Tag: fantasy romance

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 Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Rachel Griffin
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: February 17th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There once was a village so far north that most considered it the top of the world… and in that village, the Sun fell in love with her Starmaker. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches comes a whimsical and sweeping romantic fantasy.

Nestled deep in the snowy mountains of the Lost Range, the small village of Reverie endures on a miracle. Beyond the reach of the Sun, Reverie is dependent upon the magic of the mysterious Starmaker: every morning, he trudges across a vast glacier and pulls in sunlight over the peaks, providing the village with the light it needs to survive.

Aurora Finch grew up on tales of the Starmaker’s magic, never imagining she’d one day meet him. But on the morning of her wedding, a fateful encounter in the frostbitten woods changes everything. The Starmaker senses a powerful magic within her and demands she come study under his guidance. With her newfound abilities tied to the survival of the village, Aurora is swept away to his ice-covered castle at the mountain’s peak.

The Starmaker is as cold and distant as the dark woods, leaving Aurora to explore his enchanted castle with only an immortal rabbit for company. Yet the more she discovers about the sorcerer, the stronger their ruinous attraction grows, pulling her closer to the secrets he refuses to share. A deadly frost approaches, and Aurora must uncover what the Starmaker is hiding before she is left in an endless winter that even the Sun cannot touch.

COZY DONE RIGHT.

First and foremost, I am not a cozy fantasy girlie. I like dark and gritty with all the action and yada yada yada. But this book?? This book hit that cozy note JUST RIGHT. I was pulled into this world and this story with such finesse I didn’t realize I was holding back tears towards the end. It is the epitome of what I could have hoped for in picking it up. I have loved all of Rachel Griffin’s books and this is no different (and can we talk about that cover??).

I loved the journey for Aurora. She’s kind of a hot mess but she is full of such love and devotion that it grows on you. And her takes on things felt realistic and relatable and I was down in the ground with her. I loved the push and pull between Aurora and the Starmaker (not going to drop his true name because you have to wait for that moment okay!!). It gave be a beauty and the beastish vibe that I was here for.

There were many great topics covered like grief and perseverance and choosing what deserves your energy. It’s utterly romantic and pulled at all of the right strings. I am so happy to have a trophy of this one on my shelves.

Overall audience notes:

  • New adult fantasy romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: 1-2ish vague open door; emotional based
  • Violence: mild

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Book Review: The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2) by Cassandra Claire

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

Well here we are. I actually didn’t expect myself to pick this book up so soon after release (or maybe even at all) but a few reviews found their way to me and I decided to give it a go. And I do think it is an upgrade from book one. Being settled into the general plot, world and characters helped this book move much more smoothly and I realized I was more invested as the pages went on.

Do I think it still dragged quite a bit? Yes. And some of the politicking lost me as well. I do love the complicated character dynamics and all of the choices that lead to some devastating consequences. I’m also intrigued by the romances and where those will continue to go too.

So yeah, I’ll keep reading this series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: open door
  • Violence: moderate – high

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Book Review: Half City (Harker Academy #1) by Kate Golden

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 496 pages
Author: Kate Golden
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: February 17th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.

Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

She just also happens to be a demon hunter.

Ever since her father’s murder, she’s been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider. . . . Until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she’ll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about. Not when the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv’s father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, and fast. All while trying to ace her classes, not fall for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

THIS WAS SOLID.

I previously enjoyed Kate Golden’s romantasy trilogy so I’ve been excited to pick this one up and yet again, it’s delivered! I’ll definitely be picking up book two to see what happens next. I’m a little curious how it’ll work out based off of romantic plot points. I took off half a star because I felt the page time vs. the *love* that apparently had formed didn’t line up. I would have loved if this great slow burn had been pulled into book two.

This gave me Shadowhunter vibes. There’s vampires and werewolves and demons and hunters who try to take them down. I thought the addition of the college and dark academia setting worked well. There’s an air of mystery that is played out beautifully without heavy info dumping or insanely slow sections. The pacing made me fly through this thick book.

I really enjoyed the FMC Viv and what she brought to the story. A flawed character with a strong personality who is deeply loyal to those close to her. It just worked. She has great chemistry with Reid and the friendships were meaningful too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban fantasy romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent, murder, loss of life, weapons/physical violence

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