Blood Bound (Deluxe Edition): A Novel (Cursed Covenant)

Jessie McCarty

The perfect fantasy romance!

"I am known for my long winded rambling reviews, but truly I am finding it hard to come up with the right ones to describe the experience that is Blood Bound. The found family and friendship in this story need to be studied. They are gold standard beautiful and wholesome and everything that stands the test of time for a good story in my opinion. If the twists (yes twistS because Katie and Becky made my jaw drop multiple times) get out I will be so upset because OMG. Experiencing them alongside the story is… it’s everything you want in an epic fantasy. I had theories and none of them were right. And I was SO thrown for a loop early on I knew immediately this would be a five star read. I like when authors knock me on my ass. And they did just that. AND IT CONTINUED THE WHOLE BOOK. Speaking of being knocked on my ass— I have never cried as hard reading as I did in this book. I was wrecked. Ugly crying at 1am. Immediately sliding into DMs. I was a mess. The emotional turmoil these two put me through was… perfection. If you enjoy traumas like the 13, Sam Cortland, and “it’s been my honor”… you’ll feel right at home here. Despite the rumor mill, this is definitely a fantasy with romance, not a romantasy. But don’t let that deter you because the romance that is included… OMFG. The tension is palpable. It is delicious. And the things that this man does and says to prove his devotion is DROOL hi I’m obsessed with Zryan. Like. So obsessed. He can take me to a winter forest ANY DAY. And all that to say yes… there is some spice. This may be fantasy romance but it is not closed door. Astrid and Skylar are complete opposites and yet fit so well together— as so many besties do. I LOVED how they had their individual stories with areas of growth but also were so intertwined together. At first the concept of two FMC was odd to me but I quickly saw the brilliance in it and was so glad to get to experience both women from their POV. I can’t review this without mentioning the star of the show— Bastet. If you grew up watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch and loved Salem, you’re going to freaking love Bastet because I swear they are one and the same… and I want one for myself please. I believe this fantasy will stand the test of time. It’s immaculate. The pacing is perfection and you dive in immediately and never want to hop off the ride. Witches Dragons Talking animals High stakes + trials Secrets and LOTS of twists Forbidden romance / enemies to lovers Slow burn Found family + female friendship Magic Rival kingdoms ["

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May 1, 2026 Verified Purchase

Mikaela Vandenelzen

4⭐

"4⭐ You duel, or you die Blood Bound is a new, cutting edge fantasy book that keeps you on the edge of your seat! It follows two girls, Astrid, a witch heir from a neighboring country, who has been planning to enter the duel to the death with the dragon heir, Zryan for the worlds source of power to save her queendom.... The Heart .....and Skylar, a seemingly normal girl, with a wicked talent for blades, who has been forced to fend for herself ever since her mother was murdered in front of her. Things I loved: ✨ The magic system is next tier! I loved the mix of dragons, witches, unique powers, familiars, and everything in between ✨ The duel pov that follows both girls until they meet is a fun way to integrate both stories! ✨ The relationship between not only the two girls but the main side characters keeps you invested, there is a sense of found family throughout this book that warms your heart ✨ The ENDING?!?!?! I AM OBSESSED. There are parts of the story that you think you have figured out, just to be completely bamboozled by the end of the story. I truly did not see a few of the twists coming, and I was pleasantly surprised with how the book came to a conclusion. Things I didn't love: 🗡️ Unfortunately, this does give off a bit of "insta love" between two of the characters. It feels like two people that should be enemies instantly fall for each other, i am talking within minutes of meeting each other. I would have liked a bit more yearning, personally 🗡️ The writing is a bit clunky at times. While i do love the dual pov, that mixed with the third person makes some of the sentences and passages difficult to understand. There are also a few mistakes throughout the book grammatically that i am hoping got fixed prior to publishing! 🗡️ Many of the characters did not go through much development, i would have enjoyed to see how some of them might have impacted the story if they were fleshed out Overall, would I recommend this book? 🐉 Yes I absolutely would!! This book has the potential to be a heartbreaking, fast paced, fantastic fantasy series, and I will be picking up the next one as soon as it is released!🪄 ["

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April 28, 2026 Verified Purchase

Krisily

Calling all of my fellow dragon loving Romantasy bookworm friends!!

"If your anything like me you both loved and devoured books like ACOTAR, FOURTH WING, ZODIAC ACADEMY, SHEILD OF SPARROWS & QUICKSILVER and you’re looking for your next five star read. Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster I was able to get my hands on an ARC and I was NOT disappointed. Blood Bound follows Princess Astrid, the last witch of her kind and heir to the Queendom of Arturea. Since she was little she was taught she had one purpose, a duel where she’d face Prince Zyran, the winner gains access to the source of all magic: the Heart. You duel or you die. We also meet Skylar, she couldn’t be more opposite from Princess Astrid. Skyler has nothing except her friends who travel together putting on acrobatic shows and stealing from their audience. From the first sentence of this debut novel you are dropped in on the action. I’m always a bit nervous when there are two authors of a book worrying that I’ll be able to tell the difference in writing, but much like Susanne Valenti and Caroline Peckham, authors of Zodiac Academy, when it comes to Blood Bound, you can’t tell where one author begins or the second author ends. The writing is fluid and flawless. Blood Bound takes us on a journey in a land where magic is real, witches have familiars and dragons have riders of course. The world building is slow and steady but pulls readers in, in a way that you can truly feel a part of this magical world. You aren’t just given characters to root for, you are also given characters that you can see yourself in which to me is one of the greatest experiences I can have as a reader! With so many of the tropes that us Romantasy readers look for while bringing readers new twists and turns that keep you on your toes, when you finish this book, you are left patiently waiting for a sequel. If you’re looking for your next 5 star read Blood Bound is it! ["

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April 28, 2026 Verified Purchase

Chelsea Howell

ARC REVIEW

"This book is a 6 star read for me! I was captivated every second of the way. I stayed up late, forgone all responsibilities to finish and when I couldn’t read it was all I could think about was getting back to this book. I’m absolutely sad that it’s over and we have to wait for a book 2 release. The ending definitely shocked me. I fell in love with each character individually and felt as if they had come to life. This book made me feel as though I was in it. Every aspect was so nicely done. The plot, the romance, the deep rooted friendship. I cannot wait for the next book. If this doesn’t blow up, I will truly be shocked. ["

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May 14, 2026 Verified Purchase

Pam V

4.5 ⭐️

"Oh this one? This one had me working for it. I got an early copy, tried to push through the formatting (my eyes said absolutely not), and immediately switched to audio the second I could. Best decision. It starts slow… but not boring slow. More like a quiet, creeping tension that just stays. No big lulls, no obvious breaks, just a steady, relentless build the entire time. And the sides?? Don’t ask me to pick. I couldn’t. Every time I thought, okay THIS is who I’m rooting for, something shifted and suddenly I was just sitting there, stressed, biting my nails instead of cheering. By the time everything started coming together, I was fully locked in, slightly unhinged, and bracing myself for impact. And then it hit. The friendships? Elite. The found family? Inject it into my veins. The character growth? We love to see it. The emotional damage? RUDE. And the romances? Soft, slow burn perfection. Yeah… I’m gonna need book 2 immediately. Like, yesterday. ["

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May 3, 2026 Verified Purchase