A Curse of Beasts and Magic by Jeaniene Frost

Title: A Curse of Beasts and Magic

Author: Jeaniene Frost

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Beautiful and Beastly # 1

368 Pages, Hardcover

Publication: May 26, 2026

Source: Libby 

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Raine Stone was the sole survivor of a horrific creature while camping. Her account of the attack was attributed to shock, but Raine knows all too well that her story is true because now she carries that same Beast inside her!

She’s been restraining its violent urges by letting it 'feed' on the pain and chaos she’s exposed to as an ER nurse, and by playing vigilante against would-be muggers at night. But when Raine uses the Beast’s energy to heal a frail elderly gentleman from a seemingly random attack, she opens herself to a new world of danger—literally.

Remington “Remy” Byrne knows that the wall between a realm of deadly mythic creatures and our own world is very thin; he’s the Warden who guards the gateways between them. He also rules the supernatural creatures living in secret among us. Raine’s Beast makes her an intruder on Remy’s territory, but the elderly gentleman she saved is Remy’s grandfather, and her Beast contains power that could tip the scales in a sinister plot against Remy’s rule—if Raine allies with him.

Will they be friends or foes…or will the dangerous attraction between them turn into something else? And can our world be saved by their explosive alliance?

MY THOUGHTS

I was so excited when I heard Jeaniene Frost was coming back with a new urban fantasy book. The Night Huntress novels were my gateway into the UF genre. A Curse of Beasts and Magic was promoted as having Beauty and the Beast vibes, except the "beast" is the heroine. I love Frost and anything Beauty and the Beast-related, but unfortunately, I didn't love this book.

I felt like the book tried to set itself apart from the oversaturated romantasy market, but it still relied too heavily on cliché tropes, ultimately rendering it unremarkable. Don't get me wrong, I adore plenty of tropes, and when they're done well, I can read them endlessly. However, I didn't think they were executed particularly well here, nor did the story bring anything new to the genre.

The story is set in New York, but there's also a parallel magical world where other supernatural creatures rule and reside. When the leads temporarily crossed over, it felt like a generic medieval fantasy setting. Their time there was brief, but even in that short span, I didn't find it interesting. I don't know if the author tried to incorporate dragons (to be different, she made them shifters) because that was all the buzz the last couple of years or so, but I found them quite dull.

I also didn't like either of the main characters. I don't know what it was about Raine, but I just couldn't connect with her. I love the fake dating trope, but this version was more frustrating than fun. Raine was adamant about keeping their relationship strictly business, constantly reminding Remy of that fact. Yet the moment his ex showed up, she was green with envy, desperately trying to act nonchalant while unsuccessfully throwing it back in his face after they slept together. I didn't find Remy interesting or likable either. I guess you could describe him as another typical shadow daddy. There was nothing that made him stand out, and if you've read one, you've pretty much read them all. For me, once the FMC and MMC finally got together, the story stalled and became tiresome. I lost interest pretty quickly.

I was so excited for a new Jeaniene Frost book and went into it with high expectations, but it unfortunately fell short. It felt as though the book was written because romantasy is hot right now rather than because it had something fresh to offer. To me, it came across as following the trend instead of setting one. I don't plan on continuing with the series.

To Drown a Witch by Lindsey Olsson

Title: To Drown a Witch

Author: Lindsey Olsson

Genre: YA Fantasy

Series: To Drown a Witch # 1

347 Pages, Hardcover

Publication: July 14, 2026

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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In Orlonea, the Witch is feared above all else. Reborn into each generation, she is the only person with magic running innately through her veins, able to wield magic with a single thought.

So when guards across the city begin to drop dead, gruesomely murdered by violent and vicious magic, everyone knows the Witch has returned—and no one will be safe until she’s killed.

Toran is the Prince’s Crown, the most highly skilled fighter in the King’s Guard. Tasked with the responsibility of leading the hunt for the Witch, Toran tries to focus on his assignment to forget the ghosts of his past. And after he learns of Nes, a thief with an uncanny ability to sniff out magic, he forcibly recruits her into joining his hunt.

As the two face deadly magic and otherworldly threats, their mutual dislike soon turns to something more electric, and they find themselves drawn to each other in ways they’d never imagined. But the Witch is always a step ahead of them, and with bodies piling up, secrets threaten to come to light—secrets that could destroy everything from the fragile trust between them to the very city of Orlonea itself.

MY THOUGHTS

I'm a sucker for novels about witches, and I love a good hunter-and-hunted story. I had high expectations going into this book since it was compared to Heartless Hunter, one of my favorite reads the year it was published. While To Drown a Witch had some great moments, it wasn't without its issues.

I thought the book was well written, and the pacing was excellent. The story wastes no time introducing the heroine, the hero, and the other key players. Overall, I liked Nes and Toran as characters, but unfortunately, they lacked depth. I also thought the romance developed a little too quickly. However, the author added a twist that I never saw coming, and I thought it was executed really well. It was something I'd never seen done in a story before.

The worldbuilding, however, wasn't as developed as I would have liked. I had trouble understanding the magic system. I wasn't sure why some people who drank the elixir gained magical abilities while Witch's power seemed to be innate. The prologue briefly touched on the origins of magic, but the explanation felt too vague and left me confused.

For most of the book, the story flowed along nicely, but once we reached the Siren's Hair scene, where they were laying a trap for Witch, things became shaky and confusing. There were several twists from that point through the ending, but they only left me with more questions. Who exactly was Damari? How did the Prince fit into the story? I honestly thought To Drown a Witch was a standalone, but based on the ending, it's clearly setting up a sequel.

I enjoyed To Drown a Witch for the most part, but I wish the characters and the world had been more fully developed. Even so, I'm still curious to see where the story goes now that the Prince has entered the picture. It also would have been nice to get a few scenes or flashbacks featuring him.

Half City by Kate Golden

Title: Half City

Author: Kate Golden

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Harker Academy # 1

496 pages, Paperback

Publication: February 17, 2026

Source: Libby

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Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

She just also happens to be a demon hunter.

Ever since her father's murder, she's been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider. . . . Until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she'll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about. Not when the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv's father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, and fast. All while trying to ace her classes, not fall for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

MY THOUGHTS

I almost didn’t pick up Half City. I thought it was going to be another run-of-the-mill romantasy that’s been flooding the market lately, and I’ve been mostly disappointed with the ones I’ve read. But I ended up giving it a shot because my book box featured it, and I wanted to see if it was worth the hype.

And it almost is, just not completely there, but close.

I’ve seen a lot of comparisons to the Buffy TV show, but I actually don’t see it…maybe only in the sense that she hunts monsters a.k.a. Deviants. Half City did remind me, however, of the early 2000s young adult series Vampire Academy. Despite Half City being more adult or new adult, with characters in their 20s, it felt like I was reading another version of VA. And I mean that as a compliment because it’s one of my favorite series and still is to this day. The whole demon-hunting aspect and having a demon combat instructor felt so Rose and Dimitri coded at least to me.

I thought Half City was well written. The pacing was great, and the balance between plot and action scenes was nearly perfect. Viv and Reid were strong lead protagonists with great chemistry, and I also liked all of the secondary characters. The only predictable part in the entire book was discovering that the White Stag was related to Reid, I saw that coming from miles away. And while the book ended on a cliffhanger, I think I already know Reid’s true identity. Still, I hope I’m wrong because I hate a predictable plot.

All in all, Half City was a surprisingly fun and quick read that kept my attention from beginning to end. I’m looking forward to Cursed City and the good news is, it comes out this year!

We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark

Title: We Who Will Die

Author: Stacia Stark

Genre: Romantasy

Series: Empire of Blood # 1

423 pages, Hardcover

Publication: December 30, 2025

Source: Libby Library

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Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.

Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the impossible: kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.

She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.

With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.

To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…

MY THOUGHTS

I am a big fan of Stark’s Deals with Demons and was excited to hear she was writing a new book. Gladiators and vampires with The Hunger Games vibes sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, We Who Will Die was a major disappointment for me.

I believe this book was meant to be set in the Roman Empire, or something similar but I never once got that impression. The only small hint might be the fighting in the coliseum, but that alone could apply to many settings. The world-building was all over the place, and the magic aspect was incredibly underwhelming.

This book was soooooo boring. I kept waiting for it to get better, even at 75% and it never did. I didn’t care about the plot or the characters. The storyline felt extremely generic, and while there are countless books featuring competitions or trials, this was by far the dullest execution I’ve ever read. The first two trials happened within just a couple of chapters, which was completely anticlimactic, and the final trial was so quick and uneventful that I almost missed it. Honestly, I’m not sure why the book was as long as it was, because there was barely any action or suspense. Even the reveal of who was behind Bran was unsurprising and by the time I reached the end, I simply didn’t care anymore.

I didn’t like or care about Arvelle (what an atrocious name). She’s yet another typical rage-filled character, constantly raging against society, norms, or whatever else. One thing she did over and over again that annoyed the heck out of me was constantly daydreaming or zoning out in what were supposed to be life-or-death situations. For example, she’s training and fighting against another competitor, they’re charging straight at her, and she’s completely spaced out. Then, during one of the trials, her opponent is wielding a sword and aiming straight for her head but she’s busy reminiscing about the past. Like, what the heck? There was absolutely no sense of awareness or self-preservation at all. And then there's the love triangle or love interests, who were about as interesting as a cardboard box. Could they be any more humdrum? I also guessed early on that they were brothers...again, boring and predictable.

There was nothing redeeming or worthwhile about We Who Will Die. It’s easily one of the most unoriginal and boring books I’ve read in the last few years. The use of gladiators and vampires was completely wasted on a lackluster plot and underwhelming characters. This book is absolutely nothing like The Hunger Games, not even in vibes.

Heir of Illusion by Madeline Taylor

Title: Heir of Illusion

Author: Madeline Taylor

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Verran Isles # 1

Publication: April 1, 2025

460 pages

Source: Libby Library

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She is not the pet they tamed.

Blessed with the power of illusion, Iverson Pomeroy has many tricks up her sleeve. However, none of them are a match for the enchanted collar at her throat that keeps her bound as assassin and mistress to a ruthless king. Forced to play the role of his obedient pet, she plots in secret to destroy him and claim the freedom she has always been denied.

She is the beast they let inside.

When a mysterious reaper, Thorne, arrives in the city with his sights set on the same weapon Ivy needs—the only artifact that can remove her collar—she must decide how far she’s willing to go.

And she will show no mercy.

With a tenuous alliance tying them together, Ivy learns there is more to her reluctant companion than meets the eye... He sparks her curiosity and ignites dangerous desires within her. But will the secrets they harbor destroy each other? And does it even matter, when anyone who so much as touches Thorne dies?

MY THOUGHTS

Finally! My prayers have been answered. I don’t know what it is, but the last few books I’ve read have been duds. I decided to pick up Heir of Illusion because the synopsis sounded promising and I’m so glad I did. It finally got me out of my reading rut!

Heir of Illusion had me from the very first page. Talk about one heck of an opening line! The book is being pitched as the “Next Romantasy Hit,” and honestly, I think we should retire the word romantasy because it’s becoming synonymous with mediocre books and poor writing (to me) which Heir of Illusion is absolutely not. It is so much more than what’s currently dominating the romantasy space. The worldbuilding and magic system felt refreshing and unique. I loved how the world was divided into different Isles and the Gods who inhabit them. The abilities granted by each God and how they manifest in the citizens and their heirs were fascinating to explore. The worldbuilding was complex enough to feel layered yet still easy to follow, which I appreciated. The writing was excellent, the pacing was great, and everything flowed so smoothly. Some dialogue might be considered modern for a fantasy setting, but because I was enjoying the story so much, it didn’t bother me at all.

Iverson was an amazing protagonist, flawed yet incredibly self-aware, which I appreciated. It was such a nice change from many current FMCs who are, frankly, oblivious and intolerable dolts. Iverson endured a terrible upbringing, and the more we learn about her, the easier it is to root for her. For a first book in a series, her growth felt realistic and very easy to emotionally connect with. She reminded me of old-school heroines: kickass with questionable decision-making at times, but ultimately full of heart. I like Thorne, for the most part. I’m still not entirely sure what to make of him because I’m not used to morally gray characters who openly express their feelings as easily as he does. He’s so understanding and considerate that it sometimes gave me pause. Still, Iverson and Thorne were fantastic leads, and I loved their early banter. The secondary characters were also well-developed and compelling. I adored Darrow, he was such an unexpected standout, and I’m glad we got more of him beyond the first chapter.

I truly thought I knew where this story was going, but I did not see those twists and turns coming! I love when a book can move me, keep me engaged, and genuinely surprise me. And the ending…Thorne…Iverson… absolutely brilliant! Heir of Illusion is an incredible start to a brand-new trilogy, and I cannot wait to read the next book. I’m shocked this is Taylor’s debut because the writing, worldbuilding, and plot were so impeccably done. For once, I wholeheartedly agree with the rave reviews, Heir of Illusion will be the next big fantasy obsession. One hundred percent earned. I highly recommend Heir of Illusion, such an incredible book!

Witch of the Wolves by Kaylee Archer

Title: Witch of the Wolves

Author: Kaylee Archer

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Witch of the Wolves # 1

Publication: September 30, 2025

352 pages

Source: Libby Library

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Cordelia Levine comes from a long line of powerful witches. She's been flying under the radar in the human world, focused on strengthening her magic. She loves working at her aunt's apothecary in London, secretly serving supernaturals.

Until the truth about her family is revealed.

She always assumed her enhanced sense of smell came from her French perfumer father. But when Bishop Daniels abducts Cordelia at the request of her father, the Alpha, Cordelia learns she's a lycan--sharing both witch and werewolf traits. She's brought to Trevelyan, the pack estate, under the guise of protection from foreign threats who want to use her to continue their bloodline.

She quickly learns that to keep her from being sold off to another pack, her father intends to give Cordelia as a mate to Bishop. His second in command and the future Alpha.

Cordelia refuses to accept this as her fate. She can't rely on her magic alone to escape and when she learns Bishop plans to challenge her father's power, she reluctantly begins to trust him. The cracks within the Pack become evident and something is bound to break. And Cordelia and her growing desire for the man who shouldn't set her on fire are right at the center of it all.

MY THOUGHTS

Witch of the Wolves was one of my most anticipated reads this year. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I first heard about it. A Victorian setting and supernatural creatures? That’s right up my alley, two of my favorite things combined! The book started off strong, and I was immediately immersed in the story. I honestly thought it would pull me out of my disappointing reading streak because it had so much potential. Unfortunately, it hit a snag halfway through and never fully recovered.

The worldbuilding and magic system were promising at first but ultimately built like a house of cards; weak at the foundation and barely held together by hope and readers' obliviousness. There’s almost no explanation of how werewolves are made or how their transformations work, aside from a vague mention that it’s painful. It feels like the author expected readers to fill in the blanks rather than creating her own lore. The witches fare no better; their spells are given the most unimaginative names possible: knockback, fireball, privacy, and fog, which sound just as lame as they read. The worldbuilding overall was poorly executed. Although the synopsis claims a Victorian setting, the only indication of the Victorian Era were Cordelia’s wardrobe and the period-typical gender dynamics, where, unsurprisingly, most women are relegated to subservient roles.

I actually liked Cordelia at first, but halfway through, right around the time she got involved with Bishop, she turned into a naive, immature child. The insta-love/lust between them was unrealistic; they barely knew each other for a week before falling all over each other. Throughout the book, Cordelia verbally fights her arranged marriage to Bishop but when the day arrives, she immediately accepts it. Then when a family member is killed, the natural reaction would be rage or grief right? What does she do? Rolls into bed with Bishop like the person wasn't killed less than an hour ago. Sure, we get one paragraph afterwards of her crying but the whole situation gets swept over like it never happened.

We’re constantly told how special Cordelia is, “the first of her kind,” a witch and a Lycan whom everyone covets for her power or bloodline. But despite being hyped up as immensely powerful, she barely uses her magic. Most of the time, it sputters out. Near the end, she kills a single person and suddenly everyone gasps, “Oh my god, she’s more powerful than we imagined!” Give me a break. It was lazy and anticlimactic. She never steps up when it truly matters. Bishop wasn’t much better. He falls into lust at first sight the moment he sees Cordelia and spends the rest of the book making promises he never actually keeps while acting all bashful about how she tests his ability to “remain a gentleman.” He’s supposed to be Alpha material, but he never once gave that impression. By the halfway point, I’d stopped caring about either of them or the outcome of their story.

