Green and Deadly Things: High-stakes fantasy teeming with necromancy, monsters and cursed magic

by Jenn Lyons

For fans of S.A. Chakraborty, Robin Hobb, and Martha Wells's Witch King, a page-turning standalone fantasy of necromancy and cursed magic from Jenn Lyons, the acclaimed author of The Ruin of Kings.


'Incredibly compelling magical ideas pairs with deeply terrifying monsters'
Daniel M. Ford, author of The Warden

Centuries ago, necromancy almost destroyed the world. That’s how history remembers it.

History remembers it wrong.

Mathaiik has studied all his life to join the sacred order of the Idallik Knights, charged with defending their world from the forces of necromancy. Only vestiges of that cursed magic remain – nothing like the fabled days of the Grim Lords, the undead wizards who once nearly destroyed the world.

Until monsters once more begin to wake. But something about them is even whole forests coming alive and devouring anyone so foolish as to trespass, formerly peaceful animals mutating into savage carnivores . . . the land itself has turned upon humanity and the Knights are powerless to stop it.

It’s a good thing, then, that the Grim Lords were never truly destroyed. One of their number sleeps below the Knights' very fortress. And when an army of twisted tree monsters attacks the young initiates in his charge, Math decides to do the he wakes her up.

Genres: Fantasy, Adult, Fiction, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

369 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 3, 2026

About the author

Jenn Lyons lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, three cats, and a lot of opinions on anything from the Sumerian creation myths to the correct way to make a martini. At various points in her life, she has wanted to be an archaeologist, anthropologist, architect, diamond cutter, fashion illustrator, graphic designer, or Batman. Turning from such obvious trades, she is now a video game producer by day, and spends her evenings writing science fiction and fantasy. When not writing, she can be founding debating the Oxford comma and Joss Whedon’s oeuvre at various local coffee shops.

Reviews

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)]

A standalone romantic fantasy with interesting world-building involving necromancy and sentient plants! Green & Deadly Things feels a bit lighter than some of Jenn Lyons other books, but equally unique in terms of ideas for the world and setup.

Mathalik is sworn to an order of celibate knights, but has not been able to fully develop his magic. He's also obsessed with solving the riddle of this ancient maze. But when sentient tree deities are accidentally awakened, he accidentally ends up waking an ancient, powerful woman who legend has painted as a villain. But perhaps history is not what it has been made out to be.

This blends action and romance, with a few twists along the way. The plant magic is creepy and cool. The audio narration is done well. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

[Esmay Rosalyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now, I will admit that I went into Green & Deadly Things with deadly high expectations, not only because of its killer premise, but also because Jenn Lyons is the author who gave me A Chorus of Dragons, which will forever live rent free in my heart and soul. This time, we get necromancers, a holy knight school, sentient killer trees, and the promise that history got it all wrong. On paper, this is the stuff I want injected into my veins, but in reality, it is just… aggressively fine, which somehow hurts even worse than if it had been a total trainwreck.

To give credit where it is due, Green & Deadly Things opens strong. A plant zombie attack at a magical knight academy is a bold introduction, and the early chaos is immediate and cinematic. The forests awakening and devouring the faithful have me genuine horror energy, and if you enjoy fantasy that hits the ground running and never looks back, this absolutely delivers. For me, though, the relentless pace came at the expense of emotional investment, and I soon found myself yearning for something to hook me beyond just the cool factor of it all.

It definitely helped that we got to experience this all through Mathaiik’s eyes though, who instantly gave me disaster golden boy knight energy. He is raised within the rigid doctrine of the Idallik Knights, trained to believe necromancy nearly ended the world and must never rise again, only to be confronted with the fact that history may have lied. I found his internal conflict quite compelling, especially as his magic and personal trauma started to intersect with a much older cycle of destruction. I do have to say that I felt like Lyons was going for more depth than I felt, and I just kept waiting for that gut punch moment where it would all click.

Enter Kaiataris, one of the allegedly destroyed Grim Lords, who has been napping under the fortress like a very dangerous secret. The second Math reawakened her, the book significantly improved for me, and their dynamic quickly became the highlight of Green & Deadly Things for me. I mean, an ancient necromancer with sharp edges, dry authority, and inconvenient truths accidentally becoming magically linked with a devout young knight just screams tension, and when Lyons allows them space to talk rather than fight, I was completely locked in.

Honestly, I just wanted the entire book to slow down and let them be complicated together, but instead we get a romance that goes from zero to soul bound in what feels like a long weekend. Even with the magical bond and high stakes, their level of eternal devotion on a one-week turnaround just gave me emotional whiplash and did not feel earned. They also often read younger than the gravity of their roles demands, and I felt like that really undercut what could have been a far more layered connection. In my opinion, a slower burn would have really amplified the tragedy and the intimacy, and all things are better with more yearning if you ask me.

Still, you cannot accuse Lyons of lacking imagination, and just as when I read The Sky on Fire, I am utterly in awe of how much she packed into such a tight standalone story. The sentient necromancy plant magic is grotesque and gorgeous, the horror imagery is dark and unsettling, the lore is surprisingly rich, and the concept of cyclical catastrophe gives the story an almost mythic scope. Also, I loved that the queer-normativity in Green & Deadly Things is handled with the same effortless confidence Lyons has shown before, because I will always value that.

Moreover, Lyons sure knows how to keep you on your toes, and every time I was flirting with the idea of putting the book down, I found myself getting pulled back in by a new little twist or intriguing bit of foreshadowing. There is also no denying that the thematic resolution has bite and that the final revelations land with satisfying brutality, and I effortlessly blasted through the last half of Green & Deadly Things in one afternoon. Although I don’t know if that really counts as praise, because I honestly have to admit that I am not sure if I devoured it out of pure excitement or out of a wish for it to be over already.

Ultimately, I can’t really say if it was a book problem or a me-problem, but I just did not enjoy Green & Deadly Things as much as I desperately wanted to. That said, I still love Jenn Lyons and I will absolutely read whatever else comes out of her scarily imaginative and wildly ambitious mind. This might not have been the perfect fit for my slow-burn loving heart, but if you like the sound of a fast-paced and darkly fun standalone fantasy adventure with strong ideas, twisted greenery, and a romantic core, I would definitely give this one a shot.

Thank you to Tor UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Green & Deadly Things is scheduled for release on 5 March 2026.

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green & Deadly Things has a lot of jenny’s favorite things… Botanical magic, necromancy, a quest, and a yearn-y romance. Plus an interesting world with complicated political dynamics.

I had a good time with this book. The audiobook is phenomenal and probably (at least partly) responsible for my overall enjoyment of this book. A good audiobook can really take an OK book and make it great imho.

I actually read the first 37% of this book 2x. I was, admittedly, multitasking while listening and (notsoquickly) realized I was completely lost. I restarted the book, and you’d think listening a 2nd time would = boring, but nope. The audiobook performance makes it impossible not to be into this book (in the moment). (confession: I was still a little lost on the 2nd read) This is a “trust the process and enjoy the ride” kinda book.

All that said, I don’t think this is one that will stay with me. More of a—great in the moment—book.

If you’re a fan of a good audiobook, a yearn-y man, and don’t mind a slower plot, and being a bit confused at first, you might enjoy this one!

Also… it is single POV from the male’s perspective (& an m/f romance) and that was kinda fun? definitely different than what I’m used to!

Audiobook: 5/5 | Narrator: Torian Brackett | Length: 15 hrs 26 mins
I absolutely loved this narrator! His inflection and overall performance was top tier. I really enjoyed the variety of voices for the different characters and especially his ability to nail a BELIEVABLE female voice. The audiobook made this such an easy and enjoyable reading experience! The pace & pausing were perfect!

4⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you to Tor & Macmillian Audio for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Zana]

DNF @ 68%

This had such a cool intro with plant necromancers killing people and turning them into plant zombies. There was a plant zombie attack at a magical knight school. The MMC's nickname was MATH, which honestly, I couldn't get over, but whatever.

The worldbuilding was pretty cool, but it wasn't enough to get me to finish the book. The two MCs read like teens. They go on the run and pretty much all the tropes and cliches that come with two people in forced proximity with each other pop up.

Extremely predictable if you've read novels and watched movies/TV shows about a couple running from the authorities. Pretty boring. Not all that interesting.

After everything in the summary happened, the book turned out to be a lot more older YA than adult. Or I guess it's fair to say that this is the type of book like Mistborn: The Final Empire where both older teens and adults can enjoy. If you're into that type of fantasy novel, then this might be for you.

I DNF'ed The Sky on Fire too, so it might be safe to say that Jenn Lyons isn't the author for me.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for this arc.

[takeeveryshot]

jenn i’m sorry i cannot follow you here but we will Always have horsegender the greatest fantasy series of the last 10 years

[Stacey Markle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is 4.25
Oh I really liked this story!
I immediately connected with the story. Give me all the Knights, necromancers and trees that are more than they seem...and deadly!
Math is an interesting character and when we get to see him grow into his skills and what he is capable of, it's so good. Add to that the relationship between he and Kai, the Grim Lord that he awakes out of sheer desperation, and we have a real book on our hands. They absolutely make the book for me.
The pacing of this book is at a breakneck speed and leans quite dark....and I'm here for it. There is a lot going on, maybe too much if I'm being honest but it's all interesting. The author hits us with everything she could think of to include, lots of twists and turns, bad decisions and cool outcomes.
It's not perfect but I had a good time and that's what reading is about!
I want to compliment the narrator Torian Brackett, who did a terrific job with this cast of characters. The voice acting was phenomenal, the pacing was perfect and the tension ratcheted up as the story unfolded.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC. My thoughts are my own.

[Athena (OneReadingNurse) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced, standalone fantasy novel that reads a lot like a YA book, but the characters are a little older and there's one open door s*x scene.

I tend to like these standalones because they have to go at a pace that keeps things quick and interesting, without getting bogged down in detail.

I liked the overall idea and the banter is good. the betrayals are constant. Lots of things got resolved pretty easily while other things got dark real quick. It did seem like Lyons was going for a lighter vibe for the most part.

One thing I didn't quite like was how easily the characters kept getting out of imprisonment/traps etc because it made the stakes feel low, even though they really weren't.

The audiobook was great though, the narrator does awesome voices and I'll be looking out for more of his work!

3.5 overall

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio via netgalley for the ALC, all opinions are my own 🖤

[Me, My Shelf, & I]

The synopsis led me to believe this would be a necromancy book.
It's not.

But it does involve plant magic, my other love, so I was still in. 3/5

This has pretty standard Epic Fantasy vibes. It's not quite old school-old school, but like one generation younger. So it subverts the most absolute basic bitch tropes of the genre, but 100% adheres to the standard subversions, if that makes sense?

I had a decent time with it, but have to admit that I was disappointed with the conclusion and ultimately how rote the experience ended up feeling. (Also really think the romance was under-developed and should've been omitted, tbh.) and I'm generally tired of these Chosen One tropes and how convenient/deus ex machina they end up feeling, especially in a standalone book where there's not as much time for setup and payoff and the hero's journey

Audiobook Notes:
The narrator is a bit of a mixed bag. There were some narrations and voices he would do that I really liked, but I didn't like the voices he did for neither the MC nor the children. I probably wouldn't've realized it if not for hearing a dialogue between my favourite voice he puts on (spoilers) and the MC that made me realize the contrast is just so sharp. So overall it's very good and sometimes great, but the primary/most common voice is bleh.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Tyffani]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 - I am very much in my gothic botanical fantasy era. If that’s not a thing, I’m making it a thing. I enjoyed this book immensely. The world building included the lores of the kingdom so you get to see how time (and people) twisted the actual history into something that suits their purpose. Our MC’s, Math and Kai, are fantastic together. You are rooting for both of them from the very start! And then they say things like this:

“How dare you hold your life so cheap, when to me, it is more precious than all the stars!"

*swoon* I’m glad this is a stand alone but I’m also a little sad because I’d love just a little more time with these characters.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Jess Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc of Green & Deadly Things.

I really liked this. I thought the characters were great and I liked the chemistry between the main characters Math & Kai. I also thought some of the side characters were done really well also. I enjoyed the children and also the relationship with the "enemy" he grew up with. The magic was unique and fun. We also got to see different kinds of magic with some of the different characters and I thought that was a nice addition. For a stand alone fantasy story the plot was really flushed out and easy too follow, not complicated, but also not too simple. Overall this was a great story and can't wait to see what Jenn Lyons does next.

[♡Lala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy!

"How dare you hold your life so cheap, when to me, it is more precious than all the stars!"

Green and Deadly Things completely pulled me in, and I’m here for it! The stakes feel real, the world feels lived in, and the plot is chef’s kiss. No unnecessary lore dumps. No confusing politics. Everything builds with purpose. The atmosphere is rich and cinematic without ever feeling bloated, and every scene feels intentional.

Kai and Math steal the show. Their flirting had me grinning like an idiot!

This isn’t just pretty worldbuilding. Everything in the world actually matters, and it all affects the story.

[Caitlin G · Rating 3 out of 5]

In days of old, the Grim Lords ruled the land, nearly destroying their world with their dark necromantic powers. Although the Grim Lords have faded into legend, remnants of their magic remain, and the Idallik Knights exist to destroy that power wherever it lingers. But when a new threat faces the kingdom, novitiate Mathaiik wakes a Grim Lord in a desperate gambit to save the fortress where he trains. But waking Kaiataris reveals even more problems. This land is trapped in a cycle of raising chaos and order - and if Mathaiik and Kaiataris can't work to find a way to balance those forces, life across the continent will be wiped out.

GREEN & DEADLY THINGS is a cinematic thrill ride that lacks fully developed characters to back it up. On the plus side, I can fully see the movie version of this book. There's a creepy plant enemy, an order of knights that uses elemental magic, and a whole lot of great action scenes. The author knows how to keep the plot moving, zipping you from one end of the country to the other as our heroes try to find a way to deal with the multiple threats facing the nation.

But with the snappiness of an action film comes the flimsiness of action characters. Most people you encounter along the journey are fairly flat, reduced to one or two traits. There's no real depth or history for most people outside the two main characters, and even they are fairly thin. The main villain is just out to rule the world; even with the stakes as high as the end of all life, I found myself simply not caring by the end of the book. The stakes just weren't personal enough. Even the romance felt by the numbers at best.

GREEN & DEADLY THINGS is a great book for those who want a plot driven adventure. If you want to dash about a magical world from fight scene to chase sequence to fight scene, this will fit the ticket nicely. As someone who values characters over plot, I struggled a bit with this one, even though I've enjoyed the author's past works immensely. At the end of the day, this feels like a movie script adapted to book instead of the other way around, and as much as I enjoy a popcorn flick, this just didn't quite work for me as much as I'd hoped.

Note: I was provided a free ARC by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[rose ✨]

DNF @ 21%

i am simply not ✨vibing✨ with this one. i’m not sure what i was expecting from a book about plant necromancers with chakraborty and hobb comps, but this is not it—those comps set a high bar and based on what i read, it seems like whoever wrote the blurb just plucked two big fantasy names at random, as this doesn’t remind me of anything i’ve read by either author.

and i know i’m being fussy about names lately, but his name is MATH? why

[Taylor Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

EEK, this was a great story. What a journey!

The overarching plot with the conflicting magic systems felt a lot like the conflict with life vs death in Deathless by Catherynne Valente, one of my favorite books, and the prose style and humor felt very similar to T. Kingfisher’s style.

While I wish there had been a few more sentences at the beginning to outline the magic system earlier on, you do figure it out as you keep reading.

Loved how we got so much world building in a natural way, it never felt like stuff was being info dumped, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. It can be hard to nail indirect explanations, I thought it was very well done in this book.

Perhaps the main characters were a LITTLE obtuse through the middle third, buuuuuuut I was still satisfied by the twists and reveals despite that.

The main characters were both so funny and prickly in the best way. It was so nice to see a male character with this kind of personality too. Honestly, all the characters were great. Even the ones you were supposed to hate, at least felt realistic and consistent within the plot.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lyons pens a stand alone fantasy about magic and necromancy, sure to delight fantasy fans! Mathaiik has been a novitiate much longer than most because he's unable to manifest his weapon. But he's also got a secret that would cause the Order alarm. But when they are attacked, he may be the only one who can help them.

This is only my second Lyons book, but I have the first of another series on my shelf. I loved the other one I read and didn't realize until then she's local! But I'm not sure about this one. It felt overly long and lacking in many side characters. I'm not sure if my problem was that I was reading this mostly just at the gym, so it was taking longer, but I didn't love this one.

[Matt | Matt’s Bookcase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Tor UK & Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy. This review contains no major spoilers.

3.25★

"Heart" can carry a read for me, I can look past a lot and still enjoy a book if I think it's earnest, and Green & Deadly Things has heart.

At it's core, this is a fantasy-romance. I'm not calling it a romantasy, as I don't think it fits that tag, and the romance is secondary to the plot. Honestly I think you could remove the romance in it's entirety and the major plot would've remained largely unchanged. I mention this, mainly because I don't want to mislabel this book, but also to better highlight where it does excel and where it doesn't.

So onto the first word, this is a solid standalone fantasy novel, with a really unique premise, world, and a plot that felt unpredictable. It's rather refreshing to read something in this genre that's standalone and not a trilogy at bare minimum, but I digress. The concept of magic here, of the "green & deadly things", this idea of nature and necromancy, is fantastic, unique and one of my favourite bits of worldbuilding in a novel in recent memory. The way it thematically links the cycle of life and death into a part of the magic is inspired, I loved it.

That second word then, the romance. For me, I felt this was the stronger side of the book. The way the relationship between our two main characters develops is what kept the pages turning more so than anything else, and whilst I've not read enough of the genre to have a solid feeling of how this compares to others in a similar space, I buy the way this romance develops. The circumstances around it make it believable, as does the way they talk and interact with each other.

