Sunsplitter

Beasts of the Void #2

by S.A. MacLean

From the author of Voidwalker comes the conclusion to the Beasts of the Void duology, where spicy monster romance meets epic fantasy, and a young woman must make the ultimate sacrifice to a dangerous immortal.

Fi has toppled immortal beasts. Antal welcomes being conquered. After helping the Lord Daeyari reclaim his territory, semi-reformed smuggler Fi dons a daunting new rebuilding a city alongside her monstrous partner, a haven free from bloody sacrifice.

So when Antal’s father unexpectedly summons him home, Fi’s first instinct is to ready her claws. Only, claws won’t be enough for this adversary. Antal faces his first homecoming in five decades, dreading two truths. From his father’s seat on the governing council, he could undo everything Antal has built. And their last argument ended with Antal’s lover dead on the floor. But a greater danger the appearance of a creature that even the daeyari fear, burning its way through the Planes.

With Antal’s father leading the hunt, he and Fi must ally with a team of immortals who could turn fangs on them at any moment. Or worse, strain their still-fresh love until it snaps.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Adult, Fantasy Romance, Queer, LGBT

Audible Audio

First published August 4, 2026

About the author

S. A. MacLean is the USA Today bestselling author of The Phoenix Keeper (cozy fantasy) and The Beasts of the Void duology (monster romantasy). She also holds a PhD in environmental science. After over a decade of battling seagulls and teaching college students how to save the planet, she now writes fantasy books filled with strange creatures and plenty of kisses.

Reviews

[Robin]

Sunsplitter asks what else there is to confront after successfully toppling the government and falling in love with a cannibal? Daddy issues.

It wasn’t enough for Fionamara to successfully pull off a revolution and unite humans and Daiyari alike. Now she has to fight the realest villain of them all: her partner’s father (and source of his trauma). The dark fantasy duology that first took shape in the yawning void and the cusp of revolution returns to ask the eternal question: what happens after the happily-ever-after? For author S.A. Maclean, this gets a bit complicated, as happy-ever-afters are so rarely without the real work of partnership itself. In Voidwalker, Fionamara and Antal forged ahead with revolution, one that required fostering trust to reclaim their world. Now a year into rebuilding, old ghosts threaten newfound security and their flourishing relationship. Sunsplitter ushers in a new era for our disaster bisexual duo. We have a wardrobe change and a new dye job for Fionamara (emphasis on the red), numerous personal injuries, confronting the trauma within—and surviving—and the unification of two separate worlds. Sunsplitter proves who exactly can match a cannibalistic immortal race from the void, particularly in the monster-hunting arena. And the answer is whatever Fionamara has going on. It’s pure chaos condensed into one novel. A finale that had me more than willing to traverse the impossible void and back for one last adventure.

Read my Review

Giggling so hard at the how we met being: “so i blew up his capitol building” “so there i was just chillin in her rafters, and also the snow bank, and also i was in my bathrobe” (paraphrasing)

Antals father is just thranduil if he was a cannibal on the twilight plane (#hereforit)


thank you to edelweiss and the publisher for providing the advance review copy.

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[Krysta ꕤ]

“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑯𝒆'𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔.”

i’m disappointed.. i was obsessed with the first book, but this one just didn’t deliver on the same level. Fi was always a bit obnoxious, but it was like her little bit of character progress went backwards here. even Antal (who i love), was getting on my nerves with his passiveness and familial drama. the plot was going in circles and both of the characters inner thoughts were so repetitive, there was also too much focus on the sex scenes. the ending was cute, but i expected more.

➺ thanks to NetGalley, the author and Orbit Books for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️]

It’s funny that this is grumpy-sunshine, but she’s the badass even though he has the literal claws.

Review:

As the new partner of an immortal territory lord, Fi has a ‘public obligation’ to act ‘respectable’. Fi, with her rainbow hair, chaotic energy, and tendency to bite back whether human, leader, or immortal carnivore beast.

I love how both Antal and Fi have sharp edges, but soft insides that they will fight tooth and nail to protect for the other.

‘Once the butterflies settle? You have to wade through the mud again. You have to find ways to live together. Sometimes, that means bending a little to fit your partner better. Sometimes it means supporting the shit out of them while they do their own thing. You have to figure out which version will get you through this.’

I appreciated that, although there was a happy ending to book one, Antal and Fi must live with this change and try and shape it into something sustainable.

Antal finally feels some semblance of belonging and safety, yet misses the sense of home.
No human city can replace his plane, the comfort of twitching tails and his own language despite Fi learning (lots of bad words).

We also get some tender and harsh family moments - blood and found. Of course, Fi almost gets eaten by Antal’s father which makes it all the more complicated…

This one felt a lot more brash, hornier and contained waaay more cussing than book one. I didn’t love that as it often felt over the top and crass. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bit of chaotic energy, but this was slightly too in-your-face for me.

Fi’s arrogance did grate on me, but her thoughtfulness compared to book one developed into a double-edged gentle sword.

Like I said of book one, this is not the cosy romantasy that was The Phoenix Keeper, but I always appreciate the themes MacLean covers with girl boss characters.

Arc gifted by author and publisher - Street Team.

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[BookishKB]

❤️‍🔥🖤 Sunsplitter 🖤❤️‍🔥

✨✨Happy Release Week! ✨✨

One of my most anticipated reads this year!! Full ARC Review to come!!

✨ What to Expect
• Monster Romance
• Cross-Dimensional
• Immortal Beings
• Found Family
• Political Intrigue
• Epic Fantasy Finale
_ _ _ _

📅 Pub Date: August 4, 2026

Thank you to Orbit Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Maeghan 🦋]

Huge thanks to Orbit & NetGalley for a chance to review this arc!

I really appreciated the recap at the beginning as I had forgotten most of the ending for Voidwalker.

I know a lot of people love this series so I’m definitely an outlier here but I think it was just okay. It was a mainstream Fantasy with a basic plot, and while I know people wanted more sex scenes ; I think this one was overly saturated with them (I ended up skimming those scenes). Then again - outlier, I know.
None of the questions I had in Voidwalker were answered and some new ones emerged with that book. I think it was just meant to be uncomplicated and my over analytic brain was a bit underwhelmed.

