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Amity in the House of Her Enemy: A Sapphic Fantasy Romance
It was an undeserved hatred, but she knew one day she would earn it.
Amity already got her revenge. Since childhood, she's secretly worked to bring down the wealthy mage who destroyed her family. After succeeding, she runs away to start a new life under a stolen identity.
Years later, she turns thirty, and the mage's daughter—Juniper—tracks her down.
Amity (a born servant) and Juniper (heir to a magical lord) have a long and unpleasant history. They clashed as children, and again in college, while Amity pursued vengeance against Juniper’s clan. Amity shamelessly wielded every weapon at her disposal: her wits, her looks, her healing abilities, and her fearlessness. In those days, lying and sabotage were her bread and butter.
Icy, uptight Juniper couldn't be more different. She's always been a stickler for the law. But now the government wants to make an example of Amity for her crimes, and Juniper steps in to protect her.
This can't possibly be an act of compassion… yet, given the choice between going with Juniper or going to jail, Amity chooses Juniper. A dangerous gamble. Juniper still has the legal right to claim her as an indentured servant. By trapping Amity in the desolate old mansion where it all began, perhaps Juniper can finally start to exact her own long-awaited revenge.
Amity in the House of Her Enemy is a twisty and extremely slow-burn f/f romance featuring childhood enemies, hurt/comfort, family drama, and the very tentative beginnings of a movement against the greatest foe of all: the mageocracy itself.
This novel takes place in the same contemporary fantasy world as the Clem & Wist series, but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story.
Amity already got her revenge. Since childhood, she's secretly worked to bring down the wealthy mage who destroyed her family. After succeeding, she runs away to start a new life under a stolen identity.
Years later, she turns thirty, and the mage's daughter—Juniper—tracks her down.
Amity (a born servant) and Juniper (heir to a magical lord) have a long and unpleasant history. They clashed as children, and again in college, while Amity pursued vengeance against Juniper’s clan. Amity shamelessly wielded every weapon at her disposal: her wits, her looks, her healing abilities, and her fearlessness. In those days, lying and sabotage were her bread and butter.
Icy, uptight Juniper couldn't be more different. She's always been a stickler for the law. But now the government wants to make an example of Amity for her crimes, and Juniper steps in to protect her.
This can't possibly be an act of compassion… yet, given the choice between going with Juniper or going to jail, Amity chooses Juniper. A dangerous gamble. Juniper still has the legal right to claim her as an indentured servant. By trapping Amity in the desolate old mansion where it all began, perhaps Juniper can finally start to exact her own long-awaited revenge.
Amity in the House of Her Enemy is a twisty and extremely slow-burn f/f romance featuring childhood enemies, hurt/comfort, family drama, and the very tentative beginnings of a movement against the greatest foe of all: the mageocracy itself.
This novel takes place in the same contemporary fantasy world as the Clem & Wist series, but can be read and enjoyed as a standalone story.
375 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2026
About the author
Hiyodori
11 books318 followersHiyodori is not a bird. But she is dearly fond of her namesake, a plain-looking brown-gray bird that likes to perch near her Tokyo apartment and unleash the most incredible primal screams. Hiyodori (the human author) loves stories with fantastical settings and complicated, difficult-to-define relationships. All of her books—including Amity in the House of Her Enemy, her latest standalone novel—take place in the same shared fantasy universe.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 28, 2026
I don't even know what to say besides that I loved it. A slowburn romance between enemies who are actually enemies! I'm absolutely flabbergasted.
Hiyodori you are now one of instant buy authors.
Hiyodori you are now one of instant buy authors.
April 21, 2026
As with all Hiyodori books, I absolutely loved this. She has such a unique voice and I especially liked the more mundane aspects of magic shown here. The characters felt deeply entrenched in the world on a small scale and the fine details of inheritance law arbitration really added to that. By all rights, fantasy legal arbitration should be boring as hell, but the ways in which it tied into the emotional arcs the characters were going through was nothing short of masterful.
This is technically a stand alone, but having read the authors other books added a lot to the broader significance of the MCs’ work in the world writ large.
This is technically a stand alone, but having read the authors other books added a lot to the broader significance of the MCs’ work in the world writ large.
April 20, 2026
Absolutely a cozy and puzzler of a Hiyodori book! But instead of the mystery surrounding our characters and how they interact with the world we explore the mystery of two people forced together through familial relationships! We also get to explore more of the legal worldbuilding of healer and mage bonds which was honestly fun to get to dive into.
May 3, 2026
Another fabulous standalone, this time set closer to home since we remain in Osmanthus and we get a closer look at the healer/ mage relations outside of the unique circumstances of Clem and Wist. It's also a lot cozier in tone though does have its dramatic moments.
Amity is a healer who lost her mother tragically, and she and her father were kicked out of the mage clan's family whom her mother served. As she grew older, Amity hatched a plan to get revenge, bonding her mother's former mage, and once she achieved her goal, slipped away and faked her own death to live a more free life.
Alas, her past catches up with her, and Juniper, daughter of her former bondmate, drags her back to the house she'd rather forget. At first Amity is deeply resentful, thinking Juniper is continuing the cycle of vengeance, but as the full truth comes out, she grows to care for Juniper (and vice versa) and they work together to break free of the past that still haunts the both of them.
This is a much more lower stakes story (a bit like Masked Wives) than the other standalones, but the stakes are also deeply personal, which I appreciate. We also get more depth into the legal system of Osmanthus and how badly healers have it. They're treated more as property and have next to no autonomy, and it's sobering to see how difficult it is for them to make any progress, reflecting Clem's failure in the first book.
As per usual it's a decidedly slow burn between the leads, though I did find their personalities less interesting than their backstories, and it took a bit longer to warm to them. Their chemistry while present also wasn't as strong as in previous books.
Amity is quite jovial but quiet, an observer who can mould herself to whatever the situation calls for, but she's also a drifter who wants a deeper purpose. Juniper is a workaholic who keeps to herself, but there are compelling reasons for this and it was intriguing seeing how she dealt with her mother (especially as someone who has experience of family quarrels regarding wills). I do feel however they kept each other at too much of a distance for too long, and it did drag in places.
For the trademark cameos, we get
The pacing is pretty slow and not much happens in terms of plot, but this is made up for by the great characterisation and reveals, it's a delightful tight knit cast and of course Tofu the dog and Will the cat are the best boys.
Definitely a great addition to the back catalogue and one you shouldn't skip!
Amity is a healer who lost her mother tragically, and she and her father were kicked out of the mage clan's family whom her mother served. As she grew older, Amity hatched a plan to get revenge, bonding her mother's former mage, and once she achieved her goal, slipped away and faked her own death to live a more free life.
Alas, her past catches up with her, and Juniper, daughter of her former bondmate, drags her back to the house she'd rather forget. At first Amity is deeply resentful, thinking Juniper is continuing the cycle of vengeance, but as the full truth comes out, she grows to care for Juniper (and vice versa) and they work together to break free of the past that still haunts the both of them.
This is a much more lower stakes story (a bit like Masked Wives) than the other standalones, but the stakes are also deeply personal, which I appreciate. We also get more depth into the legal system of Osmanthus and how badly healers have it. They're treated more as property and have next to no autonomy, and it's sobering to see how difficult it is for them to make any progress, reflecting Clem's failure in the first book.
As per usual it's a decidedly slow burn between the leads, though I did find their personalities less interesting than their backstories, and it took a bit longer to warm to them. Their chemistry while present also wasn't as strong as in previous books.
Amity is quite jovial but quiet, an observer who can mould herself to whatever the situation calls for, but she's also a drifter who wants a deeper purpose. Juniper is a workaholic who keeps to herself, but there are compelling reasons for this and it was intriguing seeing how she dealt with her mother (especially as someone who has experience of family quarrels regarding wills). I do feel however they kept each other at too much of a distance for too long, and it did drag in places.
For the trademark cameos, we get
The pacing is pretty slow and not much happens in terms of plot, but this is made up for by the great characterisation and reveals, it's a delightful tight knit cast and of course Tofu the dog and Will the cat are the best boys.
Definitely a great addition to the back catalogue and one you shouldn't skip!
May 2, 2026
Super slow burn, Hiyodori romance style. I loved it, of course.
New set of characters, linked to the already known, complex and frustrating in the best way. They have no big world high stakes, just the personal big own stakes that leaves us watching them dance around each other, although it is no waltz at all.
Whenever I read one of Hiyodori´s books, time slows down, letting me enjoy the details of the journey, no rushing or checking pages left.
New set of characters, linked to the already known, complex and frustrating in the best way. They have no big world high stakes, just the personal big own stakes that leaves us watching them dance around each other, although it is no waltz at all.
Whenever I read one of Hiyodori´s books, time slows down, letting me enjoy the details of the journey, no rushing or checking pages left.
June 24, 2026
Another favorite by Hiyodori
Set in the same world as Asa and Wist, this was a standalone novel about another set of a mage and a healer. It was very refreshing!
Set in the same world as Asa and Wist, this was a standalone novel about another set of a mage and a healer. It was very refreshing!
April 28, 2026
What can I say but Hiyodori does it again? Predictably, a lot:
This is an interesting addition to the Clem and Wist universe, yet where it not for the worldbuilding that series and this are very much not alike. Furthermore, in her newsletter the author compared this to The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage and Masks Worn by Magical Wives. Dont get me wrong, there is a lot of aspects and themes drawn strictly or loosely from previous works: .
However, I think this book is different exactly because it weaves these elements into a coherent, succinct-yet-not-rushed and well paced final story that both introduces a new(-ish) theme to the author's catalogue, law and legal practice, while progressing the main timeline of Clem & Wist's world without the need for flashy magic action as with 'A Chalice for a Kraken' for example. Yet, this book does not evoke that quaint, almost domestic, feeling that 'Masks Worn by Magical Wives' -a book that was similarly less action-packed- evoked within me. Its almost a thriller at points because of two unsavory 'gentlemen' that are introduced early on, a certain old lady, but more generally, that slow burning angst that only the crushing weight of systems can inflict on people: the mageocracy (I have shared in other reviews my views on the pretty obvious parallels with this and patriarchy, historically and now), its expression in the legal system, etc; because of this, its quite refreshing.
In the end, was that a whole lot of words taking 'issue' with a helpful pointer given by the author to their readers so they know what roughly to expect and where they explicitly state that 'certain comparisons could be drawn [the two books mentioned at the start], although there are some rather big differences, too!'? Yep. 100%. Yet this was the lens through which I approached this book at the outset because this cheeky sentence stayed in my head from the moment I bought the book at 2am the day I later started it, to the entire time I read it, and even now that I am writing this review. So in the end I thought: 'why not also use this same framework to review the book?', and so I did. Apologies to any new readers of Hiyodori's work - this probably makes no sense to you.
Some final notes because its once again, somehow, past 1am:
- The book, due to the original legal aspects added and timeline progression, does not feel like a recycled basket of tropes and themes - not that I would mind much anyway, but as I tend to prefer stories mostly independent of the Clem & Wist main series due to the freedom for experimentation that allows storyline wise, I was pleasantly surprised by the originality.
- My main criticism, and why I personally prefer to give this book a 4.5, is that the later legal aspects having to do with felt rather contrived; I was not entirely convinced Maybe thats just me though, and without it, our characters wouldnt have had time to 'bond' (heh).
- However, having had some experience -and a self-described love/hate or 'abusive' relationship- with the subject of law and legal practice, I really appreciated the effort Hiyodori went through to write a convincing (ignore the above point) story where mundane parts of the law are some of the key driving factors of the story; perhaps not a fully fleshed-out legal drama, but its certainly on the way there ;). And thanks for making Jun a lawyer - the browny points she gives it are much needed given the profession's -justifiable- reputation.
-Finally, and most obviously, Amity and Jun are both lovely and sweethearts in their own ways, and I was glad to see some pets included! Still though poor Amity; I assume she's had revenge enough for a lifetime, but... c'mon not even a bad thought about the dunces??? Lol jk, looking forward to finding out the fan-favorite characters that are gonna be the protagonists of the next book. Bit of a shame that its gonna take a while to come out, but please do take care of yourself kind Author! Without wanting to exaggerate, your books are always a bright spot in this reader's life ;)
This is an interesting addition to the Clem and Wist universe, yet where it not for the worldbuilding that series and this are very much not alike. Furthermore, in her newsletter the author compared this to The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage and Masks Worn by Magical Wives. Dont get me wrong, there is a lot of aspects and themes drawn strictly or loosely from previous works: .
However, I think this book is different exactly because it weaves these elements into a coherent, succinct-yet-not-rushed and well paced final story that both introduces a new(-ish) theme to the author's catalogue, law and legal practice, while progressing the main timeline of Clem & Wist's world without the need for flashy magic action as with 'A Chalice for a Kraken' for example. Yet, this book does not evoke that quaint, almost domestic, feeling that 'Masks Worn by Magical Wives' -a book that was similarly less action-packed- evoked within me. Its almost a thriller at points because of two unsavory 'gentlemen' that are introduced early on, a certain old lady, but more generally, that slow burning angst that only the crushing weight of systems can inflict on people: the mageocracy (I have shared in other reviews my views on the pretty obvious parallels with this and patriarchy, historically and now), its expression in the legal system, etc; because of this, its quite refreshing.
In the end, was that a whole lot of words taking 'issue' with a helpful pointer given by the author to their readers so they know what roughly to expect and where they explicitly state that 'certain comparisons could be drawn [the two books mentioned at the start], although there are some rather big differences, too!'? Yep. 100%. Yet this was the lens through which I approached this book at the outset because this cheeky sentence stayed in my head from the moment I bought the book at 2am the day I later started it, to the entire time I read it, and even now that I am writing this review. So in the end I thought: 'why not also use this same framework to review the book?', and so I did. Apologies to any new readers of Hiyodori's work - this probably makes no sense to you.
Some final notes because its once again, somehow, past 1am:
- The book, due to the original legal aspects added and timeline progression, does not feel like a recycled basket of tropes and themes - not that I would mind much anyway, but as I tend to prefer stories mostly independent of the Clem & Wist main series due to the freedom for experimentation that allows storyline wise, I was pleasantly surprised by the originality.
- My main criticism, and why I personally prefer to give this book a 4.5, is that the later legal aspects having to do with felt rather contrived; I was not entirely convinced Maybe thats just me though, and without it, our characters wouldnt have had time to 'bond' (heh).
- However, having had some experience -and a self-described love/hate or 'abusive' relationship- with the subject of law and legal practice, I really appreciated the effort Hiyodori went through to write a convincing (ignore the above point) story where mundane parts of the law are some of the key driving factors of the story; perhaps not a fully fleshed-out legal drama, but its certainly on the way there ;). And thanks for making Jun a lawyer - the browny points she gives it are much needed given the profession's -justifiable- reputation.
-Finally, and most obviously, Amity and Jun are both lovely and sweethearts in their own ways, and I was glad to see some pets included! Still though poor Amity; I assume she's had revenge enough for a lifetime, but... c'mon not even a bad thought about the dunces??? Lol jk, looking forward to finding out the fan-favorite characters that are gonna be the protagonists of the next book. Bit of a shame that its gonna take a while to come out, but please do take care of yourself kind Author! Without wanting to exaggerate, your books are always a bright spot in this reader's life ;)
April 22, 2026
5/5
My favorite indie author (and currently my favorite author in general) Hiyodori is back with another novel set in the same contemporary fantasy world as the Clem & Wist series. If you're already a fan of Hiyodori, Amity in the House of Her Enemy sets itself apart by being comparably low-stakes and mundane. Defying expectations, it's a story with no real mysteries or major twists—only the tension between the main characters themselves.
If you haven't read any Hiyodori yet, I would suggest starting with The Lowest Healer and the Highest Mage or one of her other standalone books, such as The First and Last Demon, The Forest at the Heart of Her Mage, or Carrion Saints. Like Masks Worn by Magical Wives, a reading of Amity in the House of Her Enemy benefits substantially from being familiar with the rest of Hiyodori's work.
I've always enjoyed the type of "complex, indelible, ambiguous—and perhaps a little tortured" romances that Hiyodori writes. When it comes to Amity in the House of Her Enemy, I love it that the female lead falls in love first and yearns for the main character, who just happens to think that the female lead hates her to the core.
I love how Hiyodori forces you to work to understand the characters. In Amity in the House of Her Enemy, the romance blossoms between the sentences. The characters conceal their feelings from themselves. Just taking the words at face value isn't enough. You have to read between the lines to know or understand them. Hiyodori's works are a breath of fresh air in a media landscape that often insists on telling you exactly how characters are feeling.
Overall, Amity in the House of Her Enemy was an enjoyable and comfortable read—and most importantly, more Hiyodori! For returning fans of Hiyodori, Amity in the House of Her Enemy provides a valuable look at daily life in the mageocracy of Osmanthus—one that isn't skewed by Clem and Wist's unique perspective. For new readers, it's an interesting, if a bit difficult to follow, start with unique characters and world-building.
If you've always had a passion for fantasy books that delve into the lives of characters with normal careers in a magical world (and only a bit of intrigue on the side), then Amity in the House of Her Enemy will offer a satisfying escape from the real world.
August 11, 2026
Amity is a Healer who binds herself to the aristocratic mage who destroyed her family, in hopes that she will one day be able to exact revenge. Jun is the mage’s daughter, who ‘inherits’ the bond (and Amity) after her father dies. Meanwhile, a mysterious individual known as the Bondbreaker seeks to help runaway Healers escape from their servitude.
This is a world where mages rule and healers exist to serve them (because magic takes a toll on those who use it – often driving them mad if they don’t receive the proper care). In addition to the slow-burn romance, this book really delved into the abuses that can occur under this system and the difference in the legal rights between mages and healers. It touches on domestic abuse as well. Heavy stuff, and it’s not glossed-over.
Hiyodori is deft at balancing the dark and the light and I can trust her to get her characters through their trauma. She is easily one of my favorite writers.
This is a world where mages rule and healers exist to serve them (because magic takes a toll on those who use it – often driving them mad if they don’t receive the proper care). In addition to the slow-burn romance, this book really delved into the abuses that can occur under this system and the difference in the legal rights between mages and healers. It touches on domestic abuse as well. Heavy stuff, and it’s not glossed-over.
Hiyodori is deft at balancing the dark and the light and I can trust her to get her characters through their trauma. She is easily one of my favorite writers.
July 15, 2026
rare Hiyodori L - Amity is, essentially, a book about inheritance law disputes, the aftermath and societal effects of post-Chalice Clem's existence, and perhaps the most frozen slow relationship between two women that Hiyodori has ever written. The severed head book had more romance than this, which is fine, but Amity's tagline is still 'a sapphic fantasy romance' on Kindle, which feels... disingenuous. I'm not even giving it my lesbian romance tag.
Amity in the House of Her Enemy is a worldbuilding study on the powerless who can't afford Clem & Wist, Char & Vesper, Crow & Magnolia, or Carnelian Silva's devil-may-care ignoring of the rules that govern their societies. (Wow, that's a lot of lesbian power couples.)
Amity in the House of Her Enemy is a worldbuilding study on the powerless who can't afford Clem & Wist, Char & Vesper, Crow & Magnolia, or Carnelian Silva's devil-may-care ignoring of the rules that govern their societies. (Wow, that's a lot of lesbian power couples.)
July 9, 2026
Now what!! I’m caught up!! Hiyodoriless days ahead!!
This one felt remarkably different from previous volumes, which feels weird to say when it definitely still had a lot of the hiyodori hallmarks. It just had a very different… vibe? Structure? But I liked it! And I really liked the new perspective and richness it lent to some of the big overarching themes and developments from the Clem & Wist side of things.
Eagerly awaiting book the next, what will I do with myself until then!!
This one felt remarkably different from previous volumes, which feels weird to say when it definitely still had a lot of the hiyodori hallmarks. It just had a very different… vibe? Structure? But I liked it! And I really liked the new perspective and richness it lent to some of the big overarching themes and developments from the Clem & Wist side of things.
Eagerly awaiting book the next, what will I do with myself until then!!
April 12, 2026
You cannot go wrong with a Hiyodori novel
Seriously, as soon as a new novel drops from Hiyodori, I will stop whatever I'm currently reading. This is just another great read. I love the cameos from previous books. Honestly, if you like Hiyodori, you'll like this book, there really isn't anything negative I can say.
Seriously, as soon as a new novel drops from Hiyodori, I will stop whatever I'm currently reading. This is just another great read. I love the cameos from previous books. Honestly, if you like Hiyodori, you'll like this book, there really isn't anything negative I can say.
July 11, 2026
Brilliant. So enjoyable. Low heat, slow burn. Great story.
August 9, 2026
pretty good
Overall I like the book. Could have been a bit more romance and less leading up to it. But I would still recommend it.
Overall I like the book. Could have been a bit more romance and less leading up to it. But I would still recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews