This was my first book by this author, and it definitely won’t be my last. What stood out to me most was the character work and emotional depth. Thraga in particular is such a compelling main character. Her OCD rituals and fixations felt incredibly real and thoughtfully written, and I loved how the author portrayed her mix different emotions. Watching her grow in confidence and start standing up for herself was so powerful. I also really loved Durlain as a love interest. He’s protective of his sister and of women in general, but in a way that’s empowering rather than controlling. He wants Thraga to see her own strength and calls out how she constantly underestimates herself and how Lark subtly kept her small. It was refreshing to see a “grumpy” MMC who also shows fear, vulnerability, and emotional depth. The worldbuilding and magic system were another highlight. Thraga’s rune magic feels unique and fascinating, especially how she combines runes for different effects. Durlain’s necromancy and the take on fire magic, needing warmth and being able to control volcanic energy, were super intriguing. The Nordic-inspired elements also gave the setting a really cool atmosphere. That said, the pacing felt a little slow in the early part of the book. Between their first meeting and reaching Durlain’s house, not much happened, and there wasn’t a lot of tension or yearning yet. It picked up later, though, and the push-and-pull between them became really engaging. By the end, the tension was great, the emotional stakes were high, and that cliffhanger and plot twist completely blew my mind. I’m so excited for book two. Overall, the characters, emotions, and magic system made this a really memorable read for me.

I’m super torn on The Knight and the Moth. I expected to love this because it has so many things I usually enjoy, but somehow it didn’t hit as hard as I expected. I think part of that might have been the writing. Rachel Gillig is clearly a talented writer, the prose is gorgeous and very lyrical, but it was also dense. As a non-native English speaker, I had to look up quite a few words in the beginning, and even though that got easier as I settled into the story, I think it made it harder for me to fully immerse myself. The writing is very elaborate and almost archaic at times, and I often felt like I had to work my way through the prose rather than simply get lost in the story.

Unfortunately, I also didn’t really feel the romance. I didn’t find much chemistry or tension between Sybil and Rory, and when they finally fell in love, it felt pretty rushed and underdeveloped. For a romantasy, I definitely wanted more from the romance.

I did enjoy the German names and words sprinkled throughout the book, especially Traum for the land, considering how important dreams and divination are to the story. I also noticed names like Bauer (farmer), Fischer (fisherman), and Eichel (acorn) being used for people from the respective hamlets, which was a fun little detail as a German speaker. I don’t think the connection will mean much to readers who don’t speak German, though, since the book doesn’t really explain the naming system or establish any German-inspired lore. It was also a little confusing that not all the names followed this pattern, which made me wonder what the point of using some German names was in the first place.

The pacing was another issue for me. It felt like not much happened for the first half of the book, but then the last 30–40% finally delivered all the plot twists and revelations I’d been waiting for. I liked everything that happened at the end, but I just wish we had gotten a little more of that momentum earlier.

This review sounds way more negative than I intended because I am still invested in the story, and clearly something worked because I’ll be picking up book two. I just don’t think this was quite the immersive, romantic fantasy experience I expected it to be.

Anyway, the gargoyle was by far the best character. He must be protected at all costs!

I absolutely loved this one. Another beautiful, emotional story by Jennifer Hartmann that completely broke my heart and put it back together again 😭 It explores love, trauma, grief, healing, and chasing your dreams, and it’s filled with so much angst. I genuinely wasn’t sure until the very end if they’d get their happy ending. The writing is just stunning. Her prose carries so much weight, with so much meaning between the lines, and I especially loved the lyrics and song snippets woven throughout. I honestly wish I could’ve heard them sing. I felt deeply connected to the characters, it really felt like I was right there with them the entire time. Annalise and Chase are two broken souls who go through so much, and watching their connection grow from the very first moment into something deeper was so special. The tension and yearning between them were intense and completely had me hooked. I also loved seeing Annalise’s growth, her learning to see her worth and go after what truly matters to her, with Chase supporting, encouraging, and challenging her along the way. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year so far 💛