Chronic Ever After

5 Stars | God-Tier Favorite | 2026 Favorite | ARC

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“I’m going to be your favorite memory.”

The Wolf and the Crown of Blood is one of my favorite books that I have ever – ever – ever read. I ate this up and was left begging for more. Trying to pick my favorite parts or quotes would probably be impossible at this point, as I don’t think I have ever highlighted more in all of my reading days. Elizabeth May is a writer who defies fear, she writes with a fearlessness that left me completely entranced. I’m truly happy to be a reader who got to embrace this novel, and I get to add it to my favorites shelf. 

The world building and intricacies of the gods and the mortals and the deal that they made that is absolutely drenched in blood was everything. . .it’s unique and different and doesn’t pull its punches with its brutality while also still being palatable for the reader. I would strongly suggest that readers heed the trigger warnings. 

The characters of this new world are led by Evander and Bryony, but honestly, the magnitude of incredible, multi-faceted, interesting characters began to stack up the more I read. This book is a launching pad for what I hope will be a long series because my god, I need more of these characters – all of them. 

I’m not even going to go into the plot of this book. I will say that I didn’t expect the twists, the turns, the growth, and the gobsmacking beauty that ruined me. I didn’t finish this book, it finished me. After the last sentence, I went into an extreme book fog and had to process how much I adored this god-tier 6 star read. 

There is feminine rage that tastes delicious, villains that paint my love for them in shades of grey, spice that is coated in copper and at the end of a blade, pain that rips your heart out, and a hard earned ever after that had me tearing up and kicking my feet. 

This book. This book is a joy, it’s fearless and dark, twisted and romantic, painful and stunning, intricate and gorgeous, spicy and fun. I adored this with everything within me. I won’t be forgetting it, I’ll be waiting for more from this world, and I’ll be over here screaming about what an incredible author Elizabeth May is forevermore. Do yourself a favor and go read this, please. 

“I could love her, I think. I could let her crack my ribcage and curl her fingers around the misshapen lump I call a heart, hold it gently. Sift through the scar tissue until she finds something worth salvaging.”

Thank you, Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.