The plot itself was equally disappointing. It boiled down to petty, repetitive family drama that went nowhere. You know those endless arguments where everyone insists, they’re right and nothing gets resolved? That’s this book in a nutshell. Cordelia’s father has beef with her mother and aunt, Bishop’s family has beef with Cordelia’s father, and her grandmother has beef with everyone and the pack. I didn’t pick this up to read about childish family squabbles. The only characters who held my attention were Bishop’s inner circle and a mute little girl who had minimal dialogue or page time. Nuff said.

In the end, I do not recommend Witch of the Wolves. I’m just glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

Title: The Wolf King

Author: Lauren Palphreyman

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Wolf King # 1

Publication: September 12, 2023

475 pages

Source: Personal Library

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When a princess is kidnapped by an alpha , war rages between the humans and the wolves. But soon, forbidden attraction starts to grow. . .

Princess Aurora longs to escape the castle and the marriage that has been arranged for her.

But on the night before her wedding, at a dog fight where captured werewolves are made to fight for sport, she spares the life of a young wolf. It puts her on the radar of the powerful alpha who was going to kill him. And it changes everything.

That night, when the alpha escapes, he kidnaps her and takes her to the rugged lands north of the border — where the once warring werewolf clans are beginning to unite. He thinks that she is the key to winning the war against the humans.

Only, as they spend time around one another, forbidden attraction starts to grow. And as Aurora learns that not all wolves are bad, the alpha discovers that she is in danger from both his enemies, and those he once considered friends.

With monsters on both sides, a bloodthirsty war between humans and wolves raging, and undeniable passion growing between them — will their story end in love? Or tragedy?

And will Aurora ever get home?

Does she even want to?

MY THOUGHTS

The Wolf King has been all over my social media lately. I’ve been hearing nonstop raving reviews for months. After checking out the synopsis, I decided to give it a try as werewolves and shifters are some of my favorite types of supernaturals.

The Wolf King started off pretty strong, and I was immediately hooked from the first chapter. It was giving me Outlander vibes, which I quite enjoy. I loved the idea of humans versus the wolf clans and seeing the hierarchy of the alphas under the Wolf King. However, the book started going a bit downhill for me around the midway point. The worldbuilding was easy to follow and straightforward, but overall pretty basic. The writing was clunky and felt overly simple. To be frank, it read as if it were written for someone with a low reading level or slow comprehension. Even the short-chapter format felt intentional, seemingly designed to cater to people’s short attention spans nowadays. However, I believe that if a story is well-written, with an engaging plot and fleshed-out characters, that wouldn’t be an issue.

Aurora, Rory was one of the most basic, simple-minded, and annoying characters I’ve read so far this year. I understand she’s twenty, but she acted like she was fifteen. I hated her internal monologue, constantly reminding readers how obedient and meek she had to be but no, now she’s a fierce young woman who isn’t like that anymore. It felt like she was throwing a tantrum every other chapter. There were countless scenes where she acted like the immature brat that she was, trying to provoke people around her, only to whine when she didn't get a reaction or their attention. She was truly exhausting, and I was tired of her shit.

The author inserted a possible love triangle into the mix, and while I usually love a good love triangle, this was not it. There was a clear favorite and obvious endgame I saw early on. Was anyone swooning over Callum? Because I certainly wasn’t. He was truly a big oaf, as everyone so often said, the epitome of brawns and no brains. I didn’t understand why Rory was falling head over heels, declaring her love for him when he literally did nothing for her and kept making promises he didn’t keep. Then again, she acted like a dumb child. There was a scene where he raised his voice at her, and that’s when I knew exactly what kind of “man” he was. I’m not sure if the author tried to write Callum as a copy of Jamie Fraser, but he ain’t no Jamie, that’s for sure. All ego, no action to back it up. I liked Blake, though; he’s everything I enjoy in a male lead. It annoyed me to no end that Rory kept accusing him of things he never did. Every time he tried to help or give her advice, she’d insist, both internally and out loud that he was lying or sabotaging her, yet she’d still take his advice and later discover he’d been telling the truth all along.

