A Princess Is Followed By a Mysterious Enemy in This Excerpt From Blood Beneath the Snow

As anyone who pays any attention to the world of publishing knows, romantasy is everywhere right now, and 2025 is shaping up to be a huge year for the genre. Yes, the next installment in Rebecca Yarros’s blockbuster Fourth Wing saga (titled Onyx Storm) is poised to hit shelve and everyone’s rightfully excited for that. But more titles are arriving than ever that mix epic fantasy themes with swoon-worthy love stories, and readers are about to be seriously spoiled for choice. One of the buzziest titles of early 2025 is Blood Beneath the Snow, a thrilling debut that mixes political intrigue, deadly competition, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance into a story that will keep you turning pages well into the night.

Blood Beneath the Snow follows Revna, a rebellious princess born without magic in a kingdom obsessed with power. Desperate to save the lives of her friends, she throws herself into the realm’s most dangerous competition—the Bloodshed Trials, in which contestants fight to the death for the throne—to save them. But before she can compete, she’s kidnapped by one of her kingdom’s fiercest enemies who promises to help save her life. But the Hellbringer has his own reasons for wanting Revna on the throne….

Described as perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone and From Blood and Ash, Blood Beneath the Snow is a twisty, betrayal-filled ride full of classic tropes that will appeal to every kind of romantasy fan. 

Here’s how the publisher describes the story. 

Revna knows what it’s like to be hated. As the only member of the royal family without magic, she is seen as a disgrace by Bhorglid, a kingdom that values power above all else. Thankfully she has found a family with other outcasts, who will stop at nothing to give a voice to the powerless. But when her two closest friends’ lives are put in danger at the hands of her father, she is determined to save them by any means necessary. Revna decides to throw herself into the kingdom’s most brutal tradition against her siblings: The Bloodshed Trials—a battle to the death for the throne. Revna is at a severe disadvantage but prepared to give her life to save those who matter most.

Just as Revna commits to competing—much to her father’s ire— she is kidnapped by the Hellbringer, a soul-rending general from her kingdom’s fiercest enemies. Mysterious and terrifying, the Hellbringer hides behind a mask and can kill with the flick of his wrist.

But the more time Revna spends with him, the more she begins to wonder if there may be some humanity left—especially when she gets a glimpse behind the mask. And as much as she wants to ignore the attraction she feels towards the Hellbringer, it becomes impossible as he begins to train her for The Bloodshed Trials. What she learns too late is that Bhorglid’s enemy wants her on the throne for their own furtive reasons.

Blood Beneath the Snow won’t be released until March 11, but we’ve got an exclusive excerpt from the story to help tide you over until then. 

The energy in the market plaza was different than usual. The godforsaken ran businesses here, homes often built above the bottom level of each shop. Instead of the depressing, soul‑sucking sadness that usually permeated every aspect of the streets, today there was a lightness in the air. Godforsaken smiled at each other and dealt with the snide comments from their godtouched customers with an ease I’d never seen before.

But with the aura of relief came backlash. The godtouched were in a foul mood, especially knowing I’d stolen away their sacrifice of blood and life. The priests would now pivot to teaching how the pantheon would retaliate in anger because of my actions. And because the godtouched couldn’t take their anger out on me, they would take it out on my people.

I allowed my thoughts to encompass me, wondering if there was any drastic measure I could take to turn the fury of the upper class to me while I was still here for another month before my fiancé arrived to whisk me away to another country. But my senses sharpened when the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight, my hand reaching automatically for the hilt of my sword.

I knew the feeling of unfriendly eyes chasing my movements as well as any godforsaken.

Turning in a slow circle, I observed the sights around me. Past the plaza and into the part of town where the other godforsaken lived, the cobblestone streets were fairly empty. Everyone was inside, preparing for the incoming storm. The inches of snow covering the road showed footprints treading back and forth with the occasional set from a stray cat or a horse alongside them. Priests stood watch every few houses, their scythes reflecting the lazy flakes making their way down from the sky. The shops and homes lining this stretch of road appeared the same as always. The priests who had been tailing me had finally seen fit to vanish back to their posts.

No one was paying me any attention.

But the nudge in my gut persisted, and I knew better than to ignore it. Warily, I continued forward, relaxing my stance and forcing myself to appear calm and unperturbed. Perhaps it was a godtouched trying to locate Freja by following me. Invisibility was a rare ability, but not unheard of. Whoever this bastard was, I would find them.

Taking an unpredictable path was easy. I knew the godforsaken streets better than I knew the interior of the palace. Twisting and turning down abandoned back alleys filled with mud and refuse, I did my best to lure my follower out of the safety of their distant hiding spot. If they were truly intent on catching up with me, I would make them work for it.

When I knew they’d have to be sprinting to keep pace with me, I fell back into the doorframe of a shop. Dark clouds had descended as I wove my path, and the alleys were submerged in shadow. Now I had the advantage.

I waited, wondering who would dare pursue me so blatantly. Everyone knew I was the princess—the godforsaken royal, the shame of her family, the bargaining chip that would save us from starving before we could win the war. Who would dare seek me out now and attempt to harm me before the alliance with Faste was finalized?

I ran through the options in my mind. The priests had already proven they couldn’t touch me, and I knew they would never go against my father. The godtouched hated me, but not as much as they wanted to eat a full meal again or overtake Kryllian. Perhaps one of my brothers was playing another nasty trick on me—but they were all still at the war front for another three days. I quietly pulled my knife from its sheath, my heart pounding a bruising rhythm against my ribcage.

Another moment passed before a dark shadow descended over my hiding place. I didn’t hesitate. I leapt out, brandishing my dagger, fully prepared to stab my pursuer . . 

But the alleyway was empty. My eyes caught the flash of a cloak disappearing around the corner of the shop.

Not just a pursuer, but a cowardly one. I growled and took off running after them, racing down the alley. I spared a half thought of gratitude for the winter wind in my face, keeping my broken nose from swelling too horribly. We raced past the back doors of shops and houses, and when we finally reached the end of the road, they stopped abruptly in the open, causing their hood to fall and expose the back of their head.

I froze at the sight. The person was wearing a dark mask that covered their entire head, obscuring their face. But I still knew exactly who it was. I would recognize that carved visage anywhere, as would anyone else in Bhorglid.

And him, being here? It was impossible.

Nonetheless, fear crept up my spine and I gasped, taking a swift step back—

“Revna!”

The call broke me from my reverie and I whirled to see Halvar leaning out the back door of the Sharpened Axe. “The hell are you doing? We’ve been waiting for you.”

“I—” I turned back around, expecting to see the masked figure waiting in the street, but they were gone. My pulse thudded in my veins. Surely there was no way I’d imagined seeing him. But I shook my head. “Right. Coming.”

Blood Beneath the Snow will be released on March 11, but you can pre-order it right now. 

Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter and Bluesky at @LacyMB