Our Vicious Oaths - N.E. Davenport

I am definitely out of the loop because I never thought I’d read a book about Black fae. And let me tell you. It hits DIFFERENT (as the young people say).

This is my first time reading work by Nia “N.E.” Davenport but Threads would not leave me alone about her book. Bookstagrammers I love and follow had been raving about Our Vicious Oaths, to the point that even EYE became curious. I normally don’t like to read books that other readers constantly talk about because most of the time, those same books are incredibly overhyped. Well color me absolutely dumb because Our Vicious Oaths is not overhyped AT ALL. It is an exciting, bloody and very sexy story full of political intrigue, gory battles and some of the hottest sex scenes I’ve read in a while.

In Our Vicious Oaths, Kadeesha of the Aether Kingdom is a free-spirited princess who loves her independence, her Nkita warrior sisters and their Kongamatos (think Dora Milaje but on wings) and her people. So when her parents secure a marriage between Kadeesha and Rishaud, the Hyperion King, she is LIVID. She decides to have one last night of fun, which leads to an attack on her kingdom that leaves Kadeesha in the hands of Malachizrien, the Appollyon King and her sworn enemy.

When I tell you that I was engrossed in the intrigue between the Six Kingdoms and the Hyperion King, that is not an exaggeration. I LOVE to read about court politics and this is where the author is at her strongest. I could not get enough of the backstabbing, mystery and challenges to Malachi’s throne. Why anyone would challenge him, I have no idea. He is truly a king. Malachi is strong, capable and loves his people. But securing Kadeesha as a hostage causes nothing but problems for him.

Kadeesha for her part is also a very strong and capable princess. She is incredibly intelligent, vicious when she needs to be and a true leader. The two clash constantly and it’s very fun to read. The two royal truly shine when it comes to battle, and boy do they get at it. I would never want to get on their bad side for any reason because their retribution is terrifying.

I can’t write this review without talking about Rishaud, the Ancient Hyperion King. The author wrote a proper villain in Rishaud and I truly wanted to read more about him (if Davenport ever writes a book about his backstory, I will be first in line to read it). Rishaud is powerful, arrogant, cruel and downright nasty. Everything I want in a villain. There is nothing redeeming about him and I loved it. He isn’t in the book enough for me.

If you’re into “spice” (I truly hate that word), there is plenty of it in this book. For me, sex scenes are fine as long as they’re written well, which they are in OVO. However, I was not a fan of the constant dirty talk only because I’m a child when it comes to that. I hate to say that dirty talk makes me laugh my ass off (sue me) and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. I’m definitely not a prude but unfortunately, I can’t read or hear dirty talk without snickering. But baby, the sex scenes themselves are HOT. The chemistry between Malachi and Kadeesha flies off the page from the very beginning.

The author truly knows how to write details. As I’ve said so many times, I am a visual reader so the more details written, the better. I could see pretty much everything the author wrote down from the battles to the food to the clothing and yes, the sex. I would love to see an adaptation of this book but I’m terrified it’ll get messed up by someone who doesn’t have the vision to bring it to life.

I will say that the book’s ending felt rushed, which is disappointing because the buildup to it kept my attention. There were also times that the writing felt a little too monologue-y at some points but thankfully not many. I truly hope that N.E. Davenport writes more books about Kadeesha and Malachi because I want to know what’s next for them.

Thank you to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance copy. Our Vicious Oaths is out now.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Call & Response Books Reparations Club

N.E. Davenport, author of Our Vicious Oaths.

For more information about the author, please visit here.