Feathers so Vicious: A Dark Fantasy Romance (Court of Ravens)

My heart breaks for Galantia!!! I knew something wasn’t right, but I did not see that twist coming. It was interesting for the audio book to have a duet hold different characters. It would have been better if they had went back and forth instead of male chapter and female chapter. Eventually I got into it but at first it was a little confusing. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series.

This was an entertaining book.
A lot of world building and establishing a lot of character history, so we don't get into the relationships very much until the end of the book.
Galantia is a sweet girl captured by the enemy kingdom.
Malyr is the King of that kingdom dead set on revenging the wrongs that Galantia's kingdom has done to him.
Sebian is Malyr's best friend and right-hand man. And boy, does he fall hard for Galantia.
There is definitely a trickery afoot. Between the three of them and not quite a love triangle, but I think there will be.
Ends on a cliffhanger!
This one is actually not super spicy, just a lot of triggers happening, so watch your warnings.
I'm giving it 🌶🌶/5 chilis on the spicy scale as a lot of it takes place behind the scenes, and we find out about it later.
I listened to the audiobook, and I loved the narrators.

On page:
Non-con
Dub-con
SA
K play
Gore

OMGGG

I went into Feathers So Vicious expecting dark fantasy romance with heat. Oh honey, I got heat, but also SO much chaos. First up, the sex scenes. Whew. These are fire. Like really hot, graphic, in-your-ear, eyes-closed, clutching-the-armrest type of scenes. Malyr and Sabien are both dominants in very different ways, and the chemistry is fiery. If explicit smut keeps you reading, this absolutely delivers. 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. Here’s where I have feelings. The plot? I struggled. Early on, we’re tossed into rape and torture of Galentia by raven shifters. Yeah, that’s as dark and uncomfortable as it sounds. Then there’s court politics that honestly made my eyes glaze over more than once. It felt like every other chapter was a detour back to bureaucracy when I just wanted the heat to continue. Sabien wants her, Malyr terrifies her, and I loved the tension. The rest of the story was uneven for me. Galentia herself? I got annoyed when she instantly became a horse girl and suddenly that was her whole personality outside of being ravaged by her two raven men. Relatable? Maybe. A bit cringy? Also, yes. Now, the why choose dynamic between Sabien and Malyr was interesting. Sabien is sweetly caring with this strong protective energy. Malyr is filthy, sadistic, and intense. I loved the dynamic created by them. The thing that really kept me listening was the tension. Especially that scene where Malyr makes Sabien take her right in front of him. Um, I was clenched over here. The world-building and political plotlines just did not hold my attention. I found myself longing for more clarity and focus in the story rather than chaos. By the end, I could see where the betrayal and the set-up for part two were going, but I’m personally not picking up book two. The sex scenes were the standouts and the rest was just, okay. The narrators didn’t help. The female voice made Galentia sound whiny and sometimes plain slow. The male voice was barely used enough for me to care. Also, I hate when narrators switch voices depending on POV. I prefer consistency, and the faked male or female voices just threw me out of the immersion. This was a fine listen with great smut and less-great storytelling. You’ll vibe with this if you’re here for heat and morally gray dominants in a dark fantasy setting. You might skip this if you want plot and stakes that don’t feel like wandering through court bureaucracy.

Definitely very dark and spicy. Read trigger warnings if you have some. 3/4 spice; 1/4 plot — two morally grey, strong MMC and a naive sheltered FMC. Male voice actor is good; it was harder with the female voice. Plot twist at the last chapter will get you to at least start book 2.