Now, this is my first of Lyons' books, and I'm unsure how it compares to her others, but I did feel that some of the writing felt wooden. Not all the time, but whilst sufficient to get us from A to B, I was rarely, if ever, blown away by the prose. A particular strength this book did highlight was snappy, fun banter and dialogue. It was always entertaining and put a smile on my face to see our two main characters verbally joust, and how it evolved from open distrust to snarky camaraderie, as well as with our collection of side characters throughout.

Speaking of characters, they're decent, but I felt lacked something hard to pinpoint. Our main two characters come across as a bit simple, despite having background and history, and personality during dialogue, I felt there was something missing to further flesh them out as real, living people. To be honest, I'm unsure as to what they lack, or how it could have been improved.

So, let's revisit that word, heart. It's vague, hard to define, but I think we all know when we read something with it, and Green & Deadly Things has it, but I wish had had more.

[Carol (bookish_notes)]

***Thanks to the publisher for the eARC on NetGalley***


I love, love, love the author’s A Chorus of Dragons series but this one’s rough. I actually like the prologue a lot, even as a prologue hater, and I was drawn into the book. I liked the eco horror of it all and the dark comedy on capitalism in a medieval type setting fantasy.

But then we take a sharp turn in chapter one where you’re dropped into another character’s third person (past tense) POV and it’s like you’re just supposed to know the world as you follow along with them. Sometimes I don’t mind this fantasy book tactic so much if idk we’re in the middle of a battle or some sort of life and death scenario, but it feels less interesting here and I don’t feel as motivated to read on. The comps with Witch King by Martha Wells seems apt, for better or worse. After the prologue, the book starts with similar vibes.

The chapters are short so that’s a plus for me personally but I would like to circle back to this on audiobook after the book comes out in March. The names and places are rough reading with no pronunciation guide in this early copy of the book.

DNF for now

[Jenny Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first ARC! Thanks to my local book club 😊

I absolutely loved the prologue and was excited for a T Kingfisher-esque cozy, spooky fantasy vibe for the rest of the book… and it didn’t quite hit the mark. I think what threw me off the most was being thrown into this world with little to no explanation of how the magic works. Names of people and places that I couldn’t keep up with, especially as there was no glossary or map to follow. It was hard for me to get into the story until much later. Being introduced to Kai helped! I love her character and found her so interesting. I still can’t believe the MMC’s name is Math 😆 but I can look past it. Definitely unique. This was one of the most insta-lovey stories I’ve read, I even thought I must’ve missed something in a previous chapter. In the end, I liked how the book wrapped up and I personally would’ve liked to have an epilogue but I’ll just use my imagination.

I know I’ve been quite critical but let me take a moment and say that besides all the quirks, the plot itself was excellent. A little predictable but I really enjoyed it. I had to keep up to learn about the world but it was very well built, especially for a standalone.

All in all it was a good read! Would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a standalone fantasy but not as a palate cleanser lol.

[Crystal Cichanowicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a relatively quick and enjoyable read. The plot and world building was not overly complex, making the story easy to follow. I appreciated this given that it’s a rather short standalone. The plot moves along smoothly with lots of action along the way. The magic system fits the overall vibe and was interesting, but could have used some more explanation - if that makes any sense. The prologue captured my attention, but somehow the overall effect of the book did hit the same. I think it was the overall character development that makes this books a little less memorable for me. In the end, I just didn’t care enough about them. It would have been nice if I felt like I knew them better by the end or if the attraction between them felt more natural.
I did enjoy my time with the story, but I am not sure there is anything that will keep it memorable for me.

The narration was well done and listening to this book has given me the urge to listen to more books narrated by Torian Brackett. I would bump up my rating for this alone.

I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a plot driven standalone. I know that always have room on my TBR for such a book and I have no regrets reading this one. I will be keeping my eyes out for more by this author.
Many thanks to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for a digital review copy of the book. The opinions expressed are given freely and are honestly and my own.

[Aleesha Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so this is me, a thriller girl, trying to branch out into fantasy… and somehow I picked the one with KILLER TREES?? 😭🌲

Immediately locked in.

First of all Torian Brackett?? The range?? The accents?? The emotion during battle scenes?? I was 25% in like “oh yeah this man is WORKING.” Five star performance, no debate. With this many characters, he could’ve lost me easily but didn’t once.

Now the story, heavy magic, knights, commanders, gore (which I appreciate), action, exploration, and a morally complicated “we probably shouldn’t be together but here we are” witch situation. There’s travel, tribes, political vibes, and enough chaos to keep me fully invested and just a little confused lol

The plot twist was actually a fun little surprise, and I loved the amount of action and world exploration. For someone expanding out of thrillers, this was a really fun entry point into fantasy.

