Court of Ravens by Liv Zander is a two book dark fantasy romance series featuring two villainous love interests and a sheltered high born lady who has never felt pain…or love. I kept seeing Instagram ads about these books, which is not normally how I choose my next read, but admittedly these ads fully got me.
Galantia, the daughter of Lord Brisden, is betrothed to the King of Dranada’s son, the heir to the throne. It’s an advantageous match, but Galantia doesn’t care about the politics. She’s simply looking forward to getting away from her parents’ disappointment and disdain. Maybe this prince will be her opportunity to be loved and adored in the way she craves.
On her way to the capital, though, chaos breaks out in the village that they stopped in for the night. Galantia is kidnapped by the leader of the Ravens, the Lord of Shadows himself.
For five years, Dranada has been at war with these Ravens, the remnants of a royal house that they eliminated years before. These Ravens are cruel, spoiling crops and pillaging villages all over the kingdom, and now Galantia’s fate is in their hands. Amidst a brutal raging war, Galantia finds herself between two men, one who wants to protect her and the other who wants to break her.
Court of Ravens is fundamentally a forbidden romance, with an almost Shakespearean sense of warring families and tragedy, all wrapped up in erotica.
There are three main characters in this story, and all three of them have been so fundamentally, cruelly broken. It’s something they can recognize in each other, and fuels their sexuality.
Parts of this book are incredibly dark, mostly surrounding the characters’ pasts and the brutal realities of this war. Much of this is deeply disturbing, especially as it pertains to rape, something that is common for these characters as a tool in their war. Check the trigger warnings for this one and know some of these traumas are described in upsetting detail.
Despite all the darkness and trauma, it was very clear early on that this is going to have some very kinky spiciness going on. Consent is very, very dubious (at best) in the beginning. The sex in these books matches the depraved darkness in this world.
Until the end, I was so hooked on these chaotic books. There is lots of action and lots of spice. It reminds me a little bit of Amy Pennza’s Bound in Blood series, but with shapeshifters instead of vampires.
I was really disappointed with the ending to the Court of Ravens series, personally. It’s a happy ending in theory, but it stretches the boundaries of a happy ending, blending it with tragedy in a way that I didn’t love. I can respect the choice, but for me, it wasn’t exactly what I expected or wanted from a romance novel.
Overall, this smutty fantasy was a dark, tragic read, but was still incredibly entertaining, even if I didn’t perfectly vibe with the ending.
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