Review: City of Darkness by Karina Halle

City of Darkness, an all-new dark fantasy romance with high heat in the Underworld Gods Series from New York Times Bestselling author Karina Halle, is out now!

Series: Underworld Gods #3

When mortal Hanna agreed to marry Tuoni, the God of Death, in exchange for her father's life, the last thing she expected was to fall for the morally grey anti-hero. But it's not only her heart that's in danger now. As she navigates her new role as the Goddess of Death in the spooky and macabre underworld of Tuonela, Hanna discovers that Death has many enemies in his kingdom, none more powerful than his half-demon ex-wife, Louhi. With an uprising of Old Gods at her fingertips, and skeleton armies ready to do her bidding, Hanna and Death must work together to make sure the underworld isn't lost forever, even if it means losing each other and all they hold dear.

City of Darkness, the third installment in the Underworld Gods series, is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Karina's writing style remains as captivating as ever, effortlessly blending easy reading with gripping storytelling. The inclusion of a recap at the beginning of the book was a thoughtful touch, providing a helpful refresher for forgetful readers like myself.

Despite my usual reservations about multiple points of view, I found myself pleasantly surprised by how well it worked in this book. The different perspectives added depth to the story without overwhelming, allowing for a more immersive reading experience. And let's talk about the perfect balance of humor, romance, and action—Karina nails it, with witty banter between characters like Tuoni and Hanna adding levity to tense moments, while also delivering some steamy scenes that keep the pages turning.

One of the highlights for me was witnessing Tuoni navigate the human world alongside Hanna, leading to some truly amusing interactions. As the story raced towards its conclusion, I couldn't help but feel torn—I wanted to know what happened next, yet I didn't want the adventure to end. While City of Darkness provided some answers, it also left enough mystery to keep me eagerly anticipating the next installment in the Underworld Gods series. I can't wait to dive back into the world of Tuoni and Hanna and see where their journey takes them next!

Meet Karina:

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, 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 and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

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