Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love. The hardcover edition features beautiful sprayed edges.

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

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

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

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

Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.

Review:

I was sent an early copy by Tor in exchange for an honest review.

For me a 3-stars is a good rating, it means I enjoyed it and would recommend it, but it didn’t stand out, or had some issues to me

This was an enjoyable read, but I had a few things that didn’t quite make it a 4/5-star read. I haven’t read The Spellshop, but this isn’t a direct sequel and while it is set in the same universe you can read this as a standalone. I went in expecting a romantasy, but I somehow never quite connected with the romance.

He’s a grumpy gardener used to spending all of time alone. She got turned into a statue for years as a punishment for using magic when she wasn’t allowed to. She gets sent to his greenhouse-filled island so she can try and help stop the enchanted greenhouses’ from failing. Overall it’s a good story, with the various enchanted greenhouses providing wonder and interesting backdrops. It’s set in Winter, an odd choice for a Summer release, so I’d argue that you should hold off reading this until the colder months arrive!

I wanted to be invested in the romance but I just… wasn’t. With this genre of books you know who going to be the couple, and yet I still didn’t really see the romance blossoming, and when it was I just wasn’t all that sold? The middle dragged a bit and I think this is when the romance should’ve been in full bloom, but somehow it didn’t do it for me.

I enjoyed the storyline of the long-dead sorcerer, the exploration of the island, the theme of family and forgiveness. It all comes together to make a good story that just dragged on a tiiiiny bit too long. As the cover suggests there is indeed a flying cat, but Emeral stops being a bit part of the story fairly early on, which was quite the shame!

A good story with a romance that just didn’t quite capture me. This is a book for cosying up with in the winter months and for dreaming of your own enchanted greenhouse.

Synopsis:

While investigating the kidnappings of young, impoverished girls, Arianell Acraea uncovers a sinister conspiracy involving rogue Champions of Ares and forbidden sacrificial rituals fuelled by a magic that defies the laws of the Supreme Goddess herself.

Ellis, a nomad with an aversion towards divinity, wants nothing but the peace of a quiet life, away from the Gods and their glorified slaves. But a deadly encounter with Arianell pulls both women into a web of mysteries that connects all the way back to the heart of Aphrodite’s Vengeance and how she created her World Without Love.

Review:

Garden of Rotten Roses is technically book two in Hidalgo’s dark fantasy sapphic romance World Without Love series. But really, it is more of a prequel to one of my top reads last year, This is How Immortals Die, as it takes place canonically before TiHID, and the two main characters in GoRR are the parents of the main in TiHID. Buuuuut you need to read TiHID first as GoRR doesn’t make as much sense without doing so. Got all that? Good, away we go!

In this world, which is based on the Greek Pantheon (albeit more pre-industrial UK time period, in this story, Wales), an apocalypse happens after Aphrodite outlaws Capital ‘L’ Love. In a twist, people are immortal and can die, but they rejuvenate in a very Deadpool-esque manner in a few days depending on how gruesome a death. However, if two people fall in Love, they lose their immortality, and Aphrodite’s priestesses hunt these lovebirds down and brutally kill them. There’s cults, other God/Goddess devotees, blood magic, and death galore.

I want to start with the magic system because it was definitely one of my favorite things about TiHID. Because blood magic is just something I love a lot, I really enjoy when there are twists on it. In book one, the blood magic allows the two potential Lovers to join their hearts, giving them a very telepathic bond; they can feel what each other feels. This bond is used in some really fun ways, including a hilarious sex toy during a massive battle escapade. GoRR adds another layer to the blood magic, one more endearing: conception. Aside from this being a sapphic romance, I really liked the idea that Aphrodite’s priestesses are not just used to murder Lovers, but to help bring babies into this world when BFFs just want to have a baby together. There’s a ritual to bond/conceive, and this is just super neat.

‘True Love was ruthless. To accept it, you must first accept your own imperfect heart.’

I know I know, this is a dark fantasy romance, so their has to be romance right? There is, but it does start off as enemies to BFFs to lovers to Lovers, and this all balances delicately on the shoulders of Arianell and Ellis. Arianell is a Guardian of Hera, and she spends a lot of her time uncovering plots against her Goddess before spending her downtime on her family’s farm. Ellis is a heretic (meaning she doesn’t believe in the Pantheon for reasons), she’s brash, and after she kills Arianell (oh yeah, they were enemies first), does she finally slow her role. These two are polar opposites, but their relationship is excellent to watch blossom, thanks to Hidalgo’s deft prose. It was very refreshing to see them become friends before lovers, and finally Lovers. There is a tenderness in this progression you don’t always see in books.

