Review--The Deathless One by Emma Hamm

 

A princess murdered at the altar makes a deal with the god of death for vengeance and to save her people in this first in a unique romantasy trilogy.

Jessamine was raised to be a leader for her people, but when the land is overrun by an incurable plague, she must enter a political marriage to save them all. A union that should have brought hope only brings death as her new husband murders her at the wedding altar and seizes the throne.

But her death is just the beginning. Her spirit is met by the Deathless One, a god of death yearning to return to the mortal plane, and he needs her help. The two of them make a deal—her life and the return of her kingdom in exchange for his resurrection. But the Deathless One is a known trickster, and a deal with him is one made in blood.

Jessamine knows the Deathless One is a dangerous ally, but the longer they work together, the more she wants him and the less she can stay away. As their connection deepens, soon she wonders if she even wants this contract to end. Perhaps the more appealing throne is the one by his side, but she’d have to turn her back on her people to get it.

Emma Hamm's The Deathless One is the start of a new fantasy series featuring a young woman who is killed at the altar by her fiance and must make a deal with death himself in order to find out why and get her kingdom back. This is a story of a woman fueled by revenge and a desire to live and get justice for herself and her kingdom.

Jessamine is a princess in a kingdom that forbids magic and yet, it's magic that she turns to, to study, in hopes of finding a way to cure the plague that has been running rampant in the kingdom and turning people into feral zombies. Of course, being a fantasy, they aren't throwing that term out, but it's what came to mind when they popped up on the page.

Jessamine knows that her marriage to Leon will likely never be one of love. It's a necessity to help strengthen and protect her kingdom from these plagued people who are constantly on the rise and attacking. But as they walk to the altar together to exchange vows, he kills her and tosses her broken body off a cliff.

Then we have the Deathless One himself. A god of death incarnate. He has been worshipped by witches for centuries and yet, has always remained a prisoner of sorts, never being granted the ability to take on physical form. He has always been used and never granted his own kind of freedom. Then he happens upon Jessamine and strikes a bargain with her. He will bring her back to life and help her get her kingdom back, if she will bring him back to life. And the deal is struck.

I am always up for a good revenge story! Love them and this one was just brimming with revenge as Jessamine is determined to figure out exactly who played a role in Leon killing her and taking over her kingdom. He had to have help and she is determined to track down the perpatrator. 

Then we have the Deathless One who is determined to gain his physical form back. He was the ultimate deity of mystery! There's always something about death as a corporeal being that makes things more exciting. While I wouldn't necessarily consider him the Grim Reaper, he does have some rein over death, so it's somewhat fitting. He and Jessamine develop a complicated relationship naturally and there's some chemistry brewing between them. This is not one of the spicier romantasies out there, but there's still plenty of heated moments between the two. I always feel like when it comes to spice, less is more. So far it seems, in this series at least, Hamm is taking that to heart too. I'd rather there be less romantic interludes but have them being heated and intense as I feel like it makes more of an impact than constantly stopping the story for said romantic interludes. But that's just me! Lol.

It seems as if this one is going to be a trilogy, as there's three books listed on Goodreads currently and this book does definitely leave things open-ended at the final page. I did like that they weren't too much of a cliffhanger, yes, quite a lot still has to be done, but the characters were taking a nice pause in the "plan" before getting back to the planning. If that makes any sense! Lol. We're not left hanging in the balance over things but I suspect that could change with the second book. For now at least things are somewhat at ease.

If you're looking for a fantasy series with a woman teaming up with a god of death in order to exact revenge over the man who stole her kingdom and her life, then this is the perfect series to read! Two people join together with a thirst for revenge is my kind of story and this one hit on all the right notes!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars