‘The Darkest Oath’ by Lauren Lee Merewether

Title: The Darkest Oath

Genre: Historical fantasy

Series: Standalone

Synopsis: Her love is his only salvation—and the undoing of everything he needed to survive. Rollant was meant to die a knight. Instead, he lives—cursed, eternal, and forbidden to love. Now, in the shadows of the crumbling kingdom of France, one woman may be his salvation… or the reason he falls.

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Content Warnings

General Rating: Teen+ (14+ / 14A / TV-14)

Spice Rating: Mild

Intimacy is alluded to, non-explicit

Violence Rating: Moderate

Blood, injury, violence, war, attempted murder, domestic abuse

Profanity Rating: None

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Book Review

Overall rating: 4.5/5 stars

What I Liked

I loved Rollant and Elise's story! It's a sloooooow burn, taking a place over several years, so if you love a story that slowly weaves its tale, this is for you. The setting is the French Revolution, and Merewether includes all the harsh details of this era without being gruesome. It gave a glimpse of the brutality of the French Revolution while portraying a beautiful love story between a cursed man and a woman trapped in a dangerous relationship.

It’s historical with a hint of fantasy (Rollant is cursed by a sorceress) and closed-door romance. If you enjoy French Revolution history, I would recommend this to you without hesitation.

The Darkest Oath is written in dual third-person POV (my favourite!), and addresses larger themes of abuse, suffering, trust, betrayal, and vengeance.

What I Didn’t Like

The French Revolution is tedious in its slow build-up, but I admire Merewether’s ability to acknowledge the political tension without being dragged down by it. The climax is slightly underwhelming… I won’t spoil it here, but I’ll say that the solution to Rollant’s curse is more pragmatic than I anticipated.

Major Themes

1. Trust and betrayal: Rollant is in the eternal pickle that he is in because of a trusted friend’s betrayal and Rollant’s subsequent act of vengeance. The opening scenes clearly and emotionally set the stage for the rest of the story.

2. Domestic violence: Elise has never known a healthy relationship. She grows up under the thumb of her greedy aunt and then is sold to an abusive baker. Her journey is painful, but altogether realistic as it describes the codependence and difficulty of leaving an abusive relationship.

3. Duty and honour: Rollant is a knight of the realm, and this sense of duty and honour is a critical part of his curse. He is bound to the French monarchy despite its many poor decisions. It was fascinating to see him play the role of advisor to the king, though of course, his advice is not heeded and the French monarchy crumbles against the fury of the Third Estate.

Writing Style
Beautiful writing! Excellent sentence work—descriptive without being too flowery and evocative without being obvious. I haven’t read Merewether’s work before, but you can bet that I’ll look out for her other works, which include a series in Ancient Egyptian mythology, as well as a book based on Greek mythology.

Merewether’s research is on point. She paints the French Revolution in broad brushstrokes, highlighting the main points while focusing on the story of her protagonists. It’s not a story about the French Revolution as much as it is a story that takes place during the French Revolution. Merewether capably tells the story across several years without losing intensity or the reader’s interest.

Tropes

• Cursed protagonist

• Damsel in distress

• Strong female protagonist

• Forbidden love

• Slow-burn closed-door romance

Others Like This

• Beauty and the Beast

• Circe by Madeline Miller

• The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

I received this book as an advanced reader copy (ARC) from BookSirens and left this review voluntarily. You may purchase The Darkest Oath on Amazon or see Merewether’s website for more details.

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