King of Flesh and Bone: A Dark Fantasy Romance (The Pale Court Book 1)

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Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Torture, Vomit, Alcohol, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Toxic relationship This the first book I have read if this author, I kept seeing this book being recommended so I finally decided to give it a try. Few know this, but I’m from Germany and traditionally published books there many years ago. When I finally felt brave enough to publish in English, going indie was a no-brainer to me. I enjoy having full control over the content of my books, especially when it comes to stories written under Liv Zander. I promised myself that Liv would write whatever she wants whenever she wants to. No compromises. No doubts. Trad publishers would pull their hair out if they needed to deal with that attitude.

At its core, this dark fantasy romance is about how love can turn us into fools for liars and monsters. The book asks the reader if villains deserve to be loved, and if we can root for such a couple against the guidelines of morality. As for the overall story, you’ll have to go in blindfolded, letting the first chapter give you a good spin. Are there redeeming qualities? Not if you don't want to read about SA. Skip this book, truly. For me, it was the first one that really went there, but I still liked the story overall. It doesnt break any ground (monstrous MMC, an FMC who is dropped into his clutches, and slow enemies to lovers, the tortured man rescued by a kind woman, etc). Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Gaslighting, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexism, Stalking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War Ada is a human struggling with grieving the death of her husband and fitting into a society that looks down on her for being unable to bear a child. She finds herself accidentally dragged into the Pale Court and at the mercy of a merciless god. The King of Flesh and Bone, the ruler of the Pale Court (think Hades and the Underworld, but with a dark fantasy twist), who can control flesh or bone - rot corpses, raise a dead army, break the bones of the living at will, distort ones flesh to either age or remain young, etc. The story primarily follows the dynamics of their relationship and the King of Flesh and Bone's role outside of the Pale Court.Liv Zander’s King of Flesh and Bone certainly walks the line between thrilling and triggering for me, but she weaves an incredibly rich dark fantasy romance that kept me listening to the audiobook until the end. I was entirely tangled up in the story of Ada and Enosh: her determination to stay true as it is overwhelmed by his possessiveness, his questionable nearly non existent morals, and each carrying their own pasts. Liv has an unhealthy love for sexy villains. To cure herself of her poor choice in men, she’s currently undergoing therapy, but who can afford that these days? To fund her co-pays, she’s writing deliciously dark fantasy romance about the men who would burn the world to the ground for their women. Is that counter-productive? Probably, but it’s also a lot of fun. Why do I insist on doing this to my self….this is a PERFECT example of why I don’t read incomplete series because how am I supposed to sleep for the next 6ish weeks? Be advised that this story is about a villain. Not a hero. There is no redemption. There is no good. Just a dark and distorted god and a lot of smut (including quite a bit of peach play, in case you were interested). SpoilerThe villain has a strong disdain for the living, with a complicated past involving another human woman. So much so that he has isolated himself in the Pale Court. When Ada is dragged into his presence, he takes this disdain out on her in the form of nonconsensual sexual punishment, as he strongly desires her warmth. The entirety of their relationship is nonconsensual sex - where he not only physically forces her into acts, but also uses his abilities to force her flesh and bone to comply with his demands. Towards the end of the book, Ada begins to feel conflicted by her body's arousal response to these acts and distorts this natural bodily response to assault for real building emotions of affection towards the King. This portrayal of a traumatic response as affection did not sit well with me and played a large role in me wanting to hate this book.

It does start a bit awkwardly. But as long as you get past chapter 2 the story starts To write itself almost. I did struggle with the 1st chapter understanding what was happening once I did I couldn't believe the story I was falling into. Heed the warnings that this is too dark a romance for most people’s tastes. If he can handle Tillie Cole and HD Carleton, chances are he can take that level of determination.

I would like to preface this review with the fact that I have not read many dark fantasy romance stories, so I am not sure if the content of this book is typical for the genre or if the dark elements are not aligned with what the genre is meant to be. I do plan on reading more dark fantasy romance in the future, so I may revisit this review following additional reference points. Ada has encountered many difficulties and sufferings in her world. As a midwife, she gives birth for other women, but does not have one of her own. Up until his death, Ada’s husband, John, was an abusive adulterer who blamed Ada for his childlessness. Now he was dead, and since she feels that she has failed him in life, she must not fail him in death either.

