The Emperor's Enemy

Unsurvivable Love Duet #1

by Jasmine Mas

An all-new dark and delectably unhinged romantasy duet from New York Times bestseller Jasmine Mas set in a world full of dangerous magic, rebellion, and vicious rivalry. Pre-order now!

WHEN THE HUNTER IS HUNTED, WHO BECOMES PREY?

The Emperor’s Enemy
She is Zora Knight Mage, Bear of the North, and only hope of her people against the ravenous empire.

The Hunter’s Mark
He is Aleksander the divinely ordained Emperor and Royal Mage, hellbent on capturing Zora once and for all. The Emperor will use everything and everyone in his power to possess her, even Tarantula, the deadliest assassin in the empire’s arsenal. But there is something they don’t realize— Zora is hunting them back…

The Most Dangerous Game
For each, this obsession might prove their downfall.

Who will bend the knee first?

The Unsurvivable Love Duet from Jasmine Mas, bestselling author of Blood of Hercules and Bonds of Hercules.

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

438 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2026

About the author

JASMINE MAS is a New York Times bestselling author of fantasy romance. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages. She has a degree in ancient Greco-Roman classical studies from Georgetown University who spends all her free time writing about strong women in magical worlds. She loves connecting with readers on TikTok and Instagram at @jasminemasbooks.

Join her newsletter at blog.jasminemasbooks.com for early access and perks. Her website is jasminemasbooks.com

Reviews

[Marianna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way this man yearned made my ovaries actually explode. I want to jump out of my skin. I’m LOSING MY MIND GIMME THE NEXT BOOK NOW!!!!!

[Jaimee Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️ The best enemies to lovers I’ve read in a WHILE and finally a man I’m obsessed with! Plot twist was 50% immaculate and 50% frustrating. Ending is rude AF. Emotional, hilarious, typical Jasmine Mas but it feels elevated.

[Liana Gold · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ 2.5 ⭐️No, just no.

After a long consideration, yup this is 2 stars for me. I wasn't exactly the biggest fan of Bonds of Hercules but I always give authors multiple tries before I can say I love it or 'it's not for me'. But I think this author is not for me.

World building? Very confusing, I still don’t understand it to full extent. I kept asking myself what exactly are we after?? What plot? Is it even there? No it’s not, you’re going to be reading about nothingness for xx hours.

The language of THEE and THOU, why are we even using it? It’s absurd. It’s weird, it’s out of place. Even when the author does offer an explanation… it’s not a good one. It’s diabolical.

Oh they are definitely enemies AT FIRST.. and it’s a fake slow burn, so don’t fall for that fake description. Just so inaccurate! Their relationship was focused on possession vs protection and mutual respect. And by 35-40% she’s already thinking about how he would feel inside of her. WTF! I was just not feeling it.

Adding some jealousy to increase the tension? That would work if the chemistry was palpable! Nope, not here! I really had a hard time connecting to the characters. There was absolutely ZERO romance here and just a TON of ick. There is really not a lot to them if I’m honest. It’s a book that made zero sense.

As for the audiobook, which wasn’t my favorite, I didn’t like the females voice. She sounded robotic. I don’t think she was the right choice for this fantasy novel. I love Teddy Hamilton but his Spanish accent didn’t feel natural here. This was definitely not my favorite by him. I listened to this at 2.25x speed. I think it’s best to just SKIP IT.

Sorry, not sorry.





Many thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio for an early ALC.

Narrator: Teddy Hamilton, Emma Wilder
Duration: 15 hours 15 min
Speed: 1.75-2x

Publication: September 15, 2026

[Gabi Koz · Rating 0.25 out of 5]

Unfortunately I have nothing nice to say 😭

If you don’t want to see anything negative, I wouldn’t recommend continuing to read this. In an effort to be transparent about what’s not working for me, here are some of my reasons for the 1⭐️ rating:

The characters gave me the biggest ick. An MMC named “Tarantula” who speaks in half-Old-English (only thou, thee & art though…. no other Shakespearean/ old language…). She snowboards??? And she is supposed to be this badass female warrior but is like pushed around and captured so easily. She says she hates him & people are saying “real enemies to lovers,” but at 36%, she’s pondering whether she’d rather be on top or under when they hook up 😑

Every single beast is dire_____ (insert any animal here). Direlion, direhorse, direbear, direviper .. like come ON. There’s almost no plot- it’s all over the place and I truly have no idea what’s even going on.

I can’t!!! I’m like genuinely mad about it 😂 I’m typically very easy to please, but this is probably the worst book I’ve read this year.

[Bailee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like your main characters to bully each other (my favorite dynamic) this one’s for you. I had fun with this one! A fast paced for-the-vibes romantasy.

Also, Tarantula had me blushing. Consistently.

[Andy (slow) · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

Such a quick, fun read! And the spice? 👀 Quick-paced, intriguing, and honestly way more entertaining than I expected.

I kinda guessed the truth about these two men, BUT it was still so much fun watching everything unfold. And Tarantula??? That man is completely unhinged. 😂

His dynamic with Zora was honestly breathtaking, and the banter was SO good. Zora was sometimes a little too much for me, but overall I was here for it.

My only real complaint: the whole thee/thou speech 😭 I’m sorry, but why are we talking like that???

Still, Tarantula being absolutely feral + the chemistry + the chaos = I had a very good time.

[Aimee Tea Reads📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book has a little bit of everything. The world is very unique and if you want real enemies-to-lovers you’d love this💖

[luna ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this man has been yearning for her for so long, it made me wish i was zora. once again, jasmine mas is a fucking genius with the plot twist. i need the second book NOW!

