Tag: harper voyager

Book Review: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Historical Fantasy
Length: 560 pages
Author: R.F. Kuang
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: August 26th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two graduate students must set aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.

Alice Law has only ever had one goal: to become one of the brightest minds in the field of Magick. She has sacrificed everything to make that a reality—her pride, her health, her love life, and most definitely her sanity. All to work with Professor Jacob Grimes at Cambridge, the greatest magician in the world—that is, until he dies in a magical accident that could possibly be her fault.

Grimes is now in Hell, and she’s going in after him. Because his recommendation could hold her very future in his now incorporeal hands, and even death is not going to stop the pursuit of her dreams. Nor will the fact that her rival, Peter Murdoch, has come to the same conclusion.

NEW FAV.

I am quite confident this is my new favorite book from R.F. Kuang. The longer I listened the more entranced I became and I was enthralled by the whole story. And y’all know my romance loving heart loved that this had a HEA soft romance woven in!! I genuinely think it added to the story and showed off these characters in a new light. I loved that contrast to them diving into the depths of hell.

I found the story very intriguing. I loved the concept of traveling through Hell and seeing how that world was set-up. The different characters and situations Alice and Peter kept running into kept me glued to my headphones (loved the audiobook too).

The themes tackled in here were written incredibly well. It makes you ponder many different topics and I found multiple sentiments hit home. The only thing I wasn’t too sure on was why it was worth following Grimes. They leads did learn a lot along the way but the initial premise with Grimes didn’t feel as solid as it should.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical fiction fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses; light innuendo
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: animal cruelty, misogyny, su!cidal thoughts, chronic illness (Crohn’s Disease), sexual harassment, injury and near death experiences, classism, gaslighting

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Book Review: The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: Cait Jacobs
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: October 14th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A princess desperate to win back the prince who broke her heart follows him to his kingdom’s prestigious military academy—and in doing so, falls in love, saves the realm, and continues to look fabulous in this delightful debut fantasy.

Domhnall and Clía are an ideal match—or so everyone says. They are prince and princess of neighboring kingdoms. An alliance the gods will smile on. Until Domhnall ruins everything by refusing to propose.

Heartbroken but determined, Clía makes the perfect plan: Follow Domhnall to Caisleán Cósta, the military academy he’s attending. Show she can protect her kingdom. Secure the betrothal. Sure, the castle has a brutal reputation. But how hard can dueling really be?

Warrior Ronan promised himself he’d never lose his focus. He fought and sacrificed for his place at Caisleán Cósta, and he has no time for blonde princesses who waltz intro arenas like they’re attending a ball. Even if she and her otter-like pet are…well, cute.

He doesn’t want to be intrigued by Clía. But her hunger to prove herself is something he understands. He tells himself there’s no harm training her. Even if his heart does race around her. Even if Domhnall is his best friend.

But as they say, love is a battlefield—and unfortunately for them all, a very real war is looming on the horizon. It’s a fight that will threaten all their kingdoms…and test all their hearts. 

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the gifted copy.

IT’S GOT SOME CHARM.

I will say the best part of this book was noticing all of the Legally Blonde moments woven into a fantasy setting. I thought that concept worked out really well here and was fun to see.

Where it kind of let me down was the length. It just felt long. And I think some of the pacing could have been tightened up (or more romance added in) and the balance would have been a bit more even. I liked Clia well enough and that she really put herself into a new atmosphere and learned a lot.

I would have loved more swoon with Ronan. They had a sweet friends to lovers dynamic that needed some oomph.

It was a good debut though. I would read another book from this author!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate

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Book Review: Lore of the Tides (Lore of the Wilds Duology #2) by Analeigh Sbrana

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 454 pages
Author: Analeigh Sbrana
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release Date: July 8th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the author of Lore of the Wilds comes the exciting and passionate conclusion, as Lore navigates Fae magic amid looming dangers that threaten to destroy her world.

Lore Alemeyu wakes up to discover she’s on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Held prisoner and with no way to escape, she’s faced with a dire set of circumstances…

A crew that’s distrustful of Lore’s magic capabilities…

Her betrayal by a Fae she thought she could trust…

A dangerous quest for the sun book, which, if placed in the wrong hands, will make the Alytherian Fae even more powerful.

Lore must navigate threats on the ship and beyond, into the ocean’s magical and mysterious depths, in order to find the sun book herself and help free the humans. All the while, Lore can’t help but feel the intense pull of one Fae male who has been helping her all along. But is she willing to risk her human heart for creatures that have burned her in the past, and jeopardize her people’s future?

Thank you Harper Voyager for the gifted copy.

ONE GIANT SIDE QUEST.

I desperately wanted to love this more than book one but feel about the same for both books. What’s funny is the least frustrating piece of this was the love triangle. I actually didn’t mind it (did it go the way I want???? Well IYKYK) but I at least could see the thought process and enduring relationship between Lore and who she ends up with.

The book started off well but then when they went below the waves it began to feel like a side quest. As if the original plot line wasn’t strong enough to carry all of book two so adding in this tangent was supposed to fill in some gaps and all it did was add space for spicy scenes.

I did enjoy the audiobook a lot and there were some endearing scenes and moments. I would read another book by this author. I’m kind of hoping a fresh series will be the click for me.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4+ open door
  • Violence: high

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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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