Tag: Fantasy

Serena’s Review: “The Everlasting”

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Book: “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow

Publishing Info: Tor Books, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters―but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallory―failed soldier, struggling scholar―falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives―and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs.

But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend―if they want to tell a different story–they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

Review:I got to meet Alix Harrow at ALA, which was incredibly fun all on its own. But as anyone knows who’s been to a convention, much of your time is spent standing in line. That being the case, I got to overhear her conversations with many other readers in the same line as me, and they all went along a similar line: the reader would come up and wax poetic about their love for Starling House and how excited they were for her new books; Alix Harrow would begin to look more and more nervous and then say something like this at the very end, “…well, the next one is a VERY different book, but I hope you like it..!!” I wasn’t too concerned, as I’ve loved everything I’ve read by her so far. But after picking this one up, I can understand why she was concerned. For, readers, this book is written in a combination of first- and second-person perspective! And I loved it!

The really funny thing about this is that right before I started reading this one, I was talking to my husband about how I thought that first person was one of the most difficult perspectives to write from and that I’d only read one book/series EVER that had pulled off second person (N. K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy). And then I picked up this one and had to eat my words! The biggest concern with this sort of thing is that it could come across as a gimmick. But, wisely, Harrow created the perfect story for this format, with the plot and themes of the story directly tied to the reason the story is told the way it is. I don’t want to go into too many spoilers, but not only did these perspectives not distract from the reading experience, they greatly enhanced the emotional impact of what was going on in the story.

Time travel is another tricky concept to pull off, and I think Harrow does an excellent job exploring different ways to use this device without getting too bogged down in technicalities. Whenever I felt myself getting too caught up on details, I was hit with another massive twist or emotional gut punch, of the sort that I quickly forgot any questions I may have had. By the end, I feel like everything was neatly tied together in a way that left all of my most pressing questions answered.

As for characters, there are three main characters in the book: Owen, the scholar; Una, the knight; and the primary villain. Each of these three was fantastic. We probably spend the most time in Owen’s head, and his story explored themes of courage, heritage, and history. Una, however, was probably my favorite, with her complicated, tragic story that only becomes more so as the book progresses. Her life is tightly bound by duty, loyalty, and sacrifice, and the discovery of a love that doesn’t ask anything of her shakes her world. I don’t want to discuss the villain too much, but there were so many fascinating layers here as well. By the end, I both despised and sympathized with this character, as misled and terrible as they ultimately turned out to be.

This book is a work of art; there’s no other way to say it. It’s like a perfectly tuned machine, with every aspect working together perfectly: theme, format, voice, and characters. While Harrow is correct that this book is very different from Starling House, I think she failed to account for a simple fact: readers will follow a talented author through any narrative device in pursuit of an excellent story. And such was the case here.

Rating 10: Nothing less than a work of art, and The Everlasting is a masterpiece!

Reader’s Advisory:

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

Serena’s Review: “Daughter of No Worlds”

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Book: “Daughter of No Worlds” by Carissa Broadbent

Publishing Info: Bramble, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. To join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders. The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both.

Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart. Even if it means wielding death itself.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Review: I’d been holding out on reading this one for a while, anticipating the fact that with Broadbent’s increasing popularity, it was only a matter of time before these indie-published books received the trad publishing treatment! And here we are! As I’ve never disliked a book by this author, it was also one of those refreshing experiences where I could start a book with full confidence that, whatever was in store, I had a fun read ahead!

There was a lot to like about this one, but it did highlight something for me about my experience reading this author. I love her romances; they are complicated, developed, and take the time to fully earn the happily-ever-afters we get by the end. That said, while this book has a lovely romance as well, it was further in the background of the main plot of this book than I’ve seen in other books. And my revelation was this: while the love stories are great, the books by this author I’ve loved the most often focus more on the arc of the main character and the world-building/plot elements! Looking back, I think this partly explains why I’ve often enjoyed the first books in her duologies more than the second, where the romance often comes more to the forefront.

