What do you think?
The Solstice Bargain: a dark and witty portal fantasy
The fate of two gods. The chosen one lying in a grave. No one will notice this imposter’s lack of magic, right?
Seraphina Jones' aspirations are stuck on hold. Trapped in dead-end jobs and failed relationships, the dejected wannabe-journalist trudges through a mundane existence in London while mourning the death of her beloved older half-sister. But when a mysterious man reveals her sibling’s true heritage as the prophesied princess of another world, she agrees to impersonate her in exchange for some lifelong dreams coming true.
Traveling to the magical realm with her charming guide, Sera becomes terrified the deception will get her killed as she faces a dangerous choice between two immortal rivals fighting for control. But the fake heir soon discovers that scheming allies, seductive enemies, and court politics are making it SO much harder than she thought to save the world.
Tapping into her own hidden strength, can she step out of her sister’s shadow and stop playing around at being the hero?
The Solstice Bargain is the captivating first book in the Prophecy Filler portal fantasy series. It's perfect for fans of Long Live Evil and This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. If you like sharp heroines, dangerously charming villains, and world-building rooted in Celtic folklore, then you’ll love Sophie Williamson’s latest enthralling adventure.
Seraphina Jones' aspirations are stuck on hold. Trapped in dead-end jobs and failed relationships, the dejected wannabe-journalist trudges through a mundane existence in London while mourning the death of her beloved older half-sister. But when a mysterious man reveals her sibling’s true heritage as the prophesied princess of another world, she agrees to impersonate her in exchange for some lifelong dreams coming true.
Traveling to the magical realm with her charming guide, Sera becomes terrified the deception will get her killed as she faces a dangerous choice between two immortal rivals fighting for control. But the fake heir soon discovers that scheming allies, seductive enemies, and court politics are making it SO much harder than she thought to save the world.
Tapping into her own hidden strength, can she step out of her sister’s shadow and stop playing around at being the hero?
The Solstice Bargain is the captivating first book in the Prophecy Filler portal fantasy series. It's perfect for fans of Long Live Evil and This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. If you like sharp heroines, dangerously charming villains, and world-building rooted in Celtic folklore, then you’ll love Sophie Williamson’s latest enthralling adventure.
Audible Audio
Published September 1, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ about the book
this book... tries to do a lot of things. the first 15% reads like a contemporary romance novel, and then we're shipped off into a magical world with monarchs, powers and court politics. our main character, seraphina, makes a deal with one of the magical dudes to act as her dead sister for three months and fulfil a prophecy in exchange for her dream life coming true.
this book is basically y/n's experience in a fantasy novel. i mean it. the fmc has multiple thoughts along the lines of "the main characters in fantasy books would probably do something else", and there's mentions of plot armour, tropes etc between the characters. it's like a lucid dream where the characters know that they are characters, and while that's a new take, i personally didn't enjoy it.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the worldbuilding (spoilers on worldbuilding in this paragraph)
the magical world is creative but chaotic. the idea of avreter is that it exists through collective human consciousness/imagination, which allows literally all aspects of fantasy/historical books to be combined in it. therefore we have medieval castles, light & night powers, bodycon prom dresses, trains, immortals, guns, swords, and people wearing chanel all in one book. and while the whole idea is that human beliefs manifest in avreter and a human (like pete) has the power to change his surroundings, we don't EVER see this in practice. it's continuously being told and explained but never showed.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the writing
the writing was simple and a bit too descriptive, especially in the character descriptions. it read more like a book set in the real world than in a fantasy one, especially because there was a lot more telling than showing.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the plot
the plot was kind of slow, but at the same time i didn't really mind the pace. i guessed one of the two main plot twists, and i feel like main decision seraphina made at the end wasn't explained enough, but i also really liked the ending and how it set up for book 2.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the romance
no. that was not it. i can't even say that it's instalove because i don't feel any love between them!! because of multiple reasons:
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ what i liked (other than the gorgeous cover)
on the plus side, i really enjoyed the human characters in this book. the first 15% introduced a lot of them, and they were so well described and felt like real humans with real flaws. seraphina (in the real world) was relatable and her overthinking every single decision called me out- if the author ever writes a contemporary fiction/romance book, i know that i'll love it.
i also liked the concept of the fmc not being the chosen one - we have definitely have enough actual chosen one stories out there. and PETE! seraphina's not-gay, not-secretly-in-love-with-her, not-platonic-soulmate, not-ex-boyfriend, not-situationship best friend!! i LOVED their friendship, it was the most accurate portrayal of an actual non-romantic best friendship between a man & a woman. they were so unproblematic, i loved it.
finally (and i wish we'd gotten more of this) i liked the differences between the mentalities of the light and night beacon, and how neither could ever be skewed to an extreme. that added a layer of complexity to the plot.
a big thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
this book... tries to do a lot of things. the first 15% reads like a contemporary romance novel, and then we're shipped off into a magical world with monarchs, powers and court politics. our main character, seraphina, makes a deal with one of the magical dudes to act as her dead sister for three months and fulfil a prophecy in exchange for her dream life coming true.
this book is basically y/n's experience in a fantasy novel. i mean it. the fmc has multiple thoughts along the lines of "the main characters in fantasy books would probably do something else", and there's mentions of plot armour, tropes etc between the characters. it's like a lucid dream where the characters know that they are characters, and while that's a new take, i personally didn't enjoy it.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the worldbuilding (spoilers on worldbuilding in this paragraph)
the magical world is creative but chaotic. the idea of avreter is that it exists through collective human consciousness/imagination, which allows literally all aspects of fantasy/historical books to be combined in it. therefore we have medieval castles, light & night powers, bodycon prom dresses, trains, immortals, guns, swords, and people wearing chanel all in one book. and while the whole idea is that human beliefs manifest in avreter and a human (like pete) has the power to change his surroundings, we don't EVER see this in practice. it's continuously being told and explained but never showed.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the writing
the writing was simple and a bit too descriptive, especially in the character descriptions. it read more like a book set in the real world than in a fantasy one, especially because there was a lot more telling than showing.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the plot
the plot was kind of slow, but at the same time i didn't really mind the pace. i guessed one of the two main plot twists, and i feel like main decision seraphina made at the end wasn't explained enough, but i also really liked the ending and how it set up for book 2.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ the romance
no. that was not it. i can't even say that it's instalove because i don't feel any love between them!! because of multiple reasons:
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ what i liked (other than the gorgeous cover)
on the plus side, i really enjoyed the human characters in this book. the first 15% introduced a lot of them, and they were so well described and felt like real humans with real flaws. seraphina (in the real world) was relatable and her overthinking every single decision called me out- if the author ever writes a contemporary fiction/romance book, i know that i'll love it.
i also liked the concept of the fmc not being the chosen one - we have definitely have enough actual chosen one stories out there. and PETE! seraphina's not-gay, not-secretly-in-love-with-her, not-platonic-soulmate, not-ex-boyfriend, not-situationship best friend!! i LOVED their friendship, it was the most accurate portrayal of an actual non-romantic best friendship between a man & a woman. they were so unproblematic, i loved it.
finally (and i wish we'd gotten more of this) i liked the differences between the mentalities of the light and night beacon, and how neither could ever be skewed to an extreme. that added a layer of complexity to the plot.
a big thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
September 17, 2026
An absolute gem of a portal fantasy. We first meet Seraphina on the winter solstice in a bar in London, after she'd been stood up by a date - then a suspiciously handsome stranger offers her a deal. She'll have to agree to impersonate her dead sister, the prophesised heir to a fantasy realm, for three months, and in exchange, he'll grant her three wishes.
One of the big strengths of portal fantasy is that is allows us to learn about a fantasy world through the eyes of someone relatable, who we can understand and sympathise with. Seraphina is extremely relatable. I mean, one of her three wishes is an affordable house. I loved how complex she was, with her tangled feelings about her too-perfect dead sister. I loved that the voice read more like a contemporary romance than like a fantasy, especially at the start.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding. It's very trope-savvy (another thing I like about portal fantasy) but with plenty of fresh and interesting details sprinkled in. I liked the complicated politics, the twists, and the fact that I genuinely can't tell how the characters are going to solve they found themselves in at the end of book one. I loved the Night Beacon! What a fun villain/potential love interest. If you enjoyed This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews, you should check out this one too.
One of the big strengths of portal fantasy is that is allows us to learn about a fantasy world through the eyes of someone relatable, who we can understand and sympathise with. Seraphina is extremely relatable. I mean, one of her three wishes is an affordable house. I loved how complex she was, with her tangled feelings about her too-perfect dead sister. I loved that the voice read more like a contemporary romance than like a fantasy, especially at the start.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding. It's very trope-savvy (another thing I like about portal fantasy) but with plenty of fresh and interesting details sprinkled in. I liked the complicated politics, the twists, and the fact that I genuinely can't tell how the characters are going to solve they found themselves in at the end of book one. I loved the Night Beacon! What a fun villain/potential love interest. If you enjoyed This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews, you should check out this one too.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ rounded up
A promising start, questionable men, and one very intriguing love triangle.
I’m intrigued by this one. I love the references and the way she constantly thinks in tropes and movie/book plots. It makes her feel surprisingly normal, even when her decisions are… questionable.
Because why does she jump straight into bed with Leo? And why does she seem so unbothered by eventually cheating on him with the Night Beacon? Girl, we need to talk.
There’s also some serious older-sister envy going on, so clearly there’s some stuff to unpack with a psychiatrist. And yet, I kind of like that she is completely head over heels while being the not-chosen one. She’s pathetic, whiny, cowardly, and painfully aware of it. Somehow, that works.
Her bad taste in men is also self-confessed and entirely justified. Or rather, her talent for immediately falling for the shady guy who set her up and openly admits he wants to marry her for power.
And then there’s the Night Beacon, who so far has contributed mostly frost, pine, and cinnamon-scented temptation. Naturally, I’m interested.
So where is this going? And why choose? I’m curious enough to find out.
A promising start, questionable men, and one very intriguing love triangle.
I’m intrigued by this one. I love the references and the way she constantly thinks in tropes and movie/book plots. It makes her feel surprisingly normal, even when her decisions are… questionable.
Because why does she jump straight into bed with Leo? And why does she seem so unbothered by eventually cheating on him with the Night Beacon? Girl, we need to talk.
There’s also some serious older-sister envy going on, so clearly there’s some stuff to unpack with a psychiatrist. And yet, I kind of like that she is completely head over heels while being the not-chosen one. She’s pathetic, whiny, cowardly, and painfully aware of it. Somehow, that works.
Her bad taste in men is also self-confessed and entirely justified. Or rather, her talent for immediately falling for the shady guy who set her up and openly admits he wants to marry her for power.
And then there’s the Night Beacon, who so far has contributed mostly frost, pine, and cinnamon-scented temptation. Naturally, I’m interested.
So where is this going? And why choose? I’m curious enough to find out.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
🌟🌟🌟
Seraphina Jones’ days are dark and monotonous after the death of her beloved half sister, Angelica. Then one day, a young man offers to make all Sera's dreams come true. In exchange, all Sera has to do is pretend to be her dead sister.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I had hoped.
I loved the world of Avreter, a pocket universe formed from ideas and notions found in the human world which exist as reality in Avreter. It's stuffed with elemental magic, swords, guns and a smorgasbord of eccentric fashion.
And our MC, Sera, is a realistic depiction of what we’d all be like if we suddenly found ourselves in a magical land. She doubts herself, and scrapes through dangerous situations by the skin of her teeth. It’s refreshing that Sera has no idea what she’s doing and relies on a combination of pure luck and help from her allies. She cares deeply for her friends, and has a strong sense of honour to help those less fortunate than herself.
Sera is a rare MC who doesn’t change significantly by the end of the book. She gets scared easily, has no magic to protect herself or others, and is painfully aware of her limitations. It makes her human.
That said, Sera is quite difficult to root for.
Despite being twenty-five, Sera’s speech and actions are quite juvenile. Her character development would’ve been a lot more progressive if she was in her late teens. Her naivety is frustrating to read. Even more so since Sera is aware of her naivety but does not seem to learn from her experiences. She wants to help others, but backs down the moment someone tells her to. In the face of danger, Sera struggles to rise to the occasion.
Sera also has terrible taste in men, which she repeatedly confirms herself.
Leo is our supposed love interest, yet we don't learn much about him. The romance is almost non-existent, and there’s no chemistry between Sera and Leo. They meet a handful of times for what seems like a couple of minutes at most, and they fall madly in love with each other.
Sera has a similar lack of interaction with Jocran, the smouldering villain of Avreter. Thankfully their chemistry is a lot more believable than Sera and Leo. But again, Sera seems to be thinking less with her mind and more with her… core, if I was to be blunt. She seems to base her level of trust on strangers based on how hot they are. But can you blame her? We all love a hot charismatic villain once in a while.
My biggest gripe with this book was the dialogue. The majority of this book is dialogue, and carries each scene from the next. The lack of description made it all so flat; the author told us every single action, rather than showing us. Dialogue alone cannot build suspense.
For example, when we meet Leo a second time, he says, “You’ve got five minutes. After that, I’ll lose my connection, and we’ll both lose our chance.” Why not show Leo glancing at a watch, or have a clock ticking in the room to emphasise the time issue? It would be so much more effective than relying solely on dialogue.
Plot twists are effective when they're done well. It knocks us off our feet and makes us reconsider everything we thought we knew. When authors leave things unsaid, readers come up with theories. But with the majority of the book being dialogue, the entire book was quite easy to predict.
This book has a lot of potential and I loved the premise of this book. It's a great introduction into the fantasy genre, but I will not be continuing this series.
🌟🌟🌟
Seraphina Jones’ days are dark and monotonous after the death of her beloved half sister, Angelica. Then one day, a young man offers to make all Sera's dreams come true. In exchange, all Sera has to do is pretend to be her dead sister.
Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I had hoped.
I loved the world of Avreter, a pocket universe formed from ideas and notions found in the human world which exist as reality in Avreter. It's stuffed with elemental magic, swords, guns and a smorgasbord of eccentric fashion.
And our MC, Sera, is a realistic depiction of what we’d all be like if we suddenly found ourselves in a magical land. She doubts herself, and scrapes through dangerous situations by the skin of her teeth. It’s refreshing that Sera has no idea what she’s doing and relies on a combination of pure luck and help from her allies. She cares deeply for her friends, and has a strong sense of honour to help those less fortunate than herself.
Sera is a rare MC who doesn’t change significantly by the end of the book. She gets scared easily, has no magic to protect herself or others, and is painfully aware of her limitations. It makes her human.
That said, Sera is quite difficult to root for.
Despite being twenty-five, Sera’s speech and actions are quite juvenile. Her character development would’ve been a lot more progressive if she was in her late teens. Her naivety is frustrating to read. Even more so since Sera is aware of her naivety but does not seem to learn from her experiences. She wants to help others, but backs down the moment someone tells her to. In the face of danger, Sera struggles to rise to the occasion.
Sera also has terrible taste in men, which she repeatedly confirms herself.
Leo is our supposed love interest, yet we don't learn much about him. The romance is almost non-existent, and there’s no chemistry between Sera and Leo. They meet a handful of times for what seems like a couple of minutes at most, and they fall madly in love with each other.
Sera has a similar lack of interaction with Jocran, the smouldering villain of Avreter. Thankfully their chemistry is a lot more believable than Sera and Leo. But again, Sera seems to be thinking less with her mind and more with her… core, if I was to be blunt. She seems to base her level of trust on strangers based on how hot they are. But can you blame her? We all love a hot charismatic villain once in a while.
My biggest gripe with this book was the dialogue. The majority of this book is dialogue, and carries each scene from the next. The lack of description made it all so flat; the author told us every single action, rather than showing us. Dialogue alone cannot build suspense.
