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Beasts of the Void #1
Voidwalker
From the author of The Phoenix Keeper comes an era-defining new fantasy universe where spicy romantasy meets the Cosmere, unmissable for fans of the world-building scale of Sarah J. Maas and the world-shifting stakes of Rebecca Yarros. Voidwalker will be your next romantasy obsession, a deliciously feral story that starts with just two "bite me."
Fionamara is a smuggler. Antal is the reason her people fear the dark. Fi ferries contraband between worlds, stockpiling funds and stolen magic to keep her village self-sufficient - free from the blood sacrifices humans have paid to Antal's immortal species for centuries.
Only legends whispered through the pine forests recall a time when things were different, before one world shattered into many, and the flesh-devouring beasts crept from the cracks between realities, with their sable antlers and slender tails, lethal claws and gleaming fangs. Now, mortal lives are food to pacify their carnivorous overlords, exchanged for feudal protection, and the precious silver energy that fuels everything from transport to weaponry.
When Fi gets planted with a stash of smuggled energy, a long-lost flame recruits her for a reckless heist that escalates into a terrorist bombing - and a coup against the reigning immortals, with Fi's home caught in the crossfire.
She's always known the dangers of her trade - and of the power she's wielded since childhood, allowing her to see the secret doors between dimensions, to walk the Void itself. But nothing could have prepared her for crossing paths with Antal. For the deal she'll have to make with him, a forced partnership to reclaim his city that begins as a desperate bid for survival, only to grow into something far more dangerous.
A revolution. And a temptation - for how sweet the monster's fangs might feel.
Fionamara is a smuggler. Antal is the reason her people fear the dark. Fi ferries contraband between worlds, stockpiling funds and stolen magic to keep her village self-sufficient - free from the blood sacrifices humans have paid to Antal's immortal species for centuries.
Only legends whispered through the pine forests recall a time when things were different, before one world shattered into many, and the flesh-devouring beasts crept from the cracks between realities, with their sable antlers and slender tails, lethal claws and gleaming fangs. Now, mortal lives are food to pacify their carnivorous overlords, exchanged for feudal protection, and the precious silver energy that fuels everything from transport to weaponry.
When Fi gets planted with a stash of smuggled energy, a long-lost flame recruits her for a reckless heist that escalates into a terrorist bombing - and a coup against the reigning immortals, with Fi's home caught in the crossfire.
She's always known the dangers of her trade - and of the power she's wielded since childhood, allowing her to see the secret doors between dimensions, to walk the Void itself. But nothing could have prepared her for crossing paths with Antal. For the deal she'll have to make with him, a forced partnership to reclaim his city that begins as a desperate bid for survival, only to grow into something far more dangerous.
A revolution. And a temptation - for how sweet the monster's fangs might feel.
Audible Audio
First published August 19, 2025
228 people are currently reading
17047 people want to read
About the author
S.A. MacLean
3 books491 followersS. A. MacLean is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Phoenix Keeper, and holds a PhD in environmental science. After over a decade of battling seagulls and wading through mud on the arctic tundra, she now writes fantasy books filled with strange creatures and plenty of kisses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 813 reviews
August 29, 2025
when both of you can be failures together<3 <3
why run from your fears when you can fuck them instead?
also them having an out topping contest (just bisexual things)
here for this rabid demon creature who would rather sulk inside a snow bank with his antlers sticking out and hang from the rafters like a feral bat than emote/behave normally
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance copy to review.
Read my review
Bookstagram | Blog
why run from your fears when you can fuck them instead?
also them having an out topping contest (just bisexual things)
here for this rabid demon creature who would rather sulk inside a snow bank with his antlers sticking out and hang from the rafters like a feral bat than emote/behave normally
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing the advance copy to review.
Read my review
Bookstagram | Blog
August 30, 2025
4.5 ★
i had no idea what to expect from this book, you’d think i would’ve known that it was a monster romance from the cover but.. nope. Antal is a daeyari, part of a monster race that eats humans for sustenance. the fmc Fi has been taught all her life to fear his kind, but of course not everything is as it seems. so when a betrayal occurs, Fi is forced to accept Antal’s help and work together towards a common goal as he tries to get control of his territory back and she wants to work on keeping the other daeyari from taking the humans.
“I can’t seem to get my fill of crashing against you, just to see how you’ll surprise me next. Yet that’s not when you’re the most dangerous. When you soften for me, when you trust me here against you. I don’t feel like I have claws.”
Fi annoyed me in the beginning and was kind of a pick me, but once she woke up and realized the reality of things i grew to like her a lot better. i loved Antal pretty much immediately.. he was so flirty and honestly just hilarious. i enjoyed the plot and world building too, there was some parts towards the ending that felt like a punch in the gut and that surprised me cause i didn’t think i cared about these characters as much as i did?? Boden and Fi’s sibling relationship was killing me, and the extension of that into his approval of Antal was everything. this was a huge step up from the authors previous book which i didn’t like at all, loved it so much.
➷ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Orbit books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
i had no idea what to expect from this book, you’d think i would’ve known that it was a monster romance from the cover but.. nope. Antal is a daeyari, part of a monster race that eats humans for sustenance. the fmc Fi has been taught all her life to fear his kind, but of course not everything is as it seems. so when a betrayal occurs, Fi is forced to accept Antal’s help and work together towards a common goal as he tries to get control of his territory back and she wants to work on keeping the other daeyari from taking the humans.
“I can’t seem to get my fill of crashing against you, just to see how you’ll surprise me next. Yet that’s not when you’re the most dangerous. When you soften for me, when you trust me here against you. I don’t feel like I have claws.”
Fi annoyed me in the beginning and was kind of a pick me, but once she woke up and realized the reality of things i grew to like her a lot better. i loved Antal pretty much immediately.. he was so flirty and honestly just hilarious. i enjoyed the plot and world building too, there was some parts towards the ending that felt like a punch in the gut and that surprised me cause i didn’t think i cared about these characters as much as i did?? Boden and Fi’s sibling relationship was killing me, and the extension of that into his approval of Antal was everything. this was a huge step up from the authors previous book which i didn’t like at all, loved it so much.
➷ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Orbit books for the arc, all opinions are my own.
August 19, 2025
4.5 stars
Feisty, flirty, and fun, Voidwalker was a very unexpected surprise! I was not a fan of the author’s debut, The Phoenix Keeper. However, I was cautiously optimistic for her sophomore novel as the premise sounded much more up my alley. Voidwalker immediately captured my attention. The humor and banter in this book are spot on. Maclean had me laughing from the dedication.
I found both of the main characters in Voidwalker incredibly compelling. Fi is strong and capable, but she can also be stubborn and reckless. I really enjoyed watching her heal and learn to connect with others again. Antal was an absolute gem. He has all the makings of a dark, brooding, shadowy demon love interest. But it turns out that he is very, very bad at being a dark demon lord. What we get instead is an incredibly endearing, grumpy cat that also happens to have claws sharp enough to tear someone apart. Their dynamic kept me constantly entertained.
The romance plot was so entertaining. Maclean absolutely nails the banter between Fi and Antal. The evolution of their relationship was compelling, and their chemistry was palpable. The phenomenal flirting and tension had me itching to pick the book back up.
The politics and plot of this book are solid, but not anything particularly outstanding. The world-building is interesting, and I enjoyed watching the characters test the limits of the magic system. I think there is some potential to explore other layers of this multi-dimensional world in future installments, though I question if Fi and Antal are the most logical characters to follow in a sequel.
Voidwalker is a book to read if you are looking for a fun time with fangs, flirtation, and touching character relationships.
Feisty, flirty, and fun, Voidwalker was a very unexpected surprise! I was not a fan of the author’s debut, The Phoenix Keeper. However, I was cautiously optimistic for her sophomore novel as the premise sounded much more up my alley. Voidwalker immediately captured my attention. The humor and banter in this book are spot on. Maclean had me laughing from the dedication.
I found both of the main characters in Voidwalker incredibly compelling. Fi is strong and capable, but she can also be stubborn and reckless. I really enjoyed watching her heal and learn to connect with others again. Antal was an absolute gem. He has all the makings of a dark, brooding, shadowy demon love interest. But it turns out that he is very, very bad at being a dark demon lord. What we get instead is an incredibly endearing, grumpy cat that also happens to have claws sharp enough to tear someone apart. Their dynamic kept me constantly entertained.
The romance plot was so entertaining. Maclean absolutely nails the banter between Fi and Antal. The evolution of their relationship was compelling, and their chemistry was palpable. The phenomenal flirting and tension had me itching to pick the book back up.
The politics and plot of this book are solid, but not anything particularly outstanding. The world-building is interesting, and I enjoyed watching the characters test the limits of the magic system. I think there is some potential to explore other layers of this multi-dimensional world in future installments, though I question if Fi and Antal are the most logical characters to follow in a sequel.
Voidwalker is a book to read if you are looking for a fun time with fangs, flirtation, and touching character relationships.
April 8, 2025
Am I now obsessed with monster romantasy?!
I was giggling from the get-go. I was in my feels - the funny, the deep, the painful. This was soft and sharp and vicious all at once.
Fi is a rainbow haired, spunky 32-year-old in the lucrative business of cross-Plane smuggling, able to travel across huge differences by cutting into doors most humans cannot see.
When her job goes wrong, she is offered as a sacrifice to the daeyari - carnivorous immortals who rule the humans and offer protection in exchange for sustenance. When Lord Antal and Fi discover betrayal, they strike up a bargain to help each other.
A cool magic system, protection, antlers, a tail, biting…
Would it be so bad, to be devoured?
The middle of an argument with a carnivore: not the ideal time for discovering kinks.
Fi is very good at pretending, a defence mechanism, masquerading as bravado. Aka my favourite kind of traumatised, sarcastic and biting heroine.
‘Strength is easy to fake, Fionamara. Vulnerability is hard. Yet here you sit.’
Antal is scary until you find out he’s actually soft and tender and he needs to be hugged. Or to have a spunky human bite back. Figuratively… literally?
An amazing older brother. Hurt and comfort scenes. Easy queer normative rep. A Void Horse with a punny name. Hilarious chapter titles…
You will have a Void damned good time.
‘Yet how odd, you assume all your folktales of devoured mortals end in death? There are other ways to enjoy flesh, Fionamara. Types of devouring that don’t work well as cautionary tales for misbehaving girls.’
‘I want to know you aren’t going to eat her,’ Boden said. Fi saw the response coming a mile away. Too slow to stop it.
‘Well,’ Antal drawled, ‘not unless she asks me to.’ Fi wondered what he’d look like reincarnated. After she murdered him, of course.
I will stop gushing now.
P.s. this is pretty different from The Phoenix Keeper, so go in knowing that!
Physical arc (still screaming) by Gollancz.
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I was giggling from the get-go. I was in my feels - the funny, the deep, the painful. This was soft and sharp and vicious all at once.
Fi is a rainbow haired, spunky 32-year-old in the lucrative business of cross-Plane smuggling, able to travel across huge differences by cutting into doors most humans cannot see.
When her job goes wrong, she is offered as a sacrifice to the daeyari - carnivorous immortals who rule the humans and offer protection in exchange for sustenance. When Lord Antal and Fi discover betrayal, they strike up a bargain to help each other.
A cool magic system, protection, antlers, a tail, biting…
Would it be so bad, to be devoured?
The middle of an argument with a carnivore: not the ideal time for discovering kinks.
Fi is very good at pretending, a defence mechanism, masquerading as bravado. Aka my favourite kind of traumatised, sarcastic and biting heroine.
‘Strength is easy to fake, Fionamara. Vulnerability is hard. Yet here you sit.’
Antal is scary until you find out he’s actually soft and tender and he needs to be hugged. Or to have a spunky human bite back. Figuratively… literally?
An amazing older brother. Hurt and comfort scenes. Easy queer normative rep. A Void Horse with a punny name. Hilarious chapter titles…
You will have a Void damned good time.
‘Yet how odd, you assume all your folktales of devoured mortals end in death? There are other ways to enjoy flesh, Fionamara. Types of devouring that don’t work well as cautionary tales for misbehaving girls.’
‘I want to know you aren’t going to eat her,’ Boden said. Fi saw the response coming a mile away. Too slow to stop it.
‘Well,’ Antal drawled, ‘not unless she asks me to.’ Fi wondered what he’d look like reincarnated. After she murdered him, of course.
I will stop gushing now.
P.s. this is pretty different from The Phoenix Keeper, so go in knowing that!
Physical arc (still screaming) by Gollancz.
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September 21, 2025
6 Star Read
🖤 Bookish Thoughts
Five stars on my first read and six after the audiobook, making it one of my favorite books of the year. This book deserves way more hype.
I adored our FMC Fionamara she completely stole the show for me. Fi is a baddie with great hair, endless audacity, and more than a little impulsive. I loved that she is bi and in her 30s because we really do not need another 18 year old FMC.
And Antal! My moody house cat of a monster who loved cuddles and music. Fi roasted him every chance she got and I loved it. They were genuinely perfect together.
The worldbuilding was phenomenal without ever feeling overwhelming. I was fascinated by the political and societal structures between the humans and the Daeyari. Especially the brutal sacrificial system humans rely on for safety and resources. The elemental energy magic system was awesome. Same with the traveling through Curtains and the Void.
Her relationship with her brother Boden was one of my favorite parts. The way the author captured the messiness of family bonds such as guilt, forgiveness, anger, fear, and hope. The same goes for Fi’s relationship with Astrid, which was equally compelling and devastating. My heart broke for both of them 💔
I have to rave about the audiobook. The narrator voiced every character distinctly, and I especially loved the accent she gave Antal. Especially with how he pronounced Fionamara‘s name! 😌😌😌😌
Fair warning: Antal is a monster from a race that eats humans, which reminded me a lot of Opal’s Duskwalker series. If that feels too dark, it might not be for you.
✨ What to Expect
• Duskwalker MMC
• Voidwalker FMC
• Bi rep
• Enemies to lovers
• Forced proximity
• Reluctant allies
• Interdimensional travel
_ _ _
📅 Pub Date: August 19, 2025
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
🖤 Bookish Thoughts
Five stars on my first read and six after the audiobook, making it one of my favorite books of the year. This book deserves way more hype.
I adored our FMC Fionamara she completely stole the show for me. Fi is a baddie with great hair, endless audacity, and more than a little impulsive. I loved that she is bi and in her 30s because we really do not need another 18 year old FMC.
And Antal! My moody house cat of a monster who loved cuddles and music. Fi roasted him every chance she got and I loved it. They were genuinely perfect together.
The worldbuilding was phenomenal without ever feeling overwhelming. I was fascinated by the political and societal structures between the humans and the Daeyari. Especially the brutal sacrificial system humans rely on for safety and resources. The elemental energy magic system was awesome. Same with the traveling through Curtains and the Void.
Her relationship with her brother Boden was one of my favorite parts. The way the author captured the messiness of family bonds such as guilt, forgiveness, anger, fear, and hope. The same goes for Fi’s relationship with Astrid, which was equally compelling and devastating. My heart broke for both of them 💔
I have to rave about the audiobook. The narrator voiced every character distinctly, and I especially loved the accent she gave Antal. Especially with how he pronounced Fionamara‘s name! 😌😌😌😌
Fair warning: Antal is a monster from a race that eats humans, which reminded me a lot of Opal’s Duskwalker series. If that feels too dark, it might not be for you.
✨ What to Expect
• Duskwalker MMC
• Voidwalker FMC
• Bi rep
• Enemies to lovers
• Forced proximity
• Reluctant allies
• Interdimensional travel
_ _ _
📅 Pub Date: August 19, 2025
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
May 28, 2025
I loved it! It is both a great fantasy and a great romance story.
The characters are complex and interesting, and got very satisfying arcs.
There is also great world building, plenty of action, heists and battles with tangible stakes. It was emotional but still sweet, funny and, well, hot.
The writing is really good, because I honestly never thought I would one day read a monster romance and actually enjoy it.
There is something for everyone in in book, and it works great.
Thank you Orbit Books for this ARC!
The characters are complex and interesting, and got very satisfying arcs.
There is also great world building, plenty of action, heists and battles with tangible stakes. It was emotional but still sweet, funny and, well, hot.
The writing is really good, because I honestly never thought I would one day read a monster romance and actually enjoy it.
There is something for everyone in in book, and it works great.
Thank you Orbit Books for this ARC!
July 11, 2025
now THIS is the kind of romantasy i love 🤭🤭
November 17, 2025
The MMC is an immortal overlord that eats humans and the FMC is a void-traveling smuggler who gets caught up in a coup to overthrow the MMC. It’s safe to say these two start as enemies and it makes for the most delicious romance!
What’s to love…
- vivid world brought to life with lush prose
- interesting magic
- TENSION
- A+ Banter
- an MMC with a tail (iykyk)
- gradual world building
- bi4bi m/f romance
- Open Communication
- THE ROMANCE IS THE BEST PART
- Slow-ish burn
What’s not to love…
- phew, some phrases were repeated A LOT. (I'm looking at you ozone smell and rainbow hair)
- in a similar vein, there is some repetition in plot points & details, plenty of reminding the reader, something I am not a huge fan of in adult books. I prefer the author have a little more confidence in their reader
- plot could have been a little more exciting. The stakes didn’t feel quite high enough
🌶️ - Ch 27, 32, 33, 48 Explicit, hot, and not too monster-y. A+
4⭐️| IG | TikTok |
What’s to love…
- vivid world brought to life with lush prose
- interesting magic
- TENSION
- A+ Banter
- an MMC with a tail (iykyk)
- gradual world building
- bi4bi m/f romance
- Open Communication
- THE ROMANCE IS THE BEST PART
- Slow-ish burn
What’s not to love…
- phew, some phrases were repeated A LOT. (I'm looking at you ozone smell and rainbow hair)
- in a similar vein, there is some repetition in plot points & details, plenty of reminding the reader, something I am not a huge fan of in adult books. I prefer the author have a little more confidence in their reader
- plot could have been a little more exciting. The stakes didn’t feel quite high enough
🌶️ - Ch 27, 32, 33, 48 Explicit, hot, and not too monster-y. A+
4⭐️| IG | TikTok |
June 8, 2025
*I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
I mean, I was Extremely Concerned when I saw this comped to Sarah J Maas and Rebecca Yarros, because hi, I hate both of those. But I really loved MacLean’s first book, The Phoenix Keeper! I have the illumicrate special edition and everything! Of course I should ignore my doubts and give Voidwalker a try!
Welp.
The worldbuilding is extremely basic (Cosmere? I don’t even like Brandon Sanderson, but comping this to his Cosmere is an insult) with four Planes that are each stuck in a single season: the Winter Plane, Spring Plane, and so on. Didn’t love that but fine, this wasn’t giving the vibes of a story that needs a lot of worldbuilding – as much as I nerd out for detailed worldbuilding, it is actually possible to be a great book without that.
But.
Our MC, Fi? Is an idiot.
It’s not difficult to justify characters taking huge, stupid risks: we see it all the time. The easiest motivator is usually something like money; we have a character in poverty, or in need of extremely expensive medical care, or desperate to pay the cruelly high cost to get a beloved sibling a good apprenticeship or a place at a posh school that’ll open all the doors for them. Something like that! And then, even though our mc has All The Doubts because something about the situation is Extremely Sus, they go ahead and do it anyway. Because they need to.
Fi doesn’t seem to need to: although she’s wide-eyed at the payment she’s offered for the job that kickstarts the plot, she’s also pretty indifferent to it, giving it away almost immediately. Specifically, she gives it away to her brother, and this would have been a great motivator! All you needed to do was establish that the brother is in desperate need of funds/resources, and Fi is desperate to help him. But no??? The exchange was clearly meaningful for the brother, but Fi is weirdly blase about it, and doesn’t spend any time thinking about her brother’s situation, or that of the tiny town he runs (which, again, was all set up to be in desperate need of Fi’s help, but then that was barely touched on). So if it’s not the money, why does Fi take the risks she takes? There’s a very vague, handwavey attempt to say that her reputation as a smuggler will be trashed if she ditches this clearly-dangerous job… But it’s like when you ask a misbehaving child for an explanation, and they give you a mumble: they know they don’t have a good explanation, and neither does MacLean for Fi’s behaviour.
(It’s literally revealed to us that Fi has a vanishingly rare superpower that makes her priceless as a smuggler, so??? She’s not going to stop getting jobs. PLUS, I’m pretty sure ditching a dangerous job that your clients lied to you about will only give you a reputation for…ditching jobs your clients lied to you about. Won’t that just make your future clients better behaved???)
And let’s be clear: Fi takes some absolutely nonsensical risks with this plot-starting job. First, she doesn’t cut and run despite the clients leading law enforcement to the meet. Then she doesn’t go ‘lol bye’ when she discovers that what she’s smuggling isn’t wine, it’s bombs. Then she doesn’t balk when she discovers that the bombs are going to a capital city (pretty sure these aren’t demolition bombs for a construction site so what legit use could they HAVE in a city Fi???) Then the clients pull a ‘well, actually’ and change the terms on her, and she still doesn’t tell them to go fuck themselves. Not even when they want her to play getaway driver for a heist that is clearly not a real heist. Not even when it becomes clear that the clients work for the immortal demony creatures who run the world here. (Fi genuinely thinks, oh wow, these guys have done their homework, because they wear the uniform so well, and know exactly where they’re going in the municipal building, NO FI IT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT FAKING THEY DO WORK FOR THE DEMONS ACTUALLY GTFO OF THERE!) Not even when the demon lord they promised was on holiday shows up AND SEES HER FACE (and super distinctive rainbow-coloured hair). (I loved the rainbow hair right up until we learned, a few pages in, that Fi meets with clients in person, and therefore they can all describe her very distinctive hair to law enforcement.)
It is just beyond believable that Fi is not infinitely more suspicious of this Ridiculously Suspicious set of circumstances, and that she doesn’t cut and run long before everything actually goes wrong. Again: this would all have been fine if she’d BEEN suspicious BUT had a really good reason for needing the payment – I’ve seen characters take even bigger risks in other books and not thought it weird because they had very good reasons for taking those risks. But Fi doesn’t! She just has some vague thoughts of her smuggling reputation. MA’AM THAT IS NOT EVEN NEARLY A GOOD ENOUGH REASON FOR NOT RUNNING FOR THE HILLS, WTF.
So no, I’m not continuing with this one. Because I am deeply sceptical that this is going to be any good at all when the author couldn’t be bothered to give Fi a real reason to do what she does (seriously JUST GIVE HER A DECENT MOTIVATION, ffs! The brother and his town are right there!) And this is without getting into how I don’t, actually, see any benefit for the humans in letting the daeyari rule them (you sacrifice a member of your town to be EATEN ALIVE so your factory can get new parts, okay – but where the hells are the daeyari getting the parts? If your crops fail, how do the daeyari replace them? Do they have healing magic for when a town gets hit with a plague? You keep telling me the humans benefit so much but it doesn’t make SENSE!)
I’m definitely willing to read MacLean again, on the strength of Phoenix Keeper – but maybe not anything that gets comped liked Voidwalker did.
I mean, I was Extremely Concerned when I saw this comped to Sarah J Maas and Rebecca Yarros, because hi, I hate both of those. But I really loved MacLean’s first book, The Phoenix Keeper! I have the illumicrate special edition and everything! Of course I should ignore my doubts and give Voidwalker a try!
Welp.
The worldbuilding is extremely basic (Cosmere? I don’t even like Brandon Sanderson, but comping this to his Cosmere is an insult) with four Planes that are each stuck in a single season: the Winter Plane, Spring Plane, and so on. Didn’t love that but fine, this wasn’t giving the vibes of a story that needs a lot of worldbuilding – as much as I nerd out for detailed worldbuilding, it is actually possible to be a great book without that.
But.
Our MC, Fi? Is an idiot.
It’s not difficult to justify characters taking huge, stupid risks: we see it all the time. The easiest motivator is usually something like money; we have a character in poverty, or in need of extremely expensive medical care, or desperate to pay the cruelly high cost to get a beloved sibling a good apprenticeship or a place at a posh school that’ll open all the doors for them. Something like that! And then, even though our mc has All The Doubts because something about the situation is Extremely Sus, they go ahead and do it anyway. Because they need to.
Fi doesn’t seem to need to: although she’s wide-eyed at the payment she’s offered for the job that kickstarts the plot, she’s also pretty indifferent to it, giving it away almost immediately. Specifically, she gives it away to her brother, and this would have been a great motivator! All you needed to do was establish that the brother is in desperate need of funds/resources, and Fi is desperate to help him. But no??? The exchange was clearly meaningful for the brother, but Fi is weirdly blase about it, and doesn’t spend any time thinking about her brother’s situation, or that of the tiny town he runs (which, again, was all set up to be in desperate need of Fi’s help, but then that was barely touched on). So if it’s not the money, why does Fi take the risks she takes? There’s a very vague, handwavey attempt to say that her reputation as a smuggler will be trashed if she ditches this clearly-dangerous job… But it’s like when you ask a misbehaving child for an explanation, and they give you a mumble: they know they don’t have a good explanation, and neither does MacLean for Fi’s behaviour.
(It’s literally revealed to us that Fi has a vanishingly rare superpower that makes her priceless as a smuggler, so??? She’s not going to stop getting jobs. PLUS, I’m pretty sure ditching a dangerous job that your clients lied to you about will only give you a reputation for…ditching jobs your clients lied to you about. Won’t that just make your future clients better behaved???)
And let’s be clear: Fi takes some absolutely nonsensical risks with this plot-starting job. First, she doesn’t cut and run despite the clients leading law enforcement to the meet. Then she doesn’t go ‘lol bye’ when she discovers that what she’s smuggling isn’t wine, it’s bombs. Then she doesn’t balk when she discovers that the bombs are going to a capital city (pretty sure these aren’t demolition bombs for a construction site so what legit use could they HAVE in a city Fi???) Then the clients pull a ‘well, actually’ and change the terms on her, and she still doesn’t tell them to go fuck themselves. Not even when they want her to play getaway driver for a heist that is clearly not a real heist. Not even when it becomes clear that the clients work for the immortal demony creatures who run the world here. (Fi genuinely thinks, oh wow, these guys have done their homework, because they wear the uniform so well, and know exactly where they’re going in the municipal building, NO FI IT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT FAKING THEY DO WORK FOR THE DEMONS ACTUALLY GTFO OF THERE!) Not even when the demon lord they promised was on holiday shows up AND SEES HER FACE (and super distinctive rainbow-coloured hair). (I loved the rainbow hair right up until we learned, a few pages in, that Fi meets with clients in person, and therefore they can all describe her very distinctive hair to law enforcement.)
It is just beyond believable that Fi is not infinitely more suspicious of this Ridiculously Suspicious set of circumstances, and that she doesn’t cut and run long before everything actually goes wrong. Again: this would all have been fine if she’d BEEN suspicious BUT had a really good reason for needing the payment – I’ve seen characters take even bigger risks in other books and not thought it weird because they had very good reasons for taking those risks. But Fi doesn’t! She just has some vague thoughts of her smuggling reputation. MA’AM THAT IS NOT EVEN NEARLY A GOOD ENOUGH REASON FOR NOT RUNNING FOR THE HILLS, WTF.
So no, I’m not continuing with this one. Because I am deeply sceptical that this is going to be any good at all when the author couldn’t be bothered to give Fi a real reason to do what she does (seriously JUST GIVE HER A DECENT MOTIVATION, ffs! The brother and his town are right there!) And this is without getting into how I don’t, actually, see any benefit for the humans in letting the daeyari rule them (you sacrifice a member of your town to be EATEN ALIVE so your factory can get new parts, okay – but where the hells are the daeyari getting the parts? If your crops fail, how do the daeyari replace them? Do they have healing magic for when a town gets hit with a plague? You keep telling me the humans benefit so much but it doesn’t make SENSE!)
I’m definitely willing to read MacLean again, on the strength of Phoenix Keeper – but maybe not anything that gets comped liked Voidwalker did.
did-not-finish
July 25, 2025DNF @ 31%
Initially I was excited about the world building, with Fi's ability to travel between Planes and the mysterious Void. It was very Marvel coded. (And maybe even a hint of Death Stranding?)
But as the story progressed, it turned out that there wasn't really any depth to the world building. Like it was just there to check off boxes to build a fantasy world. It got boring pretty quickly.
And the dialogue and the characters read very contemporary, which made me realize that this is pretty much pop fantasy, like the kind of lite fantasy that casual readers can jump into without thinking too much about how the world building or fantasy concepts work. (Not trying to be a hater here. I read this kind of fantasy when I'm in the mood for something simple.)
I didn't like The Phoenix Keeper, so it's safe to say that SA MacLean isn't for me.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc.
Initially I was excited about the world building, with Fi's ability to travel between Planes and the mysterious Void. It was very Marvel coded. (And maybe even a hint of Death Stranding?)
But as the story progressed, it turned out that there wasn't really any depth to the world building. Like it was just there to check off boxes to build a fantasy world. It got boring pretty quickly.
And the dialogue and the characters read very contemporary, which made me realize that this is pretty much pop fantasy, like the kind of lite fantasy that casual readers can jump into without thinking too much about how the world building or fantasy concepts work. (Not trying to be a hater here. I read this kind of fantasy when I'm in the mood for something simple.)
I didn't like The Phoenix Keeper, so it's safe to say that SA MacLean isn't for me.
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc.
July 24, 2025
Voidwalker
by S.A. MacLean
Beasts of the Void #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug 19, 2025
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
Fionamara, or Fi, died but was brought back. Her death allowed her to see hidden openings into other dimensions, the Void, where the daeyari, immortals who survive on the 'energy' the flesh of humans provides, come from. But there is a peace between them and the humans: willing sacrifices in exchange for protection and their technology.
Fi's gift allows her to smuggle stolen magic and other goods between the dimensions, but when an old flame recruits her to transport a wagon to one of the daeyari's capital, she unwillingly becomes entangled in a terrorist bombing, a coup between two daeyaris.
Betrayed, she is forced to become an offering to Antal, the daeyari overlord she'd just helped bomb, but at the last moment, she makes a deal with the immortal to help him find who was really responsible and reclaim his city.
This book did start off slow, but interesting, though I wish there was more history, details, and explanation of Fi's gift, the world(s), the magic, and the daeyari. Even after finishing the book, I still don't fully understand the how, why, and other factors that make these worlds work and how they are connected, or the reason why Fi's hair is rainbow colored, and why others with the same/similar gift are not.
There was a lot about the daeyari, how they looked, what they eat, and how they catch it, and there is some about their history and the 'politics' of where they come from, but the magic still isn't fully described. I really hated the name, Antal. (I kept seeing anal...) But at least he didn't fully live up to that name. His character was decently developed, but some things were missing, like his love of sleeping in the rafters: it felt off because he had a bed in his chambers back in the capital.
Fi started off as an idiot... She knew something was off, but greed took over, and kept winning even though the warning bells were ringing.... But I did like Fi's ability to stand up to a creature who could tear her apart with teeth and claw: Grabbing his antlers made me giggle. The growing romance was obvious, but the descriptive adult content could have been kept behind closed doors. Yes, I get that there needs to be some explanation on how a fang-filled mouth could kiss and clawed fingers touch, but the extra details were not needed. I skimmed the first time it happened, but because more was added, it started to ruin the story for me, thus I have to take a star away, so because of this, the book is not suitable for readers under eighteen; too bad because readers a few years younger would have liked the story, and will be baited with the pretty cover.
Good story, too much adult content that ruined some of it for me. As for the next in the series, I would read it, but it's not high on my list because this book's ending was a suitable closure.
