The first thrilling novel in a new adult romantasy duology following a young woman who finds herself the Chosen One to two conflicting prophecies
She's a woman bound by fate, torn between two prophecies.
He's the Prince of the underworld, fated to either claim her or end her life.
Defying destiny is one thing … the heart, another.
Magic has always been at the periphery of Audra’s life. As a human, she knows that magic exists, but it's as distant as the legends she grew up with. Until one day, magic returns, bringing with it the all too real Fae and upending Audra’s life entirely.
Abducted by a cult of fae Priestesses, Audra finds herself conscripted into a magical war academy. The only hope of surviving this new world filled with guilds, magic, and danger is to band together with a group of her fellow prisoners. Though unlike the others, Audra's burgeoning magic is erratic and violent—just as the prophecy foretold. She must discover what it means to be the Heir, but time is running out. The Priestesses know the Heir moves among them, and they're determined to root them out, no matter what it takes.
As she struggles to mask her power, Audra’s plagued by visions of a dark, seductive being with a conflicting truth. He doesn’t want to save the world; he plans to reclaim it.
Now, Audra must become the savior the cult demands or the catalyst the vision promises.
Here’s the thing: I’ve been putting this book off for months because the prologue didn’t impress me. Now that I have read a few more chapters, I can’t say that my opinion has changed all that much, and sadly I have to agree with the lower ratings.
The pacing is way too slow, and there is a ridiculous amount of internal dialogue. It’s not every book that makes me want to start skimming barely 10% of the way in, but this one might have just set a new record. I’m bored out of my mind. Please, keep telling me everything instead of showing me…
Then there’s the fact the FMC doesn’t even meet the MMC until the second half. I can only assume the romance is going to feel rushed and underdeveloped, but I wouldn’t know because I never got there and I don’t want to, either.
─ ✦ ────
✎ᝰ.┊ pre-read: a bit hesitant to start since i heard the pacing is super slow. let’s see if it’s for me 🤞
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
heir of prophecy asks one of my favorite fantasy questions: what does it mean to be the chosen one, and who does being chosen actually benefit?
twenty-three years ago, the heir promised, the world’s salvation, was born to restart the season cycle. that premise gives the story its mythic weight, but the book does not treat the prophecy as a clean gift. it treats it as a burden, an inheritance, a cage, and maybe, eventually, a choice.
this story is filled with gorgeous world building, character descriptions, and the kind of fantasy detail that makes a world feel lived in rather than simply explained. i was struck by the descriptions of brown skin. i feel like i left this book with thousands of new words for beauty, warmth, and complexion. lines like, “his skin was a warm umber, and silken brown waves brushed manicured brows, framed arrogant eyes,” made me pause. how beautiful. how intentional. how rare it still feels to read descriptions like that and feel the care behind them.
and the side characters? i loved them. deeply. immediately. the kind of side cast where you start building a fan cast in your head before you have even finished the book.
wilder, the soldier king. callum, the honorable friend. lottie, the gentle heart. cersha, something rooted and thorned and impossible not to love. noel. yes, noel. second chance something. i am looking respectfully and also slightly not respectfully.
but at the heart of the story is audra.
audra is a girl who has already learned responsibility through survival, family, work, and the inn. so before she is ever asked to carry the fate of the world, she has already been shaped by the smaller, relentless duties of everyday life.
she has the energy of a parentified child who has spent too long managing responsibilities that made her self-reliant, but also made it harder for her to accept wisdom, love, help, gifts, or even evidence that contradicts what she has been taught.
and honestly, there were moments where i wanted to shake her a little. lovingly. but still.
audra’s stubbornness is protective. it is fear dressed as certainty. it is survival dressed as duty. at one point, she even notices that she is “forbidden to speculate,” which, frankly, might be the highest crime against humanity.speculation is where freedom begins. wondering is where the cage starts to crack.
and then, eventually, something clicks for her.
what i appreciated so much is that the story does not stop at the moment of realization. in a lot of fantasy, once the character finally sees the truth, the narrative rushes forward and we are just meant to accept the pivot. but here, there is reflection. there is accountability. there is a moment where audra has to reckon with the fact that she is stubborn as hell and that some things might have unfolded differently if she had been able to question sooner. i loved that. i loved that her growth was not just about seeing the truth, but about understanding the cost of not seeing it.
