romantasy – takes two to book review

Review: The Enemy’s Daughter by Melissa Poet

May 6, 2025April 26, 2025 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Matcha latte with The Enemy's Daughter in a coffee shop

Alexis:

Happy Pub Day to The Enemy’s Daughter! 🎉

The Enemy’s Daughter has two enemy settlements in a post-apocalyptic world. It follows Isadora, a healer, and Tristan, a boy from Isadora’s opposing settlement. When Isadora almost dies, Tristan does the unimaginable: he offers to save her life using a rare magic. Now, they find themselves bound together, and Isadora finds herself questioning everything she’s ever known.

My main critique was that I think this could’ve dug even deeper into the themes it presented. The first half was also a little repetitive, as Isadora tends to have the same thinking pattern over and over again.

However, I enjoyed Poet’s writing style and the tension. The Enemy’s Daughter is a fun read that moved quickly overall and was easy to binge! ⁣The vibes remind me a lot of the 2010’s dystopian era, so if you’re feeling nostalgic for that, you might like this one.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Description: ⁣

𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜. 𝐀𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐀 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬-𝐭𝐨-𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐲—𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐜𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝗪𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚. ⁣

Thank you to HarperCollins for providing me with a copy for review!

Alexis’ November Hopefuls

November 2, 2024 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis:

Happy November! 🍂🦃

I don’t usually make tbrs (or strict tbrs, anyway) because somehow my mood reading always comes into play. However, these are the books that I’m hoping to read this month.

The Temptation of Magic by Megan Scott: My library hold of this one just came in. It’s supposed to be a dark academia romantasy.
Heir by Sabaa Tahir: I’m also picking this one up from the library today. It sounds like a great, classic YA fantasy.
The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart: This was the last book I bought. Stewart’s debut, The Bone Shard Daughter, is one of my favorite books, so I’m looking forward to reading this one, which is about a world ravaged by ancient magic, where gemstones give certain people magical abilities.
The Devourer by Alison Ames: I have an ARC of this one, which is about pirates and the sea. It sounds so interesting, and I’m also obsessed with the cover.

Have you read any of these, or are you planning on reading any of them? I hope you have a great reading month!

Review: A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

September 23, 2024September 23, 2024 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis:

Happy fall! 🍂🎃

I returned home from a trip yesterday, which of course means that I read a book (another ARC!) on the plane.

A Fire in the Sky follows three POVs: Tamsyn, the whipping girl of the royal family, Fell, the ruler of the Borderlands, and Stig, the Captain of the Guard and Tamsyn’s friend.

I’ll start off by saying I haven’t read the Firelight series, and this book is set in the same world. However, I found this a classic and interesting fantasy world, where dragons and witches have mostly died off due to being hunted and persecuted. The majority of this book is set on a road through the countryside and wilderness, and I love a good travel story.

Overall, this is a solid read. I can tell a lot more is going to happen in the sequel, so this first book definitely feels like the setup for the rest of the series. I really enjoyed the second half especially, as the pacing picked up and more events began happening to spur the plot along. While the romance lacked some depth, with the events at the end, I definitely think the romance will have more depth as the series continues!

My only cons were that Sig’s POV seemed unnecessary, and Fell was constantly described as big, to the point where it got to be a little much.

This was a fun and easy read. If you like dragons and romantasy, give it a shot!

VERDICT: 🔥🔥🔥🔥/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for sending me an ARC in exchange for a review.

Pub Date: A Fire in the Sky comes out tomorrow, September 24, 2024!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Dragon fire no longer blisters the skies over Penterra, but inside the lavish palace, life is still perilous…especially for Tamsyn. Raised in the glittering court alongside the princesses, it’s her duty to be punished for their misdeeds. Treated as part of the royal family but also as the lowliest servant, Tamsyn fits nowhere. Her only friend is Stig, Captain of the Guard…though sometimes she thinks he wants more than friendship.

When Fell, the Beast of the Borderlands, descends on her home, Tamsyn’s world becomes even more dangerous. To save the pampered princesses from a fate worse than death, she is commanded to don a veil and marry the brutal warrior. She agrees to the deception even though it means leaving Stig, and the only life she’s ever known, behind.

The wedding night begins with unexpected passion—and ends in near violence when her trickery is exposed. Rather than start a war, Fell accepts Tamsyn as his bride…but can he accept the dark secrets she harbors—secrets buried so deep even she doesn’t know they exist? For Tamsyn is more than a royal whipping girl, more than the false wife of a man who now sees her as his enemy. And when those secrets emerge, they will ignite a flame bright enough to burn the entire kingdom to the bone.

Magic is not dead…it is only sleeping. And it will take one ordinary girl with an extraordinary destiny to awaken it.

Review: Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

January 16, 2024January 13, 2024 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis:

Divine Rivals is one of my all-time faves, so it’s an understatement to say I was looking forward to its sequel, Ruthless Vows.

Rebecca Ross’s writing is always lyrical and gorgeous—and it was in Ruthless Vows, as well. I really loved reading this book, but my favorite was definitely the last 3/4. Without going into spoilers, it was heartbreaking, and I loved seeing Iris embrace her badass self.

I docked off a star for 1 main reason:

The pacing in the first half felt off. Certain parts felt too drawn out, and I expected this sequel to be faster paced and more action-packed than the first book, considering the buildup in Divine Rivals and the war.

It’s worth saying that I normally really despise the amnesia trope, but it’s a testimony to Ross’s writing skills that I think she 100% pulled it off.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I’m glad it had a satisfying ending! I’m also grateful that I was able to read this book while I was on my winter vacation.

If you’re looking for a beautifully written upper-YA low fantasy book with WW1 vibes, a war between gods, magical letter writing, and romance, then I highly recommend this duology.

VERDICT: 📚📚📚📚/5

Review: Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

December 16, 2023December 16, 2023 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

Alexis:

Was I the first person to put Iron Flame on hold at my library? Yes, yes I was.

Hi, everyone! It’s been a while again. Work and life have been busy, but I’ve been reading as much as ever.

I recently read Iron Flame, the much anticipated sequel to the dragon fantasy/romantasy book Fourth Wing. I had heard some mixed reviews from other reviewers, so I was interested to see what I thought.

Well, I liked it! It’s hard to review a sequel without giving away anything, but I’ll go over some key points.

Things I Liked:

I enjoyed the worldbuilding. Fourth Wing was definitely more of an all vibes, no worldbuilding kind of book, so I’m glad that Yarros delves deeper into the world in Iron Flame.
Dragons! There are a lot more dragons in this book, and more facts and lore about dragons are revealed. There’s also a good dragon-related plot twist.
The ending. Yarros is clearly good at writing a good cliffhanger, which can be a plus or minus for readers. For me, I think she actually does a good job of making you anticipate the next book in the series without making the cliffhanger itself super frustrating. There is also, yet again, another good plot twist at the end.

Things I Didn’t Like As Much:

The romance. To be fair, the romance wasn’t my favorite part of Fourth Wing, either. But Xaden somehow manages to feel more toxic in Iron Flame, and a large aspect of this book centers on a point of contention—which feels like it purely exists just to add tension to their relationship.

Overall, I definitely don’t think this was a bad sequel, and I also don’t think it felt rushed or unedited. It just wasn’t as fast-paced or romance heavy as the first book. I think this series is worth a read if you’re looking for a fun, action-y series that doesn’t take itself seriously, and if you don’t mind modern dialogue in fantasy books. Plus, dragons!

A GIF of Dany from Game of Thrones with her dragon

Cover Reveal: The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow

November 14, 2023 Anna and Alexis1 Comment

Alexis:

I’m excited to reveal the beautiful cover for the upcoming YA fantasy romance debut The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow!

A young woman chosen as the crown prince’s bride must travel to the royal palace to meet her new husband-but her world is shaken when she discovers the dark truth the royal family has been hiding for centuries-in this lush fantasy debut perfect for fans of Song of Silver, Flame Like Night and Violet Made of Thorns.

You can pre-order the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/734357/the-girl-with-no-reflection-by-keshe-chow/

Expected publication is August 6, 2024.

Review: To Cage a God by Elizabeth May

September 22, 2023 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

A Kindle with To Cage A God sits on a gold book cart next to a stuffed pumpkin

Alexis:

I really enjoyed To Cage a God! I loved the wintery, brutal, Russian-inspired world.

The cast of characters were definitely my favorite part. I loved how both Galina and Sera, the two main characters, are strong, but in completely different ways. Their backstories are so interesting and sad that it made me want to read a prequel! I even enjoyed the POVs that came later in the story, including a princess who is a recluse. I’m usually a 1-2 POV kind of person, so that’s saying lot from me!

I also enjoyed the two different romances (one of them is sapphic) though they didn’t come into play until the second half of the book. That being said, the slow pace in the beginning, loose plot, and the sometimes vague imagery kept it from being a 5-star book for me.

If you’re looking for a new adult romantasy with a brewing rebellion, fire and ice powers, and caged dragon gods, I recommend it!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for my e-ARC!

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Using ancient secrets, Galina and Sera’s mother grafted gods into their bones. Bound to brutal deities and granted forbidden power no commoner has held in a millennia, the sisters have grown up to become living weapons. Raised to overthrow an empire―no matter the cost.

With their mother gone and their country on the brink of war, it falls to the sisters to take the helm of the rebellion and end the cruel reign of a royal family possessed by destructive gods. Because when the ruling alurea invade, they conquer with fire and blood. And when they clash, common folk burn.

While Sera reunites with her estranged lover turned violent rebel leader, Galina infiltrates the palace. In this world of deception and danger, her only refuge is an isolated princess, whose whip-smart tongue and sharp gaze threaten to uncover Galina’s secret. Torn between desire and duty, Galina must make a choice: work together to expose the lies of the empire―or bring it all down.

Review: The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent

April 22, 2023April 22, 2023 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

A paperback copy sits in a gold book cart next to the first book.

Alexis:

Yes, I did buy the sequel to The Serpent and the Wings of Night the day it came out!

Unlike the first book, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King has dual POVs! I’m generally a fan of dual POVs, especially when it comes to romance. It follows Oraya, the main character and the adopted daughter of the vampire king, and Raihn, who she falls in love with in the first book.

I can’t say much about this book without giving anything away. However, I will say that it is a lot slower paced than the first book. I loved how action-packed the first book is. This one reminds me a lot of A Court of Mist and Fury, as it’s slower-paced in order to focus on Oraya and Raihn’s trauma and grief. It also focuses on learning to trust again, and it delves more into politics.

Overall, this one was a 4-star instead of 5-star read. It did drag in places and sometimes felt repetitive, but I still enjoyed it!

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Review: The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

April 8, 2023 Anna and AlexisLeave a comment

The paperback book stands on a gold book cart next to a White Pumpkin scented candle

Alexis:

I kept hearing about The Serpent and the Wings of Night, and then one of my best friends gifted it to me for my birthday a few months ago.

It’s been pitched by other reviewers as the next A Court of Thorns and Roses, and I can definitely see why! This book was like ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, From Blood and Ash, and The Hunger Games all mixed together.

Synopsis (adapted from Goodreads):

This fantasy romance follows Oraya, the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king. Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her, but her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself. But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival—a vampire named Raihn.

But war for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone—but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

Review:

What I really appreciate about this book is how well Broadbent balances action with character. The plot of this book is very Throne of Glass and The Hunger Games: beat these trials and become the only winner, except this winner gets a gift granted by the goddess of death herself. The trials themselves are bloody and deadly, and I was impressed by how Broadbent didn’t shy away from showing the brutality of the trials.

The romance itself is a slow burn one, and Oraya and Raihn actually get to spend a lot of time getting to know each other before they become friends and allies, yet alone lovers. While Oraya was slow to open up, her position in society is a unique one, and I enjoyed getting to know her. Raihn is very much a Sarah Maas-like love interest. He’s sassy yet serious, powerful yet emotionally vulnerable. And, of course, he has wings.

Overall, I sped through this book! While it has character-driven scenes, it never slows down or drags, despite the fact that it’s over 500 pages long. As some other reviews pointed out, it’s certainly not an original story, but Broadbent does a fantastic job of putting her own spin on it. It’s one of those books that gives you a book hangover, and with the twist at the end, I’m thankful that the second in the series comes out soon.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

September 27, 2022 Anna and Alexis1 Comment

A Kindle rests on a white marble table. A white pumpkin is to its left. A package of pumpkin chai tea sits to its right. A lit Sweater Weather candle sits above it.

Alexis:

I adored Divine Rivals...and yes, it did emotionally destroy me.

Divine Rivals is an upper YA/NA historical fantasy novel that follows two main characters. Iris Winnow is a new journalist at a newspaper called the Oath Gazette. Roman Kitt is her rival—a fellow journalist who is competing against her for a promotion as a columnist.

But after centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again, and Iris’ own brother, Forest, has joined the armed forces of one of the gods. Iris, who is worried sick about him, writes him letters. But Iris doesn’t know where her brother is. All she knows is that her letters magically disappear when she slips them underneath her wardrobe door.

What she also doesn’t know is that Roman is the one receiving them, and then he begins anonymously answering her letters.

THIS BOOK. I’ve always loved Ross’ writing style. I’ve read both A River Enchanted and Dreams Lie Beneath and enjoyed both of them, but Divine Rivals hits differently; I connected with the characters on another level.

This book is a masterpiece. I love Ross’ lyrical, beautiful, and emotional writing. The book is so atmospheric, and layered with tension that you can feel on every page.

I adore both Iris and Roman. They have so much chemistry, and I love their banter and rivalry.

Divine Rivals reads like a fantasy version of a World War I/World War II story. Ross writes about the horrors of war in such an effective way. The story is about grief, both Iris’ and Roman’s. It’s about being trapped in a life where you can’t make your own decisions. It’s about loneliness and connection. It’s about finding love, but also about the messiness of loving your flawed family. It’s about the power of writing and letters. Throw some mythology about the world’s gods in the mix and you have this perfect book.

VERDICT: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Divine Rivals comes out on April 4, 2023.

Of course that means I have to wait even longer for the sequel. Please pray for my impatient reading brain. (Cliffhangers should be illegal.)

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the e-ARC!