Category: Serena’s Reviews

Serena’s Review: “Warrior Princess Assassin”

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Book: “Warrior Princess Assassin” by Brigid Kemmerer

Publishing Info: Avon, August 2025

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

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

Book Description: WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his kingdom is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that the royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his land flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how the blaze began.

PRINCESS. With war looming on the horizon, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she’s deceiving him?

ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Ky and Jory dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves.

Review: While I’m on the record as not really clicking with many poly or “why choose” romances, I’m always on the lookout for exceptions. I’ve also had a bit of a hit and miss experience with this author. But as I have enjoyed some books by her in the past, I thought this new title might be a good opportunity to further explore this sort of romantic plot line.

So, this book didn’t fully turn me around on poly/why-choose romances, but there were definitely things I liked about it. For one, the book is very character driven, with much of the “action” centering around the development of its three main characters. I enjoyed both of the male main characters, for the most part. Each were fairly easily slotted into some familiar archetypes, but this well-trodden ground didn’t make them less enjoyable. There is the sweet, childhood friend romantic interest, plus the more dynamic “touch her and die” character on the other end of the spectrum. Like I said, neither one was really pushing any boundaries as far as detailed character work go, but they were also satisfying as they were, with a few twists and turns thrown in to keep things interesting.

I also appreciated that this was a slow-burn style of romance. For me, that’s the only approach that even makes sense with a poly romance like this. The more characters you have involved in a developing romance, the more time must be devoted to fleshing out their various dynamics. Otherwise they don’t feel like true characters at all, and instead read as mere plot vehicles simply there to deliver on the smutty goods. To that last point, this book is very late and comparatively light on the spicey scenes, so if you’re going in with expectations for early romance scenes, be warned.

That said, I did struggle with the female main character. It’s clear that she’s meant to be naive, but so often throughout the book I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with her simplistic views of things. The author does make an attempt to show growth for her, but it never felt like quite enough.

And, for that it being a character-driven book is a positive, this was definitely a slower read, one that often left me wondering when (or if!) anything was really going to happen. Large chunks of this book could have been edited down or out altogether. This made it all the more frustrating when the book ended on a significant cliffhanger. Instead of feeling satisfied to have finished it, I felt as if I’d been handed an incomplete draft of the first half of a book.

Overall, this was an ok read. Ultimately, while it didn’t make me actively mad at any points, it also didn’t really offer up anything new. Readers will be familiar with these characters and this general (rather limited) plot. Their enjoyment, therefore, will come down to how much they enjoy experiencing over again a rather familiar story. I would probably recommend this one to readers who love poly/why choose romances, while those looking for a more plot-focused fantasy novel might need to look elsewhere.

Rating 7: Familiar in both good and bad ways, this one will likely work for “why choose” romance readers but may not have much cross-over appeal to other readers.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Warrior Princess Assassin” isn’t on any Goodreads lists but it should be on Why Choose Romance Books.

Serena’s Review: “Hemlock and Silver”

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Book: “Hemlock and Silver” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor Books, August 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

Review: T. Kingfisher always has such a creative (and often dark!) approach to fairytale re-tellings, and this one, a re-imaging of “Snow White,” was no different! I think a lot of authors shy away from this fairytale due to the inherent passive nature of the heroine. I mean, you can’t do a lot with a girl who ends up in a magical slumber during all the action at the end! Wisely, Kingfisher refocuses the story on her classic prototype of a main character: a mature woman who’s hyper focused in one area of expertise, has not time for anyone’s shit, and really, really doesn’t want to get dragged into things. And so we meet Anja, a woman with a boundless knowledge of poisons who is pulled in to solve a mysterious wasting disease affecting the king’s daughter.

In many ways, you have to squint a bit at this one to see the parallels to “Snow White.” The story itself is completely different, with only names, important magical elements (mirrors and apples) and villains being similar. And with the latter, even this was wildly different than the classic version of the story you may be familiar with. And I really liked this! In some ways, the villain of the story can come across as a bit mustache-twirling, but it was such a unique take on the Queen character, with many twists and turns along the way that I enjoyed the heck out of it.

I also really enjoyed Snow herself. This is now two fairytale books in a row from Kingfisher where she has tackled young teenage/children characters. It’s tricky to write kids in a way that is believable and natural, but here, Snow has all of the spunk of a pre-teen paired with all of the foolish self-confidence of the young. She’s at times incredibly unlikable, but also so sympathetic. Ah, the teenage years.

