DNF Review: When Vengeance Bleeds Royal by L.Z. Cathcart

Title: When Vengeance Bleeds Royal
Series: The Blood Descent #1
Author: L.Z. Cathcart
Publication: November 12, 2025
Genre: Fantasy
Find it on: Amazon
Rating: DNF - No rating

She swore vengeance for her sister’s murder.

The gods demand a bloodier price.

Dark, addictive, and laced with forbidden desire, When Vengeance Bleeds Royal is the first book in the Blood Descent series—a brutal fantasy romance perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent and Sarah J. Maas.

“You shattered him,” he says, steady and sure. “And gods help me, you remain the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.” He leans in. “I should fear you, but all I want is to kneel.”

In the fractured land of Cyrathea, every territory hides a cursed artifact, relics forged by gods who were betrayed and imprisoned. The Brotherhood of Eternal Shadow hunts them all, weaving lies through court politics and blood-soaked bargains.

Lumira Kyrvayne has only one goal: kill the man who murdered her sister. But her vow of vengeance drags her into a deeper game—one where secrets rot beneath every oath, magic bleeds from forbidden relics, and a hooded Shadowspire guard keeps crossing her path with eyes she cannot forget.

Enemies close in. Allies shift like smoke. And the man who should be her enemy might also be the one person who can unravel her resolve.

When Vengeance Bleeds Royal is a dark fantasy romance brimming with:

A morally gray heroine who refuses to be tamed

An enigmatic, hooded antihero with secrets of his own

Forbidden attraction, brutal magic, and deadly politics

Cursed artifacts and imprisoned gods

A slow-burn obsession that cuts as deep as any blade

Please note: This series contains dark themes, twisted loyalty, and romance with sharp edges. Check content warnings before reading.

DNF at 60%

I really tried to give When Vengeance Bleeds Royal a chance but unfortunately this wasn't the right book for me at the moment. It wasn't a bad read, not at all. And I'm sure other readers will enjoy it more than I have. 

I, in fact, really liked the main character Lumira who is trying to solve her sister's murder. At the start and throughout the first half of the book there was a lot of world-building and many secondary characters I didn't much care for to keep track of. It felt like a lot of information being thrown at me which made for a really slow kinda book. And usually I don't mind the stories that are a bit more slow or take a bit to pick up the pace but in the end I found it all a bit too complex. 

The same goes for the romance. It was very much a slow-burn. We hardly see Lumira's love interest for the first half of the book and it made me lose interest a bit. The story, at least for the first 60% is definitely more focused on the politics. 

The author's writing was beautiful for sure, but sometimes the writing also felt a bit too flowery. This, together with everything else I mentioned made the book in general just convoluted and overwhelming to read.

No rating since this book is a DNF.

{DNF} Review: The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George

Title: The Confessions of Young Nero
Author: Margaret George
Series: Nero #1
Publication: March 8th 2018 by Pan
Genre: Historical Fiction
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Play | Kobo
Rating: 1/5★ (DNF)

 

In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman - or child.

As a boy, Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his life, and when faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead.

While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his survival rests on his ability to navigate the dangerous deceit that Rome is awash with. Most lethal of all is his own mother, Agrippina, whose only goal is to control the empire. Nero's determination to escape her grasp will shape him into the man he was fated to become - a legendary emperor.

The Confessions of Young Nero is a book that I should've loved. Historical fiction set in ancient Rome is one of my favorite settings. I can't get enough of it. But when I'm reading a book and don't want to pick it up for three whole days, I know something is up. So around 30% of the book I decided to give up on it and not continue reading anymore. I just didn't like the story and I didn't want to waste more time on a book I wasn't enjoying anymore.

I felt kind of bad for not continuing with reading the book. I love reading about ancient Rome so much and I've always been intrigued by Nero because I don't think I've ever read a book about him before, whether it's fiction or nonfiction. The start of the book wasn't even that bad. I actually really enjoyed the first 50 pages and was looking forward to where the story would go next but then it started going downhill very fast. 

I started having issues with how the story told in the first person. It just didn't feel right to me. The book started with Nero being a little kid but the way he would think and speak was more like an adult would. I do have to say that I never like it when a big part of a story is devoted to when the main character in question is a child. It's just not something I enjoy reading about. But it was all still pretty weird.

I only know the basics about Nero but it was pretty clear the author tried to rewrite the history about him. I don't think there's anything wrong with that exactly because authors are allowed to write their take on a historical figure but I guess I wish she had done things differently, especially with the writing, which was kind of bland. Also, the attraction Nero had toward his mother and the things he may or may not have done with her, no matter if these things happened or not (though a lot was implied in the book) was just something I didn't want to read about. 

Another thing I didn't like was how the powerful women of the time were being portrayed. They were all basically murdereresses that didn't do anything more than poison the people around them for their own personal gain. And Nero was portrayed in a better light. I mean, sure that stuff did happen in those times but I think at this point in history we can maybe not judge women in history the way old male historians have done for ages, especially with a book written by a woman. But that's just my personal take on it.

Author bio:
Margaret George writes biographical novels about outsized historical characters: Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots, Cleopatra, Mary Magdalene, Helen of Troy, and Elizabeth I. Her latest, The Confessions of Young Nero, will be published in March. All six of her novels have been New York Times bestsellers, and the Cleopatra novel was made into an Emmy-nominated ABC-TV miniseries.

She especially enjoys the research she has done for the novels, such as racing in an ancient Greek stadium, attending a gladiator training school in Rome, and studying the pharmacology of snake poison. Website | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads