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ARC Book Review: Harbinger by Geneva Lee

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Geneva Lee
Publisher: Red Tower
Release Date: September 22nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Arden Icaros was never supposed to matter. From the poorest of five noble bloodlines, she prefers life on the family farm with dirt under her nails over the fine dresses at court. She just needs to get through one boring ceremony, inherit her earth magic, and return home.

Instead, she’s handed a dagger and with it, an impossible choice.

Now Arden is branded an omen of war, half the nobility wants her dead, and assassins are tracking her every move.

Her only chance of survival lies with the most feared man in Antares.

They call him Bishop. No one remembers the name he had before he dedicated his life to his order. Empowered to execute first and question later, Bishop is ruthless, terrifying, and utterly loyal to the kingdom that wants Arden dead.

He should kill her.

Instead, he offers her sanctuary.

But the longer Arden stays under Bishop’s protection, the more dangerous he becomes. Because Bishop has secrets powerful enough to topple kingdoms…and a need for Arden that could ruin them both.

Thank you Red Tower / Entangled for the gifted ARC.

SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN.

I eyeball read this one which may have been part of the downfall. As it takes me longer to physically read a book I sometimes notice a lot more, and in this case, the world building has left me questioning way too much. I am fully aware I might not need all of the information in the first book, that’s FINE. But what I do expect is to have some good basic understanding of what’s happening and why it’s happening in the confines of the system.

Instead I was trying to figure out what a scion is, why the bad guy was doing the bad guy things, where this random character came from that’s apparently evil, why is the FMC making obviously stupid decisions, will the love interest tell her anything, why is war coming, wait a second I thought you were dead. AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.

I’ll give it points for not really being spice forward. There’s an attempt at a plot and storyline even if it doesn’t make total sense and is filled with long chapters of training montages.

Will I read book two? I don’t know. Might wait for reviews. Would definitely only do it on audio. This was another case of the ending being the most interesting part of the book.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate+
  • Romance: 2-3ish open door
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content warnings: loss of life, murder, weapons violence

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ARC Book Review: The Wretched Divine (The Wretched Divine #1) by Adalyn Grace

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: Adalyn Grace
Publisher: Feiwel
Release Date: September 22nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Aurelie Chantelune was born to serve. Raised as a knight in a kingdom ravaged by demons, she’s spent her life honing her blade, driven by the memory of the monsters who tore her family apart and by the knowledge that she’s one of the few who can stop them.

If Aurelie can claim her first kill, she’ll inherit a legacy passed down through the Chantelune bloodline: a soulbond with Yuriel, an angel whose power is vital to her kingdom’s survival. But when those she loves begin turning into the very monsters she’s sworn to destroy, Aurelie is forced to seek help from the last place she ever imagined. Desperate, she forges a second and far more dangerous bond with Severin, a demon she can hardly trust, but who claims to know how to end the war for good.

With their lives and fates entwined, Aurelie, Yuriel, and Severin must team up to hunt down a cure capable of turning demons back into humans. But the more they learn about one another and the deeper their relationships grow, the more Aurelie begins to question the war and her place in it. With both of her bonded on opposing sides, she’ll have to make a choice: continue to stand with the angels, or risk everything by trusting a demon.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC.

WELL I HAVE THOUGHTS.

I read through SO MANY reviews trying to figure out if this was a why choose or love triangle situation. Unfortunately I never figured it out, and even after reading it I didn’t figure it out either??? And that led to a lack of emotional investment for anyone. It was as if Grace was trying to keep it as vague as possible which then when anything did kind of happen it felt like there wasn’t enough lead up or genuine moments between the characters for the “spice” to work.

But that last 25% was LOCKED IN and Adalyn Grace brought all the chaos and reveals and jaw dropping cliffhanger moments. I did call the cliffhanger halfway through but there were some reveals where I was SHOOKETH. And I love that for me. It was very interesting to see the multiple POV’s and how those wove into the present plot + the bit of background story we got too.

This did feel slow at times and stall out with a few plot pieces, but overall it was a good series (duology? starter). I thought the themes woven in were nuanced but noticeable enough to ponder. I liked the push and pull between enemy characters and getting to see many sides to the story. Now that I’ve written this review out I feel like I’ve convinced myself to definitely pick up book two.

I’m obsessed with the cover, but I’m also okay that I didn’t pre-order this. I think the second book will determine if this is a worth having on the shelf read for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2ish open door; light innuendo throughout
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: blood/gore depiction, loss of loved ones, battle/war themes, kidnapping, murder, torture

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Book Review: The Gods Will Sing Our Song by Autumn Krause

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Historical Fantasy
Length: 432 pages
Author: Autumn Krause
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: September 1st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this sweeping WWII historical romance threaded with magic and myth, two star-crossed Japanese American teenagers find a love more powerful than the gods — inspired by the author’s true family history of internment and resilience.

A divine favor can change everything.

1942. War rumbles across the world, gods stir in the wind, and two lives are set on a collision course that will change them forever.

Seventeen-year-old Ren Hamada has always been defined by his troubled past, while Violet Aratani has only ever worried about keeping her straight-A grades and helping her parents run their beloved print shop. The two have little in common beyond the old magic that thrums in their worn family relics—and the fact that they’re Japanese American in a country determined to cast them as the enemy.

Forced out of their homes and into ramshackle wooden barracks in the California desert by the US government, Ren and Violet collide. In a barbed wire world where everything they thought they knew is upside-down, the magnetic pull between them is the only thing that makes sense.

But there’s more than just desert dust swirling in the air. A god walks among them, his mortal form tethered to the camp, and only Violet and Ren hold the key to freeing him—an act that would earn them an immeasurable reward. Yet with tensions rising and their lives on the line, is even a divine favor powerful enough to save them?

Thank you to Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

IMPACTFUL STORY.

I happened to read this on audio before my physical copy got here and I really enjoyed the duel narration between the POV’s of Ren and Violet. Don’t leave out the author’s note either. It added crucial information about the history and construction of the book and how her family’s story was included.

I appreciated broadening my understanding of the internment camps during WWII. It’s an important part of history that isn’t discussed enough and it was heartbreaking knowing the lasting trauma that came from this time period. Alongside the hard were moments of strength infused with hope.

The romance between Ren and Violet was fast and sweet. I liked the connection between them and learning to communicate and support each other through the trials they were facing. There was a magical element to the book that I was never sure was truly needed but it does add an extra element if you like the combination of a historical with magic.

An impactful story with characters you want to root for. I look forward to reading more books from this author (I also recommend Grave Flowers!).

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Historical Fantasy
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content warnings: racism, grief, loss of life, weapons/physical violence, internment camps

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Book Review: Throne in the Dark (Villains & Virtues #1) by A.K. Caggiano

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: A.K. Caggiano
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: November 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

His dark destiny awaits, and nothing will stand in his way. Except her.

Dark lord
Demon spawn
Prophesied realm destroyer

With a demon for a father, Damien Maleficus Bloodthorne’s destiny could be nothing but nefarious, and with the completion of his most vicious spell, Damien is on the cusp of fulfilling the evil inevitability all of his dark machinations have led to.

And then, her.

Bubbly
Obnoxious
Blonde

Harboring secrets of her own, a tiny yet troublesome thief calling herself Amma completely upsets Damien’s malevolent plans when she mistakenly gets chained to his side through magic, forcing him to drag her across the realm. Killing her would fix things, of course, but the nauseatingly sweet Amma proves herself useful on Damien’s unholy crusade and then proves herself the source of something even more sinister: feelings.

Will Damien be forced to abandon his villainous birthright to help the tender thorn in his side? Or will he manage to overcome the virtue Amma insists on inspiring and instead cut it out at the heart?

THIS WAS FUN.

If you’re looking for something with the same vibes as Assistant to the Villain x The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy (but with way less innuendo and spice) then I would put this one your radar too. It’s one of those books that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is filled with snarky banter and quirky characters.

I liked the audiobook and would definitely recommend that format because this book has been sitting on my TBR for a long time and I’m grateful that the audio added to that quality.

There’s some misalignment with the world building and such but like I said, this became a vibes book for me and something I needed to disappear into for a bit. I liked the relationship dynamics and the side characters. The story line is pretty good and that was all enough for me to decide I’d want to read book two.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: kisses; light innuendo
  • Violence: moderate

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