I really wanted to love Spoiled Milk, but unfortunately it ended up missing the mark for me. The setting itself and the premise were immaculate: a boarding school in England set in the late 1920s where strange occurrences start to happen right after the death of a classmate. Throw in it some lesbians and I've got myself the perfect little gothic horror tale to read. Except it wasn't.

Despite the book being actually quite fast-paced, the writing still managed to make it feel slow. I have a feeling that part of it is due to me not managing to connect to the characters, as they were quite one-dimensional. So whenever something happened to them I (sadly) didn't really care. It's also a slow start that quickly becomes repetitive (I became tired of the endless cycle of spooky scene into séance into another spooky scene). The ending did ramp up a lot and became more engaging, but I was disappointed to not get any answers as to what was actually happening. There is this massive sense of dread and mystery on the hauntings and rot that keep spreading during the first 80% of the book and then it is just… forgotten? I get that ultimately it was all a metaphor, but still 😭 The vibes are there, so if you're looking for something eery and don't mind loose threads hanging you will probably like this. The writing is solid and it stays a strong debut, it was simply not what I expected it to be.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Avery Curran for the opportunity to read and review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

I'm unsure why this one didn't land for me. I really liked What Moves the Dead and the recipe for What Feasts at Night is essentially the same, but it didn't flow as well and the plot didn't grab me either. I appreciate the representation of PTSD that was done well, but other than that, the lacking atmosphere coupled with the slower pacing really did this book a disservice.

Overall it was still entertaining and I enjoyed learning more about the cast, but I feel like it could've been better.

Honte est un livre bouleversant mais nécessaire qui sensibilise et qui dénonce cette culture du viol bien trop ancrée dans notre société. Un sujet difficile mais Florence Porcel parvient à trouver les mots justes et fait preuve d'une grande éloquence sur un sujet dont on ne parle malheureusement que trop peu.

A dark fantasy that follows a bounty hunter who has to kill the Prince of the queendom? And she needs to infiltrate a gothic and creepy castle to do so? Say no more and sign me up. The Bounty of Blood and Nails had everything I needed to get invested in a new series.

I liked Tam as our protagonist a lot. She is fierce, can take care of herself, and can use powerful blood magic (although we mostly see her use that to mark her targets, and I kinda wish we saw more of it). I also liked Clement, the bodyguard love-interest, as a character, but their relationship wasn't that believable to me. The slow-burn wasn't that slow, you can see very early on that they are attracted to each other physically, but I didn't really feel the connection on an emotional level. If anything it felt like they would be very good colleagues that have some fun from time to time (the spice is well done too). That being said, it didn't really bother me as this is not a romantasy, but a dark fantasy with a romantic subplot, so I had little issue with the romance not really doing it for me. I was more invested in the world and the plot 😂 The relationship that really shined for me was the one between Tam and Lady Lilyana. Their sisterly bond was so great to follow, and it is truly a platonic grumpy x sunshine dynamic which I enjoyed immensely.

Regarding the plot I would say the pacing felt a bit uneven. I wasn't too sure where we were going during the first 15% of the book but after that it flowed pretty well. The author is good at keeping the tension up and keep you wondering at what is going on in that castle. The ending did feel a bit rushed however, as so much happens it the last 20% of the book it was a bit hard to keep up. That's unfortunately where it loses points for me: all the ideas were great, but the execution of some of them were at times a bit lacking. I really wish we learned more about the magic system and the world in general. I have so many questions regarding the bounty hunters and the Collectors, but I suppose it will have to wait until the next installment.

Overall I enjoyed my time with The Bounty of Blood and Nails and will look forward to reading Tam's next adventure. I would recommend it if you like dark fantasy with gothic vibes and some gritty/gory elements, and are not expecting the romance to be forefront.

I would like to thank The NerdFam, City Owl Press and N.K. Brown for the opportunity to read and review this eARC. All opinions are my own.