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The World of Reforged #2
Reborn
When the Rezwyn Empire mysteriously cuts diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Usleth, merchant lord Oren Radek is sent to investigate. But when he discovers a coup brewing against the emperor, Radek's life and his country's safety is suddenly under threat.
Izra Dziove, visionary advisor to the Rezwyn Emperor, is trying to hold the turbulent Rezwyn court together while being plagued by dreams of his fated man. But when Izra’s adversaries launch an attack on the diplomatic party from Usleth, he is forced to take action to protect them and prevent a war.
Forced to trust one another, both men must put aside their differences to save the future of both their nations, while also contending with the growing attraction between them— all while trying to understand their mysterious connection and the forces guiding their shared destiny.
Can their fated love change the destiny of nations?
Izra Dziove, visionary advisor to the Rezwyn Emperor, is trying to hold the turbulent Rezwyn court together while being plagued by dreams of his fated man. But when Izra’s adversaries launch an attack on the diplomatic party from Usleth, he is forced to take action to protect them and prevent a war.
Forced to trust one another, both men must put aside their differences to save the future of both their nations, while also contending with the growing attraction between them— all while trying to understand their mysterious connection and the forces guiding their shared destiny.
Can their fated love change the destiny of nations?
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2023
80 people are currently reading
3397 people want to read
About the author
Seth Haddon
7 books577 followersSeth Haddon is a queer Australian writer of fantasy. He is a video game designer and producer, has a degree in Ancient History, and previously worked with cats. Some of his previous adventures include exploring Pompeii with a famous archaeologist and being chased through a train station by a nun.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
September 22, 2023
I loved Seth Haddon’s debut, Reforged. Bale and Zavrius were a couple to swoon for, and that cover by Julie Dillon was the icing on the cake. So, I couldn’t wait for Seth’s sophomore book. I loved the blurb and another cover by Julie Dillon, and then … nothing …
From the moment I started reading, I had trouble getting into the story, and understanding the world-building, and even remembering whose chapter I was reading. I didn’t remember much of Reforged, and maybe I should’ve reread that one first. I think it’s a case of the wrong book at the wrong time. At least, it was the wrong genre at the wrong time. I struggled to get through it, and I must admit that I skim-read parts … I rounded up my 2.5 rating to three stars.
So, if you want to read this story, please check out other reviews!
I received an ARC from Blind Eye Books in exchange for an honest review.
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From the moment I started reading, I had trouble getting into the story, and understanding the world-building, and even remembering whose chapter I was reading. I didn’t remember much of Reforged, and maybe I should’ve reread that one first. I think it’s a case of the wrong book at the wrong time. At least, it was the wrong genre at the wrong time. I struggled to get through it, and I must admit that I skim-read parts … I rounded up my 2.5 rating to three stars.
So, if you want to read this story, please check out other reviews!
I received an ARC from Blind Eye Books in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Instagram
September 5, 2025
At first I was sure this book was gonna be a mid-3-star, and then somehow it picked up, and I couldn't stop listening to it.
I loved how shy and cute Izra was about Oren. He was literally the man from his dreams, and he had loved him for years, and poor Oren was so confused and had no idea what he was getting into LOL.
I liked the whole fated-mateds/souls reborn thing, but I would have liked it if we had more of a backstory about their previous lives and what happened to them.
The world-building is still pretty good, and the political intrigue was very entertaining.
I loved how shy and cute Izra was about Oren. He was literally the man from his dreams, and he had loved him for years, and poor Oren was so confused and had no idea what he was getting into LOL.
I liked the whole fated-mateds/souls reborn thing, but I would have liked it if we had more of a backstory about their previous lives and what happened to them.
The world-building is still pretty good, and the political intrigue was very entertaining.
October 15, 2023
Reborn is Seth Haddon’s second gay fantasy novel and is also set in the same world as his debut Reforged. Izra is a prophet and advisor to the emperor when he meets his fated man (the one he has been dreaming about endlessly) just as a coup threatens the empire. Radek is a foreign merchant lord sent as part of an envoy to the empire to reopen trade talks and a peace treaty when he becomes embroiled in an assassination attempt. Izra and Radek are forced to flee together, but fate had bigger plans for them.
I thought Reborn was a vast improvement from Reforged, which I did not like all that much (I scored it a 2.5/5), but I thought I should give Seth Haddon another chance since that was his first novel. He really worked on everything I had issues with in Reforged.
The story, politics, and court intrigue were complex and fitting for a true court fantasy. I would say Reborn is actually a court fantasy rather than a fantasy romance and just happen to follow two fated lovers. The world felt lush and well developed with different factions and personalities that had their own motivations and ends. The plot was twisty while still making sense and with no plot-threads thrown in just to neglected or forgotten.
Switching from a single PoV to a dual perspective narrative worked in the book’s favor. We get to know both Izra and Radek well and gain insight into their personalities and the reasons behind their actions. And rather than just telling us how great they are at what they do (something Reforged is guilty of), it is shown through their actions and reactions as the story progressed. I liked the fated lovers aspect of their romance, but I did think that their past lives could have been fleshed out more and explained further. The other characters also did seem to swing wildly from one side/opinion to another (hard to explain but you’ll get it if you’ve read the book) and lacked consistency.
Reborn marks a step-up in storytelling and character work, and I will definitely be on board to read more of the author’s work.
*I received an eARC via BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
I thought Reborn was a vast improvement from Reforged, which I did not like all that much (I scored it a 2.5/5), but I thought I should give Seth Haddon another chance since that was his first novel. He really worked on everything I had issues with in Reforged.
The story, politics, and court intrigue were complex and fitting for a true court fantasy. I would say Reborn is actually a court fantasy rather than a fantasy romance and just happen to follow two fated lovers. The world felt lush and well developed with different factions and personalities that had their own motivations and ends. The plot was twisty while still making sense and with no plot-threads thrown in just to neglected or forgotten.
Switching from a single PoV to a dual perspective narrative worked in the book’s favor. We get to know both Izra and Radek well and gain insight into their personalities and the reasons behind their actions. And rather than just telling us how great they are at what they do (something Reforged is guilty of), it is shown through their actions and reactions as the story progressed. I liked the fated lovers aspect of their romance, but I did think that their past lives could have been fleshed out more and explained further. The other characters also did seem to swing wildly from one side/opinion to another (hard to explain but you’ll get it if you’ve read the book) and lacked consistency.
Reborn marks a step-up in storytelling and character work, and I will definitely be on board to read more of the author’s work.
*I received an eARC via BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2024
Reborn is the first Seth Haddon I've read and I unfortunately was not impressed. For majority of my reading experience with this book I was actively aware that I was reading words on a screen, and that's a clear sign that I was not enjoying it.
The premise of the book drew me in and I was excited to delve into the story so I was very disappointed when I lost interest 6 chapters in. The writing style was definitely not working for me. There was a lot of info-dumping, so many descriptions we did not need and the entire beginning of the book seemed stiff, almost robotic, like the author just wanted to check things off his checklist so he could move on to the next point. It didn't help that every chapter felt rushed and underdeveloped, it all just seemed too controlled to flow properly.
Moving on to the actual world building, it was very messy. It was obvious the author wanted to create a complex fantasy world, but when you add too many elements they all just end up bleeding into each other. I loved the concept of the fantasy religions and gods but the idea of there being a "superior" religion and the author continuously bringing it forward in the book made me very uncomfortable. Not to mention the disrespect for other people's religions. There's multiple scenes where Izra tells Radek that he'll "make a believer out of him" i.e. he'll get him to believe in his (izra's) religion. Super weird!
The characters also all felt the same to me. There was nothing really stand-out about any of them past their religions, they all talked the same no matter who's pov it was. There was a point where I thought we'd get some kind of breakthrough distinction between the main characters, it was when Radek and Izra had the conversation of them being supposedly 'fated' according to a vision Izra's god had shown him for years. Radek was on the side of wanting to choose his own fate and Izra believed in fate...I feel like the author could have built more solidly on this plot point and I was so so so disappointed when he just made Radek believe in fate in the end and so easily too!
I honestly do believe I'd probably have enjoyed this more if it'd been a fantasy with a romantic subplot rather than a romantasy because both the romance and fantasy aspects are horribly half-baked. From the insta-love, mostly off-page romance to the poorly fleshed out fantasy world building, this is a great example of 'wonderful idea, poor execution'.
I did enjoy the ending though, it was captivating enough that I am giving the book 2 stars!
Thank you to the author and Booksirens for gifting me with an ARC.
The premise of the book drew me in and I was excited to delve into the story so I was very disappointed when I lost interest 6 chapters in. The writing style was definitely not working for me. There was a lot of info-dumping, so many descriptions we did not need and the entire beginning of the book seemed stiff, almost robotic, like the author just wanted to check things off his checklist so he could move on to the next point. It didn't help that every chapter felt rushed and underdeveloped, it all just seemed too controlled to flow properly.
Moving on to the actual world building, it was very messy. It was obvious the author wanted to create a complex fantasy world, but when you add too many elements they all just end up bleeding into each other. I loved the concept of the fantasy religions and gods but the idea of there being a "superior" religion and the author continuously bringing it forward in the book made me very uncomfortable. Not to mention the disrespect for other people's religions. There's multiple scenes where Izra tells Radek that he'll "make a believer out of him" i.e. he'll get him to believe in his (izra's) religion. Super weird!
The characters also all felt the same to me. There was nothing really stand-out about any of them past their religions, they all talked the same no matter who's pov it was. There was a point where I thought we'd get some kind of breakthrough distinction between the main characters, it was when Radek and Izra had the conversation of them being supposedly 'fated' according to a vision Izra's god had shown him for years. Radek was on the side of wanting to choose his own fate and Izra believed in fate...I feel like the author could have built more solidly on this plot point and I was so so so disappointed when he just made Radek believe in fate in the end and so easily too!
I honestly do believe I'd probably have enjoyed this more if it'd been a fantasy with a romantic subplot rather than a romantasy because both the romance and fantasy aspects are horribly half-baked. From the insta-love, mostly off-page romance to the poorly fleshed out fantasy world building, this is a great example of 'wonderful idea, poor execution'.
I did enjoy the ending though, it was captivating enough that I am giving the book 2 stars!
Thank you to the author and Booksirens for gifting me with an ARC.
June 1, 2024
I've given this an A for narration and a B for content at AudioGals.
Seth Haddon’s Reborn is set in the same fantasy universe as his début Reforged . This story takes place a couple of years after the events of that book and features one of its secondary characters in a lead role, but there’s no story overlap so it could work as a standalone – although the listener would benefit from having some knowledge of the world in which the book is set.
Some of the weaknesses I’d noted in the previous book have been addressed here – the romance is stronger, the characterisation is better (although still a bit inconsistent in places) and the story feels more cohesive as a whole. The stakes are high, the worldbuilding is good and I enjoyed the court and political intrigue, and – of course – the addition of Gary Furlong to the mix is always a point in any audiobook’s favour!
Izra Dziove is advisor, warrior, and seer at the court of the Emperor Nio Beumeut, True Commander of the Rezwyn empire. With the elderly ruler incapacitated, the empire is slowly falling apart as states start to break away and people start to renounce their gods, and there are many who are angry at Beumeut’s inaction who are willing to do the unthinkable and remove him from the throne – and from life – in order to stop the rot. Izra is jolted awake one night by a vision that indicates there’s an intruder in the palace intent on murdering the Emperor, and, on rushing to his quarters, is shocked to find the would-be assassin is a member of the priesthood – of the order favoured by the Emperor’s ambitious younger daughter, Neala.
We met Oren Radek briefly in Reforged. He’s a successful merchant lord and friend of King Zavrius of Usleth, and has been sent to the Rezwyn empire to see if he can discover why they suddenly and inexplicably cut all diplomatic and trade ties with Usleth. The unrest that followed Zavrius’ ascension to the throne has slowly dissipated and the kingdom is prospering – but this new edict from the empire threatens Usleth’s stability, and it’s imperative the emperor’s decision is reversed.
Oren and his party – including diplomat Paqe, and Mirakel, a treasury officer who takes no shit and frequently calls Oren on his – arrive at the capital, Doskor, on the day of the execution of the traitor who tried to kill the emperor. They witness the parade, through the streets, of the condemned man, but Oren’s attention is completely absorbed by the man walking at his side, a tall, striking and imposing figure Paqe recognises as a strix, someone of huge importance and blessed by the gods with arcane powers. As they turn to leave, Oren realises the strix is watching them. A cry rings out in Doskorian and quickly, they’re surrounded by soldiers, the strix approaching them like a great beast stalking its prey. When he reaches them, he stares at Oren for a long time without saying anything; Oren pulls out Zavrius’ seal and presents it to him, and is relieved when he says “You are the one I have been expecting” – because of course, he must have received Zavrius’ letters. Oren is less confident when Dziove asks if he can touch his face – but figuring this must be some kind of odd, local custom, he allows it, not expecting to feel such shocking intensity radiating from the other man. When that becomes overwhelming, Oren passes out.
What Izra knows that Oren doesn’t is that Oren is his ‘fated man’, the man who has filled his dreams for the last several months and whom he has loved across the centuries. Now, I’m not usually big on the whole fated mates thing, but the author makes it work here because only one of the pair actually knows what they are (and were) to each other, so there’s room for a romance to grow. But there’s no time for any explanations before the faction behind the assassination attempt uses Oren’s arrival to discredit Izra and frame him for another attempt on the emperor’s life, and they are forced to flee for their lives.
The main plotline follows Izra and Oren as they work together to try to stop both a coup in Rezwyn and a potential war with Usleth should the coup succeed. The action scenes are well-written and the worldbuilding here is very good – we’re introduced to several different cultures, which have different gender and societal norms and religious practices, all of which have clearly been well thought-out; the political intrigue is well done, the perilous situations our heroes find themselves in feel suitably, well, perilous (!), and the author ratchets up the tension nicely while at the same time developing the relationship between the leads in a way that mostly avoids the insta-lust so often found in fated mates romances.
One of my biggest criticisms of the previous book was that the story relied on one of the leads being something of an idiot in the early stages, and of the inconsistency in the characterisation of the other. Fortunately, that’s not so much of an issue here; both Izra and Oren are good at what they do, and they feel more fully fleshed-out. They’re total opposites in almost everything – Izra is big and broody, dedicated to his god and his calling, where Oren is cheeky and flirty, and has no patience with the idea of fate or destiny, but he’s no less serious about getting the job done. They have a ton of chemistry and their romance is really quite charming and has plenty of warmth and humour. Izra’s pining for Oren from the moment they meet is cute and he gets a bit tongue-tied and flustered around him – and while Oren is attracted to Izra, he’s confused as to why Izra keeps looking at him as if they’re old friends and why he (Oren) wants to let his guard down and just… lean into him.
On the downside, there are some pacing issues here and there, a bit of info-dumping, and once again, the author fails to properly stick the landing at the end. I can’t say much without spoilers, but the epilogue kind of retrospectively negates the threat faced in the story’s climax. And a smaller thing that annoyed me – for some reason, Oren is referred to variously as “Oren”, “Radek” and “Oren Radek”, and I could find no reason as to which one was chosen at any one point. I’d have expected him to think of himself as “Oren” in his PoV, but even then, he’s sometimes referred to as “Radek”, which made no sense to me, as he’s effectively talking about himself.
What can I say about Gary Furlong that I haven’t said many, many times before? He’s such a good vocal actor and I love the way he really throws himself into everything he does; he captures every emotional high and low in this story without going over the top and into melodrama, and his interpretation of the two leads is absolutely spot on. All the Rezwyns are easy to identify because they have a kind of Eastern European-sounding accent, and the deep, gravelly tone given to Izra makes him sound authoritative and speaks to his physically imposing stature. The smile in Oren’s voice emphasises his good nature and his generally upbeat demeanour. There are quite a few secondary characters in the story and they’re all appropriately voiced, from princess to cut-purse to world-weary soldier. I particularly enjoyed Mirakel – her exchanges with Oren are a hoot because while she regularly gives him a verbal smack upside the head, you can tell she’d kill anyone else who dared do the same and Mr. Furlong captures their dynamic perfectly. It’s a superb performance that brings the story and characters vividly to life, and I know it contributed considerably to my enjoyment of this story.
On the whole, I enjoyed Reborn more than Reforged, and in the hope that this improvement will continue, I’ll be looking out for the next book in the series, Reclaimed, and crossing my fingers that it makes it into audio.
Seth Haddon’s Reborn is set in the same fantasy universe as his début Reforged . This story takes place a couple of years after the events of that book and features one of its secondary characters in a lead role, but there’s no story overlap so it could work as a standalone – although the listener would benefit from having some knowledge of the world in which the book is set.
Some of the weaknesses I’d noted in the previous book have been addressed here – the romance is stronger, the characterisation is better (although still a bit inconsistent in places) and the story feels more cohesive as a whole. The stakes are high, the worldbuilding is good and I enjoyed the court and political intrigue, and – of course – the addition of Gary Furlong to the mix is always a point in any audiobook’s favour!
Izra Dziove is advisor, warrior, and seer at the court of the Emperor Nio Beumeut, True Commander of the Rezwyn empire. With the elderly ruler incapacitated, the empire is slowly falling apart as states start to break away and people start to renounce their gods, and there are many who are angry at Beumeut’s inaction who are willing to do the unthinkable and remove him from the throne – and from life – in order to stop the rot. Izra is jolted awake one night by a vision that indicates there’s an intruder in the palace intent on murdering the Emperor, and, on rushing to his quarters, is shocked to find the would-be assassin is a member of the priesthood – of the order favoured by the Emperor’s ambitious younger daughter, Neala.
We met Oren Radek briefly in Reforged. He’s a successful merchant lord and friend of King Zavrius of Usleth, and has been sent to the Rezwyn empire to see if he can discover why they suddenly and inexplicably cut all diplomatic and trade ties with Usleth. The unrest that followed Zavrius’ ascension to the throne has slowly dissipated and the kingdom is prospering – but this new edict from the empire threatens Usleth’s stability, and it’s imperative the emperor’s decision is reversed.
Oren and his party – including diplomat Paqe, and Mirakel, a treasury officer who takes no shit and frequently calls Oren on his – arrive at the capital, Doskor, on the day of the execution of the traitor who tried to kill the emperor. They witness the parade, through the streets, of the condemned man, but Oren’s attention is completely absorbed by the man walking at his side, a tall, striking and imposing figure Paqe recognises as a strix, someone of huge importance and blessed by the gods with arcane powers. As they turn to leave, Oren realises the strix is watching them. A cry rings out in Doskorian and quickly, they’re surrounded by soldiers, the strix approaching them like a great beast stalking its prey. When he reaches them, he stares at Oren for a long time without saying anything; Oren pulls out Zavrius’ seal and presents it to him, and is relieved when he says “You are the one I have been expecting” – because of course, he must have received Zavrius’ letters. Oren is less confident when Dziove asks if he can touch his face – but figuring this must be some kind of odd, local custom, he allows it, not expecting to feel such shocking intensity radiating from the other man. When that becomes overwhelming, Oren passes out.
What Izra knows that Oren doesn’t is that Oren is his ‘fated man’, the man who has filled his dreams for the last several months and whom he has loved across the centuries. Now, I’m not usually big on the whole fated mates thing, but the author makes it work here because only one of the pair actually knows what they are (and were) to each other, so there’s room for a romance to grow. But there’s no time for any explanations before the faction behind the assassination attempt uses Oren’s arrival to discredit Izra and frame him for another attempt on the emperor’s life, and they are forced to flee for their lives.
The main plotline follows Izra and Oren as they work together to try to stop both a coup in Rezwyn and a potential war with Usleth should the coup succeed. The action scenes are well-written and the worldbuilding here is very good – we’re introduced to several different cultures, which have different gender and societal norms and religious practices, all of which have clearly been well thought-out; the political intrigue is well done, the perilous situations our heroes find themselves in feel suitably, well, perilous (!), and the author ratchets up the tension nicely while at the same time developing the relationship between the leads in a way that mostly avoids the insta-lust so often found in fated mates romances.
One of my biggest criticisms of the previous book was that the story relied on one of the leads being something of an idiot in the early stages, and of the inconsistency in the characterisation of the other. Fortunately, that’s not so much of an issue here; both Izra and Oren are good at what they do, and they feel more fully fleshed-out. They’re total opposites in almost everything – Izra is big and broody, dedicated to his god and his calling, where Oren is cheeky and flirty, and has no patience with the idea of fate or destiny, but he’s no less serious about getting the job done. They have a ton of chemistry and their romance is really quite charming and has plenty of warmth and humour. Izra’s pining for Oren from the moment they meet is cute and he gets a bit tongue-tied and flustered around him – and while Oren is attracted to Izra, he’s confused as to why Izra keeps looking at him as if they’re old friends and why he (Oren) wants to let his guard down and just… lean into him.
On the downside, there are some pacing issues here and there, a bit of info-dumping, and once again, the author fails to properly stick the landing at the end. I can’t say much without spoilers, but the epilogue kind of retrospectively negates the threat faced in the story’s climax. And a smaller thing that annoyed me – for some reason, Oren is referred to variously as “Oren”, “Radek” and “Oren Radek”, and I could find no reason as to which one was chosen at any one point. I’d have expected him to think of himself as “Oren” in his PoV, but even then, he’s sometimes referred to as “Radek”, which made no sense to me, as he’s effectively talking about himself.
What can I say about Gary Furlong that I haven’t said many, many times before? He’s such a good vocal actor and I love the way he really throws himself into everything he does; he captures every emotional high and low in this story without going over the top and into melodrama, and his interpretation of the two leads is absolutely spot on. All the Rezwyns are easy to identify because they have a kind of Eastern European-sounding accent, and the deep, gravelly tone given to Izra makes him sound authoritative and speaks to his physically imposing stature. The smile in Oren’s voice emphasises his good nature and his generally upbeat demeanour. There are quite a few secondary characters in the story and they’re all appropriately voiced, from princess to cut-purse to world-weary soldier. I particularly enjoyed Mirakel – her exchanges with Oren are a hoot because while she regularly gives him a verbal smack upside the head, you can tell she’d kill anyone else who dared do the same and Mr. Furlong captures their dynamic perfectly. It’s a superb performance that brings the story and characters vividly to life, and I know it contributed considerably to my enjoyment of this story.
On the whole, I enjoyed Reborn more than Reforged, and in the hope that this improvement will continue, I’ll be looking out for the next book in the series, Reclaimed, and crossing my fingers that it makes it into audio.
December 8, 2025
Reborn by Seth Haddon
This book centers on merchant lord Oren Radek and imperial advisor Izra Dziove, who are thrown together when diplomatic ties between the Kingdom of Usleth and the Rezwyn Empire unravel; as a coup threatens the empire’s stability, Oren and Izra must navigate political danger, gods’ visions, and a fated and increasingly complicated attraction.
Right away I felt the tension of their world: political intrigue, whispered betrayal, and the looming threat of war gives the story backbone and gravity. The personalities of Oren and Izra contrast in a compelling way: Oren’s wry, skeptical pragmatism alongside Izra’s faith‑driven, prophetic sensitivity made their interactions feel charged. The atmosphere of magic and destiny hovering over their relationship added a layer of wistful longing and wistful confusion that I found emotionally engaging. The stakes often feel large, nations, gods, fate but the story also spends honest moments on trust, doubt, and what it means to believe in something or someone.
What lingered with me was how the themes of belief versus skepticism, fate versus choice, and loyalty to one’s homeland or loved ones played out through the protagonists’ choices. There were moments when I hoped for more, more grounding of the world’s history, more clarity of motivations, more time for the characters to breathe outside of looming crisis. Some info‑dumping and rapid pacing in parts made sections feel rushed, which occasionally pulled me out of the emotional immersion. Others might find the romance (especially with the “fated mates” trope) leaning on destiny rather than growth through shared experiences.
I rate this book 3 out of 5. I appreciated its ambition, the emotional spark between main characters, and the way it blends political stakes with personal longing. It might not always deliver on all its promises, but if you enjoy queer fantasy with gods, intrigue, and the tension between fate and free will, this one is a heartfelt ride.
This book centers on merchant lord Oren Radek and imperial advisor Izra Dziove, who are thrown together when diplomatic ties between the Kingdom of Usleth and the Rezwyn Empire unravel; as a coup threatens the empire’s stability, Oren and Izra must navigate political danger, gods’ visions, and a fated and increasingly complicated attraction.
Right away I felt the tension of their world: political intrigue, whispered betrayal, and the looming threat of war gives the story backbone and gravity. The personalities of Oren and Izra contrast in a compelling way: Oren’s wry, skeptical pragmatism alongside Izra’s faith‑driven, prophetic sensitivity made their interactions feel charged. The atmosphere of magic and destiny hovering over their relationship added a layer of wistful longing and wistful confusion that I found emotionally engaging. The stakes often feel large, nations, gods, fate but the story also spends honest moments on trust, doubt, and what it means to believe in something or someone.
What lingered with me was how the themes of belief versus skepticism, fate versus choice, and loyalty to one’s homeland or loved ones played out through the protagonists’ choices. There were moments when I hoped for more, more grounding of the world’s history, more clarity of motivations, more time for the characters to breathe outside of looming crisis. Some info‑dumping and rapid pacing in parts made sections feel rushed, which occasionally pulled me out of the emotional immersion. Others might find the romance (especially with the “fated mates” trope) leaning on destiny rather than growth through shared experiences.
I rate this book 3 out of 5. I appreciated its ambition, the emotional spark between main characters, and the way it blends political stakes with personal longing. It might not always deliver on all its promises, but if you enjoy queer fantasy with gods, intrigue, and the tension between fate and free will, this one is a heartfelt ride.
August 19, 2023
Seth Haddon is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!
Haddon has a fantastic talent for building intricate worlds and cultures that feel real to me. From fashions to religions and ideologies, it is clear that this world has been meticulously fleshed out. I appreciate the attention given to detail while never feeling that the information has been dumped on my head.
The characters, much like Haddon’s debut Reforged, felt unique and were fun to read. The POV was split between our love interests Radek and Izra, which I didn’t love as much as I thought I would - Radek’s voice felt lacking in personality to me at times but Izra easily made up for it in his chapters (by the end of chapter one I was willing to kill to protect that man).
Full disclosure - I'm not a fan of the “fated love” trope. Once it has been established that a couple is meant to be together no matter what, the building of the relationship feels disingenuous to me. That being said, I think it is a testament to Haddon's writing that I was compelled to continue reading even after this trope really came to play (I did VERY MUCH enjoy Izra and his puppy dog infatuation with poor Radek who just wanted to sell his fancy fabrics and, ya know, not start a war).
All in all this is another great novel by Seth Haddon who, in my opinion, is an incredibly underrated author right now. And of course, another massive shout out to Julie Dillon who continues to produce the most beautiful cover art!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Haddon has a fantastic talent for building intricate worlds and cultures that feel real to me. From fashions to religions and ideologies, it is clear that this world has been meticulously fleshed out. I appreciate the attention given to detail while never feeling that the information has been dumped on my head.
The characters, much like Haddon’s debut Reforged, felt unique and were fun to read. The POV was split between our love interests Radek and Izra, which I didn’t love as much as I thought I would - Radek’s voice felt lacking in personality to me at times but Izra easily made up for it in his chapters (by the end of chapter one I was willing to kill to protect that man).
Full disclosure - I'm not a fan of the “fated love” trope. Once it has been established that a couple is meant to be together no matter what, the building of the relationship feels disingenuous to me. That being said, I think it is a testament to Haddon's writing that I was compelled to continue reading even after this trope really came to play (I did VERY MUCH enjoy Izra and his puppy dog infatuation with poor Radek who just wanted to sell his fancy fabrics and, ya know, not start a war).