3 Stars
by S.A. MacLean
Beasts of the Void #1
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Aug 19, 2025
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+
Fionamara, or Fi, died but was brought back. Her death allowed her to see hidden openings into other dimensions, the Void, where the daeyari, immortals who survive on the 'energy' the flesh of humans provides, come from. But there is a peace between them and the humans: willing sacrifices in exchange for protection and their technology.
Fi's gift allows her to smuggle stolen magic and other goods between the dimensions, but when an old flame recruits her to transport a wagon to one of the daeyari's capital, she unwillingly becomes entangled in a terrorist bombing, a coup between two daeyaris.
Betrayed, she is forced to become an offering to Antal, the daeyari overlord she'd just helped bomb, but at the last moment, she makes a deal with the immortal to help him find who was really responsible and reclaim his city.
This book did start off slow, but interesting, though I wish there was more history, details, and explanation of Fi's gift, the world(s), the magic, and the daeyari. Even after finishing the book, I still don't fully understand the how, why, and other factors that make these worlds work and how they are connected, or the reason why Fi's hair is rainbow colored, and why others with the same/similar gift are not.
There was a lot about the daeyari, how they looked, what they eat, and how they catch it, and there is some about their history and the 'politics' of where they come from, but the magic still isn't fully described. I really hated the name, Antal. (I kept seeing anal...) But at least he didn't fully live up to that name. His character was decently developed, but some things were missing, like his love of sleeping in the rafters: it felt off because he had a bed in his chambers back in the capital.
Fi started off as an idiot... She knew something was off, but greed took over, and kept winning even though the warning bells were ringing.... But I did like Fi's ability to stand up to a creature who could tear her apart with teeth and claw: Grabbing his antlers made me giggle. The growing romance was obvious, but the descriptive adult content could have been kept behind closed doors. Yes, I get that there needs to be some explanation on how a fang-filled mouth could kiss and clawed fingers touch, but the extra details were not needed. I skimmed the first time it happened, but because more was added, it started to ruin the story for me, thus I have to take a star away, so because of this, the book is not suitable for readers under eighteen; too bad because readers a few years younger would have liked the story, and will be baited with the pretty cover.
Good story, too much adult content that ruined some of it for me. As for the next in the series, I would read it, but it's not high on my list because this book's ending was a suitable closure.
3 Stars
October 31, 2025
I feel like I’ve been reading this for the past 87 years.
I had a really hard time with this.
For the length of this novel (592 pages) - more things should’ve been explained about the sacrifices, magic system and gift distribution. There’s way too many unnecessary information and it halted the pacing a lot. I’m also left with a lot of unanswered questions (one thing for sure though - her stupid hair is rainbow colour).
Now as for the characters, I didn’t… necessarily minded Fi. I just wondered why she took the job even if she saw all the red flags? I get that greed took over, but nothing in the story indicated that she needed the money that bad? The thing that irritated me the most though is that she keeps making important mistakes… and everyone keeps excusing her. She doesn’t manifest symptoms of regret… so why is everyone apologizing on her behalf? She’s a grown woman, isn’t she? I feel like the people around her were constantly taking the responsibilities for her actions… and she had NO self awareness, whatsoever. She definitely had a selfish trait and she didn’t seem to be conscious about this because she kept expecting people to just… accept her errors. Which is fine… I mean, if you want to be selfish, at least embody it because it just became tedious.
I also didn’t get the whole urgency to fix her mistakes to someone she hadn’t spoken to in 10 years? She knew where she lived, if she wanted to rekindle their friendship - why try to do so in a life or death situation? I think the author struggles with women relationships because this was a problem I had in her other novel. She also expected the other woman to forgive her but she hadn’t even apologized? What’s up with that lol.
Honestly, I’m just being a hater I guess because my expectations for this were sky high for no apparent reason. The pacing was so slow I was getting irritated. I was extremely indifferent to the characters and I just felt meh about the plot. It was just such a snooze fest.
I had a really hard time with this.
For the length of this novel (592 pages) - more things should’ve been explained about the sacrifices, magic system and gift distribution. There’s way too many unnecessary information and it halted the pacing a lot. I’m also left with a lot of unanswered questions (one thing for sure though - her stupid hair is rainbow colour).
Now as for the characters, I didn’t… necessarily minded Fi. I just wondered why she took the job even if she saw all the red flags? I get that greed took over, but nothing in the story indicated that she needed the money that bad? The thing that irritated me the most though is that she keeps making important mistakes… and everyone keeps excusing her. She doesn’t manifest symptoms of regret… so why is everyone apologizing on her behalf? She’s a grown woman, isn’t she? I feel like the people around her were constantly taking the responsibilities for her actions… and she had NO self awareness, whatsoever. She definitely had a selfish trait and she didn’t seem to be conscious about this because she kept expecting people to just… accept her errors. Which is fine… I mean, if you want to be selfish, at least embody it because it just became tedious.
I also didn’t get the whole urgency to fix her mistakes to someone she hadn’t spoken to in 10 years? She knew where she lived, if she wanted to rekindle their friendship - why try to do so in a life or death situation? I think the author struggles with women relationships because this was a problem I had in her other novel. She also expected the other woman to forgive her but she hadn’t even apologized? What’s up with that lol.
Honestly, I’m just being a hater I guess because my expectations for this were sky high for no apparent reason. The pacing was so slow I was getting irritated. I was extremely indifferent to the characters and I just felt meh about the plot. It was just such a snooze fest.
August 17, 2025
4.5⭐️
Would it be so bad to be devoured?
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 18 hours and 48 minutes
🎤: Amelia Hugh
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: Single POV/Timeline
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in her narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
💥: Letting go to the past
💥: Overcoming Oppression and Capitalism
Representation:
🌀: Bi main characters
Tropes:
💗: Enemies to Lovers
💗: One Bed
💗: He Falls First
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Potential Triggers: violence **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was tons of fun! For an almost 19 hour audiobook it definitely flew by in a way I didn't expect. This is not the kind of book. I normally pick up so I didn't have too much expectation going in and this definitely exceeded them. It had a lot of really fun talking points as well as some pretty relevant themes woven throughout the story.
I really enjoyed our MMC. An immortal carnivorous monster that was really nothing but a black cat. He was tender and calming and really played well against our more headstrong and chaotic FMC.
I really enjoyed the amount of world building and character development that came throughout this story. I do wish we had gotten some of Anton's POV's. I think that would've added a depth to his character, but it was fun being inside Fi's head.
I think the storyline was very intriguing and I liked all the political work. I felt like there was enough world building to understand what was going on without it being over the top. For a book that was almost 600 pages or 19 hours, I really feel like the time was utilized well and that the pacing was done well.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through NetGalley and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Would it be so bad to be devoured?
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 18 hours and 48 minutes
🎤: Amelia Hugh
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Format: Single POV/Timeline
I found the narrator to be clear and concise in her narration. I never had to adjust my speed and was able to listen within my typical range. I enjoyed the tone and tempo of this narrator.
Themes:
💥: Letting go to the past
💥: Overcoming Oppression and Capitalism
Representation:
🌀: Bi main characters
Tropes:
💗: Enemies to Lovers
💗: One Bed
💗: He Falls First
🥵: Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Potential Triggers: violence **check authors page/socials for full list.
General Thoughts:
This book was tons of fun! For an almost 19 hour audiobook it definitely flew by in a way I didn't expect. This is not the kind of book. I normally pick up so I didn't have too much expectation going in and this definitely exceeded them. It had a lot of really fun talking points as well as some pretty relevant themes woven throughout the story.
I really enjoyed our MMC. An immortal carnivorous monster that was really nothing but a black cat. He was tender and calming and really played well against our more headstrong and chaotic FMC.
I really enjoyed the amount of world building and character development that came throughout this story. I do wish we had gotten some of Anton's POV's. I think that would've added a depth to his character, but it was fun being inside Fi's head.
I think the storyline was very intriguing and I liked all the political work. I felt like there was enough world building to understand what was going on without it being over the top. For a book that was almost 600 pages or 19 hours, I really feel like the time was utilized well and that the pacing was done well.
Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via free ALC through NetGalley and Hachette Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
July 9, 2025
When the carnivorous predator is actually the less freaky one in the relationship.
From beginning to end (the list of triggers to me giggling and kicking my feet) this was a WILD RIDE. Fionamara is a badass who walks through space. Antal is an overgrown house cat who is also a super predator. Following a bunch of hijinx and a side of human sacrifice, things get sexy!
If romantasy as a genre was invented solely so this perfect book could exist then it was worth it.
As a sidenote, I’ve never felt so seen before. gloomy cat slumped in a bathtub is actually always what im going for.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
From beginning to end (the list of triggers to me giggling and kicking my feet) this was a WILD RIDE. Fionamara is a badass who walks through space. Antal is an overgrown house cat who is also a super predator. Following a bunch of hijinx and a side of human sacrifice, things get sexy!
If romantasy as a genre was invented solely so this perfect book could exist then it was worth it.
As a sidenote, I’ve never felt so seen before. gloomy cat slumped in a bathtub is actually always what im going for.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
June 28, 2025
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. all opinions are my own.
this was a very well done enemies to lovers fantasy romance and i had SO much fun reading it!!
the world building and magic system were super interesting and i honestly feel like i had a good grasp on everything. the concepts of void walking and the different planes are so unique - i was locked in from page one.
the romance was so good!! the banter was great, the tension slowly built up, the progression of enemies to allies to lovers was very well done - i only wish it was a touch more of a slow burn (when i say i like slow burn i mean SLOW burn).
a few things bothered me (some repetitive phrases - specifically the words ozone and moonbeam), dragged a bit in the middle, and i didn’t fully connect to the characters like i would have liked.
also: not that i’ve read many monster romances, but this one definitely seemed more tame in that regard. if you’re on the fence about reading this one because you’ve never read a monster romance, just trust me and pick this one up!!
overall, this was a solid romantasy with a very intriguing concept!!
this was a very well done enemies to lovers fantasy romance and i had SO much fun reading it!!
the world building and magic system were super interesting and i honestly feel like i had a good grasp on everything. the concepts of void walking and the different planes are so unique - i was locked in from page one.
the romance was so good!! the banter was great, the tension slowly built up, the progression of enemies to allies to lovers was very well done - i only wish it was a touch more of a slow burn (when i say i like slow burn i mean SLOW burn).
a few things bothered me (some repetitive phrases - specifically the words ozone and moonbeam), dragged a bit in the middle, and i didn’t fully connect to the characters like i would have liked.
also: not that i’ve read many monster romances, but this one definitely seemed more tame in that regard. if you’re on the fence about reading this one because you’ve never read a monster romance, just trust me and pick this one up!!
overall, this was a solid romantasy with a very intriguing concept!!
July 28, 2025
A really creative and fun monster Romantasy (with an FMC in her 30’s)!
This story follows Fi, our Voidwalker, who’s a professional smuggler between worlds/planes. After a smuggling assignment goes wrong, she finds herself partnering with Antal, our monster, who is one of the immortal overlords on the Winter plane.
The banter between Fi and Antal is top notch. They are so unserious at times, resulting in moments of humor throughout the book that genuinely had me laughing, but there’s still plenty of emotional depth to the story and our characters as well.
The energy-focused magic system was unique, and the world-building of the “Planeverse” was creative and well done. We spend most of the story on the Winter plane, so I hope to see more plane traveling and voidwalking in book two.
The end, thankfully, does not end on a cliffhanger. I don’t know where book two will take us, but given that there is so much left to explore in this world, I’m excited to see what happens next!
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
This story follows Fi, our Voidwalker, who’s a professional smuggler between worlds/planes. After a smuggling assignment goes wrong, she finds herself partnering with Antal, our monster, who is one of the immortal overlords on the Winter plane.
The banter between Fi and Antal is top notch. They are so unserious at times, resulting in moments of humor throughout the book that genuinely had me laughing, but there’s still plenty of emotional depth to the story and our characters as well.
The energy-focused magic system was unique, and the world-building of the “Planeverse” was creative and well done. We spend most of the story on the Winter plane, so I hope to see more plane traveling and voidwalking in book two.
The end, thankfully, does not end on a cliffhanger. I don’t know where book two will take us, but given that there is so much left to explore in this world, I’m excited to see what happens next!
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
July 4, 2025
rating: 3.5★
this was a very ambitious concept and i was very intrigued, but the execution needed work.
while marketed as a monster romance, it's not quite the focus until the latter half. this is more fantasy w some political intrigue, but needed to be delivered w more meat and fewer pages (pun unintended).
i will be honest, i hadn't realized when i requested this arc that the mmc was going to be part of a race that needs to eat ppl to survive. this is no edward cullen vegetarian vampire story where he can opt for animals instead, point blank it's necessary to his survival. i'm not into the whole cannibalism as a metaphor for romantic love trope so this was difficult for me to stomach at times. i was not really about the whole "oh to be devoured" aspect. at one point fiona watches him eat someone. later on a prominent character gives him permission to eat him after death, which he does even though he's been struggling w this crux of his existence. i don't really understand what the author was going for w this conflict.
i generally liked fiona but she really needed to let the "i abandoned my childhood bestie/gf" thing go. it was like survivor's guilt to the max and at the end of the day i don't think she did anything that warranted any guilt.
antal was a fun character but i feel like we could've gotten more of him that didn't directly involve fiona or his one haunting traumatic story. like i just didn't get a real sense of him. also i think this has been marketed as super spicy but i think there's only 3 smut scenes, maybe a 4th.
the plot felt promising in the beginning but it lost steam by the second half and slight spoilers but i didn't feel v impacted by a character's death. i was also quite surprised to finish it and find out it's a duology? not sure where the story will go or if i will pick it up.
overall, i liked it less than phoenix keeper which was a bit disappointing.
an honest arc review ♡
this was a very ambitious concept and i was very intrigued, but the execution needed work.
while marketed as a monster romance, it's not quite the focus until the latter half. this is more fantasy w some political intrigue, but needed to be delivered w more meat and fewer pages (pun unintended).
i will be honest, i hadn't realized when i requested this arc that the mmc was going to be part of a race that needs to eat ppl to survive. this is no edward cullen vegetarian vampire story where he can opt for animals instead, point blank it's necessary to his survival. i'm not into the whole cannibalism as a metaphor for romantic love trope so this was difficult for me to stomach at times. i was not really about the whole "oh to be devoured" aspect. at one point fiona watches him eat someone. later on a prominent character gives him permission to eat him after death, which he does even though he's been struggling w this crux of his existence. i don't really understand what the author was going for w this conflict.
i generally liked fiona but she really needed to let the "i abandoned my childhood bestie/gf" thing go. it was like survivor's guilt to the max and at the end of the day i don't think she did anything that warranted any guilt.
antal was a fun character but i feel like we could've gotten more of him that didn't directly involve fiona or his one haunting traumatic story. like i just didn't get a real sense of him. also i think this has been marketed as super spicy but i think there's only 3 smut scenes, maybe a 4th.
the plot felt promising in the beginning but it lost steam by the second half and slight spoilers but i didn't feel v impacted by a character's death. i was also quite surprised to finish it and find out it's a duology? not sure where the story will go or if i will pick it up.
overall, i liked it less than phoenix keeper which was a bit disappointing.
an honest arc review ♡
September 4, 2025
Oh, this was so much fun! I have a deep fondness for bisexual failures.
It was very refreshing to read a romantasy where the mmc isn’t the most powerful and feared being in the world. Antal is young and inexperienced, sulking about like a disgruntled cat after being ousted. It was delightful to see how exasperated Fi got watching his ass get kicked every other chapter. The way he hated everything about his life, but it wasn’t until Fi came around as was like “so change it??” that he was finally like “…oh.” What a dork.
Then we have Fi who is infinitely more badass than Antal, but still has many of her own dumbass moments. She smuggles a bomb into the capital and then is absolutely shocked that they blew it up. Like girl the “don’t ask, don’t tell” motto is only cool when it doesn’t actively put your own life in danger lmao. And then, of course, getting turned on by the literal man-eating creature biting her. Can’t blame her though.
Fi and Antal’s dynamic was just so delicious. The banter was top tier, and Fi being the top is the exact kind of f/m relationship I like to see. They work so well together
Despite how fun and flirty this was, it could also pack a punch at times. There are some really deep conversations around regret and grief. Both Fi and Antal choose to be better people and make better choices for those around them. I was blindsided by how emotional Fi’s relationship with her brother made me. The world building was interesting, with the energy capsules and weapons being really cool. But I’m still a little confused by the Void and its shards.
I was surprised to hear this will be a duology since the story arc wrapped up pretty nicely. It’ll be nice to see Fi learn more about her powers, and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot to learn about Antal’s home and family.
It was very refreshing to read a romantasy where the mmc isn’t the most powerful and feared being in the world. Antal is young and inexperienced, sulking about like a disgruntled cat after being ousted. It was delightful to see how exasperated Fi got watching his ass get kicked every other chapter. The way he hated everything about his life, but it wasn’t until Fi came around as was like “so change it??” that he was finally like “…oh.” What a dork.
Then we have Fi who is infinitely more badass than Antal, but still has many of her own dumbass moments. She smuggles a bomb into the capital and then is absolutely shocked that they blew it up. Like girl the “don’t ask, don’t tell” motto is only cool when it doesn’t actively put your own life in danger lmao. And then, of course, getting turned on by the literal man-eating creature biting her. Can’t blame her though.
Fi and Antal’s dynamic was just so delicious. The banter was top tier, and Fi being the top is the exact kind of f/m relationship I like to see. They work so well together
Despite how fun and flirty this was, it could also pack a punch at times. There are some really deep conversations around regret and grief. Both Fi and Antal choose to be better people and make better choices for those around them. I was blindsided by how emotional Fi’s relationship with her brother made me. The world building was interesting, with the energy capsules and weapons being really cool. But I’m still a little confused by the Void and its shards.
I was surprised to hear this will be a duology since the story arc wrapped up pretty nicely. It’ll be nice to see Fi learn more about her powers, and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot to learn about Antal’s home and family.
August 21, 2025
The Cruel Prince meets Grace Draven's Radiance with a dash of Mallory Dunlin's vibes in a world like Final Fantasy in a perfect mix of action, slow-burn romance and spice. Absolutely phenomenal, potentially the best read of 2025 so far. Straight to my favorities list (even though I keep them very limited and competitive).
I rarely request books over 500 pages in length, but I've made exception for this one because I saw it promoted on Instagram in some bi4bi romantasy book raffle. And I'm a huuuuge fan of "queer MF", give me your bi, pan, omni, ace, demi, genderqueer etc. protagonists. And while some of the "bi romantasy" I've read only had 1 of the leads specified as bi, while the other one's sexuality was never discussed, this one confirms the bi status for both leads.
The opening sequence was action-packed and I was waiting with bated breath for the usual "30% romantasy drop off" where the act 1 starts very plotty and hooky but then devolves into no plot just vibes and banter - this never happened here. The strong fantasy plot thoroughline keeps the tension and pacing together all the way to the very end. While there are breather moments to focus on the romance or found family or interpersonal conflict, the high stakes overarching plot and looming danger is never truly forgotten and often repops in the most unexpected moments.
The romance doesn't start immediately, it takes some time for the leads to meet, and it starts in if not enemies-to-lovers scenario at least in a heavy mistrust and suspicion. Humans and Daeyari are if not enemies, then having a strained relationship where lots of Daeyari treat humans only as prey, food or slaves. Both of the leads have already experienced the complex and painful history of both races together. Daeyari are immortal or at least very long-lived and Antal is considered young among his kind, but he's 250 years old. Meanwhile Fiona is 32, departing from the common stereotype of romantasy heroines being in their late teens or early 20s. And yes, she has rainbow hair, like on the cover. Did I mention this cover is truly stunning?
As the story starts with Fiona being roped into a failed heist turned terrorist attack, we think situation can't get any worse - but of course it does. The conspirators wanted to oust Antal, the Daeyari leader of the region, and one would think off with the oppressors if his place wasn't immediately taken by another Daeyari, one 10 times worse than him. So Fiona has no choice but lesser evil - help Antal take his region back while hoping to convince him to treat humans as more than food.
I'm a complete sucker for enemies to lovers or enemies to allies where both sides are getting their butts kicked by the plot / villains and have to begrudgingly unite over a common goal. Gotta love an underdog hero x2. So I was immediately sold. The banter was also top notch. The dynamics of both leads being outwards badasses, secret softies inside was insanely cute and I loved how Fiona was never a damsel or just a human object of adoration of her immortal lover, but she held her ground and was an equally important hero and partner in the plot.
I also loved that this book avoided another common romantasy pitfall - there's no insta-lust and there's no "I only want to be with him cuz he's hot". It's very slow-burn. The whole book is from Fiona's perspective and when she meets Antal first, she assesses him like a warrior assesses an enemy or a veteran assesses the risks / dangers. It takes her time to warm up to him and only when she sees he's not a cruel monster, she starts developing attraction. It took her over 200 pages to develop attraction and likely another 100 on top of it to turn that attraction into action. Once the slow-burn starts burning it's very sizzling, but all it of feels very earned. There are 3-4 explicit scenes that were higher spice level than my typical fantasy read but very in-line with typical romance. If you're scared the spice was "too monstrous", nope, it's not. It was all very tastefully done.
The worldbuilding is complex and unique, a science-fantasy / magic-punk where everything is fueled by special kind of magical energy and the world is made of floating planes and shards in the void, and travelling between them is a highly coveted skill and an important plot point. A bit Final Fantasy, a bit Planescape: Torment, a bit steampunk / Arcane, overall it's a breath of fresh air on the fantasy market. There are even lightsabers, sorry, energy blades.
The side cast was fleshed out and the overarching theme of guilt and regret over mistakes of the past was strongly woven through multiple characters' arcs.
I reckon this is a 1st in a series, but worry not, it can perfectly stand alone, the plot wraps up in a very satisfactory manner. Looking forward what the author writes next!
TW: Humans being eaten. Is it cannibalism if they're eaten by fantasy creatures rather than other humans? Not sure. It's plot-important, but if that's a hard nope for you, be warned. Also typical adult fantasy levels of violence and gore, and explicit open door spicy scenes.
Recommended for: Readers who want a strong mix of fantasy and romance in their romantasy, and who want to see a "fantasy race" that's more alien than just "pointy-eared humans". People who always thought Cardan's tail was cute.
Thank you Netgalley & Gollancz / Orion Publishing Group for the ARC!
I rarely request books over 500 pages in length, but I've made exception for this one because I saw it promoted on Instagram in some bi4bi romantasy book raffle. And I'm a huuuuge fan of "queer MF", give me your bi, pan, omni, ace, demi, genderqueer etc. protagonists. And while some of the "bi romantasy" I've read only had 1 of the leads specified as bi, while the other one's sexuality was never discussed, this one confirms the bi status for both leads.
The opening sequence was action-packed and I was waiting with bated breath for the usual "30% romantasy drop off" where the act 1 starts very plotty and hooky but then devolves into no plot just vibes and banter - this never happened here. The strong fantasy plot thoroughline keeps the tension and pacing together all the way to the very end. While there are breather moments to focus on the romance or found family or interpersonal conflict, the high stakes overarching plot and looming danger is never truly forgotten and often repops in the most unexpected moments.
The romance doesn't start immediately, it takes some time for the leads to meet, and it starts in if not enemies-to-lovers scenario at least in a heavy mistrust and suspicion. Humans and Daeyari are if not enemies, then having a strained relationship where lots of Daeyari treat humans only as prey, food or slaves. Both of the leads have already experienced the complex and painful history of both races together. Daeyari are immortal or at least very long-lived and Antal is considered young among his kind, but he's 250 years old. Meanwhile Fiona is 32, departing from the common stereotype of romantasy heroines being in their late teens or early 20s. And yes, she has rainbow hair, like on the cover. Did I mention this cover is truly stunning?
As the story starts with Fiona being roped into a failed heist turned terrorist attack, we think situation can't get any worse - but of course it does. The conspirators wanted to oust Antal, the Daeyari leader of the region, and one would think off with the oppressors if his place wasn't immediately taken by another Daeyari, one 10 times worse than him. So Fiona has no choice but lesser evil - help Antal take his region back while hoping to convince him to treat humans as more than food.
I'm a complete sucker for enemies to lovers or enemies to allies where both sides are getting their butts kicked by the plot / villains and have to begrudgingly unite over a common goal. Gotta love an underdog hero x2. So I was immediately sold. The banter was also top notch. The dynamics of both leads being outwards badasses, secret softies inside was insanely cute and I loved how Fiona was never a damsel or just a human object of adoration of her immortal lover, but she held her ground and was an equally important hero and partner in the plot.
I also loved that this book avoided another common romantasy pitfall - there's no insta-lust and there's no "I only want to be with him cuz he's hot". It's very slow-burn. The whole book is from Fiona's perspective and when she meets Antal first, she assesses him like a warrior assesses an enemy or a veteran assesses the risks / dangers. It takes her time to warm up to him and only when she sees he's not a cruel monster, she starts developing attraction. It took her over 200 pages to develop attraction and likely another 100 on top of it to turn that attraction into action. Once the slow-burn starts burning it's very sizzling, but all it of feels very earned. There are 3-4 explicit scenes that were higher spice level than my typical fantasy read but very in-line with typical romance. If you're scared the spice was "too monstrous", nope, it's not. It was all very tastefully done.
The worldbuilding is complex and unique, a science-fantasy / magic-punk where everything is fueled by special kind of magical energy and the world is made of floating planes and shards in the void, and travelling between them is a highly coveted skill and an important plot point. A bit Final Fantasy, a bit Planescape: Torment, a bit steampunk / Arcane, overall it's a breath of fresh air on the fantasy market. There are even lightsabers, sorry, energy blades.
The side cast was fleshed out and the overarching theme of guilt and regret over mistakes of the past was strongly woven through multiple characters' arcs.
I reckon this is a 1st in a series, but worry not, it can perfectly stand alone, the plot wraps up in a very satisfactory manner. Looking forward what the author writes next!
TW: Humans being eaten. Is it cannibalism if they're eaten by fantasy creatures rather than other humans? Not sure. It's plot-important, but if that's a hard nope for you, be warned. Also typical adult fantasy levels of violence and gore, and explicit open door spicy scenes.
Recommended for: Readers who want a strong mix of fantasy and romance in their romantasy, and who want to see a "fantasy race" that's more alien than just "pointy-eared humans". People who always thought Cardan's tail was cute.
Thank you Netgalley & Gollancz / Orion Publishing Group for the ARC!
July 31, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
this book has a lot going for it in terms of world-concept / plot - a smuggler who can move through planes (excellent) + a world where everyone is subject to their evil cannibalistic overlords (gross, interesting, i'm intrigued).
the beginning had me pretty hooked, a heist gone wrong, political ramifications, the whole nine yards. i also found the side characters to be compelling, which is a big need for me.
however, towards the middle, the pacing started to slow down a bit, and there were many spots that felt dragged out. i honestly don't think it needed to be as long as it was.
i also am realizing that monster romance may just not be for me. at one point, she watches him eat a person, which was gross. also (this is on me to some degree), because we didn't get a clear picture of what these monsters look like on the cover, i was forced to mentally improvise, and i couldn't stop picturing the hormone monster from Big Mouth, which did indeed take me out of it.
overall, cool concept, some pacing issues, and definitely for the girlies who like monster romance.
***thank you to Orbit for the ARC copy***
this book has a lot going for it in terms of world-concept / plot - a smuggler who can move through planes (excellent) + a world where everyone is subject to their evil cannibalistic overlords (gross, interesting, i'm intrigued).
the beginning had me pretty hooked, a heist gone wrong, political ramifications, the whole nine yards. i also found the side characters to be compelling, which is a big need for me.
however, towards the middle, the pacing started to slow down a bit, and there were many spots that felt dragged out. i honestly don't think it needed to be as long as it was.
i also am realizing that monster romance may just not be for me. at one point, she watches him eat a person, which was gross. also (this is on me to some degree), because we didn't get a clear picture of what these monsters look like on the cover, i was forced to mentally improvise, and i couldn't stop picturing the hormone monster from Big Mouth, which did indeed take me out of it.
overall, cool concept, some pacing issues, and definitely for the girlies who like monster romance.
***thank you to Orbit for the ARC copy***
September 16, 2025
“You’re fire in my hands, unyielding. I can’t seem to get my fill of crashing against you, just to see how you’ll surprise me next. Yet that’s not when you’re most dangerous. When you soften for me, when you trust me here against you. I don’t feel like I have claws.”
I was going to read this quietly without announcing it to anybody since this is very different to my usual genre of books, but I’m going to need everyone to pick this book up right now because this was genuinely peak fiction. I’m actually lost for words.
I knew the book was going to be good from the first chapter alone, but what I didn’t expect was for it to become one of my top reads this year. Yes, it is a monster romance, but it is so much more than that. In fact, for the most part, it reads like a normal adult fantasy novel, so don’t let the cover scare you off because it genuinely deserves to be read at least once. It absolutely deserves all the love it’s been getting.
This could have been an easy, romantasy cash grab with shallow one dimensional characters and barely any cohesive plot, but Voidwalker is the exact opposite — there’s a lot of care and sensitivity that goes into this book, with a well written plot and political intrigue to go with it that explores grief, vulnerability and change. I loved the personal growth that both Fi and Antal go through in this book. I didn’t know what to expect going into my first monster romance, but it is genuinely so much more than that. It is a story about love. Loss. Grief. Recovery. Transformation. So much depth and so many layers of character growth and development. I was skeptical, afraid, and a little bit intimidated, but Voidwalker really resonated with me in ways I didn’t think would happen. There were times I was genuinely almost moved to tears because I was just so proud of the development both characters go through.
Fi is someone that can feel intentionally obnoxious at times — she has that, "I'm not like the other girls” mentality to her, but it was what made her growth and development all the more satisfying to read about. Fi is a lot more than a “pick me”, and yes while some of the things she says can be annoying, she uses most of that snark and haughtiness as a façade to hide how vulnerable and broken she is, and it was really nice to peel back those layers to her. A lot of this book is about learning to normalize being vulnerable and to confront your past and it was really beautiful seeing Antal be there for her and vice versa.
Oh, Antal. I’m always gonna eat up books that explore the humanity in monsters. Antal is just your soggy wet cat who happens to be born with fangs and claws. Seriously, don’t let the cover scare you off. Antal is genuinely all bark and no bite, underneath his mask a solemn, soft gentleman who strives for peace among his kind and humans. This was not a book boyfriend, this was a book HUSBAND.
I really loved all of the main characters in this novel – except Verne. Fuck that bitch and I hope she gets lost in the Void forever. They were all so interesting and surprisingly complex – all of them in some way inspire Fi and Antal to grow and do better. I adore Boden, Fi’s brother, so much, who was such a sweetheart. But the most nuanced character for me had to be Astrid.
Depending on how you see it, this book can be a story about two toxic sapphic exes, Fi and Astrid, or a sweet slow burn between Fi and Antal. I really loved the bisexual rep and the way Fi and Antal’s past lovers are very significant to their growth and development. I wasn’t expecting so much complexity with this book. You cannot convince me otherwise that the author did not watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power because Fi and Astrid were literally just Adora and Catra in book form. The ex lovers to enemies trope between them was really electrifying. The tension? The angst? I was eating it up as much as Fi and Antal’s slow burn, and I would say Fi’s strenuous relationship to Astrid now was just as developed as her relationship to Antal. I would genuinely read a prequel about both of them, and the same goes for Antal’s past. There’s really something in it for everyone, whether you enjoy Antal or Astrid more.
