Revna is reviled by her parents, the King and Queen of Bhorglid, not only because she is of royal birth yet has no magical power, but also because she fights for the rights of the downtrodden godforsaken. She is very close with her friends Freja, Arne and Havlar, her father-figure/trainer, and together they dream of a rebellion that would set the godforsaken free. While the godforsaken starve, and all of the food goes to the front lines in support of the war against Kryllian, a neighboring country, at least they don't have to fight in this "holy war," but it's a small consolation.
After another of Revna's acts of rebellion thwarts a holy ritual, her father punishes her in a different way - by conscripting Arne to the front lines, as the first godforsaken to fight, and throwing Freja in prison. Oh, and he also has moved up the timeline to her arranged marriage with the prince of Faste. He's coming tomorrow instead of in a month or so. All of this is far worse than her usual punishment where her father typically burns her brutally with his godtouch, only to have the royal healer patch her up afterwards.
When Revna meets Volkan, her betrothed, she discovers he is kindhearted and very different than what she expected. He's also secretly gay and has no expectations of romance from her, but keeps this quiet as it is illegal in Faste. Volkan becomes an unexpected ally when he follows her to a secret meeting at Halvar's tavern and the pair come up with a plan to use the only power they have - Revna will refuse the marriage and instead insist to compete in the Bloodshed Trials against her brothers for the throne.
It's a bold move, for sure, but her father always has a way to thwart her plans and so he insists she prove herself on the front lines if she wants to lead Bhorglid. However, on the way there with her brothers and father, she is kidnapped by a deadly Kryllian general known only as the Hellbringer, for his instant death godtouch and his fearsome wolf mask.
Revna is horrified to be at the mercy of the Hellbringer, but her father and her older brothers, Bjorn and Erik, are actually glad to see her go. Her younger brothers, Jac and Frode, however, had previously agreed on an alliance to work together with her in the Bloodshed Trials, as neither has the stomach to rule Bhorglid anyway, so they hope she survives whatever fate Hellbringer has in store for her. As it turns out, he has no intention of killing her and instead seeks information and eventually, decides to train her to better prepare her for what is coming, although he isn't exactly forthcoming with the why of it all, at first.
Hellbringer is maddeningly frustrating, but the isolating abandoned prison where he is keeping Revna means she has no one else to talk to, and so the pair begin a tentative exchange which blossoms into something more. All the while, Revna trains in the hopes of defeating her brothers and making a better life for other godforsaken, but she also hopes for something more.
With the Bloodshed Trials only mere days away, she is returned to her family, albeit in an unexpected manner, and she is left questioning her future, both as it pertains to her family and with Hellbringer. While the book comes to a searing "conclusion," it is clear that there is much more to come. Do you get some answers? Yep, and a whole lot more questions. And trust me, when the dust settles, there is plenty of blood on the snow, beneath and otherwise. If you like your fantasy with a dose of spicy romance, a heavy helping of magic, and some traitorous political intrigue, you'll want to check out Blood Beneath the Snow.