I loved the journey our main character takes within this one. Her story is hard, with many of her experiences focusing on incredibly dark subjects. However, this makes her continued drive, determination, and bravery in the face of these struggles all the more compelling. And the book doesn’t handwave away her journey with a quick montage. From little things, like the reality that learning another language would be an impediment when traveling to a new nation and not a skill quickly learned, to the bigger stuff, like hard-learned lessons about revenge, violence, and the costs these things bring about—it was all so carefully done. Tisaanah felt incredibly well-developed, and, by the end, I would be happy to follow her story wherever it may go (and, believe me, there are a variety of options given by the end of the book!).

I also really enjoyed the world-building and magic that was introduced in this book. And man, was there a lot! By the end of this book, we’d traveled quite far—from one nation to another and back again. And throughout, the reader is fed more and more details about this world and its history. There were also a number of mysteries caught up in the magical elements, many of which were only revealed at the very end, leaving plenty of unanswered questions to be dealt with in the next book.

For all of this, I did enjoy the romance as well! This was definitely more of a subplot than readers may have come to expect from Broadbent, but I think it works all the better for it. Tisaanah and Max are both adults who have led lives with complicated histories, so when they meet, their focus is on more than romance. That being the case, their slow, often unwilling, descent into romance was full of tension and sweetness. There are many stumbling blocks now before them, and I’m excited to see where their love story goes from here.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! There was tons of action, and Tisaanah was a fantastic leading character. I enjoyed Max as well, but I’m hoping to see even more of him in future books to more fully explore his own backstory. Fans of Broadbent’s other books will likely love this one too!

Rating 9: Fierce yet tender, Daughter of No Worlds expands the boundaries of what can be done with the genre! Simply fantastic!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Daughter of No Worlds” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Under the Radar Indie Fantasy Romance and Romantasy Who did this to you?

Serena’s Review: “Red City”

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Book: “Red City” by Marie Lu

Publishing Info: Tor Books, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.

Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city―and the paths of their lives―will be irrevocably transformed.

The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates’ brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.

Review: I’ve met Marie Lu twice now, and both times she was incredibly kind, interesting, and did a fantastic job selling me on the concept of her upcoming title. I was particularly interested in this one, as it was her first venture into writing adult fantasy. Beyond that, the familiar-yet-appealing premise of deadly rivals who fall in love will likely always hold some appeal. Unfortunately, all of this promise didn’t live up to the reality of the book.

Overall, my primary emotion while reading this book was boredom and disconnect. But before getting into my struggles, I do want to quickly touch on some aspects that did work for me. For one thing, of all the relationships and characters presented, I was by far the most invested in the complicated, painful nature of the relationship between Sam and her mother. We don’t often see a mother/daughter relationship explored in this way, and whenever we got back to Sam’s POV (my preferred of the two, by far), I was always intrigued by the added layers of complexity that were given to this dynamic.

Beyond that, I liked the idea of this world, with rival alchemical gangs duking it out in an alternative Los Angeles. Even here, however, while my curiosity was piqued, I never felt like aspects of this world and magic were ever fully drawn together. At times, it felt like disjointed pieces floating in a world full of potential, but not much more.

All of that said, I really struggled to keep reading this one. If I didn’t have an ARC copy, there’s a decent chance I would have DNF’d this. For one thing, I really hate books that are written in present tense. I think authors have been made to fear both third person and past tense, being told by publishers and various TikTok accounts that all readers care about in their books is the ability to self-insert, something they claim is only possible with first person and present tense. I simply don’t think this is true. And while it is definitely possible to write excellent novels using different perspectives and tenses, I do think that others flop more often than not. Sometimes readers will review a book and mention not being able to “connect” with the story, and my personal theory is that this often comes down to the wrong choice being made with regards to tense and perspective. Here, the present tense style repeatedly kicked me out of any ability to immerse myself in the story. Others may enjoy this style, but I found it to be restrictive more than anything for this story.

Beyond that, the pacing was incredibly slow, especially at the start of the book. I can get on board with a story that builds slowly, but to do that, I must feel invested in either the characters or the world pretty much from the start. Here, I just couldn’t get myself to care about either of these characters. Sam was by far the better one, especially with her strained relationship with her mother. But Ari was just a blank, with very little actual characterization holding him together. We’re told that he’s pretty and charming. But that’s pretty much it. I can take the author’s word on the prettiness, but the charm has to at least be present on the page, and we didn’t even get that.

The plotting was also strange. It’s clear that the romance is pretty much the central point of the book/series, but that made various plot points in this book feel as if they were just thrown in to elongate the book. For example, both characters end up getting together with other characters at points in the book. And, knowing where the book was going, I just couldn’t care less about any of this. I felt like my time was actively being wasted, being asked to care about relationships that were so clearly being set purely as stumbling blocks to the primary romance.

So, yeah. I didn’t enjoy this read. It felt like a chore more than anything. This was all the more disappointing as I think Lu is a very talented author, and I was super excited by the concept of this book going in. However, the execution just wasn’t there.

Rating 6: I really struggled to get through this one or to care about anything that was happening. But those less bothered by present-tense writing may enjoy it more!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Red City” can be found on this Goodreads list: All the New Fantasy Books Arriving in October 2025

Serena’s Review: “Kill the Beast”

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Book: “Kill the Beast” by Serra Swift

Publishing Info: Tor Books, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: The night Lyssa Cadogan’s brother was murdered by a faerie-made monster known as the Beast, she made him a promise: she would find a way to destroy the immortal creature and avenge his death. For thirteen years, she has been hunting faeries and the abominations they created. But in all that time, the one Beast she is most desperate to find has never resurfaced.

Until she meets Alderic Casimir de Laurent, a melodramatic dandy with a coin purse bigger than his brain. Somehow, he has found the monster’s lair, and―even more surprising―retrieved one of its claws. A claw Lyssa needs in order to forge a sword that can kill the Beast.

When the witch Ragnhild decrees that Alderic and Lyssa must gather the other ingredients to forge the weapon together, or else the spell will fail, Lyssa gets more than she bargained for. Alderic is ill-equipped for the task at hand, and almost guaranteed to get himself killed.

But as the two of them search for the materials that will be the Beast’s undoing, Alderic reveals hidden depths: dark secrets that he guards as carefully as Lyssa guards hers. Before long, and against Lyssa’s better judgment, they begin to forge a blooming friendship―one that will either lead to the culmination of Lyssa’s quest for vengeance, or spell doom for them both.

Review: Between the “Beauty and the Beast”-esque title and the lovely cover art on the front, it was a no-brainer that I would check this one out! But, surprise surprise, reading through the book description, this one sounded like something very different than yet another fairytale retelling (as much as I do love them).

I think this turned out to be a fairly decent debut book. It didn’t blow me away, but it also presented a solid story, an interesting world, and a refreshingly different male lead character. One of the biggest themes of the story revolves around rage and how this can drive a person past the point of wise decision-making. Our main character, Lyssa, is almost entirely driven by anger. At times, yes, this did make her character feel a bit one-dimensional, and I don’t know if there was enough focus on the end results of her violence, but I also thought that the author picked a lane here and committed to it, which I always appreciate.

As I said, I really liked Alaric. We’ve all read the million and one brooding “shadow daddies” that seem to pop up in every fantasy book you read nowadays. So it’s always refreshing to see an MMC who breaks that mold. What’s more, I appreciated the fact that the relationship that builds between Alaric and Lyssa was different from the sort that we typically find in this sort of book. That said, I do think most readers will look at the title, the genre, and the book description and, perhaps, have expectations for how things will play out that may not be met.

The writing and pacing were also good. I was able to easily slide into this world and felt fairly connected to the story throughout. Like I said, it wasn’t blowing me away (and I think some of the comparisons to T. Kingfisher and Naomi Novik might be doing more harm than good), but I think it all showed great promise for an author whose next work could be even better. I’ll definitely be giving it a shot!

Rating 8: Full of rage and wit, this one had just enough twists from what we’ve come to expect from fairytale fantasy to feel fresh and new!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Kill the Beast” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Gorgeous covers I love and Novels with Bisexual Protagonists.

Joint Review: “What Stalks the Deep”

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Book: “What Stalks the Deep” by T. Kingfisher

Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2025

Where Did We Get This Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Alex Easton does not want to visit America.

They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.

But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin—who went missing in that very mine—well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do…

Previously Reviewed: “What Moves the Dead” and “What Feasts at Night”

Kate’s Thoughts

I have found myself repeatedly charmed by T. Kingfisher’s stories. I think that once I figured out that they’re less scary (though there are certainly some scary beats to some of them!) and more cozy in their horror-esque elements and just embraced it it clicked into place, and because of that I was interested to see what she was going to do with another “Sworn Soldier” novella. I like Alex Easton as a protagonist, I like the world that she has built that is of our own but with some tweaks and differences, and I was curious to see what kind of horror theme we were going to get this time. And she had me at caves, because MAN do caves freak me out.

It’s not the monsters in “The Descent” that scare me, it’s the caving stuff (source)

“What Stalks the Deep” is another kinder gentler horror tale from Kingfisher, and while I think it’s probably the weakest of the series for me thus far I still found it to be enjoyable and at times tense. Alex Easton has fought in wars and seen strange and dreadful things over the years while being a Sworn Soldier for Gallacia, but they still have their personal anxieties, and going to America to look for a missing person in a remote cave system in Appalachia is one of them. It was interesting seeing Easton in a wholly new environment and culture, as The U.S. and Europe are certainly filled with differences, and I thought it was a really cool choice to have Appalachia with its mysteries and general otherworldliness adding to it.

I don’t want to spoil much here, as I think Kingfisher deserves to have the build up and the reveals, so when talking about the horror bits I’m going to be as vague as I can be. In terms of the supernatural, this felt a bit like a spin on John Carpenter’s “The Thing” but maybe by way of “E.T.” as opposed to the body horror scares of that film. I liked Easton and their new compatriots trying to figure out where the missing man Oscar ended up, be it lost in a cave or perhaps something worse, and I liked that we had some pretty claustrophobic moments in the cave itself. Much like what I referenced above with “The Descent”, the true horrors in this book are more about the perils of mining and caves and the unpredictability of both.

I am very pleased that the “Sworn Soldier” series is continuing! T. Kingfisher continues to have really creative stories for a really charming protagonist.

Serena’s Thoughts

I completely agree with Kate’s assessment that much of the true horror to be found in this book comes from the cave itself. There is plenty of time and focus devoted to the many ways that a coal mine can kill you. And that’s not even getting into the sheer claustrophobia-induced terror that comes with vivid descriptions of crawling through tight spaces, not knowing what’s ahead and without the ability to turn around.

Beyond that, I continued to enjoy Alex as a main character. Endlessly practical with many believable foibles (such as the instinct to volunteer to do what we least want to do just to prove something to… someone…), Alex is a sympathetic and hilarious narrator. This one was all the funnier for the snide observations of American behavior. (Alex has strong feelings about our propensity to shake the hand of everyone around us.)

The monster in this one wasn’t quite as terrifying as the ones found in the first two books, perhaps. That said, it did follow a trend seen in many of Kingfisher’s horror novels—that is, the ability she has for creating creatures that are at once horrific and terrifying, but who, through some combination of childlike ignorance and sadness, are also bizarrely sympathetic. It creates this odd emotional state in the reader where you both want Alex to succeed in getting rid of this horrible thing, but are also slightly sad that it had to come to this in the first place. Without getting into spoilers, I was happy with the direction one aspect of this took in this book in particular!

Overall, I very much enjoyed this latest entry in the series! I think I enjoyed it a bit more than Kate, so I’ll bump this one up in my rating!

Serena’s Rating 8: It’s so weird to both be terrified by the monster but also kind of wanting to pat it on the back and tell it “it will be ok??” Another excellent entry!

Kate’s Rating 7 : With echoes of “The Thing” but without the dread (though the claustrophobia is scary on its own) and another strange mission for our charming protagonist, “What Stalks the Deep” is a fun entry in the “Sworn Soldier” series.

Reader’s Advisory

“What Stalks the Deep” is included on these Goodreads lists: Novella Length Fantasy & Sci-Fi and Perfect Reads for All Hallows’ Eve.

Serena’s Review: “Savage Blooms”

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Book: “Savage Blooms” by S.T. Gibson

Publishing Info: Orbit, October 2025

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

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

Book Description: Adam has been in love with his best friend Nicola since college, but the closest he can come to admitting his feelings is inviting her to travel with him to Scotland in search of a legendary cave from his grandfather’s bedtime stories. When a storm washes out the road, Adam and Nicola find themselves at the mercy of Eileen, an eccentric aristocrat, and Finley, her brooding groundskeeper. The Americans quickly get more than they bargained for as they become entangled in Eileen and Finley’s world of mind games, kink, and ancient enchantment.

Review: Oof, this book was not what I expected and not what I wanted. Yes, I did see the word “kink” snuck in there at the very end of the book description, and while kink isn’t really my thing, I’m not for writing off entire books based on one piece of it. Well, more fool me, as the percentage of this book summary that focused on plot versus erotica was WAY out of line with what the book actually had to offer.

I was led to believe that this was going to be a Gothic fantasy set in the Scottish countryside. I was promised mystery, I was promised enchantment, I was promised misty nights and shadowy doors. But no, what I got was page after page of spicy scenes with practically no plot to speak of. This book could have been set anywhere, at any time, about any random characters, and it hardly would have mattered.

Now look, there is nothing wrong with erotica in principle. That said, it needs to be incredibly clear right from the start (and this includes the book summary!!) that that is what readers are getting. When I say there was no plot here, I mean there was really no plot here. What little plot we got felt like it was there just to move characters from one sexy-times room to another sexy-times room. The erotic scenes were pages long and took up well over fifty percent of the book, I’d say.

Beyond that, when we did come up for air and have a moment to get to know these characters, I found them all to be incredibly unlikable. None of these people felt like they were in a healthy place in their own lives, let alone in various combinations of “relationships” (if we can even call what we’re seeing here “relationships”). It was incredibly toxic and messy, but not in a fun way. More in a frustrating, “get your shit together” way where I just wanted to smack everyone across the back of the head.

It’s hard to know how much to focus on editing when reviewing ARC books since they are early copies and still going through the publishing process. But this one was above average with its errors. And it was across the board: spelling errors, missing words, and inconsistencies in basic facts given in the plot. It was incredibly distracting. Of course, much of this could change in the finished book, but even for an ARC, this book was in a poor state.

I know that Gibson is a beloved author, so I’ll be curious to see how this is received. Frankly, it feels like one of those books that fans might gaslight themselves into thinking is good, just for the author’s sake. Because as it stands, this isn’t something I’d recommend to just about anyone.

Rating 5: Don’t sell me straight erotica under the guise of “Gothic fantasy” and expect it to go well.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Savage Blooms” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2025 Gothic and Creepy Fruit.

Serena’s Review: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon”

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Book: “Dealing with a Desperate Demon” by Charlotte Stein

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

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

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

Book Description: Nancy has just about given up on finding her special person when Jack Jackson—big, scary and the town loser—walks into her bookstore. He’s apparently even more desperate for help in the romance department than she is. And after a bit of gentle persuasion, he finally accepts her guidance in securing his dream girl. Practice dates, lessons in tenderness—you name it, she can teach it.

There’s just one his dream girl might have more than an issue with his dating skills. Because Jack isn’t just a little clueless; he’s actually the demonic son of Satan, from the deepest depths of hell. He’s spent his entire long underlife dragging evildoers to their fates, while really trying not to live up to his Dad’s expectations.

Now, it isn’t just about getting a date with his dream girl. He needs to become a better man to win over the woman he’s been cosmically bound to, in a Beauty and the Beast style pact. If he fails, everyone he cares for will face a terrible fate. Luckily for him, Nancy may well be the witch she’s always tried to pretend she wasn’t. She can save him, he knows it—and she’s starting to know it too. Even if every day spent with him is an agonising reminder that she isn’t the girl he’s fated for.

But as the deadline approaches she’s starting to wonder… Could it be that she’s finally found her Prince? Or is she about to lose her heart to hell?

Review: This book was a bit of a hit-and-miss experience for me, similar to the first book in this world that I read by this author. Like that book, the strengths lie in the cozy vibes that are strewn throughout. Indeed, the book routinely comments on the fact that this town is known as one of the coziest places on earth! That vibe carries through the descriptions of the town itself, from the characterization of our main couple, all the way down to the homey, approachable style of writing. If nothing else, this book was a fun read to simply sink into while holding a mug of steaming tea.

After reading the first book, it was easy enough to spot potential candidates for upcoming sequels, and Nancy was one whom I was particularly interested in! Who doesn’t want to read more about the lovely bookstore owner who has forgotten her own magic? Unfortunately, as a main character, Nancy was less charming than I found her to be in the first book. By no means was she unlikable, and I’d even say I enjoyed her personal arc of rediscovering her own magic. However, she also came across as incredibly obtuse and dense at times, particularly with regard to the romance. A fairly major plot point is her giving the romantic interest “dating tips” for the mysterious girl he’s interested in. “Mysterious”… right. But apparently, to poor, dull Nancy, it truly was a mystery—which boggled the mind.

