In the Ravenous Dark
Rovan is a street musician in a city that runs on death magic, and she accidentally bonds with the prince who controls it all. Now she's trapped in a palace where necromancers hold power and bloodlines determine your worth. It's queer, dark, and politically sharp, with a magic system built on human sacrifice.
Everything You Need to Know About In the Ravenous Dark
In Thanopolis, every bloodmage is bound to an undead guardian from the necropolis, a leash dressed up as an honor. Rovan has spent her life hiding her blood magic to avoid exactly that fate, and one impulsive act of magic in public ends it. Dragged to the royal palace, she is bound to Ivrilos, a centuries-dead spirit who can control her body and soul if he chooses. She is also drawn to Lydea, a rebellious princess with her own reasons to hate the crown. Together the three start pulling at a conspiracy that runs beneath the palace and the underworld both. The romance is genuinely polyamorous, not a love triangle, and the book treats that as a feature.
Strickland writes magic that feels dangerous and sensual. The tangle between Rovan, Ivrilos, and Lydea is absorbing, it's not healthy, not meant to be, and that's the point. The political plot moves fast without feeling rushed. The queer romance isn't sidelined; it's central and complicated. And the prose itself is sharp, short sentences land like knife hits.
Graphic violence and blood magic, power imbalance in the romantic relationship (intentional), possession (magical, not demonic), and dark themes around control and consent.
Readers who want dark fantasy romance with zero apologies. Fans of Gideon the Ninth and House of Shadows. If you're here for morally gray protagonists and gothic atmosphere, this is it. Not for readers who need characters to make smart choices or relationships to feel safe.
Standalone. Strickland's queer fantasy voice is consistent across her work, but this story is complete.
Reader Reviews
No reader reviews yet. Be the first!