that is where “fight just to spite your fear” feels like such a perfect heartbeat for this book. because fear is everywhere in this story. fear of prophecy. fear of being wrong. fear of betrayal. fear of wanting something that was never promised to you. fear of becoming what other people named you before you had the chance to name yourself.
audra’s fight is not only against external enemies. it is against the fear that has been mistaken for truth. it is against the version of herself that believes obedience is safer than uncertainty. fighting just to spite your fear is sometimes just allowing yourself to ask the question. sometimes it is accepting help. sometimes it is admitting that the world is more complicated than the story you were given.
and then there is zhaire.
the second-born demon prince.
to be honest, he kind of stole the show for me. in the books to come, i hope we get more povs, because the glimpses we got of him gave vulnerability, tension, growth, restraint, and danger in the exact combination i want from a male main character. he has presence. he has bite. he has softness where it counts.
i will leave you with a closing line: “i will teach you how to raise entire legions.”
glorious. absolutely glorious.
bring on the army of the dead. bring on the consequences. bring on the complicated choices, the forbidden speculation, the demon prince, and the side characters i am already attached to.
i am so excited for book two. this is the type of fantasy that understands prophecy is only interesting when someone is brave enough to question who wrote it.
Eek I loved this so much and I need book two asap 😍😍
The beginning is a bit slower paced, but I was immediately pulled in by the worldbuilding. The character work was strong right from the start. I loved her love and loyalty to her family and her connection to the women in the brothel. Then watching those quick but meaningful friendships form at the academy.
The ending is not a cliffhanger, but it lands in such a good spot that I still need the next book immediately.
Also I am going to need the audiobook because I just know it is going to be fire 🔥🎧
💫 What to Expect • Chosen one FMC • Underworld prince • War academy • Found Family • Erratic magic • Fae Fantasy • Prophecies • Cult of Priestesses _ _ _ _ _
⭐ Final Rating: 5 Stars 📅 Pub Date: August 25, 2026 Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
How a book can be cozy yet dark and mysterious, I do not know, but Analeigh always brings the best world-building and vibes!
Here's my official blurb:
Heir of Prophecy is a stunning new romantasy set in a magical fae school where students must excel--or be sent to the front lines in a war against demons. The unfolding mysteries of the school built a dark and atmospheric world, while the found family amongst the students brought a cozy aspect. But the tension between the main character and the demon haunting her dreams...well. I can't wait to see more of these two!
4.25⭐️ oh this was a great time, a twist on the classic prophecy/chosen one trope where she has to choose which world to save and which one to let die???
Tropes/themes: - Fae, human and Demon realms - kidnapping and then forced to go to school lol - academy setting - rune based magic - fated lovers
This was very plot first over romance which was a pleasant surprise, I genuinely felt sucked into this story every time I picked it up. A LOT happens in the first 30% with our transition from meeting the FMC in the human world, having her get kidnapped with everyone else and then forced to go to an academy with a normal magical school schedule like it gives you whiplash but I commend the author for making the transitions feel smooth.
Audra is a woman of layers; very eldest daughter taking on pain and responsibility to shield others coded, while also showing a fierce stubborn streak i always love in my fmcs. Now I will say, by the second half of the book it did lowkey feel like she forgot about her family left behind in the human world, but I understand we had a lot going on and the author does make references to human resilience and finding joy and peace amongst utter chaos and cruel fae.
The writing was good! I enjoyed the way we set scenes, the lyrical descriptions were compelling yet not overwhelming. The language and dialogue were a bit modern day coded, especially the little quips and self-observations in the FMCs internal monologue, and sometimes I felt myself getting a tad thrown off by it.
Again the romance is very subtle, like I feel like we barely got to start knowing the MMC until 75% so I was REALLY excited for a well done slowburn….until we threw in a random spicy scene 90% in just to have spice. Like we had had maybe 3 conversations between our couple at that point, so we are still emotionally slowburning for sure, it was not up to MY personal spice preference but I can see other readers eating up a well-done throne scene.
I like the MMCs vibes and his role in the whole plot, but I am expecting the second book in this duology to flesh out his side of the story a lot more because I just don’t really feel like I know too much about him or his classic “MMCs chosen family of warrior friends.” He DOES sound very sexy tho.
Overall, I really did enjoy this, I think its a solid Fantasy that definitely stands out to me with a unique take on some classic tropes and I can’t wait to see how this duology will end!
Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the e-ARC! All opinions are my own.
Looking through my notes, this one was not for me, and I recognize that. I did think the concept of demons/fae/humans was super cool but my thoughts are..
Plot: I don’t know why but I couldn’t get over some of the direction of the plot on this one. If these are ruthless fae, why waste resources on potentially 100’s of (hostage) humans to attend a school just to maybe find one heir? Additionally, the fae ripped these people away from their homes and loved ones but passing classes are their highest concern? 🤔 Didn’t really make sense to me.
Characters: I actually didn’t mind our FMC but thought she was kind of bland at times. I also feel like we got introduced to quite a few characters but they lacked needed depth. We learned a little but not enough to where I felt connected or invested in them.
Writing/Pace: At times this read a little YA even though the writing was detailed. There was also a lot of telling and not as much showing. &The pace seemed inconsistent at times as well.
Romance: When MMC was introduced, I was so excited- I was like ok, bet, this man is going to make things interesting 😏. However, while he was my favorite character, FMC/MMC didn’t really have a ton of interactions and when they did interact, I wanted a bit more. This one did have one spicy scene and it wasn’t that bad except for the words “slurped” and “pinnacle” being used. 🥴
Thank you so so much to Avon, Harper Voyager US, and Netgally for the earc!
DNF I am trying to be better about DNFing when a book just isn’t working for me. I may revisit it at some point since others have said the ending picks up but so far this just was not for me. It had so many things that I gravitate towards in romantasy books especially dark academia but I couldn’t get attached to any characters and the pacing was very slow and read way younger than I thought it would. I was hoping the romance would pull me in but unfortunately it didn’t.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the arc!
* thank you NetGalley for an ARC version of this book*
Meh. The plot and setting were interesting but the pacing by was off for me with the first third absolutely dragging. The writing cadence gave me “more tell than show” vibes, which is hard for me to stick with. Redeeming part was the FMC rocks.
2.25⭐️ First off, I wanna say no one is more upset than me for not liking this story. It had EVERYTHING i would want in a book: dark academia, fae, an evil cult, demons, “chosen one” and found family trope. However, all of this is not properly developed in the book. It barely scratches the surface in the story.
The pacing felt completely off from the beginning. I felt like the FMC was a different person at the start of the book, that character felt sure of herself or rather sure of her skills of being able to outwit any unfavorable people. And she was a loving eldest daughter taking care of her sick father and her adopted little brother. All that character development from the first 8 chapters goes out the window once she arrives in the academy. She felt like a different person, often times I found her unbelievably unbearable. She sometimes read as a side character instead of main character.
The found family trope is there but, I felt no connection to them at all. It felt too surface layered that I truly couldn’t care less if something happened to them. This was just very underdeveloped in my opinion. Just like the romance. You get glimpse of him and his pov at the start of the book and then he kind of disappears! He’s supposed to be haunting her or whatever but he truly doesn’t do shit. And when they do start interacting (at the last minute mind you) it felt very insta-love.
The only great thing about this book is that the last 15% truly felt like it was the book, I thought I was going to read. It felt dark, the evil cult was finally utilized and we got more oomph from the FMC and MMC. I just wish it was there the whole time instead of that last few chapters.
Thank you to Avon Books for the opportunity to read this early via Netgalley.
Thank you to Avon & Harper Voyager for providing me with a gifted ebook copy of Heir of Prophecy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Heir of Prophecy had everything I look for in a dark academia read! The cult like behavior from the priestesses, not knowing who to trust, and the expectations put on the students at Holyvere all brought great tension to the story. The world building was done really well and I loved the conflict between the fae, demons and humans.
I enjoyed Audra as the FMC and the struggle she experienced with her magic and what she would face because of the prophecy. The side characters were also a great addition to the story and I loved their friend relationship with Audra.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭: * Fae, Demons, Ghosts * Dark Academia * Prophecy * Slow Burn
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥: 🌶️
I am definitely looking forward to continuing this series and can’t wait to see where the story goes in the next book!
This is one of those “I knew I would love it,” but OMG, I LOVED IT! 😭🙌 It actually exceeded expectations.
🕯️ Conflicting prophecies, ancient secrets & deadly trials. 👀🕯️ What’s not to love?
Ohhhh. Audra & Zhaire, my loves! The push, the pull, the patience. 😮💨 The curiosity … the undeniable magnetism. Mm! But honestly, I actually loved that the romance was more of a subplot here. Our new world & the adjustment to this reality really called for it. But don’t mistake me. Did I still get the feels?! YES. Plenty! Audra is just such a strong (& relatable) character that I loved being able to revel in witnessing her journey.
