Wraithful Reads

A Promise of Blood is the second installment in the Amefyre series by R.A Sandpiper, and I cannot stop telling everyone about this series because I love it so much. I dove straight into reading it after finishing A Pocket of Lies, and now I can’t wait for the third book, coming out in May!

The second book continues with Suri’s story. She’s survived Queen Lera’s horrific ritual at the end of A Pocket of Lies, and must now navigate life in completely unfamiliar territory. She’s still the same flawed character I grew to love in APoL, and there’s so much character development that happens throughout the book for all of the main characters. The thief who’s always run away, always kept to herself, and focused on her own survival now finds herself as part of something bigger. And she reluctantly joins Kol’s closest friends to save him and someone else close to her.

“The sea air whipped as the water below them roiled with grey waves so furious they must have carried generations of scorned women.”

– R. A. Sandpiper, A Promise of Blood

APoB is filled with more world-building, similar to the first book, but explains much more. I didn’t mention this in my review of APoL, but I really like that each chapter starts with a diary excerpt from C. Aubethaan in the first book and L. Aubethaan in A Promise of Blood. These excerpts add extra lore and intrigue and become clearer as the plot unfolds. I even went back to reread the excerpts, and they made more sense with more context. It’s a smart way to give backstory without lengthy time-jumps chapters taking you away from the main plot, and it’s used very skillfully here.

The same thing I enjoyed in APoL is still present here too: Suri does not act like a hero. She acts like a flawed, very real, average person. She ducks when you expect her to dive and it just made APoB so much more gripping. Right when you think you’ve anticipated how she’s going to act, she subverts expectations and it’s really engaging to read. It makes Suri a much more believable character. Even if I found myself mentally begging her to just accept her new place in the City of the Damned.)

Some tropes and common themes I enjoyed in this book:

• Deals with the Fae – making bargains in exchange for your soul
• She saves him
• Morally grey FMC
• Spice
• Reluctant hero – kinda
• Prophecy
• Found family – kinda, it’s building up

There were no trigger warnings listed, however, from reading I came across the following:

• Violence
• Extreme poverty
• Religious trauma
• Death
• Graphic injuries and fights
• Sex scenes

Overall, I loved it. I can’t wait for the next book and to find out what happens next.

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