Tag: Romantasy

Serena’s Review: “West of Wicked”

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

Book: “West of Wicked” by Nikki St. Crowe

Publishing Info: Bramble, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: Dorothy Gale doesn’t know where she came from. She has only the vaguest memory of her life before landing in the dull, gray world of the vast Kansas prairie.

Then a cyclone rips through the night and carries her, her dog, and the farmhouse somewhere a lot farther than Dorothy imagined. She’s in a strange land that’s apparently cursed, shrouded in shadow. And to get home, Dorothy needs to seek out a wizard, following a treacherous path and watch out for a never-ending list of forest beasts, witches, a cursed mercenary, and perhaps most dangerous of all, the wizard himself.

Nikki St. Crowe vividly reimagines the world of the Wizard of Oz, where the villain gets the girl…and the girl gets the power.

Review: I had heard of this author before because I looked into a “Peter Pan” retelling that she wrote at one point. That one seemed like it was a “reverse harem” romance, so I gave it a pass. But this one sounded like the more straightforward “enemies to lovers” trope, and, combined with my nostalgic love of “Wizard of Oz,” I thought this might be a good entry point to this author.

And, while I didn’t outright love it, I can also see the appeal of this author for sure. Right from the start, she has a very compelling style of storytelling. The pacing is quick, but I never felt like the author was skimping on the characterization or world-building. I had a decent understanding of just who Dorothy was and what was important to her fairly early in the story. As her arc continues, there were added layers given to her motivations and changes in perspective, so I appreciated that growth was there.

I also enjoyed the twists and turns taken with the world of Oz and the original characters. Frankly, this carried much of the book for me, as I was always eager to meet new characters or see new locations and explore the unique take the author was bringing to these classic elements. That said, if you feel at all “precious” about these originals, this book might not be for you. The author plays fast and loose with any original characteristics; I found this fun, but it could also be jarring if you were hoping to find characters that were more in line with their original versions.

Probably not surprising anyone, I mostly had gripes with the romance and the spice. On the spice side, the story starts out with a completely unnecessary erotic scene between the main character and a throwaway character. Now, I know that some readers enjoy spice for spice’s sake. But for me, these kinds of unnecessary spice scenes so early in a book make me feel as if the author thinks that readers are just hornballs who will put down a book if they don’t get a sex scene in the first 25 pages. This scene literally had zero impact on the story and could have been removed with no one the wiser. I wish it had been.

The romance itself was more interesting and developed at a slower pace (this made the initial jump right into a sex scene with the soon-to-be ex all the more weird!). There were also some big twists that came toward the end that I enjoyed. However, as always it seems, the book definitely sets up a secondary romance in the end as well. This is purely a subjective thing, and readers who enjoy love triangles and bait-and-switch romances may enjoy this aspect more.

As it stands, I think I’ll wait and spoil myself on how the entire trilogy ends before committing to reading more of the series, largely due to my feelings regarding the romance. I enjoyed the overall writing and Dorothy as a character, but the romance is a big question mark, and I’ve been burned too many times in the past to blindly keep going.

Rating 7: I liked this interpretation of “The Wizard of Oz” and its classic characters, but the spice and romance raised some big question marks for me personally. Other romance readers who enjoy certain tropes, however, may enjoy it more!

Readers Advisory:

“West of Wicked” can be found on this Goodreads list: April 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “An Arcane Study of Stars”

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

Book: “An Arcane Study of Stars” by Sydney J. Shields

Publishing Info: Orbit, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: When Claudia Jolicoeur is rejected from Cygnus University, a devilish stranger named Dorian appears in her nightmares and offers her a bargain: he will get her into Cygnus if she learns how to free him from a prison of stars. He takes a bite of her soul to seal the deal, and Claudia wakes to a letter from the High Sage of Cygnus stating she will take the place of Odette Dufort, a Rhetoric student who passed away.

Her arrival raises suspicions, rumors that she had a hand in Odette’s death spread like wildfire, and Cassius MacLeod, the High Sage’s apprentice and Claudia’s fellow Rhetoric student, seems hellbent on humiliating her. Determined to clear her name, she searches for any evidence that could prove her innocence. When someone—or something—starts slipping her pieces of Odette’s diary, Claudia uncovers a horrifying truth: over the last century, celestial witches at Cygnus have been murdered. Odette was one of them, and Claudia could be next. For her own protection, Claudia needs to free Dorian—and fast.

By night, she studies the stars, slowly unraveling the mystery of Dorian’s prison. By day, she and Cassius wage rhetorical war as debate partners in class. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker, and dangerously sensual. As Claudia inches closer to the truth, she must decide: would trusting Cassius be the last mistake she ever makes?

Review: Well, here we go again. Every once in a while I seem to hit a reading slump where I pick up one book after another and keep bouncing off of them. I should have perhaps been a bit more wary of this one, as I didn’t love the author’s first book, “The Honey Witch.” But I keep looking for a book to scratch that dark academia itch, so here we are.

Let’s start with some positives, though. The book starts off with an incredibly strong opening chapter, setting the stage of a trapped god who is awoken by a woman’s scream. And as the story continued, I kept wanting to get back to this energy! Not only did the writing of this opening chapter feel superior to much of what was on offer in the rest of the book (I’m not sure if this was due to a tone change, veering away from the more serious “high fantasy” tone used in this prologue or what), but the world-building and history explored in this subplot were by far the most interesting parts of the book. It was only here that the story came near to anything resembling the “dark” portion of “dark academia,” and it was also the only portion of the book that felt like it had any true stakes involved.

That said, even here, I felt like most of the twists and turns were projected so far in advance that the impact was completely lost when these reveals actually landed. We get to the end, and there’s supposed to be this major twist, and I just found myself raising my eyebrows at it all. Wasn’t this obvious from practically the start? Beyond that, there were some late-game twists in the romance that I really hated. I’m not going on another rant about this; I can’t. But I’m so sick of these romance twists.

But unfortunately, the romance and the characters were the biggest letdown. We had another example of “enemies to lovers” turning into “instalove” almost immediately. There wasn’t enough time to build up any sort of real antagonism between these two. And, likewise, there wasn’t enough time for me to buy into the extreme levels of devotion being proclaimed on the page shortly after this shift in their relationship occurs.

Beyond that, the romance took a distinct turn into the BDSM realm that I wasn’t expecting at all. I usually look for the label “dark romance” when making my selections, as I know that BDSM love stories aren’t for me. But, again, this one didn’t give any hints that this was the sort of spice content that would be on offer. I don’t think it was particularly extreme by any means, but again, this is a romance topic that is never going to work for me, and I wish I could more easily discover it going in so that it wouldn’t hit as a surprise halfway through a book I’m now committed to reading/reviewing.

Overall, this book might work better for dark romance readers. I think many of the tropes that the romance plotlines follow will work much better for these readers. I also know that I was an outlier in my opinions of “The Honey Witch,” so there are definitely fans of this author who will enjoy this. Indeed, based on the strength of the captured god subplot, even I could find the appeal in parts of what this author has to offer. Unfortunately, the romance was really not for me.

Rating 7: While I liked some aspects of the fantasy world and there is potential in the overall world-building, I didn’t enjoy the love story at all.

Reader’s Advisory:

“An Arcane Study of Stars” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Fantasy Romance/Romantasy books to look forward to and 2026 Fantasy (All sub genres w. romance).

Serena’s Review: “We Become Darkness”

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

Book: “We Become Darkness” by Grace Morrow

Publishing Info: Alcove Press, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: Thalia, Princess of Agripa, has spent the last four years hunting her ex-lover, Cassius—the man who shattered her heart and betrayed her kingdom by becoming a Vampyr. Vampyrs and humans have had a tenuous past since Thalia’s father and sister were murdered thirteen years ago. But with Agripa’s ore supply—the lifeblood of human cities—running out, Thalia’s mother strikes a desperate and dangerous deal: Thalia will marry a Vampyr prince in exchange for their ore.

Thalia is blindsided by the arrangement—and horrified to find Cassius, now serving as the prince’s Hand, is the man tasked with bringing her to the Vampyr kingdom safely. To save her people, she agrees to the marriage: but plans to dismantle the Vampyr kingdom from within by killing the prince.

The Vampyr court is rife with danger and secrets, and Cassius is always watching. When a monstrous new threat emerges, Thalia realizes the safety and security of their world is far more fragile than she ever believed.

Caught between duty and desire, Thalia must grapple with her feelings for Cassius and decide if she will fulfill her duty to the human crown or embrace the darkness within herself to protect both realms.

Review: This one had a lot of potential, but unfortunately, the romance fell into a few early pitfalls that are always struggle points for me. But to talk about the positives first, I think the world-building here was one of the strongest parts of this book. The author had clearly put a lot of thought into this world and the various components that make it up, from the political landscape to the geographic layout that influences the relations between the humans and the Vampyrs.

Speaking of Vampyrs, I also think that the version we have here is fairly interesting. Much of it was familiar, but with just enough twists and turns to make this version feel unique from the standard fare. There were some interesting factors making up their own politics as well as elements of their culture, like the value placed on the forest that surrounds their mountain.

However, the book really fell apart with the characters. At first, I went in with high hopes. Thalia felt like your rather standard stabby, feisty heroine, but her inner voice and backstory gave her enough weight to feel slightly different than all of the other characters like this we have seen. However, as the book went on, this tragic backstory was repeated so many times that it began to lose any emotional weight. And further, Thalia’s decision-making began to become so ridiculous that no amount of tragic history could justify it.

