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.

BOOKS | Review: The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

Name: The Enchanted Greenhouse (Spellshop #2)

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Publisher: Tor UK

Date published: July 2025

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, cosy

Pages: 384

Rating: 5/5

Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the Great Library of Alyssium.
When Terlu wakes up, she finds herself on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. The only other human on the island is a grumpy – but surprisingly sweet – gardener. He offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes and freshly baked honey cakes – at least until she’s ready to sail home.
But Terlu can’t return and doesn’t want to. And when she learns that the magic that sustains the greenhouses is failing – causing the death of everything within them – Terlu knows she must stay and help. Even if that means breaking the law again. Assisted by the gardener, a sentient rose and a winged cat, Terlu must uncover the spell that will save the island – and possibly also find a fresh chance at love and happiness along the way.

 - From Goodreads. 

This was such a cute and wholesome book, and it definitely lived up to the expectations set by The Spellshop as to how enjoyable it would be to read.

The world continued to be very creative, the greenhouse was such a fun and magical setting and all the different creatures and plants that lived inside were so inventive. It really was so enjoyable just to read the descriptions of each different part of the greenhouse and to see what new and exciting things we would see in each one.

The characters were also just as loveable as in The Spellshop. Terlu was so sweet and empathetic in the way she worried about being too much and failing the people she cared about, and she was so kind and thoughtful, it was so lovely to see her find a place where she really felt like she belonged with people who really appreciated her. Yarrow was such a wonderful love interest, and very relatable with the way he didn't like to talk too much or to be around a lot of people for too long. It was really sweet to see them balance each other out and learn how to respect each other's needs and be a comfort to each other.

This book was very delightful and heartwarming to read and I was happy the whole time I was reading it. I will definitely be looking forward to reading any further books set in this world as I am sure it will be wonderful getting immersed in this cosy and fantastical world again. 

BOOKS | Review: Eidolon by Grace Draven

Name: Eidolon (Wraith Kings #2)

Author: Grace Draven 

Publisher: Independently published

Date published: April 2016

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance

Pages: 323

Rating: 5/5

In a bid for more power, the Shadow Queen of Haradis has unleashed a malignant force into the world. Her son Brishen, younger prince of the Kai royal house, suddenly finds himself ruler of a kingdom blighted by a diseased darkness and on the brink of war. His human wife Ildiko must decide if she will give up the man she loves in order to secure his throne.
Three enemy kingdoms must unite to save each other, and a one-eyed, reluctant king must raise an army of the dead to defeat an army of the damned.

- From Goodreads. 

This was definitely different to Radiance, with a lot more drama, angst and action, but it was still a great story, although it probably won't become as much of a comfort read as Radiance has become for me.

It was interesting to learn more about the world in this book, especially the politics and relationships between the different kingdoms. We saw some of it in the first book, but it was good to see it in more detail in this one.

It was certainly a more angst-filled storyline for Brishen and Ildiko, but it was clear they always cared for each other throughout the story and wanted to look after each other, and it was lovely to see them get through the difficulties and be stronger together at the end.

I think there were some wonderful new characters introduced, and we got to see more of Kirgipa, who we only saw briefly during the first book, and was a very sweet, likeable character. I really liked the start of the relationship that began between her and another new character, Necos. He was very kind and protective and I thought the two of them together were very wholesome. I would have loved to see more of them, and I did not expect to enjoy another perspective or point of view outside of Brishen's and Ildiko's, but I really liked all of Kirgipa's parts in the story.

Overall, it was a very thrilling and captivating story and a great conclusion to the conflict that was begun in the first book. I really love the characters and world and would always be happy to read more, even when it's just a cosy story about the characters with less focus on the plot. 

BOOKS | Review: My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine

Name: My Roommate is a Vampire (My Vampires #1)

Author: Jenna Levine

Publisher: Penguin

Date published: August 2023

Genre: Fiction, adult, fantasy, romance, vampires

Pages: 341

Rating: 5/5

Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch - only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.
Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean...
Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.

- From Goodreads. 

This was such a fun, entertaining book! It was delightful in its humour and I laughed out loud multiple times. And although it was very lighthearted, the charaters still felt sincere and their feelings still felt meaningful.

Both Cassie and Frederick were very loveable characters. It was endearing how out of place Frederick was and how eager he was to learn about the world around him, and it was so sweet how earnest and serious he was about his attraction and feelings for Cassie. And it was wonderful to see how Cassie went from feeling so lost and unhappy with her circumstance to really finding somewhere she could fit in and where people believed in her and her passion and creativity.

I loved that it was a less serious vampire story and that the author had a lot of fun with it, I will definitely look forward to reading more from Jenna Levine and more in this world. I'm curious to see how she expands on this world and what her new characters will be like.

BOOKS | Review: Daughter of Winter and Twilight by Helen Corcoran

Name: Daughter of Winter and Twilight (Queen of Coin and Whispers #2)

Author: Helen Corcoran

Publisher: The O'Brien Press

Date published: September 2023

Genre: Fiction, young adult, fantasy

Pages: 576

Rating: 5/5

 

'Magic was dormant - never dead'
To some, Emri - the adopted heir and daughter of two queens - is a living reminder that her birth father tried to usurp the Edaran throne. While Emri grapples with a diplomatic visit from her estranged cousin, Melisande, the two girls are attacked by a magical force and spirited away. They must put their differences aside when Emri comes face to face with a goddess she’s always considered a myth: Lady Winter.
Trapped deep within a mountain temple alongside other young royals, they face a race against time to complete Lady Winter’s trials... or die. 

- From Goodreads. 

This was a wonderful follow-up to Queen of Coin and Whispers. It took the world that was established in that first book and really expanded on it while also taking the plot in a new and exciting direction. Since the existence of magic and the gods were mentioned in the first book, but were not actually present, it was intriguing to see them actually become real and undeniable for the characters and to see their reactions to that.

The jump in time from the first book was also really interesting and it was fascinating to see how the characters we knew from the first book had grown and changed and what had happened to them in that time, as well as to meet new characters who had not even existed during the first book's plot.

I really liked Emri, the main character for this book, I think you could really feel and understand all her emotions, and it was very easy to root for her. It was also interesting to see Lia and Xania from her point of view as parents to her, when in the first book we had seen their story from their perspectives. I think we still got a strong sense of their characters and personalities and they still felt like the characters we knew in the first book, but of course a little older and more experienced.

The romance was a bit more in the background in this book, but I still enjoyed the romance we did get, and I thought it was well done that we saw Emri get to know and begin to like her potential future partner, without it being rushed and how it was clearly shown to be just the beginning of what had the potential to become a very sweet and loving relationship.

I would definitely recommend this if you enjoyed Queen of Coin and Whispers, and if you have not read that yet, I recommend both if you enjoy books with intriguing political plot lines and well thought-out worlds and well-rounded characters. If you like Samantha Shannon's Roots of Chaos series, I think you will like this too.