The magic of this world and its interplay with the poisoned apple and mirrors from “Snow White” was so original and unique. Perhaps too unique at times. Large portions of the middle of the book had to be devoted to explaining just how this magic worked, necessary information to fully understand what had happened in the past and how events unfolded at the conclusion of this book. Even now, while I was able to stick with the major plot points, I might struggle to explain exactly how some of this worked. It was definitely interesting, and I think Kingfisher did a good job trying to explain the ins and outs of it. But the necessary detailed descriptions of Anja testing this out did slow the pacing down quite a bit.

I also liked Anja and the subplot of her romance, but I will say that both of these elements were a bit reduced from this author’s usual highs. That’s to say, Kingfisher usually knocks it out of the park, and here, they were just ok. Anja read as a very familiar leading lady, and while I enjoyed her immensely, I did feel like I had read variations of this same character from this author before. The love story was also very much on peripheral of the story. Which, again, that is typical of this author’s approach to her romances in these fairytale fantasies. But here, there perhaps just wasn’t quite enough built up between these two to really hone in on their love story.

Overall, however, I thought this was an incredibly unique version of “Snow White.” There were so many creative twists and turns that I thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps the pacing lagged a bit in the middle and the main character read as a bit too familiar, but Kingfisher’s strengths as a writer carried me through it all. This perhaps wasn’t my favorite of her books, but I still really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it for readers looking for a unique fairytale re-telling!

Rating 8: A wholly unique version of “Snow White,” if perhaps not a wholly unique feeling heroine.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Hemlock and Silver” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025 and Snow White Retellings.

Serena’s Review: “The Deathless One”

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Book: “The Deathless One” by Emma Hamm

Publishing Info: Gallery Books, August 2025

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

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

Book Description: Jessamine was raised to be a leader for her people, but when the land is overrun by an incurable plague, she must enter a political marriage to save them all. A union that should have brought hope only brings death as her new husband murders her at the wedding altar and seizes the throne.

But her death is just the beginning. Her spirit is met by the Deathless One, a god of death yearning to return to the mortal plane, and he needs her help. The two of them make a deal—her life and the return of her kingdom in exchange for his resurrection. But the Deathless One is a known trickster, and a deal with him is one made in blood.

Jessamine knows the Deathless One is a dangerous ally, but the longer they work together, the more she wants him and the less she can stay away. As their connection deepens, soon she wonders if she even wants this contract to end. Perhaps the more appealing throne is the one by his side, but she’d have to turn her back on her people to get it.

Review: My main take away after finishing this book was a reflection on the importance of pacing. Most of the time, complaints about pacing present in the form of things moving too slowly or dragging. But pacing that moves too quickly can be just as disconcerting! And that’s what I found right when I picked up this book. Yes, action was happening, sometimes at a nonstop rate! But I spent most of that time wondering what was going and, more importantly, why I should care.

This could be seen in both smaller and greater examples. Here is a kind of throwaway scene/example, but it came right in the first few chapters. A character is described as entering a room, and then there is a description of a crunching sound and gore on this character’s shoe. So, what happened here? What did he step on? Well, believe it or not, I had to go several pages further to find a passing reference to the fact that it was a rat (as opposed to a cute kitten, fluffy bunny, who knows what!) that he had stepped on. So yes, action was happening, but it was so poorly described that I literally didn’t know what was happening for a decent chunk of time, until the actual descriptive word “rat” was finally thrown in.

So, too, I struggled to connect to the main characters. The action was galloping along, but I never felt like I was given any time to get to know them, to understand why I should feel invested in what is happening to them, and to be excited to see where the story was going. Bam! Meet the main character. Bam! She’s murdered horribly. Bam! Enter shadow daddy love interest.

On the other end, once I got to the middle of the book, the author slammed the brakes on the pacing and the story lulled almost to a stop. Much of the action here came in the building of romantic tension between the love interests. Many pages were devoted to these two fighting their attraction for one another. Some of this was well done and compelling, but it did feel as if the primary revenge plot that was set up at the beginning of the book was lost in the romantic angst.

I did like the general premise of the story and the world-building, especially what we got about the deathless one himself. I was incredibly interested in hearing more about his backstory, and gobbled up the tidbits we received throughout. He did get a lost a bit to the general “brooding” romantic interest role after a while. But I think the second book has a lot of potential now to explore some of these world-building/magical elements to a greater degree.

Overall, this was just an ok read. I could enjoy the basic story that was being told, but I struggled with the pacing, having a hard time connecting to the characters early in the story and then getting lost in the doldrums a bit towards the middle. Things picked up towards the end again, and I’m definitely curious to see where the story goes from here. Readers looking for a unique romantasy read will likely enjoy this one, especially those who enjoy spending a decent amount of time in the dramatics of relationship tension that makes up the majority of the middle of this book.

