfect and made me laugh out loud.
The book takes us on an addictive, thrilling ride inspired by Finnish mythology, which I didn't know much about and am now obsessed with! I was immediately enraptured by Tuoni and his whole deal, and I can't wait for the sequel. That cliffhanger!!! What???
February 3, 2022
3.5 Stars
This one had so much potential and I was loving the beginning of this story. Hanna's father dies, so she goes to Finland for his funeral. Quickly she finds herself learning about a world she never knew and traveling to the world of Death to see if her father is actually alive. I loved her journey towards where Death lives, but once she arrived there, the story quickly lost steam for me. I didn't really care for Hanna's behavior once she was being kept by Death and I didn't really buy their connection. Sure they had some hot times together, but it kind of came out of nowhere and I didn't truly buy any more connected betweent them. Also, she was so adamant about having answers and finding her father in the beginning, but once she met Death, all of that stopped. She just acted like a victim and lost all of her agency. This also felt a bit too contemporary to be a dark fantasy. Hanna referenced a lot of pop culture and just felt so out of place in the fantasy setting. I guess that was the point since she had no idea about any of the fantasy stuff until now, but it just felt a bit jarring to me.
This one had so much potential and I was loving the beginning of this story. Hanna's father dies, so she goes to Finland for his funeral. Quickly she finds herself learning about a world she never knew and traveling to the world of Death to see if her father is actually alive. I loved her journey towards where Death lives, but once she arrived there, the story quickly lost steam for me. I didn't really care for Hanna's behavior once she was being kept by Death and I didn't really buy their connection. Sure they had some hot times together, but it kind of came out of nowhere and I didn't truly buy any more connected betweent them. Also, she was so adamant about having answers and finding her father in the beginning, but once she met Death, all of that stopped. She just acted like a victim and lost all of her agency. This also felt a bit too contemporary to be a dark fantasy. Hanna referenced a lot of pop culture and just felt so out of place in the fantasy setting. I guess that was the point since she had no idea about any of the fantasy stuff until now, but it just felt a bit jarring to me.
April 19, 2022
„You can call me Death. And I will call you mine.“
You´ve heard all those greek mythology retellings.
You´ve read all those stories about Hades and Persephone.
Now you´ll get something refreshingly new. A finnish mythology retelling regarding Tourni, the god of Death alias your new book boyfriend.
The plotline in this book is amazing, it is really fast paced and action packed. I have to say it is maybe a tad too fast paced in the beginning, it wouldn´t have hurt the book to be maybe 20-50 pages longer and go a bit more into the story itself before the action starts, but other than that it was brilliant and I don´t have anything to qritique.
The world building was good and really thought through, I loved to see the Underworld in a new light than just the greek version.
With Hanna we get a strong MC who would do anything for her family, even make a bargain with death.
Death is, as you can imagine, very handsome, brooding and sinful, he is also quite the dirty talker. Seems like Casteels honeydew is getting some serious competition here.
Overall it was an amazing read and a hard to put down book. I read it in one sitting and really enjoyed myself. From gods to shamans, witches, mermaids and unicorns, this book has it all. I am really excited for the second book in the series and am looking forward to see how the story will develop further.
Would I recommend this book and do I think it is worth the money?
Yes, absolutely.
You´ve heard all those greek mythology retellings.
You´ve read all those stories about Hades and Persephone.
Now you´ll get something refreshingly new. A finnish mythology retelling regarding Tourni, the god of Death alias your new book boyfriend.
The plotline in this book is amazing, it is really fast paced and action packed. I have to say it is maybe a tad too fast paced in the beginning, it wouldn´t have hurt the book to be maybe 20-50 pages longer and go a bit more into the story itself before the action starts, but other than that it was brilliant and I don´t have anything to qritique.
The world building was good and really thought through, I loved to see the Underworld in a new light than just the greek version.
With Hanna we get a strong MC who would do anything for her family, even make a bargain with death.
Death is, as you can imagine, very handsome, brooding and sinful, he is also quite the dirty talker. Seems like Casteels honeydew is getting some serious competition here.
Overall it was an amazing read and a hard to put down book. I read it in one sitting and really enjoyed myself. From gods to shamans, witches, mermaids and unicorns, this book has it all. I am really excited for the second book in the series and am looking forward to see how the story will develop further.
Would I recommend this book and do I think it is worth the money?
Yes, absolutely.
April 25, 2022
River of Shadows is a fantasy romance heavily inspired by Finnish Mythology that follows a girl who journeys into the Underworld to save the soul of her dead father.
I enjoyed this one enough, the world was interesting and it was more whimsical than I expected, with the first half of the book pretty much being like an adventure through the Underworld.
The romance intrigued me and I enjoyed the smut but overall I wouldn't say anything especially stood out.
I am intrigued enough to read the follow up though but I will say that the book seemed to end rather abruptly and not at a natural stopping place.
I enjoyed this one enough, the world was interesting and it was more whimsical than I expected, with the first half of the book pretty much being like an adventure through the Underworld.
The romance intrigued me and I enjoyed the smut but overall I wouldn't say anything especially stood out.
I am intrigued enough to read the follow up though but I will say that the book seemed to end rather abruptly and not at a natural stopping place.
August 2, 2022
3 stars
I went into this book very much expecting to love it. The first half was wonderful with the introduction to Finnish mythology and lore and the adventures that Hanna went on. About halfway through the pacing changed and I lost all interest in the story and the characters. I think many readers will love this book, but this one just wasn’t a win for me.
I went into this book very much expecting to love it. The first half was wonderful with the introduction to Finnish mythology and lore and the adventures that Hanna went on. About halfway through the pacing changed and I lost all interest in the story and the characters. I think many readers will love this book, but this one just wasn’t a win for me.
June 30, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Genre: Fantasy + Romance + Retelling
Hanna Heikkinen is informed that her father has passed away. She travels to Finland to attend his funeral. But once she is there she discovers that her father’s body is missing. Rasmus who used to be her father’s apprentice tells her the truth about her father and how to save him. In order to free her father who is kept a captive in the Realm of the Dead by the God of Death, Hanna has to cross the River of Shadows to reach Tuonela. Once she reaches there she has to bargain with Death to free her father!
River of Shadows is the first book in the Underworld Gods series. So far there are two released books and one novella. The story is a mixture of Beauty and the Beast retelling with Finnish mythology. I enjoyed reading this book a lot. It has all the right combinations of fantasy, mystery, and romance. Yes, there are some steamy scenes so be aware if you are not into that. The fantasy side was absolutely magical. I loved the peculiar things like the different creatures, the mermaids, and the unicorn. They all had a grim and gothic touch to them without being too dark. Not sure how to explain that but the best way I can compare the overall atmosphere of this book to Tim Burton’s style of filmmaking.
This book was not on my TBR or anything. I picked the digital edition of the book because I needed to complete one of the achievements on my Kindle (reading a fantasy or science fiction book) and this one was among the best sellers. So I decided to give it a shot. I am very glad I read it, it came as a good surprise for me. I liked the author’s writing style and the atmosphere she created for the story. It also has really good world-building and interesting well developed characters. Keep in mind that it ends on a cliffhanger but that was not a surprise because it is already mentioned on the book’s page on Amazon. I hope the second book will continue to be as fun and interesting.
Genre: Fantasy + Romance + Retelling
Hanna Heikkinen is informed that her father has passed away. She travels to Finland to attend his funeral. But once she is there she discovers that her father’s body is missing. Rasmus who used to be her father’s apprentice tells her the truth about her father and how to save him. In order to free her father who is kept a captive in the Realm of the Dead by the God of Death, Hanna has to cross the River of Shadows to reach Tuonela. Once she reaches there she has to bargain with Death to free her father!
River of Shadows is the first book in the Underworld Gods series. So far there are two released books and one novella. The story is a mixture of Beauty and the Beast retelling with Finnish mythology. I enjoyed reading this book a lot. It has all the right combinations of fantasy, mystery, and romance. Yes, there are some steamy scenes so be aware if you are not into that. The fantasy side was absolutely magical. I loved the peculiar things like the different creatures, the mermaids, and the unicorn. They all had a grim and gothic touch to them without being too dark. Not sure how to explain that but the best way I can compare the overall atmosphere of this book to Tim Burton’s style of filmmaking.
This book was not on my TBR or anything. I picked the digital edition of the book because I needed to complete one of the achievements on my Kindle (reading a fantasy or science fiction book) and this one was among the best sellers. So I decided to give it a shot. I am very glad I read it, it came as a good surprise for me. I liked the author’s writing style and the atmosphere she created for the story. It also has really good world-building and interesting well developed characters. Keep in mind that it ends on a cliffhanger but that was not a surprise because it is already mentioned on the book’s page on Amazon. I hope the second book will continue to be as fun and interesting.
February 8, 2022
Look if there is one trope I will always, ALWAYS, read it is Death and the Maiden. In alllll of its iterations, Beauty, and The Beast, Hades and Persephone, and any modern day captor captive situation. I am complete trash for this trope, it is my favorite of all time.
I was so excited when I saw Karina Halle had a fantasy retelling of my favorite trope based on Finnish mythology! This is a new mythology to me and I really enjoyed the spin it had on this trope.
The plot was solid, the creatures were unique, but the shining star was truly the tension between Hannah and Death. By far the best part of this book. And the cliffhanger ending has me desperate for the next book.
Would have loved to see a bit more of a menacing, dark feel overall, there were some pop culture references that seemed off with the theme of the book, and some comedic lines that really didn't land for me. And would have loved more romantic development too.
But overall a very fun and unique twist on Death and The Maiden.
I was so excited when I saw Karina Halle had a fantasy retelling of my favorite trope based on Finnish mythology! This is a new mythology to me and I really enjoyed the spin it had on this trope.
The plot was solid, the creatures were unique, but the shining star was truly the tension between Hannah and Death. By far the best part of this book. And the cliffhanger ending has me desperate for the next book.
Would have loved to see a bit more of a menacing, dark feel overall, there were some pop culture references that seemed off with the theme of the book, and some comedic lines that really didn't land for me. And would have loved more romantic development too.
But overall a very fun and unique twist on Death and The Maiden.
June 19, 2025
2.75 ⭐️ this was ok! the story held a lot of promise and definitely intrigued me, with it being so short it didn’t have loads of depth it was basically a fun spicy time and ends on a cliffhanger making you want to pick the next book up immediately. death was hot and grumpy (my type!!!). i would say the only thing that didn’t do it for me (and this goes for any books really) is the modern day/real world references especially if it’s references to social media and pop culture which was quite heavy in this book since the FMC was an influencer in the human world. i know a lot of people will definitely love and enjoy this book so definitely give it a go but unfortunately anything that reminds me of the existence of social media while i’m reading and in my magical fantasy world turns me off 😭
January 27, 2022
*Thank you to Valentine PR and the author for an ARC of this title*
This fantasy retelling of the Finnish Death and the Maiden was a delight. The pace was quick, the creatures were epic, Death was scary and intense, it was really just all the things. I could barely put it down. I wish I hadn't started it so late at night so that I could have read it all at once.
I thought the interpretation of this myth was very unique. I loved all the magic. Both in the contemporary world and when we crossed over to the mythical domain. There is a reason we are drawn to Death and the Maiden, Beauty and the Beast, and Hades and Persephone like tales. They just hit something fantastical inside of us. I am always thrilled to read any tale that leans into this. From mafia, to fantasy, to paranormal.
There is a cliffhanger for this first part and the sneak peak at book 2 of Underworld Gods has me SO excited. I loved the dynamic between Death and Hanna. The way the chemistry is undeniable and she can't help but give herself to him. Sure, she can say it's because she has to but Death only ever takes what she offers him. It was so HOT!
I highly recommend this to lovers of these kind of myths and I think it will bring a new perspective to one of our favorite stories.
5/5 Stars.
4 on the spice scale.
This fantasy retelling of the Finnish Death and the Maiden was a delight. The pace was quick, the creatures were epic, Death was scary and intense, it was really just all the things. I could barely put it down. I wish I hadn't started it so late at night so that I could have read it all at once.
I thought the interpretation of this myth was very unique. I loved all the magic. Both in the contemporary world and when we crossed over to the mythical domain. There is a reason we are drawn to Death and the Maiden, Beauty and the Beast, and Hades and Persephone like tales. They just hit something fantastical inside of us. I am always thrilled to read any tale that leans into this. From mafia, to fantasy, to paranormal.
There is a cliffhanger for this first part and the sneak peak at book 2 of Underworld Gods has me SO excited. I loved the dynamic between Death and Hanna. The way the chemistry is undeniable and she can't help but give herself to him. Sure, she can say it's because she has to but Death only ever takes what she offers him. It was so HOT!
I highly recommend this to lovers of these kind of myths and I think it will bring a new perspective to one of our favorite stories.
5/5 Stars.
4 on the spice scale.
February 12, 2024
5 ✨
This book took me by surprise. I did not expect to love this as much as I did.
The world building was fantastic. I know I recently read a book where there were real/pop culture references and I didn’t like them, but they worked for this book. I think because while yes it is a Finnish mythology retelling, it took place in the real world first, and (as she calls herself) Hanna is a basic bitch. Once we get to the Land of the Dead, the setting and atmosphere completely changed and I felt transported into the pages.
The writing was also amazing. While there was not a lot happening plot wise for a little bit, I was never bored and I always wanted this book in my hand. I also laughed and giggled multiple times, which took me completely off guard for something categorized as a “dark” fantasy book.
"You ask a lot of questions.” … “Can you fucking blame me?”
“I think the ancient Egyptians were in cahoots with aliens.”
“This is it. This is how it ends. Indiana Jones’ worst nightmare.”
“Fuck you,” I snarl at him… Death chuckles, “Finally, she speaks!”
“Are you smelling me?”
“Yeet me into the sea, fairy girl.”
I could literally keep going. All of the characters were so much fun to read. There was tension, suspense, humor, and everything in between.
The romance was so hot. I loved watching their relationship develop.
"Fuck, you undo me Hanna.”
“I’ve become quite fond of you, Hanna. I’m not used to feeling anything of the sort. You’ll have to forgive me if my fear makes me do foolish things.”
I highly recommend this one and can’t wait to jump into the next one (because omg that cliffhanger!!!!)
This book took me by surprise. I did not expect to love this as much as I did.
The world building was fantastic. I know I recently read a book where there were real/pop culture references and I didn’t like them, but they worked for this book. I think because while yes it is a Finnish mythology retelling, it took place in the real world first, and (as she calls herself) Hanna is a basic bitch. Once we get to the Land of the Dead, the setting and atmosphere completely changed and I felt transported into the pages.
The writing was also amazing. While there was not a lot happening plot wise for a little bit, I was never bored and I always wanted this book in my hand. I also laughed and giggled multiple times, which took me completely off guard for something categorized as a “dark” fantasy book.
"You ask a lot of questions.” … “Can you fucking blame me?”
“I think the ancient Egyptians were in cahoots with aliens.”
“This is it. This is how it ends. Indiana Jones’ worst nightmare.”
“Fuck you,” I snarl at him… Death chuckles, “Finally, she speaks!”
“Are you smelling me?”
“Yeet me into the sea, fairy girl.”
I could literally keep going. All of the characters were so much fun to read. There was tension, suspense, humor, and everything in between.
The romance was so hot. I loved watching their relationship develop.
"Fuck, you undo me Hanna.”
“I’ve become quite fond of you, Hanna. I’m not used to feeling anything of the sort. You’ll have to forgive me if my fear makes me do foolish things.”
I highly recommend this one and can’t wait to jump into the next one (because omg that cliffhanger!!!!)
May 23, 2022
5 stars for the beginning and all the world-building and the Finnish mythology. It was excellent.
2 stars once the heroine met the hero and she lost all agency and autonomy and the plot totally disappeared. also, 2 stars for those sex scenes
4 stars for that ending, though. I'm hopeful for the next book.
February 17, 2022
O M G 😭❤️
June 30, 2022
I am and always will be a 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 in books and poems. Whether it is a God or Angel, Death is universal and it's lore an endless well of knowledge and material.
Every civilization, every religious group, every culture, has a Death figure, 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬, 𝐀𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐬/𝐎𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐠𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐀𝐳𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐘𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞, 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚/𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡.
So as you can imagine as soon as that blurb was available i pre-ordered the hell out this book. I mean come on a Dark Fantasy with a Death God what's not to love and swoon over.
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Now i know what you're thinking, then why in the hell is this a 3 stars rating. Well let me start with my opinion of the overall story. Unfortunately for me it was very predictable and if I can tell from the beginning where the story is going then the 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭.
Then we have the aforementioned Dark Fantasy theme that was promised but didn't reach the level of dark that I'd been expecting. I mean it did for a very short period and those scenes are my favorite part of the book but then the story devolved into a lighter tone of Beauty/Beast, Hades/Persephone and lost that darker, gritty edge. 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐒𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤.
⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
I am very specific when it come to dark themed stories. Dark Fantasy and Dark Romance are not rated and judged the same way. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 which was missing here and even when they're set in the real world they shouldn't have so many pop culture references and modern talk. Okay modern is the wrong word here, it's more pre-teen, juvenile and cringy.
𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, especially fantasies. It doesn't matter when it was written, whether it was 20 years ago, 10 or today i shouldn't be able to tell when. (Now don't get technical with me and bring up Shakespeare or any other 16th centuries books.) 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧.
When i pick a book i want to be pulled in and immerse myself in the world the author created, not get pulled out of it and into reality every other page. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. Which is why in my opinion only ageless pop culture should be allowed in books. I usually avoid this types of books like the plague.
⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
Hanna was not my favorite to be honest. 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐛𝐧𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. And with the lack of dialogues, we had a lot of inner monologs that were a little juvenile for me. And then her character completely changed when she got to Death, all of her plans, autonomy and agency left the building.
Our Death God was... Idk. I'm conflicted here, first we have 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. He was more Whimsical then Dark and that through me off. His characters foundation lacked depth, it only had that first layer that told us he was Possessive, Broody, Dominant, Alpha but it felt 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫.
Then we have them as a couple and well I apparently missed that ship. As I said before the smut and spice was there but the chemistry was missing between our two 𝐌𝐂, so I didn't really get the romance i was promised or looking for. 𝐒𝐞𝐱 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. The good in this book were the world building, lore, Atmosphere and setting. 𝐆𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that will never fail, unfortunately for me the characters and the cons i mentioned were like a 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬.
Every civilization, every religious group, every culture, has a Death figure, 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬, 𝐀𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐬/𝐎𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐠𝐲𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐀𝐳𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐘𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞, 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚/𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡.
So as you can imagine as soon as that blurb was available i pre-ordered the hell out this book. I mean come on a Dark Fantasy with a Death God what's not to love and swoon over.
⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
Now i know what you're thinking, then why in the hell is this a 3 stars rating. Well let me start with my opinion of the overall story. Unfortunately for me it was very predictable and if I can tell from the beginning where the story is going then the 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭.
Then we have the aforementioned Dark Fantasy theme that was promised but didn't reach the level of dark that I'd been expecting. I mean it did for a very short period and those scenes are my favorite part of the book but then the story devolved into a lighter tone of Beauty/Beast, Hades/Persephone and lost that darker, gritty edge. 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐒𝐦𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤.
⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
I am very specific when it come to dark themed stories. Dark Fantasy and Dark Romance are not rated and judged the same way. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 which was missing here and even when they're set in the real world they shouldn't have so many pop culture references and modern talk. Okay modern is the wrong word here, it's more pre-teen, juvenile and cringy.
𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, especially fantasies. It doesn't matter when it was written, whether it was 20 years ago, 10 or today i shouldn't be able to tell when. (Now don't get technical with me and bring up Shakespeare or any other 16th centuries books.) 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧.
When i pick a book i want to be pulled in and immerse myself in the world the author created, not get pulled out of it and into reality every other page. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞. Which is why in my opinion only ageless pop culture should be allowed in books. I usually avoid this types of books like the plague.
⋘•⋙---------•⪼⪻•---------⋘•⋙
Hanna was not my favorite to be honest. 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐛𝐧𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. And with the lack of dialogues, we had a lot of inner monologs that were a little juvenile for me. And then her character completely changed when she got to Death, all of her plans, autonomy and agency left the building.
Our Death God was... Idk. I'm conflicted here, first we have 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. He was more Whimsical then Dark and that through me off. His characters foundation lacked depth, it only had that first layer that told us he was Possessive, Broody, Dominant, Alpha but it felt 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫.
Then we have them as a couple and well I apparently missed that ship. As I said before the smut and spice was there but the chemistry was missing between our two 𝐌𝐂, so I didn't really get the romance i was promised or looking for. 𝐒𝐞𝐱 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. The good in this book were the world building, lore, Atmosphere and setting. 𝐆𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that will never fail, unfortunately for me the characters and the cons i mentioned were like a 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐛𝐲𝐬𝐬.
December 28, 2022
4 Little Mermaid Stars ⭐️
This was exactly the reading fix that I needed. I went in expecting to be disappointed as the last few Beauty and the Beast retellings I have a read have been a little bit underwhelming. However, this was exactly the opposite and I loved every minute of it and devoured it in one sitting.
The story follows Hanna Heikkinen, who travels to Finland to attend the funeral of her estranged father. When she arrives things appear a little bit weird, and Hanna has an almost uncomfortable sense that something is not right. She soon discovers that her fathers body is missing and meets Rasmus. A strange man who tells Hanna her father is not dead, but actually missing and he needs her help in order to free him…from The Land of the Dead. Hanna makes the decision to trust Rasmas and ventures into Tuonela, however after a few events she ends up trading her life to Death to save her father from his clutches!
This book is tropey beyond note; a Finnish inspired Beauty and the Beast/Hades and Persephone (prob more Hades/Persephone) and at its core enemies to lovers, and I am all here for it because those tropes are my guilty pleasures and I’m not afraid to admit it.
I love Hanna’s character, but I especially love her internal monologue. She was so in sync with my thoughts while reading this book, I actually got a little freaked out by how similarly we “thought” about things as the book progressed. I know people do think her childish, but then I must be childish too cause her ideas were my ideas and mine seemed to be hers. A few things that stand out were:
There are also little things that made me giggle like when Hanna would think about pop culture references in her mind, or common things from our culture, or make jokes about Vitamin D and call out the innuendo. Hanna just felt like a real person I’d love to meet and want as my friend IRL. She was genuine, caring, but strong willed and determined.
I also love the friendship that formed between the Bell and Hanna and Lovia and Hanna. Both Bell and Lovia had a childish naivete, but authentic charm. Both just instantly made you like them, even if they often didn’t have a filter and spoke their mind. I also didn’t mind that they spoke with modern references. I know some people don’t like the mention of pop culture or modern language in fantasy but I think the way it was added and explained fit into the story. This is not a land stuck in some long forgotten time, it’s a different realm parallel to our modern era, so obviously aspect from the Upper Realm (real world) would influence The Land of the Dead.
Whilst I did thoroughly enjoy this book, and actually laughed out loud. There were a couple of things that bothered me, and that is what kept this book from being a five star read.
- There is not much plot. It’s actually pretty simple and not much happens. This needed a little more….
- Touni or Death doesn’t really have much going on in terms of personality. He’s domineering and controlling, but overall there weren’t very many scenes were you got to see who he was and see the full dynamic between him and Hanna outside of the pure physical attraction. In most scenes when he is talking it’s always with a few people around (so the couple is never alone). It seemed like every time him and Hanna were alone in about two seconds they were having sex, and then he’d leave. Not a lot of love forming more just animalistic lust. I don’t mind me a decent sex scene but I want some romance build up too, and got hardly anything. It made the romance a little bit unbelievable because not much development happened between the enemies part and the romance part. Romance and “lovers” is not just sex… there should be some talking and mental connection, not just physical.
