I'm Now Obsessed With Crown of Crimson and Crows

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

If you’ve been roaming through your library’s new releases shelf, deep diving through Tessa Hale’s backlist, or trying to decide between whether you should get the standard edition or the deluxe edition of Crown of Crimson and Crows (deluxe because have you seen that thing 😍), you’re in the right place.

Because somehow —somehow — Crown of Crimson and Crows is flying under the new reads radar, and I am here to change that (IMMEDIATELY).

Bloom Books. Tessa Hale. Four royal, ruthless enemy vampires bound to one woman by the gods themselves. A girl hidden in the human world with powers so dangerous that demons are coming for her every chance they get, and war is already on its way.

Crown of Crimson and Crows is the kind of dark, all-consuming paranormal romance that everyone should be talking about. And if I have anything to say about it, they will (I’d rather you be ahead of it, though). So before Crown of Crimson and Crows releases and everyone suddenly acts as if they knew about it first, let’s talk about whether it belongs on your TBR shelf.

Spoiler: it does, it definitely does.

Title: Crown of Crison and Crows (Blood Bound, 1)

Author: Tessa Hale

Publisher: Bloom Books

Format: eARC

Genre: Paranormal, Why Choose, Fated Mates, Witches, Vampires

Release Date: September 1, 2026

Pages: 387

Star Rating: 5 stars

Spice Rating: 1 chili pepper

Crowns and Crimson and Crows your next 5-star?

Tessa Hale is an autobuy author for me. I’ve read her entire backlist, some more than once. So when I finished Rising Reign last year and found out Rhys was getting his own book, I was dying 😫. Every day felt like an eternity. (I am still desperately hoping for the four mates ARCs, Tessa, if you are reading this PLEASE 🥺)

We first meet Rhys in book three of the Wolves of Crescent Creek, Rising Reign, a vampire who shows up to help his best friend, Ender, through a war (full review here). And honestly, I had a feeling even then that he deserved his own story. Having it confirmed made the wait both exciting and almost unbearable.

“King?” I pressed. “Of the…magical butterfly bats?”

I think what I love most about Tessa’s books is her writing style and how consistent it is across everything she writes.

I can always expect “get dead” to show up at least once somewhere. Which, if I’m being honest, annoyed me at first, but now I see it as a Tessa signature, and I smile every time I read it. I can always expect the writing to be smooth and easy to fall into. The kind of read that swallows hours whole until you’re closing the back page and sighing, wondering how long you have to wait for the next one.

(Side note: book two in the Blood Bound series doesn’t release until February. FEBRUARY! Jeez, how am I supposed to go on?)

And I can always expect world-building that keeps me sated and wanting more. And Crown of Crimson and Crows is no different. You get all that, and then some.

“I swear to honor you, serve you, and protect you. I will give you all I have to offer and walk with you for the rest of my days.”

Which brings me to pacing: it’s perfect in its cadence. It isn’t so slow that it would lull you in a way that promotes boredom, but it isn’t too quick that you feel like you’re missing pieces. It gives you space to settle into the story and journey with Soraya (though she would rather be called Rae) as she learns to handle her awakening magic.

It knows exactly when to pull back for a quiet moment, and when to throw you headfirst into the kind of chapter that makes you forget you were supposed to go to sleep over an hour ago.

“Eyes on me, Butterfly.”

But what really makes the pacing work is who you’re moving through it with.

On this journey, we discover Rae’s fated. Four kings who are each completely different yet somehow balance themselves and each other perfectly. Rhys, the King of Fire and certified Mr. Grumpy Pants (though once you understand his why, the grumpiness makes complete sense).

Kian, Rae’s childhood friend and my personal favorite so far. He isn’t my favorite because of the prior relationship with Rae, but because he is the softest with her. He is willing to wear his heart on his sleeve for her. And the other guys are willing to some extent, but Kian readily shows her. He tries, and a girl only wants a guy who tries.

Onyx, the King of Water: cold, cruel, and wearing every bit of that reputation. And the feral King of Earth and Blood, Torrin, whose energy alone is enough to make any sane person nervous😬.

And Rae herself has the same badass feel as Tessa’s other FMCs. The same snarky, smart-mouthed ” I will kick your ass, try me” flavor. It is one of the things that I love most about Tessa’s characters; she doesn’t write timid women. Honestly, at times they may be afraid, but they will meet that fear head-on, chin high.

crown of crimson and crows by the diary of a reader

“Because in a land of nearly no light, she was destined to be my sun and moon.”

In Crown of Crimson and Crows, there isn’t much of a relationship with anyone other than Kian because the other kings are so closed off, but honestly? That just makes every small crack in the armor hit harder. You’re collecting moments —a look, a word, a sliver of something underneath — and storing them up knowing that when those walls finally come down, it’s going to be worth every page of the wait.

Because this is the first book, you only get the first few layers of each of them, but Tessa gives you enough that you’re already desperate for what comes next.

As for spice, it’s on the lighter side with two scenes. Because if you’ve ever read a Tessa Hale book, you know it builds in spice over the series, typically with the last book being the spiciest. And I’m not entirely sure one of the scenes counts, considering he technically never touched her.

Make of that what you will!

“Like jasmine. Black currant. And something that feels like coming home.”

Here’s what I know: Crown of Crimson and Crows is the kind of book that gets under your skin. The kind that has you thinking about it long after you’ve closed the back cover, turning over every small moment, every crack in every wall, every look that said more than the words did.

Tessa Hale has built something here that is only just the beginning, and getting in on the ground floor of a series like this, before everyone is talking about it, before the fandom explodes, before book two drops and chaos reigns? That’s the sweet spot. And you’re right here in it.

BTW, that ending was diabolical.

Crown of Crimson and Crows releases September 1, 2026, and you should definitely preorder your copy from Novel Grounds because it has some amazing preorder incentives. But if you’d rather, you can always support your local indie bookstore through Bookshop.org. Amazon is also an option, but can we make it the last choice (please)? The deluxe edition exists, and I think you already know what the right choice is.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Thank you to Bloom Books, NetGalley, and Queen Tessa Hale for providing me with an eARC of Crown of Crimson and Crows in exchange for an honest review… honestly, how soon is too soon to reread it?