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kmartbooks 's review for:
The Enemy's Daughter
by Melissa Poett
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
The Enemy’s Daughter drops you into a crumbling world filled with warring clans and people struggling to survive. A dystopian Tristan & Isolde reimagining that feels more like medieval fantasy than sci-fi, and honestly? That genre mash-up works beautifully.
The beginning hooked me. Isadora is such a compelling lead. She's practical, conflicted with her lot in life, and vulnerable but quietly fierce in a way that immediately caught my attention. Her struggle to accept her place in the world was handled and defying the life laid out for her is really interesting. And when she meets Tristen? I was all in. Their first meeting is electric, dangerous, and layered. The setup for their relationship had me fully invested.
Now, I wasn’t sold on the “he’s instantly drawn to her” angle. It felt like classic insta-love at first, which made me hesitant. But the clever thing is—it’s not. Isadora’s reluctance grounds the story, and her wariness toward Tristen makes the romance feel more earned over time. The full picture of why he acts the way he does doesn’t come together until much later, and I really appreciated that payoff. Some of the typical underlying tropes are definitely present, but they are handled with nuance and aren't afraid to stretch within their confines. I really liked that. The idea of marriage magic was fun and it was an interesting way to have these two drawn together. It adds real stakes and weight to emotional choices. Isadora tethering herself to someone she doesn’t trust, just to survive? That desperation made sense. She never felt like a YA heroine making naive choices for love; she felt like a survivor making ones to stay alive.
That said, the book loses some of its sharpness in the second half. The early tension—rooted in fear, distrust, and political danger—gives way to a more standard romantic rhythm. It’s still enjoyable, but it’s safer. The slow burn works mostly because she’s trying to run from him, not because the emotional bond is growing, which means that once the chase is over, the heat cools. The twists are good, the pacing moves, but I did miss the bite.
Still, this was a really fun, easy read. Great world-building, creative magic, interesting story. If you liked The Hurricane Wars, Belladonna, or Defy the Night, this one fits right alongside them. Just don’t expect it to stay dark or angsty all the way through—its edge softens, but the ride is still worth it.
Thanks so much to Epic Reads and Storygram Tours for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.
The beginning hooked me. Isadora is such a compelling lead. She's practical, conflicted with her lot in life, and vulnerable but quietly fierce in a way that immediately caught my attention. Her struggle to accept her place in the world was handled and defying the life laid out for her is really interesting. And when she meets Tristen? I was all in. Their first meeting is electric, dangerous, and layered. The setup for their relationship had me fully invested.
Now, I wasn’t sold on the “he’s instantly drawn to her” angle. It felt like classic insta-love at first, which made me hesitant. But the clever thing is—it’s not. Isadora’s reluctance grounds the story, and her wariness toward Tristen makes the romance feel more earned over time. The full picture of why he acts the way he does doesn’t come together until much later, and I really appreciated that payoff. Some of the typical underlying tropes are definitely present, but they are handled with nuance and aren't afraid to stretch within their confines. I really liked that. The idea of marriage magic was fun and it was an interesting way to have these two drawn together. It adds real stakes and weight to emotional choices. Isadora tethering herself to someone she doesn’t trust, just to survive? That desperation made sense. She never felt like a YA heroine making naive choices for love; she felt like a survivor making ones to stay alive.
That said, the book loses some of its sharpness in the second half. The early tension—rooted in fear, distrust, and political danger—gives way to a more standard romantic rhythm. It’s still enjoyable, but it’s safer. The slow burn works mostly because she’s trying to run from him, not because the emotional bond is growing, which means that once the chase is over, the heat cools. The twists are good, the pacing moves, but I did miss the bite.
Still, this was a really fun, easy read. Great world-building, creative magic, interesting story. If you liked The Hurricane Wars, Belladonna, or Defy the Night, this one fits right alongside them. Just don’t expect it to stay dark or angsty all the way through—its edge softens, but the ride is still worth it.
Thanks so much to Epic Reads and Storygram Tours for the complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and all opinions are my own.