Book Review: Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport
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Our Vicious Oaths by N.E. Davenport
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the free copy of this book!
Published: October 28, 2025
Genres: Adult // Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Explicit and plentiful)
Quick Thoughts:
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Rival Fae Court Politics
Enemies-to-Lovers/Captive-to-Lovers
Prophecies
Black Main Characters
Shadow Daddies
Ruthless FMCs
What is Our Vicious Oaths about?
Princess of the Aether Dominion, Kadeesha wants nothing to do with fae politics. She is a warrior, first and foremost, and believes her greatest strength is leading her squadron of elite winged serpent flyers to protect her homeland. But bound since infancy to be betrothed to the Hyperion High King, ruler of all Dominions, she has no choice but to do what men have chosen for her.
Repulsed by the idea, she decides to spend one last night of freedom—in the arms of a dangerous stranger who takes her to sexual heights she’s never experienced before…but who is only using Kadeesha to set a trap for the High King.
For the High King and the kings of his six Dominions were responsible for the decimation of the Apollyon Court, and its new king, Malachi, wants his pounds of flesh.
On Kadeesha’s wedding day, Malachi and his special forces attack. Her father is killed, and Malachi wounds the High King, ultimately taking Kadeesha as hostage back to his land.
But she is no true hostage. The two form a pact: she will help lure the High King so Malachi can kill him once and for all, and he in turn will not harm Kadeesha or the Aether people. And as much as Kadeesha hates politics, she is now the Queen of her folk. Fae bonds are unbreakable…and so, perhaps, is the attraction Kadeesha and Malachi feel for each other. For even as they must publicly display their connection to provoke the High King’s jealousy, they struggle to resist the powerful allure between them in order to achieve their ultimate goals.
Our Vicious Oaths Review
Maybe this is a hot take, but I don't typically like romantasy standalones. I didn't know Our Vicious Oaths was a standalone when I picked it up, but I'm so glad I did. It was jam-packed with all the elements I enjoy in a romantasy, like good spice, political tension, and powerful, attractive characters, without feeling rushed or half-baked. Though this book did feel a little rushed at the end, it was so much fun to read and I’m a little sad I have no other books from this world to look forward to.
Characters & Romance
First things first: let's talk about the spice level because this is probably the spiciest romantasy book I've read. If you're someone who loves frequent, detailed spice scenes, you're in for a good time but just know that there are whole chunks of this book where the actual plot takes a backseat while Kadeesha and Malachi are... otherwise occupied. If spice isn't your thing or you're the type to skip those scenes, this might not be the book for you.
Speaking of our main characters, I enjoyed them overall. Kadeesha is a warrior princess who leads a squadron of winged serpents, refuses to be anyone's pawn, and owns her sexuality without apology. Malachi fits the morally gray shadow daddy archetype perfectly with his tragic backstory and desire for vengeance. Their stubbornness and constant power struggles definitely kept things interesting. My main issue was that both of them felt stuck at this one emotional setting for most of the book.
This is why the romance didn’t quite click for me either. I kept waiting for Kadeesha and Malachi to connect beyond physical attraction and I struggled to pinpoint what else drew them together beyond mutual hotness and political convenience. When there were scenes where they dropped their guard, they were well done, but they were also frustratingly rare. A bit more emotional intimacy would've elevated this from a fun, spicy read to a romance I could actually believe.
Plot, World-building, & Writing
The court politics were probably the best part of this book. Kadeesha and Malachi are a mix of enemies, reluctant allies, maybe lovers, and in Kadeesha’s case, kind of a captive, so they are constantly trying to outplay each other while secretly plotting betrayal. The political machinations felt complex without being confusing.
The world-building deserves a mention too. The magic system is intricate without being overwhelming, and the melanated fae was refreshing to see. I just wished the writing style was a little easier to follow. The author uses a lot of run-on sentences to describe things and it was too hard to follow without having to re-read multiple times.
So, should you read Our Vicious Oaths?
If you’re looking for a romantasy standalone with powerful, attractive fae characters, lots of court politics, and don’t mind a ton of spice, Our Vicious Oaths delivers on all fronts.
Check out this review on Goodreads or Storygraph.
Happy reading!
Kim
Our Vicious Oaths FAQs
Some of the answers may be spoilers if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution!
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Yes, Our Vicious Oaths is a standalone romantasy book.
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Romance.io rates Our Vicious Oaths a 5 🌶️, which means spice scenes are explicit and plentiful.
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The spicy chapters in Our Vicious Oaths are as follows:
Chapter 5
Chapter 9
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 36