This was a problem I had in the first book as well. In theory, we’re supposed to be reading about adult characters who have lived adult lives. But, perhaps in pursuit of “coziness,” the author seems prone to dumbing down her characters to a point where I struggle to find them believable as mature people. In both that book and this one, the leading ladies read too much like rather dimwitted teenagers with very little understanding of other people and romance in general.

I liked Jack better, for the most part. His shtick became a bit tiresome after a while, but I still liked his stumbling attempts to charm Nancy. That said, the curse of the nicknames struck again, and I inwardly cringed every time he called Nancy “kid.” Of course, this particular nickname didn’t help my ongoing struggles to envision Nancy as an adult woman.

The pacing was also fairly slow at the start of this book. Things did pick up toward the middle, but it was still a slight slog getting to that point. Fans of the first book will likely be happy to go along, as the pacing is helped by familiarity with the world and some of the side characters. But for new entrants, it takes a bit of time to fully feel invested in the story.

Overall, this was a sweet, cozy fall read. It didn’t blow me away, and I did struggle with the main character at times, but I think the romance itself was nice. I’m rather picky with my cozy reads, so I think more tried-and-true fans of this subgenre are going to gobble this one up!

Rating 7: Full of charm and coziness, this one will likely appeal to readers looking for a sweet, fall read. That said, I felt like the main character was unnecessarily childish at times and the pacing was slow to start.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Dealing with a Desperate Demon” can be found on these Goodreads lists:

Serena’s Review: “Never Ever After”

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

Book: “Never Ever After” by Sue Lynn Tan

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

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

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

Book Description: Life in the Iron Mountains is harsh and unforgiving. After the death of her beloved uncle, Yining has survived by becoming a skilled thief and an even better liar. When she acquires an enchanted ring that holds the key to a brighter future, it is stolen by her step-aunt, and Yining must venture into the imperial heart of the kingdom to seize it back.

Amid the grandeur of the palace, Yining catches the eye of the ruthless and ambitious prince, who tempts her with a world she’s never imagined. But nothing is as it seems, for she’s soon trapped in a tangle of power, treachery, and greed—her only ally the cunning advisor from a rival court who keeps dangerous secrets of his own. To break free, she must unravel the mystery of her past and fight for a future that both frightens and calls to her.

Review: Unfortunately, I’m starting to think that this author just isn’t for me. This is incredibly disappointing since so many other fantasy readers absolutely love her work, and, on paper, I should, too! I mean, the book summary alone on this one (love triangle aside) definitely sounds up my alley! A fairytale re-telling but mixed and reimagined with Chinese folklore? Sign me up! But somewhere within the actual reading experience, I’m missing what others love so much about these books.

To start with the positives, objectively I can see the appeal of the storytelling and writing. There’s no denying Sue Lynn Tan has a way with words, and when the writing is focused on the worldbuilding, lore, or the action of the plot itself, I was easily drawn in to the story. While I think the mixing of the “Cinderella” story with some of the Chinese folklore bits were a bit clunky at times, not naturally aligning as well as they could have, I also think the ambition was well served in the end with a story that was compelling and interesting. Readers who are looking for a new take on a very well-trod fairytale are sure to appreciate the twists and turns offered up in this one.

However, I’m a character reader first and foremost, and I think that’s always where I bounce of Tan’s stories. There’s nothing wrong with her FMCs, but I also never feel particularly invested in their stories either. Like my previous experiences with these leads, Yining is just kind of…there. The story happens, she participates, but I just couldn’t seem to care to strongly one way or the other. I turned the page because the plot was interesting enough, but not because I was particularly excited about what came next for Yining.

Predictably, I also had low tolerance for the indecision regarding the love interests. The romance in this one is definitely low key, which is probably one of the better points in its favor for me, considering how I feel about love triangles. But even with that being the case, I still struggled to not zone out whenever Yining began to reflect on either of these two characters. I also feel like the ending is set up in a way that is incredibly overplayed at this point. Perhaps the author will surprise me and change things up in the sequel, but as it stands, it feels like the entire dynamic of this love triangle has been done before and often. I don’t think I’ll read it to find out, but I may scroll through some other reviews to see how it plays out.