𐙚⋆.˚ pre-read

the way i squealed when i saw an early copy at my bookstore?!?! like of course i had to get it.

[CC ♡]

DNF 30%

when i saw the mmc was called Tarantula, i said "trust the process". safe to say the process betrayed me. thou hast mistaken me for someone who can endure this, alas methinks thee art wrong.

[Taskin⋆彡⭒ (s-ia) · Rating 2.25 out of 5]

2.25/5 ⭐⭐
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Zora joins the Crimson Army to avenge her homeland and her best friend. She survives a deadly Iron Ritual and becomes a Knight Mage, but her defensive storm magic won’t work. The solution? Pair her with Tarantula, the Emperor’s deadliest Royal Mage and her arch enemy.

The world building:There’s barely any world-building. The setting is ancient and modern at once, with missiles and planes but no photographers, so big events get painted portraits. None of it fits together, and I couldn’t picture any of it.
Plot points come out of nowhere with no setup. Around the two-thirds mark, Zora passes the trial of a godlike being nobody had mentioned, and the trial itself was never brought up either. The banter is great, though.
The whole thing feels like a pile of tropes mashed together and hoping for the best. A war is happening, but why? Magic exists, but how? Snowboarding, sand surfing, helicopters, and horses seem to be there just to fill space. Why is the FMC snowboarding in a world with helicopters, elves, Fae, and dragons? Bottom line: no world-building, no real plot.

Also, did I mention that “I fell on my knees” shows up something like 3,654,938,364 times?

Tarantula: He’s easily the most misogynistic MMC I’ve ever read. He acts like men are superior and women can’t survive without their protection, and he slut-shames the FMC from page one. There’s some backstory, but that’s no excuse to talk to anyone like that, royal or not. He also speaks in half-baked Shakespearean English, sprinkling in “thou,” “thee,” “art,” and “’tis” even though everyone else talks normally. He literally told her to sit on his face, so the act is pointless. His dialogue was so irritating to read.
Then, around page 300, he turns into a simp for her after belittling her for so long, even though he’s her arch enemy and she hates him. Did I mention he loves it when she stabs him or slaps him constantly? It turns him on. *Sighs* On top of that, he sexualizes everything she wears and orders her to change, even though he’s supposed to be shackled up

Zora: She’s a strong FMC, no doubt. I’m glad she calls him out for his misogyny, and I have nothing bad to say about her. She isn’t fearless or invincible, and I liked that she had doubts like everyone else

Axel and Ella: I loved the twins and how they always had Zora’s back. The rest of the side characters were pretty weak. Shout out to her little owl, Squire, who was cute and hilarious at the same time. His comments about Tarantula had me screaming.

The ending: The plot twist was good, even if it was predictable. The last 30% bumped my rating up from 1.75 to 2.25

---------------
| BR with my girl CC

[honestlysophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

people fall to their knees 30 times

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how we love men that YEARN

[Andrea · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I listened to the audio. It gave the characters a depth that is indescribable. I loved them. Every second. I loved this book

[EmJustReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A wicked man, a lucky lucky girl, and an owl walk into a bar(rack)…

At the start I was a little nervous that this was just going to be Psycho Shifters/ Blood of Hercules in a different font, but I am very happy to report this is NOT the case.

We do get to see the author’s writing style shine though — which is why I loved her previous books. There is a very strong willed expressive FMC, and we also have a hilarious animal side kick with the best one liners. But the rest is unique.

We have TRUE enemies to lovers — a few fatal attempts actually. And YEARRRRRNING. Dear lorddd. It feels like the slowest slow burn because I couldn’t wait, the anticipation was intense. Each page I flipped I hoped they’d get sweaty if ya know what I mean.

The story had a perfect blend of mystery where the FMC (and the reader) are in the dark, and only discovering things in time. I didn’t expect any of the twists, but that may be due to the fact I was so focused on the attraction and interactions instead of the world building aspect.

The banter and hate flirting are *chef’s kiss*

It’s hard to say if I enjoyed the back and forth more, or Squire’s commentary (helpful)

I read an ARC from the publisher, but these are my honest thoughts and reactions. It’s definitely one of my top reads this year, and I’m already dreaming about the next book.

[sera (s-ia) · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

━━━୨ଓ ⤸
꒰ 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ꒱

𝟑.𝟓 ✩

꒰ 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: ꒱
Part military fantasy, part constant plot-twist whiplash, 100% unhinged.

At the heart of The Emperor’s Enemy is Zora Ravenal, a fierce soldier determined to protect her people and defeat the Empire. After becoming a Knight Mage, she is forced to work alongside Tarantula, a powerful Royal Mage and her sworn enemy. With a war raging around them and secrets unfolding, the two are forced into an uneasy partnership that makes them question who they can trust and what is truly at stake.

The worldbuilding was definitely one of the more unique aspects of the book. It blends magic, military technology, deadly creatures, and the mysterious Mist that affects technology, creating a world that feels very different from the typical fantasy setting. Sometimes, I felt like I needed a little more explanation because so many new elements were introduced at once, but I also enjoyed how unpredictable everything felt. New creatures, abilities, and mysteries kept the world feeling fresh and gave me plenty to discover. Squire, Zora’s owl, was also such a fun addition and brought some much-needed lighter moments to the story.

Zora is the type of character who would burn the world down before letting anything happen to the people she loves. Her past has shaped the way she approaches everything, and I enjoyed seeing how it influences the choices she makes. As the story progresses, she is forced to question some of the beliefs she has held onto and decide what she is willing to sacrifice for the people she cares about. She isn’t fearless or invincible, and I liked that we get to see her make mistakes and question herself along the way. Those moments beneath her tough exterior give her character more depth, while her determination to protect what matters to her remains at the heart of her journey.

Tarantula is... how should I say it? Quite deranged, but in a good way. He is surrounded by a lot of mystery, and I liked how difficult it was to figure out his true intentions at first. He comes across as arrogant, powerful, and intimidating, but he also has a more vulnerable and complicated side. Learning more about his past and motivations gradually changed the way I viewed him, and I liked seeing him become more open and emotionally honest while still keeping that unpredictable edge

Unfortunately, the romance was probably my least favorite part of the book. Going into it, I was expecting a strong enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but the relationship felt much more like insta-love to me. I wanted more time spent on the transition from enemies to something romantic, especially considering how much potential there was in their opposing positions and personalities. Their chemistry had some enjoyable moments, but I never fully felt the progression of their feelings, so I found myself more invested in the overall plot and the mysteries surrounding them than in their romance.

One thing I will say is that the plot moves FAST. There is barely any time to settle into one situation before something else happens, whether it is a new revelation, a fight or another complication. At times, the pacing was almost overwhelming because so much was happening, but it also made the book incredibly easy to fly through. I was constantly curious about what would happen next, and even when I was confused, I wanted to keep reading because I needed answers.

And the twists?? Absolutely insane. Just when I thought I had figured things out, the story would completely flip the situation. Several reveals made me rethink what I had previously assumed, especially when it came to the characters and their true intentions. By the end, I had no idea what to believe anymore.

Overall, The Emperor’s Enemy was a fast-paced, unpredictable fantasy read with unique worldbuilding, complicated characters, and plenty of twists that kept me turning the pages. While the romance didn’t quite live up to what I was hoping for, the mysteries and character dynamics kept me entertained and left me eager for the next book.

[MichelleAriana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I get it, I GET IT, everyone on BookTok is feral for this but I am simply built different.

Let's start with Zora, our supposedly deadly Knight Mage who spends 90% of the book being manhandled, monologued at, and rescued by the very empire she claims to be dismantling from the inside. "Doesn't need saving" is doing a LOT of heavy lifting in that marketing copy, because between chapters 12 and 30 I counted at least four separate instances of her being physically overpowered and narratively bailed out by Aleksander; the same man she's supposedly hunting.

Speaking of Aleksander, "the Sadistic" is a nickname the book tells us constantly and shows us maybe twice. He broods, he glowers, he says vaguely threatening things about "possessing" her, and then two chapters later he's tenderly bandaging her wounds like a Pinterest board come to life. Pick a lane. Is he a genocidal emperor or a misunderstood softboi with anger issues? The book wants both and earns neither.

He's less "divinely ordained emperor" and more "guy at a Renaissance faire who took his character sheet too seriously" with the way he speaks.

The plot: There isn't much of one. Strip away the training montages, the brooding stares, and the endless internal monologuing about how much Zora hates/wants Aleksander, and you're left with maybe 100 pages of actual story stretched to breaking point.

The writing: Overwrought. Every glance is "molten," every touch "searing." The dialogue is trying so hard to be witty and quotable that it forgets to sound like anything a person would actually say. And the worldbuilding is thin; the Empire, the Commonwealth, the magic system are all vague enough that you could swap them for any other Sarah J. Maas knockoff on the shelf right now and nothing would change.

The sassy owl was genuinely the only character with a personality.

I finished it out of spite. Hard pass. I do not recommend.

[bookish.reader.elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhhh wow okay this was something. Definitely not the something I was expecting. I liked Villains of Lore so I was very excited for this.

This kind of gave me irresistible urge to fall for your enemy vibes. Even down to the chapter titles. Which I feel like it’s of those you books you either like it or you don’t. In this case I felt like this was trying too hard to hit all the tropes so I didn’t end up enjoying it. The characters recited things over in the dialogue in parentheses to reiterate their feelings which kind of took me out of the moment (not helpful). That as a reader we were reminded over and over how funny and angry and sarcastic (sarcastic see I was sarcastic) the characters were that the story became muddled. At times I felt like maybe I was missing something almost like I was reading a fan fiction without knowing the previous fandom at all.

I couldn’t get a good sense of the world building, magic system or why there was a war. There were helicopters, magic, snowboarding, old English phrases, swords and dragons. It was chaotic, there wasn’t really a plot but things were happening and we need to care. The archaic language felt jarring and weird to me. Im not sure why it was added but I personally didn’t think it add anything important to the story plot besides maybe helping you remember they were from a different area. See they are different, obviously they talk funny (haha they talk funny). I usually enjoy banter and internal monologue but this felt so internal that it felt like there were only two characters in the entire story. It was a very much tell you not show you story. Also the timeline felt super disjointed by the end I kind of understood everything but at the same time it just felt like I didn’t care because even the characters didn’t seem to care either. Everyone was as just like yeah sure that makes total sense yeahhh go for it, no questions asked I’ll just be here where you left me, in this plot hole for when you get back.

The characters were interesting. The chemistry and romance was okayish. I still don’t feel like we got to know them very well yet. It felt like mostly characteristics and bullet points. I was waiting for the walls to break down in this book so we could really get to know and see what each character was really about. Maybe in future books we will get to know them better but it was all kind of thrown at us at the very end. I liked Squire the best. Any time there is an animal companion they are usually my favorite.

