ARC Book Review: Silver & Blood (Silver & Blood #1) by Jessie Mihalik

January 27, 2026December 24, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Jessie Mihalik
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: January 27th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

On a deadly mission to kill the mythical beast that has been haunting her woods, a desperate mage finds her fate intertwined with the handsome, powerful man who saves her in this dark and sexy romantasy—perfect for readers of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Callie Hart, and Holly Black.

There’s something in the woods…

When a vicious beast begins attacking her fellow villagers, Riela reluctantly agrees to enter the forbidden forest and kill the monster as she’s the only mage available—or so she thought.

Untrained and barely armed, Riela is quickly overwhelmed when one beast turns into two. She fears her death is at hand until the unexpected arrival of a scarred, strikingly handsome man with gleaming moonlit magic changes her fate—and provides a rare opportunity to learn more about her own fickle power.

After being rescued and healed from the beast’s poison, Riela awakens in a magical castle complete with a gorgeous library, a strange wolf, and the surly man who saved her life. She soon learns Garrick is both more powerful and far deadlier than a mere mortal mage—but thanks to a century-long curse, his powers are weakening.

Trapped in his castle and surrounded by the treacherous woods, the spark of attraction between Riela and Garrick slowly ignites into fiery desire. But the more they discover about Riela’s magic, the more suspicious Garrick grows of her identity. As they unravel the secrets and lies connecting Riela’s past to Garrick’s, the tenuous threads of trust between them start to fray.

Because Riela’s life—or her death—might be the key to regaining everything Garrick has lost.

Thank you Avon Books for the gifted ARC.

FIRST HALF NONSENSE.

This was one of those books where I thought I quite possibly was going to DNF but it’s an ARC and persevere I must (I know you don’t have to but I’ve accepted this quality about myself).

ANYWAYS. Why the HECK are are we kissing at 15% and having two open door scenes before the halfway mark? Why was it literally only them and no other characters for 55% of the book? Both of these things bugged me 10x over. The addition of spice in the beginning just to call this book “spicy” was not it. And then there was nothing again until 85ish%? The big theme of my issues surround the plot organization.

The second half did get better. I liked finally seeing more of the world and the characters involved. It follows pretty typical fantasy romance lines but that’s not generally bothersome for me. There seemed to be some good bones in their that might help the second book succeed more.

I just don’t know how I feel about Silver & Blood. I went in with genuine excitement and I’m hesitant to pick up book two. I’m also now remembering that I like a different potential love interest more??? Is this a switch romance??? Honestly that actually might convince me more than anything else to pick up book two. WE SHALL SEE.

Overall audience notes:

Romantasy
Language: moderate
Romance: 3-4ish open door
Violence: moderate+

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Book Review: The Last Wish of Bristol Keats (The Courting of Bristol Keats #2) by Mary E. Pearson

January 20, 2026December 6, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 487 pages
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Publisher: Flatiron
Release Date: November 13th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Everyone needs something to hold onto, even if it’s a lie.

After Bristol nearly loses Tyghan to the monsters her mother unleashed, their love deepens to a whole new level. Together, Bristol and Tyghan work to understand and reconcile their differences, moving forward with their common goal of saving Elphame. But, when a daring rescue attempt turns disastrous and a beloved knight dies, Bristol is forced to confront the fact that her mother is more powerful than she could ever have imagined – and more dangerous, too.

Meanwhile, Tyghan’s heart is laid bare when he re-encounters his betrayer, Kierus, and must wrestle with a new secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his past into question. Bristol is Elphame’s last chance for survival, but where do her loyalties truly lie? If she embraces the magic that has always been her birthright, she could become a monster just like her mother. Is she willing to risk losing the people she loves most if it means keeping them safe?

Discover the stunning second book in the Bristol Keats fantasy duology, from New York Times bestselling author Mary E. Pearson.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

WELLLLLLL.

I genuinely wanted to love this. Even more so because I did actually like book one!! But this book lost me in a few different ways and I think a portion of the ending scenes will be polarizing for readers. I unfortunately fell on the meh side of it and didn’t like how it all went down. Did it have a HEA? Sure, yes, it did. The execution of how we got there though bugged me.

While the sound of this narrator was great I wish this had multiple narrators or at least one more. The changing of POV’s in a book like this can be great but a solo narrator left me befuddled because I had the hardest time figuring out who’s POV I was in, constantly.

I never got MAD about reading this (which is why it was a three star), it just left me wanting more from multiple plot lines.

I’ll still read Pearson’s next book but I’m hoping it’s YA.

Overall audience notes:

Fantasy Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 2-3ish open door
Violence: high

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ALC Book Review: The Swan’s Daughter by Roshani Chokshi

January 8, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 6th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this lush and romantic novel from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi, a prince is only as good as his beating heart and a maiden is only as good as her honest word. But when love and the truth become impossibly tangled, the two must figure out how to survive together, or fall completely apart.

To find love is a curse …

Prince Arris knows that marriage means murder. Thanks to a poorly worded wish to a sea witch, all one needs to rule the Isle of Malys is the heart and hand of the kingdom’s heir. Historically, this has been construed quite literally.

Thus, Arris expects that the day after his marriage and murder he will wake up as a sentient tree alongside the rest of his predecessors. His only chance at a long life is finding true and lasting love. When Arris’s parents announce a tournament of brides to compete for his hand and heart, a slew of eligible, lovely and (possibly murderous) bachelorettes make their way to Rathe Castle. Amidst glittering balls in ozorald caves, strolls through menageries of daydream trees and pearl crocodiles, tea time on glass boats and kisses that leave his head spinning, Arris cannot tell who is here out of love for him…or lust for power.

Until he meets Demelza.

As a veritas swan, Demelza’s song wrings out the truth. Forced into hiding, Demelza strikes a deal. Arris will provide her with safekeeping in exchange for her truth-telling song to sort through his potential brides.

While Arris is used to dodging death threats and Demelza is accustomed to fighting for her voice to be heard, to survive the tournament of brides requires a different kind of bravery. And perhaps the bravest thing one can do is not merely protect one’s life, but find the courage to chase a life worth living.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

THIS WAS FUN.

I went purely off of the cover x author on this one without knowing a single thing about the book. And it was fun! It’s kind of in the same vein as Assistant to the Villain where it’s fantasy but has a more humorous and cheeky air to it. With that frame of mind I enjoyed the story.

This doesn’t scream ROMANCE to me but it is heavily featured in the plot and alongside that is a whimsical plot with Arris trying to find a bride that won’t kill him. I loved Demelza and her ability to forge her own path and what her love story was going to look like.

I actually really enjoyed Demelza’s parents too. It was a different vibe than I usually read in fantasy and it made them all the more interesting. The rotating POV’s worked well too and I thought it wrapped things up well for a standalone.

Overall audience notes:

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

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Book Review: A Kingdom of Shadows (A City of Flames #2) by Rina Vasquez

January 5, 2026December 21, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 422 pages
Author: Rina Vasquez
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nara set out to kill dragons—now one dragon might be her only hope…

Wanted by the queen and her army, Nara and dragon shifter Darius embark on a dangerous quest. The Screaming Forests aren’t a place for the faint of heart; monsters, evil, and danger lurks in every shadow. They must reach the Isle of Elements, or forfeit everything they hold dear.
But the Elven King who controls these lands has other ideas. The couple must undertake puzzles, caverns, and wicked beings to fetch elemental stones hidden away. Tempers flare, tensions between the duo rise, and the stress and pressure threatens to tear them apart for good… or push them together in ways neither ever imagined. First, they must survive everything this adventure throws at them.

A LET DOWN.

I enjoyed book one so dang much, and then this one…I don’t think I’m going to finish this series now. I’m just not feeling it anymore.

Mostly because the plot went POOF. I’m still trying to find it honestly. And I get that it’s a romantasy, I love this genre, but I also need an actual plot to be happening to make the romance feel heightened and important. And it’s not that spice overwhelmed the story (though it did a little in the late second half), it’s just that the story meandered. I think they were supposed to be collecting stones? And it became so half effort attempt with a lot of arguing between Darius and Nara.

There were some good romantic reveals. Usually I’m obsessed with this kind of moments and that did help my enjoyment level. The banter was good and the swoon factor is there. I just got bored with everything else.

Overall audience notes: