The last book off May was a very good one; Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe. It so wasn’t what I expected it to be! A Dystopian Romance, I think that was actually a first for me or just the first that was categorized in this genre.

I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to pick this book up, maybe the name of the book got me holding back on it because I don’t read descriptions and purely look at the cover or when a book it hyped on tiktok I also buy them and add them to that never ending TBR.

The boundary is the ring with the poorest people residing in it but also the ring with the most rebels and hired killers. Shadera Kael also known as Shade made fast progress on her latest contract and with that one being done, she’s ready for another one which is why she’s in Jaeger’s bar right now, a new contract – a new person to kill for credits just to survive in this twisted land they live in. New found haven has been ruled by a ruthless man, people that don’t live by his rules are executed which is what happened to Shade’s parents when she was 10-years-old. Her hatred runs deep and her wish for vengeance has grown over the years. This new contract? Kill the executioner, Greyson Serel; son of the president and ruthless leader Maximus.

Getting inside the heart is one of the most difficult things to accomplish but Shade is the best in her trade and has it all mapped / figured out within a couple of hours. Knowing when the guards are absent or on rotation, she’s inside of Serel tower in no time even facing the executioner with almost no problem at all. No time for hesitation when standing face to face with the enemy. Shadera is able to get a shot in, but Greyson doesn’t go down easily, even with a bullet wound to the abdomen he’ll die fighting. Doing as much damage he can to Shadera, but also taking off his mask so she can look him in the eyes when she takes that final shot… only she hesitates and then the Veyra guards come in.

Within the heart, removing your mask to another subject (or person) results in execution of both unless you take the vow, which means you have to get married. The president has the best idea; the boundary will fall in line if they see that someone of high status is marrying boundary scum and a Daggermouth at that.

Shadera thought that every single person associated with Maximus was pure poison or just a really bad person but nothing could be farther from the truth and she’ll come to see not all of them are bad. The time they need to wait for the ceremony Greyson and Shadera spent hating each other, but also getting to know each other and seeing inside the heart’s districts and meeting new people. But just when they think they have it all figured out, all hell breaks loose and the amount of torture they have to endure is a lot.

The twists in the end, never would have guessed it! I’m giving this book a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars because I enjoyed it so much and can’t wait for the next book to come out.