Alternate cover edition of ASIN [119]B096G8R6PS A Dark Fantasy Romance Worse than a ruthless king… is a king obsessed. Isolation, darkness, and rotting flesh, Surrounds me, suffocates me, But I am the vile ruler who controls it all. I long for warmth, Yet, all that I touch, Is cold. Then, she stumbles in to my domain, Lost and frightened, Alone and confused. And I terrify her even more. S Alternate cover edition of ASIN [120]B096G8R6PS A Dark Fantasy Romance Worse than a ruthless king… is a king obsessed. Isolation, darkness, and rotting flesh, Surrounds me, suffocates me, But I am the vile ruler who controls it all. I long for warmth, Yet, all that I touch, Is cold. Then, she stumbles in to my domain, Lost and frightened, Alone and confused. And I terrify her even more. She calls me the devil, So I show her pleasure, Like only the devil can. I am the heat that stirs her flesh, The longing that trembles her bone. She begs her body to refuse, To escape my embrace, But I am her master, The puppeteer of passion. I am the King of Flesh and Bone. Welcome to my court, little one. King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel, and book one in The Pale Court duet. The two-part story features a ruthless man, the woman who can’t escape his love, and a HEA. This world contains dark themes, violence, loss, and elements of horror some may find disturbing. What this book doesn’t contain is a hero – because villains do it better. [121]…more King of Flesh and Bone (The Pale Court, #1) by Liv Zander – eBook Details Below are the worlds this author has built around these two characters. The details of both worlds are so incredibly vivid that you can easily imagine each element.Enosh, the king of flesh and bone, an eternal god who refuses to do his duty. He is an evil, arrogant, cruel, manipulative and ruthless man. Enosh may seem cold and ruthless, but he is very lonely, hurt, and heartbroken. Does it take possessiveness and obsession to a whole new level? Hey! Did she adore him for all the mean or naughty things he did? Absolutely! Eventually it ends with a cliff that could make you propel objects with telepathic rage. Fortunately, the second book is now out and it works exceptionally well with Ada’s transformation, keeping you engaged with the twisted, macabre and taboo. Truth be told, I don’t give self-care enough time. But when I do, I usually seek out silence. Nothing refreshes me more than a drive in the car, or an hour away from the loud noises of my personal life. My TBR is an electronic dumpster fire with random books tossed together from any and all genres. I might read an alien romance one night, then a fictional biography about the last princess of Korea the next. And how about we toss a horror in there? Or a book about 20 ways to make pancakes? When she’s not joking around, she can be found procrastinating in her office with a mug of coffee or a glass of wine (depending on time of day and how miserable the writing is going). Oh, she also loves skulls. And ravens. And skulls.

The second book however....well, see my review of that book for more information. Overall, I would have recommended this book, but the second book in the series was enough for me to say that I will not be recommending this book. Is there questionable behavior by the MMC, and does the author eventually tell you why he's behaving that way and what is driving him... absolutely! This wouldn't be a dark romance if he just fell all over himself for a woman he found charming. I love how dark and forlorn it is, allowing my gory and macabre side to come out and play a little. King of Flesh and Bone is a full-length dark fantasy novel and the first book by the duo The Pale Court. The two-part story centers on a ruthless man, the woman who cannot escape her love, and a HEA.None. Weather and I are not on good terms. Whatever you would call the season inside my office. That’s my favorite. First of all, the characters blew me away! Especially Enos. He’s the bad boy that every woman fears but secretly fantasizes about. He is by no means a good guy, as he will demonstrate at the beginning of the book. Ada is a fighter, brave and unaware of her true worth. And the writing flows effortlessly with plenty of style and form. Every description, every word is a testament to this author’s talent. Every sentence I write goes through at least three rounds of edits before I actually type it. For a long time, I listened to all the advice out there, trying to push myself to write a first draft. In the end, I had to accept that I’m not that type of writer. I don’t write fast, but what I write requires little to no editing and almost never any revising.