All in all this is another great novel by Seth Haddon who, in my opinion, is an incredibly underrated author right now. And of course, another massive shout out to Julie Dillon who continues to produce the most beautiful cover art!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 22, 2023
After absolutely loving Reforged and Seth Haddon’s particular combination of lush worldbuilding, unique magical systems and romance, I was really excited to get stuck into Reborn and into the world again. Set in the same world as its predecessor but following a different couple in a neighbouring country, Reborn is the story of mercurial merchant Radek and Izra, an intimidating visionary advisor to the emperor. When political unrest strikes, the two find themselves having to band together to both save their lives and the handle the delicate, incendiary situation wracking the country. But when they find out their paths are destined to cross in more ways than one, the two must navigate both politics and love all at once.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Radek and Izra, and that’s said as someone who doesn’t particularly love the fated mates trope. I thought it was decently slow burn and enjoyed how they took their time to get to know each other instead of just accepting the bond for what it was.
The plot and political points were ambitious when balanced with the romance, to say the least. I’m glad I read Reforged beforehand as I think I would’ve been quite lost with the magic aspects if I didn’t already have that context. That being said, I did find myself skimming some of the more complex political and military machinations in favour of the romance, though that just might be my preference as a reader. Overall, I think this will go down well with fans of Foz Meadow’s A Strange and Stubborn Endurance and Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron, and I’ll eagerly await anything else Haddon might write!
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Radek and Izra, and that’s said as someone who doesn’t particularly love the fated mates trope. I thought it was decently slow burn and enjoyed how they took their time to get to know each other instead of just accepting the bond for what it was.
The plot and political points were ambitious when balanced with the romance, to say the least. I’m glad I read Reforged beforehand as I think I would’ve been quite lost with the magic aspects if I didn’t already have that context. That being said, I did find myself skimming some of the more complex political and military machinations in favour of the romance, though that just might be my preference as a reader. Overall, I think this will go down well with fans of Foz Meadow’s A Strange and Stubborn Endurance and Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron, and I’ll eagerly await anything else Haddon might write!
February 19, 2024
The book was good, though it had the potential for more. The biggest flaw in it is that it suffers from "the author thought of everything when making the world except for the fact that we readers know nothing of the world". I could have used more explanations, and Oran being a foreigner to the empire could have helped pushed for explanations. Sometimes I felt like I was in a test I hadn't studied for. "Who is this, where are they, did they already teach us this?", etc. And sometimes those questions end unanswered.
I also feel like the concept of reincarnation and "we were lovers in a past life" was pretty underused for a book literally called Reborn. There was a heavier lean of "fated by the gods", which I get from Izra, especially in the beginning. But the underuse of the reincarnation part bummed me a bit, because I was looking forward to it.
The lack of explanations on this world, their cultures and histories are the one thing that hinders what would otherwise be a very cool story. Is it still enjoyable? Yes. But it is one of those that hurts because it could be more. It could so easily be more, and better, and thus smoother.
I also feel like the concept of reincarnation and "we were lovers in a past life" was pretty underused for a book literally called Reborn. There was a heavier lean of "fated by the gods", which I get from Izra, especially in the beginning. But the underuse of the reincarnation part bummed me a bit, because I was looking forward to it.
The lack of explanations on this world, their cultures and histories are the one thing that hinders what would otherwise be a very cool story. Is it still enjoyable? Yes. But it is one of those that hurts because it could be more. It could so easily be more, and better, and thus smoother.
November 20, 2024
I wasn’t super into it this at first, I wasn’t very into the fantasy world politics, but then the romance started to draw me in more, and that made me care more about the politics and overall plot because the stakes felt more personal to the characters at that point. The story ended up having some nice angst and tension with the characters being on the run together but also dealing with a coup and gods and magic.
I guess this was technically a fated romance, and it did happen fairly quickly, but it didn’t feel too forced or sudden the way those usually do for me. I believed they were into each other and felt a pull to each other, and they definitely had chemistry. (This author does know how to write a good sex scene.) Maybe they didn’t know every detail about each other, but they were in the kind of situation that shows you who a person is. Their romance was sweet and sexy, and I liked it.
The writing itself was enjoyable and flowed nicely and kept me in the story.
The audiobook narration by Gary Furlong was superb. Different accents, different voices, I was immersed, I was never confused, and it all sounded natural and fit the flow of the sentences and the emotions of the scenes.
You don’t need to have read the first book in the series. This takes place in the same world, but it’s about different characters, and I don’t think you’ll be missing any particularly important information.
Overall, it took me a little bit to get into it, but I ended up enjoying it more than the first and liking the tension-filled story and sweet, sexy romance!
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2024 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes high fantasy politics and religion, stories with visions and fate, and sweet, sexy m/m romance.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
I guess this was technically a fated romance, and it did happen fairly quickly, but it didn’t feel too forced or sudden the way those usually do for me. I believed they were into each other and felt a pull to each other, and they definitely had chemistry. (This author does know how to write a good sex scene.) Maybe they didn’t know every detail about each other, but they were in the kind of situation that shows you who a person is. Their romance was sweet and sexy, and I liked it.
The writing itself was enjoyable and flowed nicely and kept me in the story.
The audiobook narration by Gary Furlong was superb. Different accents, different voices, I was immersed, I was never confused, and it all sounded natural and fit the flow of the sentences and the emotions of the scenes.
You don’t need to have read the first book in the series. This takes place in the same world, but it’s about different characters, and I don’t think you’ll be missing any particularly important information.
Overall, it took me a little bit to get into it, but I ended up enjoying it more than the first and liking the tension-filled story and sweet, sexy romance!
*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2024 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes high fantasy politics and religion, stories with visions and fate, and sweet, sexy m/m romance.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
October 9, 2023
3 stars. I thought that this was a very ambitious project and had some very solid plot and world building bones but that it didn’t feel like it fully realised the potential that existed here. I admittedly haven’t read Reforged and didn’t realise they exist in the same world and potentially some of my confusion in the world building would have been saved with the additional background knowledge afforded by reading that first.
There was a few things that confused me. Oren Radek was referred to as both Oren and Radek, interchangeably throughout the book and I could never seem to pick up the pattern on when each was used and why, and this would throw me a bit and I would need to remind myself who was speaking or what about.
I also found I struggled a bit with a lack of investment in the side characters who felt a bit 2 dimensional to me. And there was a bit of a complexity in character work I found myself wishing for more of across the board.
Not a perfect read but I still had a decent enough time with it. I’m sure that there would be plenty of people out there who would love this but it was just a bit of a miss for me.
I received an e-ARC of this from BookSirens for free and this is my honest review.
There was a few things that confused me. Oren Radek was referred to as both Oren and Radek, interchangeably throughout the book and I could never seem to pick up the pattern on when each was used and why, and this would throw me a bit and I would need to remind myself who was speaking or what about.
I also found I struggled a bit with a lack of investment in the side characters who felt a bit 2 dimensional to me. And there was a bit of a complexity in character work I found myself wishing for more of across the board.
Not a perfect read but I still had a decent enough time with it. I’m sure that there would be plenty of people out there who would love this but it was just a bit of a miss for me.
I received an e-ARC of this from BookSirens for free and this is my honest review.
November 13, 2023
Why I read it: I read the author's first book (and reviewed it here), and I've been just waiting for this one to come out, feeling so goddamn certain it would be so much more up my alley, I could feel it in my jellies.
Thoughts: My jellies were correct. The first book was 3.5 rounded down, this one is very nearly 5 stars. So very nearly, I can't even tell you, but something's just holding me back -- something that held me back from rating the first book higher as well. In my review for the first book, I spoke at some length about four things that didn't work for me: how stagnant the relationship between the romantic leads felt, how modern the language was (considering the book is set in a pre-industrial fantasy realm), how I felt there were too many characters who didn't stand out in any meaningful way, and also that it could've used another proofreading pass before publication. Well, roughly two to two-and-a-half of those issues are solved now, so depending on how much weight you give them, you may feel differently about this book than I do.
So this review is going to be structured based on what was and wasn't fixed from the first book, because it's what makes most sense.
Not really fixed: proofreading, proofreading, proofreading. There were more than a handful of sentences that ended with nothing, or ended with a comma. There were section beginnings that weren't set properly (the section break symbol was at the start of the first line of the next section instead of between sectione). There were a couple of noticeable typos, and personal experience dictates that where there's a couple of noticeable ones, there are definitely a handful that have escaped my notice.
Mostly fixed: the modern language. I think none of the characters said "Okay" this time around, which is a massive improvement for me, personally. (If anyone said it, I don't want to be told, I want to live in blissful ignorance until I reread this.) Having said that... have you heard about iPhone face? Because reading some of the dialogue and some of the interactions between characters, I definitely felt like a bunch of them definitely know what TikTok is. And it's always the little things, like an idiom or a turn of phrase that's only become popular in the past couple of years, or a character repeatedly giving another character thumbs up. The thumbs up!! I had to set down my Kindle so I could justify the use of the thumbs up in the same way we use them now, as a symbol of approval/congratulations, but in a fantasy setting. I walked it all the way back to Ancient Rome and had to keep telling myself "If it was good enough for the Joaquin Pheonix in Gladiator, it's good enough for a man who lives in an ultra-religious fantasy Slavic country, so it's good enough for me." But it wasn't actually good enough for me.
