Book Review: Divine Blood by Beck Michaels
Divine Blood by Beck Michaels
WOW, GUYS. Just… WOW. This story was so completely beyond what I was expecting!! I loved it so much.
Divine Blood in a handful of words: Whimsical. Rustic. Dazzling. Magical. Epic.
This whimsical adventure fantasy is told from multiple POVs and has mages and magic, shapeshifters, celestials, shadow demons, fae, elves, a prophecy, myths about pirates & hidden treasure, a fated-mates / enemies-to-lovers romance, possibly a chosen one trope, and it's only the beginning! Book 2 releases in August which cannot come fast enough.
Overall, the story starts out rustic but then becomes a majestic, epic fantasy quest that is dazzling, magical, and completely unexpected. With each character and storyline addition, the depth, dynamic, and power of the tale and world-building enhanced significantly and just... WOW.
Blog Contents
The Story
The Characters
Steamometer
Content Warnings
Limited Edition Recap
Overall Thoughts
The Series
Divine Blood Aesthetic
Shop My Library
Fun Facts & More
The Story
spoiler-free
The story begins in an eerie dream-memory of the last night the mysterious Shadow demon attacked Dyna’s village. It’s spooky and dark and while clearly sets the tone and purpose of Dyna’s character, doesn’t necessarily speak to the tone or mood of the book. From there, we meet present-day Dyna, a healer from the secluded village of North Star in the kingdom of Azure. She’s determined to vanquish the Shadow demon at any cost, even venturing outside of the safety of her village to go on a harrowing quest that will lead her to what she needs to save her village. Once she sets out on her journey, she meets up with a broody Celestial Prince, a terrifying yet familial shapeshifter, and the beginnings of a foretelling start to take shape.
I almost don’t even want to say more than that because (like usual) I went into this story almost blind. All I really knew was that it was YA Fantasy and that it MIGHT have a fated-mates trope or at least a blossoming YA romance in general, so I was absolutely here for it! And then I start reading and this happens:
And like… I want you to have the same reaction and surprise as I did!!! 😂😂😂 But I know that sometimes doesn’t make for a great review SO. FINE. I’ll give you more. Just a little. HOWEVER. If you find even the smallest of details to be spoiler-y sometimes (like I do) do not continue reading. Skip then next section or two!
So once she sets out on her journey, Dyna does meet up with this broody Celestial Prince named Cassiel and her cousin, Zev, who is actually a Lycan. And come to find out, the map Dyna has discovered that will lead her to what she needs to vanquish the Shadow demon terrorizing her village is actually the same map that leads to the same place that Cassiel has been searching for since his mother went missing during his childhood. This place, a legendary and thought to be nonexistent island, speaks of hidden treasures, pirates, and mysterious workings of the island itself.
So, naturally, these two, Cassiel and Dyna, come together before she sets out on her quest. Cassiel essentially becomes one of her guardians along this perilous journey and Zev just comes with Dyna as a package deal while simultaneously becoming a guardian as well. There’s a lot of world-building and character development as these three trek through the wilderness to the next few villages and stopping points on their quest. And yes, we do get pieces of the story from each of their points of view. Attractions between Cassiel and Dyna begin to rise and Zev is forever in protective wolf mode over Dyna while at odds with Cas. And then while we’re just minding our own business following Zev, Dyna, and Cas through a new village - BAM. We get ANOTHER point of view. Now when I say BAM, I really mean BAM, because it had been long enough into the story that I did NOT think we’d be getting another POV! And honestly, during many points in the story thereafter, I was enjoying this particular point of view better than the first three! I just thought it brought so much more depth and power to this already blooming dynamic tale and it’s really where you begin to learn about the overarching storyline - it makes the book not so linear as the summary might make you believe that it is! And yup, this is where a prophecy and a foretelling come into play, and for me, that made this story even better.
From here, there’s more traveling and pit stops along their journey and more characters start entering the fray. Dyna has a knack for getting herself into trouble and Zev and Cassiel are ever watchful guardians over her. At one point, Zev is indisposed and Cassiel has a TIME saving Dyna and it gets a bit stressful. There’s some more traveling and the tension between Cassiel and Dyna gets heightened. At most points in the story, I was mad at Cassiel because he just COULDN’T recognize or admit how much he cared for Dyna. Enter the evil master mind character and his dark plot. AND THEN WE GET ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW. I know - you’re like… WHAT. These additional points of view were seriously making the story for me, if you can’t tell. (ALSO. The magic systems, especially that of the elves and celestials, is one of my favorites! I really hope that gets expanded upon in the coming books.) BUT. Then there’s this climatic squabble where Dyna needs saving and, of course, we end the story on a HUGE cliffhanger! Dang it, Beck. However, a little nugget for your excitement, Dyna ends up with a few more guardians than she started out with on her journey and her quest seemingly continues.
AND THAT’S ALL I’M GIVING YOU. 😂 If you want more, let’s chat! Or if you’ve read it, let’s chat!
The Characters
So when the story starts out, it seems like it’s just going to be your run of the mill main character heroin, love interest, and sidekick. But holy moly. There’s a whole slew of dynamic characters and voices with backstories of their own! I love when a story ends up being more than it seems.
Dyna, while headstrong and brave, is also naïve and comes across a bit young and ditzy at times. BUT. I do know that was the author's intent and that she will grow significantly as the story progresses.
Cassiel is a bit broody and harsh but actually cares SO MUCH. He hides behind his pain to avoid the hurt he's experienced his entire life.
Zev is protective and sure. He comes with a lot of baggage, but he’s the big brother every girl loves to hate.
Von is the obedient warrior brute type but with a big heart. He’s stuck in his current situation, but I am predicting that he breaks free of it and helps Dyna. I actually very much enjoyed his POV. We find out A LOT through his eyes.
Yavi is the light in Von’s life. While she has more of a side character role, her voice felt big to me in this story especially when it came to Von’s POV. I’m nervous and excited to see her storyline progress.
Tarn appears to be the mysterious, unknown, evil force lurking in the background but I see him being much more than that in future books. There’s more to him than meets the eye.
Elon is the strong, silent warrior who is duty bound and obedient. I can see him being less forgiving, but he’s loyal to Von and I love his magic!
Lucenna is just your average strong and independent sorceress hell-bent on getting back what’s hers and never letting a man tell her what to do.
Each chapter is structured off a handful of these characters’ points of view seemingly without a pattern that keeps you on your toes! For example, you could get Dyna’s POV for a few chapters then Cassiel’s or Zev’s and then it might jump over to Von and back to Zev.
Steamometer
❤️ - slow burn, sweet, and heartwarming
A beautiful beginning to an enemy to lovers, fated-mates trope, but don't expect kissing yet! However, do expect lots of tension and awkward moments.
For those who unfamiliar with my Steamometer, check it out below!
❤️ nice and sweet
💃🏼 sassy spice
🔥 steamyyyy goodness
🥵 my ovaries are bursting
🖤 smutastic
Content Warnings
PTSD/anxious feelings/anxiety - So I feel like almost every character comes with their form of baggage and past traumas in this story, but Dyna especially experiences post traumatic like symptoms when it comes to darkness and I feel like that’s worth pointing out.
Verbal abuse - Cassiel, especially, experiences some verbal abuse from his family for a brief period at the beginning of the story.
Death of family members - Again, almost every character has experienced death in some shape or form, but there are off-page references to immediate family member deaths.
Enslavement - Anyone can become a slave in this world and one of the main ways is through a life-debt. People are also taken against their will because of their skills to become slaves to masters who “need” or “require” what they can do. While the tone of the story doesn’t necessarily scream this at you, the greater world Beck created is scary and brutal.
Limited Edition Recap
So, yes, the copy I own and that’s pictured in this blog is actually a limited edition version, and isn’t it just gorgeous?! The original or regular edition is black and just as stunning. The limited edition comes signed with bound fanart in the book, a little back story as to how Divine Blood was initially conceptualized, aaaand there’s an extra chapter, From The Ashes, from Tarn's POV that I found incredibly intriguing! I hope we get more from him in future books.
Oh and a quick note about the limited editions - I believe at this point they are sold out, however, if you are a bookstagrammer / book blogger you can apply to receive a misprinted version in exchange for an honest review! If you’re interested, check that out here!
Overall Thoughts
This story was so much more than I was expecting! The writing was exquisite and while it and the world-building were very detailed it never felt overly so. It still read so smoothly and I never felt myself getting tripped up. I did, however, find myself reading slower overall but only because I wanted to take in all the detail and typically for me when there’s a lot of POVs, I just move a bit slower through the story. I loved all of the characters but found myself drawn more to the POVs and characters outside of Dyna’s immediate circle. I think that was only because the depth of the story was expanding more in those POVs because they had more knowledge and information pertinent to Dyna’s storyline that Dyna wasn’t aware of herself. Once Dyna’s trio and the additional POVs met in the middle that was the icing on the cake! This story just felt fresh and different and new and I’m all for the epic fantasticalness of it. The beautifully rustic and whimsical adventure with what now seems like a chosen one trope, heroic guardians, and a prophecy has me obsessed and I will be coming back for more. I can’t wait to see where this story is headed. Bravo, Beck, bravo! And thank you for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Series
Also, YES! This book is part of a series. You know I love a good fantasy series! It’s book 1 in The Guardians of the Maiden series. Check it out on Goodreads! Book 2, Bonded Fate, is set to release in August and it also looks like we’ll be getting a prequel novella titled, King’s Oath later this year! Sounds ominous.
Divine Blood Aesthetic
After I finished Divine Blood and to prep this blog review, I put together a little aesthetic mood board on Pinterest about the story. You can check out the full board here! I’ve also included some of my favorite images below. I feel like it’s equal parts whimsy and gothic - like if the The Shire every collided Mordor kind of thing.
Shop My Library
Shop Divine Blood and my other 2021 reads to date
Or click the cover to shop at Bookshop.org
Fun Fact
Divine Blood was also one of the paranormal fantasy books I was looking forward to reading back in September 2020! If you missed that blog check it out below.
More Bookish Posts
The Ultimate List of Paranormal Fantasy Books
35 Fantasy Book Series That I Want To Read
Highly Anticipated Fantasy Reads Of 2021
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Hey y'all, I'm Leah!
Cozy connoisseur and bountiful book buyer. I have a minor obsession with getting lost in the pages of a good book, guzzling coffee, and thriving at home. Yoga pants, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a homebody at heart with a knack for content creation, flatlays & cozy shots. This is my creative space.