Over all this book felt like it could have been condensed into the last 1/4 of the book. Or maybe started in a different direction. I will say the ending had a major twist but honestly after the ending I don’t see me wanting to read the next book. This is a real enemies to uhh enemies (lovers) story and I personally don’t care for a specific action that Zora committed at the end. So I can’t see myself wanting to read about her trying to reconcile and I don’t think the love interest should want to either. I think she made her self clear and the love interest should take the hint they are enemies and stay enemies forever.

Huge thank you to HTP Hive for the eARC

[Aiste Tauras · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nelegalu taip gerai praleist laiką su knyga.🤭 My type of MMC - delulu level 💯💯💯; obsession level 💯💯💯; Yearning level 💯💯💯

Gavau tai ko norėjau, knyga visiškai for the vibes, bet ir pabaiga maloniai pradžiugino, bus sunku laukti tęsinio.😭

FMC nepasidavė jo provokacijoms ir viliojimui iki pat galo, o jis toks - She'd slapped me like she wanted me.🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭 LOVE IT.
4,5⭐️

Visi Squire komentarai „Spider slut”😆😆😆…🤌🏻🤌🏻

[Lily the Lilac ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

═══ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ════

🗡️≋🌊≋🖤 The Emperor's Enemy 🖤≋🌊≋🗡️

꒰➛ Stars: 4 ⭐!
꒰➛ Pov: First-person FMC
꒰➛ Spice: 2 / 5
꒰➛ Content: Swearing; violence; torture (but dw he likes it); one moderately detailed spicy scene

꒰➛ This review is spoiler-free!

═══ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ════

✎𓂃 Story! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wasn't expecting military urban-based romantasy when I picked this up, but that's what I got! There's a war between the Empire and the Democratic Commonwealth, the world is hostile, and there's some remains of technology left. For the most part, the overarching plot of the war serves as a background setting and reason for the characters to do things / go places. Which I was fine with, because the real plot is the romance, right?

My only complaints in the story department are that the first half of the book drags a little, and once the plot twist hits (which is a twisty twist you can probably guess, but I still liked) I was just sitting there trying to figure out what everyone's intentions had been from the start and why they had acted in certain ways. Which could be on me, but I do want to point out that I'm a high and epic fantasy reader, so I'm used to picking out everyone's intentions and reasoning! So do what you will with the fact that a high / epic fantasy reader was slightly confused

═══ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ════

✎𓂃 Characters! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

╰┈➤ 𝒵𝑜𝓇𝒶

She was a pretty typical FMC in my opinion, so I don't have much to say about her. Strong, independent, and with a strong will to match Tarantula's, she was enjoyable, if not too stand out. I did like just how loyal she was to her cause, even when she started falling her for enemy. Maybe that's because the Democratic Commonwealth are clearly the common people versus the rich

╰┈➤ 𝒯𝒶𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓁𝒶

His thee-thou-thy speaking can take a minute to get used to, but honestly it fits him really well. Never have I seen a character care more about propriety before than here, and there was honestly something so hilarious to me about the fact that he's the world's deadliest assassin, but also probably the world's biggest prude as well 🤣 Man starts to freak out at the sight of Zora's ankles and shoulders, and I mean that literally

╰┈➤ 𝒪𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈

Ella and Axel, the twin Knight Mages, have the best sibling style bond 🙏 That I'm-annoying-you-but-I-would-also-kill-anyone-for-you vibe really endured me to them. I mean, anyone would disembowel someone for their sister, and then let their sister cut that guy's throat, right? They make a great duo, too; Ella being gentle and caring but able to fend for herself, and Axel being sarcastic and energetic with a penchant for random singing 🤭 (Side note: I could not stop laughing whenever Tarantula referred to Axel as 'jester' to enrage him)

I can't forget about Zora's talking bird, Squire, either! He's such a little cutie, sometimes saying great jokes, sometimes digging Zora deeper into metaphorical holes. As I was binging this and calling out lines to my brother, we kept referring to Squire as 'the adorable borb' 💖 (For those who don't know, a borb is cutesy slang for a small, orb-shaped bird)

═══ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ════

✎𓂃 Romance! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOW. THE DYNAMIC 🤤 The relationship between Zora and Tarantula was by far the highlight of the book for me! Every time these two were together (and I think they have much more going for them together than separately) I was CACKLING. Their banter is genuinely hilarious, their love language is rolling around on the sand in rage, and I think "Uneducated serf" and "Ankle-obsessed degenerate" are some of my new favorite insults XD These are true enemies here; they spend most of the book at each others' throats, and I saw no sign of that changing for a long time! But of course, he falls first and so much harder

Also yes, Zora likes to point knives at Tarantula a little too much, and yes, Tarantula likes having those knives pointed at him a LOT too much 👀 You can always get me to read a book if you promise a man with slight masochistic and / or submissive tendencies

═══ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ════

✎𓂃 Conclusion! 𓂃✎
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was promised a interesting dynamic, a strong independent FMC, a powerful MMC who likes being stabbed, and romantasy angst. And while there were some things missing for me, I was given all that I was expecting! And it made me laugh, which is the most important part!

═══ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ═════ ≪ °☁︎° ≫ ════

[Iqra]

I saw this has real, concrete enemies-to-lovers, and I must confess, this trope is my bread and butter 🤧🙏 my hungry romantasy-loving heart has desperately been scavenging for something like this, and I can already envision this becoming the one book I make my entire personality for the foreseeable future.

Book 2 in my Read a Book a Day challenge lets goooo 🗣️🗣️

[luna ♡]

I NEED THIS NOW

[paulina · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was really excited to pick this one up because i’ve heard so many great things about the author’s previous books. unfortunately, this one just wasn’t for me. as always, this is only my opinion, and just because i didn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. i share all of my reviews, both positive and negative, so i wanted to be honest about my experience

the premise had so much potential, but i struggled to connect with both the story and the characters from the very beginning. the world-building felt underdeveloped, and i never felt like i had a solid understanding of the magic system, the war, or how everything fit together. there were so many different elements thrown together that it ended up feeling chaotic rather than immersive

zora was also a difficult protagonist for me to root for. she came across as incredibly naive and immature, and i never formed the emotional connection i needed to stay invested in her journey. because of that, i found myself wanting to finish the book as quickly as possible, which is a feeling i rarely have when reading

tarantula was where the book really lost me. i know he’s the yearning, falls-first love interest, but i just couldn’t warm to him. his archaic, medieval-style way of speaking constantly pulled me out of the story instead of drawing me in, and i never found myself invested in the romance between them

the one standout was squire. his relationship with zora was genuinely adorable, and every scene with the little owl companion brought a smile to my face. he was easily my favourite part of the entire book

overall, i kept waiting for the story to click, but it never did. despite an interesting premise and a cute animal companion, i never connected with the characters or felt immersed in the world, and by the end i wasn’t interested enough to continue with the series

[veerali · Rating 0.5 out of 5]

well i don't know about the emperor's enemy but surely every single character in this book was my enemy.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointment doesn’t even cover how I feel about this book. I was so excited to read this one, i genuinely liked her previous work for Blood of Hercules and thought, this was gonna be good time. I was wrong. This was a hot mess. A train wreck I clearly should’ve looked away from and didn’t.

Not everything was horrible! I can always trust that Jasmine Mas will make the most adorable and funny little animal companion for her fmc. And Squire delivered. He is the reason for the extra star actually. Along with the few moments of banter I did enjoy between Zora and Tarantula.

Now besides the ridiculous name of Tarantula, I was conflicted with these characters. I didn’t exactly know what to make of them. They had characteristics that constantly contrasted how they acted. One minute he’s a blushing and fumbling idiot and the next, he’s dark and sensual. And she was fierce and ruthless and then other times scared and unsure. Their actions just did not line up with how they were most of the time.

To be honest this whole book felt like a bunch of ideas and tropes were thrown together and they prayed it worked. It did not. I had no idea what was going on, there was a war but WHY? We don’t know. There’s magic, HOW? We don’t really find out. There’s extreme action activities such as snowboarding, sand surfing, helicopters, and horses for no other reason than to just add words to a page. There is just no world-building or plot in my opinion.

The plot twist at the end did not surprise me and it’s not because I expected it, I did not. I just got to a point where I knew something was gonna happen because nothing happened during the book. So surely, you gotta add some oomph at the end.

Overall, I’m just sad this book did not hit the mark for me. I was super excited to read about it cause the premise is something I would definitely read, but the execution was severely lacking unfortunately.

Thanks to HTP Books for letting me read this via Netgalley!

[Rachel Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Blood of Hercules so I was so excited to pick up the first instalment of The Unsurvivable Love Duet! Sadly however this one just didn't work for me. I thought the premise was really interesting, but I found the world-building and plot quite chaotic and difficult to follow - some parts of the story just didn't seem to flow.

I never really connected with the characters, so I wasn't fully invested in the plot. Zora was missing that unique spark and identity I was hoping for and I found the way Tarantula spoke a little strange and jarring.

There were definitely some interesting ideas, and I can see why other readers are enjoying it, but unfortunately it just wasn't the right book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the arc.

[Lena · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

2.75⭐️

I really can’t say what it was, but this just didn’t hit as hard as I’d hoped. I did feel rather indifferent toward the whole story and the characters for almost the entirety of the book.
The ending was the only part that changed my mind about how I saw the story.

My main problem was that I struggled to connect with the characters. It also took me a while to understand the magic system and the world building. It felt like information was just thrown in there without any reasonable explanations.

Zora and Tarantula did have pretty nice banter, and I loved his yearning and possessiveness toward her. He was always such a mysterious but also unhinged character, and that made me want to continue reading. I loved his POV in the end the most. The way this man is obsessed with her is incredible. I loved it! He’s also a little delusional, which makes it even funnier.

The side characters were okay, I guess? But no one really stood out or made me want know more about them.
I liked Zora’s animal companion, Squire, though.

All in all, there were some entertaining chapters, and the ending was pretty good, but it’s definitely my least favorite Jasmine Mas book. It wasn’t particularly bad, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I’m not yet sure if I’ll read the next one. Maybe just to find out what Tarantula comes up with to charm Zora.

tropes:
~ enemies to lovers
~ forced proximity
~ dark fantasy
~ touch her and die
~ banter

quotes:

“I was going to ruin the world so I could watch her try to save it.“

“What if I yearn to consume her whole and I cannot..avoid the dangerous inclinations? This hunger is devasting, a constant ache - the darkest of compulsions.“

“I yearn to do...terrible things to thee."
"What is actually wrong with you?" I aimed my dagger at him accusingly. "You don't just reveal your intensions towards a woman. Suffer like a man and suppress your feelings.“

[Clarissa Labue-Pham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, this is a tough book to rate! It's bad, so so so bad and yet, I could not put it down.

In the emperors enemy Zora must work with her arch-nemesis, Tarantula. He's the emporers right hand man and now that he's captured she has to train with him, spar with him, and go on missions with him while trying to take down the mysterious but equally evil emperor. They both find working together harder than they thought when both are both polarized and attracted to the other in this true enemies-to-lovers romantasy.