I think the dynamic of the fmc being badass and the mmc being soft was interesting but I didn’t like the characters. Even though some scenes were added to show that the fmc was slightly progressing through thoughtfulness ; I still found her to be very brash, impulsive & selfish. I didn’t find her mature for a 33yo.

The dialogues/scenes were very repetitive & the pacing was significantly altered in consequence. I predicted everything that was going to happen and was a bit annoyed by how regular this story was. In my review of the first instalment I’d felt that the friendships were standoffish and I do have the same feeling here. I was glad to see women friendships but I still had the feeling that those friendships were shaky. I think the resolution ; for the grandeur of the problems - was way too easy. It’s okay to not fix everything in the last 5% sometimes… especially if those issues have been going on for centuries.

Overall, in my opinion ; this duology would be better fitted for a starter fantasy reader. Then again, 90% of what I read is Fantasy so I might just read too much of that type of story.

[Samantha (ladybug.books)]

4.5

Spicy and so so fun! Some part of me will always prefer the time before the couple gets together for the tension and banter. But I really enjoyed the heartfelt, emotional themes SA Maclean explored through Fi and Antal’s relationship in this one. It felt a little long at times but it was still a really engaging read!

[Morrie]

I will not know peace until this book is in my hands

[Billie's Not So Secret Diary]

Sunsplitter
by S.A. MacLean
Beasts of the Void #2
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pubdate: Aug 4, 2026
Orbit Books
Ages: 21+

Book two and the conclusion to the series finds Fi and Antal working to change their world. Their idea for how to run their lands seems to be working, but then Antal's father summons him home, and if he refuses his father, who is on the governing council, he could destroy everything Antal has been building. Plus, he could do to Fi what he did to Antal's last human lover.

But there is another immortal creature that has walked onto the Planes, a deadly enemy to Antal's people, and it's killing humans as it searches. Now, not only do Fi and Antal have to deal with his father's desire for Antal to take his place on the Council, but they now also have to work together to find and destroy the other immortal before it finds its way to Antal's lands.


The plot and the insights into Antal and his people were good. The other immortals were an interesting take, though to me they still resembled each other and there was little 'history' on these creatures.

I don't want to give too much more away since this is a series. I liked the characters and their fight, and even though it did feel 'young', this book is in no way suitable for readers under twenty-one. Yes, there is violence, but the adult scenes are eww. I get that everyone has kinks, but eww. Thankfully, they were skipable, but they still influenced my overall opinion of the book because of how many there were.

While I liked the story's plot and the characters were great, and it had an almost perfect ending, I can't give it the next star because of the adult scenes.

3 Stars



This eARC was granted by Orbit Books through NetGalley (Thank You) in exchange for my honest review.

[AndaReadsTooMuch]

If Voidwalker was yearning, this my friends… is fire. The fire of a thousand suns. It is heat, it is burning, it is SCORCHING hot flame ripped across everything, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.

Where we saw the fragile tendrils of Fi and Antlers (hehehe) beginning in Voidwalker, Sunsplitter comes along to forge them in molten titanium. They are unbreakable. Finding family, allies, and enemies in the unlikeliest of places. The relationships here were the center stage and the intricacies of obligation, of love, of ceremony, and of tradition were all parading forward and put to the test.

Fi was even more Fi than she was in Voidwalker, but instead of focusing in, she was pouring out. Pouring all of her incredible fierceness and love into the people surrounding her.

I literally could not and would not put this book down the entire time I was reading this. (I will also not settle for anything other than horns AND a tail going forward, thank you very much.) I am not ashamed to say the end of this book had me straight up bawling like a baby. It was beautiful, perfect, and RIGHT. S.A. Maclean got me good. I am hooked.

6 hot, hot fires for Sunsplitter.

Sunsplitter hits shelves August 4, and if you were waiting for a sign to get this one. This is it. This is the sign. Go get it!

Huge thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[samantha ✨]

Audio, July 2026: Thank you again to S.A. MacLean and Hachette Audio for the ALC 💖✨

Amelia Hugh and Christian Leatherman were both absolutely incredible. Amelia is such a wonderful narrator (literally she could read a dictionary and I would listen to her)

Christian as Antal was also a TREAT. He did the voice of Antal (and all the other Daeyari 🤭) so well and I truly enjoyed listening to him being Antal to life.


March 2026: Thank you to S.A. MacLean for an early copy✨

If I could give this more than 5 stars, y'all know I would. My expectations for Sunsplitter were so high and to no ones surprise this has exceeded all of them.

From the expansive world that the author has created, the lore of the immortals to two (!!!) languages she's created, I cannot give enough praise. I laughed and I cried wayyy more than I would like to admit. Fi continued to be the same badass we know and love but learning more about Antal and watching him grow throughout the course of the book was deeply emotional. The new characters that we meet were such a delight and I am a little sad that we don't get more time with them.

I can't wait for y'all to read this one - truly.

And, for what its worth - she wasn't lying when she said we can't fix Daddy Antlers.

[Anna Makowska]

Can there be too much of a good thing? That was my question when I was reading this book. Voidwalker was my top read of 2025, tied for top spot with The Everlasting, so obviously I was waiting for the sequel with anticipation and hype. And then it took me over a month to finish it.

The good:

😈 The worldbuilding is expanded and I loved both the big things (we finally see some of the Daeyari's world!) and small things (details like different pillow shapes due to antlers, or different kinds of coffee and alcohol, or tail gestures). And there's a new race of immortals introduced, giving the story demons vs angels vibe (except it's not that simple).

😈 The action sequences are flashy and breath-taking.

😈 Fi is even more fierce, feisty and kickass with a big "humanity hell yeah" vibe.

😈 Antal is still the adorable wet cat we all couldn't help but love.

😈 The addition of Antal's found family in form of his ex-gf, Ixli, and his old friend and his father's spymaster, Syvr, was brilliant to showcase how different Daeyari can be from each other, and how Antal isn't the exception in a species of cruel, evil void monsters, but it's much more nuanced. Yes, they're predators, but they also have unique personalities, quirks, dreams and desires. I really loved these 2.

😈 The spice is varied, creative and fulfills the promises author gave, including tail play, bondage, DP and pegging.

😈 The story gets to a very satisfying conclusion.

😈 I absolutely adore the pose on the cover.

The bad:

👼 I think all my complaints stem from "this didn't need to be 150k words" (600 pages in the release version, 450 in the arc). The pacing was uneven and at times too slow for my liking. I think I would have unquestionably loved it if it was edited 20-25% down. It takes nearly until 50% mark to even get to the "hunt" that was supposed to be the central plot element.

👼 Many scenes feel like repeating the same beats and hammering down the same information. Kashvi hates Daeyari and has a crossbow for them under the table (uhh, can a crossbow even kill a Daeyari according to lore?) Antal's mom is a passive enabler of his abusive father. Antal is worried for Fi's safety because she's a human. Too many of these plot points were going in circles, and while most of them had some resolution at the end, there was no need to set them up over and again so much earlier on.

👼 Also many scenes seem to overstay their welcome, there's a nugget or two that's necessary, some cool stuff around it, and then extra padding. Some of these scenes take 10 pages when they could take 3, that kind of thing. I was tempted to skim especially scenes with Kashvi or Antal's mom, and extended dialogues that didn't really reveal anything new or push the plot forward.

👼 I feel like the plot was deliberately put on hold at places just to insert a spicy scene. They didn't feel as seamlessly integrated into the overall plot, more like room had to be made to put them somewhere. The book has 4 parts and each part has at least 1 extended scene and some smaller or interrupted ones too. Also it's an absolute crime that while many of those scenes were multi-page long, the pegging scene was over so fast? I still appreciate we're getting kinkier in mainstream tradpub romantasy and it includes the fmc being an active party instead of just being an object the mmc performs on, but the placement of these scenes read disconnected from the rest of the story.

👼 Fi started reaching Mary Sue levels in doing everything better than everyone else and proving time and time again she can undo any consequences of her recklessness.

👼 Antal's overprotectiveness was grating on my nerves, especially since he fell in love with Fi because she was so daring and fierce, so it read a bit like "I love how wild you are, oh wait, not like this".

👼 The Aedari, despite being set up as the big enemy of this book, ended up being fairly bland and not that scary.

Would I recommend this series? Of course. While book 2 didn't grip me as much as book 1, I still had mostly good time, especially the tracking and hunting scenes were well done and showcased not only Fi's combat prowess but also smarts.

It's a very unique romantasy where the world is more magic-punk a la Arcane or Final Fantasy, and the places and creatures are lovingly crafted, they aren't your basic fae, vampires or dragons. It also has a unique couple dynamic where the mmc is playing more of a supportive role while fmc shines, she's never a damsel needing saving, even when she doesn't listen to voices of reason and falls into obvious traps, she claws her ways out of them on her own. The spice is also more interesting than the typical "good girl" variety, Fi likes some primal play and the dynamic could be described as switches, and not like "she does something dominant once so it's switching", there's much more back and forth between them.

Overall, book 2 tries to give the reader more of all the good stuff book 1 had: more worldbuilding, more found family, more interpersonal drama, more spice, Fi is more badass and Antal gives even more "aww, poor you" vibe. The new additions to the cast of characters, especially on the Daeyari side, all had their roles, didn't only exist to prop the main couple up.

But "more of everything" ended up with me instead of devouring this book, slowly falling into a food coma and wondering can a dessert be in fact too sweet?

Voidwalker already had a bit of that over the top, cheesy vibe, but Sunsplitter doubled down on it, sometimes to a ridiculous level. While in Voidwalker Fi had to consider gathering allies, resources and creating a plan, here she grew into an unstoppable force of nature overshadowing everyone else. It also made it feel like things are becoming too easy, to unearned for her.

On the other hand, in the world of romantasies where women are constantly saved by men or get depowered at the end for the sake of plot, this one firmly stands by "girl power!" vibe (and before anyone tells me not to call a 33yo woman a girl, I'm older than that and still call friends my age girls).

So if you want a romantasy where women are allowed to eat the cake and keep it too, read this series.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit Books for the ARC!

[Lidia]

⭐ 5 estrellas ⭐

Buena trama, buen desarrollo, buen mamarracheo. Momentos emotivos y narración con la que te partes de risa.

Lo único que le pido a este libro es que tenga cincuenta secuelas más, porque no me quiero despedir de estos personajes.

[Helena]

Amazing conclusion to this duology and, dare I say, this book managed to be even better than the first one! Loved loved Fi and Antal, their personalities and dynamics. Fi is a complete BADASS. I hope we get a prequel on a certain someone… 👀

[Marilag]

There's nothing like reading a sequel and finding it much better than the first book. I did love Voidwalker but had some caveats because I wanted more in terms of daeyari politics and worldbuilding goodness. Also, more soft moments with Antal and Fi pls. And BOY, did the author deliver in spades, including the most anticipated tail action smuuuuuut.

Anyway, Sunsplitter was an absolute banger. A lot of Voidwalker was Fi-centric, as it should be, and there was a lot of growth in terms of her character and her story. The sequel continues her growth, but also adds Antal as a POV character, and we definitely get much more of his story and his conflicts on top of the struggles of a daeyari-human relationship. Fi and Antal may be soft on each other, but even their relationship is tested a few times. Also, I thought Fi had daddy issues, but OMG Antal has DADDY issues. And it killed me (and Fi) to see the grumpy kitty become a saaaad, soft kitty.

This book was broken into four parts. Not quite sure why the parts were broken into what they were, but I definitely got halfway through thinking that the story peaked at Part 2. I'd been slightly worried that the latter half of the book would drag the aedari hunt, but the story actually had me riveted from all the other events happening.

Sunsplitter wasn't just about hunting the daeyari's deadliest foe, it was also about Antal coming to terms with his homeworld and the people he left behind for half a century. It was absolutely delicious to read about the politics and the often-mentioned Daey Celva / Dusk Council. I loved getting introduced to the characters that were in Antal's life for at least 150 years. And I loved, loved, LOVED the growth of the relationship between him and Fionamara.

Especially because Fi is such a beast of a character. Her absolute audacity doesn't let up the entire book, and honestly, I am here for all this queen's antics. Normally I tend to gravitate to one POV more than the other, but this book had me loving both Fi and Antal in equal measure.

So yes. 5 outta 5. This was a chefs kiss book, ESPECIALLY because we the readers were FED with all the tail stuff we could ever want.

[Rachel]

4.25/5

[Stella Cross]

Needed book 2 yesterday. Literally cannot wait to continue this series, it's so good, go read Voidwalker if you haven't already. You can thank me later😏

[thebookish.dragon]

Format: 📱 & 🎧
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Series: 2 of 2 (with sequel series to come???)


This was such a great sequel to Voidwalker! Reading Voidwalker sucked me in to this truly unique world that S.A. Maclean created, with a unique monster race and culture. The Daeyari are a carnivorous race of immortals who rule the humans in the Seasonal plane, their overlords who demand a sacrifice in payment for protection. The world building was too notch, and that world building hand in hand with the awesome artwork SAM posts in her socials really help you visualize the story as you read!

Voidwalker was more about the struggles of Fi and her human counterparts and living with the inequality the Daeyari impose on them and her building a relationship with Antal, the Lord of the Winter community. Sunsplitter is a look into Antal’s past and the future of the Daeyari/Human cooperation- as well as an introduction to a new race of immortals who rule a rival planet within the Void, the Aedari.

I’m so happy we got this character deep dive into Antal. We live our wet cat boy, but Sunsplitter really reveals the struggles with the relationship between him and his father and how being isolated from the others of his kind in the human realm affected him during those 50 years before he met Fi. Anyone who struggled with an emotionally manipulative father and an oblivious mother may really relate to this dynamic and find some catharsis as you journey through with Antal. We meet some new Daeyari who are open to Antal’s lifestyle choices and the humans get a light at the end of the tunnel as far as yanno…not being eaten alive. I also really loved the established couple dynamic of learning how to communicate and argue in a healthy way (or um…a spicy way? Chapter 25, you’re welcome).

I really love how expressive the tails of the Daeyari are in these books, showing the emotion their faces keep secret (very much like a cat, little tail flicks to show they’re annoyed, etc). I also suspect (may or may not be confirmed by SAM herself 👀) that we have a spinoff sequel series coming about the Aedari!!


Notable tropes & themes —

☀️ Wet cat, pathetic MMC
⚔️ Unhinged, bold FMC
☀️ Older MCs (FMC is in her early 30s!)
⚔️ Established Couple
☀️ Found Family
⚔️ Two bisexuals in a M/F relationship
☀️ Spicy tail play
⚔️ She pegs him 👀
☀️ Daddy Issues
⚔️ Energy Swords & Parallel Worlds


I received this eARC from Orbit Books as an opportunity to read and give my honest review.

[Minna]

"But whatever happens," Fi said, "together?"
"Together," Antal agreed.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BI4BI COUPLES ARE BACKKKK! and with a dual pov!! we cheer!! I had an absolute blast with this one, I was so happy to be back with Fi and Antal again, and honestly found myself tearing up and even crying a little bit at certain scenes. I was not expecting to be getting so emotional over these two, but this book definitely dived deeper into Antal's character and his dynamic with his family and friends he once had.

It was hard at times watching Antal shrink into himself around his father, but it was a journey he had to go on himself. And it was also just such a relatable experience that others have gone through. It is so easy for abusive parents to bring their child mentally back to a spot as if they were still a child living under their roof. It was just so heartbreaking to see Antal unable to find his worth at times, BUT him realizing he isn't alone and that he has a family of his own had me cheering for him.

That being said, I loved loved loved the new characters introduced in this sequel. Ixli and Syvr were such a nice additional touch to the story, and both someone who Antal needed most. Syvr had me laughing out loud, and the exchanges Antal had with them warmed my heart. In terms of growth, I think Fi and Antal not only grew themselves, but their relationship as well. This sequel really had them working hard to try and navigate their relationship and communicating with each other even when it was hard and painful. And can I JUST SAY a certain fight scene that lead to maybe something more was 🔥🔥🔥

This was a great conclusion to Fi and Antal's story. I had such a great time with these characters, and their love really had me tearing up and rooting for them the entire time. I can't wait to see what's next for this author in the future, and certainly would not mind if there were more books from this universe... maybe even a Syvr book? 👀

Thank you to orbit and the author for this arc! Sunsplitter is out now! <3

[Sanja ✵]

I f**king love these two.

It’s a bit amusing that one of the healthiest (within reason) and supportive relationships I read about is between a human and a monster that eats humans. Everything about this duology is pure perfection.

While taking on themes such as flesh-eating monster, immortal foes and space walking, it also handled relatable themes such as family dynamics, a yearning for belonging, overcoming differences in your relationship and acceptance.

Both Antal and Fi are amazing main characters. They have their weaknesses and soft sides but are still extremely badass. Fi holds her ground against immortal monsters without hesitation.

I never wanted it to end, and I would read a heap more books about this world. All the stars!!

[Erika | ErikasLiteraryLabryinth]

This was an excellent sequel to Voidwalker! I love how it was a continuation of the story from book 1 and wasn’t just a rehash of it. We got more world building, new enemies, more into the world of the daeyari and so much more romance! It was amazing and I hope that SA Maclean revisits this world!

“𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞.”

In this book we get more of the dynamics of the daeyari politics and Antal’s home life. I loved how we got to know more about their customs and to see how Antal’s home life shaped him and to learn more about his past and his friendships. It really fleshed out the book and was a natural progression from book 1! It also added dimension to Fi and Antal’s relationships and providing something solid to shake their foundation and show how they will choose to adapt in order to continue to choose each other.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐦𝐛, 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

I really enjoyed the new “villains”, the Aedari and how they were formed from the dust and are the daeyari’s opposite and enemies. I would be totally interested in more stories about the Aedari and how they connect with the daeyari in the future!

“𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚...” 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬. “𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧.”

The romance gets even more HEATED in this one and oh my god, it’s so good. With Tail Play, pegging, bite play and so much more, this is certainly not vanilla! I love how with the time jump they are more solidified in their couple and it feels earned. If you were also concerned about the immortality aspect, don’t worry SA Maclean has got you and I absolutely ADORE how she did it. It was perfect!!

𝐖𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬.

If you like:
💚 Cat Like Man Eating Monsters
✨ Found Family
💚 Political Intrigue with Claws
✨ Hottttt Smut
💚 Void Magic
✨ Incredible World Building

Then you will love this now finished duology! Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the advance copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

| Insta | Tiktok |

[Floros Auclair]

Sunsplitter was already a highly anticipated 2026 read, but WOW did this exceed expectations far beyond what I could imagine.

I want to start off by thanking Orbit & S.A MacLean for this ARC, it was absolutely cherished.

Everything that occurs in Voidwalker, the romance, the angst, the witty banter, multiply it by ten for Sunsplitter.

To start with, we get to experience Antal’s POV, which is just as delicious as Fi’s inner monologue. Moreover, we get to see more of the inner-workings of Antal; his doubts, fears, and motives really shined and were so clearly thought out throughout this whole novel. I seriously adored seeing his growth, learning more about his past, and just how loving this oversized wet-cat was.

Getting to experience more of Daeyari culture was also a treat, and plays a large part in some of the doubts you see in not only Antal, but Fi as well.

Fi, my sweet, precious Fi who could stab me and I’d thank her for it. Throughout the novel, you could genuinely tell that Fi had grown from the actions and lessons learned from Voidwalker, and used them now. She made something beautiful with some of her shortcomings from the last novel and turned them into resources, which is so highly admirable.

Not a singular page felt out of place or boring to read about. I highly appreciated the conversations made about being enough for someone you don’t quite fit, but still wanting to make it work. It pulled at so many of my heartstrings.

I will so dearly miss reading about Fi & Antal, but will be eagerly waiting for more stories in this world to be created.

[Lou (fairytales.and.fantasy)]

5/5

I’ve said it before but this series truly is an underrated GEM. Voidwalker (book 1) was my favourite new read of 2025 and Sunsplitter (book 2) is going to be up there for 2026 too.

Sunsplitter was everything i hoped it would be. We’ve got the same dynamics and witty banter between fierce, badass FMC Fi and wet-cat vibes MMC Antal that i fell in love with from Voidwalker, but we also got to see some softer, more thoughtful parts of Fi, and Antal finally found his claws (we love character development without the characters losing who they are👏🏻). There were plenty of emotions in this book, some difficult conversations, but also plenty of hope and visions of a brighter future for the world it’s set in.

(Side note: there were daddy issues aplenty in this book, and i went into it thinking i could fix Daddy Antlers. Turns out i was wrong, there is no fixing him and he deserves to lay in the bed he made 😅)

If you’ve not read this series yet, pleaseee consider giving it a go if you like the sound of it. It’s one of my absolute favourites and is so different compared to similar books in this genre, and i promise that if you loved Voidwalker, you’ll love Sunsplitter too 💖

Would i read it again? This is one of my favourite series, i will always be happy to be back in this incredible world that @authorsamaclean has created 🥰

Thankyou to the author/publisher for letting me ARC read this :)

[Emma (ejm_reads)]

3.75 stars

I didn't enjoy this as much as Voidwalker but it was still a good read (maybe a bit too long with uneven pacing). Really enjoyed the addition of Antal's old friends and so glad Fi remained a strong FMC.

[micolreads]

5 ⭐

Honestly this book felt like coming home

[Michelle (Bamamele.reads)]

Thanks to Orbit for the preview. All opinions are my own.

LOVED IT! Ok first of all, huge shoutout to SA MacLean for the recap at the beginning of the book, reminding us what happened in Voidwalker. I wish everyone would do this! Second, Sunsplitter was such an amazing follow up! Fi and Antal are together, but that definitely doesn't mean their troubles are over. And in fact, several just started.

There's so much action, spice, heart, danger, healing, and general bad-assery. Fi is just a force of nature. Precious sweet bebe Antal is so pathetic (look, if both Fi and MacLean call him pathetic so can I). And meeting Avroz, Antal's father, puts so many things into perspective on that end. There is a LOT of damage that @ssh0le did to Antal, and it takes the whole book, but seeing him finally stand up to Avroz was amazing. Fi and Antal really do make each other so much better.

The spice was insanely good. The fight scenes were incredible. There were several that absolutely felt cinematic. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book and this duo. I'm sure I'm leaving out a lot of things to praise, but overall my heart is just bursting with how much I love it.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND! You'll find a tail kink you never knew you had too!

[Sydney]

Thank you to @orbitbooks_us for access to Sunsplitter! Voidwalker was a surprise hit for me so I was so excited to get the sequel!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Voidwalker was originally a standalone but the author had more story to tell and I’m glad she was able to have the chance to continue because this book really expanded on the lore of the world, fleshed out our characters even more, and brought an extremely satisfying conclusion.

Monster lovers this one is for youuuu the spice was a little more than I usually do but it was done well and never felt cringy. But more than that, we have a BEAUTIFUL love story where our two main characters grow even more together, it was heartfelt and endearing. Antal is still my favorite softie and Fi is one of the most badass characters of all time.

Highly recommend checking this duology out!

[Lou]

4,5 ⭐

[Sam]

My Selling Pitch:
What if we took all the good parts of Voidwalker, threw them away, and wrote a sequel that was basically just the worst parts of Twilight and ACOTAR’s inner circle dithering about for 500 pages to the point that you’re rooting for her to fuck his comically evil dad just so something will happen?

On my do not read list. Voidwalker is a standalone.

Pre-reading:
When I finished the first book, I fully thought the next one was gonna be a spinoff about her ex-girlfriend and the devolved beast, and then the author had to come out and be like no no guys. I’m continuing exactly where we left off.

The only thing I know about the sequel is that he gets pegged. And if you’re like Samantha, how is THAT the only thing you know about the sequel- I want you to remember that the novella canonically established that he does not need to use the bathroom, so there is no evolutionary pressure for him to develop a butthole, and know that I have questions that need answers.

Also, I’m so glad I’m getting the Owlcrate editions of this series because the standard covers, while beautiful, do not match each other.

(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
I like that she does funny chapter titles. I love that she’s doing a previously on. This has to be the new standard for series. Our brains are so full.

I think there’s plenty of tail stuff. I am not here for the tail. I am here for the teeth.

Did the last book have a map? I feel like it didn’t. Are we not questioning how the town that wanted to deal the least with the demons is the closest it could possibly be to three demons?

Jail time for another male audiobook narrator. Why isn’t she just voicing the whole thing again? She did such a good voice for him.

He sounds like he’s doing a bad Dracula impression.

This is pretty wild smut for being 5% into this book.

Also, I know it’s for the sake of the audience, but there’s been a year in between this and the first book, and you’re telling me these freaks have never had a conversation about his nails or tail until now? I don’t believe you.

Kashvi is in the right here, and the book won't convince me otherwise lol.

Vestigial heart and lungs, but they do bleed if they get cut, so- The biology in this is whack.

Why would his home have oxygen if they don’t need to breathe?

This is just giving Cullens visit the Volturi, and like I’m not mad, but it is a little eyeroll worthy.

Oh is fire mommy his ex-boyfriend’s newly magic sister or something? (No.)

The first cut is the deepest🎶

He's not like other predators lol.

Title drop

Girl, you picked the biggest bottom lol.

I mean this was a stupid ass plan.

This is a STUPID fight. Daddy won't marry us so we should breakup? Get real.

Audiobook man is insufferable and ruining this book for me. He's making me dread Antal’s chapters.

This is really slow so far.

Enough with the fashion.

This pet name shit is so stupid, and it's not even accurate. He calls her vicious woman. Like that is his pet name for her. Jasad’s Arin and his deranged goose siren could never. 🙄

We're really lacking in tension and banter this time around. Like all it's been is them separated. I'm boredddd.

I just-this isn’t a reveal. No one thought abusive daddy wanted him home for shits and giggs. Obvi he had chess going. Also, like what else would the plot be? This plot is treating the reader like they're stupid. Just move it already!

I know MacLean’s like Daddy Antlers bad, but all my Capricorn ass can hear is Daddy Antlers BAD. 🥵 Sorry, I’m most interested when they're snarling, sue me! Antal’s been sulking all book. I'm over it.

He's so useless this book! He's bad at fighting.

Ha, say it out loud. I love all the Twilight nods because like girl, this is Twilight if Bella was more of a shit.

I feel like there’s a less cringe way to virtue signal pronoun usage. These books that stick it in during battle scenes are cringe. Like there’s life or death stakes. If you wouldn’t write dialogue correcting the verb someone uses-like um actually, that was a slash, not a hack, or if you wouldn’t interrupt the scene to be like actually my name is Tom, don’t correct pronouns during it. There’s a time and place. Pedantic corrections during battle only tip you into camp territory. It is immersion ruining if your intention is not humor. Like it’s much more realistic and authentic to me if they were later sat around a campfire, and the misgendered character pulled her aside and was like oh, by the way, girl, I go by X not Y. Like readers want diversity, but not at the expense of realism. You’re just calling more attention to it. You’re othering them by doing that.

Also, that character is so pressed about their pronouns, but then body shames another character to insult her in the next breath. Like what are we doing?

… I hate to say it y’all, but I’m not having a good time.

I really liked Antal in the first book. He’s pissing me off in this one. Like you’re how old and you’re still cowering before your father? And then I’m just like what if we fucked his dad instead? What if we fucked someone with a spine? All the brat energy has fled this book.

So help me god, if they solve this book by installing his ex-girlfriend and the spymaster as leaders of the other two territories so that he can have besties, I’m gonna lose my shit. (SIGH.)

I feel like Fi deserves to know. She’s a little more than just an ex. She’s an ex fiancé.

Well, I’m not calling him a truth-er!

Can Antal be more of a cuck this book? Jesus christ!

I mean they literally put a bell on her so-

When we said we liked his wet cat behavior, we didn’t mean turn him into a total pussy in the sequel.
Sequel NOT Capricorn competency kink approved. 👎🏻

Them: I’m the best spy
Also them: my antlers basically have ‘I’m a fucking spy’ carved on them.

So if they can pull energy, I’m sure they’re the cure for silver sickness. (Or we do nothing with this and let our citizens continue to suffer.)

I feel like the plot is very obvious and the first book was not like that.

Oh, she’s going with the NPC to investigate? That fuck’s dead.
Yup. God, this book doesn’t have a subtle bone in its body. What happened???

Dude, what is up with the obnoxious pronouns? This is crazy. Even the book is admitting it’s not the time. Why are we doing this?

Go Fi! Fuck his dad! And the author’s like not literally tho! And Sam and the audience are like I dunno, could be fun, could be hot-

This book is stupid. So stupid. Like their whole culture is farming and eating people, and they’re like yeah, you can probably be in love with one and we’ll just instantly accept it on nothing. Like they should have to win them over. They should have to convince them of Fi’s- for lack of a better word- humanity. Like their relationship is the equivalent of a human being like I fell in love with this cow, so I can’t eat it now, and we’re gonna get married and have a relationship because I learned how to speak bovine. Like this is echoing Twilight, but Twilight (sorta) works because they were human before, so like there is that built-in empathy. That’s not here. They’re not the same species.

As if you could fight me off!
You know that meme of this scene and then they put R Patz looking awkward as hell in his sweatsuit? That’s this. That’s the whole book so far.

The knuckles thing is so awkward.

Oh, I fear a worked-up man halted by a stop to instant stillness will do it for me every time. Is that the dog person in me? We love an obeyed command 🤭

We’re fighting-let’s do unprepped anal doesn’t really track for me, but go off. I love me some hate sex but Run Run this is not.

He’s such a little bitch.

I’ve hit the point where I don’t care about this book, and I want it to be over, and I still have half of it to go.

You get the best of both worlds 🎶

I feel like the first book was a cosmetology school intro to vivids and this is box dye red.

The plot of this is unbearably slow.

I literally asked you not to do this. I don’t understand these fantasy books. Like we can’t just replace an entire system of government with our besties. That’s nepotism. That is how governments become corrupt in the first place!

But now that they’ve given us this solution so early, I feel like one of them will die so the book can be tragic. (Nope!)

She keeps accidentally describing his dad as a dilf lmao. She’s like he’s Antal but mean! And Sam’s like raw, next question.

I don’t like how the book keeps comparing them to cats, but then it’s like they’re a pack of wolves, and I’m like they could be a pride? Just keep up the feline.

Psh yeah guys, who WOULD be into teeth?👀

Does sand have a smell?

Why is every villain in this fucking stupid. It’s their first day on Earth. Never seen a scheme before.

Why is this just a father son hunting trip? I am not having a good time. This does not feel like a justified kill. They murdered first and got facts later. Also, like I’m sure they’re a mated pair, and now the other one is gonna be pissed. (Obviously.)

Not in front of his parents omg!

I think it’s really, really weird to try and do a reconciliation arc with the guy who killed your boyfriend, blood or nah.

You’re telling me they couldn’t find her a sports bra for all this?

…I dunno if you want an antler in your ass, I’ve gotta be so honest. 🫎🫎🫎
Also, if they combust all their food- vestigial heart, vestigial lungs was already pushing it, but vestigial butthole??? Vestigial prostate??? Guys.

…he gets pegged one time and he’s proposing marriage. That’s it. Get his dad in here.

The way I was so excited for this, and now I’m like please let it end.

I don’t know how to explain to you that this is a Twilight rip off, and just like in Twilight, the dad is hotter and his emo son needs to grow a pair.

Why are you summarizing book one for me again at the 72% mark? What are we doing? I hate this book. I don’t know how you flop this badly.

Why are we doing a Claire’s ear-piercing scene?

This sequel is like the worst parts of Twilight and ACOTAR’s inner circle had a baby to make me miserable for 500 pages.

Sorry, I misjudged you. Uh, they were literally eating people not even a week ago. What do you mean? You absolutely judged them correctly. Just because they like your boyfriend and were willing to have one vegan meal- Oh my god, this book is driving me insane. Also jesus fuck, can they make him any more of a cuck? He can be a switch without being a little bitch.

This is getting a weird pro-religion angle and I’m not about it. Oh, you’re just misinterpreting god-it’s a system of control used to brainwash people and subjugate women. All religions are cults. Fuck off.

Why would she not voidwalk with him? Just go to Antal. Get witnesses around you. Like don’t be dumb.

They’re acting like this is such a ludicrous unbelievable evil plan, and I’m like this is literally just what you would do. He’s a politician. Of course he’s spinning it. Also, do you really think that man did all this by accident? He’s 900. Get real.

Them: How could Daddy Antlers lie like this???
Daddy Antlers: Politician. That’s like *the* job description. If anything, this is getting added to my LinkedIn
Sam:…Hot
Like oh no, he’s corrupt and good at his job, oh nooo👀 Grow up.

Maclean: the real villain was the daddy issues we ignored along the way!
Samantha, notorious pervert: fuck his dad.

I just-what else did you want his dad to do? Did you want him to just die out there? He took off the void AirTag. I’m so tired of this book, man.

Listen, I don’t want to like the comically evil abusive dad, but when my alternate is the universe’s biggest cuck- He’s like I’m not as good as my dad! And I’m like that is a correct assessment. Work on it.

Yes, that literally is your fault. By definition that is your fault. I didn’t speak to him- That was within your control. That was your behavior, so like that actually is *by definition* your fault.

Oh, she wants to punish his dad? Suddenly I’m listening haha.

But like the problem is book two Antal likes being used. Like he just wants to fix machines and get pegged. He’s an engineering little sub.

Antal: How could my dad plot such a thing?
Sam: worked, didn’t it?
LIKE WHAT DO YOU MEAN? This is exactly what he wanted, and he got what he wanted. I don’t- like they’re shocked and outraged that the master manipulator is good at manipulating???

But it literally doesn’t even matter if it hits his heart because he doesn’t need his heart. What do you mean?

How dare the man who views humans as cattle use them as cannon fodder! How out of character! Like??? Obviously. Obviously he could give a shit if they eat humans.

Unfortunately, I support the bitch slap. Grow up, Antal. Obviously this was on purpose. Obviously.

God, Antal’s such a loser this book!

I can’t eyeroll hard enough.

Why are we summarizing chapters that just happened? We know. We just read it.

Author’s note: Voidwalker was meant to be a standalone. Yeah, we can tell. We can tell. Girl, what was that?

Post-reading:
Bruh. If I were capable of better objectivity, this should probably be a two. It’s coherent, and technically has a plot, and if this was your first experience with the world, it’d probably pass by as bland nothingness. But to take a first book I really enjoyed and car crash it like this? We were rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!

Antal in the first book is a grumpy, wet cat, and it was a nice change to see an MMC, who wasn’t the best to ever do it, but he was still competent. Antal in this book? Biggest cuck I’ve ever read. And cucked by his dad, no less. By his comically evil daddy. Your book should not have me rooting for the villain unless he’s also the surprise love interest.

You know, something the first book got so right was the looming menace and threat of teeth. Eat me alive? Heady stuff. I feel like the smut in this was a circus sideshow. Tails aren’t my thing to begin with, but this was written so sloppily. We still don’t know if there’s hair on it or if it’s like a scaly-skinned rat tail, but we do know that Antal doesn’t use the bathroom so why he has a butthole to peg is- Also the antler sex toy? Too far. We’ve gone too far.

The book’s absolutely bonkers in its redemption arc. Their entire way of life is based around the fact that they’re obligate carnivores and have to eat humans to live. They would be factory-farming humans. Be so for real. Antal‘s vegan ass can’t just raise his hand and say what if we ate corpses instead and have the entire culture instantly switch over. Even Twilight was like yeah, that’s unrealistic. And Twilight has the added benefit that vampires can at least remember being human. This universe is essentially your son walked up to you and said he’s in a loving relationship with a beef cow. Like don’t make me agree with his dad?

They’re like so baffled that his dad who’s 900 years old and a career politician would be good at manipulative plans. And I’m just like it’s in the job description. The whole book is essentially daddy booked me a farm-raised hunting trip to make me look cool for the senate. And I didn’t wanna be a politician, but now that I’ve had absolute control over a country, I’ve realized it’s kind of a sweet deal, and I’d like to keep doing it. And the solution to this political corruption? Well, obviously the nepo baby is going to follow his dad’s plan to the letter, but he’ll convince himself that it’s his idea now, and then he’ll hire his besties so that they can be unqualified neighbors with a majority rule. Like-

His dad‘s big evil plan was to get his son elected. Mission accomplished. Oh no, the big bad villain’s good at his job? Don’t make him sexy! I’m too much a Capricorn for this shit. I ran into this exact problem with Sara Raasch’s queer romance series too.

