the beasts we raise – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy Romance
Length: 288 pages
Author: D.L. Taylor
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: February 24th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Marry her enemy. Save her realm. Forsake her heart. The heart-shattering conclusion to this dark romantasy duology is perfect for fans of Adrienne Young, Tricia Levenseller, and Brigid Kemmerer.

Newly-appointed Prime Mancella is desperate to keep the peace within her realm and within herself. Having recently acquired the power to physically split into separate versions of herself, her identity is beginning to fracture―along with her land, which is on the brink of war. The only semblance of normalcy in her life is her budding romance with thief-turned-confidant, Silver. . . at least until the mysterious Prime Reltas arrives at her doorstep asking, or rather demanding, her hand in marriage.

If Mance wants to avoid a fight that will devastate her realm, she’ll have to consider the proposal. Even if it destroys Silver. But Mance isn’t ready to give up just yet. Desperate to free herself from the betrothal, Mance must seek allyship from other Primes and learn to control her new magic. If she fails, her decision to refuse Reltas’s proposal will implode the delicate state of affairs across the realms, setting off a catastrophic war―and shatter two hearts in the process.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

DISENGAGED.

That’s the best way to describe this book. I genuinely enjoyed book one and think if that had been extended in just a few ways this would have been a great standalone. This second installment (it’s a duology) chose a plot angle that kind of took away from the romance and original larger story that I started losing focus even though it’s a short book.

I liked the dynamic between Mance and Silver a lot. It’s black cat x golden retriever that plays well off of each other. The audiobook narrators did a good job bringing them to life. Aaaand I think that’s it. This one just doesn’t stick well.

I’d be curious to see what this author writes next!

Overall audience notes: