BOOKS | Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh

Name: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

Author: Axie Oh 

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Date published: February 2022

Genre: Fiction, young adult, romance, fantasy, mythology, retellings

Pages: 325

Rating: 5/5

 

Deadly storms have ravaged Mina’s homeland for generations. Floods sweep away entire villages, while bloody wars are waged over the few remaining resources. Her people believe the Sea God, once their protector, now curses them with death and despair. In an attempt to appease him, each year a beautiful maiden is thrown into the sea to serve as the Sea God’s bride, in the hopes that one day the “true bride” will be chosen and end the suffering.
Many believe that Shim Cheong, the most beautiful girl in the village - and the beloved of Mina’s older brother Joon - may be the legendary true bride. But on the night Cheong is to be sacrificed, Joon follows Cheong out to sea, even knowing that to interfere is a death sentence. To save her brother, Mina throws herself into the water in Cheong’s stead.
Swept away to the Spirit Realm, a magical city of lesser gods and mythical beasts, Mina seeks out the Sea God, only to find him caught in an enchanted sleep. With the help of a mysterious young man named Shin - as well as a motley crew of demons, gods and spirits - Mina sets out to wake the Sea God and bring an end to the killer storms once and for all.
But she doesn’t have much time: A human cannot live long in the land of the spirits. And there are those who would do anything to keep the Sea God from waking... 

- From Goodreads. 

This was such a lovely and immersive story, it really felt like being dropped right into a myth. I can see why people have compared this to Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, not just because of the plot, but I think it also feels reminiscent of the way Studio Ghibli movies really sweep you away into a magical world with characters full of real depth and emotion.

The storyline was very compelling and I was always wondering how it would resolve in the end, I did have an idea of the answer to the mystery, but I wasn't sure how it would be revealed, and I think the reveal was executed in a satisfying way.

I really liked how the story explored the themes it included, how important family was and what people will do for those they love, but also what destiny and fate can really mean to you, and how important it can be to make your own choices and choose your own path. 

The romance was very sweet and I loved how, as Shin came to trust Mina, he never stood in her way and always let her make her own decisions, it was lovely how devoted he was and how much he believed in her.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this if you enjoy myth retellings with loveable characters and sweet romance, and if you love stories like Spirited Away. 

BOOKS | Review: A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Name: A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping 

Author: Sangu Mandanna

Publisher: Hodderscape

Date published: July 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, cosy, witches 

Pages: 340

Rating: 5/5

Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps her aunt run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests' shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. But then she finds out about an old spell that could hold the key to restoring her power...
Enter Luke Larsen, handsome and icy magical historian, who arrives on a dark winter evening and might just know how to unlock the spell’s secrets. Luke has absolutely no interest in getting involved in the madcap goings-on of the inn and is definitely not about to let a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help Sera with her spell. Worse, he might actually be thawing.
Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone... and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.

- From Goodreads. 

This was truly such a wonderful story, so comforting and with lovely meaning. Despite it being of course fantastical and delightfully magical, it still felt very real and relatable, and had me feeling quite emotional in some moments.

Luke and Sera were such loveable characters, the fact that they had both had such difficult pasts but both ended up finding family and a sense of belonging at the inn was so heartwarming. 

The setting of the inn was so charming and very creative and fun, all the characters that lived there and all the quirks of the place really made for some entertaining moments in the story.

I definitely recommend this if you enjoyed The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, it has the same wholesome feeling, brilliant humour, characters you just have to care about, and a well-done and thoughtful message. 

BOOKS | Review: A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence by Stephanie Burgis

Name: A Honeymoon of Grave Cosequence (The Unexpected Adventures of Lady and Lord Riven #2)

Author: Stephanie Burgis

Publisher: Five Fathoms Press

Date published: September 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires, historical

Rating: 5/5

Thank you to the author for sending me an early review copy of this book! 

Margaret, Lady Riven, never expected to find herself married, much less enjoying a honeymoon with her vampiric husband. Obviously, they’ve only agreed to stay married for logical, practical reasons, but Lord Riven has kept his promise to supply her with excellent tea and even better company as they travel together across the continent. Unfortunately, her newfound notoriety has traveled along with them - so she’s delighted when they arrive at a secluded inn deep within the Black Forest, far from high society.
However, the inn is full of lethal supernatural creatures who find Margaret’s arrival anything but welcome - and for all of Margaret’s academic prowess, she’s infamously inept at making friends. When a new threat appears in her own mirror, she realizes that the greatest danger is to her heart... and she’ll have to rely on a remarkable assortment of newfound allies to help her save the immortal vampire who holds it.

- From Goodreads. 

This was a very heartwarming and charming follow-up to A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience, I really enjoyed that this story was a little longer and we got to spend more time with Lord and Lady Riven and see how their relationship was developing. It was also fun to explore a new location and meet quite an eclectic set of new characters! There was an intriguing mystery to solve, some exciting confrontations and of course more delightful romance.

Margaret and Lord Riven's relationship is definitely my favourite part of these books, they work so well together, have such great chemistry and obviously care so deeply about each other. Every scene between them is so wonderful to read.

If we ever get more in this world, I will definitely be reading it, I would love to see more of Lady and Lord Riven's adventures, and I'll certainly continue to read more from Stephanie Burgis as she has a very engaging and clever writing style. I would recommend this series for you if you love other fun and charming fantasy romance series like the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett, or the Love's Academic series by India Holton.

BOOKS | Review: Blood Sanctuary: Part Two by Vela Roth

Name: Blood Sanctuary: Part Two (Blood Grace #4)

Author: Vela Roth

Publisher: Five Thorns Press

Date published: April 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, fantasy, vampires

Pages: 480

Rating: 5/5

 

When an ancient evil rises, can they save the peace talks and their love?
Lio and Cassia spend their nights in each other’s arms, but sit on opposite sides of the negotiation table. Their clandestine partnership has brought his immortal kin and her fellow humans close to a treaty after generations of violence. Lives hang in the balance. Failure means war. Peace would bring the future they hope for, when their love will no longer be forbidden.
Just when success is within reach, they realize their plan has played into the enemy’s hands. A threat lurks within the delegation, an old nemesis with magic unlike any they have ever faced. Together, are they strong enough to stop the destruction of everything they love?

- From Goodreads. 

This was a very thrilling and action-packed part of this series, it definitely felt like the stakes were raised! The plot became a lot more intense and I really wasn't sure how the main characters would get out of the complicated situation they found themselves in. The ending was certainly a surprise, and I thought it was a great climax and wrapped things up well, setting up a very interesting storyline for the rest of the series. I'm very curious to see where it goes from here!

I thought the side characters were all written very well and had real depth. I really love Callen and Perita and their love story and I hope we see them again in future books. I also thought the First Prince was a really empathetic character and it was emotional to see the pain he had been going through. I hope we see more of him too and see what happens with his story.

I love how Lio and Cassia continue to be so devoted to each other and how you can really tell they would do anything for each other. They're a wonderful couple to follow and you really believe they could get through anything together.

I really recommend this series so far, it's so fascinating and compelling and there's so much world and plot to dive into and explore and so many interesting characters to follow. I'm excited to keep reading! 

BOOKS | Review: Blood Sanctuary: Part One by Vela Roth

Name: Blood Sanctuary: Part One (Blood Grace #3)

Author: Vela Roth

Publisher: Five Thorns Press

Date published: March 2022

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires

Pages: 474

Rating: 5/5

Their love could last for all time - unless the king’s assassins cut her life short...
Cassia has reunited with her beloved Lio in the land of eternal night. She longs to become an immortal Hesperine like him so they can stay together forever. But she’s torn between their happiness and her duty to the kingdom her human father rules. To free herself from the king, she must convince his ambassadors to ally with the Hesperines, despite centuries of conflict.
Lio will die if Cassia leaves him, but he won’t force her to stay by revealing their blood bond. While they negotiate for peace in public, he tempts her in private with the promise of everlasting passion. But their future may end before it begins when enemies within the embassy threaten her with a lethal spell.

- From Goodreads.

This was another very enjoyable installment in this series. Not everyone may enjoy the slow pace, but I really like how it takes its time to set each part of the plot in motion, helping us really understand the world and everything taking place in it, and I think all the plot twists and surprises are even more exciting due to the slow build up of the tension.

I loved how Lio and Cassia's relationship continued to grow and build in this book. Each problem they faced, even when it was due to their own feelings and insecurities, they found a way to work through it together and to talk through how they were feeling. I really loved reading about them together and look forward to seeing how their relationship develops in the future books.

The world-building continued to be very impressive in this book, it was very intricate and detailed, and I especially enjoyed the wonderful descriptions as we continued to learn more about the Hesperine's home and see all the magic of the land they had created for their sanctuary.

Overall, I'm continuing to really enjoy this series and I'm excited to keep reading and see what happens next and eventually see how it all wraps up! Lio and Cassia's journey is really compelling and I'm always curious to see how they face each obstacle and overcome them together. 

BOOKS | Review: The Tales of Arcana Fortune by Hafsa A. Jawad

Name: The Tales of Arcana Fortune

Author: Hafsa A. Jawad

Publisher: Independently published

Date published: June 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, fairy tales

Pages: 466

Rating: 4/5

Seven nights, Seven tales
Young healer Serena Rose has always dreamed of fairytales, but the chances of finding true love living alone in the a cottage by the wood are... slim. Instead, she spends her days chasing down mischievous woodland critters, brewing tonics, and taking care of her family's ancient records of fairytales, many of which have been outlawed in the kingdom of Lumina where she resides.
However her quiet life is upended when she is approached by a dark haired stranger searching for a book in her family’s collection, The Tales of Arcana Fortune. In between searching for more information on the book, and fighting their budding attraction, they accidentally free a malicious immortal sealed with an ancient spell.
Cursed to be trapped in a different fairytale each night, Serena must find a way through her trials all the while trying not to lose her life, her freedom, and her heart.

- From Goodreads. 

This was a very delightful story and I think anyone who enjoys fairy tales will have a great time reading it. I thought it was quite clever how the fairy tales used in the book became a part of the story and how they slowly began to change and become more relevant to the main characters as the curse they were in came to understand them better and gave them more difficult challenges.

I thought the villain of the story was a great character, even though he was clearly a sinister enemy, he was still interesting, and it was fascinating to learn more of his story, and his interactions with the main characters were always exciting to read.

The romance was really sweet and lovely, their affection for each other did happen quite quickly and occasionally felt very sudden, but mostly it was just so nice to see them face the challenges of the curse together and grow to trust and understand each other.

I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a very sweet and comforting love story with plenty of fairytale adventure and nostalgia. 

 

BOOKS | Review: The Wraith King by Juliette Cross

Name: The Wraith King (The Rise of Northgall #1)

Author: Juliette Cross

Publisher: Independently published

Date published: September 2024

Genre: Fiction, adult, romance, fantasy

Pages: 454

Rating: 3/5

A brutal, bloody war against the ruthless Wraith King has cost the light fae more than innocent lives. Una Hartstone, Princess of Issos, learns the price the Wraith King demands to end the war once and for all. Her. In exchange for the safety of her people, she agrees to give her life - and her body - to her greatest enemy.
Gollaya Verbane is determined to fulfill his destiny and his god’s prophecy. When his seer points to the Princess of Issos as the key to the rise of the dark fae, he demands her submission. But when she finally yields, he realizes Una is much more to him than a priceless weapon.
A mystery that has haunted Una for years awakens when she is abducted and dragged back to Näkt Mir. The palace hides many dark secrets... and at least one traitor. A traitor determined to take King Goll’s throne - and all he possesses. What he doesn’t know is that Una’s magick is more powerful than he can imagine, and that Goll will burn the whole world to save her.

- From Goodreads. 

This was an enjoyable story and had a lot of potential but unfortunately did not quite meet that potential. I liked the premise of the princess agreeing to marry the king of an enemy kingdom and to give him an heir to end the war and bring peace to both of their kingdoms, but the execution of the plot was not as great as it could have been. I think it could have been as good as Radiance by Grace Draven, which I really love, but it just had some parts that let it down and fell a bit flat for me.

The romance was good, I liked that they were such different people but once they had time to know and understand each other they made good companions for each other. However, I think it would have been good to spend a little more time building their emotional connection, as I think a lot more time was spent on their attraction to each other and their physical connection. Their attraction was written well and I did believe it, but it did also feel quite sudden, and I think a little more time spent not focused on that aspect of their relationship would have helped to build the tension for the more physical scenes. Speaking of which, there were some intimate moments between them where the phrases or descriptions did pull me out of the momet, and I think a few different choices in phrasing could have kept the moments more immersive, but that could be down to personal preference.

I did find the world very interesting, especially the differences between the dark and the light fae and how they interpreted the old myths of their world. I was curious to learn more and would be happy to discover more from other books set in the world. I think the plot and writing did keep me invested enough to continue reading from this author and series, even though it was not perfect for me.