While The Wolf King was a quick read, it read like a bad CW TV show you can’t help but keep watching. I liked some parts of the story, it had its moments, but overall, it was a pretty mediocre book. Same Romantasy type book flooding the market right now. Despite it all, I’m curious to see how the story plays out after what Blake did at the end and to see who the true endgame will be. I plan to read the sequel for only Blake. This is not a book I'd recommend as there are better written werewolf/shifters books out there.

Arcana Academy by Elise Kova

Title: Arcana Academy

Author: Elise Kova

Genre: Romantasy

Series: Arcana Academy # 1

Publication: July 22, 2025, 553 pages

Source: Personal Library 

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Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards-a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy's enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape-for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world-and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?

MY THOUGHTS

Arcana Academy is one of my most anticipated releases this year. I’m a fan of Kova’s books, so when I heard she was publishing a new series; a dark academia with a tarot twist, it sounded right up my alley. Overall, Arcana Academy was a decent and solid series starter, but it wasn’t without flaws.

The world-building took some getting used to. Kova’s entire magic system revolves around tarot cards: the ability to read them traditionally, “inking” them, where an arcanist creates them using special ink and blank cards and, lastly, wielding them in a fight. The first two aspects were simple and straightforward. I thought the wielding element was the coolest of the three, though for some reason it reminded me of Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokémon. As a tarot fan, I found Kova’s interpretation fairly basic. Anyone familiar with the cards can easily determine whether a card belongs to fire, earth, water, or air. She didn’t go beyond those basics, and it felt like the research didn’t extend past a quick Google search. Everything stayed very surface level.

The pacing was slow and, at times, a struggle to get through. The book felt unnecessarily long and while I have no problem reading chunky novels, this one seemed three times longer than it actually was, and it failed to hold my attention for much of the time. I didn’t care for most of the characters, especially the female protagonist, Clara. If you’ve read any of Kova’s books, you’ll notice a pattern with her heroines: the underdog who inevitably becomes “the chosen one,” the all-powerful figure no one saw coming… except we all saw it coming. Clara, however, was annoyingly arrogant for most of the book. Like many romantasy heroines, she’s brimming with “female rage,” driven by hate and revenge against those who wronged her or her loved ones. Same shit, different book. I lost track of how many times I rolled my eyes. I wanted to DNF, but having made it past the halfway point, I pushed on. Kaelis (atrocious name), the prince, was selfish but at least upfront about what he wanted and who he was. While that honesty was refreshing, he was still a run-of-the-mill male lead; the same type found in countless other romantasies. Their fake relationship was irritating from start to finish. I didn’t believe it at the start, and I didn’t believe it at the end. Clara’s hot-and-cold attitude toward Kaelis made it worse; one moment she’s lusting after him, the next she’s plotting his downfall. You’d think the fake relationship would be the highlight of a romantasy, but I couldn’t care less.

The book didn’t truly get good until about 80% in, when Clara went head-to-head with Eza during the final trial. Speaking of the trials, they were overly simplified and low stakes. It felt like the author spent too much time on Clara and Kaelis’s bland relationship, letting the world-building and big scenes fall to the wayside. While there were some good moments scattered throughout, they were far and few between. The only redeeming portion of the book was the final trial and everything that followed. Those last sections were excellent, and I am genuinely curious to see what happens next. And yes, I totally saw that ending coming.

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

Title: The Knight and the Moth

Author: Rachel Gillig

Genre: Romantasy

Series: The Stonewater Kingdom # 1

Publication: May 20, 2025, 400 pages

Source: Libby 

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Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum's windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil's visions. But when Sybil's fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral's cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she'd rather avoid Rodrick's dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.

MY THOUGHTS

I read The Shepherd King duology by Rachel Gillig when it first released. I loved the first book, but the sequel left me disappointed. With that in mind, I approached her new series with some hesitation. When it comes to a new series, there are usually two outcomes: either the author captures the same magic as before, or ends up rehashing what they already know. Unfortunately, The Knight and the Moth does neither.

