a.b. poranek – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: A.B. Poranek
Publisher: McElderry Books
Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Raised in a small village near the spirit-wood, Liska Radost knows that Magic is monstrous, and its practitioners, monsters. After Liska unleashes her own powers with devastating consequences, she is caught by the demon warden of the wood – the Leszy – who offers her a bargain: one year of servitude in exchange for a wish.

Whisked away to his crumbling manor, Liska soon discovers the sinister roots of their bargain. And if she wants to survive the year and return home, she must unravel her host’s spool of secrets and face the ghosts of his past.

Those who enter the wood do not always return…

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook.

SURPRISED.

I was hopeful this was would be a good read, and it turned out to be a great read. This gave me Bear and the Nightingale + Beauty and the Beast vibes and I loved it all the more for noticing those aspects. I loved all of the folklore and the whole aura of the book. It’s moody and atmospheric and everything I was after when I picked it up.

The slow burn romance worked well for me too. I loved the time they took to get to know each other and the subtle ways that their connection started to build. There’s a good haunting tale woven in with a bit of mystery that had me reading this as much as I could.

I think the ending stretched out just a little bit long but that’s the only thing I really noticed. I was here for the vibes on this one and it did not disappoint. Not to mention, I am absolutely obsessed with this cover. Oh! And it’s a standalone! A really fantastic standalone at that too.

Overall audience notes: