Falling in love with the woman you want revenge on is already complicated. Having killed her twenty times before marrying her? Kalel, darling, we need to discuss your approach to conflict resolution. Once Upon a Demon’s Heart is the first book in the Cruel Fates Series by K. M. Moronova
Keep reading, people…it gets interesting!
Disclaimer: This is the Review of an advance copy (ARC) received from NetGalley!
Blurb
This is no fairytale—It’s yearning and guilt of two burdened hearts that will leave readers breathless.
Alira, a devoted demigod knight, has found herself trapped in the throes of a brutal curse. A time loop in which the demon kingdom’s Blood Knight kills her every time. She is haunted by the attack she led on the innocent village of Thornhall, and her guilt consumes her from the inside out. After the twentieth time loop, she has finally had enough. Something has to change, lest she die at the Blood Knight’s hand for the rest of time. A choice she hopes she won’t regret—one to end the war between demigods and demons. Alira is shocked when she realizes that she’s marrying the very knight who has slain her so many times.
A daughter of Venus and a duke of demons. Their love is both cursed and destined—a marriage to save the fragility of their kingdoms.
Kalel is as cruel as they come. A devourer who survives on the gilded blood of demigods. He wants to hate her as much as he did when Thornhall fell, but he finds himself warring with his heart over his emotions for her. Together, they unravel the truths of Faultore, that perhaps not everything is as it seems. The gods may be pulling more strings than they should.
It’s not a question of what love can conquer; it is a matter of what they are prepared to demolish in the path of it.
Genre
Dark Fantasy Romance
Tropes
- Time loop
- Enemies to lovers (but are they lovers?)
- Arranged marriage
- Demons and demigods
My Review
In Once Upon a Demon’s Heart by K. M. Moronova, Alira is a demigod knight trapped in a brutal time loop, repeatedly dying at the hands of Kalel, the demon kingdom’s Blood Knight. When a marriage between enemies offers a chance to end the war, she finds herself bound to the very man responsible for those deaths. A promising foundation for a healthy marriage, obviously……(*sarcasm*).
What makes Alira and Kalel’s relationship so compelling is that their hatred isn’t simply there to manufacture romantic tension. It has roots in something terrible, and neither character can pretend that history never happened. Also, the way Kalel’s growing attraction to Alira clashes with his desire for revenge. Moronova handles that emotional tug-of-war brilliantly, making affection and resentment feel dangerously intertwined.
And just when I thought I understood where those feelings were leading, the ending gave me an entirely different reason to question Kalel. I was not prepared for that level of cliffhangering 😭 …..what a cruel mastermind he is!!
Apparently, falling in love with your enemy is the easy part. What you do with that love is another matter.
If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly recommend it, and if you have, do let me know in the comments: Can Kalel truly love Alira while still wanting to punish her for the past?
My Rating
- Overall: ★★★★ | 4 Stars
- Plot: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Romance: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Characters:★★★★ | 4 Stars
- Pacing: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Ending: ★★★★| 4 Stars
- Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶🌶| Level 4
- Book Cover:★★★★★| 5 Stars ( Perfection)
The Best Part
- The ending….literally wasn’t expecting that
- How Alira was so tortured that their kingdom has made a grave mistake
- The time loop concept was brilliant yet very cruel
The Worst Part
- The ending……lol 😭