Rating 7: Too fast at the start and too slow in the middle. The ending was just about right, though!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Deathless One” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2025

Serena’s Review: “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy”

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Book: “The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy” by Brigitte Knightley

Publishing Info: Ace, July 2o25

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Osric Mordaunt, member of the Fyren Order of assassins, finds himself in dire need of an expert healer. As fate would have it, that very healer is Aurienne Fairhrim, a member of his enemy Order, the Haelen.

Aurienne is desperate for funding to heal the sick, so desperate that when Osric breaks into her office to offer her a bribe for her healing services, she must accept. Even if she loathes him.

A forced collaboration ensues: the brilliant Woman in STEM is coerced into working with the PhD in Murders – much to Aurienne’s disgust. Despite being enemies thrown together, as Osric and Aurienne work together to solve not only his illness, but the mysterious reoccurrence of a deadly Pox, they find themselves ardently denying their attraction which seems to only fuel the heat between them.

Review: This is one of those odd reviews to write where, largely, my experience while reading it was positive. But at the same time, there were some glaring hiccups along the way. This made for a very confusing reading experience, as I was having fun, but was also constantly pulled back from full immersion by one thing or another.

Now, I haven’t read the original fanfic (and there are mixed messages going around about whether this is a straight adaptation of that story or a more original tale), but I will say that had I not known this was based on a Draco/Hermione fanfiction tale (and the marketing and cover image hadn’t telegraphed that point so heavily), I wouldn’t have guessed. This speaks well to the author’s ability to remove it from any original points of inspiration, leaving characters and a world that felt wholly unique. If I squinted I could maybe identify pieces that were pulled from Harry Potter; but truly, had I not known, it never would have entered my mind that there was any connection to another story/world in this book.

The story is also a fast, fun, romantic comedy. This last point I think is crucial. While it is marketed as “romantasy” and would fit that criteria, being both a romance and set in a fantasy world, it more strictly aligns with the sort of story you’d likely find in a romantic comedy. There are very few serious moments to be found and the fantasy world-building is mostly just there as window-dressing for this love story to play out. Instead, the story is largely light-hearted (even its darker moments are largely tempered by jokes).

I also very much appreciated the slow-burn nature of the story. It is here that I think some romantasy fans may find disappointment. These two barely make any progress until the very end of the book, and even there, it’s the most minimal of steps. Now, I love slow burn, so I was all about this approach. But for romantasy readers looking for more spice or clearly romantic interactions, this may be a disappointment.

However, I did struggle with this book throughout. As I mentioned above, the world-building and magic system is incredibly sparce. There is a glossary at the end of the book that describes the various magical groups and their beliefs/powers. But if the reader doesn’t discover this bit for themselves, the book does very little to explain any of this within the story itself. We get enough about the main characters’ respective groups, but the groups who aren’t represented on the page are incredibly unclear. Like I said, if I hadn’t scanned the back of the book to start, I’d have no clue about how any of these worked.

The world itself is also fairly confusing. It’s clearly based on the UK, but this version is also split into various smaller nations, many of whom are verging on war with one another. It’s never clear how these places differ from one another, why they are fighting, what goals they are trying to achieve…really, just nothing was given here. I was usually having enough fun just following the interactions between the main couple to forget these niggling details, but the second I stepped back from the book, all of these questions came charging back in. And frankly, there just aren’t any answers to be found.

There is also a strong emphasis on humor in this book. This was also a tough spot, because while I found some of it genuinely funny, there was also a lot of cringy moments. In particular, there was so, so much crass body humor throughout the entire affair. Just ball/dick jokes galore. And that’s just not my thing. It was especially frustrating because there were other moments where I actually chuckled out loud! Mostly, I feel like the author has the skill to write a funny, romantic comedy-style story, but that this one was a bit too stuck in some of the stylized humor that you do find in fanfiction still.

The story itself was also interesting, and, like I said, the pacing was fast. That said, the ending was incredibly abrupt and left me turning pages and looking for the real ending. It’s not even really a cliff-hanger (though everything is still completely unresolved at the end), but more that it felt like the author finished a chapter….and then they just cut the book off there. Presumably to pick up with the very next chapter at the start of the next book! It was just odd.

So, there you go. A very mixed bag read. I’d say that for my actual reading experience, this was fun enough to earn an 8 rating. However, due to the issues with the limited world-building, the sometimes cringy humor, and the odd pacing at the end, I have to lower it down to a 7. I think that readers looking for a fun, lighthearted romantasy (especially those who enjoy a true slow burn) may still have fun with this one though. And I’ll definitely be checking out book two when it comes out!

Rating 7: While I had a lot of fun reading this book, the world-building and pacing were rough at times, and the humor came on a bit too hard at times.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy” can be found on this Goodreads list: July 2025 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “A Theory in Dreaming”

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Book: “A Theory in Dreaming” by Ava Reid

Publishing Info: HarperTeen, July 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: Edelweiss+

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

Book Description: All stories come to an end.

Effy learned that when she defeated the Fairy King. Even though she may never know exactly what happened at Hiraeth, she is free of her nightmares and is able to pen a thesis with Preston on the beloved national fairy tale Angharad. She has finally earned a spot at the literature college, making her the first woman in history to enroll.

But some dreams are dangerous, especially when they come true. The entire university—and soon the entire nation—is waiting for her to fail. With the Fairy King defeated and Myrddin’s legacy exposed, Effy can no longer escape into fantasy. Who is she without her stories?

With Effy under threat, Preston is surprised to discover a rage simmering inside him, ringing in his ears like bells. He begins to dream of a palace under the sea, a world where he is king—visions that start to follow him even in waking.

As the war between Llyr and Argant explodes, Effy and Preston find themselves caught in the crossfire: Effy losing her dreams and Preston losing himself in his.

Are dreams ever truly just dreams?

Previously Reviewed: “A Study in Drowning”

Review: I loved “A Study in Drowning.” It felt like such a tightly plotted YA title that incorporated a strong personal arc for the main character, Effy, as well as a tension-filled gothic mystery that built to an incredible climax at the end. As you can expect from this, it was a fantastic stand-alone read. That said, while I was satisfied with its ending, I was more than happy to return to this world and these characters. Especially to see more of the burgeoning love story between Effy and Preston.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t live up to the highs of the first book, mostly because of how perfectly insulated that story felt. But there was still much to enjoy here, so let’s start with that first. Per Reid’s typical style, many of the themes explored within this story are dark but important. Through careful crafting, the author explores the slow descent into isolation and withdrawal that can come with serious depression. Both Effy and Preston also constantly struggle to find a place for themselves in an institution and society that is built for others, Effy as a woman in the man’s world of academia, and Preston as a man of two heritages, both of which are at war with one another. These themes were richly detailed, and while it didn’t necessarily make for a “fun” reading experience, I definitely felt like I was getting a stark window into the struggles of these two characters and others like them.

That last point speaks to one of my struggles with this book, however. While well-represented and thoroughly explored, the reading experience itself quickly began to feel heavy and almost tiring; I found myself needing to put the book down after only short reading sessions. Part of this, I think, comes down to the fact that both Effy and Preston’s inner arcs are fairly similar. They are each dealing with similar feelings of isolation and like they are outsiders intruding where they are not welcome. This then leads to a lot of inner dynamics centered around feelings of weariness and fear. So, while the book does alternate between their perspectives, much of the story felt the same between the two, and it began to feel a bit draining.

The romance itself also suffered a bit from this as well. Both Preston and Effy spend much of the book hiding things from one another, both preoccupied with not wanting to place a burden on the other. And, again, the fact that both characters had such similar experiences with in the romantic plotline, it began to feels as if their relationship was spinning its wheels, with a lot of words spent saying the same or similar things over and over again.

I did enjoy some of the deeper looks into the magic of this world. Most of this came through Preston’s side of the story, and I would argue that this is largely his story. But even here, while I enjoyed getting a better understanding of this history and magic, there didn’t feel as if there was enough of a plot to serve as a structure upon which to hang these descriptive elements.

Overall, this book felt like what it was: an unplanned sequel to a stand-alone fantasy story that had been complete on its own. The writing was luscious, as always, and I did enjoy elements of the love story. But ultimately, I came away from this one feeling as if it didn’t really add anything. I felt like Preston and Effy had ended the previous book with challenges ahead but with a new will to overcome, comfortable in themselves and their new relationship. And perhaps this book was honest about the reality of the hardships they would face and that that same will to move forward could begin to crumble in the face of these struggles. I just…am not sure those realities really make up a story, all on their own?

Fans of Reid’s will likely still want to check this one out. Quality wise, it’s still a well-written book with an interesting world. Effy and Preston also remained characters whom I loved and rooted for. I simply couldn’t get into the limited amount of actual “story” to be found here.

Rating 7: I still enjoyed the world, the characters, and the love story. But it felt clear that with the first book being planned as a stand-alone, this one didn’t really have anywhere to take the story.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Theory in Dreaming” can be found on this Goodreads list: omg i love this cover.

Serena’s Review: “Neverthorn”

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

Book: “Neverthorn” by Shannon Mayer

Publishing Info: Hijinks Ink Publishing, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: At nearly thirty, Harlow can’t even cast a simple rune without blundering it. So why does anyone think she can take up the mantle of Hero? Reluctantly, she’s dragged back to Neverthorn Academy with seven former classmates, tasked with training to confront and defeat the Villain of their world.

But the challenges are stacked against

Professor Hot-As-Sin makes it clear she’s a failure.

Professor Used-To-Be-A-Mean-Girl has a vendetta.

And lurking in her past is a secret so dark it could reveal she’s not the Hero the world needs—but the next Villain.

With fate hanging in the balance, can Harlow embrace her destiny before the shadows claim her?

Review: There was a lot to really like about this book! For one thing, it started off with the sort of zippy, fast-faced action that I have come to associate with some of the best urban fantasy. This was, of course, helped by the snarky, smart main character who also read as familiar ala many urban fantasy leading ladies. This familiarity is by no means a bad thing, as it helped me easily feel centered in the style of writing this book was offering and the sort of lead character I could expect to follow. Perhaps this also lead to some rather predictable twists and turns, especially with regards to the heroine’s history, but the entire reading experience was still fun enough to get me through even these moments of easilly-guessed twists.

It was also an interesting concept to take on the “magical school” setting from the angle of an adult woman returning to a place she hated and left as soon as possible as a teenager. Ultimately, there were a few pros and a few cons to be found in this approach. In the positives, I enjoyed the duality of Harlow’s experiences with Neverthorn and the people there. Returning as an adult, everything and everyone is seen through the lens of her experiences as a teenager, for good or ill. This lead to a lot of increased tension between characters she was meeting for a second time, as she had a built in history with many of them. Further, many of the secrets she discovered were tied back to ways in which her first experience here was such a disaster for her.

On the other hand, I do think that there was an imbalance between the tone of the school story and the age of the characters. I was really excited to see adults in this school setting, both as teachers and as students. But, unfortunately, the minute we got to the school, Harlow seemed to regress in age quite significantly. In the “real world,” she was highly competent, whip-smart, and written with an inner voice that would fit an upper 20-something. However, in the school, this inner voice and her general approach to problem solving and interacting with others around her seemed to regress to a much younger level. There were a lot of highschool dynamics being revisited, and while I liked the idea of confronting school fellows from one’s past, this went a bit too far, with everyone seeming to turn back into those same high school age students. This wasn’t helped by certain writing choices that compounded the problem, like a swearing ban that went into affect and had everyone using “Good Place” style alternatives. It was funny enough once or twice, but as it continued, it began to lose its shine and further emphasize the strangely YA feel of it all.

I did enjoy the romance for the most part. There was a bit of a love triangle going on, which isn’t my favorite, but I think it was done well enough that it didn’t bother me. The “primary” love interest was also very well done I thought, and I enjoyed the slow burn nature of their story. In particular, this was one of the relationships that benefitted the most with the pre-established history the two had from the time together as highschoolers at the school.

Overall, this was a fun read! I think it got bogged down a bit towards the middle with a bit of wheel-turning with the main plot. But the characters were fun and the writing was snappy. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here!

Rating 8: Full of snappy writing and sparking romance, this was a fantastic new entry into the world of dark academia!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Neverthorn” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists, but it should be on Magic Schools, Academies & Universities.

Serena’s Review: “In the Veins of the Drowning”

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

Book: “In the Veins of the Drowning” by Kalie Cassidy

Publishing Info: Little, Brown and Company, July 15

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

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

Book Description: The monster is always slain…

Imogen Nel is in hiding. Hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures. Hiding from a king and his captain who viciously hunt her kind. Hiding from her own alluring abilities. By keeping herself from the sea, Imogen’s bloodlust is dulled, and her black wings remain hidden beneath her skin.

When a neighboring king comes to visit, Imogen can no longer hide. He knows precisely what she is, and he believes she can save both their kingdoms from an even greater monster. But Imogen’s power threatens to violently reveal itself, and the two form a blood bond that protects them both. They flee the kingdom together, traversing waters teeming with the undead. As the lines between duty to their people and desire for each other begin to blur, Imogen worries her own ancestral powers may not be enough to kill what hunts her—the only way to defeat a monster may be to become one herself.

Review: This book had so much potential, but ended up falling a bit flat for me, unfortunately. The concept itself is really interesting, with the focus on sirens rather than the much more common mermaids. I especially appreciated that the author didn’t “clean up” the nature of sirens. Yes, they are hunted and our main character is in hiding. But they are also incredibly powerful and vicious in their own right. At its peak, the book highlighted the dichotomy of beauty and terror, with sirens perfectly representing the mixed emotions we feel when admiring deadly, powerful beings.

The main character also had an interesting set-up, and in the first few chapters, I was definitely drawn into her story and excited to see where she went from there. Unfortunately, it was kind of nowhere? Much of the middle of the book felt as if it was made up of Imogen flailing around, primarily reacting to whatever was happening around her, but not driven by any goals or motivations of her own. I couldn’t latch on to anything as a true driving force for her, and struggled to remain invested in her story.

The writing, while beautifully strung together at times, also lacked in the world-building department. As the book continued, I kept waiting for more clarity with regards to this world’s history, politics, and the lore of the sirens. But unfortunately that information never really came. I’m ok with initial nebulousness in fantasy books, but as the story continued, I was disappointed to find that there simply wasn’t anything more coming and many of my questions would remain unanswered. That said, worldbuilding is very important to me, and those who are more interested in the romance than the fantasy elements may not be as bothered by this lack of clarity.

I also enjoyed the love interest. I thought he was incredibly interesting and well-written. However, the romance itself moved way too quickly for my preference. Yes, I enjoyed what we got, but I would have enjoyed it even more had the book pumped the brakes a bit more and allowed these two to settle in to their burgeoning feelings before jumping right into the actual romance of it all.

I think this is one of those fantasy romance titles that will definitely work better for romance readers than it will fantasy readers. The love story, while too quick for me, was well done and the MMC was appropriately swoon-worthy. There was also just enough worldbuilding to add a fantasy flavor to it all, especially with the interesting subversion of the “monster romance” subgenre with the FMC being the “monstrous” one. However, if you’re more of a fantasy reader who enjoys fully thought out world-building and established lore, this might be a more frustrating read for you.

Rating 7: Scores well on the “romance” side but struggles a bit with the “fantasy” elements.

Reader’s Advisory:

“In the Veins of the Drowning” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025 and “Imogen”.

Serena’s Review: “The Enchanted Greenhouse”

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Book: “The Enchanted Greenhouse” by Sarah Beth Durst

Publishing Info: Bramble, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.

This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.

But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.

This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.

Previously Reviewed: “The Spellshop”

Review: While I didn’t love “The Spellshop” as much as other readers did, I definitely still wanted to give this sequel a chance. As many of my struggles with the first book came down to my dislike of the main character, I had a lot of hope for this one as it is following a new character; I mean, she’s a librarian, so….. And, as predicted, I did enjoy this book more for this very reason!

Overall, I thought Terlu was a much more interesting and sympathetic character to follow. I enjoyed the set-up, with her having spent the last six years frozen as a statue as punishment for creating a sentient plant. Thus, when she wakes up, she, like the reader, is seeing her world through fresh eyes. Yes, there were times where her internal monologues and reflections became a bit repetitive, and I think the book could have benefitted from some editing down. But, overall, her story was exactly the sort of low stakes cozy experience that readers of this genre are looking for.

I also think that the love story worked better here. Again, I did have a few quibbles with it (it was a bit too fast burn for my personal taste), but the grumpy/sunshine nature of their relationship worked much better here than it did in the first book (if indeed that was even trying to be a grumpy/sunshine relationship; I’m still not convinced the heroine wasn’t meant to be a better character than how she came across).

I also enjoyed the quirky cast of characters found in the greenhouses. As I was returning to this world, I was better able to turn my brain off a bit as far as the world-building goes, but the entire set up of the new location we explore in this one helped with many of my qualms from the first. Here, I think the whimsical nature of the greenhouses worked in natural-feeling manner and left me with few questions about how this all worked.

I have to say that I struggled with some of the inner narrative word choices at times. I just don’t like modern lingo in books like this, and there were too many instances of a casual “yay!” and such for me to fully settle in to the story. But, again, this is highly subjective, and there were many other parts of the writing that I enjoyed more, particularly some of the descriptions of the world and its magical creatures.

However, in many ways, this book was very familiar. This can be seen as a good or bad thing, depending on how you feel about that first entry. I think there were definite improvements with the main character and with the love story. But many of the beats of the plot felt very familiar, as well as the cozy elements. They were cute and quirky, but just a bit too shallow for me to fully enjoy any of them. That said, I’m not a huge cozy fantasy reader, and given the popularity of the first book, some of my negatives here will be definite positives for others! So, for readers looking for more of the same, this will likely be a hit! And even for those who were a bit on the fence with the first book, this may be worth a read!

Rating 8: Perhaps aggressively cozy at times, but I still enjoyed the love story overall!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Enchanted Greenhouse” is on these Goodreads lists: CozySFF and Heartwarming Books of 2025.