Actually fixed: the characters. There were about as many "companion characters" to the romantic leads that there were in Reforged. Occasionally there were even more than in Reforged, especially towards the end. But the author has cracked the mystery: they were no longer interchangeable and boring. Cannot stress how important this was for me. Even when nothing was really happening with the romantic leads, the companion characters were doing things and, more importantly, being funny, and, even more importantly, providing context and characterisation for the leads without being horribly conspicuous about it.
Mirakel's exchanges with Radek were so precious to me because she played tight-purse bad cop to Radek's spend-lavishly-and-flirt-outrageously good cop, but she cared about him so much and in the end believed in him and his abilities to turn a bad situation around enough to buy him a small army. Meanwhile, Kew's exhanges with Izra went the complete opposite way, from believing utterly in Izra to some sort of jealousy and then to outright betraying him (and then to making amends). And then there was Paqe, who was only there for a few chapters before he bit it for the sake of Political Machinations™, but who I was completely ready to read about for the duration of the book, because I actually thought he would be interesting! Fancy that, killing a character who could be interesting!! I love that.
Even the tertiary characters were awesome, and interesting, and I really wouldn't mind seeing them again in future books, if there are going to be more books in the setting.
Absolutely, gloriously fixed: the romance!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhh I loved the relationship development in this one. It didn't have the frenemies-to-lovers dynamic I was hoping for, but it had such a wonderful strangers-to-somewhat-friends-to-fated-soulmates-but-also-actually-in-love dynamic. And you know what, just thinking about it makes me want to give this book the full 5 stars even though it's not perfect, so I'm going to do exactly that.
First of all, I'm really big on circular narratives, and time travel, and characters ending up back where they started, and repeating mistakes in parallel dimensions, and the cycle of nature, and the turning of the wheel of reality, or whatever similar concept you can make stick together, and an obvious one is reincarnation. I think I just forgot that the romantic leads in this book were literally reborn (as per the book title), so when the twist came up about halfway through, I was definitely leodicapriopointing.jpeg about it all. And then there was the bonus twist, near the very start, of one of the reincarnated protagonists (Izra) having had repeated dreams of the other guy (Radek), so when they finally meet, Izra's first reaction is "Ah, at long long last we meet" and Radek's reaction is "Ah, why is this beautiful giant touching my face like that" and it couldn't have been more perfect.
I also laughed a lot at some of the romantic shenanigans and misunderstandings throughout the book, mostly from Radek's perspective, because he is an absolute fool. This is literally how the book starts:
And honestly, it somehow just keeps getting better from there. Here, he thinks he's been poisoned because he drank fantasy!rakija:
Lmao what a lightweight. And then, later:
It was precisely at this point, only a few chapters in, that I decided just couldn't be noting and highlighting quotes because if I didn't stop right then, I would never stop. At this point, I think it's enough to just say that a lot of the character interactions and the romance were on my exact wavelength. Oh and also, the sex was hot. 🌶️ I feel like that's worth saying, because the sex in Reforged was okay but kinda meh, probably because I didn't really care about the protagonists that much, and the sex in the other adult queer books I've read this year was largely repetitive and dull. But what was in Reborn definitely worked.
Stand-out scene: There are two. First is obviously when Radek went to Izra's sister to ask her how he can deepen the friendship between himself and Izra, so that he can be sure to have an ally in Rezwyn, no matter what, and she straight up gave him instructions for a marriage ritual (knowing that Izra was itching to romance Radek the whole time) by going "Ah yes this is how you're going to be best friends forever." And then Radek goes and does it and of course everyone is suitably wowed and no one tells Radek just what he did, so he really does think he and Izra are just gonna be BFFs even though he's starting to develop Feelings, but of course he doesn't know what to do about the feelings, are they appropriate or not, surely he can't act on them, etc etc. And then for the next couple of chapters, Izra is just like, "My husband is so pure. 😊 We slept in separate bedrolls last night. 😊 Clearly he's saving himself for after we [solve political intrigue]. 😊 He's so thoughtful, I love him so much. 😊😊😊" Radek finally understanding what he did was a beautiful perfect moment.
And then there was Radek's own vision in the astrok-mer, where he finally gets the lowdown on his and Izra's shared past, and he lives through these past incarnations of the two of them being painfully in love with each other while at the same time being at war with each other, culminating in them killing each other and dying side by side, only for one of them to reveal to the other that he's weaved their fates together and committed them to his god in the hope that they might one day be reborn (leodicapriopointing.jpeg) and try this whole thing again.
😭😭😭
Echoes: I didn't mention it above because I felt I was going to mention it here, but the other thing I really liked about Reborn is that things felt a lot more serious than they did in Reforged. The plot felt weightier, like the political intrigue was better thought out so that it would actually have consequences.
There was also a point near the end of the book where all the characters were basically separated. Some of them were also presumed dead, and the ones that were left standing were also imprisoned and about to be executed in short order. I, of course, being a genre savvy reader, had worked out that the author wasn't gonna kill the characters he'd worked so hard on building (it would've been an automatic 5 star, no holding back, if he had killed them and made it work somehow, maybe playing further on the theme of reincarnation). But the characters obviously didn't know if/how/when they would make it out alive, and the distress was nigh palpable, and that worked for me. The whole section was a nice little hit of hurt/no comfort, and as far as I'm concerned it could have gone on for a bit longer so that the eventual pay-off would be all the sweeter.
But anyway, the overall "I'm actually taking this plot really seriously" vibe reminded me of Gwen & Art Are Not In Love (as usual lol you'd think I've never read another book) , where it's all fun and games and romance... until it suddenly isn't.
Would I read a sequel or the author's other works: I suppose it always depends on what the author's next book is going to be about, but generally speaking... hell yeah.
Thoughts: My jellies were correct. The first book was 3.5 rounded down, this one is very nearly 5 stars. So very nearly, I can't even tell you, but something's just holding me back -- something that held me back from rating the first book higher as well. In my review for the first book, I spoke at some length about four things that didn't work for me: how stagnant the relationship between the romantic leads felt, how modern the language was (considering the book is set in a pre-industrial fantasy realm), how I felt there were too many characters who didn't stand out in any meaningful way, and also that it could've used another proofreading pass before publication. Well, roughly two to two-and-a-half of those issues are solved now, so depending on how much weight you give them, you may feel differently about this book than I do.
So this review is going to be structured based on what was and wasn't fixed from the first book, because it's what makes most sense.
Not really fixed: proofreading, proofreading, proofreading. There were more than a handful of sentences that ended with nothing, or ended with a comma. There were section beginnings that weren't set properly (the section break symbol was at the start of the first line of the next section instead of between sectione). There were a couple of noticeable typos, and personal experience dictates that where there's a couple of noticeable ones, there are definitely a handful that have escaped my notice.
Mostly fixed: the modern language. I think none of the characters said "Okay" this time around, which is a massive improvement for me, personally. (If anyone said it, I don't want to be told, I want to live in blissful ignorance until I reread this.) Having said that... have you heard about iPhone face? Because reading some of the dialogue and some of the interactions between characters, I definitely felt like a bunch of them definitely know what TikTok is. And it's always the little things, like an idiom or a turn of phrase that's only become popular in the past couple of years, or a character repeatedly giving another character thumbs up. The thumbs up!! I had to set down my Kindle so I could justify the use of the thumbs up in the same way we use them now, as a symbol of approval/congratulations, but in a fantasy setting. I walked it all the way back to Ancient Rome and had to keep telling myself "If it was good enough for the Joaquin Pheonix in Gladiator, it's good enough for a man who lives in an ultra-religious fantasy Slavic country, so it's good enough for me." But it wasn't actually good enough for me.
Actually fixed: the characters. There were about as many "companion characters" to the romantic leads that there were in Reforged. Occasionally there were even more than in Reforged, especially towards the end. But the author has cracked the mystery: they were no longer interchangeable and boring. Cannot stress how important this was for me. Even when nothing was really happening with the romantic leads, the companion characters were doing things and, more importantly, being funny, and, even more importantly, providing context and characterisation for the leads without being horribly conspicuous about it.
Mirakel's exchanges with Radek were so precious to me because she played tight-purse bad cop to Radek's spend-lavishly-and-flirt-outrageously good cop, but she cared about him so much and in the end believed in him and his abilities to turn a bad situation around enough to buy him a small army. Meanwhile, Kew's exhanges with Izra went the complete opposite way, from believing utterly in Izra to some sort of jealousy and then to outright betraying him (and then to making amends). And then there was Paqe, who was only there for a few chapters before he bit it for the sake of Political Machinations™, but who I was completely ready to read about for the duration of the book, because I actually thought he would be interesting! Fancy that, killing a character who could be interesting!! I love that.
Even the tertiary characters were awesome, and interesting, and I really wouldn't mind seeing them again in future books, if there are going to be more books in the setting.
Absolutely, gloriously fixed: the romance!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhh I loved the relationship development in this one. It didn't have the frenemies-to-lovers dynamic I was hoping for, but it had such a wonderful strangers-to-somewhat-friends-to-fated-soulmates-but-also-actually-in-love dynamic. And you know what, just thinking about it makes me want to give this book the full 5 stars even though it's not perfect, so I'm going to do exactly that.
First of all, I'm really big on circular narratives, and time travel, and characters ending up back where they started, and repeating mistakes in parallel dimensions, and the cycle of nature, and the turning of the wheel of reality, or whatever similar concept you can make stick together, and an obvious one is reincarnation. I think I just forgot that the romantic leads in this book were literally reborn (as per the book title), so when the twist came up about halfway through, I was definitely leodicapriopointing.jpeg about it all. And then there was the bonus twist, near the very start, of one of the reincarnated protagonists (Izra) having had repeated dreams of the other guy (Radek), so when they finally meet, Izra's first reaction is "Ah, at long long last we meet" and Radek's reaction is "Ah, why is this beautiful giant touching my face like that" and it couldn't have been more perfect.
I also laughed a lot at some of the romantic shenanigans and misunderstandings throughout the book, mostly from Radek's perspective, because he is an absolute fool. This is literally how the book starts:
Not far away from the frozen and unsettling Rezwyn capital at Doskor, on the single cobbled road that originated in Port Sulvoy on the Prauv Ocean, Oren Radek was experiencing perhaps the worst breath he'd ever smelled. It wafted out of a bandit who held a knife to Oren's jugular. He spoke in broken Uslethian, "What are you doing out here all alone, pretty boy?"
And Radek, who had just been weeks at sea without a single compliment, leaned into the blade and grinned. "Do you really think I'm pretty?"
And honestly, it somehow just keeps getting better from there. Here, he thinks he's been poisoned because he drank fantasy!rakija:
The commander blinked, unmoving. "What are you doing?"
"Dying," Radek wheezed. "I'm-" he managed to point to the poisoned wine on the table.
Izra stared. "Dramatic."
"What?"
"It is only snake wine," Izra said, gesturing to the ceiling like the gods were watching. He came and brushed his hand along Radek's bnack, the briefest of gentle touches, and then put his hands beneath Radek's arms and lifted him. "It has the burn of venom in it, but it is not poisoned. Are you comforted now?"
"Yes, alright, thank you." Radek decoupled from Izra and thought about running violently toward the window and crashing through the glass to a euphoric end. He stood facing it for a long moment, feeling his cheeks burn with the kind of embarrassed rage he hoped would corrode his insides and kill him standing.
Lmao what a lightweight. And then, later:
"You look very nice," Izra said. He seemed to belatedly register the awkwardness of this compliment, because he frowned immediately after he'd spoken.
A number of things flooded Radek's mind at that. But only an adolescent giggle emerged from his mouth.
It was precisely at this point, only a few chapters in, that I decided just couldn't be noting and highlighting quotes because if I didn't stop right then, I would never stop. At this point, I think it's enough to just say that a lot of the character interactions and the romance were on my exact wavelength. Oh and also, the sex was hot. 🌶️ I feel like that's worth saying, because the sex in Reforged was okay but kinda meh, probably because I didn't really care about the protagonists that much, and the sex in the other adult queer books I've read this year was largely repetitive and dull. But what was in Reborn definitely worked.
Stand-out scene: There are two. First is obviously when Radek went to Izra's sister to ask her how he can deepen the friendship between himself and Izra, so that he can be sure to have an ally in Rezwyn, no matter what, and she straight up gave him instructions for a marriage ritual (knowing that Izra was itching to romance Radek the whole time) by going "Ah yes this is how you're going to be best friends forever." And then Radek goes and does it and of course everyone is suitably wowed and no one tells Radek just what he did, so he really does think he and Izra are just gonna be BFFs even though he's starting to develop Feelings, but of course he doesn't know what to do about the feelings, are they appropriate or not, surely he can't act on them, etc etc. And then for the next couple of chapters, Izra is just like, "My husband is so pure. 😊 We slept in separate bedrolls last night. 😊 Clearly he's saving himself for after we [solve political intrigue]. 😊 He's so thoughtful, I love him so much. 😊😊😊" Radek finally understanding what he did was a beautiful perfect moment.
And then there was Radek's own vision in the astrok-mer, where he finally gets the lowdown on his and Izra's shared past, and he lives through these past incarnations of the two of them being painfully in love with each other while at the same time being at war with each other, culminating in them killing each other and dying side by side, only for one of them to reveal to the other that he's weaved their fates together and committed them to his god in the hope that they might one day be reborn (leodicapriopointing.jpeg) and try this whole thing again.
Gedrok shook, not with anger or fear, but with relief. (...)
"You still," he whispered, just loud enough for Dziove to hear over the dying battle and the murmurings of their guards. "You still love me.
😭😭😭
Echoes: I didn't mention it above because I felt I was going to mention it here, but the other thing I really liked about Reborn is that things felt a lot more serious than they did in Reforged. The plot felt weightier, like the political intrigue was better thought out so that it would actually have consequences.
There was also a point near the end of the book where all the characters were basically separated. Some of them were also presumed dead, and the ones that were left standing were also imprisoned and about to be executed in short order. I, of course, being a genre savvy reader, had worked out that the author wasn't gonna kill the characters he'd worked so hard on building (it would've been an automatic 5 star, no holding back, if he had killed them and made it work somehow, maybe playing further on the theme of reincarnation). But the characters obviously didn't know if/how/when they would make it out alive, and the distress was nigh palpable, and that worked for me. The whole section was a nice little hit of hurt/no comfort, and as far as I'm concerned it could have gone on for a bit longer so that the eventual pay-off would be all the sweeter.
But anyway, the overall "I'm actually taking this plot really seriously" vibe reminded me of Gwen & Art Are Not In Love (as usual lol you'd think I've never read another book) , where it's all fun and games and romance... until it suddenly isn't.
Would I read a sequel or the author's other works: I suppose it always depends on what the author's next book is going to be about, but generally speaking... hell yeah.
Read
September 26, 20243.5 ⭐️
November 13, 2024
This was a really enjoyable book. I enjoyed the characters and the plot a lot. I found myself interested to know what was going to happen next and how the mystery would unravel. I liked how both men had very different backgrounds and beliefs and the way they slowly came around to understanding one another.
I did find some of the plot points didn't quite feed into each other nicely and felt a bit disjointed. For example, at one point Oren says he wants to buy an army, and then the next time his POV comes around he is coming up with a plan and then miraculously comes up with the idea of an army. Yes, it was right there from when you said it a chapter earlier.
I also enjoyed the religious aspect. I see some reviews that weren't too keen on the idea of Izra trying to convert Oren, but I actually found it interesting. Normally, religious conversion is pretty harmful, but this seemed nothing more than an innocent showing of his gods and letting his fated partner in.
The fated storyline was also great. The way Izra pined for Oren was fantastic and I loved the scene where he got tricked with the thread and cup (ifkyk).
I find Haddon creates an amazing world and I love to be a reader who gets to play in it, but sometimes it feels like Haddon loses the thread of the story and it's up to the reader to figure out what's going on. I still don't get the dreams. They both had completely different dreams but somehow that helped get Izra out of his? And even though they saw each other, apparently they didn't? I just get a bit confused about these aimless threads. Also, the names got a bit confusing. Sometimes they went by their first names and sometimes their last and it was never really explained why and sometimes it would be Oren for several chapters and then flip to Radek and I'd have to think about who was being spoken about which pulled me from the story. It wasn't done like in MDZS where they have formal, informal and public names. This just had no rhyme or reason (or at least none that was explained).
I do, however, love that Haddon is an absolute master of spicy scenes. The tension and the romance between Oren and Izra was absolutely palpable. They fit together so well. My life complaint is that the book didn't have MORE scenes! I demand stolen kisses and fleeting looks!
Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's well written and I will read it again. The plot was great and my criticisms are few and far between. I liked the characters and I think the world Haddon has created is unique and interesting.
I did find some of the plot points didn't quite feed into each other nicely and felt a bit disjointed. For example, at one point Oren says he wants to buy an army, and then the next time his POV comes around he is coming up with a plan and then miraculously comes up with the idea of an army. Yes, it was right there from when you said it a chapter earlier.
I also enjoyed the religious aspect. I see some reviews that weren't too keen on the idea of Izra trying to convert Oren, but I actually found it interesting. Normally, religious conversion is pretty harmful, but this seemed nothing more than an innocent showing of his gods and letting his fated partner in.
The fated storyline was also great. The way Izra pined for Oren was fantastic and I loved the scene where he got tricked with the thread and cup (ifkyk).
I find Haddon creates an amazing world and I love to be a reader who gets to play in it, but sometimes it feels like Haddon loses the thread of the story and it's up to the reader to figure out what's going on. I still don't get the dreams. They both had completely different dreams but somehow that helped get Izra out of his? And even though they saw each other, apparently they didn't? I just get a bit confused about these aimless threads. Also, the names got a bit confusing. Sometimes they went by their first names and sometimes their last and it was never really explained why and sometimes it would be Oren for several chapters and then flip to Radek and I'd have to think about who was being spoken about which pulled me from the story. It wasn't done like in MDZS where they have formal, informal and public names. This just had no rhyme or reason (or at least none that was explained).
I do, however, love that Haddon is an absolute master of spicy scenes. The tension and the romance between Oren and Izra was absolutely palpable. They fit together so well. My life complaint is that the book didn't have MORE scenes! I demand stolen kisses and fleeting looks!
Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's well written and I will read it again. The plot was great and my criticisms are few and far between. I liked the characters and I think the world Haddon has created is unique and interesting.
January 30, 2025
When the Rezwyn Empire cuts diplomatic ties with the Kingdom of Usleth, Oren Radek is sent to investigate. But when he discovers a coup against the emperor, his life and country's safety is suddenly under threat.
Izra Dziove, advisor to the Rezwyn Emperor, is trying to hold the court together while being plagued by dreams of his fated man. When his adversaries attack the diplomatic party from Usleth, he is forced to take action to protect them and prevent a war.
Forced to trust one another, both men must put aside their differences to save the future of both their nations.
I loved Reborn, and overall, I really enjoyed reading this whole series!
Reborn is the second book in a series of interconnected standalones, and I've now read all three of them. Also, before anyone asks yes, I did read this series out of order... all the books are perfectly readable as standalones but I would definitely recommend reading them in order as I do think you get a lot more out of the books and I'll definitely be doing that when I reread them!
i really did enjoy all three books so much, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure this ones my favourite one!
I absolutely loved both Izra and Redak and thought their romance was so good!
The world building was great, and I loved seeing how different the magic was in this compared to the other books.
The ending was amazing, and i was at the edge of my seat the whole time!
Lastly, I know there is going to be a prequel to the first book, but I'm really hoping we will get more books in this world as i dont want to say goodbye!
All in all, this was a great book and series, and I definitely highly recommend reading it!
Izra Dziove, advisor to the Rezwyn Emperor, is trying to hold the court together while being plagued by dreams of his fated man. When his adversaries attack the diplomatic party from Usleth, he is forced to take action to protect them and prevent a war.
Forced to trust one another, both men must put aside their differences to save the future of both their nations.
I loved Reborn, and overall, I really enjoyed reading this whole series!
Reborn is the second book in a series of interconnected standalones, and I've now read all three of them. Also, before anyone asks yes, I did read this series out of order... all the books are perfectly readable as standalones but I would definitely recommend reading them in order as I do think you get a lot more out of the books and I'll definitely be doing that when I reread them!
i really did enjoy all three books so much, and to be honest, I'm pretty sure this ones my favourite one!
I absolutely loved both Izra and Redak and thought their romance was so good!
The world building was great, and I loved seeing how different the magic was in this compared to the other books.
The ending was amazing, and i was at the edge of my seat the whole time!
Lastly, I know there is going to be a prequel to the first book, but I'm really hoping we will get more books in this world as i dont want to say goodbye!
All in all, this was a great book and series, and I definitely highly recommend reading it!
May 25, 2024
Seth Haddon proves his writing skill again in this, his second published novel. I really enjoyed Reforged, so I'm happy to say that this is pretty much on par. Set in the same universe, but not technically a sequel to Reforged, this book features Oren Radek, the sassy merchant from underdog nation of Usleth who we've met before and Izra Dziove, top brass and high priest to the emperor of the Rezwyn empire, which was painted as a kind of bogeyman in the previous book. The core of this book is that fate has tied these two men together, whether they like it or not, and they are catapulted on this journey to save the empire from itself. The world-building and politics are complex, and this book leans heavily into this, so it is not a light read. And the romance is a little slow-burn, a little confusing, but pretty satisfying in the end. I really enjoyed Haddon's writing style and am looking forward to his next book.
October 26, 2023
4.5 stars
In some ways, Reforged is just the warm-up to Reborn, as the world becomes bigger and the gods more powerful. Seth Haddon’s world-building skills are fantastic, and I hope we see more from this universe.
The romance is so sweet, with all the fun of fated-mates and reincarnate- love tropes. Izra’s nervous smitten energy is was so cute, and Radek is darling. I was a fan of him back in Reforged, and seeing his HEA is awesome. (He goes through the most of anyone, what with the events of both books.)
If you haven’t read Reforged, this is a great standalone story on its own.
Overall, fans of queer fantasy will probably enjoy this.
(Also for BG3 fans, I swear this is lowkey Halsin/Astarion vibes.)
Spice: 2/5
Angst: 3-4/5
In some ways, Reforged is just the warm-up to Reborn, as the world becomes bigger and the gods more powerful. Seth Haddon’s world-building skills are fantastic, and I hope we see more from this universe.
The romance is so sweet, with all the fun of fated-mates and reincarnate- love tropes. Izra’s nervous smitten energy is was so cute, and Radek is darling. I was a fan of him back in Reforged, and seeing his HEA is awesome. (He goes through the most of anyone, what with the events of both books.)
If you haven’t read Reforged, this is a great standalone story on its own.
Overall, fans of queer fantasy will probably enjoy this.
(Also for BG3 fans, I swear this is lowkey Halsin/Astarion vibes.)
Spice: 2/5
Angst: 3-4/5
November 1, 2023
3.5/4 stars
February 11, 2024
After thinking about it, I've dropped this from a 1.5 to a 1
I wanted to DNF this but I kept going thinking it would get better and it did not.
Promising premise and some interesting concepts but way too much infodumping at the beginning and the writing is clunky throughout the entire thing. None of the characters are really fully developed or have their own voices. Nobody seems consistent. For example, the whole book is written in alternating POV but other than certain words used to describe other religions/etc, you can't really tell the difference between the two characters. And on that note, the weird cultural/religious/ethnic superiority thing is never fully addressed. I just think we really need to progress past the darker skinned people = heathens thing. 💀
I wanted to DNF this but I kept going thinking it would get better and it did not.
Promising premise and some interesting concepts but way too much infodumping at the beginning and the writing is clunky throughout the entire thing. None of the characters are really fully developed or have their own voices. Nobody seems consistent. For example, the whole book is written in alternating POV but other than certain words used to describe other religions/etc, you can't really tell the difference between the two characters. And on that note, the weird cultural/religious/ethnic superiority thing is never fully addressed. I just think we really need to progress past the darker skinned people = heathens thing. 💀
November 1, 2023
There are a lot of ideas in this book that I love. Soulmates with a touch of enemies to lovers. I was thrilled to dive into Izra and Radek’s story. While it wasn’t bad, there were some things that I think made it hard for me to connect.
For one, I was unaware that there is another book that’s set in this world. I don’t know if having more of the background from that would have helped me here or not. In Reborn, it was hard for me to piece together and imagine exactly what was going on. When this story focuses so much on the political intrigue, it’s hard to get invested when it’s hard to understand the world.
Part of the confusion was how one chapter might refer to Radak as Radak while another might refer to him as Oren. I tried to piece together the rhyme and reason for that, but I couldn’t. Instead it caused me a lot of confusion as for each chapter he was referred to as Oren I had to remind myself that the story was referring to Radak.
Side characters can really add to a story and unfortunately here, I don’t feel like they were fleshed out. At first, I thought there was going to be some good banter from them, but it faded. Izra nor Radak seemed close to the characters they were supposed to be close with. There was such a distance between them that made the relationships and the side characters forgettable.
As I previously mentioned, I was excited to explore the soulmates aspect of this and when it showed signs of having some enemies to lovers, I was excited, but that excitement disappeared all too quickly. Izra and Radek seemed to fall together easily. There really wasn’t trails or anything for them and the side characters really felt like they were doing the nudge nudge to get them together as quickly as possible. For me, it took away the magic of them being soulmates. It was too easy.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad read. It could have been wrong book at the wrong time for me. Maybe the authors first book is more connected than I originally believed, but either way, this wasn’t bad and I’m at least curious to see how this author grows.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
For one, I was unaware that there is another book that’s set in this world. I don’t know if having more of the background from that would have helped me here or not. In Reborn, it was hard for me to piece together and imagine exactly what was going on. When this story focuses so much on the political intrigue, it’s hard to get invested when it’s hard to understand the world.
Part of the confusion was how one chapter might refer to Radak as Radak while another might refer to him as Oren. I tried to piece together the rhyme and reason for that, but I couldn’t. Instead it caused me a lot of confusion as for each chapter he was referred to as Oren I had to remind myself that the story was referring to Radak.
Side characters can really add to a story and unfortunately here, I don’t feel like they were fleshed out. At first, I thought there was going to be some good banter from them, but it faded. Izra nor Radak seemed close to the characters they were supposed to be close with. There was such a distance between them that made the relationships and the side characters forgettable.
As I previously mentioned, I was excited to explore the soulmates aspect of this and when it showed signs of having some enemies to lovers, I was excited, but that excitement disappeared all too quickly. Izra and Radek seemed to fall together easily. There really wasn’t trails or anything for them and the side characters really felt like they were doing the nudge nudge to get them together as quickly as possible. For me, it took away the magic of them being soulmates. It was too easy.
Overall, this wasn’t a bad read. It could have been wrong book at the wrong time for me. Maybe the authors first book is more connected than I originally believed, but either way, this wasn’t bad and I’m at least curious to see how this author grows.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 27, 2023
3.5
I loved Reforged, so I was eager to read this sequel and return to the world Haddon created. Unfortunately, I did not lose myself in this story and was indifferent towards one of the main characters, Izra. I loved the supporting characters and the second MMC Oren but could not completely grasp Izra’s motivation beyond following his god's, emperor's, or Oren’s desires or orders. Oren, on the other hand, had great character growth throughout their adventure and was a fun yet complex character whose POV I enjoyed reading. Despite my indifference towards Izra, I liked his romance with Oren, and my favorite scenes with Izra were when he was with or thinking about Oren. I am also not a fan of the reincarnation trope, so I wasn’t overly enthused about that part of the book, but I did appreciate how well the author incorporated the trope and Oren's skepticism toward the idea.
The romance was a strong part of the book, but it shared focus with the political fantasy epic adventure our characters undertook. I love the world that Haddon created for this series. Every aspect was so well developed (culture, politics, religions, trade, fashion, terrain, etc.) that it can be overwhelming at times and hard to track, but because of the details, it was easy to get lost in the world and story.
Reborn follows the basic plot of our main characters fighting to stop a political coup, with the added chaos of godly intervention and the looming possibility of war with Usleth if the coup is successful. The political intrigue and fantasy elements were the best parts of this book. While the final twists were not very surprising, how the story unfolded was intriguing. Reborn is slow-paced but worth a read for the story and the continuation of the world, if there is a third book in the series, I plan on reading it.
I loved Reforged, so I was eager to read this sequel and return to the world Haddon created. Unfortunately, I did not lose myself in this story and was indifferent towards one of the main characters, Izra. I loved the supporting characters and the second MMC Oren but could not completely grasp Izra’s motivation beyond following his god's, emperor's, or Oren’s desires or orders. Oren, on the other hand, had great character growth throughout their adventure and was a fun yet complex character whose POV I enjoyed reading. Despite my indifference towards Izra, I liked his romance with Oren, and my favorite scenes with Izra were when he was with or thinking about Oren. I am also not a fan of the reincarnation trope, so I wasn’t overly enthused about that part of the book, but I did appreciate how well the author incorporated the trope and Oren's skepticism toward the idea.
The romance was a strong part of the book, but it shared focus with the political fantasy epic adventure our characters undertook. I love the world that Haddon created for this series. Every aspect was so well developed (culture, politics, religions, trade, fashion, terrain, etc.) that it can be overwhelming at times and hard to track, but because of the details, it was easy to get lost in the world and story.
Reborn follows the basic plot of our main characters fighting to stop a political coup, with the added chaos of godly intervention and the looming possibility of war with Usleth if the coup is successful. The political intrigue and fantasy elements were the best parts of this book. While the final twists were not very surprising, how the story unfolded was intriguing. Reborn is slow-paced but worth a read for the story and the continuation of the world, if there is a third book in the series, I plan on reading it.
August 27, 2025
Reborn was a vast improvement on Seth Haddons first book and I honestly feel sad to leave these characters behind.
What Reforged lacked in world building and 'show don't tell' Reborn nailed. The dual POVs really helped with understanding character perspective and I enjoyed both MMCs so much. Although it was very "insta-lovey" I really liked their yearning because both of them were down bad from the get go. Their humour and conversations were endearing and although it was fated, their feelings were believable and both of these characters will hold a place in my heart.
I do think occasionally it felt like the author had bitten off more than he could chew though with the political world building and characters but it was a step in the right direction, it perhaps just needed a little bit of refining of who felt what politically as a lot of the side characters seemed to just be sheep following heard mentality at times and it was hard to understand who was on which side.
Overall I did really enjoy it and the audio was excellent which helped too
What Reforged lacked in world building and 'show don't tell' Reborn nailed. The dual POVs really helped with understanding character perspective and I enjoyed both MMCs so much. Although it was very "insta-lovey" I really liked their yearning because both of them were down bad from the get go. Their humour and conversations were endearing and although it was fated, their feelings were believable and both of these characters will hold a place in my heart.
I do think occasionally it felt like the author had bitten off more than he could chew though with the political world building and characters but it was a step in the right direction, it perhaps just needed a little bit of refining of who felt what politically as a lot of the side characters seemed to just be sheep following heard mentality at times and it was hard to understand who was on which side.
Overall I did really enjoy it and the audio was excellent which helped too
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2023
I enjoyed Seth Haddon’s debut novel Reforged, but I enjoyed this one even more!! To be fair I’m a sucker for the fated mates trope and I thought it was really well done in this. While yes they may have been fated, there was still an overriding knowledge that they could still make their own choices on the matter.
Reborn has the perfect balance of plot and romance to me and I felt constantly engaged in both areas of the book. Izra’s pining for Radek from the moment they first met was glorious and I loved that their relationship didn’t start up immediately which allowed it to feel more genuine.
I really enjoyed the way this built off of the world established in Reforged and it was really fun to learn more about the Rezwyn empire. I found the plot captivating even if it was a bit predictable at times and the end felt a little rushed for my tastes, but otherwise I thought Reborn was well written and I would definitely recommend checking it out!
Thank you to BookSirens for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Reborn has the perfect balance of plot and romance to me and I felt constantly engaged in both areas of the book. Izra’s pining for Radek from the moment they first met was glorious and I loved that their relationship didn’t start up immediately which allowed it to feel more genuine.
I really enjoyed the way this built off of the world established in Reforged and it was really fun to learn more about the Rezwyn empire. I found the plot captivating even if it was a bit predictable at times and the end felt a little rushed for my tastes, but otherwise I thought Reborn was well written and I would definitely recommend checking it out!
Thank you to BookSirens for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 1, 2024
A really enjoyable queer fantasy with TONS of plot! I love when the plot takes precedence and it certainly does in this novel. Haddon has done a wonderful job of extended by Reforged Universe. I liked Oren Radek in the first novel (You don't really have to have read the first one but it gives you a lot of understanding of the world).
Oren is on a diplomatic trade mission when he first meets Izra Dziove and promptly passes out. Thus begins a relationship full of magic, belief, danger and a mystery.
When I read the first book I was really intrigued by the magical system and this book just made me more of a fan.
this is not a romance (which I was thrilled about) so don't go into it looking for that. This book is about belief versus non-belief, what faith can be defined as, being drawn to people, trust and politics.
Great book.
Oren is on a diplomatic trade mission when he first meets Izra Dziove and promptly passes out. Thus begins a relationship full of magic, belief, danger and a mystery.
When I read the first book I was really intrigued by the magical system and this book just made me more of a fan.
this is not a romance (which I was thrilled about) so don't go into it looking for that. This book is about belief versus non-belief, what faith can be defined as, being drawn to people, trust and politics.
Great book.
September 25, 2025
I fully enjoyed this. I don’t even know what exactly pulls me into this writing but I have to say the author has done an amazing job.
I LOVE the romance in this book. I liked the first story in this series and the characters relationship development was fun. BUT to be honest I loved this one a little more. Was it cliché ? yeah. But I loved it.
Fated mates has always been so hit or miss for me because it can make things feel slightly forced or two dimensional. But the puppy dog ways of Izra and the cluelessness of Oren in the beginning had me FEELING this relationship.
Not sure what else to say other than I can’t wait to read the next one!
I LOVE the romance in this book. I liked the first story in this series and the characters relationship development was fun. BUT to be honest I loved this one a little more. Was it cliché ? yeah. But I loved it.
Fated mates has always been so hit or miss for me because it can make things feel slightly forced or two dimensional. But the puppy dog ways of Izra and the cluelessness of Oren in the beginning had me FEELING this relationship.
Not sure what else to say other than I can’t wait to read the next one!
March 6, 2024
I loved Seth's first book Reforged! The story and characters were so amazing I couldn't wait to read his next book.
But, now, I've tried twice to read/listen to this one and I keep zoning out. The first time I opted for the ebook and only made it to 20% and this time opted for the audio book and called it quits at 47% because I literally have no clue what's going on.
The plot seems intriguing, but there's something about the story that's sadly not holding my attention. 😕
But, now, I've tried twice to read/listen to this one and I keep zoning out. The first time I opted for the ebook and only made it to 20% and this time opted for the audio book and called it quits at 47% because I literally have no clue what's going on.
The plot seems intriguing, but there's something about the story that's sadly not holding my attention. 😕
November 6, 2024
Non ha niente di particolarmente brutto, ha anche delle buone idee e funziona, ma non mi ha convinto.
Probabilmente in parte è causata dal fatto che il trope scelto per la romance non è tra i miei preferiti e che lo stile di scrittura l'ho trovato particolarmente pesante. Inoltre, ho avuto l'impressione che la trama rubasse troppo spazio alla romance, ma essendo un romance anche la trama non è che avesse tutta questa profondità.
Ormai che ci sono leggerò comunque anche l'ultimo.
Probabilmente in parte è causata dal fatto che il trope scelto per la romance non è tra i miei preferiti e che lo stile di scrittura l'ho trovato particolarmente pesante. Inoltre, ho avuto l'impressione che la trama rubasse troppo spazio alla romance, ma essendo un romance anche la trama non è che avesse tutta questa profondità.
Ormai che ci sono leggerò comunque anche l'ultimo.
June 27, 2025
Do you ever read a book and enjoy it well enough but it goes in one ear and out the other making no impression, yeah that’s how I feel about this book. I think I just didn’t get enough of an idea of the setting from book one so this felt like it could have been a totally different world and I wouldn’t have registered it. The main pairing was real interesting, atheist/religious prophet just fascinates me. Specifically the different ways they perceive destiny was compelling.
October 13, 2023
Like all good stories this played like a movie in my mind's eye. An epic fantasy filled with betrayals, gods, magic, fate, and a destiny unasked for. Wonderful characters whose fate tied them together past death into the present. A highly entertaining read.
*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by BookSirens*
*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by BookSirens*
August 23, 2024
Oren Radek stole my heart the moment he first opened his mouth and the book was a delight from start to finish. I love these idiots, despite the reincarnation and soulmates bullshit! They're a delight!
Odrika deserves a vacation. Somewhere warm with no responsibilities for a while - no politics, no love lorn idiots, no magic. Mirakel can join her on Radek's expense.
The narrator is very good.
Odrika deserves a vacation. Somewhere warm with no responsibilities for a while - no politics, no love lorn idiots, no magic. Mirakel can join her on Radek's expense.
The narrator is very good.
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