Daggermouth

Daggermouth #1

by H.M. Wolfe

He Is Her Ruin. She Is His Rebellion.
The first thing you’ll learn in New Found Haven is mercy no longer exists. Showing mercy is a weakness, and weakness will get you killed.

The second thing is this—the Veyra are always watching. From the highest glass atrium in the Heart to the windowless slum dens of the Boundary, no movement goes unseen.

The last lesson is the hardest, but you must remember it.
Love outside of your ring is a death sentence.

The city is carved into rings of privilege and poverty, ruled by the masked elite who will do whatever it takes to hold onto power.

Obedience is demanded. Rebellion is crushed.

Greyson Serel has spent his life caught between two worlds. Publicly, he’s the flawless heir to the presidency. Privately, he’s entangled in secrets that could topple the regime. But when he’s forced into a political marriage meant to bind him tighter to the governments brutal laws, he finds himself shackled to a bride who is as lethal as she is unwilling.

Shadera is a mercenary raised to kill, not to wed. Yet when her bullet misses its mark, survival leaves her bound to the very man she was sent to eliminate. Trapped inside the corrupt heart of the city, she becomes both prisoner and wife, her every step watched, her every move tested.

Their union is no love story—It’s a battlefield. As secrets come to light and betrayals fester within the walls of power, Greyson and Shadera must decide between annihilating one another or burning the city to the ground together.

In a world where passion sparks rebellion and loyalty is paid for in blood, their forced bond may be the spark that ignites a revolution. Or the fire that consumes them both.

DAGGERMOUTH is an adult dystopian romance perfect for readers who love true enemies to lovers, The Hunger Games, marriage of inconvenience, The Handmaid's Tale, rise of the oppressed, and political intrigue that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

DAGGERMOUTH is book one of a duology.

Genres: Dystopia, Fantasy, Dark Romance, Romance, Romantasy, Enemies To Lovers, Dark

566 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2025

About the author

My name is Hallah Mikaela Wolfe and I am a writer based in Central Florida.

I am excited to announce that my debut novel, The Book Of Cin, will be released on September 14th, 2024.

When I am not writing, I spend time with my amazing husband and our two furry babies.

All my life I have written stories.

Whether it's in the form of music, shorts or poetry, I have used writing as a way to express the things I never felt I could say. I have novel after unfinished novel tucked away in the corners of notebooks and hard drives that will never see the light of day.

But then, my sister reintroduced me to fantasy novels and something clicked. I was finally able to put my story onto the page in a way that I felt would do it justice.

My heart and soul are in the characters I write. They hurt, they grow and they heal with me.

My only hope is, when you close my books after that last word-you felt a little magic.

Reviews

[Esta · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read a dystopian romance but catch yourself thinking “is this fiction or just the daily news/non-fiction, because the line is looking really thin right now”, that was Daggermouth for me. H.M. Wolfe is very clearly writing from the current dystopia people are living in right now, as well as the systemic oppression marginalised folk have experienced for centuries.

But combining it with romance was where I was really impressed. Because I think dystopian romance can be pretty tricky to balance in genre. The way I see it is that dystopia is meant to be a warning about oppression, subjugation and or totalitarianism, so mixing that genre with romance can risk undermining or softening those themes with vibes and aesthetics. And that can be fine if that’s what a reader wants because reading is subjective, escapism is valid, etc. But it does change the function of the genre.

However, Daggermouth wants you angry and wants you to question kings, presidents, narratives and the systems we are complicit in. And that’s why I’m so in awe of it. I think if anything, the romance sharpens the critique, because the romances (plural) are shaped by trauma and survival. And within that framework, Daggermouth delivers one of the most tension-filled, angsty enemies-to-lovers arcs I’ve read in a long time without undercutting the political commentary.

And it’s TRUE enemies, not like where someone is mildly rude at a ball yet they think the other person is hot and wants to jump their bones. Before the marriage of inconvenience kicks off, Greyson stabs Shadera and Shadera puts a bullet in Greyson. And the reason is ideological hatred, not to mention the fact that Greyson’s father, President Maximus Serel, (who I loathed more than President Snow, which I didn’t think was possible), executed Shadera’s parents. If that’s not true enemies, I don’t know what is, lol.

On top of that, I could really feel the emotion coming through in the prose. I could feel the grief, fury and devastation about capitalism, classism, about “elites” (billionaires) hoarding resources while people starve and even more so, the feminine rage. The comparisons to The Handmaid's Tale (“The Heart endures” = “Blessed be the Fruit/May the Lord open”, iykyk), The Hunger Games and V for Vendetta make perfect sense to me.

Anyway, something small but meaningful. The characters are in their 30s. It was refreshing.

Okay and that ending. My heart palpitated and then it broke. And then, my jaw dropped and I stayed that way for ages, like one of those clown machines. I genuinely do not think many if any will see it coming because it is a masterclass in pulling the rug out of the reader, in my opinion. And it left me staring at the page saying what the actual fuckity fuck just happened.

And finally, this is cinematic af. So if you are a film or TV person reading this, please option Daggermouth. Immediately, if possible. Because I predict the cultural relevance is going to make this story skyrocket and it will be the kind of project Hollywood industry people will kick themselves over for passing on when it inevitably hits its moment. My advice is for you to be the one who gets ahead of it.

Okay I’m done. To conclude, Daggermouth is dark, political and uncomfortable in the way dystopia should be. It’s a scathing and on point critique of patriarchy, fascism, capitalism and state violence. It is also angry, romantic, spicy (where the spice is earned) and emotionally devastating. Lots of triggers, please mind them [will add soon].

Thrilled to hear this has been picked up by a trad publisher.
﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

The comps say Handmaid’s Tale x V for Vendetta x Hunger Games with true enemies to lovers and a marriage of inconvenience. 🏃🏽‍♀️

[Laura Jane ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

’To the system that thought it could grind us down. That thought it could silence and erase us. We are the power. Our eyes are open.’

Okay yeah the hype is real because that was so good! AFTER THAT ENDING?! 4.5 ⭐️

This is dark dystopian romance with true enemies to lovers!! I had full body chills towards the end of this book, alongside every single plot twist throwing me into a spiral of ‘what the fucks’!
If you want to feel pure rage towards a system that has been setup to oppress and control anyone who doesn't fit into a 'ring of wealth' - to force women into submission, and in general want to feel nothing but loathing towards their ideals and the leaders at the head of it - you gotta pick this up! 

Shadera & Greyson aren't a watered down version of enemies to lovers. They literally try to unalive each other on multiple occasions and have personal reasons to hate each other. Their dynamic was done so well with a forced marriage of inconvenience, slow burn, and a reluctance to form some sort of mutual ground. They are both morally grey and I LOVE that. Both layered with different forms of trauma and although they have different experiences from the world they live in, they still find themselves victims of the same harsh and cruel dictator. 
Sahera is a strong FMC who isn't afraid to fight for a better world, for fairness and equality - a badass woman working her way through taking these trash ass men down, one by one. I support.
Greyson, oh my sweet, broody, grumpy and tortured man. A true morally grey mmc that you will fall for in an instant. I have emotional damage thinking about him. 

The side characters are fleshed out so well and I LOVED the multi-pov. Each character is so well developed.
There is more than one romance plot to fall into and trust me when I say you’ll be weak. Friends to lovers, second chance my goddd, send help.

Callum Thane 😮‍💨 I am in love with this man.

Then Lira may be my favourite character. This woman has endured horrific things and still stands strong. I cried for her and I was in awe of her strength and resilience.
“I’m a woman in a system designed to grind us down into nothing, to strip us of our worth and dignity and rights. I’ve survived that system and it didn’t make me weak or submissive, it made me angry. So fucking angry that sometimes I can barely breathe through it.”

Overall this book not only screams feminine rage but as a reader you feel it too. I was beyond angry at the similarities this book showcases vs the real world we live in. The author did an incredible job on this front. I am literally ready to ride at dawn.
Welcome To The Revolution.

I will say there were times where I wasn't as invested - but never in a bad way. And as much as I loved Shadera and Greyson's relationship, I do wish we had a few more moments for them to develop together romantically, so we could have had a bit more depth. However I’m so confident we will get more from book 2!
These are my only reasons for not having that 5 star feeling but honestly, no complaints at all - just observations from my personal perspective. Honestly this was a solid 4 star read for me but the ending really ramped everything up! I had to bump my rating up.

So yeah, that ending HAS ME SPRIALING. THAT IS NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING AT ALL. This is a book where you turn to last page in shock and then see ‘acknowledgments’ - NO. I will stand firm on my choice to remain delulu until book 2. I must protect my peace from that emotional devastation I just endured.

“Beautiful things are often built on ugly foundations.”

______________
pre-read: the way everyone is screaming about this book… let me get in on that action 🕺🏼dark dystopian fantasy with feminine rage? Hell yah.

[Amanie ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book that felt less like escaping into another world and more like walking deeper into the one you already carry inside of you?

That’s what Daggermouth was for me.
I wasn’t fully prepared for how much this story would sit with me. Wolfe didn’t just build a world. She built a system: layered, oppressive, meticulous in the way it shapes, limits, and erases. And the unsettling part? How familiar that architecture felt.

There’s a kind of harm that doesn’t shout. It whispers. It organizes itself into rules, into borders, into expectations about who is allowed to breathe freely and who must move through life in fragments. Reading this book felt like watching those invisible forces move — the ones that wound without ever raising their voice.

Yet within all of that, the characters became a kind of resistance.
I adored every single one of them — not because they were perfect, but because they were trying. Yearning in the dark. Holding loyalty like a lifeline. Choosing each other in a world designed to keep them apart. The Boundary wasn’t just a place; it was a family stitched together through defiance, through tenderness, through the kind of love that grows strongest under pressure.

And yes — there is love here.
Not loud, not sweeping, but present in gestures, in glances, in the ways the characters hold one another up. It blooms quietly amid the heaviness, a soft pulse that reminds you even the smallest tenderness can resist a crushing system.

Some scenes brushed against memories I didn’t expect to feel. Not because Daggermouth mirrors my reality exactly, but because certain forms of power — and the harm it enacts — speak a shared language. Borders, walls, surveillance, the myth of “order,” the cost of being seen as other… those echoes lingered. As a Palestinian reader, that resonance settles differently in me: personal, not universal. But it’s there, humming beneath the story like a second heartbeat.

Daggermouth is heavy, yes — but it’s also alive with warmth, connection, and the slow, quiet assertion of humanity in a place determined to suppress it. It reminded me that even under the shadow of systems that take and take and take, people still find ways to give to one another. And that is its own kind of rebellion.

Huge thank you to H.M. Wolfe for trusting me with this ARC.
For writing something so heavy and so honest.
For giving voice to characters who refuse to break quietly.
For crafting a world that feels imagined and familiar all at once.

If you made it this far in my word-vomit:
please, please, PLEASE read this book when it comes out on December 5th.
Let it sit with you.
Let it challenge you.
Let it remind you of the ways resistance, love, and survival intertwine.

I’ll be thinking about this story — and these characters — for a long time.

[kitkat (semi-hiatus ♡︎) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
finished 1.4.26

✧ "showing mercy is a weakness, and weakness will get you killed." ✧

- 𝒎𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 -
holy shit. ho-ly shit. this book is the DEFINITION of emotional trauma. that ending? hello? i was crying one second then silently cheering the next. i am SPEECHLESS.

- 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 -
i cannot put into words how OBSESSED i am with shadera and greyson. their character building as a couple is gorgeous- i'm talking TRUE enemies to lovers, not just "oh they 'hated' *wink wink* each other." shadera is such a badass, and IM HERE FOR IT!! both her and greyson are morally grey, which is *chefs kiss*. then there's jameson, and he's just a bit delusional. i'll leave it at that. i'm going to also casually point out that the mmcs in this book are named jameson and greyson. like jameson and grayson hawethorn from jlb's the inheritance games. i don't think it means anything, but it's still a somewhat odd detail.

and then we have lira and callum. i almost like lira and callum more than shadera and grey, but not quite. the two of them have the most wholesome relationship, and yeah. im devastated.

- 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 -
this book is fast paced with so many twists and turns that will make you loose your mind. those last few chapters were absolutely devastating, and even a day after reading it, i still haven't recovered. one of my biggest issues with dystopian/fantasy books is that sometimes you can see the plot twists coming from a mile away, but this one kept me on my toes the whole time. surprisingly, the romance didn't overwhelm this one either. the ratio of romance to plot was perfect.

features -
✦ dystopian
✧ third person
✦ multiple povs
✧ violence & death
✦ morally grey mcs
✧ marrige of inconvenience
✦ touch her and die
✧ forced proximity

♪⋆.˚ now playing: 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒚 𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆
“𝑖 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑒 / 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡'𝑠 𝑎 𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑙𝑦”


- preread 🩵 -
already on my second read of 2026! 😭 i feel like im seeing this one everywhere and im nothing but easily influenced, so here we go! 💕

[dak ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️🌟 𝟼

“𝘼𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙢, 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚”

🖤 🫀 🎭 💀 🔪 ~♡• 𝓪 𝓭𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓭𝔂𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓹𝓲𝓪𝓷 𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓮 𝓮𝓷𝓮𝓶𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼 •𖥔 ݁ ˖ »

yeah the hype is real!! i was glued to this book. the plot??? so fucking good
the the world h.m wolfe created is dark and devastating and i loved every single moment in it 🫶🏻✨
i immediately became obsessed with all of these characters, their stories and their romances. i cried, i laughed and i screamed. this is a new obsession that i will be thinking about 24/7

༘⋆ 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚢𝚜𝚘𝚗 my sweet baby boy ughhh the more you learn about him the more you end up loving him
༘⋆ 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊 obsessed with her!! she is such a badass. i love her so much might honestly be a new fav fmc

꧁ᬊᬁ 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊 + 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚢𝚜𝚘𝚗 ᬊ᭄꧂

the banter, the tension, the slow burn i ate it up💘 watching them slowly discover each other and how much alike they are my heart!!
➵ “𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝒾𝓂, 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒽𝒶𝒹 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝒶𝒹𝑒 𝒽𝒾𝓂 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓈𝒶𝒻𝑒” ♡～

༘⋆ 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚖 the moment this man was introduced i was barking!! something about him 🤭🤩
༘⋆ 𝚕𝚒𝚛𝚊 love her so much🥹🥹🥹 all im gonna say is ➵𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝟸𝟼

i will be counting down the literal days until we get book 2
the last 20% of this book had me freaking the hell out
and that ending had me screaming!!!!!!!!!!!
what in the fuck. what do you mean.
what do you mean?????
im 💔…🥴…😭
will be crying myself to sleep tonight

[Iqra]

Everything about this book sounds incredible and after seeing the reviews I need it in my hands IMMEDIATELY

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Initial reaction: THIS BOOK HAD ME GAGGED WTF?! I’ll compile actual thoughts soon but wHAT

Actual review, a month later (ha):

I genuinely think the universe sent me this book, knowing I needed a new obsession. I typically steer away from dystopia, stick to a TBR, and threw both of those statements out of the window when picking Daggermouth up during a lunch break one random day.

Immediately, there was something I just found enthralling about this book. Without effort, I fell into a gritty, dangerous society where everyone is at least a little bit terrible and trying to one-up each other always. It’s every-man-for-himself in this world, the society built on such careful threat and manipulation it feels inescapable. But sometimes escape means first to assimilate, and who do you trust when all are just trying to survive?

Shadera and Greyson are our ultimate reluctant allies, the extent of their reluctance reaching dramatic heights when emotions grow intensely complicated. Power dynamics are at play as our duo (and everyone they care for) are puppeteered, the strings becoming tangled and pulled until they threaten to snap. But oh how fun it makes the romance - you never know how the next conversation will play out.

Daggermouth is a brilliantly compelling story of survival in a surveillance state, fuelled by characters you can’t help but root for amidst a classic rebellion plot. It’s reminiscent of popular dystopia while remaining original in its foundation, and I cannot wait to see H.M Wolfe continue flourishing as an author.

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️⭐️

DARK. DYSTOPIAN. DELICIOUSNESS.

This book is PHENOMENAL. I cannot get it out of my head. The writing is so immersive I felt like I was literally living it. Their life is pure agony and suffering, yet I want to be part of it 😫😫 the relationships were just so raw and beautiful. I would rot in The Boundary with them to experience this love.

Daggermouth had me ignoring my responsibilities and wanting to cancel plans just so I could keep my eyeballs glued to it 🔥🔥 I don’t throw out an infinite star rating often but this book deserves them ALL. This story sunk its claws in me with no warning and became an instant fav book of all time for me 😮‍💨

High high high stakes, dark af & spicy BUT ALSO HIGHLY EMOTIONAL yeah please this is everything.

I thought I was sneaky and figured out the plot twist only to be brutally slapped in the face by about 17 other plot twists

THE MEN? Fuck. yes.
Jameson!!! 🥹🥹
Callum!!! 😍🥲
Greyson Serel is my fucking baby ✋🏼✋🏼✋🏼
Protect this man 😭😭😭

Enemies to lovers done so freaking welllllll 🥵 their foreplay is trying to kill each other, LOVE THAT.

THE WOMEN 🔥🫀 Lira & Shade, my honey babies went thru it….and all the queens fighting for the rebellion I was hollering for them all

THIS IS ME YELLING AT YOU TO READ IT

[Ceacea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a movie one day!
Genre: Distopian Romance
⭐️ 5/5
🌶 2/5
🧠 5/10
Cliffhanger: 10/10
Noteworthy: Book 1 of an incomplete duology. Multi 3rd person limited POV (occasionally slips into omniscient). Check content warnings specifically for violence and DV. Available on KU. Recently picked up for trad publication.

This is instantly a top contender for book of the year for me. I had to let myself sit on this review to make sure I wasn't just reacting to the adrenaline in my system after the last act. That cliffy is crazy. H.M. Wolfe puts on a masterclass here with plot twists. We are also blessed/cursed with a top-tier villain in this book. Maximus will piss you off and have you paranoid as hell. He's perfectly written!

We get multiple POVs in 3rd person putting us deeper into the story. The weaving and gentle manipulation used by the author to set the stage for the last few chapters will make it so hard to put this book down after the 80% mark. Be prepared to sacrifice sleep and responsibilities. The characters range from morally gray to black and while most are clever, there are some standouts. As per usual in a distopian story, the caste system is brutal. This one does give The Hunger Games vibes with the main antagonist and protagonist. The manipulative oppressor vs the reluctant symbol for the rebellion, yeah it stands out here. But at no point does it feel like a copycat. Systematic oppression is a tale as old as time but the writing here gives it a fresh take. It's high tech with speak easy vibes.

Gah...I know I'm yapping but I typed all this out to say you have to read this book! Dystopian is back, baby and I, for one couldn't be happier about it.

[Nenia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading DAGGERMOUTH made me feel like it was 2010 again and I was clutching my little statement necklace while reading THE HUNGER GAMES for the first time. This book is a master class in character building and complex Machiavellian type politics in dystopian structures that serve as chilling allegories for modern-day oppressions.

I loved Shadera and Greyson. She's a cold-blooded mercenary and he's the scion of a brutal tyrant. The central conflict of this book is that they are forced to marry to save the dictatorship's face and cement its optics of power, but oops, they actually both want to kill each other even though they're both hot and have the same kinks so they also want to bang each other, as well. The relationship is slow-burn and done so, so well. I never really found myself questioning any of their decisions or reactions because they both felt so real.

And unlike some romances, where the focus is totally on the main couple (which is okay!), Wolfe spent just as much time developing her side characters in interesting ways, including a secondary romance between the hero's sister, Lira, and a gambling den owner named Callum. And yes, I was just as invested in this relationship as I was in the main relationship, and yes, it did put me in my feelings.

I can see why this book has so much hype circling around it. The hype was what sold me on the book but the execution was what kept me reading (literally and figuratively). There's too many people to thank for recommending this to me, but I DO think you should all have to do a crowd-sourced Venmo to pay me for the therapy bills I'm going to rack up after that ending.

4.5 stars

[Cydney]

DNF’d at 44%.

While the concept of Daggermouth intrigued me so much, the execution simply was not my favorite. I think H. M. Wolfe’s writing style might not be for me after all. I read her debut and it was just okay to me, but a lot of issues I had with it I also have with Daggermouth. I maintain the unique position that I haven’t read the comp titles that this book is compared to in the same way I hadn’t read the comp titles for her debut, so I feel like I was able to engage with an open mind and a palette ready to be filled with colors. I think if you’re a fan of The Hunger Games and The Handmaid’s Tale you might enjoy this quite a bit; from what I’ve seen in other reviews, a lot people who’ve read and/or watched both really love Daggermouth!

The heavy leaning on similes as well as the stilted dialogue took me out of the story so many times. I feel like there’s a fine line between prose for prose’s sake and prose that serves the narrative; this fell on the side of purple prose for me. I’m not someone who shies away from purple prose to be honest, but a number of things also didn’t work for me, so I started feeling detached and frankly bored.

Shadera, the FMC, was basically that SpongeBob character Fred who’s all battered and bandaged with how many beatings she took, but there wasn’t much in the way of treating the wounds or addressing the high likelihood of head trauma. I get that she’s a badass—and this is a dystopian book so maybe things like blunt force trauma can’t keep a bad bitch down—but the world building didn’t support a lack of medical care. The way the characters engaged with one another didn’t feel natural, and I couldn’t connect with Shadera, Greyson, or the other side characters that also had POVs throughout the story. I didn’t even get to the good stuff as it pertains to the love stories, but I didn’t feel drawn in enough to wait around for things to get there. Ultimately there were too many things that didn’t gel with me as a reader that I wish I was able to overlook because I so badly wanted to be on the Daggermouth train with everyone else—it just didn’t work for me!

Speaking of world building, the concept was very fascinating: an inner “heart” of elite people controlling the outer rings—humming with rebellion—via public executions for ultimately minor infractions. The world is completely under control of one egomaniac—sound familiar? I *loved* that aspect of this! The parallel to modern day politics in America and the potential of what can happen if power remains unchecked is a very important tale to tell. The family dynamic of this powerful man was also executed well in that each member of the family had their own ambitions but they were also engaging in silent rebellion against the president.

Overall, I wish more had gone into fleshing out some of the more interesting aspects, such as the origination of the executions and the escalating violence by the heart (perhaps these questions are answered in parts of the book I didn’t get to, or will be resolved in the conclusion of this duology). Since the reader does get to journey with Shadera, I wish that I was able to see her vulnerability beyond her reluctant attraction to Greyson so that I could connect with her better. I accept that if I had just kept reading I might have had resolutions for many of my issues, but it’s December, I’ve had a so-so reading month so far, and I couldn’t force it for a book of this length.

Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC!

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well fuck me sideways. This is one of those reads that provides 🚨emotional damage🚨 in an alluring arrangement. You won’t see all of these twists coming and if you do, you’re lying.

The duality between the city limits-based rings in focus (The Boundary and The Heart), where one is inhabited by the lower class and the other by the elite social class, is devastating in and of itself. It’s a hauntingly apt projection of Amerikkka’s current state between the majority and the 1%.

These characters are so well written that even I, a critical Virgo who can find fault in anything, was unable to find any irritating aspects. They all ✨make sense✨ in their behavioral tendencies; all of their responses and decisions add up when weighed against their backgrounds and temperaments. If you’re someone who head-tilts when a character acts out-of-character like I am, you’ll be safe from a lack of logic in this book. Everything/everyone makes sense and adds up beautifully.

Alexa: define “witty banter”.
Their dialogue is top tier and punchy, while always moving the story or character development and their evolving dynamics forward.

Lastly, I wish I could say I wasn’t surprised, but the H. M. Wolfe-notorious *shit is hitting the fan* last few chapters still got my ass. Had me staring off into blurry space, actively trying to suck the tears back up by the end of this. I get emotional from stories where women acknowledge their power and choose to weaponize it—Daggermouth and its characters had me sobbing for this (and another, classified) reason.

10/10

[Tahls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't felt this strung out—in the best way—about a book in a minute. This was so intense I had to read it in short bursts because I'd get so worked up, I kept needing to take a breather and calm down, but that did not stop me from being completely consumed by it. Oh, and the ending totally ruined me btw. No big deal.

The writing is absolutely stunning. Super immersive and descriptive. I think that's why I was so overwhelmed by this book—every emotion is so charged and palpable, the settings, the characters' behaviours and mannerisms, everything is so detailed, it felt like I was right there in the room. The suspense WAS KILLING ME. I swear tg there was barely a moment while reading this that I wasn't buzzing with nerves.

I am obsessed with the main characters. They're so well written, complicated and loveable despite their flaws. And don't even get me started on the romance and spice. It's so so so well done. The tension is delicious. All the relationships are super complex, but the romantic ones are especially unpredictable and volatile with extra fiery and spicy dynamics. 😏

The tyrannical regime in this world is pure nightmare fuel, and the "leader" of it is abhorrent. I don't even like thinking about him and the fact that more and more of the themes from dystopian novels are appearing in real life... it's unbelievable, but at the same time not when you see history repeating itself (I could go on and on about this stuff). When it came to the rebellion, however, every individual act or message of defiance, and the collective resilience and will of the oppressed to fight back just filled me inspiration and admiration.

The twists and reveals had me GAGGED. This book was truly a whirlwind of an experience. I cannot recommend it enough. The story is captivating, the storytelling is amazing, and overall a heart-stopping, emotionally immersive and panic-inducing read that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

[amandathebookworm 📚🪱 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ hi so I am UPSET. & I would thank the author for the ARC but I’m currently mad at her for that soooo where do I go now? 😆😭 okay but for real let’s get into this


PLOT
Shadera is the top assassin in the guild & she has accepted a contract to take down the President’s Executioner. She despises them both, the president & the Executioner, his son turned weapon because they built & maintain a world where only the masked elite prosper in the inter rings of society. The poor barely scrape by under the immeasurable weight of constant surveillance, resource hoarding, & criminalization of every little thing in the outer rings, & Shadera wants to end it. But when she takes the job, something goes wrong & she discovers the players on the board aren’t all as she once thought. This book has:
- dystopian setting
- themes of patriarchy, class warfare, rebellion, propaganda
- multi POV, 3rd person
- multiple romances & slow burns & a potential love triangle??
- med spice (reallllly good)
- check your triggers


PROS
- I reaaaaaally liked all the perspectives we got. I am a huge fan of multi-POV & think it made so much sense here.
- The author writes the shit out of these characters. I loved every one of them (except the ones I was supposed to hate which I FUCKING DID). Like, I love everyone which makes some plots hard?? Shade & Grey are our mains but Lira!? Callum?! Ghost?! GAHHHHH!
- I didn’t go into this knowing there were multiple romances & honestly while the main one is solid the side one? Omg I love them.
- I am always so pleased when a strong, badass, traumatized af FMC isn’t written in a way where her stubbornness isn’t half the conflict. & our girl Shade is written really well & I love her. She seems mean & heartless, especially to start, but she’s careful. She’s cold & calculating but not blind to the circumstances around her & absorbs stuff like a sponge & I really appreciated that about her over time. Is she perfect? No, she def made her mistakes. But they made sense & weren’t, for the most part, just plot fodder.
- Greyson was also so well explored. He was so nuanced & I really appreciated the time taken with him. I really really love him.
- I fucking HATE the president. Like holy shit. He’s evil, & how he enacts his evil was horrific. & when you can make me loathe someone so entirely, kudos to you author.
- This was just solid dystopia. The brutality of this world was extremely well explored & how it looks different thought different eyes in different rings.
- Some SOLID twists! I love being surprised!
- SOMETHING REALLY HURT MY FEELINGS & I AM VERY UPSET ABOUT IT.


CONS
- There were just a couple things that to me didn’t make overall sense given what we know about story/characters. One of them being sort of a really big *thing* that maybe wasn’t explored enough. That’s what took half a star in the rating. More details in spoilers.


I NEED BOOK 2 STAT. Can’t wait for it!



⚠️ SPOILERS ⚠️



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no for real
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- THAT ENDING. Wow. Didn’t expect that out of Elara that was a fun twist. Brooker betrayal also solid. Knew it was gonna go wrong but that’s not what I figured!
- & I am DEVASTATED about Callum. For real. It can’t be real, he & Lira were my favorites. 😭😭
- CON details - I didn’t buy that Maximus would have Shade’s ass beat right before the Vow. Where she could display the wounds publicly to anyone. Especially as a rebellion was growing & he knew that. It was too much of a risk to the moment, even if he had a plan. I just feel like for someone who plans as much as he does, that was too much of a risk.
-CON details - the Brooker betray reveal was a very fun twist but it seems like a long con without much why & then enacted in a sort of dumb way that goes against what we know .
—— Firstly, counting on Shade, the best assassin around, to fail at her job & not successfully kill the unknown target seems… convenient? & dumb?
—— Then, thinking we just give whatever body they got enough of B’s blood that the high tech Heart wouldn’t figure it out. They drained the body’s blood & replaced it, somehow with enough without killing B? Genuinely… how?
—— Also did this plan exist literally just because Maximus PRESUMED there would be dissent & wanted Brooker to find it? They talk about Shade being the one to accept G’s but is that really all it was for? So they could get to her? That why doesn’t make a lot of sense yet but maybe we’ll get into it in book 2.
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K BYEEEE

[Tatianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone has to say it: the masks do not make sense. 🙃

[RedFireLady · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5 absolutely amazing stars
🌶🌶

A dark dystopian romance full of feminine rage, trauma, despair, hope, grief, strength and betrayal.

“Women are the backbone, the foundation, the immovable force that still does not falter when men stand on our spines to grab power. So no, Callum, I am not fragile. The cracks in my soul aren’t broken places. They are veins cemented together with rage. And it will take more than the hands of men to kill my spirit, to break my will.”

What's inside:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Misogynistic Systems
- Forced Marriage
- Corrupt Government
- Rebellion
- Multiple POVs
- Twists and Turns
- MCs Over 30
- Masked Elitism
- Morally Grey
- Feminine Rage

Wow, wow, WOW! There is just so much to unpack from this book, and that ending! A huge WTF moment full of vengeance, heartbreak and betrayal.

Shadera is a rebel living in the boundary, the poor and oppressed outer ring in this dystopian city. She's been a part of the rebellion since she was a child, raised by the leader to be their ultimate weapon. After witnessing her parents execution by the corrupt and evil President, she has held onto her grief and rage until she can find the perfect opportunity for vengeance. When her moment finally comes and she is sent to kill the Executioner, the son of the president, she finds herself caught, trapped, bound to the very man she was sent to destroy.

Greyson is the second son of the President, raised to be the obedient tool of his father and his corrupt government. As the Executioner, his duty is to enforce the laws and publicly kill anyone who dares the break it. Now the heir to his father's legacy, he finds himself a target of the rebellion and the contract Shadera has been sent to fulfill.

This is a true enemies to lovers story where their relationship is a battlefield of anger, hate and a slowly developed mutual understanding of the role each of them has had to play throughout their lives. The character and world building are amazingly done, blending together with well placed side characters and a strong plot to give us a story with heart and depth, full of emotion and twists that create the story of Daggermouth.

This book is sure to catch fire in 2026 and if it doesnt get traditionally published then something is very wrong with their decision making processes. Go read this book. Its full of lessons that hit a little close to home with a blend of The Handmainds Tale, V for Vendetta and The Hunger Games. You seriously dont want to miss out on this one.

[Laura]

DNF at 50%.

The fact that it’s taken me 13 days to even read 50% is insane (for me). And I’ve finished I think 4 other books since starting this one.

I really don’t know what it is, but I genuinely have to force myself to pick this up and read. And then I put it down after one chapter. I’m sorry, I really tried, but I don’t think this book was for me at all.

[Kilikina · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY FUCKING FLOORED.

I’M GOING TO NEED EVERYONE TO DROP THEIR TBR AND PICK THIS UP. IMMEDIATELY.

This book? THIS FUCKING BOOK. It’s the last month of the year and this is the best book I’ve read all year. This is undoubtably my top read of 2025 - this is god tier to me.

I went into Daggermouth completely blind and have never read anything from this author before. I did not expect to be completely ruined by this book, AT ALL. And I was. This ruined me SO BAD.

I haven’t been this captivated or sucked into a world like this in ages. This is dark and gritty as hell, and it’s one of the things I appreciated most about it. Nothing is shied away from or dulled down, and I’m so glad it wasn’t. The worst part is how much this mirrors the world we live in today…This is a story that needed to be told exactly as it was.

This cast of characters is so nuanced, flawed, and morally gray - I loved every single one to death. I truly didn’t know who to love or trust or hate, and I absolutely adored that. I don’t want to say anything specific about anyone because it’s best to go into this knowing as little as possible. The plot twists gave me whiplash in the best way, and I swear I didn’t breathe while reading - I was on the edge of my seat throughout this entire book from start to finish.

I cannot think about the ending without crying. The last 25% of this book????? I was literally shaking the entire time. I SCREAMED when I read the last page (IYKYK). I’ll be thinking about this book constantly and cannot wait to reread.

I know book 2 is coming out in late 2026, but it physically PAINS ME that there’s no official release date yet 😩😩😩😩 I will be desperately counting down the seconds until I get it in my hands.

[Karly · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5/5) H.M. Wolfe never disappoints. The early reader hype around this book was insane and had me super excited to dive in, and I gobbled it up.

🗡️ Dark dystopian romance
🗡️ 3rd person, multi POV
🗡️ TRUE enemies to lovers
🗡️ Arranged marriage
🗡️ Corrupt government
🗡️ Female rage

Spice rating: 🌶🌶

The dystopia in this book is highly disturbing, which is when you know it's done well because it's believable. There are a lot of layers to this world H.M. Wolfe has crafted, and I was sucked in from page 1.

Shadera is THAT girl and embodies feminine rage. I like the complexities of her character; given her trauamtic past and circumstances, I would've expected her to have been more steadfast in her ways and beliefs, but I love how she remained open minded. Her humanity really bleeds through at the right moments, which had me rooting for her character the entire book.

I didn't expect to love Greyson as much as I did given that he's the executioner. It took me a while to warm up to him, but seeing his trauma and upbringing made me better understand him. I appreciate the way H.M. Wolfe chose to develop his character and mirror it with Shadera.

Reason I didn't give this the full 5 stars is there were some moments I didn't feel were entireeellyyy believable, especially at the end. I want to avoid spoilers, but ultimately I wouldn't have expected those events to unfold the way they did. So much was hinged on certain characters behaving a certain way that I didn't feel would've been the choice given that the characters are so calculated.

This book had me sobbing at multiple moments, so I'm going to need book 2 right now. Please.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY SHIT!!!!! this is what you call a dark dystopian romance!!!! I don’t even have the words to describe the rollercoaster of a journey i’ve just been on reading this book I couldn’t put it down I was hooked from the first page.

please read the trigger warnings for this one as the violence in it is very graphic.

we have our assassin fmc shadera who’s contracted to kill grayson, the president’s son who is also known as the executioner. this doesn’t go to plan which ends up in a forced political marriage and they begin to realise that the real enemies are not each other. ALSO both mmc and fmc are in their 30s?! YES!!!!!

the writing in this was incredible, it genuinely felt like I was reading a movie in my brain because of how descriptive it was I could picture everything. the pacing was absolutely perfect too.

we get multi povs which I loved as it allowed us to see what’s happening from everyone’s perspective.

I absolutely love the side characters, actually no they deserve more than being called side characters because they are all vital to the story.

I am so down bad for callum thane it’s actually not normal. he is BOOK HUSBAND. jameson vine also? 10/10. ladies we’re being fed with broody, tortured, protective male characters in this one!!! which is just what we need when we’re faced with the worst kind of males in this book (i’m looking at you maximus you deserve to rot in hell)

lira is also a force to be reckoned with what a bad b!!!!! this book screams feminine rage and I loved every single second. awful men getting what they deserve yes pls 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

I don’t think I even breathed for the last 10%. there was a plot twist that I saw coming but then somehow more plot twists came that I didn’t see coming so yep I got whiplash. AND THE ENDING?! h.m wolfe im sending you my therapy bill!!!!!

READ THIS NOW.

[Kenz Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute perfection!! This is the first dystopian book I’ve read in a long time, and I wouldn’t change a single thing. Truly no notes. The political intrigue was written so well, and there is an accurate enemies to lovers storyline that runs deep. We have two misunderstood characters who are used as weapons and pawns for their opposing sides of society. And with that, their character development is something that should be highly praised. They are both forced to go through and reflect on some brutal mental warfare that put me through the wringer myself as a reader. I felt very emotional at times 🥺 This was so action packed in the best way possible, and the way that everything came together, especially during the last 25%, was genius. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but I was still caught by surprise multiple times!! Mr. And Mrs. Smith energy 100% (am I showing my age?)

[Hannah Greaves · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I just wasted a lot of my time.

Normally when I don't enjoy a book, I find a one or two star review that matches my experience, I read it, I feel vindicated, I move on. There are currently no such reviews for this book, thus I feel obligated to write one.

To begin, I must say that this Author clearly can write well, has excellent command of language, and an interesting overall concept, so I allowed an extra star for this. I still read the entire book because I was determined to give it the benefit of the doubt, and that is honestly a win. I WANTED to like this book.

Additionally, I usually forgive spelling errors and/or typos, but this one had a lot. I started reporting them after I let a bunch slide. Gave me something fun to do while trying to drag my way through the story.

The plot does not make sense, I'm afraid. If Maximus had planned all along to wipe out the outer rings, he could have just done it. He didn't need to plant Brooker, he didn't need to lure in Shadera, he CERTAINLY did not need to force Greyson to marry her. He was an incomprehensible caricature of evil for the sake of evil with no real motivation or rhythm to his actions. The overt bludgeoning we received in lieu of characterisation would necessitate the following:

- Maximus would have killed Mikel and probably Elara as soon as he discovered their affair. In fact, he probably would have had Mikel killed as soon as he vowed with Elara purely for being her former lover.

- If he didn't do that, he for sure would have killed them all once he figured out that Greyson wasn't his.

- Once schmucky mcgee and her family witnessed Greyson with his mask off, Maximus, man we were led to believe he was, would have JUST KILLED THEM. 'Oh now he has to take the vow because of the loophole' no. Simply kill the witnesses. Is this your first day as an evil dictator?

- At the end he complains that he would have just kept Shadera imprisoned in order to manipulate Jameson and Jaeger, but because of Greyson removing his mask he had to change tactics. No, you didn't. Just be an evil dictator about it? This particular little mechanism felt to me like the author reeeally wanted to write a forced proximity, arranged marriage type situation and tried to strongarm the plot to comply.

- Maximus had people executed for relationships across the rings. Why would Greyson unmasking suddenly override this law?

Other issues I have:

- Omniscient Maximus became tedious. I'm all for villains being one step ahead but there's only so many gloating reveals I can tolerate.

- The political benefit to forcing Shadera and Greyson to vow is insultingly flimsy. Why would you need to send a message to the boundary when you're on the brink of fully exterminating the boundary anyway?!

- lots of telling instead of showing. For example, we could have easily ascertained that Maximus was a raging misogynist without needing to be so on the nose by calling women 'lesser' and 'lower' and 'subservient'. Men who actually believe these things just don't talk like that. I just felt like I was being hit over the head with things that should have been more subtle, and it made me as a reader feel like the Author had no faith whatsoever in my comprehension skills.

- Making gang r@pe part of the vow ceremony seemed like it was just for shock value. There is no way that Lira just happened to discover some paperwork at the last minute that said 'by the way, during the consummation ceremony, all the top government officials get to have a go', and this was not something that anyone had ever mentioned? Especially when it was apparently common knowledge that the couple would go into the chambers and be *watched* for the first bit. I understand the Author was attempting to show how women were treated, and that the fear and continued abuse kept them quiet about it, but it was stated that it was done IN FRONT OF THE HUSBANDS WHO WERE FORCED TO WATCH. Even in a society where married women are not allowed to speak, surely the men would discuss this particular experience amongst themselves.

- We are told that purity is sooo highly valued for Elite women and yet Maximus pimps out Lira to his buddies. Yes, it's to show he's a monster, and to give Lira motivation blah blah. It doesn't make sense. Another case of being told something that doesn't align with what we're shown.

- Lira runs after the family dinner and hides out with Callum. She also attends rebel meetings. Maximus says he knows where she is (pesky omniscient Maximus) but for some reason she's allowed to pick Shadera's wedding dress, leave notes and medicine in the apartment, AND she's on the platform, running the ceremony and the media feeds?! You're telling me Maximus wouldn't have had the Veyra drag her ass back, and either imprisoned her or executed her? No?

- Maximus is so determined for this vow to happen. He forces Greyson and Shadera to live together to 'get to know each other' but then acts like it's some horror that Greyson may have slept with her? My brother, you are making them get married.

- Maximus, who is all about control, image, propaganda, had Shadera and Greyson beaten right before the vow ceremony. They, particularly Shadera, are visibly injured. Why would he want that?! I kept expecting some kind of elite healing technology or at least a makeup team but no, apparently he needs to force a vow for appearances and simultaneously doesn't care about appearances. Baffling.

- There's just a significant lack of medical care going on. Yes, it's supposed to be a 'dark' story full of violence and whatnot but Shadera takes a fair few EXTREME beatings in an incredibly short window of time, either has no access to or refuses medical help, and beyond some wincing and/or blacking out when getting dressed or undressed, it's never again ADdressed. Yeah she's a badass, but the human body does in fact have limits.

- Why would the vow ceremony in the Heart be completely different to whatever goes on in the outer rings? Greyson explains it to Shadera like she's never heard of the concept before. She's a mercenary who sneaks into the Heart for contracts, and she's banging the top spy in the outer rings, yet she doesn't know anything about the very public Heart vow ceremonies?! Do people in the outer rings not get married?

- The Callum/Lira love scene dragged for what seemed like 83 pages. The whole book seemed far longer than necessary, to be fair, but that scene in particular dragged. Also, we had been told that they had been lovers five years prior, and yet Callum was talking like it was their first time. It sort of felt like the scene had originally been written as a 'first time' scene, and then the Author went back and wrote that they had been together before, but forgot to adjust the spicy bit.

- Lira's abuse was really just plonked in out of nowhere. I would have expected that to have had some kind of impact on her intimacy with Callum but there's no connection between the two. I feel it disrespected the gravity of what she went through, and definitely made it seem like the scene between her and Callum was just there for the sake of it.

- Speaking of sex for the sake of it, what the hell was the point of Greyson's scene with the prostitute? Friend with benefits?!?? Plot device to inspire jealousy in Shadera later???? I feel like being rough with a sex worker doesn't line up with who Greyson is supposed to be. It's giving 'I have no say in my life so I take it out on someone I see as lower than myself so I can have a little power trip and feel in control for once' and that is NOT a good look for our MMC.

- Shadera's intimate scene with Jameson makes a tiny bit more sense because we get to see how he's in love with her but she really isn't in love with him. SO THEN WHY does she act like he means so much more to her once she is threatened by bloody Omniscient Maximus?

- Schmucky Mcgee (Greyson's original fiancee, so irrelevant I can't remember her name) and her family are never mentioned again. For people that would have allegedly caused significant problems, they certainly disappeared perfectly fine from the narrative.

- The masks make no sense. There, I said it. 'Oh but it's a metaphor for loss of identity and conforming and being oppressed' so then why is it the elite only that are required to wear them?! Especially in such a Big Brother Is Watching You ass society (OMNISCIENT MAXIMUS) surely you'd want to strip people of any kind of privacy or ability to hide. Also shocked nobody was impersonating anyone else at any point, because THEY ALL HAVE BLOODY MASKS.

- The cardinal ring folk don't mask because they're not elite. Unless they're working in the Heart for members of the elite. Then they have to mask. Even though masking is supposed to be a status symbol. Say it with me once again, The Masks Make No Sense!

- Why did so many people have their guns on Maximus, only for each of them to take the time to deliver him a monologue or whatever?! After Shadera and Greyson's little bet I would have thought a bullet would have gone into his skull a LOT faster. Even Elara took her damn time just for the sake of what, a cool reveal? When the platform was overrun with Veyra?? Take the shot from behind the altar, you fool. Should have done it a LOT earlier.


I am beyond frustrated.

I think, if you enjoyed Powerless, but wanted something a bit darker, more violent, and spicy, you might enjoy this book.

I did not enjoy Powerless.

[ReneeReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was fantastic. Absolutely loved the last few sentences and can’t wait for book 2.

[imaginary trouble · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 20% the believability for major parts of the story just were not there for me

⚠️⚠️⚠️ spoiler after this

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So she is supposed to be the baddest assassin, like the best at her job, so good at killing but when she sees the MMC’s face she is struck by how handsome he is and can’t kill him? Even though she hates his guts more than anything? And when she is discovered, she had a clear shot to kill him, her last chance because she thinks she’s about to die and she still doesn’t take it?

And then his dad, maker of all the rules the ultimate evil guy, decides this is the one time he needs to follow his own laws and they have to get married??? He is literally marrying his son to his almost assassin and he’s not worried she’s going to just kill him in their bed?

And then the book made a point to tell you they only execute people in public, so that’s why the FMC wasn’t killed on the spot for trying to kill the MMC but then everyone in the prison starts singing so the guards kill every single one of them. That was the final straw, I DNF’ed.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. A lot was there to make it amazing but it just didn’t land for me. Not sure if it was the writing or the lack of connection with the main characters. This is the second book I’ve read by this author and neither could grab me.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daggermouth is a dark dystopian romance, enemies to lovers (truly, they both almost kill one another multiple times), with an arranged/marriage of inconvenience. I devoured this book and loved it so much!

We get to follow multiple characters and I loved seeing the layers to everyone. I love depth to characters in books and this one delivered. We mainly follow Greyson and Shadera, they come from very opposite worlds but find over time they have things in common and might both be trapped in different ways. Not everything is black and white, we see how even the inner ring of power is still seen as a prison to some of the members living in it. Some people might seem complicit or compliant, but a lot of it is for reasons. It’s complex, it’s disturbing, it’s uncomfy. It truly gave me a lot of the same vibes/feeling as when I read and watched The Handmaid’s Tale, watching characters who know things are wrong but being able to make a change/actually change it being a whole other beast.

Highly recommend this one, especially if you love dystopian like I do! The political intrigue, a blood-thirsty mercenary, class system, the rise of the oppressed, it’s bloody, it’s violent, it’s complex. I’m sooo locked in and ready for book 2. Definitely go grab Daggermouth, it already had a trad deal before it even released indie and I keep seeing it talked about everywhere. On KU now!

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

O M G ❤️‍🔥🔥😮‍💨 WOW, dieses Buch hat einfach alles was ich in einem guten Buch brauche. Richtiges Enemies to Lovers, mehrere POVs, Rebellion, Systemsturz, starke FMCs, morally grey characters und grandioses ✨ female rage✨. Könnte ewig so weitermachen. Einfach unfassbar gut, werde noch lange daran denken und könnte bisschen weinen, dass es bestimmt noch ewig dauert bis Teil 2 rauskommt. Die letzten 150 Seiten waren miiieeees!! Hab mich mehrmals richtig erschrocken, es sind Sachen passiert mit denen ich 0 gerechnet habe und das Buch ist auch echt heavy Leute, nichts für schwache Nerven. Krass. Am Ende des Jahres noch so ein Highlight, ich liebs doch! Perfekt für alle Fans von Silver Elite, Tribute von Panem, Powerless, …. 🖤 Mein einziger Kritikpunkt wäre, dass ich mir doch ein bisschen mehr World Building gewünscht hätte. Man muss vieles einfach so hinnehmen und kriegt nicht wirklich erklärt wieso das System so ist, wie es ist.

[Elly · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC Review

This was a very strange read to me tbh. I love the premise and at times it gave me “Hunger games for adults” vibes. However. The writing was just NOT for me. It often felt stilted and weirdly phrased, especially in the beginning (maybe I just got used to the writing). This made me want to DNF, but since it was an ARC and I really did find the story intriguing I decided to power through.


LIKES:
- the overall story!!
- Enemies to lovers done right(!)
- Callum and Lira
- amazing female rage


DISLIKES:
- the writing
- Shadera. Her character frustrated me so fucking much. Hypocrite and unsympathetic, I did not jam with her at all. She had her moments but generally she was not my girl.
- Jameson was kind of annoying and I didn’t really care about Greyson.
- speaking of the boys?? I did NOT get what Shade felt for Jameson, because at first he was introduced as a fuck Buddy who was in love with her (but not her with him) but then they were basically in love and slept together every night? Idk I got a whiplash reading it
- also did not get any chemistry between Shadera and Greyson


I really appreciate getting this ARC and I can see why a lot of people really love this book - at times I felt like I could too. I just don’t think the writing and characters are for me.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ - This review was difficult to write because nothing I say will truly capture everything I felt reading Daggermouth. It’s so much more than just good characters, a great romance, and an action-packed plot. It’s a story of how resistance, grit, hope, and love can exist in unexpected places. It’s the type of book that will stick with me for a long, long time.

Before I get too far into this review, this book features graphic scenes and plenty of triggers. Definitely check the content warnings before reading.

Gosh, I could go on and on because there were so many standout parts to this book, but I’ll focus on my two favorite things: the characters and the romance.

The characters were really well-developed and nuanced. In addition to our two main characters, we had a handful of side characters from different social statuses and classes. The diverse cast of characters show how harm caused by systems of oppression cuts across wealth and status. In a lot of stories, the relationship between power and wealth or class gets often flattened into rich equals evil, while the poor and working class are victims. The author used the characters to show that everyone is suffering under one despicable despot, and what keeps him in power is them fighting each other instead of him. It's an especially powerful lesson for today's world.

This same dynamic plays out in the romance as well. At its core, Shadera and Greyson's story is about finding love in a world that is doing everything to pit them against each other. Greyson’s father executed Shadera’s parents and Greyson now plays the role of executioner. Shadera’s Daggermouths killed Greyson’s brother. Listen, if that's not true enemies, then I don't know what is. Throughout the story, they realize they were both just another cog in the machine that keeps Greyson’s father in power. Their relationship often feels like two steps forward, one step back because they are slowly discovering they are more similar than they are different. It's probably the most believable enemies-to-(maybe) lovers I’ve seen and one of my new favorite slow burn romances.

This is the dystopian romance I’ve been waiting for, and perhaps my favorite book of the year. Consider putting this on your TBR if you want a real slow-burn enemies-to-lovers or an unputdownable dystopian story that will leave you guessing the entire time. Highly recommend!

✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Burner Kindle Book Blog

[Kayla📖🧚✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OH MY FUCK? THAT ENDING????? THE EMOTIONS RN ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE

I’m gonna do a proper review later but all i will say is this:

absolutely immaculate i can not say anything bad about this at all.