Tag: urban fantasy

Book Review: Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: NA Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Kika Hatzopoulou
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: October 28th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the bestselling author of Threads that Bind and Hearts that Cut comes a brand-new compulsive romantasy about a girl obsessed with the dark and the shadowy magical prince she falls in love with, perfect for fans of Holly Black and Laini Taylor.

The dark has come alive . . .

Six years ago, vicious creatures began to crawl out of the dark crevices of the world, and with it Sascia’s fascination with the darkness was born. Now eighteen, that fascination has become an obsession, and while exploring an area known for its connection to the Darkworld, Sascia sees a person climb out of the darkness. But Nugau is no ordinary person, they’re a genderfluid elf prince with one mission . . . to kill Sascia.

Except, the second time they meet, Nugau is younger and doesn’t recognise Sascia. And the third time, Nugau stumbles out of the darkness with poison running through their veins, expressing their undying love for her.

Piecing together the puzzle, Sascia makes two shocking the timelines of her world and Nugau’s are not linear, and she is inexplicably enmeshed in a war between humanity and elves. But with their worlds at battle, is it worth fighting for each other . . . ?

I’M NOT QUITE SURE.

I wanted to love this one but I got lost in the humdrum of repetitive middle ground that left me trying to get to the end. I think there were some good themes and discussions woven in. But maybe it was trying too much? There was a LOT in here for a standalone. And maybe that’s why inconsistencies and my engagement level petered out.

The concept was unique, I will hands down give it that. I loved the idea of an alternate world in the dark. There’s enough time spent there that it doesn’t feel like a portal fantasy that skips back and forth. And this was my second book with a time loop in one week and I need something different.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Urban Fantasy
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: mild

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Book Review: The Enemy of the Book Keeper (The Secret of the Book Keeper #2) by J.A. Hemingway

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Urban Fantasy
Length: 410 pages
Author: J.A. Hemingway
Publisher: Glenthorne Press, LLC
Release Date: June 9th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Stories are disappearing… and Theo may be the only one who can stop it.

After his fantastical and dangerous encounter with the magical town of Bridgingdale, Theo is left reeling from all he has learned about Leyna, the Book Keeper, and her ancient calling to mend tears between the literary world and reality.

When characters begin to fade from the pages of beloved classics, Theo knows something is terribly wrong. Desperate to warn Leyna, he must find his way back to her one more time. However, the only person who can help him is the one person he swore never to trust.

As the line between fiction and reality begins to unravel, even the most treasured books hold secrets. And when worlds collide, the damage may just be irreparable…

The Much-Anticipated Sequel to The Secret of the Book Keeper brings a fresh mystery in the magical world of the Book Keeper!

Thank you to the author for the gifted copy.

GOOD FINALE.

J.A. Hemingway genuinely writes incredibly well. It’s a well crafted story that does a good job of providing a tale to get lost in. I love that it’s a true young adult novel and one that can easily be handed to a teen. Theo is an endearing MMC who you want to cheer for and is a relatable 20ish year old. While the characters are college aged I think this can be enjoyed by younger and older audiences.

I liked the way this book developed. There’s good themes of forgiveness and acknowledging mistakes. The character development was top notch. The books within books was a fun plot device that added a magical element. I thought the reveals were good and the magic system made sense with realistic boundaries. There’s a soft background romance that’s heartfelt too. I just loved all of these characters.

The ending brought everything together beautifully and wrapped up the story in a very satisfying way. I loved where everyone ended up and I think there’s potential to follow a character on another adventure!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Urban Fantasy
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: physical altercations, loss of loved ones (recounted)

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ARC/ALC Book Review: All’s Fae in Love and War by Lee Nichols

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 371 pages
Author: Lee Nichols
Publisher: Second Sky
Release Date: May 28th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Pandora Voss has one last summer to unlock her powers—or lose all memory of magic forever.

No pressure.

Pandora returns to her enchanted hometown in Maine to nurture the magic she knows must be inside her. Time is running out, and the last thing she needs is a distraction…

Which makes the return of her high-school heartbreak, Leo Carter, deeply inconvenient.

The handsome antiquarian bookseller has come back to the island in search of a rare book. Leo still has that warm, devastating smile that sets pulses racing wherever he goes… Not that Pandora has noticed because she is absolutely, completely over him.

But when an unexpected encounter at Leo’s family boathouse ends in a wildly sexy kiss, Pandora’s plans are blown apart. Andwhen she’s “volunteered” to work with him at the library the next day, the tension between them unleashes a spell that goes spectacularly wrong.

As enchantments wreak havoc across the island, Pandora and Leo team up to save the town. Racing to contain fairytale creatures and dodging unresolved feelings, Pandora must decide what’s more untamed magic… or falling for Leo all over again.

With magical mayhem, spicy romance, and laugh-out-loud humor, All’s Fae in Love and War is the first book in a trilogy that’s perfect for fans of fantasy rom-coms like The Ex Hex and Rewitched.

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy.

DID NOT WORK.

On soooo many levels. And honestly I am convinced these two don’t even make it past the last page. That’s how this romance felt.

🎧: One of the few positives was that the audiobook was good and easy to listen to. There’s two narrators for the two POV’s and they do a good job.

I didn’t love that it was written from the perspective of a diary for only Pen’s POV? It came across as breaking the fourth wall rather than an epistolary style story. The romance was just Pen and Carter finding and making up over and over again. And over the same thing. The spice between them was cringey and just didn’t fit the tone of the novel.

There were some things that felt whimsical? Though none of the humor felt humorous. Overall the book felt stale and lackluster. I won’t be continuing the series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 2ish open door
  • Violence: moderate

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ARC/ALC Book Review: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Portal Fantasy
Length: 480 pages
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: March 31st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A page-turning, unforgettable fantasy set in a city peopled with ruffians, spies, malcontents and murderers. Experience out-of-this world adventure and dangerous politics as Maggie tries to survive waking up in her favourite fictional world.

A heart-pounding epic from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren. It’s a city she knows intimately from the pages of a famously unfinished dark fantasy series – one she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading, while waiting years for the final novel.

Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic and mayhem? Her encyclopaedic knowledge of the plot, the setting and the characters’ ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she’s coming to love – a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to return home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes – and attentions – of duelling princes, dukes and villains. This all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the ending she’s seen on the a cataclysmic war.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse writing duo Ilona Andrews. For fans of Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen and isekai portal fantasy.

Thank you Tor Books for the gifted ARC.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED.

This is my VERY FIRST Ilona Andrews book (and I only just learned they are a writing duo too). And I gotta say…I think I was expecting somethign different? Something that felt sweeping and all consuming and I don’t know if this is just this is just a specific book issue or across the board concern. Someone tell me if there’s a different book I should try instead?

The romance actually felt further back in the plot line than I was hoping for. And that would have been fine if I thought the plot was standing strong enough on its own. I feel like not enough was tackled and it could have been shorter.

I realized that I also don’t love fantasy books with this particular setup. I have totally liked portal fantasy before but with the added element of Maggie ending up within her favorite book series, it didn’t work for me. I didn’t like that she knew what was going to happen all of the time (even when that started to change).

I’m somewhat curious about reading book two? I did think the audiobook narration was good. No complaints there. I don’t necessarily feel like I struggled to get through this but it was missing some key elements that would have ranked higher for me. I did like the interactions between Maggie and the love interest and wanted even more. I loved that it was a slow burn at least.

Overall audience notes:

  • Portal fantasy
  • Language: mild+
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Content warnings: mentions of assault, child abuse, ser!al killer, torture, captivity

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