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Fury Bound (The Wolves of Ruin Book 2)
Sable Sorensen
4.5
Deathbringer (Deluxe Edition): A Novel
by Sonia Tagliareni
Published May 19, 2026
Categories
About this book
Viola carries a lethal burden: the ability to speak with the dead, a power that claimed her sister’s life and now threatens her own. Seeking answers, she infiltrates the treacherous Gorhail Institute of Magic, the site of her sister’s final days. Her path immediately collides with Sylas Archyr, a volatile poison mage bound to three immortal snakes and fueled by a deep-seated hatred for death mages.
Their initial animosity is absolute, but fate forces an impossible alliance when a magical bond binds them together following a life-saving intervention. As students begin to perish within the institute’s stone walls, Viola and Sylas are thrust into a deadly investigation, forced to navigate the dark secrets of a school that buries its history alongside its victims. Beneath the gothic atmosphere of Gorhail, the line between hunter and prey vanishes.
As they pursue a killer who targets mages for their relics, the mutual disdain between Viola and Sylas begins to fracture under the weight of an undeniable, dangerous attraction. Caught between a chilling conspiracy and their own entwined destinies, they must master their conflicting magics before the killer claims their lives—or the bond they share destroys them first.
Available Formats
Kindle: $0.00 Hardcover: $22.40
What readers are saying
Mich (easy.vesey.reads)Dark Academia at its finest!
"“Your heart is my home. Without you my soul has no anchor.” ♥️ Deathbringer was an amazing debut and I can already tell that it is going to be the next big romantasy book! While it took me a little bit to get into because of the dense world building (but hey it’s a fantasy book so no surprise there!), once everything started to get going I ended up not being able to put the book down. I truly felt the dark and haunting nature of the book. Like this is what you call a dark academia book for real. The necromancy and murder mystery aspects were my favorite part and I also loved the magical elements! “Everything about Sylas Archyr feels like a sin.” I enjoyed Sylas and Viola’s enemies to lovers romance, even if it was fast-paced as opposed to a slow-burn! Sylas’s realization of his feelings was great and I loved that we got alternating chapters from each of their points-of-view! I did guess the plot twist, but I don’t think it was obvious at all! I truly just guessed well lol. But the cliffhanger ending killed me and I desperately need the next book! If you’re looking for a dark academia romantasy featuring enemies to lovers, forbidden love, necromancy, and murder mystery, then make sure to check out Deathbringer! Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the advanced copy! ["
May 19, 2026 Verified Purchase
Michelle W.Fabulous dark academia debut!
"First off, I want to clarify an important detail here: I think the US publisher is doing this book a disservice by marketing it as a romantasy. It is NOT a romantasy. It is a fantasy romance, which the author herself has confirmed. It very much is plot-driven, with a romance subplot. So if you go into this book expecting lots of spice and romance... you will be a bit disappointed. However, if you go into this book with the correct expectations, it is a VERY enjoyable read. Sonia does a fantastic job in her debut novel of weaving together a plot that keeps you on your toes until the very end, and the writing is quite lovely. The story is a wonderful mix of fantasy with a murder mystery/thriller, a slow burn romance subplot that will make you swoon by the end, all wrapped up in dark academia & gothic vibes. I love the world that Sonia has built here, as well as the magic system, and everything put together just felt fresh and uniquely combined to make a story that feels like it stands apart a bit from others with similar vibes. The little snarky quips, the banter between Sylas and Viola, and all the wonderfully-written side characters (as well as some who I really didn't like, AS INTENDED by Sonia) really brought this book to life, and I had troubles putting it down when life tried to get in the way. You may walk away from this book with some trust issues, because Sonia does such a great job at making everyone seem suspicious in who she's written them, therefore keeping the reader from figuring out exactly what is going on and who's the villain truly is until she is ready to lay it all out for us at the end. The way this book ended took me COMPLETELY by surprise, and I can NOT wait to find out what happens in book 2! ["
May 19, 2026
Ariana KYA Dark Academia
"I received a review readers copy of this story, and this is my honest review. I really enjoyed this book, with dark academia but young adult appropriate as well making it more palatable to a potentially wider audience which I appreciated! I don't always want my dark academia to be verging on horror so this was a great blend and balance to me. It did come across as a bit predictable at times which made it slightly less compelling but it had enough depth for the characters and world that I really enjoyed this read despite those moments. It is well written, has a lot of depth and world building, and overall does really well at keeping me engaged and interested! Great book! ["
May 20, 2026 Verified Purchase
SuziLove Dark Academia Fantasies! This one fell flat for me …
"Deathbringer (Deathbringer, #1) by Sonia Tagliareni 3⭐️ Deathbringer is a dark academia Fantasy with some mystery, an intricate magic system and some dark romance elements( bordering more towards YA) I did have high hopes for this book, and the beginning of this story I was totally drawn into. But it kinda frizzled out at the mid point of the story. To me the plot lagged a bit and it took forever to get to the whole point of the story. It’s mostly all world building and an abundance of the explanation of the workings of the magic system in the beginning. So to me , it was a struggle to stay engaged with the story and characters. MFC Viola is born a necromancer , her sister is a nonmage( no magic) Her sister attends Gorhail Institute of Magic to protect Viola who hates the magic within herself. Her sister mysteriously dies and now Viola feels guilty about hiding who she truly is. Viola is forced to enroll at the Gorhail Institute of Magic to uncover some buried secrets of the school. She teams up with Silas who is bonded to her and despises everything about her. It would have made a good enemies to lovers but it felt like the chemistry between Silas and Viola was just non existent . I just couldn’t vibe with these characters unfortunately. Overall the story is promising and may grab others attention, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. ["
May 19, 2026