What else do we always love? Found family! The other half of my heart. 🥹 Wilder (MY GIRL), Cersha, Callum & baby Lottie. 🖤 Love love love. & I’m eager to see more of Ivara & Azmera. I appreciate close to nothing more than my MMC’s inner circle to be fierce & devoted (earned). I hope to see much more of them in the next book. We’ve seen enough of Rook to know he’s insufferably hilarious, so we’re already locked in with him. Lol.
Now with the demons, fae & magic here there are some dark themes: death, grief, trafficking (mentioned) & maybe some “religious” trauma. So just be mindful. 🫶
In closing, I cannot wait until the next installment. I also very much appreciate the cliff hanger not being as brutal as it could’ve been. *blows kiss* This was my 1st book by Analeigh & I promise it will not be the last! 3rd person usually takes me a second to adjust to, but that was not the case here. & I really feel like it was very uniquely done here compared to others I’ve read. Loooooved it.
I went into this one mostly blind, which is my favorite way to experience a debut, and I was immediately rewarded. Analeigh Sbrana is a genuinely immersive world builder who pulls you in before you even realize what's happening. While Heir of Prophecy shares DNA with a lot of contemporary fantasy, I never felt it was derivative. The weaving of multiple mythical beings into a cohesive, original narrative impressed me, and I think the academy plus prophecy framework is executed with real creativity and care.
Audra is a standout protagonist. She isn't physically powerful or immediately combat ready, but she is intelligent, deeply empathetic, and quietly heroic in the way that actually resonates with me. I felt her internal conflict was written with remarkable depth. The weight of a secret she carries, suppressing it not just out of self preservation but out of love for the people around her, was genuinely moving. That tension between knowledge and silence carried the story beautifully for me.
I found the underlying commentary woven into the world building especially compelling. I believe the way the fae used propaganda, overwhelming class schedules, and strategic deception to reframe captivity as opportunity is a sharp and deliberate mirror of real world systems of control. The fact that Audra kept actively reminding herself not to be lulled into forgetting why she was there gave the story a layer of intelligence that I felt elevated it well above genre standard.
The cast overall was a highlight for me. The diversity of characters felt organic and human. They were written as people, full stop. In a genre where I often find characters of color are over explained or treated as novelties, I think Sbrana writes them as simply part of the world, which is exactly how it should be done.
Romance feedback: Honestly, the story was strong enough that I didn't even find myself craving it, which says a lot. I felt the slow burn potential was absolutely there, but in my opinion the progression moved a bit fast in places and skipped tension that would have made the payoff so much more satisfying. I believe Sbrana has the character building skills to pull off a slow, aching build, and Audra and Zhaire's dynamic is convincing, but I personally felt it needed more time to breathe.
Speaking of Zhaire, his arc is genuinely moving. The grief, the unwanted prophecy, and the moral ambiguity of his early intentions all made for a compelling character. I just personally wanted to live inside that conflict more. I felt a particular early scene between them was a pivotal turning point that we only half witnessed. I would have loved more of his interior journey, as I think it would have added tremendous depth and made the romance feel far more earned.
I think this is a promising, compelling arc with real heart and a distinct authorial voice. The world building, the social commentary, and Audra's characterization alone make it worth reading in my opinion. I believe that with a slower romantic build and deeper access to Zhaire's interiority, this series has the bones to be truly exceptional. I will absolutely be continuing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the arc!
I had heard a lot about Sbrana's previous book, Lore of the Wild, and despite not having picked it up, I requested Heir of Prophecy with high hopes.
My first struggle with this book was how slowwwwwww it was. I love having a developed magic system and a setting that makes sense. However, despite how much time was taken in an attempt to establish the magic system and the setting, I was still confused on how any of it worked and it wasn't established well. Because of this, I was bored. The entire time. I kept hoping and praying it would pick up the pace and it never really did. So much of this book was told through Audra's internal monologue. If it wasn't worth showing on page, don't tell me about things after the fact.
Second issue: it's not slow burn if the MMC just literally isn't part of the story for the first 50% and then not really a factor until you hit 75%. If I'm supposed to believe there is ANYTHING between them within the last 25% of the book - that's not slow burn. There was not yearning - no wanting. Literally the first time Audra thinks she wants him, she has a hook-up with him.
I also struggled with Audra as a character. I wanted to root for her. I wanted to care about her. But ultimately, she just complained a lot about everything and wasn't a very good friend. I won't be continuing with book two and unfortunately, I won't be reading Lore of the Wilds either.
DNF @ 47% I just don’t think this one is for me—it had all the elements I normally love but it just wasn’t clicking in my brain and I wasn’t wanting to pick it up. I was really bored and trying to push through but life is too short to read books you don’t enjoy. By the time I DNF’d, I felt like nothing had really happened. There were also a ton of typos that took me out of the story which I kinda expected to be polished up before sending out arcs since it’s trad published? Overall, I struggled to suspend my disbelief about the far abducting a bunch of humans with fae blood and forcing them to go to an academy, wasting their finite resources on a group where a majority of them would fail. I really wish I liked this bc I had high hopes :(
I was really drawn to this book because it had so many things I love: dark academia, faes, humans, demonic lore, prophecy, and fate. I also really liked the setting.. the cold, desolate winter atmosphere mixed with a grand academy made it easy to sink into the world right away.
One thing though, I really struggled with the pacing for almost the entire book. A lot of it felt like telling rather than showing… lots of backstory from the main character’s life, history about the realms, magic, humans, faes, demons, and academy life, with more learning and training than actual plot movementt. It kept feeling like something big was about to happen, and then… nothing really did. I kept waiting for the story to fully take off and for me, that momentum didn’t really arrive until the final part of the book.
The last 20% was definitely the most engaging and left me much more invested in where the story is headed. I also found myself wanting more interaction and banter between the main characters, as I think that would have helped me connect with them even more. Still, this felt like a foundation-setting first book, and I can see a lot of potential in the series. I’m hopeful the next book will build on that stronger ending and give us more of the character dynamics and romance hinted at here.
Thank you NetGalley & Harper Collins UK for this digital ARC.
The Heir of Prophecy ended so much stronger than it started for me. The first half felt very slow, and if I’m being honest, it was a bit of a struggle to get through at times. However, the second half completely turned things around, it was SO good! I flew through those final chapters.
Audra is such a compelling female lead, and I’m really excited to see where her story goes next. This first book is incredibly detailed, with a heavy focus on world building and character development. While that depth is impressive, it does make the beginning feel a little slower paced.
Overall, I’m giving this 4 stars because the second half was just that good, it truly redeemed the pacing for me. I’m definitely ready for book two!
This was an okay romantasy read with dark academia with lost of prophecies, an academy with magic and a fmc finding herself. I liked the diversity with the characters and the writing style was not bad. The fmc is taken from her normal life she is brought to an academy that exposes a new world filled with mystery, magic and danger. She forms a group with other characters brought to the academy as they navigate the new world, managing the magic and powers and being the chosen one. The romance was okay it’s a slow burn and then becomes faster paced. There were times the book lulled but overall I think it was intriguing. Thanks to the publisher for this arc.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.
**
A truly unique dark academia story with strong plot, layered characters and a host of tropes that fit together like a puzzle. Forbidden attraction, chosen one, lies and deceit, found family… these all woven together create such a wonderful story that was an absolute pleasure to read.
The story follows Audra, a human girl running her parents inn in a small coastal town. She is perfectly ordinary, though stuck on her routines. But those routes and her entire life gets turned upside down when the fae come into town and abduct her (and a whole host of others). She and her fellow captives are taken to Holydere Academy where they are instructed to learn about the fae realm because one of them is the elusive Heir of Prophecy; someone who will save the faekind and restart the spring.
But nothing is as easy as it seems and as Audra and her friends try to learn to cast spells, forge weapons and excel in combat training, the Heir business starts to look a little less like a gift and more like a curse. And the looming demons with their tricks will not make it any easier. And who is the mysterious Zhaire who keeps appearing to Audra alone?
I really liked the pacing of the story and the way that it was split into four parts felt good and natural. Each section gives us more information and more worldbuilding and I love how it guided Audra forward. We learn so much about the fae, their history and goals alongside our hero and it was done wonderfully. Sometimes dark academia can be a bit dry with the lessons and everything but the author manages to write everyday schooling in a way that swept me away. I kind of wanted to attend the Academy too (though only the fun bits please).
The found family Audra gathers around her is excellent. They each bring something to the table and I love the friendship that has forged between all of them. So the twists that they face make me nervous because I just want all of them to be together and happy. I also like that they were placed in different guilds and I hope we learn more about them in the second book.
Speaking of, when can I get my hands on that second book? We left the plot in such a delicious place and I need to know more. The stakes are high, the reveals grand and the slow burn romance is blossoming and I want to know more. So so so good! I am completely hooked on this story and world!
I am thoroughly obsessed with this OH MY GOD! Everything was written to perfection - the world, the characters, the lore/plot. I felt fully immersed in this world and did not want to leave at all; it truly had my attention from beginning to end. I cannot wait for the conclusion of this luring duology. Analeigh Sbrana - you're on my auto-author buy list now.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Avon/Harper Voyager team for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Such an Amazing book loved Audra’s story. The world building was insane, so descriptive that i was envisioning it in my head. Can’t wait to read the next book.
I was hyped for this book the moment it was announced on the authors socials and it delivered!!
How fun it was to read Analeigh’s first dark academia romance. The vibes were immaculate and I loved the uniqueness she gave the university. Rather than making it a pristine campus, it was older than bones and had the creepy aged atmosphere to go with it. The FMC Audra is torn between prophecies. After being abducted and taken to a magical war academy by a cult of fae Priestesses, she begins to find answers as to why she’s always felt different. Alone. And they come when her dark magic unfolds.
I loved a lot about this book. Give me a demon MMC that can smell emotions and I’m sold. Zhaire was hot and I’m so intrigued by the Demon side of the story. Lots of depth to his background!
This first book had its slow moments and it did take a long time for scenes between Audra and Zhaire to appear (around the ~60% mark if I’m remembering correctly), so lots of Audra coming to terms with being abducted, the academy searching for the Heir, and bolstering of her found family. I was also thrown a bit for the trials that appeared, but those weren’t a central part and didn’t take up too much of the book.
I feel this was a great setup for the next installment and I’m very eager to continue this series! Necromancy, demons, chosen ones, ghosts and found family are my jam and if they’re yours too then I wouldn’t miss this one when it releases on August 25th!
~ Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for the gifted eARC. All opinions in this review are my own. ~
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an eARC of Heir of Prophecy. Physical reads take me awhile these days because of my busy working mom lifestyle, so I’m extra grateful to have been able to have been given this opportunity.
This is my second series by Analeigh Sbrana, and at this point I’ll pretty much auto‑read anything she writes as I love her writing style. Heir of Prophecy has a great core concept… magic, lore, and steady worldbuilding. That said, this one was 3.5 stars for for me. The beginning was really slow and confusing… I found myself distracted more than I would have liked. About halfway I was intrigued.. and the overall concept deserves some praise. Overall, it was a thoughtful and intriguing start with a concept strong enough to keep me interested in seeing where the series goes.
Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC.
This story was a bit of a wild fantasy ride. Audra has been identified as having Fae blood and taken to an academy to train her magic. The academy, however, is trying to identify which person they’ve brought in is actually the Heir and can end their endless winter and have spring come about. The twist? A demon has also befriended Audra and is working to convince her to come to his realm.
The last 25% of this book had me absolutely hooked. The magic system was very unique and I enjoyed the moments between Audra and the demon. I really struggled through the first half of this book. The pacing felt a bit slow and some of the backstory felt a bit unnecessary. I wish there were more interactions between Audra and the demon to really build the tension.
I would recommend this book and I am anxious to see what happens in book 2.
I liked this book but I didn’t love it as much as I had hoped. I thought the concept of the story was great but I wish it had more romance throughout the whole book rather than it being rushed toward the end. This book is being marketed as a romantasy, but I wouldn’t classify it as one. Instead, I think it fits into the dark academia fantasy genre much better since the romance is so minimal (although I think it might pick up more in the next book). The magic/fantasy elements of the story are what I loved best about this book. I am torn on whether I want to read the sequel.
Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for the advanced copy!
This was a good fantasy read. The author did a great job with the world building, making this an immersive and atmospheric read. I liked the cast of characters as well as the chosen one trope. I will say that the pacing for this one was rather slow, which made it hard to keep my attention at times, but I did really like the overall storyline. I’m curious as to how the story will continue in the next book.
Read this if you like:
📖 Chosen one FMC 📖 Found family 📖 Prophecies 📖 Academic settings 📖 Fae, humans & demons 📖 Slow burn