5⭐️ 2.5🌶️ 5🎧

Book Publisher: Red Tower

Audio Publisher: Tantor

Narrators: Samantha Brentmoor, Jason Clarke

Narration type: solo, with short feature

Writing perspective: first person, single POV

Standard length (pages): 666p

Standard length (time): 19:51

Listening speed: 2.5x

Listened via: Audible

Read via: Kindle

ARC provided by: Devney Perry

(Audio purchased myself)

Relationship dynamic: MF

Tropes/Microtropes/Vibes/Reps:

🏰 Romantasy

👑 Arranged marriage

⚔️ Enemies to lovers

🔮 Magic + myths

🔥 Slow burn 

📖 WOW! This really blew me away! I’ve read and loved quite a bit of small town Devney but this was truly on another level. I’m a romantasy fan, and have come off of reading some awesome ones lately, so I had a pretty high bar. She met and exceeded it! On one hand I think this will be the place a lot of new to romantasy readers dive in as they are branching over from Devney’s contemporary, and on the other hand, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a beginner romantasy. With robust, if not complex (in a good way) world building, set across a landscape described in vivid detail that came to life in my mind, and the 600+ page word count, this could be intimidating to some. This might just be where the magic is, friends of mine who have never wanted to read fantasy now have an interest (yay!), and this wasn’t so simplified down to brass tacks that it was boring for the every day romantasy readers! 

I really don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that I read this monster in one day. So for me, it was unputdownable! The characters and story grabbed me from the start and had me in their grip until the last page. I’ll be anxiously anticipating the next book, and probably doing a reread or two until then. This is going to be one of my favs 🫶🏻

🎧 Samantha Brentmoor was fabulous as our solo narrator in this epic romantasy. I could seriously listen to Sam for hundreds of hours, so this nearly 20 hour audiobook flew right by. She was the perfect Odessa, with a full, warm, expressive voice full of curiosity. She has an amazing range and was easily able to shift to other tones and pitches for other characters, making this incredibly easily to follow. I love her male voice too, she’s basically competing with my fav male narrators for fav deep, sexy voice. GO LISTEN TO THIS NOW!