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Upon a Broken Throne #1
King of Ravens
He'll do anything to keep her. She'd do anything to escape.
Rhiannon is dying—of what, she doesn't know. Kept protected by her family in their remote seaside cottage, she spends her days searching for a cure. Her world is torn apart, however, when a fae King of the Dead invades her home.
Cold and cruel, Drystan offers her a descend to the underworld as his bride or watch her family die. Trapped in a twisted bargain, Rhiannon is thrust into a world of withered gods, scheming courtiers, and ancient magic, but she refuses to be a pawn in a game she never agreed to play. She attempts over and over to run away, until Drystan offers her a new escape his deadly labyrinth, and he will set her free. Fail, and become his bride.
But in a court where every promise has teeth, Annon must make an impossible return to the home she's always loved or claim her place in a world where she might finally belong.
Narrated in duet style.
Rhiannon is dying—of what, she doesn't know. Kept protected by her family in their remote seaside cottage, she spends her days searching for a cure. Her world is torn apart, however, when a fae King of the Dead invades her home.
Cold and cruel, Drystan offers her a descend to the underworld as his bride or watch her family die. Trapped in a twisted bargain, Rhiannon is thrust into a world of withered gods, scheming courtiers, and ancient magic, but she refuses to be a pawn in a game she never agreed to play. She attempts over and over to run away, until Drystan offers her a new escape his deadly labyrinth, and he will set her free. Fail, and become his bride.
But in a court where every promise has teeth, Annon must make an impossible return to the home she's always loved or claim her place in a world where she might finally belong.
Narrated in duet style.
16 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 27, 2026
About the author
Clare Sager
34 books2,194 followersClare Sager writes darkly addictive romantasy full of slow-burn steam, gut-wrenching conflict, and morally grey *everybody*. Dubbed the Queen of Edging by readers, she takes no responsibility for lost sleep or therapy bills.
When she’s not breaking hearts with her Shadows of the Tenebris Court series, Clare can usually be found drinking coffee, lifting weights, or impulse-buying stationery.
She lives in Nottingham, Robin Hood country, so it’s no surprise she writes about characters who don’t always play by the rules.
When she’s not breaking hearts with her Shadows of the Tenebris Court series, Clare can usually be found drinking coffee, lifting weights, or impulse-buying stationery.
She lives in Nottingham, Robin Hood country, so it’s no surprise she writes about characters who don’t always play by the rules.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,773 reviews
February 3, 2026
If you’ve ever fantasised about being used as a marriage bargaining chip to a Hades-like demigod King of the Dead who can transform into a dramatic flock of corvids at will and taken to the underworld to hang out with raven besties, a cute ghost cat and wear lovely custom made dresses, then King of Ravens is the book for you!
Pretty sure I’d be like, “I volunteer as tribute.”
👁️🫦👁️
Alright, yes I also get Rhiannon’s distrust and initial loathing of our demi god death king, Drystan, who gives off ruthless icy cold and disrespects the sanctity of tongues. But only if people talk shit, which, look, I guess could be a bit drastic but it depends on the context right?
And look, there is absolutely more to him beneath the frosty exterior than just golden eyes and a nice rig. Personally, I would interpret it as green flag behaviour if a demi god death king gifted me a ghost cat and had three raven besties, just saying! Crows, ravens and magpies are my favourite birds and I trust their judgement.
So yeah, anyway, if you didn’t already catch the vibe, the aesthetic definitely gives Greek mythology Kore/Persephone (especially with a nod to the expertise Rhiannon has with plants & botany) & Hades, plus a bit of Ariadne and the labyrinth AND also the Celtic mythology of The Morrigan.
Furthermore, if you know me, you know I’m tired of barely adult virginal FMCs in adult romantasy books, especially if there is a centuries age gap romance with an immortal. But I can say with great relief that Rhiannon has life experience AND is 33 years old and is written to be clever and intellectual. Oh and she has brown eyes, which is refreshing. Our raven king has some nice things to say about brown eyes too.
“Brown is not dull,” he bites out. “Brown is wood and bark and soil, with all their wondrous potential.”
Thank you raven king. Impeccable taste. Oh why, yes I am projecting, in case you didn't guess. But did you know, it's estimated that between 70-80% of the worldwide population has different shades of brown eyes? AUTHORS if you want readers to feel seen: Gold-flecked onyx eyes and bright violet eyes and even moon silver eyes are STUNNING don't get me wrong. Though... they're not relatable you know? Figure out your goals, whether you want readers to feel seen or not. Just my two cents. [Yes I'm aware I have talked about brown eyes for three paragraphs, Van Morrison supports it.] Anyway, Clare Sager understood the relatability assignment ;)
Be that as it may, there is not just brown eye main character rep or 30’s age bracket demographical rep in this. I also appreciate disability rep, chronic illness rep and the portrayal of it. I personally can’t speak to it, but:
- I have seen some other reviewers with chronic illness say they loved it,
- also another reviewer, here and
- another one, here!
it makes me happy they felt seen and their opinion matters to me.
Alrighty then, to conclude, if a raven king shows up with a ghost cat and a marriage contract, I probably wouldn't resist. I may round up to five stars after I sit with it for another week, because I really loved it.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC.
﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
A forced marriage to the unseelie fae king of the dead who can transform into a flock of ravens.
Romance readers: Aww. 🥰
Pretty sure I’d be like, “I volunteer as tribute.”
👁️🫦👁️
Alright, yes I also get Rhiannon’s distrust and initial loathing of our demi god death king, Drystan, who gives off ruthless icy cold and disrespects the sanctity of tongues. But only if people talk shit, which, look, I guess could be a bit drastic but it depends on the context right?
And look, there is absolutely more to him beneath the frosty exterior than just golden eyes and a nice rig. Personally, I would interpret it as green flag behaviour if a demi god death king gifted me a ghost cat and had three raven besties, just saying! Crows, ravens and magpies are my favourite birds and I trust their judgement.
So yeah, anyway, if you didn’t already catch the vibe, the aesthetic definitely gives Greek mythology Kore/Persephone (especially with a nod to the expertise Rhiannon has with plants & botany) & Hades, plus a bit of Ariadne and the labyrinth AND also the Celtic mythology of The Morrigan.
Furthermore, if you know me, you know I’m tired of barely adult virginal FMCs in adult romantasy books, especially if there is a centuries age gap romance with an immortal. But I can say with great relief that Rhiannon has life experience AND is 33 years old and is written to be clever and intellectual. Oh and she has brown eyes, which is refreshing. Our raven king has some nice things to say about brown eyes too.
“Brown is not dull,” he bites out. “Brown is wood and bark and soil, with all their wondrous potential.”
Thank you raven king. Impeccable taste. Oh why, yes I am projecting, in case you didn't guess. But did you know, it's estimated that between 70-80% of the worldwide population has different shades of brown eyes? AUTHORS if you want readers to feel seen: Gold-flecked onyx eyes and bright violet eyes and even moon silver eyes are STUNNING don't get me wrong. Though... they're not relatable you know? Figure out your goals, whether you want readers to feel seen or not. Just my two cents. [Yes I'm aware I have talked about brown eyes for three paragraphs, Van Morrison supports it.] Anyway, Clare Sager understood the relatability assignment ;)
Be that as it may, there is not just brown eye main character rep or 30’s age bracket demographical rep in this. I also appreciate disability rep, chronic illness rep and the portrayal of it. I personally can’t speak to it, but:
- I have seen some other reviewers with chronic illness say they loved it,
- also another reviewer, here and
- another one, here!
it makes me happy they felt seen and their opinion matters to me.
Alrighty then, to conclude, if a raven king shows up with a ghost cat and a marriage contract, I probably wouldn't resist. I may round up to five stars after I sit with it for another week, because I really loved it.
Thanks so much to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC.
﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏
A forced marriage to the unseelie fae king of the dead who can transform into a flock of ravens.
Romance readers: Aww. 🥰
February 3, 2026
I thought I had reached the bottom of the barrel with fae books.
Turns out, the barrel has a basement.
And hell, apparently, has never been this boring.
This is supposed to be a Hades–Persephone retelling… with a touch of fae. Interesting right?
Where do I even start? I can’t believe this book let me down. It started out incredibly well. Unbelievably well. I was genuinely ready for a 5-star rating. And then the King of Death shows up, whisks Rhiannon away to the underworld, and everything goes to absolute shit (excuse my French, but it was necessary) from that moment on.
I need to say this again so it sinks in, even for me: How is it possible for a plot to become boring the moment the characters go to hell? Hell. In the name of plot twists, how?
And don’t get me started on the characterisation. I was excited about Rhiannon. A mature adult woman whose humanity actually shines through. I see a lot of strong, capable warrior-princess heroines in high fantasy, so I was glad to have a different kind of heroine here. One who’s dying but hopeful, who loves her family and does what she can to protect them. One who hasn’t been dealt the best hand in life but lives with it. It doesn’t get more human than that.
Rhiannon loses her shine with every page of this book. She becomes repetitive and uninteresting, almost as uninteresting as her life in the underworld. And then she starts falling for Drystan. I’m like… here we go again.
I am sick and when I'm not sick, I'm tired of FMCs chanting, “I shouldn’t want him, but I do. I do, I do, I do. But oh I shouldn’t’” Every. Five. Pages. Yes, he killed for you. Yes, it makes your weak human knees go weaker. Yes, you want him but you know you shouldn’t.
Girl. We got it. I swear we got it.
We read. We don’t judge. I mean look at me, I kick my feet over MMC behavior that would send me running for the hills in real life, and you don’t see me whining about it. You’ve got to own your hypocrisy.
I don’t even want to talk about Drystan. Drystan. Drystan.
What a disappointment to every Hades reimagining to ever exist. I loved his entrance. We meet him when he comes to take Rhiannon to the underworld, and what an entrance it was! All that confidence and bravado. Then he gets home and immediately turns into an extra in his own novel. You’d think the King of Hell would have some presence to match his power. Apparently not.
Individually, a blank A4 sheet has more character than our leads. Together? Tragic. I’ve had more chemistry with my dentist, whom I’ve met twice this year, than Drystan and Rhiannon had in the entire book. And then suddenly, BOOM , someone’s being pinned to a wall, and someone is kissing someone else’s throat. Excuse me, sir? No buildup? No tension? No reason?
Another grievance I had was the setting. For a story set in hell, this was shockingly tame. How is a council meeting in hell boring? How are the creatures so uninspiring? I was prepared for low stakes, but no stakes at all? Insane.
All in all, King of Ravens is painfully unremarkable among the endless sea of fae books, but the fact that it started out beautifully, only to disappoint, is the greatest sin of all.
I honestly don’t know if I can trust romance.io again after this.
Updates while reading ༄˖°.☕️.ೃ࿔📚*:･
Me: How bored can you make me?
This book:
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･
I tried starting When The Moon Hatched, but I couldn't get into it. Now this though. A Hades and Persephone retelling and an arranged/forced marriage — am I interested?
This is supposed to be a Hades–Persephone retelling… with a touch of fae. Interesting right?
Where do I even start? I can’t believe this book let me down. It started out incredibly well. Unbelievably well. I was genuinely ready for a 5-star rating. And then the King of Death shows up, whisks Rhiannon away to the underworld, and everything goes to absolute shit (excuse my French, but it was necessary) from that moment on.
I need to say this again so it sinks in, even for me: How is it possible for a plot to become boring the moment the characters go to hell? Hell. In the name of plot twists, how?
And don’t get me started on the characterisation. I was excited about Rhiannon. A mature adult woman whose humanity actually shines through. I see a lot of strong, capable warrior-princess heroines in high fantasy, so I was glad to have a different kind of heroine here. One who’s dying but hopeful, who loves her family and does what she can to protect them. One who hasn’t been dealt the best hand in life but lives with it. It doesn’t get more human than that.
Rhiannon loses her shine with every page of this book. She becomes repetitive and uninteresting, almost as uninteresting as her life in the underworld. And then she starts falling for Drystan. I’m like… here we go again.
I am sick and when I'm not sick, I'm tired of FMCs chanting, “I shouldn’t want him, but I do. I do, I do, I do. But oh I shouldn’t’” Every. Five. Pages. Yes, he killed for you. Yes, it makes your weak human knees go weaker. Yes, you want him but you know you shouldn’t.
Girl. We got it. I swear we got it.
We read. We don’t judge. I mean look at me, I kick my feet over MMC behavior that would send me running for the hills in real life, and you don’t see me whining about it. You’ve got to own your hypocrisy.
I don’t even want to talk about Drystan. Drystan. Drystan.
What a disappointment to every Hades reimagining to ever exist. I loved his entrance. We meet him when he comes to take Rhiannon to the underworld, and what an entrance it was! All that confidence and bravado. Then he gets home and immediately turns into an extra in his own novel. You’d think the King of Hell would have some presence to match his power. Apparently not.
Individually, a blank A4 sheet has more character than our leads. Together? Tragic. I’ve had more chemistry with my dentist, whom I’ve met twice this year, than Drystan and Rhiannon had in the entire book. And then suddenly, BOOM , someone’s being pinned to a wall, and someone is kissing someone else’s throat. Excuse me, sir? No buildup? No tension? No reason?
Another grievance I had was the setting. For a story set in hell, this was shockingly tame. How is a council meeting in hell boring? How are the creatures so uninspiring? I was prepared for low stakes, but no stakes at all? Insane.
All in all, King of Ravens is painfully unremarkable among the endless sea of fae books, but the fact that it started out beautifully, only to disappoint, is the greatest sin of all.
I honestly don’t know if I can trust romance.io again after this.
Updates while reading ༄˖°.☕️.ೃ࿔📚*:･
Me: How bored can you make me?
This book:
-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･༄˖°.🍂.ೃ࿔*:･
I tried starting When The Moon Hatched, but I couldn't get into it. Now this though. A Hades and Persephone retelling and an arranged/forced marriage — am I interested?
March 9, 2026
I ate this up!! That ending was diabolical! I need the next book yesterday 😭
November 23, 2025
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
UPDATE 1/23/26: my fairyloot edition arrived and WHEWWW!! it is stunning omg, literally the fanart is gorgeous and a lil spicy... literally might bump up my rating to 3.5 just because of how beautiful my edition is haha.
i’m torn on whether i really liked this or not — while i tore through the pages, there were many things that stood out to me.
after reading so many romances with young fmcs, i do really appreciate that rhiannon was 33 — it’s exhausting and concerning reading women just out of girlhood be approached by much older men, so it was extremely refreshing to have a truly adult fmc in this romance.
mostly, i felt as if the plot dragged and things could have been resolved much faster, in which the way the book ended could have occurred much sooner, and we got more time with the supposed consequences. a lot of what occurred throughout the book felt like fluff, which was frustrating because i was initially interested in the world-building exhibited.
i definitely will pick up book two because of the conflicting emotions i had regarding the behavior of our mmc, but i hope the next book’s plot is more fully developed.
i'm very excited to see my fairyloot edition🤭
UPDATE 1/23/26: my fairyloot edition arrived and WHEWWW!! it is stunning omg, literally the fanart is gorgeous and a lil spicy... literally might bump up my rating to 3.5 just because of how beautiful my edition is haha.
i’m torn on whether i really liked this or not — while i tore through the pages, there were many things that stood out to me.
after reading so many romances with young fmcs, i do really appreciate that rhiannon was 33 — it’s exhausting and concerning reading women just out of girlhood be approached by much older men, so it was extremely refreshing to have a truly adult fmc in this romance.
mostly, i felt as if the plot dragged and things could have been resolved much faster, in which the way the book ended could have occurred much sooner, and we got more time with the supposed consequences. a lot of what occurred throughout the book felt like fluff, which was frustrating because i was initially interested in the world-building exhibited.
i definitely will pick up book two because of the conflicting emotions i had regarding the behavior of our mmc, but i hope the next book’s plot is more fully developed.
i'm very excited to see my fairyloot edition🤭
February 13, 2026
Clare Sager, you are a mean woman.
GOD how I loved this book! I can tell this is one I'll have a particular soft spot for and will hold close.
With Hades x Persephone inspirations, King of Ravens is an intoxicating romantasy rooted within tricksy Fae courts. I adore the cunning and deceptive kind of Fae, the dialogue instantly becoming a web of devious omissions and twisted truths to unravel. Clare wove these themes effortlessly, the waves of trust vs unreliability proving a riveting read - especially when there's romance involved.
The labyrinthine Fae world is almost a seduction of its own, so you can imagine how easily the romance itself creeps up on you. Zero convincing was needed on my part. It's a classic forced proximity / bound by marriage situation that I'm a sucker for, but seeing Anon especially gradually thaw had my heart in my mouth too often for her, scared for anything beyond the best outcome.
And the emotions are strong. Not only romance-wise, with all its entanglements there. But there is so much to be said about built up resentment and how intentions don't necessarily match outcome. Within Anon's sheltered life, we manage to see a huge array of complicated emotions tying her to others, Anon herself almost seeming a conduit before bursting. And there's so much satisfaction in seeing her take reign - you can't help but root for her.
There's a part of me that knew immediately part of my soft spot for this book would be from its chronic illness rep. Admittedly, I'm a chronically ill girlie who doesn't love reading about it all too often, but seeing characters like Anon, seeing her resilience and determined hope and anger is just...so necessary. So validating. So jarring, almost. I rarely cry at books, but found myself shedding a tear at a scene of sheer, blazing anger, the raw emotion just hitting the nail on the head. And that is never something I'll miss highlighting, because what an incredible thing to naturally weave into the kind of romantasy story we typically love.
This book just has it all. A feisty main character getting through life on sheer stubbornness alone. A brooding King of Death whose poker face is cracking. The folkloric, tricksy Fae that make every word a danger. Trials in a court so alluring it's hard to tell which outcome is a win in the end. With masterful writing, Clare Sager has woven another captivating romantasy story to keep us within the enchanted Fae realm once more.
GOD how I loved this book! I can tell this is one I'll have a particular soft spot for and will hold close.
With Hades x Persephone inspirations, King of Ravens is an intoxicating romantasy rooted within tricksy Fae courts. I adore the cunning and deceptive kind of Fae, the dialogue instantly becoming a web of devious omissions and twisted truths to unravel. Clare wove these themes effortlessly, the waves of trust vs unreliability proving a riveting read - especially when there's romance involved.
The labyrinthine Fae world is almost a seduction of its own, so you can imagine how easily the romance itself creeps up on you. Zero convincing was needed on my part. It's a classic forced proximity / bound by marriage situation that I'm a sucker for, but seeing Anon especially gradually thaw had my heart in my mouth too often for her, scared for anything beyond the best outcome.
And the emotions are strong. Not only romance-wise, with all its entanglements there. But there is so much to be said about built up resentment and how intentions don't necessarily match outcome. Within Anon's sheltered life, we manage to see a huge array of complicated emotions tying her to others, Anon herself almost seeming a conduit before bursting. And there's so much satisfaction in seeing her take reign - you can't help but root for her.
There's a part of me that knew immediately part of my soft spot for this book would be from its chronic illness rep. Admittedly, I'm a chronically ill girlie who doesn't love reading about it all too often, but seeing characters like Anon, seeing her resilience and determined hope and anger is just...so necessary. So validating. So jarring, almost. I rarely cry at books, but found myself shedding a tear at a scene of sheer, blazing anger, the raw emotion just hitting the nail on the head. And that is never something I'll miss highlighting, because what an incredible thing to naturally weave into the kind of romantasy story we typically love.
This book just has it all. A feisty main character getting through life on sheer stubbornness alone. A brooding King of Death whose poker face is cracking. The folkloric, tricksy Fae that make every word a danger. Trials in a court so alluring it's hard to tell which outcome is a win in the end. With masterful writing, Clare Sager has woven another captivating romantasy story to keep us within the enchanted Fae realm once more.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 / 5 Stars
On a fun scale, this ranked pretty high! But it did leave me wanting more at times. A quick layperson synopsis: Rhiannon has been sick for more of her life than not. When the fae King of the Dead shows up at her door, she must either marry him or watch her family die. Rhiannon chooses the former and down to the underworld they go. Rhiannon attempts to escape and the King strikes up another deal with her – if she can escape his labyrinth over the course of two weeks, she is free to go. Otherwise, they’re getting married, baby! But Rhiannon makes some friends, and she is feeling better and the King is hot! Will she continue to fight to leave or figure out how to make it work in the Underworld.
You will probably like this book if you like:
☠️ Romantic fantasy with fae set in the Underworld
🖤 First book in a duology
☠️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🖤 Morally gray MMC
☠️ Loathe to love
🖤 Chronic illness rep
☠️ Hurt / comfort
🖤 A marriage bargain but she wants out
☠️ A labyrinth style deadly trial to escape
This hits so many fun tropes and had some really fun moments. You know your girl loves a deadly trial so Rhiannon’s journey through the labyrinth was extra fun for me. Her friendship with The Collector, Min, and Asti were really heartwarming. And I love a morally gray man who is only soft for one person. I eat that UPPPP.
But the connective tissue in between the fun moments was a little lacking at times. It all felt like a standard romantasy with an FMC who doesn’t put up with shit and a morally gray MMC who “told her he was bad and not to fall for him” but it is just set in the Underworld. Also, I am not a fan of high fantasy where there are so many details that you have to keep a glossary, but I felt like the world could have been a little more developed. And maybe because there were so many tropes that were included, it felt a little long at times.
The twists at the end were interesting and the set up for the next book was great (though perhaps I feel like I know what is coming, but I also may be wrong). If you like any of the tropes above and want a fantasy romance that doesn’t feel too hard to access, then you may like this book.
Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
______________________
Pre-Read Thoughts: The author described the MMC as a "demigod death daddy" and I am intrigued if I don't say so myself. 😂
On a fun scale, this ranked pretty high! But it did leave me wanting more at times. A quick layperson synopsis: Rhiannon has been sick for more of her life than not. When the fae King of the Dead shows up at her door, she must either marry him or watch her family die. Rhiannon chooses the former and down to the underworld they go. Rhiannon attempts to escape and the King strikes up another deal with her – if she can escape his labyrinth over the course of two weeks, she is free to go. Otherwise, they’re getting married, baby! But Rhiannon makes some friends, and she is feeling better and the King is hot! Will she continue to fight to leave or figure out how to make it work in the Underworld.
You will probably like this book if you like:
☠️ Romantic fantasy with fae set in the Underworld
🖤 First book in a duology
☠️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🖤 Morally gray MMC
☠️ Loathe to love
🖤 Chronic illness rep
☠️ Hurt / comfort
🖤 A marriage bargain but she wants out
☠️ A labyrinth style deadly trial to escape
This hits so many fun tropes and had some really fun moments. You know your girl loves a deadly trial so Rhiannon’s journey through the labyrinth was extra fun for me. Her friendship with The Collector, Min, and Asti were really heartwarming. And I love a morally gray man who is only soft for one person. I eat that UPPPP.
But the connective tissue in between the fun moments was a little lacking at times. It all felt like a standard romantasy with an FMC who doesn’t put up with shit and a morally gray MMC who “told her he was bad and not to fall for him” but it is just set in the Underworld. Also, I am not a fan of high fantasy where there are so many details that you have to keep a glossary, but I felt like the world could have been a little more developed. And maybe because there were so many tropes that were included, it felt a little long at times.
The twists at the end were interesting and the set up for the next book was great (though perhaps I feel like I know what is coming, but I also may be wrong). If you like any of the tropes above and want a fantasy romance that doesn’t feel too hard to access, then you may like this book.
Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
______________________
Pre-Read Thoughts: The author described the MMC as a "demigod death daddy" and I am intrigued if I don't say so myself. 😂
Read
August 20, 2025Apperantly there is an issue with the audio where the last part of the book is missing, so I don't know what the ending is.
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I'm sad this was not what I hoped it would be.
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WHO DO I NEED TO BRIBE FOR AN ARC?!?
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I'm sad this was not what I hoped it would be.
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WHO DO I NEED TO BRIBE FOR AN ARC?!?
November 16, 2025
Huge thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for a chance to review this arc!!
This was such a delightful read. I don’t normally read those kinds of Romantasy but this one was good. It had elements that weren’t new to the genre but I was won over by the King of Death.
I haven’t read any of the author’s previous work and I really enjoyed this one. The fact that I hadn’t read anything else from this world didn’t hinder my enjoyment or understanding.
Rhiannon has been sick most of her life and when she’s 33, the King of Death makes an appearance to take her father up on his bargain made before she was born (that their firstborn daughter would be his bride). Now, I wish we learnt more about his mother & the deal she struck with her father but sadly, this wasn’t discussed. I’m thinking that it’ll be in the next book.
All the parts about the poisons and herbalism were so interesting to me! I loved reading about this. The characters were well done and I loved reading about them. I especially loved Rhiannon. I will admit I wasn’t impressed by the nicknames (ahnon, asti, etc.) - they were a bit juvenile for me and I didn’t understand the appeal. But it wasn’t something that hindered my reading experience. The pacing and writing were addicting and easy to read.
The romance was a slow burn and the tension was a delight to read. There’s found family, good women friendships, tension & slow burn, a cat, a labyrinth with interesting challenges and ravens.
If you go into this thinking it’ll be a fun time, you’ll definitely enjoy it.
This was such a delightful read. I don’t normally read those kinds of Romantasy but this one was good. It had elements that weren’t new to the genre but I was won over by the King of Death.
I haven’t read any of the author’s previous work and I really enjoyed this one. The fact that I hadn’t read anything else from this world didn’t hinder my enjoyment or understanding.
Rhiannon has been sick most of her life and when she’s 33, the King of Death makes an appearance to take her father up on his bargain made before she was born (that their firstborn daughter would be his bride). Now, I wish we learnt more about his mother & the deal she struck with her father but sadly, this wasn’t discussed. I’m thinking that it’ll be in the next book.
All the parts about the poisons and herbalism were so interesting to me! I loved reading about this. The characters were well done and I loved reading about them. I especially loved Rhiannon. I will admit I wasn’t impressed by the nicknames (ahnon, asti, etc.) - they were a bit juvenile for me and I didn’t understand the appeal. But it wasn’t something that hindered my reading experience. The pacing and writing were addicting and easy to read.
The romance was a slow burn and the tension was a delight to read. There’s found family, good women friendships, tension & slow burn, a cat, a labyrinth with interesting challenges and ravens.
If you go into this thinking it’ll be a fun time, you’ll definitely enjoy it.
April 23, 2026
One of my favorite tropes is death and the maiden, and KING OF RAVENS served that up with a heaping side of Hades x Persephone drenched in fae court intrigue. Annon has spent most of her life chronically ill, too exhausted and in pain to even make it up the stairs alone without help. She spends her free time searching for a cure, while fighting against the thought that she's a burden on her family.
Then one day, the faerie king of the underworld swoops into her and her family's lives. He claims that her father made a bargain to save his life while lost at sea; he pledged the hand of his firstborn daughter in exchange for rescue, and now The Morrigan has come to collect... by arranging a wedding between her son and Annon. His wintry court is a perilous place and Annon's only chance at freedom is navigating his labyrinth by day, while she's at his mercy at night.
KING OF RAVENS is a slow-paced, slow-burn read, but I've spent the last couple days sick with some kind of flu, and I was in the perfect mood for something that unfolded at a leisurely pace and wasn't too dark. I thought the Hades x Persephone elements were really well done, and the Labyrinth vibes appealed to my inner sixteen-year-old (who is STILL mad that Sarah and Jareth didn't end up together, btw).
3.5 stars
Then one day, the faerie king of the underworld swoops into her and her family's lives. He claims that her father made a bargain to save his life while lost at sea; he pledged the hand of his firstborn daughter in exchange for rescue, and now The Morrigan has come to collect... by arranging a wedding between her son and Annon. His wintry court is a perilous place and Annon's only chance at freedom is navigating his labyrinth by day, while she's at his mercy at night.
