Who Would Like This Book:
This is an epic, dark, post-apocalyptic fantasy with a strong romance at its core - think Beauty and the Beast meets zombie apocalypse. The worldbuilding is vivid and haunting, the emotional stakes sky-high, and the dialogue between leads Lan and Azrael is unforgettable. Readers who appreciate complex, morally gray characters, philosophical themes, and emotional rollercoasters will be hooked. If you love your romance messy, tragic, and ultimately hopeful - where the villain is truly villainous and the heroine is stubbornly human - this one’s for you!
Who May Not Like This Book:
This is not a light read. The book is lengthy, unflinchingly bleak in places, and comes with a laundry list of content warnings (including violence, gore, necrophilia, self-harm, explicit scenes, and more). Some found the pacing slow or the prose too detailed, and a few readers just couldn't connect with the leads' choices or found the darker elements off-putting. If you like your romance straightforward, fluffy, or free of horror influences, you might want to skip it.
About:
'Lan of the Beautiful Dead' by R. Lee Smith is a post-apocalyptic fantasy novel that follows the story of Lan, a sassy and foul-mouthed young woman, who ventures into Haven to meet Azrael, the Master and Lord of Earth. Despite Azrael's unconventional appearance and dark past, Lan forms a complex relationship with him, leading to unexpected twists and turns in the plot. The book delves into themes of love, morality, and personal growth, all while offering a unique and detailed world-building experience. The writing style is described as fantastic, emotional, and rich in character development, with a mix of romance, philosophy, and epic storytelling.
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Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include necrophilia, violence, suicide, self-harm, gore, sexual assault, and incest.
Has Romance?
Yes, the book focuses significantly on the romance between the main characters.
From The Publisher:
SHE WOULD DARE ANYTHING TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM HIS RULE.
EVEN HIS BED.
He ascended from the darkness years ago-Azrael the Eternal, Azrael the Undying, Azrael Who Is Death-bringing with him the black rains, the fires, the souring of the sky, and the Eaters. Now he rules in the walled city of Haven with his favored Children and his dead court, while all that is left of the living struggles to survive in the ruins of a world that used to be their own. But even as extinction looms, humanity will never surrender to their monstrous conqueror.
For Lan, this brutal life has been the only one she's ever known, but she still believes it can change. If the war can never truly end until the Eaters are ended, she will go to Haven, to Azrael himself, and demand he end them. To her surprise, she does not immediately die the hero's death she expected. Instead, Azrael offers her a chance to convince him, and all she has to do is submit herself to the chill embrace of the lord of the Land of the Beautiful Dead.
From the author of The Scholomance and The Last Hour of Gann comes a new vision of erotic horror! This book contains explicit sex and gore and is intended for mature readers only. more
Ratings (46)
Incredible (15) | |
Loved It (14) | |
Liked It (11) | |
It Was OK (3) | |
Did Not Like (2) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (134):
Read It (46) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (43) | |
Did Not Finish (4) | |
Not Interested (40) |
2 comment(s)
3.5*
A beautiful and original love story...
I found some parts a bit long but that might just be me... Other than that it was pretty perfect
It is a Shocking romantic story. I found the writing to be wonderful.
What can you read after
Land of the Beautiful Dead?
About the Author:
R. Lee Smith grew up rural in Washington State. Both of his parents were avid readers. Smiths started reading Lovecraft from an early age because his parents had a small collection of his books.
He soon became a fan of horror fiction
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