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162 reviews
Modern Divination by Isabel Agajanian
GENRE: Dark Academia Romantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: eBook eArc from Pan Macmillan in NetGalley
Would I recommend to others?: YES, a thousand times, YES! That is the only short explanation I can give for this slow paced, slow yearning between the MCs and dark academia Urban Fantasy book
Long Review:
Maybe 2025 is the year I start all my reviews with: "Where do I start?" but like Modern Divination was SO good that I am still thinking about it after having finished it in February. This book is definitely one of my top books and you just go through so much emotions and so much layers of magic and yearning and just everything that is wholesome yet dark in one book.
We begin the book by establishing that there is an academic rivalry between Aurelia Schwartz and Theodore Ingram. Their Rivalry feels as if its the rivalry of the year, starting with so many complex layers and experiences. We get to know more about Aurelia in the beginning as Modern Divination is told from her POV. We learn about her, her past, her magic and her experiences. Every part is important in the development of who she is.
We also delve into the academic world, the way it is a place for people from high background, those with money to afford the luxuries it demands. We see Aurelia struggle with this concept and watch where the rivalry starts with Theodore.
There are many points in the book where we hit a climax. We have the first event, which exposes magic and brings Aurelia and Ingram together. They go into a small town in England, where Ingram introduces Aurelia to his found family. In here, their relationships develop and we see more of the good & the bad side of both of them.
Their relationship is truly slow yearning and slowly moving from rivals to colleagues to friends to lovers. And when they finally become together? AHHH, it is worth every single page of yearning and waiting for them to make it there. I loved the development of their relationship, the use of sarcasm as a humour for both of them and the way they break each other's walls down in order to get to know the other better.
We also have magic, the fact that they are both magic users and I think Agajanian dives into the magic so beautifully: a bit of details and without any added depth that is not needed. I did not find myself wanting to know more of anything then what was written, which is quite rare as I'm usually super curious and want to know everything more about a magical system. This is to say that I do think that the witch system in here fits so well with the academic background as well. This is like if the aesthetic of Cottagecore met with dark academia!
The way this book ended destroyed my heart but was so realistic. There was no part of the ending where you went like okay this is HEA and it was more of like: Okay, this is reality but maybe they stand a chance in the future? This is me manifesting that book two brings them together AND keeps them together. We can only hope ahh
Let me end this review with another quote that I loved so much:
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the eArc of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
"You're so beautiful, she told him.
"Sometimes I think I was made for you,' he said. "To be yours."
GENRE: Dark Academia Romantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: eBook eArc from Pan Macmillan in NetGalley
Would I recommend to others?: YES, a thousand times, YES! That is the only short explanation I can give for this slow paced, slow yearning between the MCs and dark academia Urban Fantasy book
Long Review:
Maybe 2025 is the year I start all my reviews with: "Where do I start?" but like Modern Divination was SO good that I am still thinking about it after having finished it in February. This book is definitely one of my top books and you just go through so much emotions and so much layers of magic and yearning and just everything that is wholesome yet dark in one book.
We begin the book by establishing that there is an academic rivalry between Aurelia Schwartz and Theodore Ingram. Their Rivalry feels as if its the rivalry of the year, starting with so many complex layers and experiences. We get to know more about Aurelia in the beginning as Modern Divination is told from her POV. We learn about her, her past, her magic and her experiences. Every part is important in the development of who she is.
"But it was always time that seemed to be the issue for Aurelia Schwartz. It moved too quickly to catch hold of and enjoy. It spurned her advances like an unrequited love. She was constantly out of it, or with too much of it dispersed between periods of sporadic busyness — in all cases, she was left wholly unsatisfied."
We also delve into the academic world, the way it is a place for people from high background, those with money to afford the luxuries it demands. We see Aurelia struggle with this concept and watch where the rivalry starts with Theodore.
There are many points in the book where we hit a climax. We have the first event, which exposes magic and brings Aurelia and Ingram together. They go into a small town in England, where Ingram introduces Aurelia to his found family. In here, their relationships develop and we see more of the good & the bad side of both of them.
Their relationship is truly slow yearning and slowly moving from rivals to colleagues to friends to lovers. And when they finally become together? AHHH, it is worth every single page of yearning and waiting for them to make it there. I loved the development of their relationship, the use of sarcasm as a humour for both of them and the way they break each other's walls down in order to get to know the other better.
We also have magic, the fact that they are both magic users and I think Agajanian dives into the magic so beautifully: a bit of details and without any added depth that is not needed. I did not find myself wanting to know more of anything then what was written, which is quite rare as I'm usually super curious and want to know everything more about a magical system. This is to say that I do think that the witch system in here fits so well with the academic background as well. This is like if the aesthetic of Cottagecore met with dark academia!
The way this book ended destroyed my heart but was so realistic. There was no part of the ending where you went like okay this is HEA and it was more of like: Okay, this is reality but maybe they stand a chance in the future? This is me manifesting that book two brings them together AND keeps them together. We can only hope ahh
Let me end this review with another quote that I loved so much:
"She wanted to pry apart his ribs and crawl between them. How long could he hold her there in his chest? How long could they carry onward in this delicate state? Not long, she decided. Not long at all."
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the eArc of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things by Breanne Randall
GENRE: Witchy Romantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc from NetGalley
Would I recommend to others?: YES, YES & YESS! What are you waiting for? Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things has refreshed my interest in Romantasy after I burnt myself out by reading only one sub-genre. Its a beautiful book that combines multiple themes: sisterhood, understanding oneself, magic and shadow MC so like....everyone needs to read it, that's all I have to say. Let's just look at the prose of the book, which should be enough to convince you as Randall writes beautifully:
Long Review:
Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things is a story about three sisters who are meant to be witches and part of the Petridi family. They are meant to protect their town and the covens of witches all over from dark magic and the way to do this? Sacrifice bits and pieces of their memories to use their own magic. The three sisters continue to do this and have to learn all about magic once their mother vanishes and never comes back.
Spells, Strings and Forgotten things is advertised as Charmed x The Notebook and I think this is the perfect way to describe it and describe the sisters. Let's learn more about them:
We follow along with the youngest sister: Calliope Petridi and how she sacrifices many memories AND in fact, you'd say she mainly builds memories in order to sacrifice them.
She is the only one of her sisters that maintains her magic and has grown up learning from her grimoire and yearns for her parents and acceptance:
Her eldest sister, Thalia, is a different story. She, as is typical with elder siblings, takes care of her sisters once their mother vanishes:
And the middle sibling, Eurydice, is the calm sister who always fixes things between Thalia and Calliope. She is what you would think of spring in the form of a person and she is the main cook in the family and there are mentions of a lot of lovely recipes throughout the book. (Just like charmed, if you watched it!)
And now regarding the plot, we go on an adventure with the 3 sisters and find out who is trying to threaten the peace of their town and harm all of civilisation by stealing the dark magic they are vowed to protect. There are two type of magic wielders in here: Shadow crafters and Light crafters. Calliope and her sisters are Light crafters and they have been told by history that they need to protect their magic from Shadow crafters, who are meant to be evil.
We then meet a group of Shadow crafters led by Lucien, the shadow MC here. We also have a diversed cast with Sarai being a hijabi (hello from another hijabi fellow) and of course, we have a relationship building up with each of the sisters (hence, the romantasy part) and we see Calliope and Lucien develop their relationship.
I wont lie, usually I find it hard to enjoy books with Shadow MC but in here, I just couldnt get enough of Lucien & Calliope, especailly that he calls Calliope Little Muse like AHHHH:
And here is a quote that beats "I'd die for you" in Lucien & Calliope's way:
And if all this wasn't enough to convince you to read Spells, Strings and Forgotten things, we also deal with the concept of grief a few times throughout the book and the way it can present so differently. In Randall's previous book, grief was a heavy thing but in this book, it is a secondary theme, which in my opinion, was done quite well:
And side note, I LOVED Lucien's sister, Elea! She is one of the side characters that I just understood on a deeper level:
My reviews are always so long when it's Randall's books but alas, I think I do have to end it. I will end it by saying that this book beautifully addresses hope, grief, and how to heal as a person one step at a time:
We also see the beauty of sisterhood and the power of relationships:
And let's end this review with a word from Calliope:
Thank you to Netgalley, Breanne Randall and Aries & Aries for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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? Yes
5.0
"Magic is like love. Once it breaks your heart, well, it's hard to come back from that."