For example, when we meet Leo a second time, he says, “You’ve got five minutes. After that, I’ll lose my connection, and we’ll both lose our chance.” Why not show Leo glancing at a watch, or have a clock ticking in the room to emphasise the time issue? It would be so much more effective than relying solely on dialogue.
Plot twists are effective when they're done well. It knocks us off our feet and makes us reconsider everything we thought we knew. When authors leave things unsaid, readers come up with theories. But with the majority of the book being dialogue, the entire book was quite easy to predict.
This book has a lot of potential and I loved the premise of this book. It's a great introduction into the fantasy genre, but I will not be continuing this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2026
Seraphina grew up with her half sister Angelica being the perfect sister in every way. People gravitated towards her, she was beautiful, and everything worked out for Angelica. Then at 25 she passed away and Seraphina was devastated. Now several years later Seraphina doesn't have her life together until a chance meeting where a man offers her a deal. Her greatest wishes if she will pretend to her sister for short time. Obviously he's crazy but Seraphina tells him her dreams that the world would want to hear, not her real wish of having her sister back and agree's. Seraphina is shocked when her wishes start to come true and even more when it becomes obvious he wasn't crazy and she has to pay her part of the bargain.
Being transported to a whole new world Seraphina had no clue existed of magic and magical beings Seraphina will pretend to be her late sister and take the crown from Angelica's grandmother. Soon Seraphina is convinced she may have made the best deal of her life and knows she can make a real change. But everything is not what it seems and once the truth comes out Seraphina's world will be turned upside down.
I really loved the idea of this story and the author does a great job delivering it. The world Sophie Williamson creates was very intriguing and I was very invested on Seraphina's life and the new world she enters. Seraphina had a ex-boyfriend in her world and meets someone new in the new world she enters and I really liked that storyline. I did move from a 3 1/2 and a 4 while reading this book. Like I said I really liked so much of it however it was a little too much of Seraphina comparing herself to her sister. She came off at times very jealous of her, while reading at one point I actually felt like this story was Seraphina's villains origins story on how she becomes evil because she's so jealous of her sister, making her go to the dark side.
However I landed on a 4 because the story really is very good and had my attention. I guessed some twists but that never bothers me in a story. And I'd like to also say I didn't guess all the twists in this book. When I finished this book I also very much wanted to know what was happening next. I really want the next book because I am not sure where the author is taking this next. I also very much enjoyed the authors writing style, so although I wished Seraphina hadn't focused so much on her sister, I do think this is a very good book with a really good story.
*Thank you Netgalley and Ethelred Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for this ARC
Being transported to a whole new world Seraphina had no clue existed of magic and magical beings Seraphina will pretend to be her late sister and take the crown from Angelica's grandmother. Soon Seraphina is convinced she may have made the best deal of her life and knows she can make a real change. But everything is not what it seems and once the truth comes out Seraphina's world will be turned upside down.
I really loved the idea of this story and the author does a great job delivering it. The world Sophie Williamson creates was very intriguing and I was very invested on Seraphina's life and the new world she enters. Seraphina had a ex-boyfriend in her world and meets someone new in the new world she enters and I really liked that storyline. I did move from a 3 1/2 and a 4 while reading this book. Like I said I really liked so much of it however it was a little too much of Seraphina comparing herself to her sister. She came off at times very jealous of her, while reading at one point I actually felt like this story was Seraphina's villains origins story on how she becomes evil because she's so jealous of her sister, making her go to the dark side.
However I landed on a 4 because the story really is very good and had my attention. I guessed some twists but that never bothers me in a story. And I'd like to also say I didn't guess all the twists in this book. When I finished this book I also very much wanted to know what was happening next. I really want the next book because I am not sure where the author is taking this next. I also very much enjoyed the authors writing style, so although I wished Seraphina hadn't focused so much on her sister, I do think this is a very good book with a really good story.
*Thank you Netgalley and Ethelred Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I feel like it's been a while since I've come across a book with a story about someone finding a supernatural world hidden beneath our mundain one. The way the magical world worked was interesting, and I loved that Seraphina had such a wonderful friendship with her male best friend, Pete. I felt like I vibed with Pete the most as a character.