And, of course, the romance. This went off the cliff almost immediately. I was initially intrigued by the “second chance” romance that was being set up, since, if done well, that can be one of my favorite tropes. However, things took a downturn almost at once. Practically from the very first scene in which he appears, it’s glaringly obvious to the reader what happened the night he became a Vampyr. And then, a few short scenes later, he even offers to clarify to Thalia what really happened. Is she curious to hear what he says? Has she ever wondered before why a man she loved and knew deeply would suddenly make such a traitorous decision? NOPE! Instead, she just stomps her foot like a petulant child, and thus the “angst” continues. It was so, so stupid. I couldn’t take her seriously as an adult woman after this fact. Honestly, it was one of the worst “miscommunication” tropes that I’ve seen in a long while, and it really tanked the entire experience for me.

I didn’t enjoy this one. That said, I think the author has potential, and readers who are less turned off by the miscommunication trope might find themselves enjoying it more. So, on a personal basis, I would rate this a “6,” but objectively, it’s probably closer to a “7” if you’re interested in these sorts of romance tropes.

Rating 7: The miscommunication trope reared its ugly head and damaged my ability to appreciate this one, but the bones of an interesting fantasy world were definitely there!

Reader’s Advisory:

“We Become Darkness” can be found on this Goodreads list: April 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases

Serena’s Review: “Burn the Kingdom Down”

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

Book: “Burn the Kingdom Down” by Addie Thorley

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Fire, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: One year ago, Rowenna Harrack, the crown princess of Tashir, left her homeland in a wedding dress of chains—sent away to the enemy nation of Vanzador as a captive bride.

Now, Rowenna is dead. Brought home in a coffin after an alleged fall from a cliff.

Second-born princess, Indira, knows her sister’s death was no accident. Desperate for truth and vengeance, Indira agrees to wed the prince so she can infiltrate Vanzador, find Rowenna’s murderer, and burn their kingdom to the ground.

Indira’s plan is simple, she will make nice until she can find out how to avenge her sister and free her country from the rival nation’s stranglehold. But when Indira arrives, nothing is as terrible as Rowenna described. As Indira grows closer to her new husband, Prince Alaric, and uncovers more about Vanzador, the source of its powers, and what happened during Rowenna’s final days, she’s no longer sure what—and who—to believe. Because everyone, even her sister, has secrets. Deadly ones.

Review: This one wasn’t actually on my radar at all until it randomly showed up on my door, but the book description sounded interesting. And, well, we all know that I’m a sucker for sister stories, so even if the sister in question seems to die immediately to set up the plot itself, it’s still an intriguing driving force for our FMC.

So, this was a fun enough read. What probably stands out the most was the mystery aspect of the story, which you don’t often get in romantasy books these days. That being the case, the plot structure of this one felt very different than the typical action-oriented romantasies with the “stabby” heroines doing their “stabby” thing every second of the day. Instead, the story focuses down much more narrowly on the political situation that Rowenna finds herself in, the myriad dynamics going on between the players at court, and her attempts to unravel exactly what happened to her sister.

This did lead the middle of the book to drag a bit, with the plotting and pacing feeling like they were bottoming out at times. Rowenna spends much of this period of the book circling around the same questions with only the barest hints of any progress to be found. As the story is a slower experience as a whole, this didn’t bother me overly much, but it did feel as if it could have benefited from some editing to tighten up the plot to only what is necessary.

Of course, alongside this slower structure, the romance itself was a slow-burn affair. These are my favorite kinds, so I was happy enough to follow along as our characters slowly began to trust and care for one another. I thought the author did a decent job using this slow-burn approach to build up the tension between the two, and the payoff, when it came, was well worth the wait.

That said, neither of these characters stood out to me particularly. Again, neither was a bad character, but I also never felt deeply invested in them or their burgeoning relationship. The author relied a bit too heavily on simply telling readers how Rowenna was feeling for me to ever have the chance to fully try to understand her, and in the attempt, grow to care about her.

I think this was a decent romantasy read, however! Readers who enjoy political fantasy with court intrigue will enjoy the general plot, and romance lovers who enjoy slow-burn love stories will likely be pleased with the way that portion of the story plays out.

Rating 8: It didn’t blow my socks off, but in a very crowded romantasy field, this one did a great job of introducing a mystery and a true slow-burn love story into the standard plot we’ve come to expect from this sort of book.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Burn Down the Kingdom” can be found on this Goodreads list: April 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases

Serena’s Review: “Bloodsinger”

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

Book: “Bloodsinger” by Juliette Cross

Publishing Info: Bramble, April 2026

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

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

Book Description: Lela Bihari’s village was invaded on her wedding night, her betrothed murdered right in front of her. While her sisters were either dragged away or escaped, Lela was sold to Valerius, a consul of Rome.

When she tried to kill Valerius her first night as his slave, her bloodsinger gift manifested… and she was punished for it. Now she’s paraded in front of the other senators for their amusement.

But Trajan Tiberius, the newly elected tribune to the senate, is different. He has no love for the brutality around him. When he frees Lela from enslavement and hides her, Lela is set on a path of vengeance, and using her gift puts her in more danger than ever before.

Now trapped inside the walls of Rome while deathriders circle the skies, how can she possibly trust a Roman dragon? Especially when it is clear Trajan has ulterior schemes of his own? As her powers grow stronger, danger draws closer, and Lela realizes it isn’t just her life at stake, but also her heart.

Review: I didn’t love the first book in this series, but when I realized that this second book would follow a new couple, I was definitely excited to check it out. While I struggled some with the writing itself, one of my biggest complaints about the first book was the dynamic set up between the couple, with the power differential being decidedly skewed and giving it a bit of a questionable foundation. Here, while there is the potential for a similar thing happening, the way the romance actually plays out quickly puts a stop to recreating the same problems the first book had.

Speaking to the relationship dynamic, I think this book did a much better job tackling the difficult topic of slavery, freedom, and the power dynamics involved. Here, not only is the love interest, Trajan (like “Trojan”…cuz it’s Rome…get it??), not involved in Lela’s enslavement, instead taking part in freeing her, but Lela herself is given the opportunity to reclaim much of her own power early in the book. Much of this has to do with her own bloodsinger gift, an ability that can give her control of the men around her. Yes, this was a bit simplistic, all things considered, and there wasn’t much subtlety in the way it was used to highlight how “not like other men” Trajan was, but still, all things considered, it was an improvement on the first book.

That said, much of the rest of the book is very surface level. There were some expansions on the worldbuilding here and there, but it’s clear that much of the design is simply there to prop up the characters’ stories and their romance. And this isn’t a criticism! Romantasy is a romance novel first, with only the trappings of fantasy set around it, so it’s correct that the love story comes first. But I did find myself wishing for a little bit more from the Roman setting, even with that being the case. Perhaps because I wasn’t as enraged by the couple’s dynamic here, I found myself more interested in the world surrounding them and wishing for more.

The pacing was a lot a bit uneven, with the first half taking a while to really warm up. Once the story picks up towards the middle, the pacing settles in a bit more, and I found myself having a better time with it all. That said, the writing is fairly straightforward, often relying on either one of the dual protagonists simply telling us how they feel about everything around them. Again, I wish romantasy editors would try to push these authors a bit more in the writing department; romance readers deserve well-crafted prose just as much as readers in other genres!

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first. I found both main characters much more enjoyable and was better able to appreciate the love story unfolding between them. That said, the writing and world-building were still nothing to write home about, and the slow start could challenge readers to remain with it before things truly pick up at the halfway mark. Fans of the first book are definitely the best-suited readers for this one. However, if you were intrigued by the first book but put off by the couple, this one might be a better fit for you as well!

Rating 7: A much more sympathetic couple improved my experience with this second book. However, the lackluster writing and world-building were still a disappointment.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Bloodsinger” can be found on these Goodreads lists: 2026 Highly Anticipated ADULT Romantasy Releases and Greco – Roman Fantasy.

Serena’s Review: “Queen of the Night Sky”

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

Book: “Queen of the Night Sky” by Amalie Howard

Publishing Info: Avon, March 2026

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

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

Book Description: The Kingdom of Oryndhr has been saved by the will of the Royal Stars. But King Roshan, once Sura’s best friend and chosen love, has changed. She can sense corruption growing in him, and her own magic is being twisted by his command to dangerous ends. As dreams of her strange shadow guardian return in force, she is left unsure of her path—and of her heart.

When an attempt on her life leads to her rescue on the back of an azdaha, the dragon-like creature she once thought a myth, Sura truly finds herself in uncharted territory—in a land far beyond Oryndhyr’s borders. Everlea is full of magic, ruled by the deadly and enigmatic Night King, Darrius. And to Sura’s shock, Darrius is none other than the man in her dreams…and possibly her soul fated mate.

As a prophecy unfolds, the old gods awaken, and a war between kingdoms looms, Sura has no she must fully embrace her destiny as Starkeeper and the entirety of her power before it’s too late. But all power comes at a cost…and darkness has a way of slithering into the smallest spaces.

Previously Reviewed: “The Starlight Heir”

Review:Once more for the people in the back: no more bait-and-switch in romance/romantasy! I honestly am at the point where it’s incredibly hard to review some romantasy books that I read. Mostly because authors/publishers seem to refuse to properly label their books/series initially, which then leads me to epic levels of rage when I run into tropes and themes that I know that I don’t care for and would otherwise simply have avoided rather than read and end up needing to write a negative review. Because, at the end of the day, book reviews and reading experiences are entirely subjective. I can’t speak to the quality of any particular romantasy book outside my own experience of it. Sure, those who enjoy certain tropes may love it! But how could I say when I am not the reader for that book? I don’t like certain tropes, and thus, I don’t usually like those books, which then leads to negative reviews. Simple.

All of this to say, while I read the first book in this series and didn’t strongly connect with it, I was still interested enough to see where the story would go from there. It wasn’t doing anything extraordinary, but the general set-up was fine, and I was happy enough to see how the romance would play out. Well, color me surprised when I opened up this second book and discovered I was suddenly reading a “why choose” romantasy, not at all what had been set up in the first book.

Like I said, there are plenty of readers who enjoy this trope, and I am by no means saying that it is objectively bad. Just not for me. But here I am, now having committed to reviewing the second in a duology based on the set-up from the first book, which was your fairly standard romantasy fare, only to find it swerve straight into a trope that I avoid so as not to be writing negative reviews for books that just aren’t for me. Well, the publisher/author really has no one to blame for this but themselves. Had I known in the first book that this is where it was going, I would have just passed, and this negative review wouldn’t exist. Hate to do it, but… properly label your dang romantasy titles from the very start!

So, I won’t talk any more about the romance. I didn’t like it. I didn’t care for the characters involved, and I particularly didn’t care for the imbalanced level of connection and history between various pairings, thus making the entire “why choose” premise feel poorly weighted in one direction. The emotional stakes were definitely weighted one way, and the character assassination that had to happen to set up the other romantic interest was frustrating to read. Even by “why choose” standards, I don’t think this one was done particularly well.

Probably not a surprise, but this book goes hard on its spicy scenes. Given the balance between spice and plot is weighted heavily toward the former, I will say that these scenes were written well. I wasn’t terribly invested in the characters involved, but the author did a good job avoiding cringe-worthy descriptions or oddness, something that isn’t always a guarantee with romance. Readers who are enjoying the romance of it all will be pleased, I think, with how the love scenes play out.

However, the book also feels way longer than it needs to be. Actually stepping back and looking at what happens in the plot, it’s very little. And the book itself is not short by any means. I think some healthy editing would have tightened this up into a more streamlined affair and a more enjoyable read all around. While the spice scenes were good for what they were, this balance between romance and plot did feel off, and one or two fewer erotic scenes might have helped the plot feel more relevant.

Shocking no one, I didn’t love this one. I hate having to write negative reviews, especially when I’ve been contacted directly to review a book. But I’m committed to honest feedback first and foremost, so here we are. As I’ve harped on ad nauseam at this point, I really do try my best to simply avoid romantasy reads that contain tropes that I’m not going to enjoy. It’s incredibly frustrating that I can list off a handful of books within the last six months alone where I went in being sold one thing and then ran headfirst into the brick wall of these very same “avoid at any cost” tropes. And here, had I known going in that the duology was taking a hard turn into this trope, I would have simply passed when asked to review this. Alas.

Note: I want to include a few points for transparency and clarity.

I received a copy of this book from a marketer who did identify it as a “why choose” trope. But I also think this makes part of my point even stronger: most readers are not hearing directly from publishers and thus would not have been given the opportunity to note that the type of romance series they started was definitively NOT the one they would be continuing if they picked up this second book.

The marketer has also since informed me that this book is identified as “why choose” on retail sites. That said, I think it is fairly unreasonable to expect romance readers to be on the constant look out for major switches to the type of romance they are reading between one book in the series and another. If I started a cozy romance novel, and then book two suddenly became a dark romance, I don’t think an updated listing on Amazon could counter the justified frustration at a bait-and-switch of that kind.

Rating 5: Not for me. “Why choose” fans will likely be pleasantly surprised, but if you thought the first book was representative of where the duology was headed, you’d be wrong.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Queen of the Night Sky” can be found on this Goodreads list: March 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.

Serena’s Review: “Mother of Death and Dawn”

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

Book: “Mother of Death and Dawn” by Carissa Broadbent

Publishing Info: Bramble, March 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: In the wake of a crushing defeat, Tisaanah and Maxatarius have been ripped apart. Tisaanah is desperate to rescue Max from his imprisonment, even as her people’s fight for freedom grows more treacherous. But within the walls of Ilyzath, Max’s mind is a shadow of what it once was… leaving his past a mystery and his future at the mercy of Ara’s new, ruthless queen.

Meanwhile, in the Fey lands, Aefe has been dragged back into this world by a king who vows to destroy civilizations in her name. But even as her past returns to claim her, her former self is a stranger.

Tisaanah, Max, and Aefe are thrust into the center of a cataclysm between the human and Fey worlds. The unique magic they share is key to either winning the war, or ending it.

But that power demands sacrifice. Tisaanah may be forced to choose between love and duty. Max cannot forge his future without confronting his past. And Aefe must decide between reclaiming who she was, or embracing who she has become.

The choices they make will either reshape this world forever…or end it.

Previously Reviewed: “Daughter of No Worlds” and “Children of Fallen Gods”

Review: At this point, I’ve read a few different duologies from this author, as well as a few standalones. Looking back, I think the standalones are the strongest of the group, mostly because both of the series fell off a bit in their final book. Still great reads, of course, but with a few hiccups with pacing and plotting. So, while I really enjoyed this book, it does reinforce this idea: this is a good book, but it’s not as strong as the ones that came before it and once again stumbles a bit in its landing.