KING OF RAVENS is a slow-paced, slow-burn read, but I've spent the last couple days sick with some kind of flu, and I was in the perfect mood for something that unfolded at a leisurely pace and wasn't too dark. I thought the Hades x Persephone elements were really well done, and the Labyrinth vibes appealed to my inner sixteen-year-old (who is STILL mad that Sarah and Jareth didn't end up together, btw).
3.5 stars
November 22, 2025
I will start from the bottom line: I loved the book very much! This was among the best fantasy books I've read in recent times, and I’ve read quite a few lately. "King of Ravens" by Clare Sager is the first book in a romantasy duology and a loose retelling of Hades and Persephone, inspired by Welsh mythology. I haven’t read any of the author’s previous books—a thing I now have to remedy. I fell in love with the writing as well as the weaving of the intricate plot.
Told in the first-person POV, the book follows Rhiannon, a 33-year-old heroine suffering from an incurable and unknown chronic illness. She is isolated in her family’s remote seaside cottage due to her condition, trying to find a cure without any luck. When Drystan, the Fae King of the Dead, appears one day in their home, demanding her parents honor the bargain they made with his mother Morrigan, the Goddess of War, Fate, and Death—her father’s life in return for their firstborn daughter—Rhiannon is left with no choice but to go with him to the underworld and become his bride.
Rhiannon finds herself locked in the strange world of the Fae with its unfamiliar rules, dangerous environment, and political intrigue. After her attempts to return home fail, Drystan offers her a bargain: escape his deadly labyrinth, and she can go home; fail, and she becomes his bride. Rhiannon agrees and must choose between returning to her family or staying in a world where she’s made new friends, might finally belong, and may even find love to boot.
What follows is an exciting tale of spicy enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, royal court intrigue, dangerous trials, and ancient magic. I loved the book and flew through its pages. The story is driven by both the poetic language and the action-based conflict, but it works so well because of the characters (they are all so exquisitely crafted) and the very tight plot.
I thought the descriptions of chronic illness were accurately done. Rhiannon is a heroine one can’t help but root for. I admired her inner strength, her intelligence and determination, her kindness, her selfishness, her coping with pain, and her optimism—keeping a smile despite everything. I loved that she didn’t give up, whether in trying to find a cure for her illness or escaping Mordren (the underworld).
Drystan is full of contrasts. He is what you’d call a morally gray character—cruel on one hand, kind on the other, and constantly sending mixed signals. The coming marriage was enforced on both of them, so they only had the hand they were given to play. I have to say that I wasn’t too fond of Rhiannon’s parents. They took care of her, but they were overprotective and acted from their own selfish motives.
The book explores themes of chronic illness, valor, courage, friendship, moral dilemmas, loneliness, the need for belonging, found family, gaslighting, and familial abuse. I loved the dynamics between the characters, and the combination of the trials with the everyday life of the royal court, along with the tidbits about the Fae. For instance, they can’t lie and are night creatures. I also loved the author’s version of the Hades and Persephone tale. There are ravens, a ghost cat, new friendships—what’s not to love? The book stands on its own. Even if you aren’t familiar with Fae myths, you won’t have any problems following it.
The book’s strengths lie in its magnificent prose, rich world-building, diverse cast, and convoluted plot. The dark, gritty atmosphere and the surrounding lore were fascinating. The only issue I had was the ending. The book ends in a cliffhanger, and I must have the sequel now! If you are looking for a great fantasy that will have you scrambling for more, this book fits the bill perfectly. The characters are impressive (I loved them), the plot is exciting, and the writing is superb. Full stars from me!
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2025...
Told in the first-person POV, the book follows Rhiannon, a 33-year-old heroine suffering from an incurable and unknown chronic illness. She is isolated in her family’s remote seaside cottage due to her condition, trying to find a cure without any luck. When Drystan, the Fae King of the Dead, appears one day in their home, demanding her parents honor the bargain they made with his mother Morrigan, the Goddess of War, Fate, and Death—her father’s life in return for their firstborn daughter—Rhiannon is left with no choice but to go with him to the underworld and become his bride.
Rhiannon finds herself locked in the strange world of the Fae with its unfamiliar rules, dangerous environment, and political intrigue. After her attempts to return home fail, Drystan offers her a bargain: escape his deadly labyrinth, and she can go home; fail, and she becomes his bride. Rhiannon agrees and must choose between returning to her family or staying in a world where she’s made new friends, might finally belong, and may even find love to boot.
What follows is an exciting tale of spicy enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, royal court intrigue, dangerous trials, and ancient magic. I loved the book and flew through its pages. The story is driven by both the poetic language and the action-based conflict, but it works so well because of the characters (they are all so exquisitely crafted) and the very tight plot.
I thought the descriptions of chronic illness were accurately done. Rhiannon is a heroine one can’t help but root for. I admired her inner strength, her intelligence and determination, her kindness, her selfishness, her coping with pain, and her optimism—keeping a smile despite everything. I loved that she didn’t give up, whether in trying to find a cure for her illness or escaping Mordren (the underworld).
Drystan is full of contrasts. He is what you’d call a morally gray character—cruel on one hand, kind on the other, and constantly sending mixed signals. The coming marriage was enforced on both of them, so they only had the hand they were given to play. I have to say that I wasn’t too fond of Rhiannon’s parents. They took care of her, but they were overprotective and acted from their own selfish motives.
The book explores themes of chronic illness, valor, courage, friendship, moral dilemmas, loneliness, the need for belonging, found family, gaslighting, and familial abuse. I loved the dynamics between the characters, and the combination of the trials with the everyday life of the royal court, along with the tidbits about the Fae. For instance, they can’t lie and are night creatures. I also loved the author’s version of the Hades and Persephone tale. There are ravens, a ghost cat, new friendships—what’s not to love? The book stands on its own. Even if you aren’t familiar with Fae myths, you won’t have any problems following it.
The book’s strengths lie in its magnificent prose, rich world-building, diverse cast, and convoluted plot. The dark, gritty atmosphere and the surrounding lore were fascinating. The only issue I had was the ending. The book ends in a cliffhanger, and I must have the sequel now! If you are looking for a great fantasy that will have you scrambling for more, this book fits the bill perfectly. The characters are impressive (I loved them), the plot is exciting, and the writing is superb. Full stars from me!
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2025...
May 30, 2026
4.75 ✨
Um Clare, WTF?! What do you mean?! How is that possibly the ending of the book?! That was diabolical.
I ate this up. I was so worried going into this one because I've seen people comparing it to Hades and Persephone and I don't really get on with Greek Mythology/retellings. However, although I can see why people liken it to H&P, I think this stands entirely on it's own and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I flew through this so much faster than I thought I would and when I couldn't read it for whatever reason, all I did was think about it. Bloody fantastic. Loved it.
Um Clare, WTF?! What do you mean?! How is that possibly the ending of the book?! That was diabolical.
I ate this up. I was so worried going into this one because I've seen people comparing it to Hades and Persephone and I don't really get on with Greek Mythology/retellings. However, although I can see why people liken it to H&P, I think this stands entirely on it's own and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I flew through this so much faster than I thought I would and when I couldn't read it for whatever reason, all I did was think about it. Bloody fantastic. Loved it.
January 9, 2026
HELLLLLLLO, THAT ENDING? oh man i have no idea what i’m going to do until book two comes out bc i am TOO many questions and i am very upset about it 😂
i had the best time with this book!!! i grew up obsessed with greek mythology and hades x persephone in particular (like most people) are one of my favorite stories so seeing this retelling i was immediately sold. i really loved the way clare was able to take such a widely known tale and make it her own! the world building, the magic, the trials and the herbology aspects of this book were top tier. everything felt so immersive and well thought out that i truly forgot sometimes that i was reading a story that i have many times.
i am actually obsessed with 99% of the characters we met through out this story, our sassy king of the dead cat daddy drystan was a hoot i was obsessed with him from the moment he first opened his mouth from his sass alone LOL i could not handle it and how much he made me laugh audibly from his dry humor. min is so beloved to me, i would truly kill to get a little novella or something that solely focuses on her as a person and her and asti’s budding relationship. they were such a treat 😩. annon was one hell of an fmc, i absolutely loved how much push back she gave and how even though she wasnt really confident in her decisions sometimes she did everything with the utmost grace and courage!! the collector, you brave sweet soul and friend… 😭
i am truly already foaming at the mouth to do a reread of this book with the audio, i can only imagine how much fun im going to have with all of these characters and this world as they are brought to life by narrators 🤭
i had the best time with this book!!! i grew up obsessed with greek mythology and hades x persephone in particular (like most people) are one of my favorite stories so seeing this retelling i was immediately sold. i really loved the way clare was able to take such a widely known tale and make it her own! the world building, the magic, the trials and the herbology aspects of this book were top tier. everything felt so immersive and well thought out that i truly forgot sometimes that i was reading a story that i have many times.
i am actually obsessed with 99% of the characters we met through out this story, our sassy king of the dead cat daddy drystan was a hoot i was obsessed with him from the moment he first opened his mouth from his sass alone LOL i could not handle it and how much he made me laugh audibly from his dry humor. min is so beloved to me, i would truly kill to get a little novella or something that solely focuses on her as a person and her and asti’s budding relationship. they were such a treat 😩. annon was one hell of an fmc, i absolutely loved how much push back she gave and how even though she wasnt really confident in her decisions sometimes she did everything with the utmost grace and courage!! the collector, you brave sweet soul and friend… 😭
i am truly already foaming at the mouth to do a reread of this book with the audio, i can only imagine how much fun im going to have with all of these characters and this world as they are brought to life by narrators 🤭
February 5, 2026
I was, in fact, just like every other romantasy, Dear Reader.