Now, I will say that this story takes a different approach to its storytelling than TiHID. Book 1 is a literal journey drenched in blood (and one of the coolest shock/twists I’ve ever read halfway through), but GoRR is much slower paced, not as much blood (but don’t worry, there is still blood and action), and takes place over decades, mostly at Arianell’s farm. I really admire authors who take chances, and Hidalgo certainly does. But that doesn’t mean we don’t get fun battles and excellent voicey one-liners!

‘Waking up to the stink of rotten flesh was the indisputable sign that shit was about to hit you in the face.’

Oh, almost forgot, there are gryphons in this story too!

As a dude with a Classics degree, I fell in Capital ‘L’ Love with This is How Immortals Die, and Garden of Rotten Roses really solidified how much I enjoy this world Hidalgo created. I cannot wait for the big revelations promised to me in book 3! So if you need some antiquity, blood magic, brutal fights, and/or sapphic romance in your life, def check these books out!

Synopsis:

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers . . . and revenge.

This is a story about life—
how it ends, and how it starts.

Review:

Tor UK kindly sent me a copy of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil for review.

I don’t know where to start other than I utterly loved this. It gave me big Addie LaRue vibes (which I ADORED), V.E. Schwab writes immortal women well, and she also writes these gorgeous pining, dangerous and heart-breaking romances.

Is Bury our Bones a romance? Well, no. It’s a vampire book where the events are all set out by romance, or love, or sex, however you want to look at it. Each thread of story starts with some form of yearning. Schwab does this so damn well. There’s something poetic and sweet and dangerous about her love stories. She not only writes romance as a positive but as something that can twist and turn vicious and dark. There’s no one out there doing it like her.

At over 500 pages Bury our Bones is quite the beast of a book. And Schwab uses every moment, every page is well-paced and there’s no drag. Weaving three separate stories and times together to create this heart-wrenching meet at the end I found myself utterly gripped. From our first meeting of Maria there’s no time wasted in introducing the vampirism that weaves threads through the entire book.

These aren’t dark and scary vampires. There’s no turning into bats or huge blood baths. It’s more of a quiet vampirism, in girls that draw your eye and Schwab weaves vampire society (what there is of it) into the every day and mundane. It’s a story deeply rooted in our world and it’s all the better for it.

The story broke my heart. You watch Maria from when she becomes a vampire through many stages of her life. You’re also introduced to Sabine, Alice and Charlotte. All girls whose lives are deeply intertwined and changed by each other. It’s a stunning story and I desperately wanted to know how everything & everyone was going to link together.

Read this. If you loved Addie LaRue, read this. If you love vampires, read this. If you love stories with big hearts, read this. You won’t be disappointed.

Synopsis:

House of the Dragon meets From Blood and Ash in this epic, scorching dark romantasy.

A conqueror captivated…
A witch prophesied to save them all…
A world where dragons rule Rome.

From the moment Roman general and nephew to the emperor Julianus Dakkia laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later, the fierce beauty stands before him on a scarred battlefield, her life in danger. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate. But he and his dragon know one thing: she belongs to them.

Malina can’t believe that the centurion who had once bestowed a secret talisman on her is the Roman general of legendary brutality. His warrior prowess cannot be denied, yet they don’t reveal the secret he hides. All Malina knows is his protection and gentle touch. And she cannot deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

Review:

I was sent Firebird in exchange for an honest review.

Let’s preface this by saying that this is a slave/master romance, so if that’s not your thing then Firebird won’t be for you. Personally, I really quite enjoyed my time reading Firebird, it’s not trying to re-invent the genre, and I was very invested in Julianus and Malina’s romance.

The setting of Ancient Rome lends it a real-world setting that works well with the fantasy plot – those of noble blood can turn into dragons and it adds another level to the ‘touch her and you die’ troupe. Malina is a strong woman who does stand up for herself, she has to learn to not draw attention to herself and Julianus’ obsession (and his dragons’ obsession) with her adds a tonne of tension to certain points in the story.

Featuring an inner circle trying to overthrow the emperor, a love interest with secrets that could ruin his life, and an fmc with the power of prophecy. There’s a fair amount of threads within this book, and at 400 pages it’s the right length to contain all of these parts. Not too long, not too short.