That said, this was a tough 360+ pages to get through. It felt like there was SO MUCH description of everything. Multiple sentences for characters that would get written out of the story within a few chapters or of every place the main character looked at. It was hard not to feel like it was filler to pad out the page count rather than engrossing me in the world.
When the book wasn't throwing descriptions around, I then had to debate with myself about the main character, Sera. I really ended up questioning if it was better or worse to have a character be so willfully ignorant of a LOT of the goings on around her WHILE she's practically sitting on the fourth wall commentating about it. And there's just this, immaturity to her that feels like she was maybe supposed to be written as a teenager than as an adult.
Did not care for the male love interest, and the twost about him just made me angry. Especially since, for ALL the prose and dialogue dedicated to the relationship, I just didn't feel any chemistry. There are SEVERAL out-of-nowhere proposals, and it's like, dude, you have been almost EVERY kind of shady. WHY WOULD YOU THINK MARRIAGE IS THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR ISSUES?
Overall, I was just left feeling like the plot kept going because that was just the way it was supposed to go, and while we totally acknowledge that it may not make sense or even frustrate you, too bad this is still how it's gonna go.
I just don't think I have it in me to try to get through the next book. Even to find out what happens to Pete.
I feel like it's been a while since I've come across a book with a story about someone finding a supernatural world hidden beneath our mundain one. The way the magical world worked was interesting, and I loved that Seraphina had such a wonderful friendship with her male best friend, Pete. I felt like I vibed with Pete the most as a character.
That said, this was a tough 360+ pages to get through. It felt like there was SO MUCH description of everything. Multiple sentences for characters that would get written out of the story within a few chapters or of every place the main character looked at. It was hard not to feel like it was filler to pad out the page count rather than engrossing me in the world.
When the book wasn't throwing descriptions around, I then had to debate with myself about the main character, Sera. I really ended up questioning if it was better or worse to have a character be so willfully ignorant of a LOT of the goings on around her WHILE she's practically sitting on the fourth wall commentating about it. And there's just this, immaturity to her that feels like she was maybe supposed to be written as a teenager than as an adult.
Did not care for the male love interest, and the twost about him just made me angry. Especially since, for ALL the prose and dialogue dedicated to the relationship, I just didn't feel any chemistry. There are SEVERAL out-of-nowhere proposals, and it's like, dude, you have been almost EVERY kind of shady. WHY WOULD YOU THINK MARRIAGE IS THE ANSWER TO ALL YOUR ISSUES?
Overall, I was just left feeling like the plot kept going because that was just the way it was supposed to go, and while we totally acknowledge that it may not make sense or even frustrate you, too bad this is still how it's gonna go.
I just don't think I have it in me to try to get through the next book. Even to find out what happens to Pete.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2026
An interesting urban fantasy, solid 3 stars for me. Seraphina finds herself an unwitting pawn in a much larger world of court politics, magical acolytes, lost heirs and family drama.
There was enough action to keep me intrigued and the court politics weren't too convoluted. It was an enjoyable read but I didn't really resonate with any of the characters. As with many portal fantasies, I find the MC doesn't ask enough questions. This is the most frustrating thing to read, behind love triangles (a loose one features here too). Seraphina also goes on and on about her dead sister a bit too much. A lot of action was packed right into the end
Ramblings about her unprocessed grief and insecurity aside, this reminded me of a shorter, condensed version of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (which I wasn't a major fan of) so if you enjoyed that, you might enjoy this.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
There was enough action to keep me intrigued and the court politics weren't too convoluted. It was an enjoyable read but I didn't really resonate with any of the characters. As with many portal fantasies, I find the MC doesn't ask enough questions. This is the most frustrating thing to read, behind love triangles (a loose one features here too). Seraphina also goes on and on about her dead sister a bit too much. A lot of action was packed right into the end
Ramblings about her unprocessed grief and insecurity aside, this reminded me of a shorter, condensed version of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (which I wasn't a major fan of) so if you enjoyed that, you might enjoy this.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2026
Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley for my ALC of this book in return for an honest review.
The Solstice Bargain has a strong plotline and I loved the idea. The story flows naturally and I particularly enjoyed the foreshadowing surrounding Leo and the fmc’s true legacy.
The plottwist about her sister came as a real surprise and gave the story and interesting shift.
That being said, the fmc’s instant attraction to two of the mmcs felt off to me, not to mention the love(?) between her and Leo. Unless there was some sort of attraction spells I missed, I’d assume she’d either be more on the fence about two strangers OR be more uninhibited and make a move if she really is the type of person to have an instant attraction and want to sleep with multiple strangers(both the mmcs an others through the snippets of backstory we recieve).
A great story all in all, entertaining, but I didn’t really connect with the fmc.
The Solstice Bargain has a strong plotline and I loved the idea. The story flows naturally and I particularly enjoyed the foreshadowing surrounding Leo and the fmc’s true legacy.
The plottwist about her sister came as a real surprise and gave the story and interesting shift.
That being said, the fmc’s instant attraction to two of the mmcs felt off to me, not to mention the love(?) between her and Leo. Unless there was some sort of attraction spells I missed, I’d assume she’d either be more on the fence about two strangers OR be more uninhibited and make a move if she really is the type of person to have an instant attraction and want to sleep with multiple strangers(both the mmcs an others through the snippets of backstory we recieve).
A great story all in all, entertaining, but I didn’t really connect with the fmc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for the ALC! This was a really good book. The pretending to be someone else story was more interesting than I anticipated it to be. The political plotting was done well. The narrator was great. I don’t think I’ve read a portal fantasy before so that aspect was very interesting as well.
October 1, 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Well unfortunately, this was a disappointing read.
First, what I liked : the concept and the pace. While it is a slow build up and the story unfolds step by step, I enjoyed not rushing into it. Concept wise, I like the idea of a world made of all the imagination and stories by humans, and the two extremes with the light and darkness that are more about opposite views of the world rather than good and bad. I also liked the idea of a FMC who's not the chosen one but manipulated by too many people to be in the right place at the right moment for their need. Oh and the man/woman friendship AMAZING. It was intentional, platonic, no pining for one another as the one that got away, no behaving weird around one another because suddenly they realise they could be a good couple.. loved that.
That's were my liking stopped.. now to the parts that bored me :
- The main character is boring. She has EVERYTHING to be likable and to be an amazing main character, with depth and be funny and full of life and clumsy and maybe struggling to make it but we get to believe she'll make it... but she's plagued with overthinking and an overbearing tendency to think about her sister 25x times a chapter. and it's only ever to blame her for taking too much space in her life OR to compare herself and hype herself up because she'll do better, be better, not make the same mistakes... the fact that she almost moves on from this practice by the 90% mark is not character development. it's useless.
- The love interestS were underdevelopped at best or too clichey at worst. I felt like I was reading a story made to showcase either how cliche a love interest can be or how easily fooled can the main character be. She spends most of the book being used, fooled, manipulated, lied to and tossed around by these men. And whenever she's this close to knowing the truth or getting answers about anything, a new lie occurs or something. It pissed me off on her behalf but also on mine as a reader, seeing no progress for her or her relationships. ALSO CAN WE STOP WITH THE MARRIAGE PROPOSALS ? I hate pregnancy tropes, by the end of this book I hated marriage. Especially between characters that has 0 business being married as they barely/kind of barely know one another.
- the world building was underused. we get very interesting ideas (the impact of humans in this world, the fact that fanfics could resonated in avreter, the whole thing about darkness and light and with different powers and intentions, the monarchy that's not liked by everyone, the portals that open only during solstices..) a lot of things that are told, announced, mentionned... then never to be talked about again. we get rebellion, we don't talk about if it's the first time and how it's usually resolved. we get princesses that die from heart diseases but the queen is 200+ years old, never mention how that works. we get 1 guy who's traveling back and forth between realms and no mention of anyone else doing that. we got Pete who could change the entire reality if he left the castle, but then it's never mentioned again... or enacted upon. This is the type of things that matter, and all this made no sense. Also : how could she be sure her coil uid would still work in a world supposed to be built on fantasy ?
