Tag: Fantasy

Serena’s Review: “Silver & Bloood”

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Book: “Silver & Blood” by Jessie Mihalik

Publishing Info: Avon, January 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: There’s something in the woods…

Untrained and barely armed, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forest and kill the deadly beast that has been attacking her fellow villagers as she’s the only mage available—or so she thought. When one beast turns into two, she fears her death is at hand, but unexpected aid from a scarred, strikingly handsome man with dangerous moonlit magic means a second chance at life—and an opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

After being rescued and healed from her fight in the forest, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. Riela soon learns Garrick is not a mortal mage at all—he’s a powerful Etheri sovereign who has been locked out of his kingdom in Lohka for nearly a century, and his powers are weakening.

Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela’s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets connecting Riela’s past to Lohka, the tenuous threads of trust between them begin to fray because Riela’s life—or her death—might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.

Review: I’ll be honest, I was sucked in on this one by the cover art. I don’t often love character art on covers, but something about this one was working for me! The book itself, while not terrible, didn’t hit quite as strongly.

I will say, it started off well. The plot takes off as if its life depends upon it, leaving the reader feeling swept along in a story that has already begun. There were numerous action scenes in the first few pages, and Riela’s POV added an intriguing element. She came across as competent, while also not slotting into the played-out “snarky badass” category. Indeed, I was pleased to see that she recognized that she was out of her depth several times early on.

Unfortunately, after the blistering pace of the first few chapters, once Riela reaches the enchanted castle and meets the MMC, the book seems to run smack-dab into a brick wall. Any pacing or tension that was built up immediately drained away, and the plot began circling the same few beats, chapter after chapter. Riela would explore the castle, look for food, have a brief interaction with the overly mysterious and withdrawn MMC, and then rinse and repeat. This took up the majority of the book, ultimately, with things only picking up again towards the final quarter of the story.

Further, once the pace slowed down and the plot became repetitive, I was left with too much time to think through the ins and outs of this world. And very quickly, much of it began to feel slightly derivative and unimaginative. I enjoyed the “Beauty and the Beast” vibes that made up the basic premise, but I was left wanting a bit more from almost every part of the book by the time we got to the end.

That said, I think the writing itself was fairly strong. Like I said, the book starts off strong, and the main character was written in a compelling manner. I didn’t hate my reading experience by any means, and I’ll definitely check out another book by this author. This just missed the mark a bit, unfortunately. That said, if you’re looking for a romantasy book that checks some familiar fairytale boxes and includes solid writing, this one might be for you!

Rating 7: While the writing and characterization were strong, there simply wasn’t enough plot or pacing to hold the story together through the lagging middle portion.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Silver & Blood” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Romantasy TBR 2026 and 2026 Fantasy Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “The Shattered King”

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Book: “The Shattered King” by Charlie N. Holmberg

Publishing Info: 47North, September 2025

Where Did I Get this Book: bought it!

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

Book Description: The kingdom of Cansere is on the brink of war. Young men are conscripted from their homes, and a royal decree from the queen has made healing the only legal form of craftlock. Nym, a healer and beekeeper, is the sole provider for her family of seven now that her younger brother has been sent to the warfront. But when a letter comes from the queen, summoning Nym to the palace to heal Prince Renn, the kingdom’s ailing shut-in, Nym finds herself making the tumultuous journey from her family’s apiary to the capital city. Nym is determined to fail the queen’s mission and return to her younger siblings as soon as she can.

But escaping the castle’s hold isn’t as easy as failing a simple test. Prince Renn is cold and distant, and his illness is nothing like Nym has ever seen before, nothing she could ever imagine treating. In a moment of connection with Prince Renn, Nym manages to remedy the faintest symptom of his ailment―only to discover that no healer before has made such progress. Forced to become the prince’s official healer and a ward of the castle, and with her only hope of returning to her family hinging on the prince’s recovery, Nym must navigate the castle’s cruel and twisted court and uncover the haunting truth behind Prince Renn’s illness―even as she finds herself irrevocably drawn to him.

Review: I read and reviewed a book by this author back in 2017, The Paper Magician, but I’ll be honest, as much as I enjoyed that read at the time, I fell off on tracking the author further. This book only ended up on my radar because it was mentioned by a fellow reviewer who has similar taste as I do with regards to fantasy romance.