OK, where to begin. This book is bad, like astonishingly how-did-she-get-published bad. To think someone actually read and published this trash is beyond me. It's a train wreck.

The world building doesn't exist at all. All I can glean is the world is somehow both ancient and modern (there's missiles and planes but no photographers so they just paint portraits of big events!) There's also weird modern things like the term cosplaying or his request that she sit on his face (I'm not joking) that really break the immersion in a fantasy world. None of the particulars in this world fit together in any cohesive way. I just could not picture it, and anytime I tried to make it make sense I just found myself stressed out with a headache.

Aside from the lack of world building everything is dropped suddenly and randomly, like the author came up with it on the spot with no buildup or relevant background information, events and missions just happen and you have no real context. A good example is around three thirds of the way through she passes the trial of some godlike being never once previously mentioned. No, the trial wasn't ever before mentioned either.

God, the more I think about it, the more I could kick myself for being taken in for thirty-one dollars because of a pretty cover.

Here's where things get interesting though, it's a bad book, there's no denying but it does do some things well. First, the chemistry and yearning are off the charts. I was so invested in the romance, more so than any books recently. The banter is great, I enjoyed the animal sidekick and her friends. I have to admit that despite everything holding this book back it was a total blast to read and I couldn't put it down.

Essentially this book is so bad it's good.

But will I read the next one when it comes out? Maybe, but not at full price.

[Annabel (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge thanks to MIRA, HTP Hive, Harper Collins UK, and of course, Jasmine Mas for the early copy. Thank you so much for taking a chance on me, I am so eternally grateful for it, and this shall be one of my deathbed books.

6. MOTHER. FCKN. STARS. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ WAIT I NEED TO DO A RE-READ RN
"𝓨𝓮𝓼—𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓪 𝓯𝓸𝓸𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓮. 𝓘𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓶𝓽𝓱, 𝓘 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓼𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓪𝓯𝓵𝓪𝓶𝓮... 𝓘𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓲𝓷𝓳𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓭, 𝓘 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓷 𝓾𝓹 𝓶𝔂 𝓿𝓮𝓲𝓷... 𝓘𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓵 𝓹𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓾𝓵, 𝓘 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓵𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝔂𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯 𝓫𝓮 𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓬𝓾𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓫𝓫𝓮𝓭 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓱𝓼 𝓸𝓷 𝓮𝓷𝓭. 𝓐𝓷𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰, 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝓲𝓽, 𝓘 𝓭𝓸 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓼𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓼𝓯𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷."

"𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖈𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗"
Where do I even start......I thoroughly, completely, utterly enjoyed myself right from the moment I read the first 2 chapter preview, and IMMEDIATELY knew that this would be so far up my alley. Everything was p e r f e c t from start to the end. I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but clearly, I was so blown away, and this book surprised me in so so many ways I didn't see coming.

I really loved Blood of Hercules! Jasmine's writing has always struck the perfect balance of hilarious, smart, packed, and heartfelt. All of that goodness here, but an impossibly infinite levels evolved. I'm in love.

"Just so thou know… I will let thee do anything thou want to me, body or soul, for the rest of my life."

The writing was so beautiful and descriptive, relatable and everything flowed naturally. The world building/magic system, character development and humor all wove in together perfectly in tandem, and I literally have 0 complaints. In fact, my complaint is that I NEED MORE. HOW IS THIS ONLY A DUET 😭😭😭😭 I tried to prolong finishing for as long as I could, because I simply didn't want it to end. BUT IT WAS SO GOOD, I COULDN'T STOP READING OR THINKING ABOUT IT.

"No woman has ever been so lovely."

The chapter titles were also very wittingly named. F(ire) and Ice, T(error), Tyranny's Pr(ice), D(anger), Con(descension). My personal favourite is Manipul(ate) 🤭 > INTERPRET HOW YOU WILL. SO GOOD.

"Never make peace with evil."

MY THEORY WAS RIGHT BUT THE REVELATION JUST KEPT GETTING CRAZIER AND CRAZIER AND SUDDENLY EVERYTHING MADE SENSE. JASMINEEEEE YOUR MIND

"Thou art pathetic, Ravenal." *Zora spits onto his expensive boot*
He arched an eyebrow. "Do that again... I dare thee." *SHE OBEYS* His eyes hardened. "Lick it off."

The humor, the characters, the world-building & magic system, the plot - Jasmine just kept giving and GIVING. Everything was so unique, a blend of urban fantasy and military fantasy, with elemental magic, dragons, mages and landscapes. Wow. I need to shout about this from the snowy mountains - the world was absolutely immersive and a breath of fresh goodness, which absolutely delivered with no question marks. Amazing.

"Thou could not....handle.....my endowment."
"I was referring to my immense coffers. What were thou pondering?"

The humor was absolutely insane. Diabolical. Dark humour at its FINEST. I just kept laughing non stop, smiling to myself like I'm crazed (*warning: do not be like me, and attempt to read this in public*). Honestly so relatable because I have the exact same deprecating thoughts and reactions; I felt so seen.

“I wake up thinking about thee. I go to bed thinking about thee… I spend my days thinking about how I shall ruin your life. And yet thou beat me to it—thou ruined mine first.”

Tarantula...... this man has a genuine chokehold over me. He can rip me to pieces or set me on fire, and I'll thank him for it. He's so fiercely protective, possessive, loyal, hot, mysterious ugh I've never met an MMC quite like him, and I need more. The way that he speaks in archaic "thee thou art" just rubs the crevices of my brain (and other places) in the right ways. Oh, and he smells like dark cherry.

“𝙄 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙢.” “𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩.”

He's also unhinged and just deranged as hell. His obsession with making Zora his is sexy as hell. His real name is sexy as hell. He's sexy as hell. His butterfly tattoos??!?>!?>?!? bye. This man walked out of a dark romance book, and is living in my head rent free now.

"Go..." "What art thou trying to say? Art thou okay?" "...screw yourself."
"I think—" he sighed "—I shall screw thee instead, Revanal."

The ways that he literally goes FERAL if someone hurts her, much less even looks at her or talks to her - they're beyond dead. "I will Burn down the world for you" very literally. Like launching a whole avalanche onto them, or going on a massacre, tearing them apart with just a flick of his finger. The depth of his magic will never cease to amaze me, and we haven't even seen a minuscule fraction of what he's capable of yet. I REALLY HOPE WE WILL IN BOOK TWO.

"Thou keep telling me how I feel, Ravenal... 'Tis very unbecoming of a woman."
"So, loathe me." "I don't think I will anymore." "You must." "I shan't."

THE YEAAAARRRRNINNNNNGGGGGGGGGGG. The fact that he's so raw with his emotions and thoughts is such a stark contrast to his big bad evil spidey-man persona - this man genuinely wanted Zora, and just wanted her to be safe. HE DID NOT COME TO PLAY GAMES.
𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓼𝔂𝔁𝔃𝓪𝓵, 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓿𝓪𝓼𝓼𝓪𝓵. He literally dotes on her so much, he's so cuddly, touchy, and he's constantly giving forehead kisses and peppering kisses all over her face 🥺🥺🥺 MY HEART it's so cute 🥺 if he had a tail, we'll see it wagging

"𝙃𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮, 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙. "𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙍𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡." "𝙉𝙤, '𝙏𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪... 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮."

His monstrous, animalistic character was also written so well, and DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON HIS FILTHY MOUTH. How is it possible that this big sexy man is a virgin AND YET. YET? But the way that he's so pure and proper is also REALLY ADORABLE, exposed ankles, wrists, shoulders, KNEECAPS all make him blush and turn red.......he's adorable.
Also, his propensity for his own torture and pain???>?????
I can't believe we got this beautiful man's POV at the very end TWICE . I LITERALLY S(CREAMED).

“Zora Ravenal might be the most consternating woman in all Antichthon, but she was my consternation. Mine.”

ZORA ZORA ZORA, this woman stood on TEN TOES FROM START TO THE END. FML. I WANT HER TOO. She was fantastic. One of my new favourite FMCs - she's capable, strong, stubborn, fiercely loyal, and has a heart for the people she cares about. There's so many layers to her that make me respect and love her every time we learn more about her. I loved her relationship with Aurora and her mom, the twins, and of course, her owl, SQUIRE THE CUTIE. Squire's comments really made lots of moments more lighthearted with his comments (helpful).

"𝘿𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙄 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙚." "𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙚." 𝙃𝙚 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙯𝙚. "𝘼𝙝, 𝙄 𝙨𝙚𝙚. 𝘿𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜? 𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙚." "𝙎𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙚, 𝙍𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡."

The way that she has little to no hesitation to punch, stab, or even borderline kill Tarantula also shocks me in many ways, because it highlights that much more about what she stands for, and what she wants to achieve. Her cause is virtuous and you know Tarantula's..........world domination.

"Thou art not my enemy, syxzal. Thou art mine to worship."

Their chemistry was absolutely electrifying. Watching their relationship evolve from pure enemies to the in between and now...? I can say with my whole chest that this might be one of the best enemies setting I've ever read. Nobody holds a candle to their spitting hate towards each other.
Their banter was absolutely bombastic, I enjoyed every single interaction and inner monologue.

"Do thou know?’ he panted. ‘Thou art the ideal—the most perfect person to ever exist… No one is like thee, and no one could ever match your fire." "Thou art more precious than any jewel, my sweet Zora," "Nothing in all Antichthon holds a candle to thee."

"𝙄 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨." 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙙. "𝙉𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤. 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙮... 𝙈𝙮 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚."

everything leading up to their ✨fornication✨ was absolutely worth it. The sexual tension was crackling alongside their spite, and I was just waiting to see if they will jump each other's bones every time they punch each other.

"𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙢," "𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙚 ..... 𝙤𝙪𝙩." "𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙, 𝙍𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙡. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨.... 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚."

THE CIGARETTE PLAY SCENE? THE HAZY DRUGGED SCENE? CHAPTER 25. 🥵🥵🥵🫦🫦🫦🥵🥵🥵🫦🫦🫦
He acts like a prude and innocent but HE'S ACTUALLY SO FREAKY FML. NO BECAUSE IF THERE ARE BONUS CHAPTERS I NEED THEM RN.

""𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝓶𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓪𝓶." "𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾 𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓶𝓮. 𝓛𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓮... 𝓛𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝓮 𝓫𝓮 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓼, 𝓡𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓪𝓵." "𝓘 𝓫𝓮𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓮, 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓸𝓷 𝓪 𝔂𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝓪𝓷, 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼."

I literally cannot wait for the next book, and I need it now. THAT ENDING LEFT ME IN SHAMBLES AND I FEEL SO SICK TO MY STOMACH??????? OMFG
I can't wait to see where the story goes, and I'm so down for the carnage to come. I thought that it would her revenge arc, but I think it might be both of theirs. The book title makes so much sense to me now. Wow.

"My infatuation: immediate. Obsession at first sight."

I will be left thinking about this book, and Tarantula and Zora for a long long time, and they've truly made an imprint on my heart. One of my favourite reads of all time, and a spirit animal almost.


