Cade McKenna is a transgender prince who’s doubling for his brother. Valencia Palafox is a young dama attending the future queen of Eliana. Gael Palma is the infamous boy assassin Cade has vowed to protect. Patrick McKenna is the reluctant heir to a kingdom, and the prince Gael has vowed to destroy. Cade doesn’t know that Gael and Valencia are the same person. Valencia doesn’t know that every time she thinks she’s fighting Patrick, she’s fighting Cade. And when Cade and Valencia blame each other for a devastating enchantment that takes both their families, neither of them realizes that they have far more dangerous enemies.
Plot
As you may be able to tell from the summary above, the plot of this book was very complex which was actually something I was looking forward to when I picked this book to review. And while the story was complicated and filled with dramatic irony, the reader is dropped right into the plot from the first chapter and things do not slow down until several chapters in. So while I enjoyed the complexity of the story, the fast pacing made it more difficult to follow than I would have preferred.
Characters
The perspective of the book alternates between Cade and Veronica, which worked well to inform the reader of some of the subterfuge happening as well as highlight their misunderstandings. Additionally, both Cade and Veronica were endearing protagonists with compelling motivations. I especially enjoyed following Veronica as her drive to protect her kingdom and her close relationship to her father made her a well-rounded and enjoyable narrator.
Setting
Similar to how the plot seemed to move too quickly for me to be able to easily follow, the world of the book was likely very lush and well-developed but the fast pacing of the storyline made it difficult for me to appreciate it. Specifically, the magic system and the histories of these two countries are something that the reader is very quickly introduced to in the opening scene, but not really given enough time to understand and appreciate as the plot picks up steam.
My Recommendation
Venom and Vow was written by real-life couple Anna-Marie and Elliott McLemore. Anna-Maria McLemore is a veteran writer but this is Elliott’s debut novel. While the plot is beautifully complicated and engaging, the fast pacing combined with an equally complex world and magic system made parts of the plot and setting difficult to appreciate as they could have been. However, Cade and Veronica make for excellent narrators and their drive to do what they believe is right will carry dedicated readers to the satisfying conclusion of the story.