As one of this year’s most anticipated releases, The Knight and the Moth completely misses the mark. The plot and worldbuilding were weak and lackluster. The entire book centers around Diviners a.k.a damaged girls cloistered away from the world, worshipped for their ability to see the future. The story follows Sybil, a Diviner, as she searches for her missing sisters with the help of the king and his knights. The plot was so mind-numbingly boring that I struggled to stay engaged. I didn’t care about the story, the stakes (barely any), or the characters. The pacing was painfully slow, and the concept unexceptional and uninteresting. The whole idea with the coins? I thought it was dumb.  As for the villain, I figured out their identity within the first 20% of the book, which made the ending entirely underwhelming.

Sybil was an unlikeable protagonist. There wasn’t a single trait; physical or otherwise that made her as special as the abbess, Benji, or Rory claimed she was. She’s one of the blandest, most irritating characters I’ve read in a long time. I didn’t understand why she was knighted and, honestly, I didn’t care. Rory, the love interest, wasn’t any better. His sudden shift from cold disdain to obsessive, overprotective “alpha male” made zero sense. Just days earlier, he was insulting her. Suddenly, he’s a lovesick puppy ready to throw his life away for her? Please. It was weird, unconvincing, and absolutely not the “enemies to lovers” dynamic it may have been aiming for.

And for anyone saying Bartholomew was the only funny or worthwhile character, lies. The only time he was remotely interesting was at the very end, when we learn the truth about him. But even that wasn’t enough to save this trainwreck of a book.

I’m highly disappointed. I expected it to be on par with One Dark Window, or at the very least, better than the entire Shepard Duology. But it was actually worse. I don’t recommend it and while I’m glad I finished it to satisfy my curiosity, this will be the last Gillig book I ever read.

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley

Title: The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy 

Author: Brigitte Knightley

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Dearly Beloathed # 1

Publication: July 8, 2025, 416 pages

Source: Personal Library

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When Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, falls ill, he realizes he needs the expertise of a very specific healer. As fate would have it, that healer belongs to an enemy faction, the Haelan Order.

Aurienne Fairhrim and her fellow Haelan are inundated by sick children suffering from an outbreak of a long-forgotten Pox. Unable to get the funding needed to launch an immunization program, the Haelan Order is desperate for money – so desperate that when Osric breaks into their headquarters to bribe Aurienne to heal him, she is forced to accept.

As Osric and Aurienne work together to solve not only his illness but the mysterious reoccurrence of the Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction which only fuels the tension between them.

MY THOUGHTS

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I want to start this review by saying I did read the original fiction this book was inspired by and absolutely loved it. So, saying I was looking forward to this release would be a massive understatement. With that said, The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy is nothing, absolutely nothing like the original story. The world, the characters, the plot; none of it is remotely close or similar.

As I mentioned earlier, because this was a highly anticipated read for me, I had very high expectations and unfortunately, it just barely missed the mark. It fell short across the board. It took me nearly 50% of the book to start genuinely enjoying it and feeling invested.

That said, I did like the plot and the writing style. Honestly, the plot saved the book from crashing and burning; it was just interesting enough to hold my attention. Having read Knightley’s other fiction, I was already familiar with her writing, and I actually love it. It’s unique compared to what I usually read. However, because she was building a completely new world here, the flow felt a bit off. Even so, I could tell her word choices and dialogue were intentional and clever. There were quite a few moments where I caught myself chuckling at just how brilliant some of the writing was.

Now, onto what didn’t work for me: the characters and the excessive vulgarity. Aurienne was incredibly unlikable for most of the book. She came across as a stuck-up B—who seemed to hate everything and everyone. It wasn’t until about 60–70% into the story that she started to become tolerable. Osric was slightly better than Aurienne, but honestly, not by much. There was zero chemistry between them. When they did start catching feelings for each other, it felt forced and disingenuous, almost like Stockholm Syndrome. They saved each other, and that somehow turned into romance? It just didn’t feel natural. The vulgarity in the book was overkill. It was unnecessarily raunchy and, at times, straight-up gross. I’m not sure if Knightley was trying to be edgy or funny, but I found it to be neither. Every time I came across a brilliant passage, it would be followed up with something crude that completely ruined the moment for me.

But like I said, thank goodness for a solid, well-thought-out plot. That was the book’s saving grace. Despite its flaws, I do plan to finish the series. Personally, I think this would’ve worked better as a standalone rather than a duology but oh well. This book is clearly written for a very specific audience. What audience that is, I’m not quite sure but it’s definitely not for everyone. I recommend checking out a sample chapter first to see if it’s your style before you commit to buying it or reading it. 