"Spring here was more than a season. It was rebirth. But it was hard for Calliope to drink in the beauty of it all."
"Hope doesn't have to be a blazing fire," Thalia said, her voice growing gentler. "Sometimes, it's just a flicker in the darkness, but it's enough to guide us through."
GENRE: Witchy Romantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc from NetGalley
Would I recommend to others?: YES, YES & YESS! What are you waiting for? Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things has refreshed my interest in Romantasy after I burnt myself out by reading only one sub-genre. Its a beautiful book that combines multiple themes: sisterhood, understanding oneself, magic and shadow MC so like....everyone needs to read it, that's all I have to say. Let's just look at the prose of the book, which should be enough to convince you as Randall writes beautifully:
Everywhere Calliope looked, she was met with a Kaleidoscope of colors that heralded spring.
Long Review:
Spells, Strings and Forgotten Things is a story about three sisters who are meant to be witches and part of the Petridi family. They are meant to protect their town and the covens of witches all over from dark magic and the way to do this? Sacrifice bits and pieces of their memories to use their own magic. The three sisters continue to do this and have to learn all about magic once their mother vanishes and never comes back.
Spells, Strings and Forgotten things is advertised as Charmed x The Notebook and I think this is the perfect way to describe it and describe the sisters. Let's learn more about them:
We follow along with the youngest sister: Calliope Petridi and how she sacrifices many memories AND in fact, you'd say she mainly builds memories in order to sacrifice them.
"I'm going to the Piano Rouge," she said... The dark bar in downtown Gold Springs had live music, and her best friend... And, best of all, it was ripe for forming strong memories to sacrifice."
She is the only one of her sisters that maintains her magic and has grown up learning from her grimoire and yearns for her parents and acceptance:
"We're all on our own path you know? You just have to find yours. And I hope you find someone that makes you feel, I dont know, like you can be yourself with them. Mess and all. Because we're all a mess in some way Opie. The point is to find someone whose baggage goes with yours."
Her eldest sister, Thalia, is a different story. She, as is typical with elder siblings, takes care of her sisters once their mother vanishes:
"Thalia had turned eighteen years old the year their mother vanished. And the moment her mother left, Thalia, with two younger sisters to care for, vowed to follow their mother's forbiddance of magic.
To this day, she never let a drop of magic pass her fingertips, swearing to guard her memories like the treasures she knew them to be."
And the middle sibling, Eurydice, is the calm sister who always fixes things between Thalia and Calliope. She is what you would think of spring in the form of a person and she is the main cook in the family and there are mentions of a lot of lovely recipes throughout the book. (Just like charmed, if you watched it!)
And now regarding the plot, we go on an adventure with the 3 sisters and find out who is trying to threaten the peace of their town and harm all of civilisation by stealing the dark magic they are vowed to protect. There are two type of magic wielders in here: Shadow crafters and Light crafters. Calliope and her sisters are Light crafters and they have been told by history that they need to protect their magic from Shadow crafters, who are meant to be evil.
We then meet a group of Shadow crafters led by Lucien, the shadow MC here. We also have a diversed cast with Sarai being a hijabi (hello from another hijabi fellow) and of course, we have a relationship building up with each of the sisters (hence, the romantasy part) and we see Calliope and Lucien develop their relationship.
I wont lie, usually I find it hard to enjoy books with Shadow MC but in here, I just couldnt get enough of Lucien & Calliope, especailly that he calls Calliope Little Muse like AHHHH:
"He tasted like coming home, like rain and storm nights and lost dreams."
"He didn't coddle her with false words and promises, and she appreciated him for it."
And here is a quote that beats "I'd die for you" in Lucien & Calliope's way:
"I would say 'I'd die for you'...but what's the point in that? I would live for you. I've done monstrous things, little muse. I don't know if I'm worth it. But for you, I'll try. So yes, I'll dry your hair and bring you coffee with too much sugar. I'll buy you mismatched socks and organize your disastrous drawers. I'll fight for you. With you. Because you gave me a reason to piece myself back together."
And if all this wasn't enough to convince you to read Spells, Strings and Forgotten things, we also deal with the concept of grief a few times throughout the book and the way it can present so differently. In Randall's previous book, grief was a heavy thing but in this book, it is a secondary theme, which in my opinion, was done quite well:
"Her brows furrowed as she observed the townsfolk going about their business, a stark contrast to the grief still suffocating her soul. And yet, somehow, it was also a balm. A reminder that life marched on in spite of tragedy."
And side note, I LOVED Lucien's sister, Elea! She is one of the side characters that I just understood on a deeper level:
"Sometimes the heart hears better than the mind, and only love can make you truly list." (Elea)
"How old are you?" Calliope demanded
"Almost eighteen, but I've read a thousand books and lived a thousand lives," she answered with a small smile.
My reviews are always so long when it's Randall's books but alas, I think I do have to end it. I will end it by saying that this book beautifully addresses hope, grief, and how to heal as a person one step at a time:
"You've been sabotaging yourself for so long because you think it's all you have. And that's bullshit. The only thing I've ever seen you be afraid of is yourself. So you have two choices. Sit here and wallow, or get up and do something." (Thalia to Calliope)
We also see the beauty of sisterhood and the power of relationships:
"We're only as strong as each other" Thalia said. "One in three, three in one. We lean on each other. That's what sisters are supposed to do. You're not strong enough? Fine, take some of my strength. And when I feel like giving up, you give me some of yours."
And let's end this review with a word from Calliope:
"Calliope still couldn't walk by her shop without tears welling up. But as the days wore on, the tears turned happy. To be loved so fiercely was an honor, and she knew Rosalind would disapprove of too much sorrow."
Thank you to Netgalley, Breanne Randall and Aries & Aries for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
GENRE: Dark Fairytale Fantasy Book
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.75/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc from NetGalley
Would I recommend to others?: Yes, if you are in the mood for a short novel that has gothic fantasy vibes and a fairytale story AND if you are a fan of T.Kingfisher as well! If you choose to listen to an audiobook of The River has Roots, you will hear music that Amal & her sister performed together
Long Review:
Where do I begin? Usually, short novels (or novellas) are hard to write and truly captivate your audience as there isn't many pages to dive into the characters and the place. However, Amal El-Mohtar truly makes you attached to the sisters and the story a few pages in, which is quite rare in fantasy!
As an elder sister with only a younger sister, I truly enjoyed reading The River has Roots and seeing the bond between Esther and Ysabel was a wholesome experience. Make no mistake though, this book is meant to be a dark fantasy or as I like to call them: gothic fantasy book. The tale is an eerie one, in which we give power to those who do not deserve it.
The prose in The River has Roots is truly beautiful, with a unique concept of "Grammar" as well. I am HoH/Deaf so I did not get to listen to the audiobook (usually need to do that in immersive format) but if you are lucky enough to pick up an audiobook, Amal & her sister perform the music in this novella too and how wholesome is that? A song and melody performed by sisters in reality as Ysabel & Esther build their lives.
Essentially, The River has roots is a story of change, of understanding that life, like Grammar, can fluctuate and is not a solid shape. It is, in fact, a shifting shape that can be sad, happy and yearning all at once. In this novella, we see the consequences of two sister who wish for different things in life but one forsakes it for the sake of her younger sister and is truly fulfilled by the love of her sisterhood.
I'd recommend this novella to everyone as it gives you a taste of dark fantasy and dark fairytale, which are my one of my top favourites sub-genre in fantasy. I didnt include a lot of quotes with this review as I typically would as it is a short novella and it would be hard to avoid spoilers, but trust me when I say its worth the read!
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an eArc in exchange for my honest review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
"Oh What is stronger than a death?
Two Sisters singing with one breath."
GENRE: Dark Fairytale Fantasy Book
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.75/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc from NetGalley
Would I recommend to others?: Yes, if you are in the mood for a short novel that has gothic fantasy vibes and a fairytale story AND if you are a fan of T.Kingfisher as well! If you choose to listen to an audiobook of The River has Roots, you will hear music that Amal & her sister performed together
Long Review:
Where do I begin? Usually, short novels (or novellas) are hard to write and truly captivate your audience as there isn't many pages to dive into the characters and the place. However, Amal El-Mohtar truly makes you attached to the sisters and the story a few pages in, which is quite rare in fantasy!
