ARC/ALC Book Review: The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Cozy Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: March 31st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

After a devastating heartbreak, a teen girl decides to spend her summer helping her eccentric great aunt manage her quaint Vermont inn–but this fixer-upper is hiding a magical secret–in this cozy and irresistable new fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop.

Sixteen-year-old Calisa is desperate for a change of scenery after her lying ex ruins her perfect Brooklyn summer. When her parents suggest she head to rural Vermont to help her great-aunt run her cozy bed and breakfast for a few months, she jumps at the chance.

But when Calisa arrives at the B&B, she’s shocked to find a rundown inn with only a handful of guests. And to make matters worse, upon meeting with her great-aunt it quickly becomes clear that Calisa was not invited. Auntie Zee is determined to keep anyone from messing with her beloved inn…even if it is clear she needs the help.

To earn her keep, Calisa sets to work fixing up the inn, enlisting extra help from the groundskeeper’s (handsome) son. But the longer she stays, the more it becomes evident that there is something strange about the B&B—and its residents. Something almost…otherworldly.

The inn is keeping a magical secret—but to protect the place she’s come to love, Calisa must unravel the truth of it, and her aunt, before it’s too late.

Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook and Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

NICE AND COZY.

One of these days I might give a five star to a cozy fantasy but at least I’m still overall liking them. I’m continuing to enjoy SBD’s writing style and the themes she adds to her stories.

The pacing was my only issue here. I think I just really like an edge to my fantasy books. But if you’re someone who’s all in with cozies, don’t miss this one. I appreciate that it is good for a young adult audience and kept themes in the same tone. I liked seeing Calisa work hard and be open to the ideas and world around her. She’s caring and well-meaning and found an escape by staying at the Inn.

I liked the soft romance and personality of Jack was just right. He’s so dang sweet and I adored watching them figure things out together. I’m glad that Jack got his moments for his character arc too. The family dynamics worked for me and I think the push and pull between Calisa and Auntie Zee made sense. They had to butt heads a lot to break down some walls and find a way to reconnect.

All of the characters who stayed at the inn were charming and added a delightful little touch throughout. I loved the idea of the different realms converging at the inn and the importance of having a place to rest.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Cozy Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: March 2026

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Oh it’s so nice to be outside more before it gets way too hot to do so. I read many books, check them out!

  • The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin
  • [ALC] In Time with You by Kristin Dwyer
  • The Mirror Game (The Blood and Water Saga #5) by Cassidy Clarke
  • An Accidental Marriage (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Deborah M. Hathaway
  • Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman
  • Her Hidden Fire (Her Hidden Fire #1) by Cliodhna O’Sullivan
  • In Her Own League by Liz Tomforde
  • The Determined by Rachel Rueckert
  • Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller
  • Heart of Mischief (Soul of Shadows #2) by Emma Noyes
  • We Danced Among Shadows (Meadowbrook Ranch #2) by Ashley Dill
  • First Down and Forever to Go (River Foxes #1) by Leah Dobrinska
  • [ARC/ALC] This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews
  • [ARC] Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen
  • Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman
  • [Reread] Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
  • [ARC] Could’ve Fooled Me (Georgia Jaguars #1) by Jenny Proctor
  • Heir of Illusion (Verran Isles #1) by Madeline Taylor
  • [Novella] Everybody’s Favorite Guy by Katherine Center
  • The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1) by Freida McFadden
  • [Non-Fiction] Spark by John J. Ratey, MD
  • Dawn of the North (The Ashen #3) by Demi Winters
  • What Echoes in the Dark (What Bloom from Death #2) by S.M. Gaither
  • [ARC/ALC] The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst
  • [Reread] Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
  • [ARC] We Are Never Getting Together by Janette Rallison
  • Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent
  • [Novella] When Fate is Cruel by LJ Andrews
  • The Night We Met (Say You’ll Remember Me #2) by Abby Jimenez
  • Drop Shot (The Off Court #1) by Vai Denton
  • Scars Beneath a Serpent’s Scales (The Fatesworn Saga #1) by Nicole Platania
  • How to Write a Love Story by Catherine Walsh
  • [ARC] Until Next Summer by Allison Ashley

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ARC/ALC Book Review: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Portal Fantasy
Length: 480 pages
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: March 31st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A page-turning, unforgettable fantasy set in a city peopled with ruffians, spies, malcontents and murderers. Experience out-of-this world adventure and dangerous politics as Maggie tries to survive waking up in her favourite fictional world.