Also yes, I did fast forward one short spicy scene because that’s just who I am 😂

[Meghan W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

This book was quite the adventure! I deeply enjoy the narration and need to check out the narrator's backlist.

As the book began, I was immediately invested and really enjoying it. The concept of plants and necromancy were so interesting and unique! The blurb was not wrong comparing it to Martha Wells' Witch King. It was very well done. My main complaints were around the romance and the middle of the book.

The romance felt a bit forced and I struggled to see chemistry between Math and Kai. I adored Kai as a character and I think I would have liked them better as friends. Their romance just didn't have the tension I was looking for, so when it did get to the romance portion, I was not invested at all.

The second complaint is mainly the middle of the book. The 45% mark was a real struggle for me. I was bored and a lot of it felt like filler. I didn't start to feel invested again until the 70-75% mark. I think if that had been more fleshed out or adjusted it would've made this a 5 star for me.

[mo • lesmotsdemo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this book was not to my liking. The pace was really slow, I felt like it dragged on. The plot was not particularly twisty not gripping for me, I was quite disinterested throughout my reading experience. The characters were quite one-dimensional and I did not like them; the romance was too lust-forward and some moments were quite cringe for me. The atmosphere could have been more developed, and I’ve discovered the author’s writing and I’ve had issues with it as well. It sometimes felt like it was too much for the plot that the author was setting in motion. I’m still glad I read it even though I did not like it very much, and I’m sure it will find its right audience. I’m just not a part of it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Rachel Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the beginning of this book was excellent. It had cool magic, an interesting bad guy, and badass vibes. Then the love interest got introduced and those cool things moved to the back burner so we could focus on the romance (and I am not a fan of a romance plot line, so this was less interesting to me). I wish the queens were more prevalent in this novel. I wish certain characters had more page time/were more relevant to the plot. I wish all the cool things remained throughout the book instead of just the beginning, but alas. Still a decent stand alone though.

[Fallon Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75⭐️. This was my first read by this author and unfortunately, after a promising start, it wasn’t for me.

The book opens with a local lumber camp being attacked by ‘plant grimmocks’ when they try to fell three trees that the local loggers refer to as the “Three Queens”. The incident is referred to the Idallik Knights, where our 22-year old protagonist, Math, is a novitiate. Math has a Wood resonance but hasn’t yet manifested his resonant weapon (something unique to each individual), thus preventing him from graduating to a knight. The knights use their magic to protect the realm by slaying grimmocks (creatures made by grim magic, aka necromancy). However, when the magic of the woods proves beyond the knights’ abilities, Math finds himself waking one of the original Grim Lords and, together, they find themselves on a journey to uncover the histories of their world and balance the scales of magic.

I really liked the opening to this book - it’s fast paced and you’re immediately thrown into the action. The writing also has moments of humour that feel more reminiscent of a cosy fantasy which, at the start, reminded me of books such as Voyage of the Damned (a book I really enjoyed). However, as the book progressed, I felt very disconnected from the characters. We follow Math on this journey and we’re told little tidbits about him but we never really get to know him. The same applies to Kai. The romantic relationship, in my opinion, was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the book. And my overwhelming feeling was that the author was trying to do far too much in what is a relatively short, standalone novel. It led to lots of action that had little impact (because there was no attachment to any of the characters) and lots of info dumping without any substantive world building. I think the premise had so much promise but, after a strong prologue, the story just didn’t really deliver.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.

[Ashley - The Tattered Page]

Tropes:
- Plant necromancers
- Enemies-to-lovers and complicated by vows of celibacy
- Kindhearted FMC
- Politics, war, arboreal intrigue
- Magical Mayhem x Betrayal
- Charming romance
- Plant-based body horror
- Slow-burn romance
- World with nature gone wild
- Forbidden Love

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

All about necromancy, sentient evil (but not really) plant queens, we follow a hot lady wizard reawakened after being asleep for hundreds of years and a failed knight noviciate as they try to bring balance to Chaos and Order magic.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the main characters and this is a good, quick to read epic fantasy standalone.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, I really thought this book would be an easy win for me but I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't. Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me.

Mathaiik is a trainee in the order of the Idallik Knights, caught between his duties and the strange curse that sometimes leads to him waking up covered in vines, the plants burrowing into him. When a lumber operation is massacred by magic plants reminiscent of Math's curse and their spores wreck havoc on the order, Math retreats beneath the fortress and ends up waking up a necromancer he knows only from legend.

Let me start off by saying that I actually really liked the prologue. The idea of these massive trees bleeding when the lumberjacks try to cut them down and then somehow marching around to massacre the camp is a great image. It's at once whimsical and terrifying, since trees are big and stationary enough to make the whole thing uncanny (and it reminded me of the prophecy in Macbeth, if it were taken very literally). After that though, things just fell apart. Both the pacing and the world-building in this book are...wack, honestly. The chapters are all super short and so much happens in each one that you blink and somehow a fight has started, someone has been betrayed, the characters have made some revelation, someone has died, and the fight has ended in like three pages. Honestly, I don't think a betrayal should happen 50 pages into a book, because we have no understanding or investment into the relationship to make that betrayal matter.

This is especially hard to follow since there's so much world-building that is either mentioned off-hand or feels poorly incorporated. You've only just put together that the grim lords are some ancient evil group of necromancers defeated long ago when it turns out that isn't quite true, which really takes all the steam out of the reveal. By the time you've accepted that there is this magical forbidden maze under the Knight's fortress, Math has already figured out how to get through it. This takes him maybe two days to figure out, despite this maze seemingly having existed and been unsolved for decades if not longer. Characters swear to Tri-Mother so you kind of assume that's some deity, and then Math finds some text that refers to the murderous trees as the Three Mothers and this is some kind of a revelation to them. So who did they think "Tri-Mother" referred to? Why does Math think that this idea is heretical? Mind you, this whole revelation happens over the course of like two paragraphs. We also learn what grimmocks aren't without learning what they are, so maybe they're just miscellaneous monsters?

I'm also not really a stickler for writing, but the writing felt pretty juvenile to me. I actually went and checked if this was supposed to be YA because it reads like lower YA with one-line paragraphs, constant questions in the inner monologue, and telling-not-showing, but this is supposed to be an Adult fantasy. The dialogue switches between that kind of general archaic/proper-sounding speech you often get in fantasy ("Shall I remind you..." "I would have, were it only an option." "Do not do so again.") and totally casual, modern speech ("Just looking out for you.." "I just sort of figured it out." "...sure it's not a prank?") which is just jarring.

It's possible that the story and characters might have grown on me (haha) if I had continued reading, but after the prologue the whole thing just felt poorly constructed. Being more willing to DNF is one of my resolutions this year, so unfortunately I will be putting this down.

Thank you to Jenn Lyons and Tor Books for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

[Lynn Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2026/02/19/re...
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Fantasy Standalone with some Romance

Green and Deadly Things is a fantasy story that manages to include romance without overtaking the plot and is a standalone – almost a mythical beast in this world where fantasy books usually come in threes.

I wouldn’t say I loved this but at the same time I was never tempted to set it aside. In a nutshell this felt a little YA to me, which isn’t a bad thing at all, but I was expecting a little more depth. As it is I think this would work really well for readers who are new to fantasy. It has action and adventure and concludes perfectly.

The story revolves around a character known as Math. Math is a novitiate in a knight-style order but unfortunately, and in spite of years of training, he has not yet been able to manifest a weapon – which means he will ultimately not become a knight. In spite of this Math loves the Order, he is kind and also clever, but he has secrets that, if known to the other knights, would certainly result in his expulsion, if not worse.

The story got off to a really good start and made a great first impression, setting the scene with ease and throwing us into an immediate situation of conflict. Math manages to solve a riddle and at the same time open a long hidden maze awakening what is believed to be a grimlord in the process. From there Math finds himself magically linked to the woman he has awoken and everything he believes is about to be upturned, not to mention he will find himself on the run from the Order he loves and wants to spend his life serving.

So, what I enjoyed about this. Well, there is a romance brewing between Math and the woman he has awoken, but it’s not the central part of the plot and doesn’t monopolise the story. I really enjoyed the story of the Three Queens and in fact would have liked more from that element. I also particularly love that this is a standalone, it just feels so rare these days. The writing is easy to get along with, it felt a little over descriptive in places but as I mentioned earlier I had no issues completing this.

What I didn’t get along so well with. I think, perhaps because this is a standalone, it doesn’t have the time to really expand, to let you grow to know the characters, the world or the magic. There’s almost a hyper type of feel, we rush from one situation to the next, run away, hide, fight, repeat. But, it lost tension because of this. The characters were a little flat and although there seemed to be betrayals and revelations they didn’t quite deliver the shock or impact that you would expect. And there was also some signalling, or perhaps I just anticipated certain things before they happened. Some of the revelations felt a little obvious.

Overall, this has some really good ideas, it gets off to a great start and also concludes really well. I felt the middle lost me a little in it’s repetitiveness and, it felt a little younger to me than I was expecting or hoping for. That being said I have no doubt this will find its audience and I think it would be a good starting point for readers new to fantasy.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy from Tor Books via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Release date March 3rd, 2026.

I've enjoyed Lyons' fantasy, particularly The Sky on Fire, so I thought I'd give her latest novel a shot. In Green & Deadly Things, Mathaiik has spent his life devoted to the Order of Idallik Knights, who disdain him due to his failure to manifest a weapon. When a new race of plant monsters threatens the Order, Math accidentally sets free an sleeping necromancer, the ancient enemy of his Order... but also perhaps the key to defeating the forest creatures.

Jenn Lyons is my John Scalzi of fantasy—it's cool that women and queer people are allowed into the narrative now, but both their books run slightly too conventional for my taste. I had the same experience with Green & Deadly Things, although I have to admit that it was well-constructed. The novel appears to be the rare fantasy standalone, jamming a full trilogy's worth of plot into a lean, mean three hundred sixty eight pages: a doomed last stand against a new threat, a train ride across the continent, a sudden betrayal. Green & Deadly Things has the sleek discipline that many fantasy authors lack (cough, Samantha Shannon).

I was also fond of the underlying premise. Math (dreadful name, although at least it doesn't have an apostrophe) has been devoted since childhood to the fading Idaliik Order, which has taken his years of training and vow of chastity and labeled it as worthless, since Math can't perform their one magic gimmick, sword summoning. Enter young and impetuous necromancer Kaiataris, who Math is accidentally bound to in a curse that reflects their emotions and wounds back at each other... It's an excellent premise, and in fact one of my particular favorites, but I was less fond of the execution. Instead of leaning into the knight and liege thing, Lyons plunges us into a juvenile But Our Doomed Love Can Never Be arc from about six hours after the two meet. Math is in his early twenties and Kai is a similar age (if you discount the millennia in the coffin), but the very youthful romance feels distinctly younger. Meanwhile, outside of the excellent worldbuilding of the Order, Math's world is mostly fantasy-generic. There's some interesting stuff about the opposing forces of Order and Chaos, embodied by trees that get you and the powers of necromancy. And also there are trains. But overall, nothing particularly out there, nor any real surprises.

A solidly written and briskly plotted classic standalone fantasy. Several shades too classic for my tastes, but you may enjoy it, particularly if you liked Lyons' other books, which are in a similar style.

[Faith Lavezoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

If you like the eco-horror of C.G. Drews, characters finding out that everything they knew isn't what they seem, and a fantasy setting, this book will check all of your boxes.

When the story starts, Mathaiik is part of an order of magical knights that protects the empire from undead monsters. Because Math has not been able to manifest a weapon, he is tasked with caring for the magical children taken in by the Idallik order. The knights have to fight a different type of monster emerges, as trees rise up from the forest to attack a lumbermill. When these tree monsters attack the knight's fortress, Math takes the children to the unsolvable maze under the fortress, ends up solving it, and waking up a fabled Grim Lord necromancer from an enchanted sleep. The necromancer, after being asleep for over a thousand years, begins to show Math that the history the knights had taught him was not quite the truth. Being reluctantly magically tied together by a spell set off when he woke her, Math and the necromancer, Kaiataris, set off on a journey to set things right both with the Idallik order and with the balance of the world.

I read the audiobook and was surprised by how many accents the narrator pulled out for the different characters. I enjoyed the narration, but there is a lot of variation in volume depending on the situation, which added a lot of emotion but sometimes I had to rewind to catch a whispered line.

I was instantly hooked when the first scene was tree monsters attacking a lumber mill. Then the more we learned about Math and his complicated relationship with the order that raised him, I was even more hooked. There were a few plot twists, some of which were surprising and some of which were not. The ending was a little abrupt and predictable.

I wasn't very invested in either Mathaiik or Kaiataris, but I found Math's complicated relationship with the order the most compelling aspect of either of them. There was a romance between Math and Kaiataris, but it seemed a little rushed in my opinion. It started off with a good amount of tension and yearning, but I think it still progressed a little too quickly. Both characters are supposed to be in their early twenties, but they felt a little bit on the younger side, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it makes the story feel a little more YA than adult.

The world and the magic were both really neat but I feel like I didn't fully understand either of them. There was a lot to keep up with in terms of countries, lore, and groups of people.

Thank you to Macmillion Audio for providing me with an ALC via NetGalley