Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 630 pages
Author: Madeline James
Publisher: Spellbound Worlds
Release Date: April 9th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads
BOOK SUMMARY:
She’s already broken, but this mission may be what shatters her.
A young guardian bearing the burden of a kingdom torn to shreds, Iryana works tirelessly from the shadows to keep her clan’s outpost standing. After the beasts ravaged the lands and the gangs claimed what was left, the survivors can only cling to the scattered settlements, fighting desperately to hold their borders.
But they’re losing.
Her clan’s only hope lies beyond their brittle the ancient magic of the metal-wells, and the ruthless military gangs that control them. Iryana has no choice but to infiltrate a nearby brigade, earn their volatile trust, and see her magic forged in one of their closely guarded wells.
Unfortunately, surviving among liars and killers proves to be harder and more mystifying than expected.
Their cruel and calculating leader sees value in her when no one else does. The bitter soldier with haunted eyes and a devastating smile wants her gone but can’t seem to stop saving her life. As each passing day brings her deeper within the brigade, two devastating paths forward present themselves and her deep-rooted cracks become impossible to conceal.
Iryana came to the fortress to save her family—she never expected someone would try to save her.
Perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and The Serpent & The Wings of Night, Because the Beasts Came is the first book in a romantic fantasy duology within the Wells of Istri world. Full of aching tension, a brutal world of monsters and fragile hope, and a heroine torn between duty, desire, and survival, you won’t be able to put this book down.
Thank you to MTMC Tours and the author for a gifted copy.
WHY SO LONG?
I went into this with decent hopes and am left wondering if it’s worth reading book two? There’s no way this needed to be 600+ pages without more character exploration. Every single character lacked depth. I didn’t have an attachment to anyone.
I was genuinely invested for the first 30%ish. I thought the world building was going well and liked the military training grounds idea. I think overall the writing style was good, just needed dialed in.
I’m always here for a slow burn but the fact of the matter is we didn’t get more than maybe one interaction with the leads until after halfway? And their dynamic was lackluster. No chemistry or banter or anything swoony. There was also a weird situation with the guy’s brother? It wasn’t a love triangle, but it wasn’t good either.
There’s a few more things that made me cranky but it is what it is.
Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy romance
- Language: mild
- Romance: one open door (literally the last pages)
- Violence: moderate-high
- Content warnings: physical/emotional abuse
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