I absolutely adored this book! It’s rare that I turn the last page on a book and want to then turn around and re-read it immediately, but that was the case here. There were simply so many great things about it! But I think, looking back, one of the things I appreciated the most was the fact that books like this are proof positive that you can write a compelling romance without compromising on other important elements, notably world-building, magic systems, and complicated supporting characters. So, while the romance was one of my favorites as well, it was the strength of these three foundational elements that really raised it above the rest!

The world-building and magic in this book were fantastic. The basic concepts were familiar: magic users who fall into three categories (healing, mind-reading, compelling), who are feared and persecuted to some extent by the nations that house them. But the ways in which this magic was explored, particularly the healing abilities of our main character, were so interesting. Indeed, the author commits a fairly significant amount of page time to exploring how exactly this magic system works, with numerous scenes going into the strengths and limitations of Nym’s abilities. This devotion to detail is then paid off by incredible twists and turns that only come into play late in the book and wouldn’t have worked had the reader not been given a good understanding beforehand.

Further, I really enjoyed the political elements. Much of this was built up in this book and looks to be coming to the forefront in the sequel. But even here, what made much of these political scenes work was the fact that the author took the time to develop these secondary characters in a way that readers were given plenty of time to form opinions and theories about them and their motivations. So then when added layers are revealed or complicating factors introduced, the reader is invested enough to care what happens to them, even if they are not the main characters. Even characters that I thoroughly despised had me on the edge of my seat towards the end!

But, of course, the story really lives and dies on the strength of the romance and the two characters involved. The story is told fully from Nym’s perspective, something that I prefer! Too often I feel like the inclusion of both POVs is used as a crutch by authors to simply tell readers how both parties are feeling, rather than taking the time to show us, as is necessary when the reader only has access to one character’s inner thoughts. Beyond that, the book takes its time revealing Nym’s full history. There are many references to major events in her past, but this information is carefully doled out throughout the book. I love this approach! The author trusts that readers will be invested enough to want to get to know this character further, rather than being spoon-fed her entire history and character motivation right from the get-go.

And Renn was everything I love in a romantic lead! The story is a true slow-burn, with Renn only gradually coming to understand his own shortcomings and the reality of Nym’s experiences. But once he does, boy, is he great! This is solidly a “he falls first” romance, and the author takes full advantage of all the tension and longing that this setup allows. It’s so refreshing to read a romantic lead who is not brooding or overly secretive, but instead is direct about what he wants. And the limitations holding the relationship back are solidly grounded in the realities of the characters and the world, not clearly orchestrated angst that could be solved with a quick conversation.

I will say, the book does end on a fairly major cliffhanger! But never fear, the second book is coming out in a few short months, and I already have my e-ARC in hand! We’ll see how long I can hold out, but if things continue in this direction, I think this duology will easily earn a spot on my Top 10 for next year! If you enjoy fantasy romance with solid character work that doesn’t skimp on the actual fantasy elements, then this is definitely one to check out!

Rating 10: Absolutely brilliant! A perfect melding of the best of both worlds in the fantasy and romance genres!

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Shattered King” can be found on these Goodreads lists: My favorite Medieval Fantasy novels and All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in September 2025.

Serena’s Review: “A Heart So Green”

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Book: “A Heart So Green” by Lyra Selene

Publishing Info: Orbit, January 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: from the publisher!

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

Book Description: After the explosive finale of the Tournament of Kings, Fia and Irian manage to escape to the wildlands, dodging pursuit by her cunning sister Eala. With Fia locked in her own mind, battling a powerful celestial entity, Irian must form new alliances to come up with a plan to defeat Eala’s terrifying magic.

With both the human and fae realm under threat, Eala’s rampage must be stopped, no matter the cost. On Bealtain Eve, when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, Fia and Irian will finally face off against the swan princess and forge the ending to their love story that was written in the stars.

Previously Reviewed: “A Feather So Black” and “A Crown So Silver”

Review: Surprise! I’m back with another review for this trilogy! After my…less than enthusiastic response to book two, I was really wavering on finishing off the series. But Orbit was kind enough to send me a copy, so I thought, why the heck not. Better to be a completionist in this instance and finish up the series.

And while I still didn’t love this one, I was at least better prepared for what I could now expect and ended up enjoying it a bit more. I’ll preface the entire review by saying that I think the first book was by far the strongest and that had the trilogy lived up to that initial potential, this could have been excellent. Unfortunately, many of the choices with regards to the romance and the main character’s arc were very much not to my preference, both in the second book and this one.

This book added perspectives to the story, ending up with a total of four. On one hand, this, blessedly, meant less time spent in Fia’s mind (frustrating) or Irian’s mind (boring). However, on the other hand, neither of these added POVs felt truly necessary to the plot. Like the second book, throughout the entire reading experience I was left asking, “why?” Again, it felt like the author was padding out this book with drawn-out side quests, meandering thought spirals, and heaping piles of angst.

What it didn’t have, however, was a compelling or tied-together plot. Many of the characters and world-building points that were established in the first book were still left hanging with very little resolution here. The pacing, especially in the first half, was glacial, waiting for Fia to solve her particular quandary and being stuck in Irian’s head as he moped over her loss. Things picked up a bit after that, but even then, the plot quickly devolved into seemingly disconnected side quests. And then it ended in a surprisingly tragic and unfulfilling manner, the likes of which I think will frustrate many readers, even those who may have enjoyed book two more than me.

By the end of this one, I’m not sure if the author was pushed to extend a shorter book into a trilogy or whether she simply never had a good handle on what this story was truly meant to be about. The solid characterization and interesting world-building that were established in the first book seemed to fall off a cliff in the second book and never recovered. It almost felt like two different authors wrote the first book and then book two and three. I did bump this one up a notch from my rating for book two, mostly because I think Fia was at least somewhat improved by the end of this book. But I still found this entire trilogy to be incredibly disappointing given how much I loved the first book.

Rating 6: A truly baffling trilogy where the first book stands miles above the second two, and we are left with a tragic, confused ending to the story here in the final chapter.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Heart So Green” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2026.

Serena’s Review: “The Elsewhere Express”

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Book: “The Elsewhere Express” by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Publishing Info: Del Rey, January 2026

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

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

Book Description: You can’t buy a ticket for the Elsewhere Express. Appearing only to those whose lives are adrift, it’s a magical train carrying very rare and special cargo: a sense of purpose, peace, and belonging.

Raya is one of those lost souls. She had dreamed of being a songwriter, but when her brother died, she gave up on her dream and started living his instead. One day on the subway, as her thoughts wander, she’s swept off to the Elsewhere Express. There she meets Q, a charming, handsome artist who, like her, has lost his place in the world.

Together they find a train full of wonders, from a boarding car that’s also a meadow to a dining car where passengers can picnic on lily pads to a bar where jellyfish and whales swim through pink clouds. But they also discover that the train harbors secrets—and danger: A mysterious stranger has stowed away and brought with him a dark, malignant magic that threatens to destroy the train.

But in investigating the stowaway’s identity, Raya also finds herself drawing closer to the ultimate question: What is her life’s true purpose—and might Q be connected to it?

Review: For the most part, I enjoyed this author’s debut book, Water Moon. It was written in a gorgeous, lyrical style, and the sheer scope of creativity on display was truly impressive. The characters were also largely enjoyable. What held me back was the very loose trappings of a plot that held together the inventive scenes that took place throughout the book. All of this being the case, I was excited to see another book coming out from this author, as I thought she had a lot of potential. I will admit, however, that I was a bit concerned by the synopsis: in many ways, it sounded like it was leaning into the exact problem points that I had with the first book. And now, having completed it, I have to say that that impression was correct.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this read! Like the first book, there was a lot to enjoy here, and many of the author’s strengths were once again on display. There’s no overstating how impressive the author’s range for creativity truly is. The book moves from train car to train car, each more fantastical and whimsical than the last. These descriptive elements also continue to be written using a lovely, flowing style that perfectly aligns with the dream-like quality of these worlds. The author also made an attempt to tie some of these fantastical scenes into deeper themes of loss and life. There were a few moments here that really stood out. However, others felt like they were either too on the nose or too obscure to be fully realized.

However, once again, the story fell apart a bit with the plot itself. Our main characters were interesting enough (though I will say that the friendship between them developed quite quickly, all things considered). But the premise of the train itself did start to feel very tired very quickly, with our characters simply moving from one section to another, again and again. Our primary main character, Raya, seems to early on realize that this is more than it seems and wishes to leave the confines of the train, and, unfortunately, this sentiment transfers to the reader all too easily.

Beyond that, I was a bit disappointed with the whole “train” thing of it all. I love trains. I grew up traveling across the country on them every summer, and there is truly an old-fashioned sort of “romanticism” to be found there. However, as far as the structure of this story is concerned, our characters could have been traveling through any series of interconnected places. They could be in a hotel just as easily as a train, for all that it mattered. The train itself was just a vehicle (no pun intended) for these fantasy scenes to be strung along, rather than a feature itself.

Ultimately, my experience was very similar to that of Water Moon. I was initially pulled in by the beautiful whimsy of it all. But as the book continued, the formula quickly became tired, and I needed more depth from our characters and more “plot” from the plot to really become invested in what was going on. I’m starting to think that this author might do better going the novella route, similar to Seanan McGuire and her Wayward Children series. In a shorter format, I think the author’s true genius for wildly creative fantasy worlds could be better highlighted while not getting tangled up in weaker plotting. Overall, I’ll say that your experience with this book will likely be similar to your experience with Water Moon. If you loved that book, I highly recommend this one. If you’re a bit on the fence, just make sure to expect a similar experience here.

Rating 7: High marks for imagination and whimsy, but sadly lackluster as far as plot and characterization.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Elsewhere Express” can be found on these Goodreads lists: The Most Beautiful Covers of 2026 and All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in January 2026.

Kate’s Review: “Angelica and the Bear Prince”

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Book: “Angelica and the Bear Prince” by Trung Le Nguyen

Publishing Info: Random House Graphic, October 2025

Where Did I Get This Book: I own it

Where You Can Get This Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | Indiebound

Book Description: At her lowest point, a teen girl finds solace and a potential crush in her local theater’s mascot’s DMs, sparking a quest to uncover the true identity of this mysterious figure. From the bestselling author of The Magic Fish comes a new fairy tale romance with a twist.

What do you do when you’re the girl who can do it all, and suddenly you can’t?

After burning out last year, Angelica is ready to get her life back together. Thankfully she has amazing friends to support her…including Peri the Bear, the mascot of her town’s local theater. At her lowest moments, Angelica found comfort in private messaging Peri’s social media account, and well, she might have a bit of a crush. Now, Angelica is interning at the local theater in the hopes of finding the person beind the account and thanking them. Who was this mysterious stranger and why did they help her out? Was it just caring for a stranger…or did they feel the same connection that Angelica felt?

Review: I’ll level with people a bit here, I’ve been having an exhausting and draining week with everything going on in the Twin Cities. And whenever I am facing burnout and mental stress, I find it very difficult to concentrate on reading for very long. When I was at a local bookstore gathering information and resources for my community, I saw “Angelica and the Bear Prince” by Trung Le Nguyen. We are reading his previous graphic novel “The Magic Fish” for book club this month (keep an eye out for that in the near future), and one of our members said that she had read this newest book and really liked it. So on a whim I tossed it onto my stack of things and bought it. I figured that maybe my attention span could focus a bit better on another graphic novel. And I was right. Not only because I find graphic novels easier to process during these kinds of times, but also because “Angelica and the Bear Prince” to be delightful and sweet and exactly what I needed.

Much like “The Magic Fish” before it, “Angelica and the Bear Prince” has a gentle feel and a lot of heart. We follow Angelica, or “Jelly” to her loved ones, as she starts an internship at a local theater after having a suffered a severe case of overextension and burnout that left her drained for months. It just so happens that she has struck up a friendship with a fan account of Peri the Bear, the theater’s mascot, and she wonders if working at the theater will help her find out who her new friend is. But a simple rom-comesque premise is actually teeming with a lot of emotion, not just for Jelly but for those around her. The story discusses grief, pushing down emotions, and the downside of trying to persevere, and it isn’t just Jelly who is struggling. We have a rich cast of supporting characters, from Jelly’s mother who is still grieving the death of her own mother (and who has pressed it all down within herself), to Gable, Jelly’s mysterious pen pal who was once Jelly’s friend but is now shy to reveal that they are the person Jelly has been talking with, to Christine, Jelly’s best friend whose relationship is on thin ice. I liked how Nguyen shows all of the different ways that grief and loneliness can affect a person, and how it can apply to so many different situations, be it actual death, or a simple changing of a relationship. But it’s also a story about connection and reconnection, be it renewing old friendships, or a child and a parent finding unexpected commonalities, or finding a new sense of self. It’s just lovely and sweet.

I also liked how it was all backdropped against the fairy tale “East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon”, another fairy tale retelling from Nguyen with similar deconstructions of the themes from the source material. I am not as familiar with “East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon”, but I liked how the bear was Gable’s bear costume for the theater production, and how Jelly was the princess who was trying to find out the secrets of the bear vis a vis figuring out who her mysterious pen pal is. And without going into the story itself as that would require me to talk about spoilers a bit, Nguyen is very creative in taking certain beats of the original story and transferring them to this one, which is more a coming of age contemporary tale as opposed to an actual fairy tale. It just works really well.

And I really like Nguyen’s art style still. He is so good at capturing a contemporary aesthetic as well as a fantastical one, and I really liked how it combined for both kinds of vibes within the story.

(Source)

“Angelica and the Bear Prince” is a charming romance and coming of age tale that felt like a calming balm as I was reading it.

Rating 8: A sweet and gentle romance that talks about grief, love, growing up, and finding connection in many ways. It was a quiet read I needed in this tense and exhausting moment.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Angelica and the Bear Prince” is included on the Goodreads list “YA Novels of 2025”.

Also….

If anyone is wondering how you can help immigrant communities in Minnesota while ICE continues to occupy our streets and cities, HERE is an article that has a lot of mutual aid links of all kinds.

Serena’s Review: “The Book of Blood and Roses”

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

Book: “The Book of Blood and Roses” by Annie Summerlee

Publishing Info: Del Rey, January 2026

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

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

Book Description: In the mists of the Scottish Highlands is a university where vampire students study alongside humans.

Rebecca Charity is a vampire hunter undercover at the university, searching for the mysterious Book of Blood and Roses, a lost compendium of ways to kill vampires. If she finds it, she’ll be one step closer to avenging her parents, who were slain by those creatures of the night.

But when Rebecca arrives, she finds something unexpected: a coffin. Her new roommate is Aliz Astra, scion of one of the most powerful vampire families… and the most beautiful woman Rebecca has ever met.

The maddeningly gorgeous Aliz is everything that Rebecca has always hated, but also everything she ever wanted, and now Rebecca doesn’t know if she wants to kiss or kill her.

When Aliz rescues her from a vampire attack one moonlit night, she accidentally makes Rebecca her familiar. Now, they must work together to break the curse, but as they get closer to solving the mystery, Rebecca and Aliz get closer, too.

But can a vampire hunter ever fall in love with a vampire?

Review: A reader’s reception of this book will largely, I believe, have to do with their feelings toward vampires. If you’re happy with the general boundaries laid out in other stories like Buffy and True Blood, then you might enjoy this. But if you’re looking for anything deeper to be added to vampire lore, or for any of your expectations for a vampire romance novel to be subverted, well…you’ll probably be a bit underwhelmed, like I was.

That’s not to say that this was a bad book. It sets out with a goal: to tell a sapphic “enemies to lovers” (hold the “enemies”) vampire story that takes place in a school setting. And it proceeds to do just that, but never much more than that. At times it felt like the author was on a personal mission to include every single piece of vampire lore in the book, with not a change made to any of them in sight. I kept waiting for what would make these vampires different from the rest, and there just wasn’t anything. Plus, if you think about it, most vampire stories only include a few of the common vampire tropes. Because, like you see when you step back and evaluate this book’s version of monsters, when you include them all (garlic, silver, sleeping in coffins, etc.), it all starts to feel a bit silly.

The romance itself was fine, though it definitely fell closer to the “instalove” side of the spectrum than not. I also think the whole “enemies” thing was fairly overblown. Not all romances need this element; indeed, the vast majority would be better to avoid it altogether unless the actual story calls for it. And even here, with the concept of a vampire and vampire hunter put together as roommates and falling in love, the “enemies” portion felt rather silly right from the start.

This wasn’t helped by the fact that I didn’t enjoy the main character. For an individual with a covert mission, she was wildly obvious at every moment in both her thoughts and actions. She was also incredibly judgmental of everyone around her. While this could have led to an interesting arc of growth and understanding, I don’t feel like this was ever accomplished. The writing was also incredibly simplistic, often relying on telling the reader exactly how our main character or those around her are feeling, rather than showing any development.

All of this comes across as rather harsh, but I think my strongest feeling when closing the book was apathy. Like I said, it’s not a bad book by any means. The story, while simple, was paced well, and I think many readers will connect with the romance more than I did. Unfortunately for me, I just wanted a bit more from a vampire romantasy.

Rating 7: Inoffensive but also not inspiring, this book included pretty much every vampire trope you can imagine while changing none of them.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Book of Blood and Roses” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Debuts and 2026 Queer SFF.

Serena’s Review: “Tea and Alchemy”

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

Book: “Tea and Alchemy” by Sharon Lynn Fisher

Publishing Info: 47North, January 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: audiobook from Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Cornwall, 1854. The people of Roche have always whispered about the recluse in the black granite tower that looms above the moorland. But one young woman is driven to discover the truth behind the old tales.

Her life overshadowed by family tragedy, Mina Penrose escapes her lonely days by working at The Magpie, a cozy tearoom on the village’s edge. Lately she’s been seeing shapes in the sodden leaves that hint at the future. After one such omen, Mina stumbles upon a murdered man on the heath. Villagers immediately suspect Harker Tregarrick, a living, breathing mystery who never ventures beyond the bounds of his centuries-old estate.

Until the day after the murder, when the handsome and compelling recluse visits The Magpie…leading to a meeting that will change both their fates. Captivated by a man around whom danger and rumors of death swirl, Mina has never felt more alive. Can she uncover Harker’s heartbreaking history—and the truth about the murder—before tragedy strikes again?

Review: It’s been a few years since I read Salt & Broom, but I still remember it every once in a while when I think back on some of my favorite retellings of classic tales. That being the case, I was very excited to see another similar-sounding title coming out by this author, featuring characters with names drawing from Dracula. Is it a re-telling? No. But does it capture some of the same spirit and mix it with a sweet romance? Why yes, it does.

To that point, other than the names, the presence of something resembling a vampire—though never identified as that—and the overall gothic nature of the story, there isn’t much tying this to Dracula. And, honestly, I was fine with that, but readers will be better served going in without expectations of a re-telling. Instead, the wonderful gothic environment and the dramatic romance of it all (both location and actual love story) were more than enough to draw me in and keep me invested. Beyond that, there was a surprisingly creepy mystery at the heart of it all, one that unspooled slowly while also nicely building up the tension and horror of this being.

I also really enjoyed both of our main characters and their love story. This was a split-POV story, but erred toward more chapters from Mina’s perspective. Both perspectives were interesting. Beyond their burgeoning love story, I enjoyed following Mina’s arc as she dealt with the fraying relationship between herself and her brother. We don’t often see sibling relationships explored in this way, especially when combined with the exploration of the limited gender roles offered to each of them during this time. Given how little of the story was really dedicated to this subplot, I think it was really well done. Harker’s story was a bit more straightforward, but I enjoyed learning more about his family and his history.

My only niggling complaint would be the rather abrupt manner in which things were wrapped up in the end. The conflict itself was fairly succinct, and then some of the solutions to other challenges appeared too quickly and easily. But as I loved how it all ended up, these pacing issues were barely an issue. If you have enjoyed this author before or like gothic romances, this is definitely one to check out!

Rating 8: Dramatic in both atmosphere and romance, this gothic fantasy is sure to please!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Tea and Alchemy” is on this Goodreads list: Fantasy/Romantasy.

Serena’s Review: “The Poet Empress”

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Book: “The Poet Empress” by Shen Tao

Publishing Info: Bramble, January 2026

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

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

Book Description: In the waning years of the Azalea Dynasty, the emperor is dying, the land consumed by famine, and poetry magic lost to all except the powerful.

Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves.

Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel heir of the beautiful and brutal Azalea House.

But in a twist of fate, the palace stands on the knife-edge of civil war with Wei trapped in its center…at the side of a violent prince.

To survive, Wei must harden her heart, rely on her wit, and become dangerous herself. Even if it means becoming a poet in a world where women are forbidden to read—and composing the most powerful spell of all. A ballad of death…and love.

Review: Well, this was not what I expected, and probably all the better for it! This is the problem both with the user tags on Goodreads as well as with expectations regarding what certain publishing imprints are producing. Going in, I had every expectation that this book was some sort of romantasy. Perhaps less of a romantasy than others, but still solidly within that category. Not only did Goodreads tag it as a romance, but Bramble is Tor’s imprint for romance titles. And hopefully others who may go into this with those impressions take the time to stick around and appreciate what this book has to offer, even if it isn’t a romance!

So, while I did enjoy this book, it was also a challenging read. Not only does it tackle deep themes of grief, destiny, and tragedy, but the story itself spools out a slow tale, one that dedicates plenty of time to establishing its characters and stakes. And those characters are all challenging as well, in their own ways. They read very much like true, conflicted, and complicated people. Every single one of them will do things that leave the reader questioning them and their decisions. But through this slow build, once the story gets to its conclusion, the payoff is well worth the struggle.

There are also some incredibly horrific and difficult scenes in this book. The story doesn’t shy away from the darkness of this world. However, these more grim parts are nicely balanced by the beautiful, lyrical writing style and the focus on art and the power of writing and reading. What could come across as a pedantic message is instead carefully messaged into moments of truly profound insight into the importance of literacy in all of its forms.

That said, this is definitely a slower-paced book, one that expects readers to settle in and wait as all of the pieces are carefully positioned. I think this pacing works for the most part, but I do think that, combined with the misleading expectations of it being a romance novel, there are a subset of readers who may be turned off before reaching the point where this slower approach will pay off.

Overall, I enjoyed this read. “Enjoy” might be the wrong word, as so much of it was beautifully tragic. But it was definitely one of those books that I was glad I read, and that will stick with me for a bit!

Rating 8: A bit too slow and dark to fully satisfy my preferences, but it was also truly beautiful once it all came together in the end.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Poet Empress” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Debuts and Asian SSF.

Serena’s Review: “Anathema”

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Book: “Anathema” by Keri Lake

Publishing Info: Bloom Books, September 2025

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

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

Book Description: Only the banished know what lies beyond the woods …

There are whispers about what lurks in Witch Knell—the forest where sinners go to die. The villagers call it The Eating Woods because what’s taken is never given back. Only those who’ve lost their senses would dare to go near it.

Or the banished.

Maevyth Bronwick knows better than to breach the misty labyrinth of trees, but a tragic turn of events compels her beyond the archway of bones, to a boundary no mortal has crossed before. One that cloaks a dark and fantastical world that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.

It’s there that he dwells, the cursed lord of Eidolon. The one tasked to keep her hidden from the magehood that seeks to crucify her in the name of an arcane prophesy. Zevander Rydainn, known to his prey as The Scorpion, is the coldest, most calculated assassin in all of Aethyria and he’d sooner toss his feisty ward to a pack of vicious fyredrakes than keep her safe.

If only he could.

Maevyth’s blood is the key to breaking his despised curse and vanquishing the slumbering evil in Witch Knell. Unfortunately for Lord Rydainn, fate has other plans for the irresistible little enchantress. And his growing obsession with her threatens to destroy everything.

Including himself.

Review: This was one of those frustrating reads where I could see so much potential and, at times, was truly enjoying my reading experience! However, it was also one of those odd experiences where the phrase “less is more” comes strongly to mind.

To start with the good things, to say that this book has a vibe is an understatement. Gloom, dread, and gothic darkness permeate every scene, leaving readers with no escape from the heavy atmosphere of the book. On one hand, this can feel as heavy as it sounds, making the reading experience one that may require breaks instead of long reading sessions. But on the other hand, this strong sense of atmosphere fully drew me in, with truly lovely turns of phrase and descriptions sprinkled throughout (even if the topics of said descriptions were in themselves still quite dark).

I also liked the two main characters. With romances and romantasy novels, I often struggle to fully enjoy stories where the POV is split between the hero and the heroine. All told, I often find that I’d rather imagine the MMC’s perspective than hear it myself (too often authors make the mistake of writing men who simply lust after the heroine throughout their entire chapter, and I find this more off-putting than anything else). But in many ways, I think this book more closely aligns with a dark fantasy novel than with dark romantasy, as the romance is almost an afterthought throughout much of the story. This being the case, much of the focus of both characters’ POVs was more centered around their own arcs and story progression. They each had clear motivations of their own, focused on their various loved ones and goals. Of the two, I think I even preferred Zevander’s (hate the name though) story more, as much of his narrative was the driver behind the larger plot.

However, for all of these positives, this was one of those books where you truly felt its length. It’s a long novel, and at no point was I convinced that that page length was justified for the story we are given. From a pacing standpoint, the two main characters don’t even truly interact until nearly the middle point of the entire book, several hundred pages into the story! While they were both strong on their own, it did leave the book feeling as if it has a massive prologue tacked on before the true action picked up.

