h. leighton dickson – GoodeyReads

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: