This ended up being a mixed experience for me. It was an easy, quick read and I didn’t struggle to get through it, but it never quite lived up to what I expected. The writing felt a bit underdeveloped at times, with repeated phrasing and not enough depth in certain areas, which made it harder to fully immerse myself.

The story started strong and pulled me in early on, but somewhere around the middle it shifted and lost some of that momentum. A major reveal came quite suddenly and didn’t feel properly built up, which made it less impactful than it could have been. There were also elements that seemed introduced and then dropped for long stretches, only to return later without much progression.

That said, I did enjoy the dynamic between the main characters. Their tension and slow build kept me invested, even when the pacing frustrated me. The MMC had a compelling presence, and their relationship had some emotional moments that worked well. I just wish the romance had a bit more payoff and that the spice wasn’t so minimal.

Overall, it’s not a bad standalone and works well as a light palate cleanser, but it lacks the polish and consistency to make it truly memorable.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a physical ARC 🫶🏻

Quote: “Hurt and grief are not the price of love; they are the testaments to its strengths.”

I went into this expecting to love it. A story built around the God of War and the Goddess of Love with an enemies to lovers dynamic has so much potential, especially in a Greek mythology setting.

While I can see why this will appeal to a lot of readers, it didn’t fully land for me. The writing is polished and easy to read, but it leans more toward a romance set in a mythological world rather than a deeper retelling. The pacing felt uneven, and I found myself losing interest when the focus shifted away from the main relationship.

The mythology changes are interesting but not explored in much depth, and the gods feel very human, which takes away some of their impact. That said, I think this will work well for readers who prefer character driven romantasy over traditional myth retellings.

Overall, a solid read with clear appeal, just not quite what I was hoping for.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this eARC.

Quote: “I’ll find you. In the soil. In the roots. I’ll bloom beside you in this lifetime or the next. This isn’t our end–wild things always grow back.”

Wench is essentially a Robin Hood retelling but focused on Maid Marian and is a fae x mortal trope. This alone before anything else, made me want to read it. And, this story did not disappoint.

This story has a lot of typical tropes that romantasy readers will enjoy. I thought they were done well albeit easy to guess BUT I loved the lore, the elemental magic, the banter and found family so much that I simply did not care if it was predictable.

The MFC Marian is a lord’s daughter and she’s being forced into a marriage with the Sheriff who is cruel and abusive. Marian longs to be free and run wild within the Sherwood Forest. On her wedding day, her carriage is intercepted by the Merry Men who take capture her and take her deep into the forest - to ‘Robin Hood’ aka Lox, who is the forest’s fae guardian to await her fate by him along with the fae council.

I did find Marian a little bit annoying for a while - she was stubborn and held tightly onto her ignorance of the fae. But I think this only made her character development all the more better as the story progressed. Of course, Marian discovers herself in the moments of learning the fae ways and sees that they’re not all cruel and dangerous as she’s been led to believe.

I loved Lox the minute we met him - he’s your typical brooding and dangerous fae MMC… but with antlers 😏 he is in charge of trying to save the forest from the humans who are trying to mine the forest and destroy it. So he equally has a huge dislike of humans, feeling that they are there only to destroy and harm the fae.

I thought the found family element with the ‘Merry Men’ was SO GOOD. I loved Allen most because he was so cheeky and brought a lot of humour to the story.

Overall this was a fantastic read. I don’t know if it’s a stand alone or not, it was left kinda open-ish. I hope there might be a next book though as I’d love to return to Sherwood Forest!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻

Quote: “For all those with scarred hearts and bruised minds; because invisible wounds cut deepest.”

I really wanted to love The Last Starborn Seer, but in the end it just wasn’t quite for me. While it’s a solid debut with a lot of thought clearly put into the world and lore, I struggled to fully engage with both the story and the characters.

The plot centres around Leilani, the king’s daughter, whose bloodline holds powerful prophetic abilities that could alter the fate of the world. An arranged marriage complicates her journey, and from there the story leans heavily into classic epic fantasy territory. There’s a strong focus on world-building, magic, and a group of characters on a larger mission, which will definitely appeal to some readers.

For me, though, the sheer amount of names and terminology made it hard to stay immersed. Almost everything had a unique or unusual name, and I found myself getting distracted trying to keep track of it all. As a result, I never fully connected with the characters, which made the emotional stakes fall a little flat.

I also found the writing style quite restrained. At times it felt a bit flat or overly serious, and I caught myself skimming sections rather than being completely absorbed. The multiple points of view didn’t add much for me either, and I wasn’t always sure what purpose they were serving.

That said, I can absolutely see this working for readers who enjoy detailed, complex fantasy worlds and slower-paced storytelling. Sadly, despite appreciating the ambition behind it, this one just didn’t suit my personal tastes.

Quote: “I love her, I love her, and it’s the most idiotic, suicidal thing I’ve ever done in the entire thousand years of my existence. And I would rather let the world burn than lose her.”

This ended up being way darker than I expected, with a brutal world and strong worldbuilding that honestly carried the book for me. The plot had me hooked, even if the pacing dipped once the romance took over. I would’ve happily swapped some spice for more story.

The enemies-to-lovers follows Bryony, a princess who keeps dying and coming back, and Evander, the god sent to finally end her. Their dynamic surprised me. It’s tense at first, but watching them slowly see each other as people instead of enemies really worked. Evander pretending he wasn’t obsessed while absolutely being obsessed was elite.

I was worried the romance might be toxic, but it wasn’t. Both characters are emotionally wrecked, yet their relationship develops in a surprisingly balanced way, with proper character growth on both sides.

I also loved the way the book plays with history and perspective, especially how gods and humans remember the same war differently. It added depth without trying to magically fix everything.

Not quite a five-star read for me. Some spicy scenes broke the flow and the writing occasionally felt too modern, but I’m invested enough to keep going with the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC 🫶🏻

This one had a lot of interesting ideas, but it didn’t fully land for me. The worldbuilding is quite heavy from the start, with lots of new places, terms, and names introduced quickly. Because of that I sometimes found it difficult to keep track of how everything fit together, and there were moments where I felt a bit lost. A map or glossary would have made a big difference.

The story takes place in the city of Onyxia, where illness is spreading and certain people known as Dreamers can shape reality through their imagination. It’s a really intriguing concept, especially with the darker presence of nightmares tied into the magic. The magic system itself felt creative and was one of the parts I enjoyed most.

The narrative follows several POVs, which I liked as it allowed the reader to see the same city and events from different emotional perspectives. There’s also a touch of romance running through the story that adds a bit of warmth without taking over the plot.

Despite the strong ideas and clear stakes for the characters, the plot sometimes felt a little difficult to follow for me, partly because of how much information is introduced early on. I wasn’t always sure where the story was heading or how far beyond the city the overall scope was meant to go.

Overall, it’s a fantasy with some imaginative elements and moments of intrigue, but it didn’t come together quite as well as I hoped. I think readers who enjoy very layered, complex worlds will probably appreciate it more than I did.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC 🫶🏻

Overall this landed around a 3 star read for me. I enjoyed the fantasy elements and the dragon aspect was easily my favourite part of the story. The bond with the dragon actually felt more meaningful than any other relationship in the book.

The pacing was a bit inconsistent. Some scenes felt rushed while others dragged on, and there was a fair amount of repetition that slowed the story down. I also struggled with Embryn’s character at times as she came across quite immature and some of her development didn’t feel fully convincing.

I also wouldn’t personally classify this as romantasy. There are hints at a connection, but the romance never really develops in this book and like some other reviewers, I found it a little awkward.

That said, the premise is really interesting and the idea of a dragon obsessed maid is such a fun concept. Even with my issues I still read it quickly because I wanted to know what would happen next, so I may still continue the series.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for this eARC 🫶🏻

This was a quick read with a dark, eerie atmosphere that I did enjoy at times. Dorothy was a fairly likeable main character, although I struggled to connect with most of the other characters in the story.

The pacing felt quite fast, especially when it came to the romantic element. It appeared fairly suddenly and felt more like immediate attraction than something that developed naturally, so I never became very invested in that part of the story.

I also found the world building a little overwhelming. Many places and characters were introduced quite quickly without much explanation, which made it harder to fully settle into the setting and understand the wider significance of everything.

The opening did hook me initially though. Dorothy arriving in Oz had a familiar feel but with a slightly modern tone that I thought was good.

The ending clearly sets things up for what comes next. While I had already guessed the twist fairly early on, I still found the conclusion interesting and would be curious to see how the sequel develops the story. Overall it didn’t completely land for me, but I can see it working well for other readers.

Quote: “She was my ending, my beginning. My favorite story for the rest of eternity.”

Wow. Kerri has knocked it out the park with this one. I was not prepared to love Prince Sloth as much as I did… I dare say, more than Prince Envy (Wrath still being no.1) 😮‍💨

The Seven Circles (each ruled by one demon prince who represent the deadly sins) is one of my favourite places to read about so I was thrilled to return and this time, to delve into Prince Sloth (we’ve had Wrath, Envy and Gluttony thus far).

This story is the epitome of the grumpy vs sunshine trope and I ATE that up. Our fierce sunny optimist is Lore - she’s just like us in the booksta world. Obsessed with books - she’s a librarian and she’s a hopeless romantic who loves morally grey book boyfriends. She’s a daydreamer, full of life and seeking adventure.

Sure enough, adventure comes when Lore is unexpectedly transported to a world called Somnia which is ruled by the imprisoned Goddess of Night, where nightmares are brought to life by the Book of Nightmares - something Prince Sloth is seeking.

So, also transported to Somnia is Prince Sloth and much to his dismay, he discovers that he needs Lore in order to find the book to help them both escape. Their dynamic was soooo good because Lore’s chaotic energy disrupts Sloth’s carefully controlled nature, while his steady patience grounds her impulsiveness, creating a balance of strategist versus spark.

By the end I was completely swept up in their story. The romance, the atmosphere of Somnia and the glimpses we get of Sloth beneath his calm exterior made this such a memorable read.