Review: Bound By Blood and Shadows by Gemma Pettinato

May 17, 2026

Synopsis:

Bound by magic. Tempted by sin. Driven by vengeance.

I don’t know who I am, what I am, or where I am. All that remains of me is my drive for revenge.

I wake up magically bound to Vrythien, an impossibly beautiful elf with gestures so perfect it’s as though he practices how to look alluring while sneezing.

With a look and a cutting barb, Vrythien makes the heat rise in my cheeks and my heart flutter. He isn’t just trouble—he’s ruin in elven form, temptation with crimson eyes and lips that promise wicked things. And yet our broken pieces fit together into one twisted whole.

But none of it matters. Vengeance comes first.

The man who shattered me is still breathing, and I won’t rest until he dies screaming at my feet. To reclaim my past, I must break this twisted bond with Vrythien—no matter how intoxicating his wicked touches or how deeply our souls entwine.

Resisting Vrythien isn’t difficult—it’s impossible. He’s the kind of temptation you beg to surrender to—until he ruins you. But I will not. I cannot. I must not. All that matters in all the realms is that the one who wronged me is destroyed.

Everything else is a pale, pretty, perfect diversion.

Review:

The premise felt very promising from the start: the FMC waking up in a room with three strangers, with no memory of how she got there – or even who she is – immediately caught my attention. The fact that she’s the only one without her memories raised some intriguing questions. Together, they try to piece together what happened to them and find a way back to their former lives.

While I did enjoy certain aspects of the book, I often found myself wondering where we were actually going with the story. As their journey unfolds, bonds begin to form – many of them physical in nature – and they discover that their connection to one another runs far deeper than initially expected.
Some of the themes explored are quite dark and touch on topics that won’t be suitable for every reader. Although I appreciated parts of the backstory and the way certain connections were revealed, the story lost me at times. I struggled to fully grasp the direction it was taking, which made it harder to stay consistently engaged. The pacing felt uneven in places, and as a result, I couldn’t maintain the same level of interest throughout the entire book.

🌙 Recension: Bound By Blood and Shadows (Legacy of Blood #1) by Gemma Pettinato
📚 Genre: Dark Romance, Fantasy
📅 Release Date: July 1, 2025
📗 available in various formats – included in Kindle Unlimited
📱 Read as: Kindle
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 545
⭐️ 3/5