Further, while I liked the dark atmosphere, I also felt like this book was falling into what I call the “Ava Reid problem.” That is, there were many points, particularly in the first third of the book, where I felt like the author was including dark themes and scenes purely for shock value. Sure, these scenes were written in a compelling manner and were, indeed, shocking. But then the story would continue, and I would realize that that dark element was never really going to be touched on again or didn’t actually progress the story in any way. It was just darkness for darkness’ sake.

The combination of these two problems, an overly long page count and the inclusion of darker elements seemingly only in pursuit of shocking the readers, ultimately overcame my enjoyment in other areas. Frustratingly, both problems could be solved at once with some careful editing and paring down of some of these unnecessary scenes. In this way, the pacing would be fixed, the page length would feel appropriate for the story we have in the end, and the dark scenes would hit more forcibly, since they would be reduced to the ones that actually progress the story forward.

I’m curious to see what happens in the series going forward, but I will be cautious picking up the next book. A tome of this length is a commitment, and I’ll now be a bit wary going into the next that any exorbitant page length is truly deserved. That said, if you’ve enjoyed this author in the past or love dark fantasy stories, this might still be worth checking out! The writing is strong and the characters interesting. Just set aside plenty of time for it, I guess!

Rating 7: While there was a lot of promise here, I felt like the interesting story and good characters were buried under unnecessary shock content and slow pacing.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Anathema” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Original Stories . . . a Breath of Fresh Air and Magic, Adventure, Romance

Serena’s Review: “An Arcane Inheritance”

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Book: “An Arcane Inheritance” by Kamilah Cole

Publishing Info:  Sourcebooks, December 2025

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

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

Book Description: Warren University has stood amongst the ivy elite for centuries, built on the bones―and forbidden magic―of its most prized BIPOC students…hiding the rot of a secret society that will do anything to keep their own powers burning bright. No matter who they must sacrifice along the way.

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister.

Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can’t convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.

Review: There are a few subgenres of fantasy that I doubt I’ll ever get entirely sick of, and dark academia is one of those! While cozy fantasy is a struggle more often than not, the dark, gloomy, slightly mysterious vibe of dark academia and gothic fantasies is always up my alley.

To start with the positives, this one definitely struck the right chords on that note. The entire tone of this book was perfect, with a lovely balance of darkness, mystery, and the elevated language that one expects to find from any book that rubs elbows with a term like “academia.” It definitely delivers on all the expectations readers will have for it, based on the book summary above. That said, the book doesn’t deliver anything more than you would expect, and that’s where it began to fall flat.

From the progression of the plot, to the character archetypes of our two main leads, to their romance, to the final twists and turns toward the end of the book, nothing really struck me by surprise or asked me to stop and think more deeply about any of it. I pretty much just read the book, and then…was done. One of the things I often enjoy about dark academia is the treatment of fantastical themes or abilities through a more serious lens, often combining philosophy and critique with these more magical elements. But here, any of the themes explored were done in ways that felt overly familiar and almost derivative at times. Nothing new was added to any of these conversations, and I found myself with the urge to skim more often than I had hoped.

As for the characters, they, too, were just fine. Readers should be aware that the romance plays a more central role in the story than, perhaps, the blurb suggests. This can be a positive or a negative, of course. I enjoy romantic subplots, so by and large I was fine with the scales tipping more towards the love story than towards the plot. However, the romance itself also felt very expected, following all of the story beats I have come to expect from the enemies-to-lovers, academic rivals love story. Again, it wasn’t bad, but it also didn’t draw me in particularly. By the end, when the action picks up and the romance comes to a head, I found myself not caring as much as I imagine I should have about the future for these two characters.

I feel like I’ve written an entire review and said very little. But ultimately, that’s kind of how I felt about this book. It’s a full-length novel that seemed to have very little new to say or contribute to an already packed subgenre. I do think that the writing itself was strong, so I’ll definitely be checking out whatever this author has next in store, but this one, sadly, won’t stick with me for long.

Rating 7: I enjoyed the overall writing style and the dark academia vibes; however, the stories and characters felt overly familiar, leaving me a bit cold in the end.

Reader’s Advisory:

“An Arcane Inheritance” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Black Fantasy and 2026 Debuts.