What do you think?
Rate this book
To Envy the Damned
345 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 27, 2026
About the author
Samara Saward
17 books51 followersSamara is a fantasy author from Melbourne, Australia, where she lives with her three kids, partner, and an English staffy named Boots. While she loves Melbourne, she grew up surrounded by a large family in north-west Tasmania, and misses the quiet life. When she's not writing, you'll find her reading, drinking coffee, camping, or playing Monopoly with her kids.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 4, 2026
To envy the damned
I am a big fan of Samara Saward and her ability to bring the familiar elements of fae and wolf shifters into her stories while taking us in a fresh new direction. As I travel with her strong, lovable characters, I love being able to lean into the familiar before being yanked into situations that seem impossible to overcome!
To envy the damned was another 5⭐️ read from this author who became an autobuy author for me long ago.
Daire is a Damned wolf, one of the few who have not yet been enslaved by the Fae of Ays. Barely surviving but free to make her own choices with the wolves who have come together to survive.
Talon is a Kept wolf, one of the many who have been forced into a contract of enslavement spending their days building cities for the Fae.
After decades evading capture Daire makes one wrong choice and finds herself a Kept wolf of Drethar.
Daire finds these Kept wolves have been in captivity and enslaved for so long that their instincts have dulled and their abilities lost. As they are beaten, starved and overworked by the Fae there is no hope left. Nothing but survival, it is every wolf for themselves.
Until the fiery Daire brings a spark of hope.
The romance of our story is one Chosen, not Fated, (although one could argue that these two were indeed fated in the way that they were able to find one another). Daire and Talon’s love was immediate. Their partnership brought out the best in each other encouraging them both to lead the downtrodden wolves, creating a pack rather than the group of individuals that they were before.
Daire leads with hope and Talon leads with action and their love is anchored in mutual respect where each has room to be their own person without restraint.
I also adored the inclusion of the Aussie bush which appears in the world of Ays, a lovely touch for those of us Aussies who find so many our fantasy books centred around the British or US landscape.
Finally, the ending is complete and satisfying with enough tantalising potential that we can hope for some more stories to follow our favourite wolf shifter pack.
(Hint hint Samara, you hooked me in and now I need more!!!)
I am a big fan of Samara Saward and her ability to bring the familiar elements of fae and wolf shifters into her stories while taking us in a fresh new direction. As I travel with her strong, lovable characters, I love being able to lean into the familiar before being yanked into situations that seem impossible to overcome!
To envy the damned was another 5⭐️ read from this author who became an autobuy author for me long ago.
Daire is a Damned wolf, one of the few who have not yet been enslaved by the Fae of Ays. Barely surviving but free to make her own choices with the wolves who have come together to survive.
Talon is a Kept wolf, one of the many who have been forced into a contract of enslavement spending their days building cities for the Fae.
After decades evading capture Daire makes one wrong choice and finds herself a Kept wolf of Drethar.
Daire finds these Kept wolves have been in captivity and enslaved for so long that their instincts have dulled and their abilities lost. As they are beaten, starved and overworked by the Fae there is no hope left. Nothing but survival, it is every wolf for themselves.
Until the fiery Daire brings a spark of hope.
The romance of our story is one Chosen, not Fated, (although one could argue that these two were indeed fated in the way that they were able to find one another). Daire and Talon’s love was immediate. Their partnership brought out the best in each other encouraging them both to lead the downtrodden wolves, creating a pack rather than the group of individuals that they were before.
Daire leads with hope and Talon leads with action and their love is anchored in mutual respect where each has room to be their own person without restraint.
I also adored the inclusion of the Aussie bush which appears in the world of Ays, a lovely touch for those of us Aussies who find so many our fantasy books centred around the British or US landscape.
Finally, the ending is complete and satisfying with enough tantalising potential that we can hope for some more stories to follow our favourite wolf shifter pack.
(Hint hint Samara, you hooked me in and now I need more!!!)
Review of advance copy received from Author
To Envy the Damned was kindly given to me by the author as an ARC. My opinion and review is 100% my own.
As a big fan of Samara Saward with her previous series "A Flame Forged in Mist" I have been so excited to be able to finally read Samara's latest work. I was not disappointed.
Daire is a stubborn and headstrong FMC who knows who she is, has morals and is not afraid to stick up for those she cares about around her. She is just one of many wolf shifters who continually hides from persecution for just existing, but she is also hope. Daire deals with the injustice when others have merely tried to survive it.
This book had me feeling like I wanted to become the heroine and save them. The tenderness, the protective energy, the love is so well written that I felt like I was watching a family member fall in love. However it also made me feel as though I was also going through all the hardships and punishments with them.
I absolutely loved that this book is alternating POV because there is nothing that makes me swoon more than getting to experience how the MMC feels and how he experiences the world, and To Envy the Damned delivered! The 2 POVs offered extra insight into the lives of both the FMC and MMC and added depth to the characters.
I am so so hoping this is not a standalone because I want so much more from these characters and in this world. I look forward to being captivated by Samara's writing once again!
As a big fan of Samara Saward with her previous series "A Flame Forged in Mist" I have been so excited to be able to finally read Samara's latest work. I was not disappointed.
Daire is a stubborn and headstrong FMC who knows who she is, has morals and is not afraid to stick up for those she cares about around her. She is just one of many wolf shifters who continually hides from persecution for just existing, but she is also hope. Daire deals with the injustice when others have merely tried to survive it.
This book had me feeling like I wanted to become the heroine and save them. The tenderness, the protective energy, the love is so well written that I felt like I was watching a family member fall in love. However it also made me feel as though I was also going through all the hardships and punishments with them.
I absolutely loved that this book is alternating POV because there is nothing that makes me swoon more than getting to experience how the MMC feels and how he experiences the world, and To Envy the Damned delivered! The 2 POVs offered extra insight into the lives of both the FMC and MMC and added depth to the characters.
I am so so hoping this is not a standalone because I want so much more from these characters and in this world. I look forward to being captivated by Samara's writing once again!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an arc copy from the author. All views are my own.
Admittedly I did find it hard to get into this. The beginning was kind of slow and confusing with many characters introduced at once with gender neutral names and they/them pronouns. (I did like the inclusion, but it was not relevant to the story).
The plot is a good guys Vs bad guys with the downtrodden overcoming adversity and winning.
Daire is a head strong wolf shifter who is captured but never loses her spirit and provides necessary hope for the captured wolves.
Talon, a long term captee, sees hope in Daire and is encouraged to rebel.
I liked the ending, but there was kind of no closure... Does the death of the high Fae break the contract for all wolves? Will the Fae stop hunting wolves? Will they be able to live in peace? Will Corvyn pull his head out of his arse?
I'm not sure if it's meant to be a stand alone but can definitely see scope for a sequel.
Admittedly I did find it hard to get into this. The beginning was kind of slow and confusing with many characters introduced at once with gender neutral names and they/them pronouns. (I did like the inclusion, but it was not relevant to the story).
The plot is a good guys Vs bad guys with the downtrodden overcoming adversity and winning.
Daire is a head strong wolf shifter who is captured but never loses her spirit and provides necessary hope for the captured wolves.
Talon, a long term captee, sees hope in Daire and is encouraged to rebel.
I liked the ending, but there was kind of no closure... Does the death of the high Fae break the contract for all wolves? Will the Fae stop hunting wolves? Will they be able to live in peace? Will Corvyn pull his head out of his arse?
I'm not sure if it's meant to be a stand alone but can definitely see scope for a sequel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
*Thank you so much to the author for letting me ARC read. This is an honest review and contains all my own thoughts*
I really love Samara's writing, I always feel so immersed in her stories!
The way the descriptions are written, the way the characters are described, I really feel like I'm right there alongside them, feeling the fur sprout from my skin and the fear that weighs them down constantly.
This book covers a lot of heavy topics and I think the author did such a good job of approaching those. It felt like a really nice balance of tension and hope.
The world in this story was super interesting and described so lovingly, you can really tell Samara enjoys writing and cares so much for her world and her characters.
I really loved Daire and Talon's relationship, they felt so 'right' together and I just really enjoyed reading their story and experiencing their relationship grow.
I really love Samara's writing, I always feel so immersed in her stories!
The way the descriptions are written, the way the characters are described, I really feel like I'm right there alongside them, feeling the fur sprout from my skin and the fear that weighs them down constantly.
This book covers a lot of heavy topics and I think the author did such a good job of approaching those. It felt like a really nice balance of tension and hope.
The world in this story was super interesting and described so lovingly, you can really tell Samara enjoys writing and cares so much for her world and her characters.
I really loved Daire and Talon's relationship, they felt so 'right' together and I just really enjoyed reading their story and experiencing their relationship grow.
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC Review
To Envy The Damed puts you through an emotional rollercoaster from the very first chapter. It was heart breaking, intense, and at times emotionally draining, but every bit of the pain and suspense felt whilst reading was beyond worth it. Talon and Daire’s love was every bit powerful, longing and fierce which made the ending even more satisfying. Samara has done an amazing job world building. TETD isn’t just a shifter romance, it’s an emotional journey that you won’t want to miss.
A huge thank you to Samara for the ARC opportunity.
To Envy The Damed puts you through an emotional rollercoaster from the very first chapter. It was heart breaking, intense, and at times emotionally draining, but every bit of the pain and suspense felt whilst reading was beyond worth it. Talon and Daire’s love was every bit powerful, longing and fierce which made the ending even more satisfying. Samara has done an amazing job world building. TETD isn’t just a shifter romance, it’s an emotional journey that you won’t want to miss.
A huge thank you to Samara for the ARC opportunity.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Another great read from Samara Saward, I was excited to be able to do an advance read after enjoying other books from her.
I found this book to be well paced and really enjoyed the perspectives and character development!
This wasn’t the same old wolf story on repeat - I love that Daire was a kind hearted, caring but strong female role while Talon was strong & protective.
I would love to see more of their adventures and wouldn’t hesitate to pick up anything else written by Samara.
I found this book to be well paced and really enjoyed the perspectives and character development!
This wasn’t the same old wolf story on repeat - I love that Daire was a kind hearted, caring but strong female role while Talon was strong & protective.
I would love to see more of their adventures and wouldn’t hesitate to pick up anything else written by Samara.
July 25, 2026
This is my fourth book with Samara & I love her writing & storytelling!!
I loved this story, it was good to see something different with fae being the horrible ones!
I loved the resilience of Daire & Talon. And the wolves.
I will say it was predictable, but in saying that I read soo much fantasy so I kind of figure things out!
But I still really enjoyed it :)
I loved this story, it was good to see something different with fae being the horrible ones!
I loved the resilience of Daire & Talon. And the wolves.
I will say it was predictable, but in saying that I read soo much fantasy so I kind of figure things out!
But I still really enjoyed it :)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews