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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
slow-paced
This is a dystopian retelling of Tristan & Isolde that had a lot of potential & a really interesting premise. Unfortunately I just struggled to enjoy it. It read more like historical fiction & didn’t really touch upon the topics and themes I expected to see in a dystopian.
It was especially jarring as there was people alive from before the world became what it is now so surely there would be more knowledge and information than what we saw.
There also wasn’t a lot of worldbuilding to understand how the world became what it is. We do get more much later in the story but it left me frustrated for a lot of the book.
The romance itself felt very insta love and I wish there had been more build up to truly believe they loved each other especially because of the lengths they go to, to keep each other alive.
I did like Isadora’s character arc as she had to unlearn a lot of what she had believed as truth & learn to stand up for herself.
I do wish that there had been more to Tristan than just helping Isadora see there’s more than what she had been told.
I did enjoy the second half of the story more especially as we started to see more of the world and get some answers as why the world is this way.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The main character is annoying af for the first third. She also accepts the new information way too fast (although she stops being so annoying then). It’s a fun book and I was definitely invested in the HEA by page 250, but it’s not a mind-blowing book. It’s a romance novel in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world without smut. It’s cute and fast paced but not spectacular
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
Enemies to lovers every time make me weak at the knees. Sometimes, about that fine line between hate and love, that has me racing to read a book quicker than you say, enemies! As soon as I saw The Enemy's Daughter being marketed, I was stalking NetGalley like a predator looking for my eARC prey to request.
The Enemy's Daughter is a captivating, page-turning retelling of the Tristan and Isolde tale with a light touch of fantasy elements and an amazing dystopian twist. Melissa Poett's storytelling is immersive and addictive, with a fast-paced plot full of twists and turns that have you questioning the intentions and motivations of each side. Her world-building is richly staged around an intriguing political tension, with rivalries and conflict raging between two very different factions in a post-apocalyptic civilisation that embraces opposite ideologies towards technology and civil rights.
Melissa Poett has sculpted something beautiful in her memorable characters, Isadora and Tristan. Their complex relationship was intense, messy, and a delightful rollercoaster between love and hate, which had me giggling and kicking my feet as I read. I loved how their weaknesses brought out their strength of character – Isodora's strength in her kindness and mercy in the morally grey choices in her vocation as a healer and Tristan's struggle to step up to be a dutiful leader who puts the interests of his people first as he battles his heart's yearning for a forbidden love.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, Harper Fire, and Melissa Poett for approving my request for a Netgalley eARc for The Enemy's Daughter. Published on the 14th of August 2025 in the UK.
The Enemy's Daughter is a captivating, page-turning retelling of the Tristan and Isolde tale with a light touch of fantasy elements and an amazing dystopian twist. Melissa Poett's storytelling is immersive and addictive, with a fast-paced plot full of twists and turns that have you questioning the intentions and motivations of each side. Her world-building is richly staged around an intriguing political tension, with rivalries and conflict raging between two very different factions in a post-apocalyptic civilisation that embraces opposite ideologies towards technology and civil rights.
Melissa Poett has sculpted something beautiful in her memorable characters, Isadora and Tristan. Their complex relationship was intense, messy, and a delightful rollercoaster between love and hate, which had me giggling and kicking my feet as I read. I loved how their weaknesses brought out their strength of character – Isodora's strength in her kindness and mercy in the morally grey choices in her vocation as a healer and Tristan's struggle to step up to be a dutiful leader who puts the interests of his people first as he battles his heart's yearning for a forbidden love.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK, Harper Fire, and Melissa Poett for approving my request for a Netgalley eARc for The Enemy's Daughter. Published on the 14th of August 2025 in the UK.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you, Net Galley and Quill Tree Books for an ARC of this amazing book!
I was in love with this world from the first page. Nowadays, there are not many dystopian authors who are still writing dystopian. Melissa Poett? She is a legend. This book was such a banger that I had to take several breaks, not out of boredom but because I was in shock and had to stare at the fake cameras there for a minute.
Let me say that Isolde and Tristen are unmatched.
It's been 37 years since the republic was destroyed. Two settlements fight over the unaffected land and resources. The five clans, and the Kingsland. The five clans—though smaller, attacked the brutal Kingsland leader and killed him, resulting in an oncoming war.
Isadora (Our MC) an eighteen-year-old healer risks her life to help injured soldiers. But when she stops an attack from Tristan, a Kingsland assassin his soldiers shoot her with a poisoned arrow. Isadora lies dying Tristan offers to save her life by using a rare magic.
Isadora is then unknowingly bound to the mysterious Tristan.
Let's start with our MC who is amazing! She was a strong MC for sure! And unlike most dystopian YA novels she wasn't annoying!!!!!! I hate an annoying MC who I can’t get behind, but Isadora was amazing! I understood where she was coming from in her decisions and thought processes. Let's not forget the amazing MMC (drumroll please) . . . TRISTAN!!!!! Their dynamic was so unique and adorable had me blushing and kicking my feet multiple times!
The writing was very immersive I felt like I was Isadora! The plot twists were perfectly executed, and I can’t believe I had the honor of reading this as an ARC!!!!
This is my honest review, I am not biased toward this book for any reason I just genuinely loved it! I 100% recommend it to all!
I was in love with this world from the first page. Nowadays, there are not many dystopian authors who are still writing dystopian. Melissa Poett? She is a legend. This book was such a banger that I had to take several breaks, not out of boredom but because I was in shock and had to stare at the fake cameras there for a minute.
Let me say that Isolde and Tristen are unmatched.
It's been 37 years since the republic was destroyed. Two settlements fight over the unaffected land and resources. The five clans, and the Kingsland. The five clans—though smaller, attacked the brutal Kingsland leader and killed him, resulting in an oncoming war.
Isadora (Our MC) an eighteen-year-old healer risks her life to help injured soldiers. But when she stops an attack from Tristan, a Kingsland assassin his soldiers shoot her with a poisoned arrow. Isadora lies dying Tristan offers to save her life by using a rare magic.
Isadora is then unknowingly bound to the mysterious Tristan.
Let's start with our MC who is amazing! She was a strong MC for sure! And unlike most dystopian YA novels she wasn't annoying!!!!!! I hate an annoying MC who I can’t get behind, but Isadora was amazing! I understood where she was coming from in her decisions and thought processes. Let's not forget the amazing MMC (drumroll please) . . . TRISTAN!!!!! Their dynamic was so unique and adorable had me blushing and kicking my feet multiple times!
The writing was very immersive I felt like I was Isadora! The plot twists were perfectly executed, and I can’t believe I had the honor of reading this as an ARC!!!!
This is my honest review, I am not biased toward this book for any reason I just genuinely loved it! I 100% recommend it to all!
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A