Category: Serena’s Reviews

Serena’s Review: “The Blood Orchid”

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Book: “The Blood Orchid” by Kylie Lee Baker

Publishing Info: HarperCollins, October 2024

Where Did I Get this Book: from the library!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Since Zilan entered the world of royal alchemists, she has learned that alchemy comes at a price. She has lost loved ones in her search for broader justice against the evil Empress and all she wants now is to find some way to bring them back. Resurrection is her specialty, after all.

In search of the myth of Penglai Island, where it’s rumored life can be fully restored, Zilan starts a new adventure. But when old threats come back to haunt her and the path to Penglai Island means facing down unpredictable, sometimes dangerous, alchemists, she wonders just how high of a price she may be willing to pay.

Previously Reviewed: “The Blood Alchemist”

Review: It’s always nice to jump quickly from a first book in a duology straight into the second. And it was especially useful here, as “The Blood Alchemist” set up a fairly intricate world and complex magical system. Further, this book picks up directly after the events of the first, so I benefited from having those plot lines firmly in my head when I started up this one.

This book is largely made of up a quest by our main characters in search of the mythical Penglai Island, a place so powerful they hope it will solve the ongoing threat of the Empress. Through these explorations, the lore of this world was greatly expanded upon, introducing powerful new uses for alchemy, some to detrimental effect. We also got to spend more time in the limbo-esque afterlife, with Zilan desperately trying to cling to those she loves, both in the land of the living and the dead.

The pacing was quite action-packed, moving quickly from one dangerous alchemist to another. I really enjoyed these little side quests that were sprinkled throughout to tie together the larger quest. However, from a broader view, there were a few of these that felt rather convenient. Penglai Island has been lost (or rumored to not exist at all) for ages, and yet Zilan and co. seem to almost stumble into the answers they need by chance. As I was having so much fun with the story, this didn’t bother me overly much. But the convenience of some of these plotlines was a bit too obvious to completely ignore.

I also really enjoyed the characters, once again. Zilan, of course, was as excellent as always. However, if you had asked which characters I had least interest in spending prolonged time with in this book, I would have answered with her brother and her bully rival from alchemy classes. And well, what do you know? Those two end up being her primary travelling companions and each brought excellent flavor to the story! Through Wenshu, the author continued her excellent exploration of the complicated nature between siblings. Here, Wenshu and Zilan must deal with the repercussions of her choice at the end of the last book; that is, her decision to save Wenshu instead of Hong. A simple choice that reveals numerous insecurities and challenges on both sides. We also see a redemption arc for Zheng, the character I never knew I needed more of! In a surprising turn, this is the character that added the necessary comic relief to a book that, at times, could have been too tragic and dark.

Unfortunately, while the focus on Wenshu and Sheng was an unexpected high point, we didn’t see much of Hong in this book. On one hand, that makes sense. The guy is dead, after all. We get a few scenes sprinkled throughout as Zilan works to keep her hold on his spirit until she can revive him, but I still ended up missing the lovely dynamic we had between these two in the first book. By the end, I was happy with the way things resolved, but I do wish we had gotten a bit more here.

Overall, this was an excellent conclusion to the duology. The overall conflict was wrapped up in a truly creative and unique way, and one that felt earned with various pieces of the foundation being carefully laid here and in the previous book. If you’re looking for a well-written, well-rounded, unique YA fantasy duology, I highly recommend this one!

Rating 8: Expanded world-building, excellent side characters, and a satisfying conclusion! My romance-loving heart felt a bit deprived on the Hong front, but otherwise, this was a great read!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Blood Orchid” can be found on this Goodreads list: Best books of October, 2024

Serena’s Review: “Swordheart

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Note: Some long-time readers may remember that I reviewed this book 2-3 years ago. Well, T. Kingfisher has seen a surge in popularity since and, as such, many of her back catalog titles are being re-published by Tor/Bramble with new covers and marketing. (I definitely now have to versions of this book, I loved it that much!) As Kingfisher is one of my favorite authors writing today, I wanted to re-surface this review with the updated cover for those who may not be in the know!

Book: “Swordheart” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Bramble, Feb. 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: Amazon | IndieBound | WorldCat

Book Description: Halla is a housekeeper who has suddenly inherited her great-uncle’s estate… and, unfortunately, his relatives. Sarkis is an immortal swordsman trapped in a prison of enchanted steel. When Halla draws the sword that imprisons him, Sarkis finds himself attempting to defend his new wielder against everything from bandits and roving inquisitors to her own in-laws… and the sword itself may prove to be the greatest threat of all.

Review: Once I discover a favorite author, it can only be expected that you’ll probably see a lot of reviews for them going forward. So as not to just run through them one after another, I’ve been trying to hold off on picking up a new Kingfisher novel until I feel like I’ve been in a bit of a slump. And, for whatever reason, many of my October books were a bit underwhelming. While this was a bummer, it gave me the only excuse I needed, so I immediately jumped back into the world of the Clockwork Boys with this standalone book.

You would think being left a grand estate and all the wealth and prestige that comes with that would be a blessing. But for Halla, the housekeeper turned unexpected heiress, it has lead to nothing but trouble. Hounded by the relatives of the deceased, Halla has all but given up hope of collecting on her inheritance. That is until, when trapped in a cluttered room in a mansion that should by rights belong to her, Halla draws a dusty old sword and finds…a swordsman as well? One who is enchanted to the sword and sworn to protect its wielder for the remainder of their life. But while Halla seems like an easy enough individual to protect, Sarkis, the swordsman, is in for a surprise.

I think it would be a bigger shock than anything if I read a book by this author that I didn’t enjoy. There are enough strengths in her general storytelling ability, her solid characters, and her witty dialogue that it’s hard to imagine a book that felt like a flop. There have been stories I’ve enjoyed more than others, however. So where does this one fit on that scale?

While much of the appeal of this book lay in the strength of the qualities I listed above, there were a few aspects of this story that I found particularly charming. For one thing, Halla is an “older” heroine, coming in with an age somewhere in her 30s. Kingfisher has used several older heroines like this to helm her books, and it’s something I always appreciate. Life and adventure doesn’t only come for twenty-somethings! And, indeed, we get more variety and life experience with an older lead who brings more baggage (both good and bad) to the story. Halla is an unlikely leading lady in that she starts the book out as a bewildered heiress who seems as if she may have been happier remaining a housekeeper for the rest of her life. What’s more, as the story progresses, her romance with Sarkis comes from the perspective of a woman who has already been married once and knows what’s what.

I also appreciated that this was one of the longer books I’ve read by this author. She tends to write books that come in between the 200-250 page count, just enough to be considered full novels instead of novellas, but noticeably shorter than the average fantasy novel out there. On one hands, this is a quality I love as there are so many massive fantasy tomes out there that not only don’t need to be the length they are (and are often worse for it) but the sheer amount of time it takes to read one lengthy novel necessarily limits how many one can get through. That said, I loved being able to settle in to this story a bit more than I have with past, shorter books by this author. I became highly invested in Halla’s journey towards self-worth and Sarkis’s work to restore the humanity he gave up when he became attached to the sword. We learn a lot about their personal histories, so it’s truly gratifying to see them come up against similar challenges here and make different choices.

That said, there came a point around the three quarters mark where I began to feel like the book was quite literally tracing the same road back and forth. This is played for good humorous affect, but the final go around did begin to feel a bit tedious as I began to wish that our characters could finally have something go right for them.

Overall, however, I really enjoyed this book. It was enjoyable and solid in all of the ways I’ve come to expect by this author, and I appreciated the increased page length to really soak in this particular world and these characters and their romance. Fans of this author or for those looking for a cozy fantasy novel, this is definitely a book for you!

Rating 8: Everything you could want from cozy fantasy fiction!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Swordheart” can be found on these Goodreads lists: CozySFF and Above 30 Romance Heroines.

Serena’s Review: “But Not Too Bold”

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Book: “But Not Too Bold” by Hache Pueyo

Publishing Info: Tor, Feb. 2022

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: The old keeper of the keys is dead, and the creature who ate her is the volatile Lady of the Capricious House⁠―Anatema, an enormous humanoid spider with a taste for laudanum and human brides.

Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must take up her duties, locking and unlocking the little drawers in which Anatema keeps her memories. And if she can unravel the crime that led to her predecessor’s death, Dália might just be able to survive long enough to grow into her new role.

But there’s a gaping hole in Dália’s plan that she refuses to see: Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she eventually devours every single bride that crosses her path.