As an elder sister with only a younger sister, I truly enjoyed reading The River has Roots and seeing the bond between Esther and Ysabel was a wholesome experience. Make no mistake though, this book is meant to be a dark fantasy or as I like to call them: gothic fantasy book. The tale is an eerie one, in which we give power to those who do not deserve it.
The prose in The River has Roots is truly beautiful, with a unique concept of "Grammar" as well. I am HoH/Deaf so I did not get to listen to the audiobook (usually need to do that in immersive format) but if you are lucky enough to pick up an audiobook, Amal & her sister perform the music in this novella too and how wholesome is that? A song and melody performed by sisters in reality as Ysabel & Esther build their lives.
Essentially, The River has roots is a story of change, of understanding that life, like Grammar, can fluctuate and is not a solid shape. It is, in fact, a shifting shape that can be sad, happy and yearning all at once. In this novella, we see the consequences of two sister who wish for different things in life but one forsakes it for the sake of her younger sister and is truly fulfilled by the love of her sisterhood.
I'd recommend this novella to everyone as it gives you a taste of dark fantasy and dark fairytale, which are my one of my top favourites sub-genre in fantasy. I didnt include a lot of quotes with this review as I typically would as it is a short novella and it would be hard to avoid spoilers, but trust me when I say its worth the read!
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an eArc in exchange for my honest review
They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran
GENRE: Gothic/Horror Fantasy with Folklore
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5
FORMAT: eBook on Netgalley with Colored Pages Book Tour
Would I recommend to others?: I'd recommend They bloom at night for people looking to read gothic fantasy with multiple themes happening at once & with a quick pace as well.
Long Review:
They bloom at night is a Gothic Fantasy book in which we explore a red algae overtaking a small town called Mercy near the water. We explore the different themes regarding Vietnamese Folklore, Ocean Species and Algae overtaking the world. We look at identity and gender throughout the book. We grow with the characters and learn the distinction of being an adult and the reality of it.
I quite enjoyed They bloom at night, I think we get to explore the folklore of Song and how Nhung sheds her human reality to become a creature of the sea. We get to explore the generational trauma of moving, leaving behind our ancestors and a country that once loved us with its folklore, its good & its bad. We get to explore the lack of acceptance and having to stand out when we are all different.
We learn what it's like growing up with an older generation that lacks hope and lacks the focus on love that it leaks into our generation:
But, we also learn that we aren't responsible for a whole generation's mistake and that we do not need to keep apologiseing for them:
They bloom at Night also has a sarcastic humour to it, which I loved:
We also get to explore Grief and how holding on to folklores is the only way to go forward sometimes:. We cling to folklore in the hope that it can still prove our loved ones are around and that they haven't gone far. We cling to the fact that maybe one day, we will be able to see them in this world and that they haven't truly gone.
They bloom at Night was truly an adventure that I quite enjoyed. I think I would have liked to know more about Song as a folklore and I do feel that was not explored deeply in here. The book is more on the shorter side though and addressed numerous themes at once. I think the pace varied from fast pace in most parts, with a slower pace in a few places. This book would be ideal for people to get introduced into Vietnamese Folklore, like me. However, it will leave you wanting to explore it further (like me) and perhaps that was the intention.
Thank you to Netgalley, Colored Pages Tour and the publisher for the eArc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"There are birds and trees, revived flowers. Friends. From the red algae come monstrous forms, but there is also life in the animals returning where they were once extinct. This world and it's sharp, intense beauty.
There is me too, scars and all, freckled and peeling.
I was beautiful. I am beautiful."
GENRE: Gothic/Horror Fantasy with Folklore
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐.5/5
FORMAT: eBook on Netgalley with Colored Pages Book Tour
Would I recommend to others?: I'd recommend They bloom at night for people looking to read gothic fantasy with multiple themes happening at once & with a quick pace as well.
Long Review:
They bloom at night is a Gothic Fantasy book in which we explore a red algae overtaking a small town called Mercy near the water. We explore the different themes regarding Vietnamese Folklore, Ocean Species and Algae overtaking the world. We look at identity and gender throughout the book. We grow with the characters and learn the distinction of being an adult and the reality of it.
I quite enjoyed They bloom at night, I think we get to explore the folklore of Song and how Nhung sheds her human reality to become a creature of the sea. We get to explore the generational trauma of moving, leaving behind our ancestors and a country that once loved us with its folklore, its good & its bad. We get to explore the lack of acceptance and having to stand out when we are all different.
We learn what it's like growing up with an older generation that lacks hope and lacks the focus on love that it leaks into our generation:
"It's a bad habit of mine, finding the worst in every situation, but no one has taught me to hope."
But, we also learn that we aren't responsible for a whole generation's mistake and that we do not need to keep apologiseing for them:
"I'm learning that she will never apologize for her father's mistakes, the same way I won't for Mom's. And why should we, actually?"
They bloom at Night also has a sarcastic humour to it, which I loved:
"We are late a lot," I say in what must be a betrayal to multiple cultures. I'll apologize to the entire continent of Asia later."
We also get to explore Grief and how holding on to folklores is the only way to go forward sometimes:. We cling to folklore in the hope that it can still prove our loved ones are around and that they haven't gone far. We cling to the fact that maybe one day, we will be able to see them in this world and that they haven't truly gone.
They bloom at Night was truly an adventure that I quite enjoyed. I think I would have liked to know more about Song as a folklore and I do feel that was not explored deeply in here. The book is more on the shorter side though and addressed numerous themes at once. I think the pace varied from fast pace in most parts, with a slower pace in a few places. This book would be ideal for people to get introduced into Vietnamese Folklore, like me. However, it will leave you wanting to explore it further (like me) and perhaps that was the intention.
Thank you to Netgalley, Colored Pages Tour and the publisher for the eArc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames
GENRE: Cottagecore fantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc from netgalley
Would I recommend to others?: YESS! You legit get to go on two different adventures in this cottagecore fantasy and the ending is so beautiful!
Long Review:
Okay where do I start? Where do I stop? A Harvest of Hearts is advertised as whimsical and unforgetttable and I have to agree with that. I quite enjoyed it, I related to Foss so much and I think this book had enough of "cottagecore fantasy" elements with a little bit of romantasy in it that it was a perfect balance.
A Harvest of Hearts in summary is about Foss Butcher and how she gets snagged by a magic user. Foss Butcher is from a world where there are magic users (13 to be exact) that take bits of people's hearts and use the magic to keep their villages and city floating and the world moving forward.
Foss goes off as a average, plain. looking girl (or as she describes herself: Ugly). This does not seem to be just linked to physical looks but more to the fact that (view spoiler)
However, Foss, no matter how unspecial she thinks she is, gets snagged by a Sorcerer, Sylvester. Sylvester is the only sorcerer amongst the other, more famous sorceress and when Foss is snagged, it comes like an illness, in which she cannot remain so far away from him. Due to this, she makes her adventure to the city and becomes the housekeeper of his enchanted house and meets a talking cat.
We then go on an adventure with Foss, Sylvester, the talking cat and the magical house. Once sylvester starts to get to know Foss, and she learns more about him. She learns that he is the only male sorcerer because the others have failed. She learns he does not enjoy harvesting hearts and did not mean to snag her. She also learns that there is no way to undo the snagging and then we see their relationship begin to build:
The main issue in here is that Foss has no way to knowing which part of her feelings for Slyvester are real and which arent due to being snagged. She knew she would sacrifice a lot to be around him and to do whatever he wants, only due to the fact that she was snagged. And so the adventures continue, we see their relationship build for each other and Foss gets entwined in the magical world.
And about half way through the story, we are going on a second adventure. It definitely feels like the first half was a medium paced adventure and one that is needed to get to know the characters so well. The second half of the book is an adventure to right all the wrongs and to get Foss back where she needs to be.
Foss has been and will always be about survival throughout the book and her & Sylvester make it out of the margins of the city and discover the life outside that the king has spent years telling them he is protecting them against.
Foss learns why her heart is so unique and different from others as well and it is during these moments that she and Sylvester can finally explore their relationship as she is safe from his snagged magic when they finally flourish and we see them at the next stage of their relationship:
The ending of A Harvest of Hearts was SO satisfying, ending in a way that gave every character their appropriate ending and allowed them to build a new foundation and village again. I'd recommend this book for anyone looking to go on an adventure that has a little of magic, romance and cottagecore fantasy!
Thank you to NetGalley for the eArc copy in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"We are amazingly adaptable, it turns out. We have all the jars of hearts that the king took in a big shed behind our house, and we work daily to see if there is a way to return them fully to their owners across the kingdom."
GENRE: Cottagecore fantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc from netgalley
Would I recommend to others?: YESS! You legit get to go on two different adventures in this cottagecore fantasy and the ending is so beautiful!
Long Review:
Okay where do I start? Where do I stop? A Harvest of Hearts is advertised as whimsical and unforgetttable and I have to agree with that. I quite enjoyed it, I related to Foss so much and I think this book had enough of "cottagecore fantasy" elements with a little bit of romantasy in it that it was a perfect balance.
A Harvest of Hearts in summary is about Foss Butcher and how she gets snagged by a magic user. Foss Butcher is from a world where there are magic users (13 to be exact) that take bits of people's hearts and use the magic to keep their villages and city floating and the world moving forward.
Foss goes off as a average, plain. looking girl (or as she describes herself: Ugly). This does not seem to be just linked to physical looks but more to the fact that (view spoiler)
However, Foss, no matter how unspecial she thinks she is, gets snagged by a Sorcerer, Sylvester. Sylvester is the only sorcerer amongst the other, more famous sorceress and when Foss is snagged, it comes like an illness, in which she cannot remain so far away from him. Due to this, she makes her adventure to the city and becomes the housekeeper of his enchanted house and meets a talking cat.
We then go on an adventure with Foss, Sylvester, the talking cat and the magical house. Once sylvester starts to get to know Foss, and she learns more about him. She learns that he is the only male sorcerer because the others have failed. She learns he does not enjoy harvesting hearts and did not mean to snag her. She also learns that there is no way to undo the snagging and then we see their relationship begin to build:
"My mind was in a muddle. He had harvested a heart, but not mine. He had refused to harvest mine, in fact. He had left me but cast a spell to protect me while he was gone, as best as he could. And when he found I had left the house, he had created a thousand plates to smash."
The main issue in here is that Foss has no way to knowing which part of her feelings for Slyvester are real and which arent due to being snagged. She knew she would sacrifice a lot to be around him and to do whatever he wants, only due to the fact that she was snagged. And so the adventures continue, we see their relationship build for each other and Foss gets entwined in the magical world.
And about half way through the story, we are going on a second adventure. It definitely feels like the first half was a medium paced adventure and one that is needed to get to know the characters so well. The second half of the book is an adventure to right all the wrongs and to get Foss back where she needs to be.
Foss has been and will always be about survival throughout the book and her & Sylvester make it out of the margins of the city and discover the life outside that the king has spent years telling them he is protecting them against.
Perhaps the people here didn't have the kind of power the king and the magic workers wielded, but that seemed like a fair trade to me in exchange for a life without fear. It looked to be. a good life."
Foss learns why her heart is so unique and different from others as well and it is during these moments that she and Sylvester can finally explore their relationship as she is safe from his snagged magic when they finally flourish and we see them at the next stage of their relationship:
"We had been bound together for weeks now, the sorcerer and I, closer than any two sweethearts before. Who else could say that their beloved had their heart and really, truly mean it? A piece of my heart had lived in him, somehow, and had changed him. And he had changed me."
The ending of A Harvest of Hearts was SO satisfying, ending in a way that gave every character their appropriate ending and allowed them to build a new foundation and village again. I'd recommend this book for anyone looking to go on an adventure that has a little of magic, romance and cottagecore fantasy!
Thank you to NetGalley for the eArc copy in exchange for my honest review.
Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephanie Burgis
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.75
“She’d already taken a first step away from those smothering bindings when she’d announced herself a wicked queen, without apology, and then refused to change her presentation despite Mirjana’s urgings. But over the past week of steady, affectionate intimacy with a man who’d never asked her to change, she’d finally begun to wonder: what if she let go of those fears at a deeper, far more vulnerable level? Could she trust any lover to see her true self and not try to shape her into something more palatable?” — Queen Saskia, The Wicked Sorceress of Kitvaria
Book Title: Wooing the Witch Queen
GENRE: Historical, Cozy Romantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75/5
FORMAT: Physical Arc from Pan Macmillan & Tor Bramble
Would I recommend to others?: Yes, this is a Historical, Cozy Romantasy that addresses heavy topics as well but in a light hearted manner and it is a quick read but a lovely one!
GENRE: Historical, Cozy Romantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75/5
FORMAT: Physical Arc from Pan Macmillan & Tor Bramble
Would I recommend to others?: Yes, this is a Historical, Cozy Romantasy that addresses heavy topics as well but in a light hearted manner and it is a quick read but a lovely one!
Review:
Wooing the Witch Queen is a Historical Romantasy that basically follows Queen Saskia and a mysterious dark wizard, Felix or Fabian. This story gives the vibes of a powerful FMC who has a kind heart but won’t tolerate any harm to her loved ones and an MMC who is a soft-hearted librarian and a cinnamon-roll MC.
Hidden Cinnamon Roll FMC x Visible Cinnamon Roll MMC:
While I’m usually a huge fan of grumpy x sunshine, the trope of strong MC x cinnamon roll MC is very similar and this story made me giddy throughout it all. Wooing the Witch Queen is also advertised as appropriate for cozy fantasy audience (which I am).
“Was this man ever less than gentle?” — Saskia about Fabian/Felix
The lovely thing about both characters is that they are both cinnamon rolls in their heart but one is a cinnamon roll visibly and one is a hidden cinnamon roll MC. The romance builds in a cozily manner and fashion and is rather comforting:
And how in all the gods’ names was she meant to resist a man who offered her such comfort?
Standing out in the Crowd…Together:
I will say that I rated this book at 4.75/5 as it literally had me binge read it. The pace was perfect for me and seeing Queen Saskia, who is supposedly a “wicked” queen by her reputations turn out to be a lovely queen who will protect all her citizens, human or inhumane. She is known to be strange due to her willingness to protect those who are not human.
With this in mind, a major theme that is addressed in the book is how certain people stand out in the crowd due to being different. We can see throughout the story that Saskia struggles with this concept due to (mild spoiler ahead) her uncle’s false accusations & reputations that has been spread against her throughout her life.
“For once, she truly wished that Mirjana was by her side to interpret social cues for her.”
The way Felix/Fabian yearns for Saskia and appreciates all the things in her is very evident throughout the story:
“Everyone agreed that my scandalous powers were required to seize the throne from my uncle for the sake of the kingdom. Now that he’s gone and I wear the crown, though, the highest Kitvarian nobles and a fair few of my fellow rulers find the thought of a wicker queen… unnverving.” His head titled. “And do you wish to settle their nerves by hiding your powers and your nature now? I don’t believe the queen of Norrne and Balravia have ever taken that particular approach.” No, they hand’t, had they? Lorelei and Ailana would laugh in the faces of anyone who asked either of them to fit in and hide their strength.
How the MCs both impact each other positively:
And with Fabian/Felix’s way of loving her and appreciating the things that made her different, Saskia slowly learned to accept herself and protect herself from those who do try to change her (if you read this book, you’ll know who I mean but rather than just a specific person, this refers to all the nobles and royalty among Saskia):
“So you’ll have to decide for yourself whether it’s worth continuing to serve as my first minister even with the understanding that I’ll never become the queen you always wanted.” — Saskia to her First Minister
And finally, we see the impact of Saskia on Felix/Fabian as well:
“Felix had given up, years ago, on making any difference to his nation or his empire. But now in depth of his captivity, he saw the truth at last. He had never been truly weak at all. He had only been tricked and tortured into thinking so. Now it was time to save himself and become the Archduke he should have been from the beginning.”
Wooing the Witch Queen is definitely one of my top read in 2025 and with a crossover of historical & cozy fantasy (both my favourite sub-genre), it was bound to happen. I would highly recommend this book to almost anyone but don’t go in expecting high stacks as it is a cozy fantasy book at the end of the day!
Thank you to Pan Macmillan & Tor Bramble for the physical Arc of Wooing the Witch Queen in exchange for my honest opinion.