But let’s start with the unqualified good things, and that is mostly the characters! Max and Tisaanah remain excellent, both as separate characters experiencing their own arcs throughout this story and as a couple working toward their romantic resolution. And, like both of the previous books, this story doesn’t go easy on them. Both experience some truly traumatic things, and it’s only through the force of their will (and in Tisaanah’s case, her unceasing hope) that they pull through. They are motivated not only by the betterment of those around them, but also to get through their challenges to be there for one another. Amidst all of the darkness and trauma, there’s a truly lovely romance here, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

As for the other characters, I have mixed feelings. I truly appreciate the inclusion of the villain arcs for Aefe and Caudan. It’s rare for an author to truly make me understand and sympathize with a villainous character. There’s a bunch of drama and angst here, which is an interesting contrast to Max and Tisaanah’s steady, solid love. However, I also felt like Aefe’s chapters were retreading a lot of ground from the first book, hitting repetitive emotional beats and, overall, simply a bit lackluster in comparison to the rest. Perhaps some simple editing—cutting these down to what was truly necessary—would have helped.

I also think the pacing was fairly uneven. The story starts off incredibly slowly and takes a while to truly build momentum. By the midpoint of the book, things begin to pick up. But then, once we get to this point, the book becomes a whirlwind in which one thing after another happens back-to-back in a way that left me looking for an emotional touchstone to connect back to the characters, the obvious heart of the story. Much of what I’ve just written sounds almost word-for-word like my experience reading her latest book in the Nyaxia series. It’s an odd thing, to be both too slow and also too much at times in the same book.

However, this was still a solid read and an excellent conclusion to the trilogy. I really loved following Tisaanah and Max’s story especially, and I think their romance is one of my favorites from Broadbent. If you enjoyed the first two, this is definitely a must-read! And, overall, this is a great fantasy romance trilogy for those looking for love stories that don’t skimp on the world-building and epic stakes of fantasy novels.

Rating 8: A bit of uneven pacing throughout, but the strong characters and swoon-worthy romance make it all well worth it!

Reader’s Advisory:

“Mother of Death and Dawn” can be found on this Goodreads list: Can’t Wait Sci-Fi/Fantasy of 2026.

Serena’s Review: “The Half-Hearted Queen”

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

Book: “The Half-Hearted Queen” by Charlie N. Holmberg

Publishing Info: 47North, March 2026

Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!

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

Book Description: Nym never told Prince Renn she loved him. And now, as a captive and political pawn to the ruthless King Nicosia, Nym finds herself guarding more than her forbidden feelings for Renn as the kingdoms of Cansere and Sesta clash and the bloodshed of war rages. Nym’s connection to Renn is more than just romantic—it’s magical, and King Nicosia will stop at nothing to find Renn’s weakness and claim the kingdoms as his.

Now Nym must find a way to escape the cruel and twisted fate of imprisonment as she faces the unimaginable horrors and dangerous secrets hidden within King Nicosia’s palace walls. With the succession of kings on the line and a dangerous prophecy unfolding, Prince Renn faces his own impossible choice. The future of the throne hinges on a political alliance that means forsaking his love for Nym. If he can’t fulfill his destiny and unite the kingdoms, King Nicosia will destroy them all.

Previously Reviewed: “The Shattered King”

Review: Ok, let’s just get this out of the way from the start: I absolutely adored this duology. There, review spoiled and we can all go on our way! But seriously, this duology really took me by surprise. Like I said in my last review, I had read a book by this author previously, but while I enjoyed it, it didn’t blow me away. But man, she really came with this new book, writing a fantasy romance that feels tailor-made for me!

The story picks up directly after the events of the first book (so mild spoilers if you haven’t read that one), and things are looking bleak. Nym and Renn’s sister is captured by enemy forces and taken deep into enemy territory. Honestly, I was surprised by how dark this book went in this portion, and it’s not a small portion either! There’s probably a solid third of the book that is taken up by Nym’s travails and the ways in which she copes with and deals with the situation she finds herself in. But while these scenes were definitely tough to read at times, they also deeply reinforced what an awesome lead character Nym is.

Her strength is unparalleled, alongside her cool-headed evaluation of the truly desperate situation she finds herself in and the limited options before her. She’s badass in the more realistic ways, the kind that rely on true strength of character in the face of horror. Through this portion of the book and the fallout of these experiences, the author does an amazing job dealing with themes regarding pain, PTSD, and resilience. Nym’s experiences aren’t gotten over easily, but we also follow a character whose strength leads her to rise to meet any and all challenges placed before her.

Readers should also be aware that due to these circumstances, it takes quite a while for our two lovebirds to be reunited. And even then, their path forward is littered with new challenges. I loved the development of this romance and the obstacles they faced. Nothing felt like unnecessary angst or silly miscommunication drama. Instead, the conflict was rooted in their circumstance and the dire state of the war. Renn was such a great love interest throughout this book, and there were a bunch of moments between them that were peak romance for me.

The book also gets more into Renn’s story in the second half, and here, again, the author carefully digs into warfare, violence, and the scars that even justified killing leaves on a person. For Renn in particular, an individual who had been sequestered from participating in the world for so long, these new roles are particularly challenging.