- There is about 5000 unanswered questions that have formed and things that should have been explained a little more, weren’t. I’m not sure if the author is saving all these explanations for the upcoming books, but it leaves part of the plot dangling. Hanna was so adamant about finding answers in the beginning. She was truly curious, and then, halfway through the book that curiosity almost dies as she doesn’t come back to displaying that personality trait very much towards the end. Some more questions I have:
Overall, the story was highly addictive, really exciting and completely enthralled me from start to end. I loved the Finnish mythology references entwined in the world-building. Highly recommended the book, and I’m picking up the sequel straight away.
This was exactly the reading fix that I needed. I went in expecting to be disappointed as the last few Beauty and the Beast retellings I have a read have been a little bit underwhelming. However, this was exactly the opposite and I loved every minute of it and devoured it in one sitting.
The story follows Hanna Heikkinen, who travels to Finland to attend the funeral of her estranged father. When she arrives things appear a little bit weird, and Hanna has an almost uncomfortable sense that something is not right. She soon discovers that her fathers body is missing and meets Rasmus. A strange man who tells Hanna her father is not dead, but actually missing and he needs her help in order to free him…from The Land of the Dead. Hanna makes the decision to trust Rasmas and ventures into Tuonela, however after a few events she ends up trading her life to Death to save her father from his clutches!
This book is tropey beyond note; a Finnish inspired Beauty and the Beast/Hades and Persephone (prob more Hades/Persephone) and at its core enemies to lovers, and I am all here for it because those tropes are my guilty pleasures and I’m not afraid to admit it.
I love Hanna’s character, but I especially love her internal monologue. She was so in sync with my thoughts while reading this book, I actually got a little freaked out by how similarly we “thought” about things as the book progressed. I know people do think her childish, but then I must be childish too cause her ideas were my ideas and mine seemed to be hers. A few things that stand out were:
There are also little things that made me giggle like when Hanna would think about pop culture references in her mind, or common things from our culture, or make jokes about Vitamin D and call out the innuendo. Hanna just felt like a real person I’d love to meet and want as my friend IRL. She was genuine, caring, but strong willed and determined.
I also love the friendship that formed between the Bell and Hanna and Lovia and Hanna. Both Bell and Lovia had a childish naivete, but authentic charm. Both just instantly made you like them, even if they often didn’t have a filter and spoke their mind. I also didn’t mind that they spoke with modern references. I know some people don’t like the mention of pop culture or modern language in fantasy but I think the way it was added and explained fit into the story. This is not a land stuck in some long forgotten time, it’s a different realm parallel to our modern era, so obviously aspect from the Upper Realm (real world) would influence The Land of the Dead.
Whilst I did thoroughly enjoy this book, and actually laughed out loud. There were a couple of things that bothered me, and that is what kept this book from being a five star read.
- There is not much plot. It’s actually pretty simple and not much happens. This needed a little more….
- Touni or Death doesn’t really have much going on in terms of personality. He’s domineering and controlling, but overall there weren’t very many scenes were you got to see who he was and see the full dynamic between him and Hanna outside of the pure physical attraction. In most scenes when he is talking it’s always with a few people around (so the couple is never alone). It seemed like every time him and Hanna were alone in about two seconds they were having sex, and then he’d leave. Not a lot of love forming more just animalistic lust. I don’t mind me a decent sex scene but I want some romance build up too, and got hardly anything. It made the romance a little bit unbelievable because not much development happened between the enemies part and the romance part. Romance and “lovers” is not just sex… there should be some talking and mental connection, not just physical.
- There is about 5000 unanswered questions that have formed and things that should have been explained a little more, weren’t. I’m not sure if the author is saving all these explanations for the upcoming books, but it leaves part of the plot dangling. Hanna was so adamant about finding answers in the beginning. She was truly curious, and then, halfway through the book that curiosity almost dies as she doesn’t come back to displaying that personality trait very much towards the end. Some more questions I have:
Overall, the story was highly addictive, really exciting and completely enthralled me from start to end. I loved the Finnish mythology references entwined in the world-building. Highly recommended the book, and I’m picking up the sequel straight away.
February 20, 2022
"You can call me Death. And I will call you mine."
I am officially obsessed with the God of Death and can't wait for the next book. I adored the world building and the tension. The romance was great and I can't wait to see more of it. I also loved the Finnish mythology, definitely interesting to read. I would read anything written by Karina Halle because she never fails.
June 17, 2022
RTC! I have a lot of thoughts on the whole series but have some work that I need to prioritize over the weekend. Plus I accidentally deleted my original review so I'm kinda annoyed at myself & Goodreads.
February 2, 2022
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“You might like it in the end. Oh, you’ll fight me on everything, you’ll hate me with all your fury. But you might love to hate me, and that will make all the difference.”
River of Shadows serves a steamy dark fantasy romance woven with Finnish mythology and intricate world-building.
The story draws inspiration from the tales of Hades and Persephone and Beauty and the Beast and you know both of those tales make for an appetizing treat for any fantasy romance reader!
— Enemies-to-Lovers
— Lush Finnish Mythology and World-building
— Forced Marriage
— Hades and Persephone/Beauty and the Beast
— Steamy
— God of Death is the love interest
— Insane sexual tension
— Witty banter
— Fun cast of characters
“Like it or not, you’re mine,” he murmurs, his voice thick and husky and brimming of promise. “But if you choose to like it, you might even love it.”
24-year-old Hanna Heikinnen travels from L.A. to Northern Finland to attend her estranged father's funeral. Hanna is ridden with guilt even though she and her father were estranged, she loved him. However, what would've been a grieving period of her life was actually the beginning of what was hidden from her all along.
Hanna finds out that her father's body is missing, if a dead person's body is missing... does that mean there is a chance he is alive?
Hanna gets her answer when Ramus tells her that her father had not met his end, and the truth is her father is a powerful shaman who embarked on a journey to Tuonela, the Realm of the Dead to barter for more life but he is now held captive.
Hanna is determined to abandon the mortal world and delve deep into the Realm of the Dead on a rescue mission to free her father. Little does Hanna know once she steps into Tuonela, she will never leave.
Death has found a bride.
“There you are,” he says, his voice as rich as cream. “So obedient. So exquisite. All for me.”