Review: At this point, I think it’s well-established that I am more than happy to explore some of the weirder corners of fantasy/horror stories. I mean, I loved “Asunder” and that was such a wild ride of world-building! Well, this one starts off weird, gets a bit weirder, and then ends in full weirdness. Starting with the premise, which is the idea that anyone would be willing to work in a house run by a giant spider who is more likely than not going to eat you some day. I’ll just get it out of the way now: if you focus too much on the realities behind whether or not anyone would sign on for the basic premise of this book, you’re probably not going to have a great time. But if you’re willing to go with it, there’s some very interesting storytelling to be had.

I’ll also say, if you have trouble with bugs or spiders, this isn’t the book for you. There is spider stuff everywhere, from people handling and eating tarantulas at any given moment, to the very detailed descriptions of Anatema and just how her human/spider bits meld together. I don’t particularly have a problem with bugs or spiders, so I found all of this to be on the pleasantly creepy side, rather than outright horror. That said, there was a particular erotic dream sequence that was…a lot. More, I found the general concept to be interesting: the ways that the human characters dealt with their day-to-day existence and the almost guaranteed gruesome end that was coming to them.

I also enjoyed the writing style and was impressed with the emotional punch that was packed into a story with such a short word-count, under 100 pages. I was a bit surprised by how central the romance was to the story. I went in with the impression that while there was a romantic subplot, the story itself would be more focused on the mystery. Well, it was the opposite, with the mystery taking up very little page time and the romance making up the rest. I didn’t quite buy into Dalia’s feelings for Anatema, but I do think that this book will find an audience with the monster romance lovers out there!

Overall, this was truly unique read. I’m not sure I can think of anything like it. The writing was incredibly strong throughout, and really, it’s going to come down to your tolerance/interest in spiders whether or not you have a good time with this one!

Rating 8: One of the more unique novellas I’ve read in a long time, deftly mixing horror, fantasy, and, somehow, romance, all into one small package!

Reader’s Advisory:

“But Not Too Bold” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Horror, Romantasy, and Other SFF Crossover Books Arriving in February 2025

Serena’s Review: “Greenteeth”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “Greenteeth” by Molly O’Neill

Publishing Info: Orbit, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor.

Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny’s lake and Temperance’s family, as well as the very soul of Britain.

Review: This book was a bit of a roller-coaster ride as far as my experience reading it goes. It started off great, with one of my favorite aspects of the book coming to the forefront right away. That being the unique voice of Jenny Greenteeth. The first quarter of the story is fairly closely tied to Jenny’s own narration of what her life has been, what her unique perspective on morality entails, and various other points of interest. While not a lot of action is necessarily taking place, the strength of her narrative voice and unique perspective easily held my interest.

Unfortunately, things became a bit more complicated when our second main character was introduced, Temperance, a witch who had been condemned to death by drowning and tossed into Jenny’s lake. While Jenny’s own story had been unspooled through her interesting narration, Temperance seems to simply word-vomit her entire history in a few pages’ time. It was frankly a bit baffling, as the author had demonstrated a more subtle approach to storytelling before. But here, not only was all of Temperance’s story presented in the most info-dumping-manner possible, but it also threw me out of the story due to the simple fact that no one could possibly talk like this!

From there, it was a bit more of a struggle to become fully invested in the story once again. As I mentioned, the pacing itself is quite slow throughout. In the beginning, with the focus tightly drawn in on Jenny, this worked fine. But as the story continued, I began to struggle. This became especially difficult when the plot seemed to devolve into a string of fetch quests, each as predictable as the last. And to top it off, the story resolved in a way that was a bit predictable in the most disappointing way. I don’t want to spoil it, and there isn’t anything inherently wrong with the story going the way that it did. But I had been hopeful initially that the author was telling a more wholly unique tale, rather than tying it back into familiar source material.

Overall, this was an ok read. There was a lot of potential, especially with the strength of the narrator, but the pacing and plotting became muddled with a string of mundane side quests and resolved in a disappointingly predictable manner. This last point, especially, is particularly subjective, so other readers may appreciate what this book has to offer in this regard more than I did! I do think it’s worth checking out, however, based on Jenny herself.

Rating 7: Jenny herself was a fantastic narrator, but she was let down by lackluster side characters and side quests.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Greenteeth” can be found on this Goodreads list: Botanical and Horticultural Horror

Serena’s Review: “Upon a Starlit Tide”

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Book: “Upon a Starlit Tide” by Kell Woods

Publishing Info: Tor Books, Feb. 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo’s wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship’s crew. Only Samuel—Luce’s best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.

One stormy morning, Luce’s plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.

But it is not only Luce’s hopes at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface. The truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.

Or the scales of a sea-maid’s tail.

Review: I didn’t love the first book I read by this author. I don’t often talk about transitions in my reviews, but “After the Woods” really highlighted how important a basic technique like this is to good storytelling. I often found myself confused by sudden shifts in focus and disjointed pacing. The characters were also fairly inconsistent. That said, between these struggle points, if you squinted, it was possible to see some true lyricism and style to the writing. With that being the case (and the fact that I’ve yet to come across a truly great re-telling of “The Little Mermaid”) I picked this one up with a hefty dose of wariness but also my usual hope. And wow, am I glad I did!

There are so many places to start with this one! But first and foremost, this is an excellent fairytale fantasy story. It perfectly captures the magical tone found in that sort of story, but also includes the necessary balance points of mild horror and, of course, swoon-worthy romance. I will say, this is rather loosely connected to “The Little Mermaid.” Other than the fact that she’s, you know, a mermaid, there’s not a whole lot of the original tale to be found here, other than a few familiar scenes that, even then, play out in a very different context than they do in the original. On top of that, the story also includes a nod to the “Cinderella” story, leaving the book as an interesting mash up of the two.

But first and foremost, I think this story much more closely lines up with selkie/seal wife fairytales. Like those stories, this one focus heavily on longing, wildness, and freedom. And it is here that the romanticism and lyricism of the writing really shines. The beauty and horror of the sea neatly aligned against the beauty and horror of humanity. And with Luce in the middle, a child of both worlds who struggles to understand herself and where she fits, torn between the great loves of the sea and her family and the man she grows to love. This could be a simplistic story, but there was such a depth of heart to Luce that the entire affair felt poignant and wondrous throughout.

As I mentioned, there were also some horror moments included, perhaps more than I had expected. Again, we were exposed to horror in the more fantastical sense, but it was the actions of the people that were truly despicable. The story’s strong foundation in a historical time and place truly reinforced these human-made horror moments, as some of the more powerful scenes drew from events/actions that were truly carried out.

I also want to heap immense praise on the author for her handling of the love triangle. I don’t want to spoil the way that this plot line plays out, but Woods is clearly winking at readers as she twists her way through some of the common romantasy tropes found in these sorts of stories and with these sorts of characters. And, best of all, she correctly identified when to give up the triangle altogether and allow the true romance to move forward. This is a stand-alone book, after all, so it was great that we were given what felt like a good chunk of time with the primary couple, initial love triangle bedamned.

One small criticms here would be that as these two “romances” were getting started, it felt like Luce’s feelings came a bit out of nowhere, especially for one of them. As the story continued, we were given more of a foundation to build upon. But those initial points of interest felt a bit instalust-y. However, they were saved by the lovely story that followed that delved into the tragedy and beauty of Luce’s position as a child of the sea who loves a man of the land.

I loved this book, if you can’t tell! As much as I love gobbling up books from authors who have a long list of solid titles, there’s something special about finding a great one from an author you didn’t connect with the first go-around. I can pretty much confirm now that this one will end up on my “Top 10” list for the year!

Rating 9: Like the exploring the sea itself, plumbing the dark depth of this book’s mysteries is an adventure into a world of beauty and romance! Perfect for all fairytale fans!

“Upon a Starlit Tide” can be found on these Goodreads lists: The Little Mermaid Retellings and My favorite Fairytale Fantasy novels.

Serena’s Review: “Wooing the Witch Queen”

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Book: “Wooing the Witch Queen” by Stephanie Burgis

Publishing Info: Bramble, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Queen Saskia is the wicked sorceress everyone fears. After successfully wrestling the throne from her evil uncle, she only wants one thing: to keep her people safe from the empire next door. For that, she needs to spend more time in her laboratory experimenting with her spells. She definitely doesn’t have time to bring order to her chaotic library of magic.