I also really enjoyed the deeper look into the magic system. Nym’s choices at the end of the last book opened up a completely new pathway for the magic system of this world, and I loved learning more about how this worked. The story also addressed the tension between magic users and the rest of the population, noting that it’s not as easy as waving a magic wand to make both groups work well together.

Overall, this was a fantastic sequel and a great conclusion to this duology. I enjoyed the heck out of my read, and if forced to ding it in any way, it would be that it wrapped up too quickly!

Rating 9: Absolutely brilliant! The Half-Hearted Queen manages to be both deeply romantic while also dealing with some incredibly dark themes in a careful, intentional manner.

Reader’s Advisory:

“The Half-Hearted Queen” can be found on these Goodreads lists: My favorite Medieval Fantasy novels and A book with a character who has curly hair.

Serena’s Review: “A Rose of Blood and Binding”

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

Book: “A Rose of Blood and Binding” by Claire Legrand

Publishing Info: Sourcebooks Casablanca, February 2026

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

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

Book Description: The battered Middlemist can barely hold itself together. Olden monsters terrorize the land. The gods are awakening from their ancient slumber, but if the vengeful Kilraith destroys them, all will be lost. And it’s up to the Ashbourne sisters—demigods, daughters of the goddess Kerezen—to stop him.

But the sisters are spread thin. Gemma and Talan travel the world in a desperate search for the gods. In the capital, Farrin and Ryder shelter countless refugees amid roiling unrest. And Mara Ashbourne, bound to the Middlemist and longing for a home she can never return to, is just trying to survive.

Every day is chaos as Mara battles invaders and fights to protect her fellow Roses. The presence of librarian Gareth Fontaine—assigned to aid the Roses’ war efforts—doesn’t help. Charming, brilliant, far too confident, and annoyingly reverent of the Roses—Mara most of all—he’s a distraction Mara can’t avoid or afford. Especially since she can see the shadows of Mhorghast brimming underneath his dazzling smile. Shadows of violence and shame that she knows all too well. Shadows that terrify her more than any monster.

As Mara and Gareth search the Old Country for Kilraith’s final three curse-anchors, a slow-burning passion born of sorrow and solace sparks between them, one that could finally bring Mara to the very home she longs for…or drive her toward the dark fate she secretly craves, and bring both worlds crashing down alongside her.

Previously Reviewed: “A Crown of Ivy and Glass” and “A Song of Ash and Moonlight”

Review: I’ve had a bit of a bumpy ride with this trilogy. Overall, I kept wanting to really love it, but finding myself struggling more often than not. My biggest stumbling block was the main characters in both of the first two books, each seeming to merge into the same self-loathing, fairly whiny person when all was said and done. And here, in the last book, we finally got to follow Mara, the brave warrior daughter who has been an absolute hit during her cameos in the other books. The thought of her getting the same treatment…oof.

But before I get into all of my feelings there, let’s go over other parts of this book and how it holds up as a novel itself and as a conclusion to this trilogy. First of all, I want to again go back to the often-visited trough of writing quality with regards to this trilogy. Like the first two books, this one was tightly written, balancing both detailed world-building and some truly poetic quieter moments of inner reflection. For a series that has dealt so strongly with mental health issues, I want to commend the author for exploring some truly complicated subjects without getting caught up in purple prose or simply telling readers about these struggles, rather than showing them on the page.

Further, I enjoyed the epic nature of much of the plot. As the trilogy has progressed, the world and lore have greatly expanded, so much so that by this book, we are dealing with gods and their fallout so often that it makes the political dramas of the first book seem a bit trite in comparison. Just remember, the first book was likened to “Bridgerton”…. And then here, by the end, we’re fully in epic fantasy with massive, galactic conflict taking up the majority of the plot. It’s truly a wild swing, but one that I think Legrand pulls off well. I’d definitely read more epic fantasy from her!

Unfortunately, I once again struggled with the main character and the romance. At this point, I think these books just aren’t for me as far as my own preferences go with character reading and romance. Critically, however, I do think that the manner in which Legrand explored important mental themes ultimately resulted in her writing three characters who not only sounded very similar, but all dealt with (or didn’t deal with) their individual mental health struggles in exactly the same way. All three: pushing away those they love, incredible levels of self-loathing, an unfortunate tendency to come across as whiny in their own narratives. It was incredibly frustrating each and every time, and all the more so here.

Mara’s story is clearly tragic, being taken away from her family so young and the scars this would leave on her psyche. Further, I loved the exploration of her relationship with the Warden, a deeply unhealthy bond of manipulation and dependence. But for all of these unique factors, and the fact that we’ve had two other books in which to see Mara presented as a strong, brave warrior character, Mara’s narration sounded almost exactly the same as the previous two characters. I can’t speak to every aspect of mental health that has been covered in these books, but from a writing level, it’s frustrating to see these topics covered in a way that now only seems repetitive. Mara’s experiences of her struggles are almost identical to her sisters’, and her arc through the story thus feels incredibly familiar and tired. What’s more, people are more than their mental health struggles, and I have to imagine that different people will respond differently to different challenges. But here we had essentially a bait-and-switch where everything we saw about Mara before was wiped away beneath the burdens of yet more self-loathing and self-isolation, just like the other two.

