To Bleed a Crystal Bloom, Sarah A. Parker (Review by Samantha Tiernan)

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

When I got the chance to review “To Bleed a Crystal Bloom” by Sarah A. Parker, I jumped at the chance. I absolutely devoured “When the Moon Hatched” by the same author.

To Bleed a Crystal Bloom is a dark fantasy romance and a Rapunzel retelling. The story follows mainly Orlaith, a young woman how has been sheltered her whole life. Orlaith has been stuck in her tower at Castle Noir since the age of two. The high master of Castle Noir, Rhordyn, oversees protecting Orlaith. Rhordyn was there to save Orlaith when she was two when there was an accident in the village that she grew up in.

Orlaith has created these boundaries in her head that she is not allowed to cross or challenge. She does not go past certain markers on the castle grounds and is quite the recluse. Bad things happen outside her mind driven boundaries as monsters start attacking the town’s people. The only stipulation for Rhordyns protection is to give a drop of her blood to him every evening. She does not know why she must do this or what benefit this gives Rhordyn. She has nightmares from when her village was attacked when she was little and to alleviate the nightmares, Orlaith starts drugging herself. She has this attachment to Rhordyn, but he never opens up to her and never reciprocates the same feelings. Rhordyn starts pushing Orlaith to step outside her comfort zone and to start enjoying life outside of the castle grounds. The first step of getting her outside her comfort zone is to go to a ball that Castle Noir is hosting. Orlaith confirms with others at the ball that Rhordyn is to be wed to another High Mistress from another neighboring village. To get back at Rhordyn and to try to ignite some feelings, Orlaith takes a dance with another High Master, Cainon. Cainon ends up offering Orlaith the opportunity to leave her tower and to go with him to be the Mistress of his village. Which option will she choose, staying in her tower or exploring new opportunities?

There are some trigger warnings in this book. I read quite a few dark fantasy romances and the dynamic between Orlaith and Rhordyn could disturb some readers. Overall, I would rate this book 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC!