The Arrow and the Alder

by Barbara Kloss, Pagan McGrath (Narrator)

A rebel huntress. A fugitive prince. And a curse that will consume their worlds.

Josephine doesn't trust the immortal kith. They’re devious, cruel, and as far as she’s concerned, they deserve the curse that’s plagued their kingdom with mists and monsters. So when the kith High Lord visits Josephine’s village, looking for an enchanted coat that belongs to her family, she’s immediately suspicious.

And the High Lord isn't the only one who wants the magical artifact. Prince Alder, who's been in exile for two years, needs the coat in order to regain his queen’s trust. But no one can touch the coat without dying–except for Seph.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy

Audible Audio

Published April 23, 2026

About the author

Barbara Kloss loves adventures, and finds them through reading, writing, trekking through the wilderness, and gaming—though she doesn't consider herself a gamer. She just happens to like video games. RPGs, specifically. She’s also a classically-trained pianist, and so you'll often find music referenced in her stories.

Barbara studied biochemistry at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA, and worked for years as a clinical laboratory scientist. She was lured there by mental images of colorful bubbling liquids in glass beakers. She was deceived.

She currently lives in northern California, with her husband, three babies, and cat, Mr. Darcy, who finds them all barely tolerable. Author of the award-winning Gaia’s Secret Series, and international bestseller, The Gods of Men.

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www.barbarakloss.com

contact@barbarakloss.com

Reviews

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted a bit more from the plot. I thought it could have been developed a bit deeper since it was pretty easy to see what was going to happen. The characters and their emotions were pretty run of the mill too. It wasn’t bad, just not a memorable read for me and didn’t invoke any strong feelings of connection towards the characters.

[Jojobean_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audiobook for this narrated by Pagan McGrath was superbly done. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and it was a nice break between the dark books I have been reading.

[Alix | IG: ThisBookishMom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think I was paying close enough attention in the beginning because I was a little confused about the origins of the war/curse, but I think I kind of figured it out eventually? Despite that, I did enjoy this story. The world was interesting and the romance had great chemistry and banter. Good standalone!

Content: closed door

[MS · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ I loved this romantic story. We meet a poor huntress under the oppressive rule of a local baron, Josephine, who comes to the attention of the kith lord Massie and an evil witch. She owns a mysterious coat from her ailing grandfather, which makes her family a target for the high lord who takes the coat. Josephine has to go on the run after an unfortunate clash with the baron and his guards, which leads her to accidentally cross the veil between the mortal and kith world. She gets caught up with a mysterious rogue, Marks, and ultimately lands in the royal kith court where she unravels the mystery of her grandfather and coat.

The pacing was perfect, and I appreciated how the FMC and MMC’s relationship grew. Some tropes that came up in this book:

-Enemies to lovers
-Hidden power
-Royalty
-Immortal/Mortal romance
-Implied mate bond/connection

I couldn’t put this down, and read the book in one day. It’s hard to find good romantasy standalones, but this one nailed it!

[Stephanie P (Because My Mother Read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of the audiobook for review.

This fantasy novel recently got a refresh with a new cover and an audiobook for the first time! The narrator has a lovely voice that was very easy to listen to.

The Arrow and the Alder follows a rebel huntress who gets caught up in a magical conflict and curse that consumes both the mortal and immortal worlds.

The story was full of magical artifacts, adventure, and secrets from the past. I loved how there was an original legend overarching the plot and seeing that folklore spread into the characters experiences. The romance had a great slowburn build with wonderful moments throughout. It was swoony and sensual without being spicy.

Trigger/content notes: violence (but not overly intense), mild language. Spice level is closed door with light innuendo.

[Jehree · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

3 but maybe the lower end of it. This started off good but the romance was so lack luster. They were just constantly drawn to each other but it didn’t make sense. He just admitted to something very very bad and she’s like ugh but I’m still so interested in him. Which totally went against the character that was set up in the beginning of the book. They had no chemistry no tension. They just kind of admitted feelings and that was it. It was boring. And honestly it was an almost childish love. At that point in the book everything felt a little too Lower YA. Everything happened so conveniently I wasn’t ever on the edge of my seat and the ending was obvious. I wanted to like this I just couldn’t get past those things

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4⭐️

This book was a fun stand alone. There is a prequel that I think will be fun to read too. The Arrow and the Adler, was not quite an enemies to lovers, but it is a slower burn. I enjoyed reading about the characters and the multiple POV.

[Grace (alatteofliterature) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is criminally underrated, and if you like romantic fantasy, you should absolutely pick it up.

It’s not YA but it does fade to black, and I think if you enjoyed Throne of Glass, this would be right up your alley.

It’s just a standalone, but I’m off to read the prequel immediately!!

[Stressca]

Cute.
Not dark… not every read calls for a shadow daddy. Maybe a shadow monster? Anyways… it’s was adorable. I do hope the series continues with other characters though I’m not a huge fan of interconnected standalones….

[Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was super fun and cute! Not too heavy! Not too dark! No on-screen spice. It's a fae-type romantasy retelling of Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors from Genesis (see also: Technicolor Dreamcoat) with many of the names just barely different enough to vaguely blur the parallels.

[Rita Spriggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

A well written fantasy story. It has magic and a story well worth reading. Kept me entertained all the way to the end.

[Hannah Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. If you are looking for a deeply immersive fantasy with the best slow burn, then this book is for you!

[Amanda Frost-Kowalczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4⭐️I liked this one a lot. Loved the magic/world perspective. Enjoyed the MCs. Slower burn which I really appreciated and basically zero spice.
Sweet ending.

[Sabrina Baumlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the YA aspects of it but it still included darker notes that appealed as an adult.

I also enjoyed how well Alder was with words in his letters that would make a nun swoon!