Review: River of Shadows by Karina Halle
Take some Hades & Persephone, add some major Beauty and the Beast vibes, plus a dash of Labyrinth, and a sprinkle of Alice in Wonderland, and you have RIVER OF SHADOWS, a spicy and enchanting HIGH HEAT, HIGH FANTASY ROMANCE with a dark Nordic mythology twist.
"In order to save my father, I have to marry the God of Death."
When 24-year old Hanna Heikkinen's estranged father dies, she reluctantly makes the trip to Northern Finland for his funeral. Being in the enchanting land of ice and snow feels miles away from Hanna's busy life back in Los Angeles, especially under the complicated circumstances.
But when Hanna discovers that her father's body is missing, that's when things really get weird.
A mysterious man, Rasmus, tells Hanna the truth: her father was a powerful shaman who went into Tuonela, the Realm of the Dead, in order to barter for more life, and has been held captive by Tuoni, the God of Death. The only way her father can be freed is if she travels with Rasmus into the mythical underworld to rescue him.
Willing to do anything to have a second-chance with her father, Hanna accompanies Rasmus into the dark and bloody realm, traveling via the River of Shadows, stalked by dangerous creatures, monsters, and the living dead, until they finally come into the haunted kingdom ruled by Death and his family.
Only for her to be captured and held prisoner by the God of Death himself.
Turns out Death is intrigued by Hanna's beauty and fierceness and makes a bargain with her. If she marries him, and spends an eternity in the Realm of the Dead as his wife, he'll set her father free.
But even the most noble sacrifices come with hidden costs, and Hanna's might involve the most unexpected of all things: her heart.
"In order to save my father, I have to marry the God of Death."
When 24-year old Hanna Heikkinen's estranged father dies, she reluctantly makes the trip to Northern Finland for his funeral. Being in the enchanting land of ice and snow feels miles away from Hanna's busy life back in Los Angeles, especially under the complicated circumstances.
But when Hanna discovers that her father's body is missing, that's when things really get weird.
A mysterious man, Rasmus, tells Hanna the truth: her father was a powerful shaman who went into Tuonela, the Realm of the Dead, in order to barter for more life, and has been held captive by Tuoni, the God of Death. The only way her father can be freed is if she travels with Rasmus into the mythical underworld to rescue him.
Willing to do anything to have a second-chance with her father, Hanna accompanies Rasmus into the dark and bloody realm, traveling via the River of Shadows, stalked by dangerous creatures, monsters, and the living dead, until they finally come into the haunted kingdom ruled by Death and his family.
Only for her to be captured and held prisoner by the God of Death himself.
Turns out Death is intrigued by Hanna's beauty and fierceness and makes a bargain with her. If she marries him, and spends an eternity in the Realm of the Dead as his wife, he'll set her father free.
But even the most noble sacrifices come with hidden costs, and Hanna's might involve the most unexpected of all things: her heart.
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
River of Shadows is very great start to the Underworld Gods series. Before I started this book I was hoping for it to be a stand-alone, but after finishing it I am extremely excited that we will get more books. I am a huge fan of fantasy romance novels and it being based on Finnish mythology is the icing on the cake. The story was fast-paced which I loved, because there was no moment that left me bored. I was invested in the story an was excited to see how everything would unfold. The main character Hannah has a great personality and I clicked with her right away.
The mystery around Tuoni, the God of Death was phenomenal, I was so curious and obsessed with him. The chemistry between the main characters was super hot. I couldn't get enough of their interaction. This book had a great balance between romance, fantasy, action, humor, and eroticism. The writing was easy to read and had a great flow. I especially loved the world Karina has created for this series. The ending of River of Shadows has me super excited for the next book, so I can't wait for Crown of Crimson to release this spring!
Meet Karina
Karina Halle is a former travel writer, music journalist & screenwriter, and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling author of over 55 bestselling novels, ranging from horror and suspense to contemporary romance. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband, and her adopted pitbull Bruce, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Root Literary Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster, Hachette & Montlake. Her work has been translated and published in 20 languages.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.
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