Serena’s Review: “The Jasad Crown”

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Book: “The Jasad Crown” by Sara Hashem

Publishing Info: Orbit, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: Held deep in a mountain refuge, Sylvia has been captured by the Urabi, who believe she can return their homeland to its former power. But after years of denying her legacy and a forbidden alliance with Jasad’s greatest enemy, Sylvia must win the group’s trust while struggling to keep control of both her magic and her mind.

In the rival kingdom, Arin is caught between his father’s desire to put down the brewing rebellion and the sacred edicts he’s sworn to uphold. Arin must find Sylvia before his father’s army, but his search will call into question the very core of Arin’s beliefs about his family and the destruction of Jasad.

War is inevitable and Sylvia cannot abandon her people again. The Urabi plan to raise the Jasadi fortress, and it will either kill Sylvia or destroy the humanity she’s fought so hard to protect. For the first time in her life Sylvia doesn’t just want to survive. She wants to win.
The fugitive queen is ready to come home.

Previously Reviewed: “The Jasad Heir”

Review: I’ve been waiting for so long for this sequel that I had begun to question whether the first book was really as enjoyable as it was. (This is an established coping technique for readers, when we have long waits between books, to prevent the onset of madness due to anticipation!) But the minute I turned the first page on this one, I remembered just how satisfying that first book was. And now, with the duology complete, I can say that the entire experience was all-around excellent!

There’s a lot of great things to talk about with this one, but given the current proliferation of the “enemies to lovers” trope in romantasy, I think this is an area where this book really shines. So much so that I’d almost say this should be required reading for how to correctly write this sort of romantic storyline. There are many ways in which the love story is successful, both in the first book and carried over to this one. The first book is appropriately a slow-burn, with both characters slowly, naturally progressing through their negative associations with the other. As is typical with this sort of plot, that book ends with a bombshell, revealing all of the secrets and lies between them.

The important part is now how this romance is handled in this book. The author does so many things right! For one thing, it’s not as if both characters suddenly, inexplicably, lose all of the friendship, trust, and even love that had built up between them. Yes, obstacles have been introduced, but both are mature characters who, to some extent or another, trust their own original judgement and, frankly, have more important things to worry about than too much ridiculous angst. Sure, these reveals have an impact, but there’s no overly YA “but she betraaaayyyeeed meeee” nonsense where it doesn’t make sense.

Further, and this goes back to work done in the first book, the author created two characters who are fully realized beings on their own, who have built-in personality traits, strengths, and weaknesses, that would independently drive their choices and actions through an enemies-to-lovers romance. For example, Arin has been well-established as a character who is highly strategic and highly invested in understanding everything that goes on around him. Thus, by the time the truth about Sylvia is revealed, his journey towards re-thinking his understanding of his own nation and the history of this world at large is based on his own intrinsic character traits, not just “but I luuuuv her!!” Too often, the entire journey from “enemy” to “lovers” requires one character to simply change who they are or change teams based on almost nothing but their love for the other character. Here, Arin’s journey has practically nothing to do with his feelings for Sylvia, and this makes it all the more realistic and interesting to read! It’s this point, giving characters their own inner motivations for change outside of the love story, that I think is so often missing in these sorts of romances.

Further, Sylvia doesn’t magically transform into the perfect leader of this rebellion. Indeed, she’s pretty terrible at it all the way through the entire book! What’s more, however, the book does an excellent job of portraying the foibles of the rebellion itself! All too often, again, stories like this have a frustrating tendency of dumbing down their political conflicts to the point that you can pretty much guarantee that whatever rebellion group you find will be coded as purely good and righteous at every turn. Here, this group is made up of humans, with their own grievances, misunderstandings, and tendencies towards self-centered motivations. Sylvia’s journey is one of balancing imperfections, both her own as well as the group of displaced Jasadis that she’s trying to lead.

Lastly, as far as the romance goes, I appreciated that the author didn’t string us a long with the love story! Even given their circumstances, Hashem found creative ways to throw Arin and Sylvia back in each others orbits at regular intervals, beginning fairly early in the book. I always find it incredibly annoying and contrived when authors feel the need to keep their characters apart to drive up “tension,” especially in books that are the last in a series’ run, as this is our last time getting to spend time with these characters. And for pages and pages to be wasted on unearned pining is the peak of annoyance for me.

I also enjoyed the introduction of a few chapters from various side characters’ perspectives. There weren’t tons of these, but through them, we got a better insight into various interested parties, all with their own priorities and motivations. These perspectives helped to further flesh out the world and raise the stakes for the ultimate conflict, one that affected more than just Jasad itself but magic as a whole!

