Tag: fantasy romance

Book Review: The Mirror Game (The Blood and Water Saga #5) by Cassidy Clarke

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 835 pages
Author: Cassidy Clarke
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: December 20th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

FINNICK ATLAS is playing with stolen godhood.

Proclaiming himself the Trickster God and sealing Occassio within the confines of a mirror was only the beginning of this long con. Now, it’s up to him to impersonate the Goddess of Time long enough to pull off another freeing his parents from their own dungeon.

To act the part, he’ll need to use his new magic to step into the past and find the truth hidden behind Occassio’s shimmering secrets. But when he accidentally comes face-to-face with her mortal self, he finds himself fighting a much different battle than a battle between his heart and his head.

RAQUEL ANGELOV has a promise to keep.

After a devastating loss, she has only one mission to assist Finnick Atlas in his schemes to save his people and his parents, despite her lingering animosity toward Atlas and its Queen. But when her spywork puts her in the path of a group of rebel Atlas citizens and soldiers, she may find more common ground between them than she expected…and her obligation to a fallen prince may soon become something far more precious.

GOT ME GOOD.

Oh it’s a thick book y’all. But a thick book that delivers. There’s something about those last 200 pages that always gets me going in this series. The increase in action and intensity and love and betrayals, this was headed right where I was hoping and gave me what I was after tenfold!!

I love Finn. While I missed the characters from book four, I love Finn enough that honestly, I hardly noticed. His story involved some deeply flawed characters and I loved the journey and arc they went on together. Who knew I would be so into this romance?? I love that each romantic line in this series has a different feel and edge to it. They are not cookie cutters and will leave you feeling all the things.

I can’t believe this series is almost over. I am highly looking forward to the sequel and seeing how these meddling gods are taken down one last time. I love the way these characters have bonded together, I love the action and tender flow of the story and all the things in between!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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ARC Book Review: Hopeless Necromantic (The Catseye Chronicles #1) by Shiloh Briar

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Shiloh Briar
Publisher: Orbit
Release Date: June 2nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sticks and stones may break their bones, but he’ll just resurrect them.

Four years ago, Sikras ‘Catseye’ Nikabod had it all: a beautiful wife, friends and family, and the endless luxuries that came with being the all-powerful necromancer to the queen.

Now, his brother-in-law is a walking corpse, he’s wanted for tax evasion, his oldest friend, Vessik, has slaughtered thousands of the queen’s people with a skeleton army, and his wife is dead. Sort of.

With the kingdom under threat, it’s only natural for the queen to task Sikras with the totally normal, not-at-all-cruel chore of brutally murdering his dearest friend. Sure. Great. It’s not like he already failed to stop Vessik’s reign of terror twice or anything.

Turns out, it’s hard to kill a monster when you can’t stop remembering the good man he used to be. Harder still when you’re pretty sure his descent into madness is kind of, sort of, hypothetically … all your fault.

Raise a glass. Raise the dead. Just don’t raise your hopes.

Thank you Orbit Books for the gifted ARC.

LOVELY SURPRISE.

I took a chance on this one, purely because of the cover, and you know what? It delivered. I had a genuinely good time reading this and actually read the whole physical copy without waiting for an audiobook or ebook. And that’s hard for my current era of life.

This felt like a cozy fantasy but with enough action to take the edge off of *cozy* that I usually get bogged down by. I think the world building could have been a little more clear, but if you don’t focus too hard enough of it makes sense to know what’s happening. The themes were well woven in and I loved all of those poignant moments too.

I also really loved the characters. It is a unlikely trio coming in to save the day and I genuinely laughed out loud multiple times at some of the banter and properly placed quips. I loved the relationship they all had with one another. Sikras and Ben were such a pair and I loved the love between them.

Helspira was the perfect counter balance of chaotic good. I adored her character and loved that we had the POV of both her and Sikras. It was very much a slow burn romance between them but I do think there needed to be a bit more romance in some kind of construct before getting together.

I will absolutely be reading the next book and continuing this adventure!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Content warnings: loss of loved ones, war themes, necromancy/undead

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: May 2026

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What time is it?
SUMMERTIME.

  • Daggermouth (The Heart #1) by H.M. Wolfe
  • Beast Becomes Her by Crystal Seitz
  • [ALC] Seek the Traitor’s Son (The Burning Empire #1) by Veronica Roth
  • Into a Golden Era (Timeless #7) by Gabrielle Meyer
  • [ARC] Magic at Midnight by Courtney Millecam
  • Honey in Her Veins by Ruth McKell
  • [ARC] Rival Season (Hockey Boys of Loft 3B #2) by Rival Season
  • Release Me (Shatter Me: The New Republic #2) by Tahereh Mafi
  • [ARC] Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights by Celeste Dador
  • The Sea Spinner (Reign of Remnants #2) by Julie Johnson
  • Smoke in the Mirrors (Slanted London #2) by Jessica Scarlett
  • [ARC/ALC] Rebel Heiress (The Diamonds #3) by Amalie Howard
  • Annie Knows Everything by Rachel Wood
  • [Reread] Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J. Maas
  • [ARC] Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes by Shelbey Kendall
  • Beneath the Wreckage (Wrecked #5) by Catherine Cowles
  • [ARC] Every Beat After by Sara B. Larson
  • The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
  • An Honorable Love (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Audra Wells
  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
  • [ARC/ALC] Shadow Reaper (Shadow Reaper #1) by Lynette Noni
  • Unsteady (The Undone #1) by Peyton Corinne
  • Cross Court (The Off Court #2) by Vai Denton
  • His Face is the Sun (Throne of Khetara #1) by Michelle Jabes Corpora
  • [ARC/ALC] Hard to Love (The Lost Girls #1) by Stacy Williams
  • [Novella] S’more of You (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Tessa Bailey
  • [Novella] Girls Just Wanna Have Sun (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Rachel Lacey
  • [Novella] One Hot Summer Wedding (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Falon Ballard
  • [Novella] Save a Horse, Keep a Cowboy (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Jessica Peterson
  • [Novella] Summer Staycation (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
  • [Novella] Summer Thaw (Summer Lovin’ Collection) by Rebecca Jenshak
  • The Gravewood (The Gravewood #1) by Kelly Andrew
  • [Reread] Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) by Sarah J. Maas
  • Fever Dream (Emerald Lake #1) by Elsie Silver
  • Made for Mayhem (Mayhem Hockey Club #2) by Aimee Vance
  • The Roommate Rule by Georgie Stone
  • Fury Bound (The Wolves of Ruin #2) by Sable Sorensen
  • [ARC] Hopeless Necromantic (The Catseye Chronicles #1) by Shiloh Briar
  • Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

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Book Review: Enchanted Kingdom (The Enchanted Kingdom #1) by Tricia Wentworth

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 434 pages
Author: Tricia Wentworth
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: October 22nd, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Some women in Wylan had dreamt of this day. Some pined and planned for it their entire lives.

Chosen for the Assemblages of Consorts, Jorah Demir will have the opportunity to vie for the twin crown princes’ affections. Though no one knows which prince will eventually rule, they are two of the most powerful Enchanted in all the kingdom.

Not only is a chance for a crown at stake, but also a small drop of the royal bloodline’s magic. Jorah isn’t interested in either. Both princes are Enchanted, the very type of people responsible for her father’s murder.

From the lowest level of the kingdom and without magic, she is forced to go above the walls of Wylan and into the castle itself. She only has one goal: to avoid the crown princes and not, under any circumstances, form an attachment with either one of them.

Surrounded by Enchanted at every turn, she soon learns not all are as evil as she assumed. And when the king’s magic doesn’t affect her, everything Jorah thought she knew is called into question

PREDICTABLE.

And while that’s not always a bad thing I don’t think I’m the audience for this book. I’ve read a lot of fantasy books and this didn’t give me anything new to hold on to. From the first chapter I could tell you where things were going and the romance and characters didn’t bring the swoon I wanted.

Now granted I will say that it is a series so I fully expect some of those aspects to change. But I’m tired of pushing to a second book when I didn’t feel fully invested by the end of book one and that’s the case here. There will be plenty of people who will enjoy this one.

I am not that person.

Overall audience notes:

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

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