Ultimately, I think much of this was a “me” problem. I don’t connect with this author’s characters for whatever reason, and love triangles are almost always a huge turn off. That said, I appreciated the mixing of “Cinderella” with Chinese folklore, and I think fans of this author in general will probably really enjoy this one.

Rating 7: The highlights include the mixing of Chinese folklore and the classic fairytale “Cinderella.” The lowlights were the love triangle and my general “meh” towards the main character herself.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Never Ever After” can be found on this Goodreads list: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025

Serena’s Review: “Bitten”

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Book: “Bitten” by Jordan Stephanie Gray

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

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

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

Book Description: After a vicious werewolf attack on the night of her seventeenth birthday party, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves in a split second. Her best friend, her father, and even her home.

Bitten and imprisoned without explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that maimed her, and her captors make it clear she cannot escape: she will either swear her life to the Wolf Queen’s Court, or she will die.

With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle Severi—where flowering vines grow through the walls, gifts are bestowed by the stars, and a claw can break through skin as easily as silk—but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her.

Vanessa still seeks vengeance, scheming in the shadows even as she finds herself mesmerized by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart though he is promised to her nemesis. And by his brooding, disgraced cousin, Calix, whose smoldering gaze hides even darker secrets. Immersed in the magic of their whimsical yet cruel society, Vanessa soon learns not all is as it seems.

The Court is at war, and she may simply be a pawn in its lethal game.

Review: This was one of those frustrating reads where I wanted to like it a lot more than I actually did. Part of this could be on me, as I’m an adult reading a YA fantasy book. But I also don’t think it’s only that, as there are plenty of YA stories that I still enjoy. However, this one frustrated me more often than it did anything else.

Part of that frustration stems from the fact that I did enjoy the overall world-building and setup for the plot that we got in the early parts of the book. True, much of this world felt familiar, especially if you’ve read many paranormal books. But I don’t think familiarity is an automatic mark against it, and I think it’s use of the werewolves combined a healthy balance of trademark plot points and new political/cultural flourishes. To that last point, I do wish there had been a bit more fleshing out to be had with regards to just why this society operates the way it does. I don’t need a straight, blow-by-blow explanation or anything, but as it stands, much of it felt too close to “that’s just how it is” rather than tied to any lore-centric reason for why things have come to be done in certain ways.

However, what started out as an interesting plot fueled by revenge and anger quickly devolved towards the middle part of the book. And it was here that I had the most problems. I don’t think even as a teen reader myself I would have enjoyed the sheer avalanche of mean girl drama that overtook this portion of the story. At best it was tedious and at worst it was stereotypical. This could have been saved, perhaps, had Vanessa had a stronger POV. But while I didn’t actively dislike her, she didn’t have enough going for her to counterbalance some of the silliness of the high school drama going on around her. At times, her inner monologue became incredibly repetitive even.

I’ll also note that this book rates high on the gore factor and the explicitness of its romantic interactions. And my discomfort with that comes down fully to the fact that I’m now an adult reading this. I’m by no means saying that teens should only read closed-door romances or anything like that! But, as an adult myself, it does feel a bit voyeuristic and icky to be reading fairly explicit romance scenes between teen characters. This is especially true in books that are set in a high school setting. It’s easy enough to turn my brain off in a more general fantasy novel where the teenage protagonist is taking care of her family in a cabin and fighting dragons and what have you; in every way that matters, that kind of character is an adult in that world. But when the main character is literally in school and then I get whacked down into a pretty graphic romance scene…yeah, it just feels icky. But again, this would be a very different experience if I was an actual teen reader picking this one up, so take this all with a huge grain of salt! More so, this is just a note of forewarning for other adult fantasy readers who may struggle in a similar way.

Overall, this was only an ok read. I think the author has potential, and I did enjoy the paranormal werewolf aspects of the story, even if they felt fairly familiar at times. That said, Vanessa herself wasn’t a very strong main character and the teenage drama of it all was a big “no” for me. I think this is one that may appeal greatly to its target audience, but I don’t think I’d recommend it to adult fantasy fans.

Rating 7: I’m not the audience for this book, and that was clear throughout. However, there were some interesting world-building moments and werewolves are always a good time!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Never Ever After” can be found on this Goodreads list: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2025

Serena’s Review: “Wild Reverence”

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

Book: “Wild Reverence” by Rebecca Ross

Publishing Info: Saturday 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: Born ​in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.

Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.

Review: When I started reading this one and immediately fell in love with it (as I always do with Ross’s books it seems), I realized something: In many ways, Ross has taken up the reigns from Juliet Marillier in regards to these sorts of whimsical, lyrical, heartbreakingly romantic fantasy tales. Of course, Marillier is still writing, but her books are terribly difficult to get nowadays (her most recent one only released in Australia), so this makes Ross’s much more accessible titles all the more appealing. This little aside probably doesn’t mean much if you’re not familiar with Juliet Marillier’s works. But if that’s the case, and you enjoy Rebecca Ross and are looking for more, definitely give Marillier’s extensive back catalog a look!

It’s always a bit worrying when an author returns to a world/story that feels complete (I feel like Ava Reid’s “A Theory of Dreaming” is a good example of how it can go wrong). So when I heard that this was a prequel to “Divine Rivals,” I had concerns. But Ross proves here that there is a correct formula for making this work! For one thing, this book would be perfectly approachable to readers who have no knowledge of “Divine Rivals” and the world that was set up in that duology. Indeed, this book takes place so far in the past from those events that almost nothing is recognizable between one and the other. There are only the barest references to characters and places that show up in those books, and even these are of the sort that feel earned to this book alone, and not simply as empty “easter eggs” for fans of the other series.

The other factor that makes this successful as a prequel is the fact that the focus is on characters, places, and conflicts wholly unreferenced in the other duology. From my memory, there are only two gods mentioned in this book that showed up in the other books. And, indeed, the two gods at the heart of the conflict in “Divine Rivals” were some of the more obscure parts of that series, for better or worse. So getting a clearer look into what these pantheons looked like centuries in the past felt like being introduced to a fully unique world and lore.

And boy does Ross make up for that obscurity here! Not only does she create one pantheon, but two! Each with their own cultures, stories, and hierarchies. And then on top of those, she builds up the complicated dynamics that exist between them. Matilda’s story is told slowly and carefully, with the first third of the book devoted to her childhood and early adolescence. But what could have felt as slow pacing as we await the main action of the plot, instead felt like crucial world building and the introduction of a whole host of side characters, all of whom I wished to spend more time with, ultimately.

Matilda was fantastic, to put it simply. She’s a child between worlds and we see both the strengths and insecurities this brings to her. Because of how disconnected the two pantheons are, much of her existence has been shrouded in secrets and unknowns. There were a number of interesting twist and turns throughout the story that explored the tricky ways that her unique place between these worlds allowed her to manipulate events in surprising ways, even to her! I also enjoyed her internal journey, one that begins in fear, moves into a place where she has been taught how gods “should” behave, and then slowly comes into her own power, embracing that which her peers have deemed weaknesses.

Vincent is also a great romantic lead. He gets less page time than Matilda, but what we do see from him is so, so good. I was never quite as enraptured with the love story from “Divine Rivals” as other readers were, instead preferring the quieter, more adult romance found in other titles by Ross. So I was thrilled to see a return to that sort of love story play out here. Matilda and Vincent’s relationship hit on all of the right notes, mutual wariness that lead to deep feelings based on more than simple passion.

The conflict was also incredibly well done, with antagonists ranging from the mortal to the immortal. Once the plot starts up, it never really stops, with Matilda literally running from one action scene to another. And yet, at the same time, the story always felt keenly focused, precisely tuned to Matilda and Vincent and there journeys through these troubled times.

So, yes, I loved this book. In many ways, it was a return to the sort of love stories that I look for from Rebecca Ross. But it was also an incredibly well-drawn, detailed fantasy world with a twisting and intricate plot that will keep you on your toes throughout. If you’re a fan of Ross, than this is a must read! And I also strongly recommend it to romantasy fans and readers looking for a fairytale-like fantasy standalone!

Rating 10: Where romantasy meets epic fantasy, Ross is the reigning queen of the genre!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Wild Reverence” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Best Books of 2025 and “Matilda”.