When a mysterious dark wizard arrives at her castle, Saskia hires him as her new librarian on the spot. “Fabian” is sweet and a little nerdy, and his requests seem a little strange – what in the name of Divine Elva is a fountain pen? – but he’s getting the job done. And if he writes her flirtatious poetry and his innocent touch makes her skin singe, well…

Little does Saskia know that the “wizard” she’s falling for is actually an Imperial archduke in disguise, with no magical training whatsoever. On the run, with perilous secrets on his trail and a fast growing yearning for the wicked sorceress, he’s in danger from her enemies and her newfound allies, too. When his identity is finally revealed, will their love save or doom each other?

Review: When I requested this one, I expected a fairly straight forward fantasy romance story. If I was lucky, I was hoping the humor would click and this would nail down the “fantasy romcom” vibes that it was giving off. Not only did those things turn out well, but the book actually explored some really interesting ideas regarding gender roles and romance.

As that’s the most interesting commentary I have to offer on this book, let’s jump straight into it. It wasn’t until about a third or maybe even halfway in that I really began to hone in on the approach the author was taking in her depiction of these characters and the roles they played with regards to one another. It was incredibly subtle, but as I read, more and more I became aware of the fact that Saskia, in particular, was being presented through the lens that we are more accustomed to seeing the romantic hero through.

When thinking of Fabian, she (rightly) sees her self as the more powerful of the pair, thus often focusing on the protective feelings she has towards him. And, similar to the romance heroes we all know and love, she would often internally and out loud make threats to any who would attempt to harm him. Even down to smaller concerns with regards to his feelings and the way others treat him, she very much takes on the role of guardian. Further, when thinking of Fabian, while appreciating all aspects of him, she regards his physical form with the same sort of interest and regard that we expect to see from the male POV more often than not. For his part, Fabian plays a much “softer” role, often focused on caregiver roles, like ensuring that Saskia eats when she gets caught up in her magical work.

Interesting, this role reversal carried over into the spicy scenes as well, with Saskia taking on the more more “dominant” (though I’m not sure that’s quite the right word) role. I won’t go into details of how this all presents, but it’s the kind of thing that you’ll definitely notice if you’ve been catching these gender role swaps throughout the book earlier.

This was such an interesting take on a romantic pairing and really made me think about the sort of actions, behaviors, and even thoughts that I typically think of as “male” in romance novels. Nothing Saskia or Fabian say or do has anything to do with their sex, but it’s also clear that, as a reader, I’m used to seeing certain behaviors from only really the men and others from only really the women. Again, the biggest props of all goes to the subtly with which the author explores these themes. It’s entirely possible to read this book as a fun, romantasy romp and thinking nothing of any of these topics because the story is fun and the characters still read as completely natural and fully fleshed out.

As for the rest of the story, the other big pro that stood out was the humor. I really enjoyed the balance of the comedy with the love story and action portions. It was sprinkled into the story at just the right moments, and I feel like the tone of the comedy worked perfectly with the sort of twisted fairytale we were getting.

Some of the larger plot points were perhaps a bit predictable and derivative, but as the story doesn’t set out to be an overly complex fantasy world, I was happy with what we got. I was also interested in the two other “evil” queens we met. There were moments in this book where I found both to read a bit like caricatures (easy enough to happen with side characters who get very little ultimate page time), but there were also hints to more complexity to be found there once we get to their individual stories. We even get a mini look at what’s to come in the next book at the very end of this one, and I’m definitely looking forward to checking that one out!

Overall, if you’re looking for a fun romantasy read that hits your “Wicked”-deprived heart, this is definitely one to check out!

Rating 8: If you’re having withdrawals from “Wicked,” have I got the book for you! Swoon-worthy and laugh-out-loud funny, this book is a perfect fit for romantasy readers looking for a great twisted fairytale!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Wooing the Witch Queen” can be found on these Goodreads lists: [ATY 2025] Witches, Goddesses, or Nuns and Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025.

Serena’s Review: “The Outcast Mage”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Outcast Mage” by Annabel Campbell

Publishing Info: Orbit, January 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: In the glass city of Amoria, magic is everything. And Naila, student at the city’s legendary academy, is running out of time to prove she can control hers. If she fails, she’ll be forced into exile, relegated to a life of persecution with the other magicless hollows. Or worse, be consumed by her own power.

When a tragic incident further threatens her place at the Academy, Naila is saved by Haelius Akana, the most powerful living mage. Finding Naila a kindred spirit, Haelius stakes his position at the Academy on teaching her to harness her abilities. But Haelius has many enemies, and they would love nothing more than to see Naila fail. Trapped in the deadly schemes of Amoria’s elite, Naila must dig deep to discover the truth of her powers or watch the city she loves descend into civil war.

For there is violence brewing on the wind, and greater powers at work. Ones who could use her powers for good… or destroy everything she’s ever known.

Review: I think this book will be one of those odd reads that really works for certain fantasy readers, but then fails to connects to a bunch of others. To start with, the book throws readers into the deep end of an entirely new fantasy world. I’m on the record as very much enjoying this approach to world-building in fantasy, but it’s also a big ask of many more casual readers. For the most part, this approach worked for me here as well. I was more than happy to go along with the story and characters slowly piecing things together as they came.

What didn’t work, however, was that further into the book we did start getting more overt details into these world-building portions. Unfortunately, they often came in long chunks of straight exposition and info-dumping. These larger bits of explanation also came fairly far into the story, meaning that for the readers who would appreciate the straight presentation of facts rather than the immersive nature of the beginning, there’s a decent chance they might have already put the book down by the point they show up.

I also ended up struggling to enjoy many of the characters in this book. For the pros, I very much enjoy mentor/mentee relationships, so I really liked the portions of the book that focused on these two characters. I will also say that there is very little to no romance in this book, so it’s a great option for readers who perhaps feel overwhelmed by the amount of romance in fantasy recently (not me, but I know these readers exist, haha!).

That said, there were simply too many POV characters in this book. I know that I personally have a fairly low bar for the number of characters I want to follow during a book. It typically tops out at around 3, and by far I prefer a single POV altogether. But here there were, I think, 5 or 6 different characters we followed. By necessity, some of those got more page time than others, which often directly influenced my interest in their various stories. However, the sheer overwhelming number of them ultimately decreased my ability to connect to any of them. Beyond that, as I read, it began to be hard to differentiate between them, leaving me unsure of whose story I was finding halfway through a chapter. Again, this is a very subjective take, and I know a lot of fantasy readers enjoy large casts of characters. But it didn’t work for me here.

So this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the world that was introduced, but there were too many info dumps to make it smooth sailing. And I really like the focus on the mentor/mentee relationship, but there were too many other characters distracting from these two’s stories that I watered down the entire affair. I’ll likely stick around for the next book, as I’m definitely curious to see where the story goes from here.

Rating 7: A lot of potential and a strong central relationship was a bit hampered by shaky world-building and too many POVs to keep up with.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Outcast Mage” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2025.

Serena’s Review: “The Forest King’s Daughter”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “The Forest King’s Daughter” by Elly Blare

Publishing Info: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Once upon a time, among the bloodred trees of Thirstwood, a young forest princess became friends with a lonely demon boy. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket…or so he thought…because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the demon queen and forest king declared war.

Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of demons at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru abducts her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it’s only a matter of time before the war they’ve escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to forest folk and demons alike grows in the shadows.

From the author of the Frostblood Saga comes the first book in an enchanting, adventure-filled fantasy series about the daughters of the powerful forest king, sure to leave readers breathless and desperate for more.

Review: This was an obvious book request for me! Everything about the summary above sounds like it has been tailored for me. Further, I’ve had a lot of good luck with Little Brown Books and their selection of YA fantasy. They seem to curate an author list that often produces some of my favorites in this genre and reading age. So how did this one turn out? Let’s dive in!

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I did have complaints here and there, but for the most part, this was a fun ride. Right from the start, I enjoyed the writing style, which had the sort of lyrical, fairytale quality that I prefer in fantasy stories like this. The two main characters were also introduced in an interesting way, with the reader first meeting them as children when they are unlikely friends. And then later, after things go terribly wrong, when they are older teens/adults on opposite sides of a war. It was a nice twist on the typical enemies-to-lovers romance plot, with the additional factor of initial friendship and trust from when they were children complicating their perspectives as adults.

