After spending over a decade in a convent, Sabine Darrow is close to freedom. That is until her father sells her to Rian Valvere to be his new wife. Not only does Sabine not have a say in who she’ll be marrying, but Rian requires her to travel naked to her new home as a way to show honor to the Immortal Solene. Wolf Bowborn, Rian’s most trusted huntsman, is sent to accompany Sabine on the journey. From the start Wolf and Sabine couldn’t be any different. Only their ‘godkissed’ marks tie them together. As they travel through Astagon, they’ll find themselves in the middle of a political game that could cost them their lives.
While it’s not labeled as YA, it did feel that the story fell more into the New Adult / YA arena. I could have used a touch more world building, in terms of the history of the gods and fae but the way the book ended, I’d assume that will show up in the next book. The idea of a ‘godkissed’ mark being the source of magic was excellent! I loved that everyone has different ‘gifts’ and as a huge animal lover, the fact that Sabine can communicate with animals made me enjoy the story even more.
I’m not sure how I feel about Sabine yet. On one hand she is extremely naive and reacts the way a young girl might. However, since she’s been locked away in a convent for 12 years, she is naive when it comes to men, romance, and the greater world, so I guess that’s fitting for her character. She does seem to stand her ground and I can tell that she’ll be a force to be reckoned with as the series continues. Wolf on the other hand is almost the complete opposite of Sabine, and definitely is getting added to my swoon worthy/ morally grey male favorites list! The romance between Wolf and Sabine, while somewhat quick to start, also felt natural and played into the enemies-to-lovers trope well. & ya’ll the spice!!!
The story did feel a little long at first. The amount that takes place on the road could have been cut down in my opinion; but even with a slow start, White Horse Black Nights had me completely hooked. I cannot wait for the next book in the series to come out and I’m already begging Marceau for an ARC. Oh, and it’s also available on KindleUnlimited, so give it a read!
White Horse Black Nights is out now. Huge thank you to Evie Marceau for my advanced copies in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.