Book: Veil of Blood and Bone by Brea Viragh
Reviewed by A.Hampton Reads
Rating: 4/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Veil of Blood and Bone was an interesting mix of Norse mythology, contemporary fantasy, reincarnation, and romance. Knowing this is a series, the first book lays the foundation for a much longer character journey.
One of my favorite parts of the premise was the history between Helene and her three supernatural lovers. They have remained alive for centuries, searching for her and trying unsuccessfully to break the curse placed upon them. As more of their shared history and connections to the gods were revealed, I found myself wanting to know even more about the lives these characters had lived before we met them. I especially liked reading their POVs when they interacted with their personal worlds/relationships.
The three relationships also felt surprisingly distinct. Each man seems to connect with a different part of Helene, and I appreciated that their dynamic wasn't built around constant jealousy or competition for her attention. After so many lifetimes, they've learned to exist next to each other, owning the ethos that "sharing is caring" 😂
Nicholas, the vampire, was particularly compelling to me. His history with Helene requires an enormous amount of restraint, guilt, and fear alongside his love for her, and that gave their relationship an emotional weight I really enjoyed.
The book blends all of that mythology with a very modern setting and voice. The first-person prose, contemporary references, and realistic inner dialogue took me a little time to adjust to but ultimately fit the version of the story being told. Where I struggled most was with Helene herself. Her trauma, abandonment issues, family history, and fierce protectiveness of her sister make her resistance understandable, but understanding a character's choices doesn't always make those choices exciting to read.
Because the story takes place over only a handful of days, much of her larger growth seems intentionally reserved for later books. I finished wanting the breakthrough the story hadn't quite reached yet. The ending sets up a strong reason for Helene to finally confront everything she's been resisting, but with that development arriving so late, I feel more interested in what it could mean for the next book than emotionally satisfied by the end of this one.
And a warning for my fellow spice-scale researchers: this book means it when it says spicy ! The intimate scenes are explicit and detailed, although there were moments when I didn't feel the story needed quite as much to establish what we already knew. Then again, they had to wait another lifetime to be together, so I can understand the NEED 😂
I'd recommend this one especially to romantasy readers who enjoy Norse mythology, contemporary fantasy, reverse-harem relationships, reincarnated lovers, high spice, and—most importantly— a long-game character payoff .
Four stars for me, with a lot of curiosity about where the series takes her next!