Honestly read this for a darker romantasy that’ll still have you giggling and kicking your feet at the romance.

Warning: third degree slow burn ahead

Synopsis

A SOUL TAKEN. A SOUL RESTORED. A WAR AT HER FINGERTIPS.

Suri’s deal with the Fae has left her a shadow of herself. Revelations about the prophecy sew confusion, new allegiances come to light, and Suri grapples with the darkness inside her.

Insidious plots toll countless deaths as Lera steps closer to her ultimate goal. Time is not on their side, and it will take all of Suri’s strength—and some unlikely allies—to succeed.

In the gripping third book in the Amefyre trilogy, the world will be forever changed. But who will remain when the sand has settled?

Review

This is my third review of a book in the Amefyre series, which, depending on your take, could be called a (grim)dark fantasy with a slow burn romance at its core or a dark romantasy that doesn’t forget the tricksy politics and mysteries amid the spice. And they’re always hard to write, frankly, because this series, as hinted at by my sub-genre mental breakdown above, is a lot of things. Yes, there is a deliciously patient, realistic romance at its core, just as much about self-esteem and true consent as it is about the insatiable desire to rip clothes off (although there’s a lot of that, in an increasing frequency towards the potential, uh, climax). But there’s also marvellously grim and devious politics, twists and tricks, whether it’s fae bargaining for souls or a found family working together to forge alliances. And there’s a strong mystery element of dark gods, prophecies, and time magic which has kept me guessing just as much as the romance has kept me invested. Or to put it a much more succinct way, this is everything I want in a dark fantasy, and the fact it’s wrapped in some of the best dialogue out there is the icing on the most likely inedible Amefyre cake.

Which leads us to the concluder. The second book A Promise of Blood was a lightning evolution of the already enjoyable first one and perhaps my favourite dark fantasy of last year. Cue disappointment in the trilogy closer right? No. The Amefyre trilogy concludes with a bang so big you can see it from space and now joins the ranks of my favourite dark fantasy romance-flecked trilogies of all time.

Plotwise, we begin with the Peregrinus pieces all arranged nicely on the board: Queen Lera, she of the harpy tendencies and inability to get over her dead sister being better than her, just needs three more massacres to create the required gates to bring back our favourite creepy-tendrilled death god to the land. Kol, full of life with his soul back, has to seek support from as many of the political factions as he can, with his new Court by his side, including Suri, who is noticeably soulless and more death than life, and who must try and learn her time-travelling seer powers so she can stand a chance in the final battle to come.

There’s a lot to balance there as you can tell, but I’m pleased as Fae punch to report that it doesn’t feel crammed or rushed, with Sandpiper’s notable knack of tying together scene-stealing scene after scene-stealing scene still on display. A particularly clever trick of working out a way to keep the slow burn sizzling for another book is provided by Suri’s loss of her soul. The rationale behind why this affects their relationship is clever, based on the nuanced relationship between them both. This is what I love about this slowest of slow burns; it’s somehow at times mind-meltingly spicy, yet always rooted in a complex interplay of consent, self-esteem, patience and understanding. Kol may be a bit of a possession freak at times—he’s said “you’re mine” so many times at this point I’m surprised Suri hasn’t written him out a receipt to save him the bother—but he may also be one of the least toxic of the “hot villain” stereotypes in the genre, someone who has proved that he understood his beau long before he gave into her. Their relationship continues to be about gently pulling themselves out from Suri’s cycle of self-loathing and his anger demons. How this cycle completes would be telling, but it doesn’t disappoint.

But as I said earlier, Amefyre has never just been about central pairing but the Machiavellian politics around it, and here we see Suri once again bouncing between political factions, from the Pail which we finally get an (admittedly brief) taste of to a return to the Fae Glen. The Glen was arguably host to some of the best scenes in the second volume, and, for very different reasons, it leads to another memorable scene. Also, the found family aspect of the series which blossomed in the second book is strong here: Nadrian, Fae heir, gets his own poignant subplot and the relationship between Suri and Scilla comes full circle in a brief exchange that fundamentally broke me. For such a small subplot to be the one point that brought me to tears? That’s the power of dialogue, baby. Even cruel ice-mage Rasel gets a subtler arc. Sandpiper’s strength is in the slow, meaningful steps from distrust to friendship, supported by on-point dialogue. Speaking of dialogue, this is the Amefyre series’ secret weapon; the same whiplash, clever sparring that underpins the scenes of emotion also make this one of the funniest fantasies you’ll read all year.

But what slightly surprised me in a good way was the mystery behind the death god/life god figures of Diophage and Sotoledi (the gods of vowels, evidently) and how this interacts with Suri’s powers of time. This could easily have been a confusing mess given the number of things this trilogy closer has to do and crumbled the foundations of this finale like an army of moles under a castle. But I found it an absolutely compelling mystery, underscored by the frankly superb use of epigraphs to tease the secrets of the past. Trying to guess the identity of the epigraph author and the tragic events they foretold was almost as fun as the book itself. If you’re swooning over epitaphs, that normally means you’ve found a trilogy that hits the spot. And without spoiling anything, the suggestion of one character that everything that’s happened is down to two annoying men was an entirely fitting observation for a series that in many ways is about deconstructing the myth of power and legend and replacing it with funny, complex people learning to like their own semi-monstrous selves.

Overall, this is a perfect demonstration of the power of dark fantasy and frankly astonishing for an author’s first series. It’s been a genuine pleasure to be in the company of this world and these characters, and I’m going to miss them a lot. Read this.

Buy A Claiming of Souls direct from the author here

Synopsis

When Saphira opened up her café for baby dragons and their humans, she wasn’t expecting it to be so difficult to keep the fires burning. It turns out, young dragons are not the best magical animals to keep in a café, and replacing all that burnt furniture is costing Saphira more than she can afford from selling dragon-roasted coffee.

Aiden is a local gardener, and local heart-throb, more interested in his plants than actually spending time with his disobedient baby dragon. When Aiden walks into Saphira’s café, he has a genius idea – he’ll ask Saphira to train his baby dragon, and he’ll pay her enough to keep the café afloat.

Saphira’s happy-go-lucky attitude doesn’t seem to do anything but irritate the grumpy-but-gorgeous Aiden, except that everywhere she goes, she finds him there. But can this dragon café owner turn her fortunes around, and maybe find love along the way?

Review

This was pretty cute. I listened to it on audio, which overall was a good experience. The male narrator did have some long pauses in weird spots sometimes but other than that, they both felt like a really good fit for their characters and I’m hoping to listen to the rest of the series as well (though I now realize as I’m typing this that those might have different narrators since they’ll have different characters).

I really enjoyed both MCs and their stories and personalities. They felt like a really good fit for each other and I like how they slowly danced around each other before finally getting together. Their communication especially was a nice surprise because there were things that many books would’ve dragged out until the end but that were resolved so nicely for them as they got to know each other. I appreciate couples that can communicate.

The plot is where I think this book was a little weak sometimes. While the romance was cute and I enjoyed the ups and downs of owning the cafe and training a baby dragon, there were some aspects that just seemed more dramatic than necessary. There would be a big build-up but actually reaching the goal wouldn’t match that same energy. I did like how the feelings of the fMC changed once she reached the final one because it fit in well with her maturity, but overall they would make a big deal about things that weren’t actually that hard to fix.

The world building was cute and fun, but I hope we get to hear a bit more about the other mythical creatures eventually too. It also felt like there were a lot of things squeezed into what sounded a rather small area of the world (a valley) that made me feel like they should all be on top of each other more rather than the way they seemed so cleanly separated.

Overall, this was a cute romance with some funny and some serious moments that were well-placed. The cozy feeling worked well for the story and the characters were fun to cheer for. While it wasn’t Oh My God Amazing and could need some more development, I did enjoy listening to this during my road trip and it had a good mix of fun things that I’m happy to return to for round two once the next book releases.

Synopsis

From Axie Oh, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, Final Fantasy meets Shadow and Bone in this romantic fantasy reimagining the Korean legend of Celestial Maidens.

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd-jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of coins for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light.

Meanwhile, far to the east, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat traveling with her adoptive family and performing at villages. But everything changes during one of their festival performances when the village is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon. In a moment of fear and rage, Ren releases a blast of silver light—a power she has kept hidden since childhood—and kills the monster. But her efforts are not in time to prevent her adoptive family from suffering a devastating loss, or to save her beloved uncle from being grievously wounded.

Determined to save him from succumbing to the poisoned wound, Ren sets off over the mountains, where the creature came from—and from where Ren herself fled ten years ago. Her path sets her on a collision course with Sunho, but he doesn’t realize she’s the girl that he—and a hundred other swords-for-hire—is looking for. As the two grow closer through their travels, they come to realize that their pasts—and destinies—are far more entwined than either of them could have imagined…

Review

I used to devour young adult and middle grade books. As a junior high and high school teacher, it was fun to read the same things as my students. But as the years wore on, I tired of some of the same-ness. After The Hunger Games, the trends got out of control and I had to step away from reading most YA for a long time.  

So I was delighted when I started Axie Oh’s The Floating World and practically devoured it, picking it up and putting it down less than 24 hours after starting. There’s just enough depth to the characters to propel the story along and Oh makes the story very readable and accessible to readers of all ages. 

Our lead protagonists are Ren and Sunho, both 17 years-old. Ren has been traveling with a performing troupe, but right away we learn she has to restrain her magical powers or else she’d be found out, and killed just like her mother before her 10 years previously. Sunho has some dark power inside of himself, but can’t remember his life before two years ago. They are on a collision course with each other, for better or for worse. 

Now, years ago I wrote a novel of my own where both the young love interests have special powers, but Axie Oh did so much better than I could, relying on Korean mythology and folk stories to serve as the backbone of this fun and satisfying book. 

From what I can tell, this is the first book in a duology, with the sequel, titled The Demon and the Light releasing this October, which will be VERY good news for anyone who reads The Floating World. I really enjoyed the interplay between Ren and Sunho throughout and figured we’d be getting a sequel, but it seemed like there was going to be enough of a wrap that the book could stand on its own. THEN…Axie Oh yanks the comfortable rug out from under the reader and leaves the characters in a bit of limbo between the two books. 

I was thrilled to be able to read The Floating World thanks to an ARC provided by NetGalley and am ready to bite into The Demon and the Light before the end of the year. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness.

Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest.

After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born.

If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most – Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares – each other?

Review

I’m so glad I finally read this and that I already have the second one ready. It came highly recommended and I can understand why my friend enjoyed it a lot.

There aren’t a lot of books where I enjoy the romance and the world building and the plot. One always seems to be great at the expense of the other. And while this romance wasn’t perfect either, I still enjoyed seeing them find each other. I do wish it had involved less lying (even by omission) and think that their feelings weren’t as well-developed as they could’ve been. They had reasons to dislike each other and I liked seeing how they worked their way around that, but their obsession for each other was a bit quick for me and I would’ve appreciated more communication between them.

The world building was great though. It did take me a little bit to understand some aspects of it, but I enjoy having fantasy worlds that also have more tech than the average fantasy book seems to have. I don’t think everything needs to be explained to see how they can coexist and that was done well here. It just felt right in this world.

One of the highlights of the book for me were the side characters. Those so often get left behind in stories but here they really shone. Duckers could’ve easily been a character I’d hate but I somehow found him hilarious and the nimkilim added great comic relief as well. They just always seemed to have the perfect lines right when a breather was needed.

The two MCs were fun as well. I liked how different they were but you could also see why they’d work well together. Rather than an opposites attract situation, they complemented each other well and it was satisfying to see how they worked that out.

I don’t want to say too much about the plot that’s not related to the romance. It did feel that it took a bit to get going, but it was fun to see hints here and there once you realized what was happening. It was a great way to tie together the world building and the characters and their histories. I really enjoyed it. The ending overall was a bit dramatic and employed a trope that I don’t usually enjoy, but here it did feel like a good fit rather than an excuse to undo something significant.

I’m really looking forward to the next book and am glad the wait for the third one won’t be too long either.

Synopsis

Desperate to undo the curse binding them to each other, an impulsive sorcerer and his curmudgeonly rival venture deep into a magical forest in search of a counterspell—only to discover that magic might not be the only thing pulling them together.

Leovander Loveage is a master of small magics.

He can summon butterflies with a song, or turn someone’s hair pink by snapping his fingers. Such minor charms don’t earn him much admiration from other sorcerers (or his father), but anything more elaborate always blows up in his face. Which is why Leo vowed years ago to never again write powerful magic.

That is, until a mix-up involving a forbidden spell binds Leo to obey the commands of his longtime nemesis, Sebastian Grimm. Grimm is Leo’s complete opposite—respected, exceptionally talented, and an absolutely insufferable curmudgeon. The only thing they agree on is that getting caught using forbidden magic would mean the end of their careers. They need a counterspell, and fast. But Grimm casts spells, he doesn’t undo them, and Leo doesn’t mess with powerful magic.

Chasing rumors of a powerful sorcerer with a knack for undoing curses, Leo and Grimm enter the Unquiet Wood, a forest infested with murderous monsters and dangerous outlaws alike. To dissolve the curse, they’ll have to uncover the true depths of Leo’s magic, set aside their long-standing rivalry, and—much to their horror—work together.

Even as an odd spark of attraction flares between them.

Review

Sorcery and Small Magics was a really fun read that I finished in two sittings (granted, one of those was a 9 hour flight but still). I liked the writing a lot and it felt like such a quick and easy read. It read so smoothly that I barely noticed the time going by.

I’m honestly a little surprised I liked the narrator of this story as much as I did. He’s a bit annoying sometimes, which doesn’t usually work for me, but here he felt like a well developed character that wasn’t defined by just that and I enjoyed following along. Stories like this are often told from two POVs so we can get both perspectives in a forced proximity/rivals setting, but I enjoyed having only one this time so we never knew for sure how the other person felt about everything. I also liked that we were in the head of the more privileged character and got to see how he changed over time as his world view expanded.

I found the world building incredibly interesting. It was slightly discomforting sometimes when the creatures of the Wilderlands were described but that added to the awe as well. It was interesting to read a story that felt somewhat cozy most of the time, yet still had such unsettling details. They grew more and more in importance as the story progressed, which I enjoyed a lot.

My only big gripe is that I wasn’t quite convinced by the emotions that supposedly happened. Finding out the nature of the accidental spell they used was interesting but I often felt like we were told more about what was being felt rather than shown in an organic way. I understand it was supposed to be subtle but I think in this case there was too much subtlety on the reader’s side of things. The envy, anger, nervousness, and other similar feelings felt more genuinely woven into the story.

I didn’t realize this was going to be a series until I finished the book, but I really liked how the arc of this specific one concluded. The fantasy aspect felt like a well-rounded story overall that can stand on its own, but I’m also eager to see where these characters are going in terms of careers and their own personal feelings.

Synopsis:

She was commanded to kill him with a single strike to the heart. She didn’t expect her own to betray her.

Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess–her soul, her freedom, her eyes. Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king. But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even deadlier adversary. She’s tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust… and kill him.

Atrius is a terrifying warrior carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past–and a side of him that reminds her far too much of parts of herself she’d rather forget. Sylina’s orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea’s tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger. A connection forbidden by her vows. A connection that could cost her everything.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone fantasy romance set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world, full of heart-wrenching forbidden romance, dark curses, and epic battles – perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and the From Blood and Ash series.

Review:

I was sent a copy of Slaying the Vampire Conqueror in exchange for an honest review.

It’s safe to say I’m a fan of Carissa Broadbent and the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone in this universe, but don’t write it off as I’m pretty sure it’s going to be important later down the line – Broadbent does confirm that we will be seeing more of Sylina and Atrius in later books.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is action-heavy, and it makes it a strong read. Sylina is an acolyte of Arachessen, basically a cult who follow the Goddess of Fate, they give up their eyesight and instead can ‘see’ through the threads of fate. It’s a cool concept and pretty much allows for Sylina to still be able to see throughout the book, so her blindness doesn’t really affect much. It’s arguably a plot hole as the ‘threads’ sight at the start of the book feels quite different from the one at the end. Atrius is of the House of Blood, a house we’ve encountered before but this time they felt a lot more human, rather than the more barbaric house we’ve met before.

I really did enjoy their romance. They’re both very strong and powerful people, and their romance felt like it happened naturally. Yes, you know they’re going to get together, it’s the whole point of the genre, but there’s something fun about watching the relationship unfold knowing that eventually they’ll get there. It’s not the sizzling romance from some of the other books, but I was rooting for them.

The story definitely stands on its own. Atrius is attempting to conquer Glaea, and the story follows Atrius as he sweeps across the kingdom. Sylina is tasked with stopping his march, but it becomes apparent that maybe this conquering force isn’t as bad as her people think it is. I really enjoyed seeing a lot of Glaea through this story, from it’s various warlords to it’s interesting cities. Broadbent has made sure that while the kingdom is cohesive it never feels like you’re in the same place.

We do get some new/built-upon goddess lore which I’m always here for. Plus we meet some of the goddesses and it made for a really great climax to the book. They’re a constant backdrop to the universe and I love any & all glimpses we get of them!

I’d say that this is a weaker book in the series, but I think it’s going to be important later down the line so it’s definitely worth reading. Broadbent introduces and wraps up the story really well in just 350 pages, while setting up for some important worldbuilding developments.