The Scorpion and the Night Blossom by Amélie Wen Zhao

Title: The Scorpion and the Night Blossom 

Author: Amélie Wen Zhao

Genre: Fantasy

Series: The Three Realms duology # 1

Publication: March 4, 2025 400 pages

Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Nine years ago, the war between the Kingdom of Night and the Kingdom of Rivers tore Àn’yīng’s family apart, leaving her mother barely alive and a baby sister to fend for. Now the mortal realm is falling into eternal night, and mó—beautiful, ravenous demons—roam the land, feasting on the flesh of humans and drinking their souls.

Àn’yīng is no longer a helpless child, though. Armed with her crescent blades and trained in the ancient art of practitioning, she has decided to enter the Immortality Trials, which are open to any mortal who can survive the journey to the immortal realm. Those who complete the Trials are granted a pill of eternal life—the one thing Àn’yīng knows can heal her dying mother. But to attain the prize, she must survive the competition.

Death is common in the Trials. Yet oddly, Àn’yīng finds that someone is helping her stay alive. A rival contestant. Powerful and handsome, Yù’chén is as secretive about his past as he is about his motives for protecting Àn’yīng.

The longer she survives the Trials, the clearer it becomes that all is not right in the immortal realm. To save her mother and herself, Àn’yīng will need to figure out whether she can truly trust the stranger she’s falling for or if he’s the most dangerous player of all . . . for herself and for all the realms.

MY THOUGHTS

Lately, there have been many Eastern Asian fantasy novels, and I’m still on the lookout for a good one. The synopsis for The Scorpion and the Night Blossom sounded intriguing; demons and a magical trial held by the gods? That was right up my alley! I had such high hopes for this book, but unfortunately, it was extremely disappointing and so bad.

The world-building was confusing. The author drops the reader into the story, expecting them to already understand what’s going on. There are different realms and a magic system that is barely explained, if at all. The mortal realm is infested with nightmarish creatures, but their descriptions were vague, leaving me unsure of what they actually looked like. Àn’yīng, our main heroine, wields multiple magical blades, each with a different name and purpose, but again, none of it is properly explained. As the first book in a new series, it desperately needed a clearer foundation and setup.

The writing was okay, but the pacing suffered due to long, dense paragraphs that detailed every little thing, making the story drag. There was barely any dialogue, and the narration relied heavily on telling rather than showing. This made it difficult to stay engaged or connect with the characters. One of the biggest aspects of the novel was the trials, but they were so dull and uninspired that they never felt high-stakes or life-threatening.

Àn’yīng, our main character, was beyond insufferable. I had hoped that as the book progressed, she would grow on me but no, she never did. She is one of the most immature and annoying protagonists I’ve ever read. From the start, readers are told how strong Àn’yīng is, yet we never actually see it. Throughout the entire novel, she constantly needed saving—by Yù’chén, Hao Yang, his mother, and even the other contestants. She also harbors major prejudices against halflings until it’s convenient for her to forget them. For example, when she discovers that Yù’chén is a halfling, she tells him to stay away from her, refusing his help because he disgusts her. And what does she do right after? She befriends and hangs out with a group of halflings. She made disgusting remarks about Yù’chén to his face yet constantly lusts after him. She strings him along, pushes him away, then demands his help whenever she needs it; only to get mad when he uses his demon powers or bends the rules for her. She’s completely delusional, convinced that she’s been saving Yù’chén’s life and that he owed her. But when did she ever save him? Never. And somehow, he’s the one accused of stringing her along? I honestly felt bad for the guy. I have no idea why he likes her when her personality is awful. And don’t even get me started on Yù’chén’s nickname for Àn’yīng, Scorpion, it was not cute at all. I lost count of how many times I rolled my eyes.

I sadly did not enjoy any part of The Scorpion and the Night Blossom. The plot was weak, the world-building was lackluster, and most of the characters were flat. The most important thing to me in any novel is the protagonist, and Àn’yīng was truly a revolting person. I don’t recommend this book, but if you’re still curious, I’d suggest borrowing it from the library.