Genre: Fantasy Romance

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Requited. A thief, a swordswoman, a magic caster, and a weapons forger walk into a pub only to be thwarted by an immortal being in need of their oddly specific skillset. That more or less sums up Taylor J. LaRue’s debut novel Steelborn, the first entry in a planned trilogy titled the Steelborn Saga. This book’s fantasy elements are as widespread as its main character Reya’s talents, which can make it an exciting read or a narratively muddy one based on the reader’s taste. Featuring noteworthy action and high fantasy elements coupled with typical romantasy tropes and some messy world-building, I found this book to be a decent read, though one that I personally wasn’t very invested in (on Goodreads, 2.5‑star rating rounded up). A fantasy‑romance/romantasy book with prominent fantasy‑adventure storylines, Steelborn feels like a book specifically crafted for veteran romantasy readers who want a bit more flashy swordfighting than the genre norm. A skilled thief who doubles as a mercenary for hire, the story follows Reya Connery, a scrappy young woman known as the Crimson Dagger. As expected based on its premise, the book’s best moments are when…

The following review is based on a complimentary ARC provided by Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. Marketed as a new standalone story, V.L. Bovalino’s The Thief and the Traitor Bride is a fascinating book conceptually that has multiple identities just like Nore and Caspian. Featuring new main characters, a different romance trope, new magical system rules, and more, this book is a brand‑new story in a familiar world that is expanding in scale and complexity. Despite its new tale and characters with different careers in the high fantasy setting, this book is very much spinoff sequel to The Second Death of Locke, or at least a narrative epilogue after the previous book’s open‑ended conclusion. Expertly crafted, beautifully written, and featuring perhaps even better character development compared to the previous entry, The Thief and the Traitor Bride is an ambitious slow‑burn fantasy romance epic. Before getting into the review of the book itself, I know quite a few people are desperate to know if this book gives any closure to Grey and Kier, as the first book ends on a dramatic and rather open‑ended note. I can happily report that The Thief and the Traitor Bride definitely follows up…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. Like the cake and other baked goods Calisa makes when she arrives at the isolated inn, Sarah Beth Durst’s YA book The Faraway Inn feels like it’s filled to the brim with all the right warm and cozy ingredients. Light magical whimsy, cottagecore aesthetic, dusty and neglected rooms, and an assortment of amusingly odd customers checked in for extended stays. While certainly cozy and devoid of anything remotely uncomfortable, the Faraway Inn is a book that some may find too safe and lacking a notable hook or spark compared to other similar reads. Following the recent betrayal and breakup with her boyfriend Ethan after she finds him cheating with another girl, a heartbroken Calisa seeks a mental and social reset during the summer break before her senior year of high school. She arrives at the Faraway Inn, a reclusive bed and breakfast in the Vermont wilderness and is shocked to find the once charming inn to be in a state of disrepair. To make matters worse, her Aunt Zee doesn’t even want her to stay or help at the inn,…

Cozy fantasy, comforting romance, zany humor all wrapped up in cottagecore whimsy, Sangu Mandanna’s A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping is a light-hearted and feel-good fantasy romance book that’s easy to enjoy. A perfect example of the cozy fantasy genre, this book is incredibly charming and like its US cover, paints the world and in a lovely rose-tinted hue. Featuring a mix of great themes and a predictable yet pleasant plot, this is a great pick for cozy-seeking readers, with the potential to be a bit underwhelming and dry for those that prefer more intense narratives. Set at the charmingly rough around the edges cottage tucked away in the Lancashire countryside, the story follows Sera Swan’s never boring days maintaining and running the enchanted inn. Cloaked in a spell, the Batty Hole Inn is a magical place that can only be found by those in need of help or a safe place to call home. After casting a powerful spell to save her beloved Aunt Jasmine, Sera has lost her powers, is banished to exile from the Witch’s Guild, and has been making do with faint whispers of her original magic for the last fifteen years. With the help of…

This review is based on a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy provided by Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press. A necromancer priestess in foreign territory, a mysterious corpse that isn’t as dead as they should be, and the quest for qi energy across a tense Kingdom under authoritarian control, Deathly Fates has a lot of strong narrative elements in a story inspired by Chinese Taoist mythology. Featuring strong themes such as familial responsibilities, grief/loss, and the corruption of power, Tesia Tsai’s debut novel is a fast-paced and accessible YA fantasy story that has a good mix of adventure, action, age-appropriate spooks and mild horrors involving the dead carried by a very compelling premise. Well-plotted and generally appealing, I personally found this book to be an underwhelming and juvenile in its execution, but is a book with lots of good ideas that is well-suited for young pre-teen readers. The story follows Kang Siying, a young but skilled ganshi priestess who uses talismans to reanimate the dead to return their corpses to their loved ones or to release their spirits from this world. Given the book’s likely intended YA and younger readership, the book follows its summarized blurb and throws the…