Tag: fantasy romance

ARC Book Review: Ship of Spells by H. Leighton Dickson

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Rating: ★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: H. Leighton Dickson
Publisher: Red Tower Books
Release Date: November 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A war-scarred mage. A sentient ship. A secret that could drown empires.

When Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn is rescued from the wreckage of her first naval post, she expects death or disgrace. Instead, she wakes aboard the Touchstone, a mythic vessel whispered of in dockside ballads and royal war rooms alike. With a crew of misfits. A mysterious, elven captain. And a mission tied to the Dreadwall, the crumbling barrier that has kept the Overland and Nethersea from open war for a hundred years.

But the tragedy that sank her last ship didn’t just take lives—it left something behind.

Now Renn carries a secret everyone wants. A magik that’s chimeric, arcane…and slowly killing her. But the captain’s mission may be her only chance to survive, even if he still doesn’t trust her.

Caught between privateers, princes, and spies, Renn knows each choice could sink her future—or set the sea on fire.

Ship of Spells is perfect for readers who crave the raw grit of Arya Stark, the world-building of Samantha Shannon, and the slow-burn tension of enemies who should never trust or want each other.

Thank you to Red Tower Books and Kaye Publicity for the gifted ARC.

PLEASE DON’T.

I honestly don’t even want to write this review but I’m going to mention some of the issues I had with this book and why I took one for the team and I’m going to need you to go read a different romantasy.

The biggest notable complaint was the unexplainable world building. So much so that I still can’t tell you what the FMC looks like. Was I ever told? I’M NOT SURE. There were also made up words and phrases/dialogue that I believe were elements to the world building but with the lack of explanation I was confused from the first chapter (and my husband even read a few chapters and was like, what is going on????).

This “enemies to lovers” might be one of the worst I’ve come across and not for one second did I think these two had chemistry.

I’m still at a loss for what was the true point of the plot. I don’t know what message it was trying to convey or where the FMC was supposed to go on her journey.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy romance
  • Language: mild+
  • Romance: 1 cringey open door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Every Spiral of Fate (This Woven Kingdom #4) by Tahereh Mafi

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: Storytide
Release Date: September 30th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

At long last, the wedding day has arrived.

The Jinn queen and the enigmatic ruler of Tulan are to be married in a magical, enchanted ceremony—but Cyrus, tethered by a blood oath to his bride-to-be, can find nothing to celebrate in this union. He’s falling ever more deeply in love with the one person oathbound to kill him.

Sworn to an ancient, unbreakable magic, Alizeh can only fulfill the prophecy to free her people by ensuring Cyrus dies by her own hand. And Cyrus is forced to await his end all while Prince Kamran inches closer, ready to take his place by Alizeh’s side. 

The countdown to murder coils tensions ever tighter, but the historic wedding has already drawn deadly attention. To prepare for war and protect her people, Alizeh must finally discover her magic—and outrun the enemies trying to stop her.

Alizeh and Cyrus, along with Kamran and their friends from Ardunia, must flee on dragon-back to begin the perilous journey into the legendary mountains of Arya, where a firestorm of revelations, magical discoveries, and fresh allies awaits them. Every allegiance will be tested, every darkness uncovered, and when the shattering secrets of the Tulanian king are finally revealed . . .

Nothing, and no one, will be the same.

Desperate confessions, impossible decisions, unfathomable magical power—and a love so devastating it rewrites destinies—Every Spiral of Fate is the shimmering, breathtaking fourth volume in a saga that continues to transcend expectations.

Thank you Epic Reads for the gifted copy.

I’M HERE FOR IT.

This series might have been a bit up and down for me (and I’m still firmly a Shatter Me girlie) BUT I am liking these books and look forward to the conclusion.

I liked that this hit some world building notes I was looking for and I will say the last 30% or so really grabbed my attention. I love wild and chaotic cliff hanger based endings and this delivered on all fronts.

I do think it was missing some romantic aspects. While I love and appreciate a genuine slow burn this needed just a little more heat to showcase the relationship. [Of which I’m not saying who’s with who because I think that could be a spoiler if you’re reading this review without knowing the other books.]

The set-up for what [I think] is the finale is awesome. I love these characters and all of the banter and politicking, the dragons and magic. It’s a truly solid series so far.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Fantasy Romance
  • Languge: mild+
  • Romance: heated kisses
  • Violence: mild – moderate

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Book Review: The Temptation of Magic (Empyreal #1) by Megan Scott

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Megan Scott
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: August 27th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nicole Palmer has needed to study the supernatural art in a local Cornish manor for years. Encoded in it is the last message from her mother on how to stay safe from The Wake—the organization that governs all supernaturals. As an Empyreal, Nicole has the ability to hunt and kill dangerous creatures, making her invaluable. But if her power was ever triggered, they would find her, use her, and then kill her.

Like they did her mother.

Securing an undergraduate research role to study the collection, Nicole discovers her greatest enemy—one of The Wake’s Empyreals. Kyan McCarter is their best hunter, stationed at the manor to track and kill a deadly creature, but when they realise a painting’s been stolen by his prey, Nicole and Kyan are forced to work together to find it.

As the creature threatens to expose Nicole’s power, her tenuous alliance with Kyan threatens her heart. If Kyan finds out what she is, he’ll hunt her next—or risk execution. No one disobeys The Wake and survives. Especially not when the art they’re seeking holds the key to a conspiracy that could get them both killed, and change the lives of creatures, and humans, forever.

SERPENT AND DOVE meets A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, in this luxurious, forbidden romance.

NEVER FULLY ENGAGED.

I kept waiting for this book to really GRAB me and the further I got into the audiobook the more I realized, I just didn’t care. There was nothing inherently wrong with the plot, I thought the characters were fine, but it was missing something that I could not nail down yet desperately needed.

The romance left me wanting too. I had heard that there was a fated mates trope in here (which I love, but lets me down too often) and the let down was more present here. It was fine. Though, FYI, this is NOT young adult — it seems tagged that way on Goodreads — it’s NA for the sexual content, but more YA in writing style.

And while I loved the dark academia x monster fae concept, I am realizing I was still confused by the magic and world building. There were a lot of crisscrossing names and terms that I got lost in the shuffle.

I’m not sure I’ll continue the series.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Dark Acadamia/Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: innuendo, vague open door
  • Violence: moderate – high
  • Content Warnings: blood/gore, murder, weapons and magic altercations

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Book Review: Deadwood (Secrets of Serpentine #1) by Karley Brenna

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 540 pages
Author: Karley Brenna
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: May 1st, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Auria Tenere has spent her life locked away in the castle she calls home and forced to serve her father, the king of Amosite. Clinging to bedtime stories of extinct fae and dragons in hiding, she believes there’s no hope of ever leaving the confines of the palace. That is, until her father arranges for her to be married to a stranger.
After being able to leave the chasm for the first time in her life with her betrothed, Auria’s group is soon attacked, leaving them no choice but to find shelter in the nearest town. But Deadwood isn’t all that it seems, and the tales she once thought were simply bedtime stories turn out to be more real than she ever could’ve imagined.
Faced with the lies she has been told her whole life, Auria is determined to unravel the secrets being kept by those in this outlaw town. Including those of the closed-off man she isn’t certain she should let close—the one man her father seems scared of. From the moment she set foot in town, he’s had his sights set on her, and Auria wants to know why. But soon, being stranded with him isn’t her only problem. Not when the king decides he wants his daughter back, no matter the cost.

OH BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS.

From my understanding, this was the author’s first fantasy book and…you could tell. I am sitting here trying to figure out what any part of this world looked like and I can’t tell you one thing. And it was *supposed* to have this wild west setting (of which is why I picked it up) but alas, the most I got was a few card games gone wrong. DON’T EVEN get me started on the magic system because that made no sense either.

And I’m all for a FMC who needs some space to grow and change over a series, but this gave me no hints at those changes even by the end. Auria was still naive, still couldn’t handle a weapon, and was still a damsel in distress on repeat. I wanted her to do one thing JUST ONE TIME.

I didn’t mind the romance with [redacted for spoilers]. It didn’t have the flair I was expecting, yet it kind of worked? I liked that there were POV chapters from his perspective at least.

It truly wasn’t like I hated this book, it went up and down for me. By the time the conclusion came though, I didn’t feel invested enough to read book two.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: 1-2ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings; attempted murder, attempted sexual assault, death, creature attacks

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