Your usual story, your usual Fae.
I could have spent those hours reading something else.
I'm gonna rant with Spoilers for a second:
You know what I hate? I hate the ''but if I leave and end up loving this shadowy magical male, I would be abandoning my family!!.... oh, what is that? it is revealed that my family was quite shit all along? Amazing, now there's no reason why I should feel anything but lust- I mean!- love!''
It's so cheap, man.
You get rid of the only real conflict in your story just like that. It's not even an original thing. And it's not like there was anything else going on for the story.
Now there's nothing:
The conflicting feelings of guilt over her new found feelings because they mean finding some sort of happiness despite having been taken away from the people she loves? Gone.
Because in two pages, those relationships are nothing but a lie.
That makes the romance 10 times less interesting!
Now she has nothing but this shadow dude! Who will most definitely remain incredibly bland in the second book and now we won't even have complex feelings from her.
Your usual story, your usual Fae.
I could have spent those hours reading something else.
I'm gonna rant with Spoilers for a second:
You know what I hate? I hate the ''but if I leave and end up loving this shadowy magical male, I would be abandoning my family!!.... oh, what is that? it is revealed that my family was quite shit all along? Amazing, now there's no reason why I should feel anything but lust- I mean!- love!''
It's so cheap, man.
You get rid of the only real conflict in your story just like that. It's not even an original thing. And it's not like there was anything else going on for the story.
Now there's nothing:
The conflicting feelings of guilt over her new found feelings because they mean finding some sort of happiness despite having been taken away from the people she loves? Gone.
Because in two pages, those relationships are nothing but a lie.
That makes the romance 10 times less interesting!
Now she has nothing but this shadow dude! Who will most definitely remain incredibly bland in the second book and now we won't even have complex feelings from her.
November 25, 2025
.·:*¨ 3.75 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔰, 𝔯𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔡 𝔲𝔭 ¨*:·.
𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
🐦⬛🪦🖤
In King of Ravens, we follow a deathly ill human (Rihannon) who was bargained away by her father to marry “the king of death”. He is dark, ruthless, and everything the name implies.. he is also fae and resides in the underworld where she is taken to become his queen. She will stop at nothing to get back to her family and her brother even if it means playing the games the king of death and his court require of her. What she may not expect is to find friendship, her own strength and even possibly love along the way.
The world building was seamless and effective. I could picture everything that was described and felt like a movie was playing in my mind which is very important for me as a reader! I really enjoyed the writing style as well and found it very easy to follow along and understand.
The characters were what made this book stand out for me. I absolutely love when an author can make side characters special and Clare did just that and more. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Rhiannon herself (I didn’t dislike her but I just didn’t care for her.. if that makes sense?), I loved all the other characters we meet. The king of death was perfect, Min, Asti, Collector.. I loved them all. I even appreciate when I dislike a character so much when we’re meant to dislike them (Phaedra 😒). She made me feel for the characters and that’s extremely important for me.
The romance wasn’t anything special but it wasn’t bad either. I do love a good slow burn and enemies to lovers romantasy. The snarky banter was my favourite part and made me giggle a few times 🤭
Now for the plot.. I’ll be honest it was a little lacklustre. I kept waiting for something big to happen, or shock me, or interest me and have me turning pages but I never got there. It was just a slow steady pace throughout. The plot twists that were included were nothing that wow-ed me and I found them pretty predictable. I really struggled to get through this book because of it. I don’t even know how to explain it because it’s not like it wasn’t enjoyable.. it just didn’t have a major climax?
Overall I felt like the characters carried this book. While the story was enjoyable it wasn’t anything memorable or exciting for me. It will be one of those books that I’ll forget most of what happened by the end of the week.
I will however remember the characters as I did really love some of them and they will have a place in my heart! I would still recommend this book especially if you are newer to the romantasy genre as I think it’s an easier read/introduction book into the genre.
Yes I will be continuing the series.. the ending!? Have to see what happens now 👀 I think book two might have more action and I’m all for it.
𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶𝓃 𝑒𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝒾𝓃 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓃𝑔𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝓎 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓇𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌
Publication Date: January 27th, 2026
🐦⬛🪦🖤
In King of Ravens, we follow a deathly ill human (Rihannon) who was bargained away by her father to marry “the king of death”. He is dark, ruthless, and everything the name implies.. he is also fae and resides in the underworld where she is taken to become his queen. She will stop at nothing to get back to her family and her brother even if it means playing the games the king of death and his court require of her. What she may not expect is to find friendship, her own strength and even possibly love along the way.
The world building was seamless and effective. I could picture everything that was described and felt like a movie was playing in my mind which is very important for me as a reader! I really enjoyed the writing style as well and found it very easy to follow along and understand.
The characters were what made this book stand out for me. I absolutely love when an author can make side characters special and Clare did just that and more. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of Rhiannon herself (I didn’t dislike her but I just didn’t care for her.. if that makes sense?), I loved all the other characters we meet. The king of death was perfect, Min, Asti, Collector.. I loved them all. I even appreciate when I dislike a character so much when we’re meant to dislike them (Phaedra 😒). She made me feel for the characters and that’s extremely important for me.
The romance wasn’t anything special but it wasn’t bad either. I do love a good slow burn and enemies to lovers romantasy. The snarky banter was my favourite part and made me giggle a few times 🤭
Now for the plot.. I’ll be honest it was a little lacklustre. I kept waiting for something big to happen, or shock me, or interest me and have me turning pages but I never got there. It was just a slow steady pace throughout. The plot twists that were included were nothing that wow-ed me and I found them pretty predictable. I really struggled to get through this book because of it. I don’t even know how to explain it because it’s not like it wasn’t enjoyable.. it just didn’t have a major climax?
Overall I felt like the characters carried this book. While the story was enjoyable it wasn’t anything memorable or exciting for me. It will be one of those books that I’ll forget most of what happened by the end of the week.
I will however remember the characters as I did really love some of them and they will have a place in my heart! I would still recommend this book especially if you are newer to the romantasy genre as I think it’s an easier read/introduction book into the genre.
Yes I will be continuing the series.. the ending!? Have to see what happens now 👀 I think book two might have more action and I’m all for it.
April 20, 2026
Death himself comes for a dying girl…but he’s actually just collecting his Bride 💀🩵❄️ slow burn Hades x Persephone retelling but it needed more ACTION!
❄️🌸 🩵💀🩵 🌸❄️
Riahnnon thinks she’s just a regular chronically sick girlie until the King of the Underworld comes to collect on her family’s bargain. She’s is dragged to the eternal winter of the Underworld and its equally frosty society ❄️ She undergoes dangerous trials of the Labyrinth with her only goal TO ESCAPE. But then Drystan kills for her & makes the reanimated corpse bow at her feet she’s like “okay he’s not all that bad” 👀 slow burn underworld romantasy of dangerous self-discovery & forbidden attraction!
This romance is very much a slow burn with enemies to lovers dynamic further complicated by their arranged marriage & fae magic. Imagine endless bickering & mistrust with forbidden glances. However, their chemistry in bed….SIZZLING ✨ Drystan’s praise just lit her up and I was surprised to find he was quite a talker.
🩵 she mysteriously starts feeling better after arriving to the Underworld
💀 labyrinth of mysteries, monsters & illusions
🩵 lessons in magic & Fatework
💀 he gifts her a pet ghost cat
🩵 conniving court politics underlined with Fae culture shock
I have to admit I was intrigued by the puzzling eternal winter and the mystery of her chronic illness. However, the plot was a bit too slow and I felt like there wasn’t enough things happening. The second part of the book felt better as the story picked up but I definitely thought some subplots like the labyrinth were underutilized.
Decent cliffhanger with many unresolved sideplots.
fae x human romantasy
forced proximity
stubborn & headstrong fmc
arranged marriage
protective mmc
fmc with chronic illness
one horse
fae court politics
betrayals & plot twists
lgbtq rep
unlikely friendships
modern language ~ curses & dirty talk
cliffhanger
❄️🌸 🩵💀🩵 🌸❄️
Riahnnon thinks she’s just a regular chronically sick girlie until the King of the Underworld comes to collect on her family’s bargain. She’s is dragged to the eternal winter of the Underworld and its equally frosty society ❄️ She undergoes dangerous trials of the Labyrinth with her only goal TO ESCAPE. But then Drystan kills for her & makes the reanimated corpse bow at her feet she’s like “okay he’s not all that bad” 👀 slow burn underworld romantasy of dangerous self-discovery & forbidden attraction!
“You’re looking at me like you want to eat me.”
“I’m starving, Annon.“
This romance is very much a slow burn with enemies to lovers dynamic further complicated by their arranged marriage & fae magic. Imagine endless bickering & mistrust with forbidden glances. However, their chemistry in bed….SIZZLING ✨ Drystan’s praise just lit her up and I was surprised to find he was quite a talker.
🩵 she mysteriously starts feeling better after arriving to the Underworld
💀 labyrinth of mysteries, monsters & illusions
🩵 lessons in magic & Fatework
💀 he gifts her a pet ghost cat
🩵 conniving court politics underlined with Fae culture shock
I have to admit I was intrigued by the puzzling eternal winter and the mystery of her chronic illness. However, the plot was a bit too slow and I felt like there wasn’t enough things happening. The second part of the book felt better as the story picked up but I definitely thought some subplots like the labyrinth were underutilized.
Decent cliffhanger with many unresolved sideplots.
fae x human romantasy
forced proximity
stubborn & headstrong fmc
arranged marriage
protective mmc
fmc with chronic illness
one horse
fae court politics
betrayals & plot twists
lgbtq rep
unlikely friendships
modern language ~ curses & dirty talk
cliffhanger
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5 Ginger Biscuits Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5
This is seriously one of those books where you’re just here for the vibes. Because yes, it technically has a plot… but it’s a very, very loose plot, and honestly, the romance is also very slow, so it's mostly the atmosphere doing most of the heavy lifting.
ALSO... Do not spend much time looking for the connection to the Saberverse... this is "supposedly" set in the same universe as the Saberverse… and besides the mention of sabercats, I didn’t really find many if ANY Easter eggs or strong connections to the previous books and I WAS LOOKING SO HARD. I know I haven’t read Clare's entire backlist, so maybe I missed things that are obvious to long-time readers, but it honestly felt like this could have been a completely new fantasy universe and I would have believed it. The worldbuilding and lore were strong enough to stand on their own. WHICH IS A BIG compliment to how well the worldbuilding is fleshed out, but I did still want a little more of that connected-universe feeling and felt underwhelmed when it didn't happen...
NOW ON TO THE REVIEW...
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Our FMC, Rhiannon (Annon), has lived a very sheltered life. She has this unknown, debilitating illness with no cure that makes her incredibly weak and unable to do much, so she’s mostly housebound, where she spends her time taking care of by her younger brother and helping her parents around the house, while trying her best to find a cure for her illness. One strange night, her brother brings her a gilded mirror as a gift for her upcoming birthday. AND Very soon after that, he comes home in this weird trance and destroys their garden wall… That moment opens the door for something dark to step into her life and claim her through a bargain her father made years ago. One that says she will be the bride of the Unseelie Prince of Death, and he has come to collect.
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
I really loved Rhiannon as a character. She’s a literal ball of sunshine, which is kinda ironic in that she is the opposite of death. While she does struggle with her illness, she doesn’t let it ruin her spirit. She’s optimistic, feisty, stubborn, determined, and once she sets her sights on something, she’s not going to stop until she gets it.
Drystan, the King himself, is more of a mystery. Since you only ever see him through Rhiannon’s point of view, it creates this constant hint of unreliable narration. I battled to fully trust him or to trust his motivations because I’m never in his head. I only see what he does for her and how she perceives them. But… when he does soften, when he does show up for her, those moments are genuinely touching and sweet.
As I mentioned, Rhiannon is sunshine, so the relationship and the romance is very much built on opposites; she brings life to his death, and you can physically see her effect in the castle as she starts to thaw his cold heart. I actually really liked that symbolism and the way it plays out in their dynamic. Watching her bring light into a dull, lifeless kingdom and castle was one of my favourite elements.
And the writing… the writing is beautiful. I expected nothing less. It’s lyrical, poetic, metaphorical, and flows in such a unique, dreamy way that you kind of get lulled into the fantasy. It’s immersive. It’s atmospheric. It’s vibes. LIKE YOU ARE THERE FOR THE VIBES!
BUT... I did struggle with somethings
A lot of elements in this book weren’t fleshed out enough, or were introduced so quickly that I didn’t realise they were meant to be important. So when they popped up again later, I found myself confused about who someone was, why they mattered, or why something was happening at all, because it hadn’t been given the weight it clearly deserved the first time. Eventually, I just stopped questioning it and went with THE VIBES. This happened multiple times.
The action scenes were another struggle for me. Because the writing can be so metaphorical and purple-prose-heavy at times, when the pacing speeds up, and something chaotic is happening, it was hard for me to. Because it became fast and, in my opinion, fragmented, I sometimes wasn’t fully sure what was happening, what was real, what wasn’t, and where we were in the moment.
And honestly… I wasn’t even fully sure what the main plot was for most of the book. Yes, there’s the labyrinth she’s working through to get home, but then there’s also missing people and a ploy for the throne. There are the other kingdoms and the brothers, and what's happening in the kingdom with all the snow... THERE is the romance, there’s magic and her "potential" queen magic, and it all feels like several threads strung together rather than one strong, central storyline. Which I get might be placed here for the rest of the books in the series, but since I don't see the full picture yet... I am not sure where we are going... which I found surprising because Clare usually gives you a very strong overarching plot in her books and this just felt... like VIBES...
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Hades and Persephone Retelling
▶ Grumpy X Sunshine
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ One Bed, One Horse
▶ Tending to Injuries
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Captive X Captor
▶ Slow Burn
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨:
➢ Blood Tasting (licking)
➢ Hair Pulling
➢ Finger Licking Good
and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Nicknames
▷ Lift your hips for me
▷ "Good Girl", "Mine", "Say My Name", "Teach Me"
▷ Doorframe Lean
▷ Dressing and Undressing Help
▷ He does/fixes her hair
▷ Tending to Injuries
▷ Chronic Illness Rep
▷ Older FMC
▷ Crow Daddy
Overall, I had an okay time reading this. I didn’t connect with it as deeply as I have with Clare’s other books. That said… I’m still invested. Especially because of how it ends.
Spoiler Alert: It ends on a cliffhanger. And I need to see where this goes.
Thank you so much Clare Sager for my gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Spicy Level: 🌶️.5/5
This is seriously one of those books where you’re just here for the vibes. Because yes, it technically has a plot… but it’s a very, very loose plot, and honestly, the romance is also very slow, so it's mostly the atmosphere doing most of the heavy lifting.
Avellan. He says that word, breathless, again and again. I haven’t heard it before tonight, but it sounds like the old tongue. A nicer word for “Nothing,” I’m sure of it. Avellan. It feels like it’s mine. Ours.Also, little warning: do not read the trigger warnings if you don’t want spoilers. Normally, I don’t read them, but they were right there on the first page, and I figured it wouldn’t be that bad. Except it mentions something that basically spoils the entire point of the book or the big reveal, and then I spent the whole book waiting for that thing to happen, and shouting at the characters for being stupid NOT SEEING IT... It completely took the climax and ruined it because I was already bracing for it... which just annoyed me.
ALSO... Do not spend much time looking for the connection to the Saberverse... this is "supposedly" set in the same universe as the Saberverse… and besides the mention of sabercats, I didn’t really find many if ANY Easter eggs or strong connections to the previous books and I WAS LOOKING SO HARD. I know I haven’t read Clare's entire backlist, so maybe I missed things that are obvious to long-time readers, but it honestly felt like this could have been a completely new fantasy universe and I would have believed it. The worldbuilding and lore were strong enough to stand on their own. WHICH IS A BIG compliment to how well the worldbuilding is fleshed out, but I did still want a little more of that connected-universe feeling and felt underwhelmed when it didn't happen...
NOW ON TO THE REVIEW...
𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
Our FMC, Rhiannon (Annon), has lived a very sheltered life. She has this unknown, debilitating illness with no cure that makes her incredibly weak and unable to do much, so she’s mostly housebound, where she spends her time taking care of by her younger brother and helping her parents around the house, while trying her best to find a cure for her illness. One strange night, her brother brings her a gilded mirror as a gift for her upcoming birthday. AND Very soon after that, he comes home in this weird trance and destroys their garden wall… That moment opens the door for something dark to step into her life and claim her through a bargain her father made years ago. One that says she will be the bride of the Unseelie Prince of Death, and he has come to collect.
𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
I really loved Rhiannon as a character. She’s a literal ball of sunshine, which is kinda ironic in that she is the opposite of death. While she does struggle with her illness, she doesn’t let it ruin her spirit. She’s optimistic, feisty, stubborn, determined, and once she sets her sights on something, she’s not going to stop until she gets it.
Drystan, the King himself, is more of a mystery. Since you only ever see him through Rhiannon’s point of view, it creates this constant hint of unreliable narration. I battled to fully trust him or to trust his motivations because I’m never in his head. I only see what he does for her and how she perceives them. But… when he does soften, when he does show up for her, those moments are genuinely touching and sweet.
As I mentioned, Rhiannon is sunshine, so the relationship and the romance is very much built on opposites; she brings life to his death, and you can physically see her effect in the castle as she starts to thaw his cold heart. I actually really liked that symbolism and the way it plays out in their dynamic. Watching her bring light into a dull, lifeless kingdom and castle was one of my favourite elements.
And the writing… the writing is beautiful. I expected nothing less. It’s lyrical, poetic, metaphorical, and flows in such a unique, dreamy way that you kind of get lulled into the fantasy. It’s immersive. It’s atmospheric. It’s vibes. LIKE YOU ARE THERE FOR THE VIBES!
BUT... I did struggle with somethings
A lot of elements in this book weren’t fleshed out enough, or were introduced so quickly that I didn’t realise they were meant to be important. So when they popped up again later, I found myself confused about who someone was, why they mattered, or why something was happening at all, because it hadn’t been given the weight it clearly deserved the first time. Eventually, I just stopped questioning it and went with THE VIBES. This happened multiple times.
The action scenes were another struggle for me. Because the writing can be so metaphorical and purple-prose-heavy at times, when the pacing speeds up, and something chaotic is happening, it was hard for me to. Because it became fast and, in my opinion, fragmented, I sometimes wasn’t fully sure what was happening, what was real, what wasn’t, and where we were in the moment.
And honestly… I wasn’t even fully sure what the main plot was for most of the book. Yes, there’s the labyrinth she’s working through to get home, but then there’s also missing people and a ploy for the throne. There are the other kingdoms and the brothers, and what's happening in the kingdom with all the snow... THERE is the romance, there’s magic and her "potential" queen magic, and it all feels like several threads strung together rather than one strong, central storyline. Which I get might be placed here for the rest of the books in the series, but since I don't see the full picture yet... I am not sure where we are going... which I found surprising because Clare usually gives you a very strong overarching plot in her books and this just felt... like VIBES...
𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Hades and Persephone Retelling
▶ Grumpy X Sunshine
▶ Touch Her You Die
▶ One Bed, One Horse
▶ Tending to Injuries
▶ Forced Proximity
▶ Captive X Captor
▶ Slow Burn
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨:
➢ Blood Tasting (licking)
➢ Hair Pulling
➢ Finger Licking Good
and 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙧𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▷ Nicknames
▷ Lift your hips for me
▷ "Good Girl", "Mine", "Say My Name", "Teach Me"
▷ Doorframe Lean
▷ Dressing and Undressing Help
▷ He does/fixes her hair
▷ Tending to Injuries
▷ Chronic Illness Rep
▷ Older FMC
▷ Crow Daddy
Overall, I had an okay time reading this. I didn’t connect with it as deeply as I have with Clare’s other books. That said… I’m still invested. Especially because of how it ends.
Spoiler Alert: It ends on a cliffhanger. And I need to see where this goes.
Thank you so much Clare Sager for my gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own
April 23, 2026
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
This started out SO good! The chronic illness representation was a breath of fresh air. I love seeing FMC's that deal with something as serious as chronic illness not being portrayed as this delicate little thing that, if the wind blows hard enough, will simply cease to exist. I also very much enjoyed seeing how everyone around her took her issues seriously. No one dismissed or invalidated her once after she left her human life (which if this weren't a fiction novel, that in and of itself would put this into fiction territory. Ask me how I know). Overall, she's strong and pushes herself to her limit to do what she thinks is right. She's also feisty and has a backbone. I loved seeing her stand up to the MMC! It was chef's kiss!
The MMC had his questionable moments that, if I'm being honest, were very close to giving me the ICK. Mostly for being so rude and indifferent to the FMC from the beginning. He accepted this human (due to circumstances out of his control) to be by his side, but never considered that she was, in fact, human and therefore did not have prior knowledge of fae customs and whatnot. He does grow to tolerate her and eventually actually appreciates and craves her presence. That's made abundantly clear by the ending (). Though I will say in his defence, he took her fessing up to being chronically ill very well. No dismissiveness and calling her crazy (which AGAIN such fiction! Can you tell I've been burned before yet?). Also, it's not outright pointed out, but he does accommodate her body pains/limits whenever applicable before they even need to be mentioned. So gold star for him!
This was going so well, right up until the ending. I went into this one expecting a cliffhanger, so I was braced. This is one of those endings where the story just naturally comes to a pivot point, so it wasn't as bad as I saw people saying it was. Maybe that was just me? Frankly, I had warmed up to the MMC so much so that his actions in the last hour or so of the book kinda soured him a little bit for me.
P.S. Her parents were pieces of sh**.
Certain aspects of this book got me so fired up and ranty 😅
This started out SO good! The chronic illness representation was a breath of fresh air. I love seeing FMC's that deal with something as serious as chronic illness not being portrayed as this delicate little thing that, if the wind blows hard enough, will simply cease to exist. I also very much enjoyed seeing how everyone around her took her issues seriously. No one dismissed or invalidated her once after she left her human life (which if this weren't a fiction novel, that in and of itself would put this into fiction territory. Ask me how I know). Overall, she's strong and pushes herself to her limit to do what she thinks is right. She's also feisty and has a backbone. I loved seeing her stand up to the MMC! It was chef's kiss!
The MMC had his questionable moments that, if I'm being honest, were very close to giving me the ICK. Mostly for being so rude and indifferent to the FMC from the beginning. He accepted this human (due to circumstances out of his control) to be by his side, but never considered that she was, in fact, human and therefore did not have prior knowledge of fae customs and whatnot. He does grow to tolerate her and eventually actually appreciates and craves her presence. That's made abundantly clear by the ending (). Though I will say in his defence, he took her fessing up to being chronically ill very well. No dismissiveness and calling her crazy (which AGAIN such fiction! Can you tell I've been burned before yet?). Also, it's not outright pointed out, but he does accommodate her body pains/limits whenever applicable before they even need to be mentioned. So gold star for him!
This was going so well, right up until the ending. I went into this one expecting a cliffhanger, so I was braced. This is one of those endings where the story just naturally comes to a pivot point, so it wasn't as bad as I saw people saying it was. Maybe that was just me? Frankly, I had warmed up to the MMC so much so that his actions in the last hour or so of the book kinda soured him a little bit for me.
P.S. Her parents were pieces of sh**.
Certain aspects of this book got me so fired up and ranty 😅
January 27, 2026
Admittedly, this one took a little time to hook me, but once it did I couldn’t put it down.
Clare Sager crafts such dynamic fae worlds that feel lush and well-rounded without bogging you down in heavy-handed world building. While aspects of the plot felt a bit predictable, I still thoroughly enjoyed the journey. The labyrinth was an interesting element to the story, but I’d be lying if I said the romance wasn’t the highlight of this book. I absolutely LOVED Annon and Drystan’s relationship. The slow burn, the tension, the tenderness… they make such a great pairing.
That ending though? Diabolical. I would even go as far to say that it was evil. It’s effective though, because I’m now desperate for book two!
Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Clare Sager crafts such dynamic fae worlds that feel lush and well-rounded without bogging you down in heavy-handed world building. While aspects of the plot felt a bit predictable, I still thoroughly enjoyed the journey. The labyrinth was an interesting element to the story, but I’d be lying if I said the romance wasn’t the highlight of this book. I absolutely LOVED Annon and Drystan’s relationship. The slow burn, the tension, the tenderness… they make such a great pairing.
That ending though? Diabolical. I would even go as far to say that it was evil. It’s effective though, because I’m now desperate for book two!
Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
April 22, 2026
This was an easy read & I found it intriguing! Especially the ending!?!
Review of advance copy
Honestly this was quite boring and I didn't care for any of the characters. All the twists weren't even shocking and I predicted they would happen. The ending wasn't even crazy, but also I don't really care about anyone so I'm just like 😐 okay, anyways.
Annon was a fine FMC I guess but I had no interest in her at all. And Drystan was just boring from page 1. I did not feel anything at all for the romance, nothing about them had me invested and I was so bored. I know I keep using the word "boring" but really that's how I felt for 80% of this book😭 The side characters were actually the most interesting part of this book although we didn't get much of them of course, but I really liked Min and Astrid!
This book really just dragged for me and I couldn't wait to finish. I started skimming some parts near the end because I wanted to be free of it. Disappointed I couldn't love this book because I so loved the artist lineup a certain book box had for it, but oh well, this just wasn't for me. At least it was a quick read?
Thank you Forever for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Annon was a fine FMC I guess but I had no interest in her at all. And Drystan was just boring from page 1. I did not feel anything at all for the romance, nothing about them had me invested and I was so bored. I know I keep using the word "boring" but really that's how I felt for 80% of this book😭 The side characters were actually the most interesting part of this book although we didn't get much of them of course, but I really liked Min and Astrid!
This book really just dragged for me and I couldn't wait to finish. I started skimming some parts near the end because I wanted to be free of it. Disappointed I couldn't love this book because I so loved the artist lineup a certain book box had for it, but oh well, this just wasn't for me. At least it was a quick read?
Thank you Forever for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
May 8, 2026
It was alright. Nothing terrible but nothing to write home about. The ending was really good but that's about all the positive I can really say. Everything else was very generic fantasy without even a hint of atmosphere. There was no magic or spark to the world and writing.
In this novel Annon is whisked away to be the bride of the fae king of the underworld after a deal her father made with the faes mother. Annon is dying and weak but she uses her energy to traverse his labyrinth in the hopes of getting back home to her family.
I enjoyed the romance and the ending was great but the rest of it felt very average. Nothing really blew me away or was memorable. Dyrstan is your typical brooding fae male love interest and our heroine is the typical fiesty human female. Nothing new here.
It's not a bad novel, it's just not that great either, the highlight of the book was the ending and really a book needs to stand on more than a shock ending.
In this novel Annon is whisked away to be the bride of the fae king of the underworld after a deal her father made with the faes mother. Annon is dying and weak but she uses her energy to traverse his labyrinth in the hopes of getting back home to her family.
I enjoyed the romance and the ending was great but the rest of it felt very average. Nothing really blew me away or was memorable. Dyrstan is your typical brooding fae male love interest and our heroine is the typical fiesty human female. Nothing new here.
It's not a bad novel, it's just not that great either, the highlight of the book was the ending and really a book needs to stand on more than a shock ending.
December 27, 2025
Aaahhhhh as someone with a chronic illness this made me feel so seen, over extend yourself , pay for it the next day. Chronic illness rep aside the story was phenomenal, the slow burn , betrayal, labyrinth , the romance, the found family feel and of course the cat. I got a silly kick out of the fact she lives in a society where names are super important and goes around the whole book just calling him cat. Lots of twists and of course leaves you on a little cliffhanger that will have you begging for book two. Thanks Netgalley the author and the publisher for this arc.
April 6, 2026
King of Ravens by Clare Sager
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✔️Forced Proximity
✔️Enemies-to-Lovers
✔️Morally Grey MMC
✔️Trials
This book had me up late and back up early to keep reading. I devoured it! That ending?? Completely blindsided me. The kind of twist that makes you sit there in silence for a minute, replaying everything you just read. It was shocking, but also perfectly done.
This is one of those books I know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. If you love stories that keep you guessing and leave you stunned by the final pages, you need to pick this up.
Rhiannon’s been slowly dying in her family’s seaside cottage—until the King of the Dead crashes into her life and gives her a brutal choice: go with him as his bride or lose everything she loves.
Thrown into a dark, addictive underworld of magic, power plays, and deadly bargains, she refuses to be controlled—and risks it all to escape. But the deeper she’s pulled into this twisted world, the harder it becomes to tell where she truly belongs.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✔️Forced Proximity
✔️Enemies-to-Lovers
✔️Morally Grey MMC
✔️Trials
This book had me up late and back up early to keep reading. I devoured it! That ending?? Completely blindsided me. The kind of twist that makes you sit there in silence for a minute, replaying everything you just read. It was shocking, but also perfectly done.
This is one of those books I know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. If you love stories that keep you guessing and leave you stunned by the final pages, you need to pick this up.
Rhiannon’s been slowly dying in her family’s seaside cottage—until the King of the Dead crashes into her life and gives her a brutal choice: go with him as his bride or lose everything she loves.
Thrown into a dark, addictive underworld of magic, power plays, and deadly bargains, she refuses to be controlled—and risks it all to escape. But the deeper she’s pulled into this twisted world, the harder it becomes to tell where she truly belongs.
December 30, 2025
4.5 🌟 Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the gifted arc!! First off—I was so excited to start this because I loved Clare’s shadows of the tenebris court series. The beginning of this was slow for me and felt very basic romantasy, but by about the 30-40% mark, I was HOOKED—Clare Sager did indeed deliver. I thought I guessed the major plot twist but then another one came out of left field at the end and I’m shook!! I need the next book immediately because my questions need answers!! This book is very much Hades x Persephone coded, which is always one of my favs. The tension between Annon and Drystan was palpable, and there were so many moments that had been giggling and kicking my feet. Also the friendship between Annon/Min/Asti was everything—I just love good female friendships. This was such a great time with a labyrinth, trials, and a hedonistic unseelie court. Now gimme book 2
December 29, 2025
rating: 4.5 ★
annon has been dealing with a incurable, degenerative illness all her life. she had come to accept that she had a limited amount of time left, watching her life continue to become smaller and smaller as each day passed. on a day just like all the others, drystan the king of death showed up on her doorstep with a small army of the dead. coming to claim his debt, he drags annon to the underworld to become his bride. determined to make it back to her home, she finds herself making a deal with drystan that if she is able to complete his labyrinth, she will be able to go home.
i know that a lot of people struggled with the pacing of this book but i just did not have that problem? i was hooked from the start and it always felt like there was something going on. yes, we’re left a little in the dark at the beginning but i took it as we were on the journey with annon in discovering this new world right along side her.
if i could only name one thing i loved about this book it would be the fact that annon was kind of… dumb? she wasn’t shy about the fact that she was uneducated about the underworld and was honest about when she did something that turned out to be incredibly stupid. it was SO refreshing to not have an fmc that was a badass who just has knowledge about everything. she worked through, or attempted to work through all her problems with sheer determination.
annon and drystans relationship was such a good slow burn. despite the fact that i will always think that it is a little weird when a centuries old fae has a relationship with a 30 year old i fear that i too, would not be able to resist a man who gave me a cat so that i wouldn’t be lonely.
AND THAT ENDING?! oh my god i literally audibly gasped because i did not see it coming one bit. i know this book hasn’t even been released yet but god i am already going borderline feral for book two.
𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 🤍
annon has been dealing with a incurable, degenerative illness all her life. she had come to accept that she had a limited amount of time left, watching her life continue to become smaller and smaller as each day passed. on a day just like all the others, drystan the king of death showed up on her doorstep with a small army of the dead. coming to claim his debt, he drags annon to the underworld to become his bride. determined to make it back to her home, she finds herself making a deal with drystan that if she is able to complete his labyrinth, she will be able to go home.
i know that a lot of people struggled with the pacing of this book but i just did not have that problem? i was hooked from the start and it always felt like there was something going on. yes, we’re left a little in the dark at the beginning but i took it as we were on the journey with annon in discovering this new world right along side her.
if i could only name one thing i loved about this book it would be the fact that annon was kind of… dumb? she wasn’t shy about the fact that she was uneducated about the underworld and was honest about when she did something that turned out to be incredibly stupid. it was SO refreshing to not have an fmc that was a badass who just has knowledge about everything. she worked through, or attempted to work through all her problems with sheer determination.
annon and drystans relationship was such a good slow burn. despite the fact that i will always think that it is a little weird when a centuries old fae has a relationship with a 30 year old i fear that i too, would not be able to resist a man who gave me a cat so that i wouldn’t be lonely.
AND THAT ENDING?! oh my god i literally audibly gasped because i did not see it coming one bit. i know this book hasn’t even been released yet but god i am already going borderline feral for book two.
𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦-𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 🤍
January 6, 2026
“i can’t pretend to understand. but i know i’d rather cut my own heart out than hurt you. yet it’s too late, isn’t it? i’ve done it.”
—
this was such a fun romantasy!!! i loved how well it balanced politics, trials, & romance. i was absolutely glued to this book that i finished it in 24 hours. he kidnaps her to force her to marry him? that was all i needed to have me SAT.
the fmc being in her 30s was super refreshing. i also loved how her chronic illness was very well written. i felt strongly for rhiannon from the first chapter and i adored seeing her grow into herself throughout the book.
drystan, oh my god this man. i folded the first time he appeared but i swear he just kept getting better. he’s so grumpy and broody but you know underneath he’s a secret softie, take for example said ghost cat he seems to complain about. oh and also his mouth is absolutely insane i had to stare at the wall for a good few minutes.
the found family was such a nice surprise in this. seeing astrid, min, & rhiannon’s friendship blossom was so sweet and the snowball fight was one of my favorite scenes!
that ending? diabolical. i actually was about to throw my kindle out the wall once i flipped the page and it said acknowledgments. i need book 2 and answers ASAP. i especially need to know what a certain name he calls her means!!
thank you so much netgalley & forever publishing for this e-arc! i’m definitely going to check out clare’s other books after this! ♥︎
“𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌...𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈—𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆.”
—
this was such a fun romantasy!!! i loved how well it balanced politics, trials, & romance. i was absolutely glued to this book that i finished it in 24 hours. he kidnaps her to force her to marry him? that was all i needed to have me SAT.
the fmc being in her 30s was super refreshing. i also loved how her chronic illness was very well written. i felt strongly for rhiannon from the first chapter and i adored seeing her grow into herself throughout the book.
drystan, oh my god this man. i folded the first time he appeared but i swear he just kept getting better. he’s so grumpy and broody but you know underneath he’s a secret softie, take for example said ghost cat he seems to complain about. oh and also his mouth is absolutely insane i had to stare at the wall for a good few minutes.
the found family was such a nice surprise in this. seeing astrid, min, & rhiannon’s friendship blossom was so sweet and the snowball fight was one of my favorite scenes!
that ending? diabolical. i actually was about to throw my kindle out the wall once i flipped the page and it said acknowledgments. i need book 2 and answers ASAP. i especially need to know what a certain name he calls her means!!
thank you so much netgalley & forever publishing for this e-arc! i’m definitely going to check out clare’s other books after this! ♥︎
“𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌...𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈—𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒗𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆.”
March 29, 2026
2.5 ⭐️
Everything just felt weak with this, the concept, the characters, the world. It held so much promise and potential but it just felt like every other romantasy.
Is it me? Am I the problem? Nothing seems to be hitting like it used too 😭
Everything just felt weak with this, the concept, the characters, the world. It held so much promise and potential but it just felt like every other romantasy.
Is it me? Am I the problem? Nothing seems to be hitting like it used too 😭
August 6, 2026
Ну не можу я це читати.
dnf. днф.
Це ж вже було, якась копія чогось що вже так чи інакше читала разі зі 100.. І нічим не воно не виділяється ні історією, ні героями, ні світом, ні емоціями..
сил нема, настрою нема, жара дістала, русня виблядки кончені.
на хіба страждати ще з книжками? (питання риторичне)
dnf. днф.
Це ж вже було, якась копія чогось що вже так чи інакше читала разі зі 100.. І нічим не воно не виділяється ні історією, ні героями, ні світом, ні емоціями..
сил нема, настрою нема, жара дістала, русня виблядки кончені.
на хіба страждати ще з книжками? (питання риторичне)
Did Not Finish
September 20, 2026No me terminan de caer los personajes, tal vez y luego lo llegue a continuar 🤔
March 1, 2026
Yep. I was right. I am unwell. That damn ending and now having to wait until 2027 for book 2?! 😟😭
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