Harwood, J: Steep and Savage Path

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the arc! You think a mix of vampires, the underworld of Greek mythology and a general mood and rural setting slightly reminiscent of Marissa Meyer`s Gilded sounds interesting? Well congratulations, you found another addition to your (probably already overflowing) tbr! A steep and savage path follows the journey of our brave, stubborn and lovable main character Irina into the underworld in hopes of finding her not-quite-dead sister and bringing her back. But as we all know, living things do not belong to the land of death, so in order to have a chance at succeeding in her mission, she needs a guide - a guide dead enough to bring her into the underworld yet alive enough to be of any use for, well, guiding. Fortunately for her (and only her), a nearby village is terrorized by a monstrous vampire, slaying villagers in cold blood and spreading carnage and fear. Whilst any person with a healthy survival instinct would stay at least a days march away from such a place, Irina sees a chance of finding someone to take her to her sister in this circumstance. Together, they embark on a journey through the land of the death reminiscent of the tales of Alice in Wonderland, meeting all kinds of odd creatures and impossible situations whilst maybe realizing that a monster is often not born, but made. I really liked this one! It was a wonderful combination of so many lovely elements, from the east European villages to the fantastical settings in the underworld. It was a creative yet eerie approach to the life beyond dead which I am sure will keep me thinking. The writing style was extremely pleasant without lingering too long on descriptions whilst also painting a clear picture of everything going on. I was surprised to like Irina so much, as I feared she just was a naive, hot headed hero trying to save her sister at any cost, but the author managed to create great character depth for both her and Stefan - and honestly every other character The ending felt a tiny bit rushed and the division in 5 parts felt a little bit unnatural to me. Also, I think this book would have worked really great without a romance plot, instead experiencing friendship and trust between two likely yet so unlikely people in an impossible situation - but that might just be my taste. Overall, I would definitely recommend for fantastical world building, lovable characters and a fun spin on classic concepts.