Fi, thankfully holds her own for most of the book. She’s got vicious Mary Sue plot armor, but you know, at the end of the day, I like to see women lop off the body parts of people who underestimate them.

If you thought Voidwalker was obnoxious with its endless fashion descriptions, Sunsplitter said hold my beer. I genuinely think this would lose 100 pages if we took out the never ending descriptions of hairstyles and Hot Topic circa 2008 outfits. They’re unnecessary. They’re annoying. I can’t believe an editor allowed her to pull this shit a second time.

She halts not one but two action scenes to virtue signal about pronouns. Let’s be so clear; readers want diversity. Readers do not want it shoved down their throats. Your side characters have to do more than tick diversity boxes. It is absolutely appropriate to have dialogue where a character corrects another for accidentally misgendering them, but not in the middle of a fight scene. Pedantic corrections will always read as camp, and if your intent is not humor or earnestness, they don’t belong in a scene. If someone’s bleeding out and you couldn’t swap the dialogue to correct the verbiage another character used without it reading goofy as hell, it’s not the time to chat about pronouns. It just reads as disingenuous. It makes it so clear that an author’s reduced a character’s value to their representation rather than the connection the audience could make with them from an accurate portrayal. It’s frustrating to me because I know that authors include scenes like this from a place of good intention. They want to be inclusive. But the best way to demonstrate inclusive writing is to make whatever characteristic diversifies them the least notable thing about them. That trait can’t be their identity. Unfortunately, scenes like this force it to be their only identity.

I’m not sure what else to say. This couldn’t have flopped harder for me. It took all the brat energy and banter that I loved in the first book and got rid of it. There’s no heist. There’s no impossible odds to overcome. It’s daddy issues dragged out for 500 pages and unfortunately his dad‘s hotter and more interesting. I still recommend Voidwalker, but I would treat it as a standalone. I will read this author again because I really enjoyed her previous work. The Phoenix Keeper is so fun! But kindly, this was bad, and unkindly, it ruined Antal as a character for me. I don’t think you should read this.

Who should read this:
Completionists
Unironic Twilight fans

Ideal reading time:
Winter

Do I want to reread this:
I wish I could unread it because it’s ruined the series for me.

Would I buy this:
Too late to return it lol! They did beautiful artwork for the sequel, but fuck it’s so bad!

Similar books:
* Twilight by Stephenie Meyer-OG YA paranormal romance. I don’t know how to tell you that these are the same book but they’re the same book.
* A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Mass-OG fantasy romance filler
and then the rest is just bottoms with daddy issues lol
* Wooing the Witch Queen by Stephenie Burgess-fairytale retelling, fantasy romance, revenge, family drama
* The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch-urban fantasy, queer romance, family drama
* Startup Hell by Caitlin Rozakis-urban fantasy, paranormal romance, family drama
* Night Call by C. T. Whistle-like it’s not but it’s the same queer character works through parental abuse with their lover! This one’s just gay werewolves solving crime

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Amber Butler]

Thank you to S.A. MacLean and Orbit Books for providing a gifted copy (and to NetGalley for providing an eARC as well!). This is my voluntary and honest review.

4-4.5⭐️

This was such a good sequel!!

First of all, thank youuuu S.A. MacLean for the recap at the beginning. 🙌 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I wish more authors did this! It’s so helpful!

Book 1 felt like it could’ve been a standalone in that I thought it wrapped things up well. That said, I wasn't sure how much story was left to tell, and after a series of disappointing sequels this year, I admittedly went into this one a little hesitant, but definitely was excited to get more Fi and Antal. I ended up being SO happy with how solid of a sequel this was!👏👏👏

We got action, mystery, expanded world-building, even more politics, got to see Antal working t through the ghosts of his past and his complicated family dynamics, and we got to see Antal and Fi’s relationship develop beyond the “happy for now” we got in book 1. I loved getting to see Fi and Antal figure out what their relationship looks like after falling in love as they dealt with barriers (such as disapproving friends and family, cultural differences, her being a human and him being a carnivorous immortal, etc.). It was nice to see them learn more about each other's cultures and build a life together that honors both.

Getting Antal's POV was such a delight! He has such pathetic wet cat energy and I adore him. 🥹 I love how he tries to understand humanity to keep Fi happy like learning to cook, figuring out pet names, taking her dancing, and all those little things. I love when an MMC is completely in awe of (and in this case, also mildly terrified of and constantly perplexed by) his girl. 🥰

The only thing really keeping it from being a full 5 stars for me is that Fi kind of annoys me at times. She’s in her 30s, confident, badass, sassy, and brazen; however, I feel like she can often cross over into immature, brash, and obnoxious territory. This can be funny at times, but it also made me want to roll my eyes at her more than I would’ve liked. I also could’ve done with less ex drama with Ixli. But I will say that the found family with Ixli and Syvr ended up being nice! 🤷‍♀️

This duology has such a great balance of world-building, plot, politics, action, romance, humor, and depth. It’s so much more than just “monster smut”. But yes, the monster smut aspect also delivered. 🤭 The tension was so good and the spice was steamyyy. He has a tail and knows how to use it. Just sayin'. 👀 If you were hoping for more tail stuff in book 1, you will not be disappointed in this one. 😉

Overall, this was such a fun and engaging sequel from start to finish! It made me so glad this story continued beyond book 1! Fingers crossed for some spinoffs set in this world! 🤞

[Paige Ottaway]

That 🔥 scene alone was worth 5 stars. This was absolutely incredible, I am so sad to leave these two characters. Voidwalker was one of my top reads of 2025 and Sunsplitter is no exception. This book was made for me, the romance is so unique and incredibly well written that I felt every single moment. I wasn’t sure where the plot would go after book one but i was not disappointed one bit, this was even more high stakes than Voidwalker and included more of what I love; betrayal and a whole lot of feminine rage. My favourite thing about these characters is how gentle and soft Antel is despite being seen as a monster and how fierce and vicious Fi is despite being seen as an insignificant human. Fi is so relatable, I love everything about her and I only wish this was a 10 book series so I could continue to fall into this world. Consider my heart slightly broken and full all at the same time ❤️