The Death-Made Prince is live!
The first book in a new romantasy series, this is a smart, exciting, action-packed read with rich world-building, fantastic characters, and a chemistry-filled, slow burning, enemies-to-lovers romance. It’s a long read, and I was happily swept up in the all-consuming story, and I loved this book so much.
Amazon
Blurb
A runewitch on the run has only one option left: join forces with the sarcastic, unpleasantly gorgeous necromancer she loathes
The man Thraga loved is dead, and her future is in shambles. When she’s sentenced to the gallows for killing her lover’s murderers, it’s a relief more than anything… until, the night before her execution, a necromancer is thrown into her cell.
Escaping with him is her only chance to bring Lark back to life – and also the start of all her troubles.
Because her new almost-ally is not just any man returned from death. Fire mage, rogue prince, and son of the man who killed her mother, sharp-tongued Durlain Averre is everything Thraga hates. Worse, he won’t revive her lover unless she joins him on a mission of his own first, using her forbidden rune magic to free his sister from the dungeons of an enemy king.
But their quest turns into a deadly chase when Thraga’s violent past catches up with her. And as the net of court intrigue and old fears closes around them, she begins to find out Lark was not at all the man she thought he was…
And neither is Durlain.
The Death-Made Prince is the first book of the Runewitch Saga, an epic enemies to lovers fantasy romance featuring two morally grey leads, OCD rep, and a Norse mythology-inspired world. While it is a slow burn romance, the first book does contain spicy content intended for 18+ readers.
Review
5 stars and a fave for 2025!
The first book in a new romantasy series by Lisette Marshall, this is a smart, exciting, action-packed read with rich world-building, fantastic characters, and a chemistry-filled, slow burning, enemies-to-lovers romance. It’s a long read, and I was happily swept up in the all-consuming story, and I loved this book so much.
Thraga is powerful a runewitch, in a world where her kind are brutally tortured and killed. She is grieving the murder of the man she loves and running from her life as an assassin when she teams up with a cruel and broody necromancer. Durlain can not only bring the dead back to life, he’s a fire mage, and a prince in line to the throne, though most believe him dead. They strike a deal whereby she will use her magic to help him rescue his sister form a rival kingdom, and he will revive her lost love. And so begins a deadly journey across a wild landscape of forests, villages, swampy marshes, vast beaches and volcanic terrain as they run from their enemies and fight to keep each other alive.
It’s a great set-up, and the character dynamics are fantastic. There is a genuine animosity between Traha and Durlain. They hate each other, but they reluctantly accept their reliance on each other, and every moment between them is so good. Thraga pushes Durlain’s buttons, and his stoic snarkiness is so entertaining. Things change so, so slowly. The build up is so good, and the tentative steps into a sort-of friendship are well worth the wait.
He rubbed his temples … he seemed genuinely agitated. Anxious, almost. “Life was much easier when you just called me a limp-dicked wife-murderer and slammed some doors in my face.”
There’s so much these two have to go through. Along the way, they open up to each other about their pasts, their trauma and their vulnerabilities, and I adored both of them! I love Thraga’s strength and courage, the way she deals with her weaknesses, her feisty attitude and the way she bravely confronts everything she is faced with. And Durlain is such a great match for her. He’s complex and secretive, but has so much depth, and with the book written entirely from Thraga’s perspective, I loved getting to explore and understand him from her perspective as she works to figure him out. The character growth is so good, and I loved watching them support and protect each other, but also be there for each other on an emotional level, which really brings the feels.
After an epic slow burn, the mad chemistry finally brings romance, and while I loved seeing them finally come together (hot!), I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface of all that is between these two. The build up is so good, and between the sexual tension and the emotion of it all, I was madly flipping pages, desperate to see what was going to happen.
“Do you really need me to spell it out? Yes, I’m lusting after you like a hell-cursed fool. No, it’s not your problem or your fault. Blame the murderous fingers or the spiteful filthy mouth, or perhaps the first knife you pushed to my throat – because if you insist, the rather humbling truth is I haven’t been able to think straight about you since.”
With all of the drama, action and excitement, the story twists and turns, and it’s so cleverly done. It’s not until it’s over that you look back and realise the depth of the story and the skill of the storytelling, and I can’t wait to reread it and experience it all over again.
The book ends on a nasty cliffhanger, and I’m so excited to see where it will go from here. This is such an amazing read, and it’s a fave for 2025!
5 stars
An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.