But of course the main star of the novel is still Fi and Antal, two individuals who just want to be better and to stop running from their past. They carry a lot of baggage and repressed trauma and I genuinely love the hurt and comfort that Fi and Antal go through, the way they heal each other and are there at their lowest. The way they grieve and be vulnerable together is so cathartic. I genuinely did not feel the 592 page length at all. I just wanted to live in the moment with Fi and Antal.
Voidwalker truly shows that you really can't judge a book by its cover and I highly encourage everyone to pick this one up!
I was going to read this quietly without announcing it to anybody since this is very different to my usual genre of books, but I’m going to need everyone to pick this book up right now because this was genuinely peak fiction. I’m actually lost for words.
I knew the book was going to be good from the first chapter alone, but what I didn’t expect was for it to become one of my top reads this year. Yes, it is a monster romance, but it is so much more than that. In fact, for the most part, it reads like a normal adult fantasy novel, so don’t let the cover scare you off because it genuinely deserves to be read at least once. It absolutely deserves all the love it’s been getting.
This could have been an easy, romantasy cash grab with shallow one dimensional characters and barely any cohesive plot, but Voidwalker is the exact opposite — there’s a lot of care and sensitivity that goes into this book, with a well written plot and political intrigue to go with it that explores grief, vulnerability and change. I loved the personal growth that both Fi and Antal go through in this book. I didn’t know what to expect going into my first monster romance, but it is genuinely so much more than that. It is a story about love. Loss. Grief. Recovery. Transformation. So much depth and so many layers of character growth and development. I was skeptical, afraid, and a little bit intimidated, but Voidwalker really resonated with me in ways I didn’t think would happen. There were times I was genuinely almost moved to tears because I was just so proud of the development both characters go through.
Fi is someone that can feel intentionally obnoxious at times — she has that, "I'm not like the other girls” mentality to her, but it was what made her growth and development all the more satisfying to read about. Fi is a lot more than a “pick me”, and yes while some of the things she says can be annoying, she uses most of that snark and haughtiness as a façade to hide how vulnerable and broken she is, and it was really nice to peel back those layers to her. A lot of this book is about learning to normalize being vulnerable and to confront your past and it was really beautiful seeing Antal be there for her and vice versa.
Oh, Antal. I’m always gonna eat up books that explore the humanity in monsters. Antal is just your soggy wet cat who happens to be born with fangs and claws. Seriously, don’t let the cover scare you off. Antal is genuinely all bark and no bite, underneath his mask a solemn, soft gentleman who strives for peace among his kind and humans. This was not a book boyfriend, this was a book HUSBAND.
I really loved all of the main characters in this novel – except Verne. Fuck that bitch and I hope she gets lost in the Void forever. They were all so interesting and surprisingly complex – all of them in some way inspire Fi and Antal to grow and do better. I adore Boden, Fi’s brother, so much, who was such a sweetheart. But the most nuanced character for me had to be Astrid.
Depending on how you see it, this book can be a story about two toxic sapphic exes, Fi and Astrid, or a sweet slow burn between Fi and Antal. I really loved the bisexual rep and the way Fi and Antal’s past lovers are very significant to their growth and development. I wasn’t expecting so much complexity with this book. You cannot convince me otherwise that the author did not watch She-Ra and the Princesses of Power because Fi and Astrid were literally just Adora and Catra in book form. The ex lovers to enemies trope between them was really electrifying. The tension? The angst? I was eating it up as much as Fi and Antal’s slow burn, and I would say Fi’s strenuous relationship to Astrid now was just as developed as her relationship to Antal. I would genuinely read a prequel about both of them, and the same goes for Antal’s past. There’s really something in it for everyone, whether you enjoy Antal or Astrid more.
But of course the main star of the novel is still Fi and Antal, two individuals who just want to be better and to stop running from their past. They carry a lot of baggage and repressed trauma and I genuinely love the hurt and comfort that Fi and Antal go through, the way they heal each other and are there at their lowest. The way they grieve and be vulnerable together is so cathartic. I genuinely did not feel the 592 page length at all. I just wanted to live in the moment with Fi and Antal.
Voidwalker truly shows that you really can't judge a book by its cover and I highly encourage everyone to pick this one up!
August 10, 2025
If you’re looking for a unique romantasy read with a mesmerizing universe, adventure, two reluctant allies who are clearly obsessed with each other, and you love 🌶️ monster romance (or want to try the genre), I highly recommend picking this one up.
I felt the entire spectrum of emotions reading this gem. I laughed, cried, and felt all the feels. I love when we get a fearless, complex and powerful FMC (Fi), especially when she’s also in her 30s and Bi. I was OBSESSED with Fi and Astrid’s (her ex) history. I’m stillllll not over their lovers to enemies dynamic. If you love a villainous, morally grey MMC who also happens to be a secret big gooey softy, you will also adore Antal aka Antlers.
The romance development was so well done. I was worried it might feel rushed, but I loved the gradual buildup of awareness, trust, and vulnerability between Fi and Antlers. The combination created such a perfect slow burn, and I adored reading their interactions as they learned to trust each other and their relationship grew, especially any scenes involving rafters, a gramophone (record player), or Antlers casually lurking
Also… I’m not sure what magic was put in this book, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Antal’s tail, as this was my first monster romance, but after inhaling this book, I can safely say I am now officially Team Tail/Antlers FOREVER. 🤣
Please be prepared to be sick of me while we wait for book two. All the ⭐️s for this one.
My sincerest and heartfelt thanks to S.A. MacLean for this beautiful gifted copy.
I felt the entire spectrum of emotions reading this gem. I laughed, cried, and felt all the feels. I love when we get a fearless, complex and powerful FMC (Fi), especially when she’s also in her 30s and Bi. I was OBSESSED with Fi and Astrid’s (her ex) history. I’m stillllll not over their lovers to enemies dynamic. If you love a villainous, morally grey MMC who also happens to be a secret big gooey softy, you will also adore Antal aka Antlers.
The romance development was so well done. I was worried it might feel rushed, but I loved the gradual buildup of awareness, trust, and vulnerability between Fi and Antlers. The combination created such a perfect slow burn, and I adored reading their interactions as they learned to trust each other and their relationship grew, especially any scenes involving rafters, a gramophone (record player), or Antlers casually lurking
Also… I’m not sure what magic was put in this book, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Antal’s tail, as this was my first monster romance, but after inhaling this book, I can safely say I am now officially Team Tail/Antlers FOREVER. 🤣
Please be prepared to be sick of me while we wait for book two. All the ⭐️s for this one.
My sincerest and heartfelt thanks to S.A. MacLean for this beautiful gifted copy.
September 14, 2025
This is a weird book to review because I don't think publishing has yet found a niche for smutty YA. We sorta had the New Adult category people were trying to make a thing, but it didn't quite take off, and now there's this no man's land where these books are called Adult but that's not really the audience they're courting. It's the Romantasy girlies who grew up in YA and now want smut without leaving YA that's truly the target demographic here.
In any event, I think that people who enjoy Red Tower would probably like this.
Fun fact: her void-and-rainbow hair is mentioned 23 times! My spouse and I both had the same reaction that we were surprised she doesn't also have violet eyes. XD
For me it's too cliche in its tropes-- the MC got special powers as a child but is also an outcast from her community, she has unique hair/eyes that totally set her apart, she's known as the #1 best in her field even though she's very young and never proves her competencies on page, the LI is dark and brooding and forbidden but also only makes rational morally good choices so the author and reader can always swoon for him unquestionably, there's a bad guy at the top of the government and as soon as they overthrow that person society is a paradise, the MCs fall hard and fast for each other even though they only know maybe two adjectives each and a single traumatic backstory about one another. Maybe it feels a little reductive, but I honestly felt we were on a roadmap the whole time.
It may seem like an oversight that I didn't even bring up the world-building, but this is a monster romance book and not really a Fantasy book. The world-building felt like something the author was forced to sketch vague details of that are contradictory, rather than something they really loved and believed in. Do not go into this for the world-building.
Side note: I did have a glimmer of hope in a theory I held in the beginning that this would pull a Monsters Inc style twist (ya know: where laughter is more powerful than screams) and likewise willing, uncoerced sex would be more powerful than vore. But nah, they were just horny for each other and he unrelatedly eats recently dead people instead of living people.
This book is a very middling and predictable YA Romantasy and I think people will like it fine but I have a hard time envisioning this as someone's favourite book.
In any event, I think that people who enjoy Red Tower would probably like this.
Fun fact: her void-and-rainbow hair is mentioned 23 times! My spouse and I both had the same reaction that we were surprised she doesn't also have violet eyes. XD
For me it's too cliche in its tropes-- the MC got special powers as a child but is also an outcast from her community, she has unique hair/eyes that totally set her apart, she's known as the #1 best in her field even though she's very young and never proves her competencies on page, the LI is dark and brooding and forbidden but also only makes rational morally good choices so the author and reader can always swoon for him unquestionably, there's a bad guy at the top of the government and as soon as they overthrow that person society is a paradise, the MCs fall hard and fast for each other even though they only know maybe two adjectives each and a single traumatic backstory about one another. Maybe it feels a little reductive, but I honestly felt we were on a roadmap the whole time.
It may seem like an oversight that I didn't even bring up the world-building, but this is a monster romance book and not really a Fantasy book. The world-building felt like something the author was forced to sketch vague details of that are contradictory, rather than something they really loved and believed in. Do not go into this for the world-building.
Side note: I did have a glimmer of hope in a theory I held in the beginning that this would pull a Monsters Inc style twist (ya know: where laughter is more powerful than screams) and likewise willing, uncoerced sex would be more powerful than vore. But nah, they were just horny for each other and he unrelatedly eats recently dead people instead of living people.
This book is a very middling and predictable YA Romantasy and I think people will like it fine but I have a hard time envisioning this as someone's favourite book.
May 9, 2025
Voidwalker has been my best read of 2025 so far so I can't help but endorse it yet again. Many times when I pick a fantasy with a romance plot, the author is either great at establishing romance, but weak at worldbuilding and external plot, or the author is brilliant at the general fantasy aspects but the romance is sadly limping along. I've read only 2 books this year where both aspects are equally strong pillars: one is Voidwalker, the other was This Monster of Mine.
I loved how Fiona and Antal both tried to pretend they're scary badasses and loathed to admit they need help, they had trust issues due to past traumas, they tackled with survivor's guilt, but they also together learned confidence, opening to rely on others when necessary, and bonded extremely well.
I enjoyed a departure from common pseudo-medieval or pseudo-Victorian settings I usually see in fantasy. We have different planes suspended in the void connected with bridges and gateways, and everything runs fueled by magical energy capsules - from energy blades and crossbows to trains and central heating systems.
The story is well paced, with action-packed scenes intertwined with calmer found family moments and slow-burn romance and tense interpersonal conflicts. It's a great mix of dark and hopeful, not falling into either extreme.
The plot nicely wraps up, even though I am curious which direction will the sequel take us, since there are hints of bigger scope Daeyari politics going on in the background.
The romance was a breath of fresh air, Fiona wasn't your typical naive damsel or stubborn-without-a-cause step-into-every-trouble kind of protagonist. Antal was respectful and showed a surprisingly vulnerable side in interactions with Fiona. He didn't smother her with overprotectiveness, but enabled her growth and encouraged her strength.
Their interactions were extremely hilarious with top-notch banter.
Definitely recommend for anyone looking for fantasy with a strong romance plot or romantasy with a strong external conflict, and anyone who wants to see both leads exude black cat energy.
Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC, you're the best and I can always count on you. 💗
I loved how Fiona and Antal both tried to pretend they're scary badasses and loathed to admit they need help, they had trust issues due to past traumas, they tackled with survivor's guilt, but they also together learned confidence, opening to rely on others when necessary, and bonded extremely well.
I enjoyed a departure from common pseudo-medieval or pseudo-Victorian settings I usually see in fantasy. We have different planes suspended in the void connected with bridges and gateways, and everything runs fueled by magical energy capsules - from energy blades and crossbows to trains and central heating systems.
The story is well paced, with action-packed scenes intertwined with calmer found family moments and slow-burn romance and tense interpersonal conflicts. It's a great mix of dark and hopeful, not falling into either extreme.
The plot nicely wraps up, even though I am curious which direction will the sequel take us, since there are hints of bigger scope Daeyari politics going on in the background.
The romance was a breath of fresh air, Fiona wasn't your typical naive damsel or stubborn-without-a-cause step-into-every-trouble kind of protagonist. Antal was respectful and showed a surprisingly vulnerable side in interactions with Fiona. He didn't smother her with overprotectiveness, but enabled her growth and encouraged her strength.
Their interactions were extremely hilarious with top-notch banter.
Definitely recommend for anyone looking for fantasy with a strong romance plot or romantasy with a strong external conflict, and anyone who wants to see both leads exude black cat energy.
Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC, you're the best and I can always count on you. 💗
Want to read
May 18, 2025i bet this is going to hit different for me since i've always mained a warlock in world of warcraft
August 14, 2025
DNF @ 31%. First off, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Orbit for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m sorry, it’s gonna be my 4th ever DNF.
We love an FMC that’s not freshly 18…. But omg. This character is an absolute DUMMY. Granted, I’m not much smarter, but come on. She’s 31 years old and she acts like she’s 18.
A big problem I have with this book is that I can’t tell what timeline this is. Is this set in more modern times? Is the setting similar to the 1800s? It can’t be ancient kingdom times because they have energy capsules, eyeliner, fades (yes, like a close-cropped shave. The author literally says the word “fade”), and (apparently) fuzzy socks and flannel pajamas…but they have carriages still. Oh, and apparently we can dye our hair rainbow. No cars. I seriously cannot pinpoint the time. It doesn’t have to follow OUR timeline of how things developed, but I also can’t even picture the world. How can I picture the world if I can’t even figure out what this world has?
Now, what should’ve been the first red flag was the fact that in the very beginning of this book, it talks about how the FMC has mascara and rainbow dyed hair. No hate to dyed hair or makeup, because I wear makeup everyday. But when you’re on a deadly mission? Can we at least be practical??
I’m also having trouble taking this book and the plot seriously because it uses lines like “Fi sprang into defense. She shifted onto the balls of fuzzy-socked feet, brandishing a half-charged energy capsule ready to hurl.” It’s giving cozy fantasy, but also like it can’t fully commit to being cozy vs regular fantasy. It reminds me of Bull Moon Rising and I didn’t care for that book.
“No hiding the strain in her voice, or her uncharacteristic lack of proper eyeliner” ok…
You want to know the straw that broke the camels back? The paragraph where it talked about how she nearly left the house “like this” (aka, hair not done and no makeup). GASP! So she GOES BACK IN to apply EYE SHADOW and LIPSTICK and CURL HER HAIR!!! And she’s going to a mission! She’s not just going out on the town! She’s about to go meet some baddies! I’m over it
I’m sorry, it’s gonna be my 4th ever DNF.
We love an FMC that’s not freshly 18…. But omg. This character is an absolute DUMMY. Granted, I’m not much smarter, but come on. She’s 31 years old and she acts like she’s 18.
A big problem I have with this book is that I can’t tell what timeline this is. Is this set in more modern times? Is the setting similar to the 1800s? It can’t be ancient kingdom times because they have energy capsules, eyeliner, fades (yes, like a close-cropped shave. The author literally says the word “fade”), and (apparently) fuzzy socks and flannel pajamas…but they have carriages still. Oh, and apparently we can dye our hair rainbow. No cars. I seriously cannot pinpoint the time. It doesn’t have to follow OUR timeline of how things developed, but I also can’t even picture the world. How can I picture the world if I can’t even figure out what this world has?
Now, what should’ve been the first red flag was the fact that in the very beginning of this book, it talks about how the FMC has mascara and rainbow dyed hair. No hate to dyed hair or makeup, because I wear makeup everyday. But when you’re on a deadly mission? Can we at least be practical??
I’m also having trouble taking this book and the plot seriously because it uses lines like “Fi sprang into defense. She shifted onto the balls of fuzzy-socked feet, brandishing a half-charged energy capsule ready to hurl.” It’s giving cozy fantasy, but also like it can’t fully commit to being cozy vs regular fantasy. It reminds me of Bull Moon Rising and I didn’t care for that book.
“No hiding the strain in her voice, or her uncharacteristic lack of proper eyeliner” ok…
You want to know the straw that broke the camels back? The paragraph where it talked about how she nearly left the house “like this” (aka, hair not done and no makeup). GASP! So she GOES BACK IN to apply EYE SHADOW and LIPSTICK and CURL HER HAIR!!! And she’s going to a mission! She’s not just going out on the town! She’s about to go meet some baddies! I’m over it
July 19, 2025
5⭐️
4/5🌶️
ARC
releases August 19 2025
Wow I am so obsessed with this! Fi and Antal are truly one of my favorite book couples I’ve read this year. I haven’t read a ton monster romance but I think I’m obsessed now.
Fi and Antal’s story is tender, sweet, and so funny. I absolutely loved both of them. They are both down on their luck, kind of seem to draw the short stick every time but always want to try and do the right thing.
I was hooked from the start! I really loved the worldbuilding in this and the Daeyari were great villains.
Thank you so much Orbit Books and S.A MacLean for the advanced copy! I really enjoyed this and cannot wait for book 2!
This is book 1 in a duology and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Tropes; idiots in love, monster romance, slow burn, enemies to lovers
4/5🌶️
ARC
releases August 19 2025
Wow I am so obsessed with this! Fi and Antal are truly one of my favorite book couples I’ve read this year. I haven’t read a ton monster romance but I think I’m obsessed now.
Fi and Antal’s story is tender, sweet, and so funny. I absolutely loved both of them. They are both down on their luck, kind of seem to draw the short stick every time but always want to try and do the right thing.
I was hooked from the start! I really loved the worldbuilding in this and the Daeyari were great villains.
Thank you so much Orbit Books and S.A MacLean for the advanced copy! I really enjoyed this and cannot wait for book 2!
This is book 1 in a duology and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Tropes; idiots in love, monster romance, slow burn, enemies to lovers
August 8, 2025
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!!
4.95 stars because this took me foreverrrr to read and i think it’s due the plot progressing much too slowly — i a absolutely adored s a maclean’s cozy fantasy debut, but i think some parts of this sci-fi/romantasy were too domestic for such high stakes.
regardless, s a maclean has a brilliant mind for the sci-fi/fantasy genre! i absolutely love her world building and her depiction of mythical creatures, and in the case of voidwalker’s world, the man-eating daeyari.
there were a few spicy scenes, AND NO INSTA-LUST!!!, which i’m very relieved about as the plot did not suffer in the slightest to adhere to the smut.
not to mention there was a “to whatever end” scene 😭🤞🏼
i cannot WAIT for the next book!!
4.95 stars because this took me foreverrrr to read and i think it’s due the plot progressing much too slowly — i a absolutely adored s a maclean’s cozy fantasy debut, but i think some parts of this sci-fi/romantasy were too domestic for such high stakes.
regardless, s a maclean has a brilliant mind for the sci-fi/fantasy genre! i absolutely love her world building and her depiction of mythical creatures, and in the case of voidwalker’s world, the man-eating daeyari.
there were a few spicy scenes, AND NO INSTA-LUST!!!, which i’m very relieved about as the plot did not suffer in the slightest to adhere to the smut.
not to mention there was a “to whatever end” scene 😭🤞🏼
i cannot WAIT for the next book!!
August 11, 2025
Unreal.
I think this is my first monster romance and consider me a convert 😈
At first I was like nah, this cat boy isn’t for me but turns out Antal is reasonable, thoughtful, has a tail and a very long tongue. Deal!
The plot itself is fast paced, action packed and sets up promise for whatever’s to come next 👀
The perfect slow burn enemies to lovers, no action until 300 pages deep 🥵
“The spirit of fuck unites us all” - Author S A MacLean, author extraordinaire. ❤️🔥
I think this is my first monster romance and consider me a convert 😈
At first I was like nah, this cat boy isn’t for me but turns out Antal is reasonable, thoughtful, has a tail and a very long tongue. Deal!
The plot itself is fast paced, action packed and sets up promise for whatever’s to come next 👀
The perfect slow burn enemies to lovers, no action until 300 pages deep 🥵
“The spirit of fuck unites us all” - Author S A MacLean, author extraordinaire. ❤️🔥
June 14, 2025
I really wanted to like this book, but for me there just was not enough nuance.
I feel like it ticked every box and that’s the whole point of it, to tick boxes.
The characters felt really flat, the world building was almost nonexistent, and the main characters just could not carry this book. Even their Romance was meh
If you’re reading it for spice, there is spice, but you kind of gotta be biting.
The side character of Astrid was far more interesting than any of the other characters.
Maybe it’ll get deeper and the characters will be flushed out along with the world in the next book, but I think I’m just gonna leave it.
I feel like it ticked every box and that’s the whole point of it, to tick boxes.
The characters felt really flat, the world building was almost nonexistent, and the main characters just could not carry this book. Even their Romance was meh
If you’re reading it for spice, there is spice, but you kind of gotta be biting.
The side character of Astrid was far more interesting than any of the other characters.
Maybe it’ll get deeper and the characters will be flushed out along with the world in the next book, but I think I’m just gonna leave it.
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