I wanted to love Deathbringer because I love the idea of speaking with the dead. It’s some of my favorite magics! But Deathbringer and I did not click. Keep reading this book review of Deathbringer for my full thoughts.
Summary
Born with the ability to speak with the dead, Viola hates her magic. It killed her sister, Olivia, and if she doesn’t learn why, it will kill her too. Her only hope lies within the perilous walls of Gorhail Institute of Magic, where Olivia spent her final days.
There, Viola clashes with Sylas, a poison mage whose magic stems from three magical snakes. Immortal, tormented, and reckless, Sylas is tethered to a life he never asked for and haunted by guilt for his father’s death. His hatred for death mages runs deep, and he’s determined to keep Viola at a distance. But when an attack forces him to heal her, their fates become intertwined by a magical bond that threatens to upend his loyalties—and his common sense.
As more students start turning up dead, Viola and Sylas are drawn into an uneasy alliance that pulls them deeper into Gorhail’s treacherous passageways, where secrets fester beneath the stone and the dead do not rest. And as enemy lines begin to blur and their undeniable attraction grows, Viola and Sylas uncover a chilling someone is hunting mages for their magical relics, and if they can’t uncover the killer in time, Viola will be next.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The premise of Deathbringer is still one I find fascinating, but we did not click. I liked it theoretically and on the page, but I found myself drifting away from this. I wouldn’t have this burning need to keep reading, to find out what happened. I liked this idea of snakes – even if I still don’t understand them entirely – and the idea of death magic. But the rivalry, the hatred he felt for her, I’m like, I get why, but this doesn’t resonate with me. It doesn’t grab me and stoke a fire, it’s just something that makes sense on page, but doesn’t evoke it for me. I’m also not normally a fan of the idea of fated to be together, so that was a hard sell as well.
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It’s one of those things which makes sense on paper, but doesn’t reach through the pages. I felt like we didn’t learn a lot about the world, but then when we did it was too fast? I think a good world needs to have the time to establish itself so that when things don’t happen how they should, we feel those consequences. Some scenes and aspects felt rushed so that I never felt fully invested. I wish I enjoyed this one more. Deathbringer‘s strongest feature might be the romance, but for me, that wasn’t my cup of tea. Find Deathbringer on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.