As for the romance, I was a bit lukewarm on this as well. There was nothing wrong with this relationship, but I do think it suffered a bit in comparison to the more deep and intricately complicated relationship we saw between Mara and the Warden.

Overall, this book was only fine, and I’m truly sad to say it. I was very nervous going in and, unfortunately, that now feels well warranted. Like I said, I do think Legrand is a strong writer, and I enjoyed her character work with pretty much any character whose head we were NOT in at the moment. I’ll definitely consider giving her books another chance, but if there is another strong focus on mental health (for all that it’s a worthy topic!), I might have to pass. I’ve already read that book three times now.

Rating 7: As an epic fantasy, I think this succeeds. But on a character level, I struggled in the same way I did with the first two.

Reader’s Advisory:

“A Rose of Blood and Binding” can be found on these Goodreads lists: All the New Romantasy Books Arriving in February 2026 and “Bind” Titles.

Serena’s Review: “Crown of War and Shadow”

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

Book: “Crown of War and Shadow” by J.R. Ward

Publishing Info: Bramble, February 2026

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

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

Book Description: The Fulcrum is failing, and demons are slipping into the mortal world, stalking the night. No one is safe. Especially not Sorrel. An orphan and an outcast, she’s spent her whole life within the walls of her small village, ostracized for her mystical abilities. She wants to survive…and maybe find somewhere she can call her true home. But Fate has other plans.

Sorrel has been chosen. Cursed. She must cross the Badlands to return the Queen’s crown and convince the fearsome female to save their world from destruction. Well aware she’s no brave hero, Sorrel makes a dangerous deal with Merc, a brooding, commanding mercenary known only by his unscrupulous profession. The deal? A night in his bed that she will never forget, in exchange for her safe passage. But Merc has secrets of his own, and even though passion runs hot between them, enemies are around every corner, and danger and betrayal threaten at every turn.

Review: One of my fellow book club librarians is a big fan of this author, so I’ve been wanting to check out her books for a while. That said, her primary series is, uh, long. So I was excited to see she was releasing the first book in a brand new series this spring, an excellent place to jump in!

Overall, this book didn’t quite live up to my expectations. That said, I can definitely see the author’s strengths, so without having read her other books, I can’t say whether this was a diversion from quality or not. But to start, her writing is incredibly “readable” right from the start. Readers are quickly brought into this world and given enough information about it, its history, and our main character to quickly become invested in what was going on. So much so that there was one side character who, I believe, only appears in one brief scene who later brought me to tears, all in the first quarter of the book!

I also liked the broad strokes of Sorrel’s character. Unlike many romantasy heroines, she didn’t actively annoy me much of the time. That said, she also fell into a few too many silly tropes. We have her repeatedly denying her own beauty, impulsively throwing herself into dangerous situations where she is actively unskilled, and then miraculously discovering previously unknown abilities, etc., etc. You get the gist. It was all quite familiar and predictable, if still well executed overall.

I did enjoy the slow reveals of her history, even if it felt like these were too easily telegraphed at times. Naturally, it doesn’t make sense for Sorrel to put things together as quickly as the reader, but it was still frustrating to watch her stumble around for as long as she did. Part of this speaks to the pacing issues I had, however. This is a long book, and by the middle portion, I was definitely feeling it. The mysteries that had been hinted at were still only the barest brushes, even if the reader was already a mile ahead of things. And instead of making progress, the book became bogged down in tedious traveling adventures. Sure, there were action-packed scenes happening on the page, but the actual plot itself felt mired in tedium.

This was then contrasted by the breakneck speed of the romance, which jumped immediately into insta-lust on both sides. I liked the general idea of the MMC; he even had some interesting backstory that I enjoyed learning about. But the story opened with a truly ridiculous misunderstanding between these two characters and proceeded to just…go with it. The entire thing could have been cleared up so easily, and it was just such a stupid element that was thrown in as a wrench between these two understanding each other. Honestly, I rolled my eyes so many times at both of these characters.

Overall, I didn’t love this book. The author is clearly talented, and I think there are the bones of a good story to be found here. Unfortunately, this was badly in need of an editor to trim down the fat and focus the story on the plot that actually mattered. With some adjustments to pacing, both of the romance and the actual plot, this could have been a much more fun read. That said, I’d guess that this will still hit well for fans of this author, so if you’ve enjoyed her other books, this is probably for you!

Rating 7: At least a hundred pages longer than it needed to be, this book is a key example of failing to follow the mantra “sometimes you get more with less.”

Reader’s Advisory:

“Crown of War and Shadow” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Epic High Fantasy/Romance/Mythology in 2026 and 2026 Most Anticipated Romance Releases.