Tag: fantasy romance

Book Review: Lore of the Wilds (Lore of the Wilds #1) by Analeigh Sbrana

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 339 pages
Author: Analeigh Sbrana
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A stunning Romantasy debut about an enchanted library, two handsome Fae, and one human who brings them all together.

A library with a deadly enchantment.

A Fae lord who wants in.

A human woman willing to risk it all for a taste of power.

In a land ruled by ruthless Fae, twenty-one-year-old Lore Alemeyu’s village is trapped in a forested prison. Lore knows that any escape attempt is futile—her scars are a testament to her past failures. But when her village is threatened, Lore makes a desperate deal with a Fae lord. She will leave her home to catalog/organize an enchanted library that hasn’t been touched in a thousand years. No Fae may enter the library, but there is a chance a human might be able to breach the cursed doors.

She convinces him that she will risk her life for wealth, but really she’s after the one thing the Fae covet above all: magic of her own.

As Lore navigates the hostile world outside, she’s forced to rely on two Fae males to survive. Two very different, very dangerous, very attractive Fae males. When undeniable chemistry ignites, she’s not just in danger of losing her life, but her heart to the very creatures she can never trust.

I LIKED IT.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting getting a chance to read this one. And it turned out pretty good. I’m excited to read the second book and see how the journey continues.

I enjoyed Lore a lot. She’s filled with strength and a sense of self I love to see. I liked her perseverance to accomplishing her tasks and figuring out ways to subvert the situation she had been forced into. I want to see those aspects grow even more as this series (or is it just a duology??) continue.

The romance is a bit meh. Things go from 0-100 quickly and I would have loved to have seen more development between Lore and Asher. There was initially a nice slow burn that I enjoyed. And then the love triangle was added in. I’m not mad about it though because when do I ever go for the first guy??

For the ending, I found it predictable based off of the fact that I’ve read multiple love triangles that essentially had the same scenario. It didn’t turn me off of the book but I didn’t have any jaw dropping moments either.

I loved the audio and recommend that format!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 1-2 open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Of Song and Darkness by Jessica Spruill

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance Retelling
Length: 297 pages
Author: Jessica Spruill
Publisher: Night Pirate Publishing
Release Date: June 3rd, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Poseidon has fallen. The world won’t be far behind. Unless she can stop the rising darkness.

The world beneath the waves is in chaos.

Without Poseidon to hold it at bay, Dark Water is slowly spreading, devouring anything it touches. Even the mighty King Manta has given up hope.

But his daughter hasn’t. Rhea, the siren princess of Aquarius, will do anything to save her world. Even if it means hunting down the mythical Medusa—and partnering with a notorious pirate captain.

Blackheart Kai has more dangerous secrets than Rhea can fathom. He’d rather kill her than help her save her people. She knows he can’t be trusted. But knowing that doesn’t stop her from needing him…or wanting him.

With the survival of the seven seas hanging in the balance, can Rhea and Kai overcome their hatred and work together when it matters most? Or are they destined to share Poseidon’s dark fate?

ENDED AS A MISS.

Alright, I had some high hopes for this one based off of friends reviews and the fact that it’s a closed door adult fantasy (I’m always on the search for good books in this category!). And this book was not BAD, but it missed the mark and took me out of the story enough that I was a bit disappointed by the end.

I thought I was reading a full fantasy book and in my mind that means the world building is completely made up. This book referenced real world continents and locations that took me out of the story when everything else was fantasy. I also thought the romance was too fast for me (as is my struggle with standalone romantasy).

The little mermaid retelling + a handsome pirate idea was great though. I did like that idea and most of the execution worked well. There were some good banter moments and a few tropes I enjoyed seeing. I thought the writing style worked well enough for me, I’m just undecided if I will pick up another book from this author.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance Retelling
  • Language: none (maybe low)
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Fearless (The Powerless Trilogy #3) by Lauren Roberts

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 608 pages
Author: Lauren Roberts
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: April 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Paedyn and Kai are reunited but face a terrible decision in this thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling romantic fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and The Red Queen.

Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer return to the Kingdom of Ilya…

And Paedyn has a life-altering choice to make. Whatever she decides will determine her fate—and the fate of those around her—forever.

In the ultimate battle of love and loyalty, who wins?

Thank you to Simon Audio for the audiobook and Simon Teen for the gifted copy.

FANTASTIC CONCLUSION.

Where do I even begin?! I devoured this audiobook in two days (I had a long excursion one day so admittedly that helped) BUT ANYWAYS. I couldn’t put this book down!!! The audio production is amazing and really brings this book to a new level for me. I love listening to these characters.

I was a little worried about some plot points and different pieces but when I finished the book and realized the necessity of the decisions behind the journey, I felt more at peace with what went down.

The romance is once again a JOURNEY. The banter between Kai and Pae is still absolutely everything to me!!! And I might have to read this physically to highlight all of the moments between them. There’s sweet, and heat, and passion, and anger, and fear, and ALL THE EMOTIONS. I love all the emotions.

And I do think it wrapped up in the ways that made the most sense. I loved having a third POV (you’ll see!!!) because that story made me theorize HARD and when my theories were correct I was pleasantly shocked because I don’t think I’ve read that before and I love new to me things.

This book had a little bit of everything and is truly one of the most solid YA trilogies I’ve read in a hot minute. The conclusion I’ve been hoping for delivered.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: one closed door
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content warnings: loss of loved ones

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ARC Book Review: What Blooms From Death (What Blooms From Death #1) by S.M. Gaither

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Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 618 pages
Author: S.M. Gaither
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 17th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Princess Bellanova has spent years surviving on her own, forced to flee her palace in order to escape the curse that put the rest of her royal family into a death-like slumber and set their lands to rotting. After spending her exile honing her thievery skills alongside her innate necromancy powers, Nova has earned a reputation as one of the fiercest outlaws the kingdom has ever suffered.

But soon she’ll be the fiercest outlaw who ever died.

A death that will be on purpose.

For rumor has it that the true cause of her family’s demise—Luminor, the Blade of Light—is buried deep in the belly of the underworld. Stealing that blade back into the realm of the living will mean a chance at undoing the curses it left, restoring her family, her reputation, and her kingdom to life.

The only things standing in her way are the endless twists and turns of the underworld, its terrifying monsters, unpredictable magic…and Aleksander, the infamous Light King himself—keeper of the blade, and the one who wielded it on the night of her family’s ruin.

King Aleks has spent nearly a decade trapped in the underworld, a phantom of his former self, unable to truly die. When Nova crash lands into his purgatory—an inexplicably bright and lively being in a sea of endless dead things—he begins to dream of the world above for the first time in ages.

He needs her to get him back to that world above. She needs him to undo the curse. But as the two form a reluctant alliance that soon blooms into something dangerously deeper, they find themselves unraveling ancient magic and dark secrets that will have greater consequences than either of them could have ever imagined…

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

A GOOD STARTER.

I’ve continually enjoyed S.M. Gaither’s books over the years and this was no exception. I love the complicated world building that’s filled with so many layers that weave throughout that make this book feel epic. I loved the concepts brought up in WBFD and how that connected to the magic system. It led to some big reveals and I’m excited to see those unfold in future books.

I don’t know that I would call this enemies to lovers though. There wasn’t enough animosity for me to believe it, but I did think that Aleksander and Nova had solid chemistry. I would have loved even more on page time with them. By the end I was much more invested in their relationship and what the fallout is going to be in the sequel. And I just really enjoyed both characters on their own too (there were some Aleksander POV chapters and I am here for them all!!).

Brutal cliffhanger alert (my fav). S.M. Gaither doesn’t miss.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 4-5 open door
  • Violence: high

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