I also really enjoyed the expansion of this world’s magic system and history. The book definitely took some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and the answers to many lingering questions were incredibly satisfying. I think the book also wrapped up in an excellent manner. It’s bittersweet, of course, but it also technically checks off the HEA requirements, so never fear!

This book is peak romantasy, as far as I’m concerned. It’s also criminally under-appreciated in a packed genre where, too often, lesser titles rise to the top based on nothing more than #vibes. This is a fantastically written, fully realized and developed, romantasy title that should be used as the gold standard for properly pacing an “enemies to lovers” romance. This is a great read for romantasy and fantasy romance readers alike and I can’t recommend the duology enough!

Rating 10: Great world-building, excellent prose, spot-on dialogue, and a love story that hits all the right notes, this book has it all!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Jasad Crown” is on these Goodreads lists: Arabian, Egyptian, and Indian Fantasy 2 and 2025 Adult Fantasy/Sci-fi/Speculative Releases by BIPOC Authors.

Serena’s Review: “Soulgazer”

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Book: “Soulgazer” by Maggie Rapier

Publishing Info: Ace, July 2025

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

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

Book Description: Saoirse yearns to be powerless. Cursed from childhood with a volatile magic, she’s managed to imprison it within, living under constant terror that one day it will break free. And it does, changing everything.

Horrified at her loss of control, Saoirse’s parents offer her hand to the cold and ruthless Stone King. Knowing she’ll never survive such a cruel man, Saoirse realizes there is only one path forward…she must break her curse. 

On the eve of her wedding, Saoirse seeks out the legendary Wolf of the Wild—Faolan, a feral, silver-tongued pirate. He swears to help rid her of the deadly magic, if she’ll use it to locate a lost mythical isle first. Crafted by the slaughtered gods, it’s the only land that could absorb her power.

But Saoirse knows better than to trust a pirate’s word. With the wrath of her disgraced father and scorned betrothed chasing them, Saoirse adds one last condition to protect if Faolan wants her on his ship, he’ll have to marry her first.

Review: Ok, I’ll admit it: I was first drawn to this book based purely on the romantic and whimsical nature of the cover art alone. This artist has illustrated a number of fantasy book covers, and I’ve never once not immediately wanted to pick that book up! Doesn’t hurt that this one also promised pirates!

While this book didn’t quite work for me the way I had hope, there were still plenty of strengths to be had. One thing that stood out immediately, both as a pro and a con, was the style of writing. This book leans heavily towards a sort of lyrical, lush style of storytelling. There is a lot of imagery used and many lovely turns of phrase that I couldn’t help but admire. However, conversely, there were times that even as I was wowed by the beauty of the writing, I was left wanting in actually understanding what was meant to be portrayed. At times I found it difficult to place the setting in which the story was taking place, or how the action flowed from one scene to another.

This was particularly challenging at the start of the book, when the reader is plopped down in the middle of a busy scene, full of magic, religion, and political power moves. Even a few chapters in, I still didn’t feel as if I fully grasped the social-political situation of the scene the story was taking place within or the heroine’s magical abilities. That said, as the book continued and the plot focused in on the main characters and the action surrounding them, I had less trouble. Even here, though, there were still times where this focus on beautiful strings of words was prioritized over clarity of description. Ultimately, I think this is a case where the author has a lot of potential, but still needs to grow a bit in her craft.

I did enjoy the romance at the heart of the story for the most part. I didn’t necessarily need as many of the steamy scenes as we got, but the development of the love story on an emotional level was done well. This was largely helped by how well-done the love interest was written. He felt complex, interesting, and well-suited for the sort of romance that was being explored. On the other hand, I found myself struggling a bit more Saoirse. This was unfortunate, because there was a lot I liked about this character.

For one thing, she was very much outside of the typical romantasy heroine mold, being much more reserved, with her journey focusing on her slowly coming out of her shell and escaping the mental and emotional abusive systems that she had been raised within. Even at the end, she was in no way a “girl boss” or “badass” sort of heroine. This was refreshing! However, she was also hard to enjoy at times, being sometimes incredibly naive. There were also several points in which conflict could have been easily handled with simple communication, which made her silence all the more frustrating to follow.

Overall, while this book wasn’t a favorite of mine, I think the author has a lot of potential! There were the bones of a really great story to be found here, and with a bit more polish, I think this book could have been a hit! That said, even as it stands, I think there are a number of readers who will really enjoy this one, especially romantasy fans who are looking for a quieter heroine and a swoon-worthy hero!

Rating 7: While I struggled at times with some of the writing, there is a lot to enjoy in this romantasy story, not least of which is the excellent romantic lead!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Soulgazer” isn’t currently on any Goodreads lists but it should be on Beautiful Covers.