I really liked experiencing this journey with Hanna, she felt like a reliable narrator because everything she is experiencing felt organic, particularly her grief and love for her father.
The chemistry between Hanna and God of Death was sizzling! I loved their witty banter and although I still wanted their relationship to be more fleshed out because it felt a bit rushed to me, I still enjoyed it.
The secondary characters were fantastic, particularly Lovia and Bell!
The world-building was atmospheric but the Mythology aspect of it can be a tad confusing, I'm not very familiar with Finnish Mythology but I appreciate the fact that the author included a glossary at the beginning of the book.
I think my issue comes to the plot as it doesn't feel solid but I guess it's because this book feels more character-driven and despite the fact Death is sexy and positively filthy he could use more personality. Not to say I am not intrigued but I want to be intrigued more.
Looking forward to the second book!
Trigger Warnings: captive situations, dub con, graphic s*x scenes, filthy language, and scary situations.
“You might like it in the end. Oh, you’ll fight me on everything, you’ll hate me with all your fury. But you might love to hate me, and that will make all the difference.”
River of Shadows serves a steamy dark fantasy romance woven with Finnish mythology and intricate world-building.
The story draws inspiration from the tales of Hades and Persephone and Beauty and the Beast and you know both of those tales make for an appetizing treat for any fantasy romance reader!
— Enemies-to-Lovers
— Lush Finnish Mythology and World-building
— Forced Marriage
— Hades and Persephone/Beauty and the Beast
— Steamy
— God of Death is the love interest
— Insane sexual tension
— Witty banter
— Fun cast of characters
“Like it or not, you’re mine,” he murmurs, his voice thick and husky and brimming of promise. “But if you choose to like it, you might even love it.”
24-year-old Hanna Heikinnen travels from L.A. to Northern Finland to attend her estranged father's funeral. Hanna is ridden with guilt even though she and her father were estranged, she loved him. However, what would've been a grieving period of her life was actually the beginning of what was hidden from her all along.
Hanna finds out that her father's body is missing, if a dead person's body is missing... does that mean there is a chance he is alive?
Hanna gets her answer when Ramus tells her that her father had not met his end, and the truth is her father is a powerful shaman who embarked on a journey to Tuonela, the Realm of the Dead to barter for more life but he is now held captive.
Hanna is determined to abandon the mortal world and delve deep into the Realm of the Dead on a rescue mission to free her father. Little does Hanna know once she steps into Tuonela, she will never leave.
Death has found a bride.
“There you are,” he says, his voice as rich as cream. “So obedient. So exquisite. All for me.”
I really liked experiencing this journey with Hanna, she felt like a reliable narrator because everything she is experiencing felt organic, particularly her grief and love for her father.
The chemistry between Hanna and God of Death was sizzling! I loved their witty banter and although I still wanted their relationship to be more fleshed out because it felt a bit rushed to me, I still enjoyed it.
The secondary characters were fantastic, particularly Lovia and Bell!
The world-building was atmospheric but the Mythology aspect of it can be a tad confusing, I'm not very familiar with Finnish Mythology but I appreciate the fact that the author included a glossary at the beginning of the book.
I think my issue comes to the plot as it doesn't feel solid but I guess it's because this book feels more character-driven and despite the fact Death is sexy and positively filthy he could use more personality. Not to say I am not intrigued but I want to be intrigued more.
Looking forward to the second book!
Trigger Warnings: captive situations, dub con, graphic s*x scenes, filthy language, and scary situations.
April 11, 2022
2.5 stars
It didn't work for me.
Good stuffs first. I love the lore and the worldbuilding. The journey the heroine took from the waterfall to the Liekkiö Plains was the best part of the book (fight me on this). We saw a lot of this world to be honest, I wish they stayed on the road for the most part of the book before they got to the castle. Because after they reached the castle and things settle down, it was boring as fuck. And yes, they even fuck boringly. Only one time I actually feel something boiling between them and that's it.
That's the big downside of this book for me. I can't feel their chemistry at all. He barely took any interest in her except for the 'ultimate she's the chosen one's vibe I got from her. They barely talked then suddenly they fucked then suddenly since maybe she has a magic pussy, our Death here decided that he can't let her go ever and went all possessive on her.
Anyway, amazing world with lots of potentials to explore in the next two books but for the characters, they need some saving. Recommended for those who want to read another Hates & Persephone retelling with Beauty & the Beast vibes. And there's also shaman and witchery stuffs too. Completely forgot about that whole side plots.
It didn't work for me.
Good stuffs first. I love the lore and the worldbuilding. The journey the heroine took from the waterfall to the Liekkiö Plains was the best part of the book (fight me on this). We saw a lot of this world to be honest, I wish they stayed on the road for the most part of the book before they got to the castle. Because after they reached the castle and things settle down, it was boring as fuck. And yes, they even fuck boringly. Only one time I actually feel something boiling between them and that's it.
That's the big downside of this book for me. I can't feel their chemistry at all. He barely took any interest in her except for the 'ultimate she's the chosen one's vibe I got from her. They barely talked then suddenly they fucked then suddenly since maybe she has a magic pussy, our Death here decided that he can't let her go ever and went all possessive on her.
Anyway, amazing world with lots of potentials to explore in the next two books but for the characters, they need some saving. Recommended for those who want to read another Hates & Persephone retelling with Beauty & the Beast vibes. And there's also shaman and witchery stuffs too. Completely forgot about that whole side plots.
November 18, 2022
This might’ve started off a little weird… and in general, I like weird. At the beginning I almost even thought about DNFing this book, but the mythology and humor made me curious. Then you finally meet Tuoni the Finnish God of Death, and let’s just say I’ve never met a death god, that I didn’t like. Tuoni wasn’t an exception. I can’t really explain the transition from odd & creepy, to incredibly sexy, but somewhere in these 350 pages… it happened.
Honestly it felt like a different, morbid version of Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan, mixed with a whole lot of Beauty and The Beast (a personal favorite), and a bit of Scarlett St. Clair’s A Touch of Darkness series. But somehow darker and sexier?!✨
I rated this 3.5 stars. Because although I was laughing throughout the story, and ended up enjoying it, I couldn’t stand the pet name of “little bird”?!? And I still have SO many questions. Why??? And how could this woman trust any of these characters?!? 🫣
After finishing this book, I found out the MMC (Tuoni) is supposed to look like Jason Momoa. I love a man bun, and completely understand why… but somehow I think I’ve lost count of how many male characters, have been inspired by Momoa at this point? This isn’t me complaining… he’s one of my celebrity crushes, I’m just noting the statistics. 😏
Honestly it felt like a different, morbid version of Alice in Wonderland/Peter Pan, mixed with a whole lot of Beauty and The Beast (a personal favorite), and a bit of Scarlett St. Clair’s A Touch of Darkness series. But somehow darker and sexier?!✨
I rated this 3.5 stars. Because although I was laughing throughout the story, and ended up enjoying it, I couldn’t stand the pet name of “little bird”?!? And I still have SO many questions. Why??? And how could this woman trust any of these characters?!? 🫣
After finishing this book, I found out the MMC (Tuoni) is supposed to look like Jason Momoa. I love a man bun, and completely understand why… but somehow I think I’ve lost count of how many male characters, have been inspired by Momoa at this point? This isn’t me complaining… he’s one of my celebrity crushes, I’m just noting the statistics. 😏
October 1, 2023
The aspect of Finnish Mythology intrigued me to sign up for this ARC.
The plot of the book is honestly really good. It definitely propelled the story and made me push through.
When I say I had to push through it’s because of the pop culture references. LOTR was brought up so many times. There were Harry potter references, Tiktok was mentioned, and “YEET” was used multiple times😭.
The tension between Death and Hanna was really well done. Though the main character also said something like she “simps for a Villian”.😅
Still was entertaining though!
The plot of the book is honestly really good. It definitely propelled the story and made me push through.
When I say I had to push through it’s because of the pop culture references. LOTR was brought up so many times. There were Harry potter references, Tiktok was mentioned, and “YEET” was used multiple times😭.
The tension between Death and Hanna was really well done. Though the main character also said something like she “simps for a Villian”.😅
Still was entertaining though!
February 1, 2022
Karina Halle gifts a fantastic fantasy!!!
PS I adored the little mermaid xx
PS I adored the little mermaid xx
April 12, 2022
5 "Talk dirty to me." Stars!
"You can call me Death. And I will call you Mine."
My goodness! Did I love this story. It's not perfect but it was perfect for me. I was captivated from the beginning to the very end. The dark and sinister atmosphere had me enthralled. Who knew Finnish folklore was so macabre? Who knew I'd enjoy it so much?? This book was so easy to read and I was able to visualize everything so vividly.
From the very start I felt connected to Hanna. I completely understood her grief and her regrets. I was rooting hard for her from the very start. But there was one point- when she and Death first met where I wanted to scream "Shut your mouth, you crazy girl!". But otherwise Ioved her completely. She's got some serious "girl power" going in. I can't wait to see what she becomes.
Death. Woah! 🔥🥵 MAN! What a dirty talking panty dropper. And also a complete dominant, alpha gentleman. All the mysterious contridictions. Dark and sinister, and charming and delightful. I do like a male that will literally kill for you. 🤷🏽♀️
All the side characters were so intriguing. I can see some spinoffs happening with quite a few of them.
That cliffhanger about killed me, but I knew it was coming. So that helped a lot. And I knew something like that was coming. This was Beauty and The Beast reimagined after all. Throw in a little Hades and Persephone and Phantom of The Opera too. I am just completely unsure if the person can be trusted. I think not. We shall see.
Anyway. It all worked for me. I really hope the wait is not too long for The Crimson Crown. Happy reading!
"You can call me Death. And I will call you Mine."
My goodness! Did I love this story. It's not perfect but it was perfect for me. I was captivated from the beginning to the very end. The dark and sinister atmosphere had me enthralled. Who knew Finnish folklore was so macabre? Who knew I'd enjoy it so much?? This book was so easy to read and I was able to visualize everything so vividly.
From the very start I felt connected to Hanna. I completely understood her grief and her regrets. I was rooting hard for her from the very start. But there was one point- when she and Death first met where I wanted to scream "Shut your mouth, you crazy girl!". But otherwise Ioved her completely. She's got some serious "girl power" going in. I can't wait to see what she becomes.
Death. Woah! 🔥🥵 MAN! What a dirty talking panty dropper. And also a complete dominant, alpha gentleman. All the mysterious contridictions. Dark and sinister, and charming and delightful. I do like a male that will literally kill for you. 🤷🏽♀️
All the side characters were so intriguing. I can see some spinoffs happening with quite a few of them.
That cliffhanger about killed me, but I knew it was coming. So that helped a lot. And I knew something like that was coming. This was Beauty and The Beast reimagined after all. Throw in a little Hades and Persephone and Phantom of The Opera too. I am just completely unsure if the person can be trusted. I think not. We shall see.
Anyway. It all worked for me. I really hope the wait is not too long for The Crimson Crown. Happy reading!
December 16, 2022
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
TW: Harry Potter reference, captivity, murder, death, violence, cancer, neglectful/emotionally abusive parents (past), disordered eating (past), discussions on body image, explicit sexual content, animal deaths, dubious consent
I’m starting to become weary of romance authors who are writing fantasy romance for the first time. Obviously, everyone has to start somewhere and I have no issue with that, however I’m really tired of the JLA Poppy-esque character. You know, the character that asks tons of questions and the author utilizes their questions as the backbone for world building. It feels tedious, repetitive, and mildly vexing.
I was looking forward to learning about Finnish lore as that something is I am not familiar with. And while I do have a heightened interest to look into the characters/deities I was introduced to, this book was nothing new. You have read this storyline and this type of book before, albeit now people are Finnish. It’s very difficult to have an original idea nowadays and I don’t fault any creative for that, however there was nothing really unique about this book except for that it was Finnish. I could see the “plot twists” from a mile away and I didn’t love the romance.
The author nails grief right on the head and I love the depiction of a loving father/daughter relationship. This book was just alright, and fine as a Kindle Unlimited read, but I won’t purchase the sequel (I’ve already started reading it.) I also had a lot of questions that didn’t get answered, which felt like an oversight or oversimplification because the author didn’t want to have to deal with some pain points. I’m not talking about points that could be explored later in the story for plot or character development. I’m specifically speaking on general logistics and logical questions one would have that are not addressed now or in book two. The ending is abrupt and you as the reader are left with “that’s it?”
Also, my last gripe about this book, it felt overwhelming modern and not in a positive way. Our FMC uses the word “simp” and I swear I rolled my eyes so hard. There was another phrase that was said, I can’t remember, that completely pulled me out of the story. I felt like the setting was warring with itself. The lore, mythos, general Underworld gothicism, and a 21st century protagonist were all clearly battling for dominance, which resulted in a muddled tone and setting.
TW: Harry Potter reference, captivity, murder, death, violence, cancer, neglectful/emotionally abusive parents (past), disordered eating (past), discussions on body image, explicit sexual content, animal deaths, dubious consent
I’m starting to become weary of romance authors who are writing fantasy romance for the first time. Obviously, everyone has to start somewhere and I have no issue with that, however I’m really tired of the JLA Poppy-esque character. You know, the character that asks tons of questions and the author utilizes their questions as the backbone for world building. It feels tedious, repetitive, and mildly vexing.
I was looking forward to learning about Finnish lore as that something is I am not familiar with. And while I do have a heightened interest to look into the characters/deities I was introduced to, this book was nothing new. You have read this storyline and this type of book before, albeit now people are Finnish. It’s very difficult to have an original idea nowadays and I don’t fault any creative for that, however there was nothing really unique about this book except for that it was Finnish. I could see the “plot twists” from a mile away and I didn’t love the romance.
The author nails grief right on the head and I love the depiction of a loving father/daughter relationship. This book was just alright, and fine as a Kindle Unlimited read, but I won’t purchase the sequel (I’ve already started reading it.) I also had a lot of questions that didn’t get answered, which felt like an oversight or oversimplification because the author didn’t want to have to deal with some pain points. I’m not talking about points that could be explored later in the story for plot or character development. I’m specifically speaking on general logistics and logical questions one would have that are not addressed now or in book two. The ending is abrupt and you as the reader are left with “that’s it?”
Also, my last gripe about this book, it felt overwhelming modern and not in a positive way. Our FMC uses the word “simp” and I swear I rolled my eyes so hard. There was another phrase that was said, I can’t remember, that completely pulled me out of the story. I felt like the setting was warring with itself. The lore, mythos, general Underworld gothicism, and a 21st century protagonist were all clearly battling for dominance, which resulted in a muddled tone and setting.
May 28, 2022
I really liked the vibe of the first half of this book, learning more about Finnish mythology and being in the world of the dead was AWESOME, I especially loved the sense of humor the death unicorn had. What with all the shamans and everything the whole vibe felt wonderfully spooky and rich. I also felt for the closeness that Hanna had with her father. But once Hanna's relationship with Death started, it went way downhill. First of all, the main character was annoying, like when she was talking about all of the ways she's a basic bitch and for example mentioned that she enjoyed watching a lot of anime porn which was a weird detail to include, and actually just the descriptions of her sexual past in general were very weirdly placed in the book. Then the book was filled with modern references, like literally one of the goddesses in the world uses the phrase "yeeted."
I liked Death fine and they had ok conversations but I felt like it switched to them having sex very quickly and really they didn't interact that much so I didn't get a good sense of their relationship or romance, which meant I didn't root for them at all.
Hanna was also an extremely passive heroine aside from the few times she kicks ass. Things happen and she just kinda goes along with it. I also don't understand what was so relevant about her empathic ability to read people considering she trusts shady people the few times it comes up and then it never happens again.
I don't want to sound like a prude but I feel like there's this habit among these KU type new adult books where if you make the heroine swear a lot that's basically her being a badass strong woman.
I liked Death fine and they had ok conversations but I felt like it switched to them having sex very quickly and really they didn't interact that much so I didn't get a good sense of their relationship or romance, which meant I didn't root for them at all.
Hanna was also an extremely passive heroine aside from the few times she kicks ass. Things happen and she just kinda goes along with it. I also don't understand what was so relevant about her empathic ability to read people considering she trusts shady people the few times it comes up and then it never happens again.
I don't want to sound like a prude but I feel like there's this habit among these KU type new adult books where if you make the heroine swear a lot that's basically her being a badass strong woman.
September 3, 2022
I love myths! I love reading the original myths. I love retellings of myths. I taught a class on world mythologies. Give me more, give me new. I love it all!
When I read the summary for River of Shadows, I was beyond thrilled! I didn’t know much about Finnish mythology, so I did some background research while I was reading. The myths are so dark. So many interesting and unique details to their gods. I loved to see how Halle blended these elements - whether major or minor - into her retelling.
She is a highly descriptive writer! The world she creates is intense, dangerous, and gorgeous. Her characters are intriguing. Some are funny. Some are dark. But all are fantastically created. The romance is dark so it matches the rest of the tone really well. There are mysterious elements to the characters, which will hopefully pay off in the future. This one has a cliffhanger, which I don’t love but the second book is already out so I’m able to continue reading and not be too upset.
I never realized that my life was missing Finnish mythology but I’m so glad I’ve found a fun retelling!
When I read the summary for River of Shadows, I was beyond thrilled! I didn’t know much about Finnish mythology, so I did some background research while I was reading. The myths are so dark. So many interesting and unique details to their gods. I loved to see how Halle blended these elements - whether major or minor - into her retelling.
She is a highly descriptive writer! The world she creates is intense, dangerous, and gorgeous. Her characters are intriguing. Some are funny. Some are dark. But all are fantastically created. The romance is dark so it matches the rest of the tone really well. There are mysterious elements to the characters, which will hopefully pay off in the future. This one has a cliffhanger, which I don’t love but the second book is already out so I’m able to continue reading and not be too upset.
I never realized that my life was missing Finnish mythology but I’m so glad I’ve found a fun retelling!
February 6, 2024
Definitely reading book 2. This was definitely an interesting fantasy- I loved Death’s character and the ending has me wanting more!!
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