Invoking the Blood

Of Chaos and Darkness Series, Book 1

By: Kalista Neith

Narrated by: Allie Shae, Corvin King

Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for fans of romantic dark fantasy with spice who loved The Four Horsemen series, and the Black Jewels novels. Step into the realms Of Chaos and Darkness with Neith's debut novel Invoking the Blood. A spicy enemies-to-lovers in a dark fantasy setting with Hades x Persephone vibes and vampires.

What could happen in fifteen minutes?

Faye agreed to her sister’s brilliant idea to sneak into the Hunter’s Moon ball. A night the vampires in attendance held sacred, lusting under the eerie glow of the blood red moon. Faye was no vampire. She wasn’t even a race that possessed magic. Her ceremony failed, marking her an Anarian. A mortal without magic.

After a run in with the Shadow Prince, Faye begins dreaming of him. His yearnful gaze leaves her feeling cherished after she wakes. A pleasant daydream, since men like him didn’t exist. Not for women like her.

But as days pass and the dreams intensify, the Shadow Prince comes for her. His gaze filled with the same yearning he held for her during their shared dreams. Until he realizes she’s an Anarian.

Abducted and confined in his home in Hell, Faye is left only with his promise to release her after he breaks the tie binding his life to hers. But with each heated exchange she can almost see the man that longed for her in her dreams.The one who cherished her and tempted her heart.

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Great narrators.. worth it for that alone.

The story was very hades and persephone for sure with a dark twist.. decent story line and character development but the narrators were soooo good..
ends on a mild cliffhanger.
🔥slow burn
🖤enemies to lovers
🌶spicy
💣forced proximity
🧛🏽‍♂️🧚🏼‍♀️paranormal

Abso-flogging-lutely amazing

The femdom was perfect. Watching her come into her Dommeliness was a moderate burn, but so worth it. I loved that it explained the crystals (the physical copy has a breakdown in the beginning). I just wish there was a breakdown for the races, extinct or not. 10/10!

I love this.

The narrators fit this story perfectly. They took a story I already loved to another level.

Enemies to lovers w/plenty of heat, hate & humor!

For months, I had been eyeing Kalista Neith's Invoking the Blood on bookstagram. I was intrigued by the promise of a dark fantasy romance with Hades and Persephone vibes, a violent yet passionate world filled with vampires and other super natural beings, an enemies to lovers relationship with plenty of fire and a feral vampiric blood lust whose personality and devotion to his mate can only be described as the cinnamon roll filled with razor blades that you never knew you needed.

Have I got your attention yet? Needless to say, from the moment I started this book, Kalista pulled me into to this rich, luscious and oh so sinful world and never let me go. As the story opens, we meet Faye, a young woman who has spent her whole life searching for the place where she belongs. She has grown up in a world where one's worth is measured by the power one wields and unfortunately for Faye, up to this point her shard, the symbol of one's power, has not materialized. Faye is enraged by how society's powerful elite, particularly the dark bloods, look down on human life. However, Faye does not know what she can do to stand up for the humans of her village, where she lives with her outspoken and mischief making adopted shape shifter sister, Sparrow.

Fate, of course, has other plans and when Faye and Sparrow sneak into a dark blood celebration, she crosses paths with the infamous Prince of Hell, Rune. Rune has lived over 3,000 years and while he has a reputation of being one of the most ruthless vampires, he craves a partner, an equal and a powerful Queen who can rule alongside him and whom he can worship completely. Rune's primal bloodlust, known as the Ra'Voshnik, immediately hones in on Faye as their mate and becomes consumed with being united with her.

Faye finds herself drawn to the mysterious vampire as they share intense connections in their dreams. Soon enough, circumstances force Rune to bring Faye to Hell and he is horrified to find out that despite the inexplicable draw he feels to her, she is without a shard. Rune refuses to believe that fate has cursed him to be tied to a powerless and vulnerable human. He is determined to break whatever bond is tying him to Faye, while his bloodlust, who Faye lovingly nicknames Voshki, is absolutely enraged that Rune would dare to deny their queen.

This is a true enemy to lovers story and I absolutely loved that Kalista really focuses on the evolution and development of the characters in this first book. Rune is ancient and his behaviors and prejudices are not ones that change over night. He's got an almost Darcy-like vibe, which of course means I'm going to have a soft spot for him. There is plenty of tension and passion as Rune and Faye tow the fine line of attraction and hate and it is made even more complicated by the fact that Voshki is absolutely to devoted to Faye. However, Kalista really gives space for Rune and Faye to make mistakes and learn more about each other and themselves as they navigate their growing connection. It makes the payoff that much more rewarding and let me tell you when Kalista brings the spice it's absolutely fantastic.

Beyond the romance and the simmering tension, I also really appreciated the moments of humor and levity that Kalista brings to the story. In particular, the dynamic between Rune and his bloodlust, Voshki, makes for some fantastically humorous dialogue as Rune is literally fighting against the primal part of himself that craves Faye as his mate. Voshki is not shy to call out Rune when he treats Faye badly and is the epitome of 'touch her and die' if he senses anyone disrespecting his queen. Kalista also is able to weave in poignant messages about race and the inequity between classes, as Faye opens Rune's eyes to the injustice that the dark blook ruling class perpetrates on those they consider beneath them.

I absolutely devoured this book and cannot wait to see how things evolve in book 2. I listened to this in audiobook, which was in a duet style and I really enjoyed how this format brought to life the dual POV structure of the story. Both narrators were new to me and I thought they were absolutely masterful in bringing these characters to life--especially Corvin King, whose demonstrated an incredible range in voicing two extremely different personalities that share one physical body.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first book by Kalista Neith and I am still going through Rune and Voshki withdrawal. Definitely jump into this series if you are looking for a dark fantasy romance that brings the hate, the heat and the humor.

So Good!!

I’ve read the physical copy of Invoking The Blood and initially rated it 3 stars - however the voice actors that narrated this book really brought it to life and I found myself hooked the entire time! And Rune/Voshki’s VOICE 🤤 I highly recommended this audio book and definitely recommend picking up a copy of A Trial of Lace and Bone once you’re finished. Once you’ve entered the world that Kalista Neith hs woven, you won’t want to leave.

Really brought the story to life!!

I read this paperback back in November and as soon as I saw the audiobook come out I jumped on it! The narrators are great! Personally, it took a second to understand the male narrator but once I got a little more into it, I enjoyed his parts very much. The story itself is great! The narrators really brought a new life to the characters and I really enjoyed it! This is one you won’t regret reading!

Wonderful story

Disclaimer this isn't high fantasy. This is a fantasy love story leaning into high fantasy. There is some world building but I would mostly say this is a love story first.
Once you understand that then you'll love this story. it made me want to cry and it made me love. This storybis unique and I can't wait to read/listen to the rest of this series.
Also loved the voice acting for this. The narrator's were perfect.

Wonderful

I loved this it was great. The narration really fit the story and I actually picked up on some things I missed while reading the book originally.

Corvin and Allie did an amazing job!

Kalista wrote an awesome story and Corvin and Allie did a phenomenal job giving the characters a voice. I highly recommend this audiobook

🖤🖤🖤

Faye, a mortal Anarian, crosses paths with the white-haired vampire, Rune, and suddenly their worlds go topsy-turvy! The bond between Faye and her sister Sparrow is epic, while the antics between Rune and Voshki are pure comedy gold! Dive into this immersive world with captivating characters and plot twists that will keep you hooked. If you're into destined duos and mythological vibes, this is a must-read!
And don't get me started on the audiobook - narrated by the dream team of Corvin King and Allie Shaw - it's like a party for your ears! They breathe life into the characters, making it a total eargasmic experience!