𑣲⋆ "Thou art my syxzal." "My woman..... in every way."

𑣲⋆ "Syxzal." "Vexation....damnation....duty....honor....fate."

𑣲⋆ "I realized, what I was willing... to risk." His fingers tightened around my throat, just enough to make me gasp. "And what I was not."

𑣲⋆ "Who is Sazha?" "You named him?"

𑣲⋆ "It was the only way to get close to her, and Ta do it again a billion times over.
The past few months with Zora were the best of my entire life. Nothing could compare to the sweetness of watching her scowl above me, turning her little shock device, feeling powerful. She'd slapped me like she wanted me. It had been glorious."

𑣲⋆ ‘There is no corner of Antichthon where thou could hide from me. I shall find thee every single time. Your fate is already decided.’ I’d tasted her fate—our fate—that day when I licked her blood off my lips.”

𑣲⋆ “She was my cult because I was born to worship Zora Ravenal… I was going to ruin the world so I could watch her try to save it.”

𑣲⋆ "Thou art incorrect .... I only desire to bite, not bark. My teeth yearn to mar your arresting flesh."

𑣲⋆ "But what if a person hungers for a single individual... and no one else will do?" "What if I desire to... ruin the object of my attention?" "What if I yearn to consume her whole and I cannot ... avoid the dangerous inclinations? This hunger is devastating, a constant ache—the darkest of compulsions."

𑣲⋆ "Men loved to blame women for their evil, like it would absolve them. It didn't."

𑣲⋆ "The corner of his lips twitched as he fought a grin. "I call thee that because thou art my vassal — mine. " He spoke like I was a thing to be owned."

𑣲⋆ "Attempting to stay calm, I tried to appeal to her softer womanly sensibilities.
I quickly discovered she had none. Apparently the object of my affections preferred violent fisticuffs and cutting verbal swordplay. Another thing we had in common. Our courtship would be more volatile, more perfect, than I'd originally anticipated."

[dropitlikeitshotx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jasmine Mas is to romantasy what Katie Landry is to B&G romance. Babes if you know, then you know. There’s that similar ridiculous over the top humor, the MMCs are down bad embarrassing themselves for a shot at their woman. I’m at the point where I’ll pretty much read anything either of these two put out.

I don’t wanna spoil this because I genuinely think you should just go into it blind and enjoy it. Zora is a determined, badass FMC on a mission to avenge her friend and overthrow the Draconis Empire. Tarantula is also on a mission, objectives redacted lol. The chemistry, banter, and yearning is top tier. Like the man is lusting at the sight of her ankles 💀. Spice here is pretty limited, but the scene we get is dizzying. That cliff hanger ending was the worst part of this. But I’ve forgiven Ms. Mas since she gave us his POV at the end. The archaic language is a great touch, every conversation between them has a double meaning. I’m pretty much fighting the urge to reread it again immediately since we have to wait till 2028!! 🤡 Also the artwork is gorgeous.

Safety:
Experienced FMC x Virgin MMC ( I know babes, I KNOW).
Fair warning she’s only had disappointing experiences but I don’t care since he’s completely inexperienced and that’s rare as hell. Like he’s a total prude lol.
Mild OM drama, MMC walks in on them getting down. Doesn’t take it well lmfao.
No OWD.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“The twins placed their empty canisters down on the soldier’s tray, wiping the scarlet cherry juice off their lips with contented sighs. Trying not to throw up, I sucked harder on my straw, and judging by the way Tarantula’s face turned green, he felt the same, but he kept drinking.
“Done,” he spat as he dropped his canister.
“Same,” I said quickly as I took a big gulp and put down my empty tankard, trying not to puke. “A tie.”
His nostrils flared. “No, I clearly won. Thou were slower than me—”
“No, you’re mad. I just beat you.”
A muscle in his jaw ticked as I gloated.
He’d finished first, but if I could make him think that I really thought I’d won, then that would enrage him and would therefore technically be a win for me. Mentally tormenting men is surprisingly enjoyable.
“You both winners,” Squire chirped, and seeds fell out of his mouth onto my saddle (not helpful).
“Quiet, miniature bird,” Tarantula snapped.
“Don’t you dare speak to him like—”


“Tarantula followed, looming behind me like a possessed shadow.
“Did thou enjoy having his filthy eyes all over your flesh? Was it enjoyable, how he debased thee with his attention?” he asked darkly, breath wafting across the side of my face as he leaned hazardously close. “Do thou enjoy cosplaying as a common tramp?”
“I’m in long sleeves and full pants.”


“What was that about impropriety?” I asked, shoving at his chest. “Careful—I might show you my . . . ankle,” I whispered dramatically.
He flinched as if struck.
“Or maybe my knee . . . cap.”
He fisted his hands.
There is no other man in all Westmere this prudish.
“Ravenal,” he breathed out, every line of his body taut with tension. “Cease this. Thou do not want me to snap.”
On my tiptoes, I leaned forward so I could laugh mockingly into his face. “Maybe I’ll snap first?”
Intrigue flashed in his gaze as he froze. “And . . . what would thee snapping . . . look like?” His voice brimmed with curiosity.
I patted his cheek (slapped him for the third time).


“Tarantula carried me through the hangar.
“Help,” I said. “I’m being kidnapped by a raging misogynistic, homicidal, despotic megalomaniac who’s afraid of a lady’s ankles.”
No one in the Middlelands cared.
Typical.
He brought me back to our dark room.
“Curse you,” I said.
“Curse on the spider slut!” Squire added (helpful).”

[annotated by Noi (in & out)]

Medusa? Is this thou?