A heart-pounding epic from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren. It’s a city she knows intimately from the pages of a famously unfinished dark fantasy series – one she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading, while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic and mayhem? Her encyclopaedic knowledge of the plot, the setting and the characters’ ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she’s coming to love – a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to return home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes – and attentions – of duelling princes, dukes and villains. This all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the ending she’s seen on the a cataclysmic war.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse writing duo Ilona Andrews. For fans of Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen and isekai portal fantasy.

Thank you Tor Books for the gifted ARC.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED.

This is my VERY FIRST Ilona Andrews book (and I only just learned they are a writing duo too). And I gotta say…I think I was expecting somethign different? Something that felt sweeping and all consuming and I don’t know if this is just this is just a specific book issue or across the board concern. Someone tell me if there’s a different book I should try instead?

The romance actually felt further back in the plot line than I was hoping for. And that would have been fine if I thought the plot was standing strong enough on its own. I feel like not enough was tackled and it could have been shorter.

I realized that I also don’t love fantasy books with this particular setup. I have totally liked portal fantasy before but with the added element of Maggie ending up within her favorite book series, it didn’t work for me. I didn’t like that she knew what was going to happen all of the time (even when that started to change).

I’m somewhat curious about reading book two? I did think the audiobook narration was good. No complaints there. I don’t necessarily feel like I struggled to get through this but it was missing some key elements that would have ranked higher for me. I did like the interactions between Maggie and the love interest and wanted even more. I loved that it was a slow burn at least.

Overall audience notes:

  • Portal fantasy
  • Language: mild+
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Content warnings: mentions of assault, child abuse, ser!al killer, torture, captivity

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Book Review: The Notorious Virtues (The Notorious Virtues #1) by Alwyn Hamilton

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy + Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: Alwyn Hamilton
Publisher: Viking Books
Release Date: April 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A glittering fantasy thriller about a glamorous media darling, a surprise heiress, and the magical competition of a lifetime.

At sixteen, Honora “Nora” Holtzfall is the daughter of the most powerful heiress in all of Walstad. Her family controls all the money—and all the magic—in the entire country. But despite being the center of attention, Nora has always felt like an outsider. When her mother is found dead in an alley, the family throne and fortune are suddenly up for grabs, and Nora will be pitted against her cousins in the Veritaz, the ultimate magical competition for power that determines the one family heir.

But there’s a surprise contestant this time: Lotte, the illegitimate daughter of Nora’s aunt. When Lotte’s absent mother retrieves her from the rural convent she’d abandoned her to, Lotte goes from being an orphan to surrounded by family. Unfortunately, most of them want her dead.

And soon, Nora discovers that her mother’s death wasn’t random—it was murder. And the only person she can trust to uncover the truth of what happened is a rakish young reporter who despises everything Nora and her family stand for.

While the dangers of the Veritaz competition threaten each of the Holtzfall girls, and the stark class differences turns political outrage to terrifing violence—the new cousins must fight to stay alive, no matter what.

Incredible tests, impossible choices, and deadly odds await both girls. But there can only be one winner.

NO COMPLAINTS HERE.

Did anyone else read the Rebel of the Sands series and promptly wonder where Hamilton went for years and then finding out she has a new series and it absolutely hits as well as Rebel did?? BECAUSE IT ME.

I had such a good time reading this one. I loved that the audiobook had multiple narrators for multiple POV. It made it easy to keep everyone separate and I don’t think there was a weak POV in the mix. I loved seeing every angle of this dystopian-esque novel. It was kind of steampunk, dystopian, and fantasy all rolled into one and it worked for me!

There’s good twists and turns with plenty of action with some quieter moments where a few romances were starting. It was engrossing and I didn’t even notice this was a 15hr audiobook. I can’t wait for book two!!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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