I will say, in what would be a bit of a recurring problem throughout, there were some frustrating moments when both Cassia and Zeru made some truly wild leaps of logic and interpretation with regards to their shared history. In fact, one of my primary complaints about the book as a whole was the discordant feeling of these two main characters. For the majority of the book, each are written as highly competent, mature individuals. But then, on a fairly regular basis, they would each come up with the most ridiculous interpretation of the events surrounding them or the other’s motivations of intentions. It was the kind of writing where you could see the authors fingers all up in the narrative. The characters NEEDED to think a certain way to justify the arc of the story and romance. But in any reality, it made no sense to do so. Cassia, in particular, was incredibly naïve, especially about her father, way past the point of believability.

That said, I did actually enjoy the romance itself. When I started the book, I thought I had a pretty good grasp on how things would play out. Instead, the author swooped in with a major jump shift halfway through the book, re-positioning the stakes and, essentially, the world-building of this entire story. And through these changes, the romance itself veered into new and interesting territory. There was a bit of a “cake and eat it too” plot point with regards to Zeru and Cassia’s process of moving through their trust issues, but as the entire concept was so creative, I’ll give it a pass.

There were also some decent twists and turns in the larger conflict between the elves and demons. While some of the villains were plainly obvious from the start, there were a few twists with regards to other characters’ motivations that were revealed closer to the end. The pacing and plotting, overall, was steady throughout, and any moment where I began to become frustrated with some of the character inconsistency was quickly glossed over by another exciting story beat.

This is a solid YA fantasy story, and I think it’s well worth checking out if you’re looking for an original entry in the genre!

Rating 8: A few frustrations with character inconsistency aside, this was a lovely fairytale-like romance story with a surprisingly unique take on several classic fantasy tropes.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Forest King’s Daughter” can be found on this Goodreads list: Romantasy TBR 2025

Serena’s Review: “Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales”

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Book: “Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales” by Heather Fawcett

Publishing Info: Del Rey, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.

Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.

Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

Review: I know I had a bit of a rough patch there, with several reviews back to back that were middling at best and often downright negative. But I did have one shining light through it all, and it was the fact that the third Emily Wilde book was releasing only a few weeks later! And finally, here we are!

The tough thing about writing reviews for series like this is the fact that when you have book after book that hits a home run, you start to run out of things to praise. What do you say when the author already has such a solid hand on the wheel, striking a perfect balance of world-building, immersive character arcs, and thrilling, fairytale-like story features? I guess one thing that can always be said is that by the third book, you know for sure it’s not just a fluke. Heather Fawcett is just this good, and Emily and Wendell are just this great as characters. And the romance is just this well done, even here, in the THIRD book, without a silly break-up or offensively mind-numb “miscommunication trope” in sight!

The strength of the romantic progression seen in this book truly demonstrates the strength of Emily and Wendell as their own established characters. We don’t need contrived plotting to drive the story. Instead, their relationship is tested by very real factors stemming from their own priorities and insecurities. Emily struggles to balance her scholarly ambitions with her new role as an incoming Queen of Faerie. Further, she sees Wendell in a new light, now that he is returned to his homeland, and must reconcile the two versions she knows, finding ways to bring her own wealth of knowledge to the forefront in their political challenges.

For his part, we see a very different Wendell here as well. He is still the lovably frivolous and rather self-centered character that we’ve come to know and adore. However, we also see more flashes of the dangerous aspects of his character. Beyond that, we see a new layer to him, as he comes into his own with the responsibilities of caring for his land, his people, and, of course, Emily (who would insist that she needs to caring for!).

There were so many excellent romantic beats, particularly from Wendell, that hit all of the right notes! Each book has been more romantic than the last, and this one was no exception. I love the way the relationship between these two progressed, while also very much staying the same, with each internally rolling their eyes at the other near constantly, while externally pledging undying support in whatever crazy pursuits they come up with next.

I also really enjoyed the main story we got here. I wasn’t quite sure where this book would go after the events of the second book. In many ways, that felt like the end of an excellent duology. But I was pleased to see that there was still plenty to explore in this world, including a hefty dose of danger and darkness. I will say, that like the two books before it, this one does have strange pacing towards the end.

Pacing is always tough, because it’s hard to explain exactly what is meant when you talk about it. But, on the other hand, a reader will often recognize strange pacing when they see it. And now in all three of these books, there has been this strange feeling of the book leading up to and hitting (perfectly, I might add) the climax of the story around the 75% mark. And then…the book just continues and an entirely new mini-adventure starts up and becomes the true end of the book. I always enjoy the story as a whole, including these final storylines. But they do sit oddly within the greater structure of the story. Perhaps, that initial 75% climax mark just hits too hard? But then, these are always incredibly impactful moments, and to lessen them would be a disservice. So, I’m not sure. Maybe just a strange feature, rather than a bug.

Overall, this one hit it out of the park! I’ve loved every minute I’ve spent with Emily and Wendell in this world, and this third book was no different! If I had to rank them, I’d say that the first one was still the best (as first books almost always are), but then this third one comes in right on its heels. But, as I adored the second book as well, this sort of ranking is ultimately rather meaningless. If you’ve enjoyed this series so far, boy, are you in for a treat!

Rating 9: Like Emily Wilde herself, Heather Fawcett is a force in her field! Everything a reader could hope for from a fairytale fantasy: dark forests, deep curses, and a desperately romantic love story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales” can be found on this Goodreads list: New In 2025.

Serena’s Review: “A Circle of Uncommon Witches”

This post may contain affiliate links for books we recommend.  Read the full disclosure here.

Book: “A Circle of Uncommon Witches” by Paige Crutcher

Publishing Info: St. Martin’s Griffin, February 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Book Description: Doreen MacKinnon is doomed to die of a broken heart – if she can’t break the centuries old curse placed on her family.

Three hundred years ago, Ambrose MacDonald, a powerful male witch, fell in love with a MacKinnon. And when the MacKinnon witches forbade him from seeing his love, by secretly hiding her away, he retaliated by cursing the family and its future generations to never find love. But it wasn’t without a cost. Now, Ambrose is imprisoned by those same witches, trapped in a tempest and doomed to outlive everyone he has ever loved.

But Doreen isn’t like the other MacKinnon witches. As the 13th generation of the MacKinnon line, Doreen is one of the most powerful witches in centuries… and one of the loneliest. So when she discovers where Ambrose has been trapped, she releases him to help her break the curse, once and for all. Ambrose agrees to help, but with his own motive: vengeance. He plans to use her as bait to enact his revenge on her family.

Together, they enter a series of trials, which take them to a castle in Scotland, off a cliff, and into a world beyond their wildest dreams. As they work together, sparks start to fly, but soon Doreen must choose how far she is willing to go to break the curse, and what she’s willing to sacrifice.

Review: Ever since falling in love with “Practical Magic” (both the book and the movie) as a teenager, I’ve always been chasing that high with regards to romantic witch stories. Alas, I’ve never quite found the same, well, magic, for lack of a better word! But, ever hopeful, I requested this one right away when I saw it slated for publication this spring!

To start with what I did like, if you step back from the book and look at the overall plot and the grander design of the world and romance, there was a lot to like. The curse itself was interesting, especially its exploration of the morality of the choice the MacKinnons face: do they ensnare a man to love them through magic or do they choose to die young? Both of these have obvious downsides, and the added factor of manipulated feelings and the guilt that this would cause with regards to the former choice were compelling.

That said, the way this curse, these characters, and this world were first introduced was incredibly disjointed and sloppy. Instead of building up a story and a character who, over the course of the plot, would feed us the necessary information with regards to the curse, we are simply spoon-fed an explanation of the history and curse in several exposition-heaving dialogue scenes early in the book. The best word to describe it is clunky. Beyond that, because some of these greater facts are being presented so early, before I had any time to center myself in this world or care about these characters, I couldn’t truly appreciate the stakes of the curse, which should be dramatic.

Beyond that, I think the romance played out rather poorly. It walks right up to the line of instalove and then seems to tap a toe over it. Nothing is egregious, but it also wasn’t built up in a natural manner. Again, I struggled to become invested in these characters, both alone or together. At the same time, given how quickly they seemed to fall for one another, the actual progression of the romance felt very drawn out. I prefer slow-burns, but if you’re going to write characters who instantly fall for one another, I’d rather they act on that sooner rather than later. Instead, we got a rather frustrating game of hot and cold as the story continued.

There was a lot of potential to be found here, and I’d definitely check out another book by this author. I think there was a lot of potential in this world and concept, but some weakness with regards to pacing and characterization. However, if you’re looking for a fun, fast, witchy romance, this may be one to check out!

Rating 7: An intriguing concept with the magical curse, however the pacing and introduction of the world-building was clunky at times.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Circle of Uncommon Witches” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Blessing and Cursing and Witchy Women.