Blood is survival in Bly's world – any human can compete in the Revenant Games, an annual fight to the death between witches and vampires. The prize: resurrection or immortality. But Bly didn't bargain on her mortal enemy, a vicious vampire, being able to steal her heart.
The Revenant Games was incredible. Beautiful writing, desperate characters, a hint of romance, and death curses.
Bly is a dreamer who wants a better life. Her love for her best friend Emerson drives her deep into the forest with her sister in tow. Though the forest is dangerous because of the witches and vampires who lurk there. After her sister touches a death curse Bly vows to win her sisters life back in the games that take place every year. Win for the witches, you can bring back a person from the dead. Win for the vampires, and you can become immortal.
There was a lot of traveling back and fourth in the forest between Havenwhile and Vagaris. Though the writing was beautiful and each chapter serves its purpose. I found myself captivated by characters who, in their emotional brokenness, revealed complex layers. What struck me was how even those who initially appeared villainous were profoundly motivated by their pasts. I particularly found myself loving Donovan’s character. The romance within the narrative is a blend of both gradual and instantaneous; it's an instant attraction tempered by a hesitancy stemming from the characters' self-interests.
The ending was fantastic and fast-paced. I may add spoilers of my thoughts closer to the release date.
I loved it. This is one I predict will be very popular when it releases. I found myself already wishing I could read the next in the series. I will say this seems to be heavily inspired by All of Us Villains, and much less so Kingdom of the Wicked. I did not get KOTW vibes until the ending.
Speedy review before I head off to work - let's see if I can get this done in 8 minutes...
What we have here is 17-year-old Bly, a teenaged girl who lost her younger sister Elise to Witches a year ago. Witches, Humans and Vampires make up the three races, with Humans naturally ranking at the bottom. However, they have a chance to scrape a higher position if they win the Revenant Games, a Witch v Vampire combat trial featuring Humans as fighters
The description of the Games was SUPER confusing and by far the weakest part of the book. I consider myself of average intelligence for a reader, and I couldn't make heads nor tails of Bly's convoluted plan to win against both the Vampires and Witches. Basically, she wants the prizes for both - the Vampire prize is to gift someone with immortality (like her best friend she's in love with, Emerson) and the Witch prize is to resurrect a dead person (like Elise). Playing both sides is supposed to be a big no-no, but there's nothing really stopping anyone from doing so? So yeah, I was kind of confused, but I rolled with it.
Bly is a good heroine overall - you can see her transformation from aspirational dreamer to hard-boiled manipulator over the course of the book, and I liked that she didn't let anything sway her from her goal. There's hardly really a romance in this book, but what does exist features a dandyish vampire prince with a yearning for death. I don't remember his name (except that it starts with a K) but I do appreciate how he's not some jaded centuries-old aristocrat. He's only 22 in reality, and 18 physically. His scenes are definitely the best even if the romance overall is weak.
Hit eight minutes now, so I'll finish off by saying that there's a relatively strong climax and I think I'll read the sequel. Or at least, I'll add it to my TBR...
If you loved Cruel Illusions, get ready to devour this next adventure by this absolutely amazing author. I fully devoured this book from the very first sentence to the very last in which I might of a little bit at that ending and just a warning now I will physically curse anyone who gets in the way of me reading the next one, just wow. The author has outdone herself, and I have to say this is one book that I am adding to my full recommendations list for anyone who is even considering reading it. Spells, which is, vampires, and a completely amazing potline that has caught my mind and a small amount of darkness in me from start to finish.
Thanks to myself, I didn't have high expectations for this book. The plot was meh, the games were so confusing and not intriguing. I didn't like the romance aspect either because the love interest was just so dull and lacked chemistry. There is also a shocking twist, but I guess it didn't surprise me. I can't say this book was okay because there are a lot of misses and lacks in the plot and I can't tolerate it.
Two things you need to know about this one right off the bat:
1. It starts off kind of slow, but it definitely gets better. 2. There is a place called "The Gap" and I kept thinking the characters were referring to the store and then I would get confused because it didn't seem like the kind of world that would house mid-range preppy clothes, but alas.
So if you, like me, find yourself a bit underwhelmed at the start, it really does pick up. And if you, also like me, can't remember that there can be more than one place referred to as "the Gap", then let's be weirdos together! Anyway, we meet Bly, who feels like crap because she got her sister killed. That'll do it, right? And her bestie Emerson, who she's kind of in love with has been a little distant. So she decides she is going to enter this vampire-witch game that will likely end up killing her but probably not because this is the start of a series.
Emerson, despite his insistence that this is a bad-bad idea, won't let Bly do it alone, so they come together to try to win. They end up needing to play both sides, in order to save everyone's lives (and reincarnate Bly's sister) and end up getting themselves very involved in vampire and witch politics, and basically ending up in the midst of a war between the factions. They make some friends, some enemies, and some frenemies along the way. It is fun! It is an adventure! There are twists and turns galore! A few of them I saw coming (especially the "big" one) but there were plenty that I didn't! I will be eagerly awaiting the sequel because this definitely got interesting!
Bottom Line:
After a bit of a slow start, I became fully invested in this story, and I have a feeling you will too!
I enjoyed this! I love YA fantasies with the trial/games aspect so that was fun- and a cliffhanger!
But I did think it lacked a little in some places...if it was in first person and had shorter chapters I would've ate it UP
And the love triangle 😑 don't get me wrong I do like a love triangle sometimes..but it has to be done right. In this case it was so painfully obvious that there was really only one option but the author forced there to be a triangle. For what???
I first saw The Revenant Games on Instagram, and when I read the premise, I knew I needed to read it. I love YA dystopian romances, and I was so intrigued by the paranormal elements. The story follows Bly as she enters a deadly game with other humans, vampires, and witches, determined to win at any cost so she can bring back her deceased sister and save her best friend.
Set in a society divided between humans, witches, and vampires, the world is a dark place to live, and it sets the tone for the story. Each group lives separate from the others, and fear rules, especially among the more vulnerable. I was fascinated by the dystopian elements, especially in the world-building, and the author highlights a society where people are dehumanized, freedoms are restricted, and some have definitive power over others. It is a world on the brink of unrest, and the tension permeates the pages and adds to the already intense plot.
The majority of the story unfolds as Bly, Emerson, and others enter and compete in the games. It’s a brutal competition, one Bly would not ordinarily enter. However, she proves that she will do anything for those she loves. The story has strong messages about love and relationships, and many different connections are developed over the course of their journey. I particularly liked how the author focused on siblings, and we see two very different sibling relationships, both bound by love and loyalty.
There are other relationships of note, too. For example, there is a bit of a love triangle, which isn’t my favorite, but Bly has major chemistry with one (Kerrigan) while she has a friendship with the other (Emerson). There’s a lot of angst and tension between her and Kerrigan – much more so than she has with Emerson, in my opinion, but I’m a sucker for a moody, broody hero. There are several scenes and swoony declarations that made my heart melt. And it also feels like there might be another love triangle, which I have a feeling will be more significant in the next book.
Overall, I thought this was an immersive and entertaining start to the story with a few surprising twists that I didn’t expect. And with that surprising cliffhanger ending, I can’t wait to pick up the next book!
I rounded it to 5 because it has everything I love in a YA fantasy book.
If you feel nostalgic and want to read smth like old 2010 YA dystopian books pick this one.
It brings all the awesomeness from 2010's books but adapted to a more whimsical world.
Our heroine starts shy and as a daydreamer but ends being a total manipulator 🤣 the likes of Jude Duarte from The Cruel Prince.( loved her !!! She sticks to her plan no matter what )
Like every good 2010 YA there is a love triangle , with the right amount of angst I would say and a well executed plot that sometimes takes first place in the story leaving the romance a little bit behind ( but ALWAYS present and guiding the heroine decisions at each scene )
I thought at first this was a standalone but nope, is a first book in a series and the definition of a "set up book "for upcoming ones. It ends in a cliffhanger, there is a strong character development for all the main characters abd a nice set up for the next book.
Vibes : OUABH definetly in the writting. Shatter me , Rook from Enchanting of Ravens, Kingdom of the Wicked ( first book ) and the Cruel Prince.
Why people are comparing this with twilight is beyond my understanding..( vampires eyes get dark when they are thirsty and thats about it )
I'll start my review by saying that I did have a really fun time with this book and it didn't take me long at all to finish it.
However I did have a few issues that knocked my rating down to 3 stars.
First up while the world building is intriguing there's not nearly enough of it. The magic system in this book sounds so cool but there's no explanation.
Secondly Emerson was useless. Seriously what did he do?
Third everything just felt a little rushed. The plot had me hooked but everything happened so quickly there wasn't enough build up and the ending was so confusing. Too many people with too much going on being crammed into such a short space of time.
So yeah overall it's a fun time with a couple of issues that can be overlooked. The ending shocked me enough to have me read the second book.
Honestly, Bly was an idiot, the games made no sense and were boring as hell, and the ending was so jumbled I couldn’t keep anything straight. Definitely will not read the sequel.
Wow! What a treat! I loved the action, a sprinkling of romance, the supernatural elements, and that cliffhanger!!!!
Bly is 17 and is holding herself together pretty well in a world dominated by witches and vampires. During the Revenant Games, for 2 weeks, the humans are allowed the upper hand. Not that that makes things too easy. As the rules go, whomever captures the most powerful witch gets to resurrect someone from the dead (which is Bly's plan), and whomever captures the Vampire gets Immortality (which also has a story).
This was exciting. It had great characters that I loved learning about throughout the book. Also, the details about this world that the author included really took this next level for me.
Summary says All of Us Villains meets Kingdom of the Wicked. Not having read either of those, I couldn’t say if that’s true. But for me, for fear of scaring some away, this very much gave me Hunger Games meets Twilight meets Cruel Prince vibes.
It took a while for me to put my finger on the Cruel Prince vibes. But once I did, it’s difficult to miss. The dynamics between characters, Bly’s growth through the novel, the ruthlessness of some of the characters, how Vampires and Witches treat and interact with humans, it very much feels like Holly Black’s portrayal of the Fae (conniving, manipulative, arrogant, etc).
In any case, I definitely recommend it and am excited for what comes next!
Cliff hangers suck Overall a really great read! There were times it felt like nothing was happening and other times it was going to quickly but by the end I was eating it up and need more! Now I'm crying over having to wait.
"He wanted eternity. But he'd give it up for her."
Ooooh I been WAITING for this one!
Vampires, witches, deadly games. What more could you ask for!
A death curse made by witches on her sister encourages our FMC Bly to enter the Revenant Games - a yearly tradition between witches and vampires where humans are simply the pawns to their enjoyment. Pick a side – you side with the vampires you win immortality, and you side with the witches, and you win the chance to resurrect anyone deceased.
But Bly wants both.
Bly is a strong main character, she’s characterized as a dreamer at the beginning of the novel but tragedy after tragedy forces her to enter the games and become manipulative and cunning, battling against her own feelings to save the ones she loves the most.
I loved Kerrigan; I really appreciated how he wasn’t some centuries old vampire yearning after a barely legal girl like in some OTHER vampire novels…he’s still very much human and harbours a lot of angst and guilt from his childhood trauma, sprinkled with a cold-hearted yearn for revenge.
The romance was light, but I preferred that, the focus remained on Bly and her goals and didn’t veer from this and settle on being a pure Romance Novel like some YA Romantasy novels fall fate to, however the scenes that we got were glorious, the tension between them palpable and leaving us longing for more.
I also admired how each person had legitimate reasons for their actions. It wasn’t simply “he’s a villain just because”, everyone had reasons for why they acted the way they did. Their complex pasts are what made this book so captivating, easily opening the world to prequels or origin stories later down the line.
My only slight criticism is that a lot of the book was focused on the travel between two cities, I wanted more action between the witches and the vampires, and I wish that we would have gotten to see more of the other players and their back stories as to why they were taking part.
That ending though! Fast paced, intense and all-consuming I didn’t want it to end, and I’m sat here staring into the void craving nothing but the sequel. What a cliffhanger!
*Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon and Schuster for this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Even after 400 pages, I'm not quite sure I understand the games. The world-building and magic system wasn't overly clear to me, and the game was a snooze fest. I wanted Bly to revive her sister, but she simultaneously annoyed me. Emerson was useless and just took up space. Kerrigan was also just... there. I didn't relate to him whatsoever, and I think the reader was supposed to feel sympathetic toward his past, but I just didn't care.
I enjoyed the writing, and I'll admit I'm still curious what happens next so I'll likely push through the sequel, but I certainly won't be waiting on the edge of my seat for it.
4.5 stars. This book had me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. The world was really interesting - a great magic system even though it’s morally awful. I enjoyed the depth of the major characters and the twists went different ways than what I expected. Super awesome book, give it a read!
This book was so good! As someone who chronically zones our when reading a book if the story lulls, from the beginning it pulled me in and I couldn't put this book down. All the characters are so at odds with each other, yet have to work together it creates a situation that is so addicting and heart-wrenching to read.
less official review lol:
oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god
*foams at the mouth* give me book 2 now 😖😩🥺😔😳😩😄😁🤪😅😩
when i say i want a book with character motivations. complex characters. this is what i mean. everyone's motivations are so at odds with each other, every thing that happens creates so much angst and tension. and vampires and witches!!!
this books filled a judecardan hole too. similar childhood trauma-turned into bonding but their circumstances hold them apart. i cant even explain but this book is so AHHH
DNF, I’ve read lots of YA books that were still well written enough to be enjoyed by adult audiences, but this book is not that. The premise sounds interesting but I couldn’t get through the weird narration and Mary Sue main character.
I literally could not put this down. I finished it in one day. This was like The Hunger Games meets Twilight, but there’s witches and mushrooms that kill people. I loved it.
The premise of this is really cool, with both vampires and witches being the enemy of humans because of their cruelty and need for blood. The uneasy truce between the supernatural sides and the games that allow them to subvert it was interesting and pulled my attention right away.
Things get messy early on and lines are blurred when alliances form and break and romances start to develop. A couple of times I was surprised by the turns this took and I'm definitely looking forward to how the next book will play out.