Review: Blood Bound by Ellis Hunter

Blood Bound

Ellis Hunter

(Cursed Covenant #1)

Publication Date: April 28, 2026

Hardcover, 485 pages, Atria Books

Genres: Adult, Romantasy

Goodreads

A debut high-stakes fantasy romance trilogy set against a once-in-a-generation duel to the death between rival witches and dragon riders as they battle to control the source of all magic in their kingdoms. Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing, Throne of Glass, and Quicksilver.

 

You duel or you die.

 

Astrid has always known she is destined to die. She is the last Nachstern witch and heir to the Queendom of Arturea, cursed by a centuries-old covenant to duel the heir to the Kingdom of Vatra for the source of all magic: the Heart. And now Astrid’s time is up. She is heading into enemy territory to face Prince Zryan, the most powerful dragon rider in eons, with only her familiar, her potions, and her wits to aid her. She is going to die, and any chance her queendom has of curing the Blight that’s ravaging the lands and killing her people will die with her.

 

Meanwhile, deep in dragon country, Skylar and her travelling troupe arrive in Vatra’s capital, ready to profit off the legions of spectators swarming to the city ahead of the duel. She despises the royals and all they stand for, especially as the King’s guard murdered her mother. But when her best friend disappears, suspected to have been taken in the conscription, her search takes her closer to the royals than she ever could have imagined.

 

As the duel looms over the kingdom, Skylar and Astrid’s fates intertwine. They must battle a growing rebellion, their inner demons, and ultimately, those they love most, to determine if together they will save—or doom—their world.

My Review

Blood Bound has most definitely been advertised correctly. It is perfect for fans of Fourth Wing due to the dragon companions and deadly competitions, but I also think fans of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series would like this one. Blood Bound has powers, squabbling royal families, and attractive princes. It's basically like if Red Queen and Fourth Wing threw some witches and familiars in the mix. So of course I had a good time reading it!

The story starts out a bit slow, as it's introducing the two main POV characters: Astrid, the witch heir, and Skylar, a knife thrower in a traveling troupe. It took a bit for things to pick up speed enough for me to start caring for these two characters. I think it was due to the shorter chapters and the two separate POVs. However, events happened about a quarter of the way through the book that blew my mind. I totally wasn't expecting that twist. And the twists just kept coming. Some of them, I guessed, but there were a few that I didn't expect at all.

As for the worldbuilding, it was pretty good. There's a blight happening across the world with a hidden power source, corrupt rulers, and secret rebellions. Then of course, you have the fuzzy familiars, like Quincy the giant fox and Bastet the cat. And the beaver! Oh, so cute! I do think the ending was a bit rushed, which does have to do with the worldbuilding. I wish there had been a bit more foreshadowing for the finale, as the big reveal seemed to come out of nowhere. (Or maybe I'm just not as observant as I thought I was.) The ending still hooked me, though, so I'm ready for book two!

 Honestly, I enjoyed almost every aspect of the book despite some flaws. I think the only major weakness I saw was the relationships. Things just seemed to move so fast between various characters. It was a tad insta-lovey in a few parts, unfortunately. So, I think this is definitely a story more for the plot readers than the character/romance readers. While Zryan reads like a sexy male love interest, I felt somewhat disconnected from him. Again, I think that comes back to the shorter chapters each being from two different POVs. If the book had been a bit longer, it may have established his character a bit more. I think just one extra chapter of a tension-filled scene between Zryan and Astrid could have helped. Same for other relationships I won't mention due to spoilers. This includes non-romantic ones as well.

All in all, I liked Blood Bound a lot. It was a good time, and, once I got about 10 chapters in, it started reading fairly quickly. I often told myself to put the book down, but the next thing I know, I've read five more chapters. There's action, high stakes, and magic galore! I'm excited to read the sequel when it comes out.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.