- the plot twists : i saw 1 out of 2 coming. and the second wasn't even that shocking because of how we got there and how fast we passed over it. It should've been a major moment. It felt flat because of how we get there. I didn't feel anything, and the fact that both twists happen so close to one another made it harder to "care" and react.
In my opinion, this coud be an amazing book, it just requires a lot of editing. Most of my notes are just about how some things don't make sense (suddenly Clarissa calls her her friend when we never had any mention of how they honestly got close during the time there, he declares his love for her 2 seconds after he admitted to lying to her multiple times and she doesn't bat an eye, she travels with the ring to the darkness without questioning where she'll end up before she gets there... etc.) I have no idea if I'll read the next one, honestly this didn't make me want to. But hopefully the author gets better beta reading and editing on the next one...
Thank you, Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Well unfortunately, this was a disappointing read.
First, what I liked : the concept and the pace. While it is a slow build up and the story unfolds step by step, I enjoyed not rushing into it. Concept wise, I like the idea of a world made of all the imagination and stories by humans, and the two extremes with the light and darkness that are more about opposite views of the world rather than good and bad. I also liked the idea of a FMC who's not the chosen one but manipulated by too many people to be in the right place at the right moment for their need. Oh and the man/woman friendship AMAZING. It was intentional, platonic, no pining for one another as the one that got away, no behaving weird around one another because suddenly they realise they could be a good couple.. loved that.
That's were my liking stopped.. now to the parts that bored me :
- The main character is boring. She has EVERYTHING to be likable and to be an amazing main character, with depth and be funny and full of life and clumsy and maybe struggling to make it but we get to believe she'll make it... but she's plagued with overthinking and an overbearing tendency to think about her sister 25x times a chapter. and it's only ever to blame her for taking too much space in her life OR to compare herself and hype herself up because she'll do better, be better, not make the same mistakes... the fact that she almost moves on from this practice by the 90% mark is not character development. it's useless.
- The love interestS were underdevelopped at best or too clichey at worst. I felt like I was reading a story made to showcase either how cliche a love interest can be or how easily fooled can the main character be. She spends most of the book being used, fooled, manipulated, lied to and tossed around by these men. And whenever she's this close to knowing the truth or getting answers about anything, a new lie occurs or something. It pissed me off on her behalf but also on mine as a reader, seeing no progress for her or her relationships. ALSO CAN WE STOP WITH THE MARRIAGE PROPOSALS ? I hate pregnancy tropes, by the end of this book I hated marriage. Especially between characters that has 0 business being married as they barely/kind of barely know one another.
- the world building was underused. we get very interesting ideas (the impact of humans in this world, the fact that fanfics could resonated in avreter, the whole thing about darkness and light and with different powers and intentions, the monarchy that's not liked by everyone, the portals that open only during solstices..) a lot of things that are told, announced, mentionned... then never to be talked about again. we get rebellion, we don't talk about if it's the first time and how it's usually resolved. we get princesses that die from heart diseases but the queen is 200+ years old, never mention how that works. we get 1 guy who's traveling back and forth between realms and no mention of anyone else doing that. we got Pete who could change the entire reality if he left the castle, but then it's never mentioned again... or enacted upon. This is the type of things that matter, and all this made no sense. Also : how could she be sure her coil uid would still work in a world supposed to be built on fantasy ?
- the plot twists : i saw 1 out of 2 coming. and the second wasn't even that shocking because of how we got there and how fast we passed over it. It should've been a major moment. It felt flat because of how we get there. I didn't feel anything, and the fact that both twists happen so close to one another made it harder to "care" and react.
In my opinion, this coud be an amazing book, it just requires a lot of editing. Most of my notes are just about how some things don't make sense (suddenly Clarissa calls her her friend when we never had any mention of how they honestly got close during the time there, he declares his love for her 2 seconds after he admitted to lying to her multiple times and she doesn't bat an eye, she travels with the ring to the darkness without questioning where she'll end up before she gets there... etc.) I have no idea if I'll read the next one, honestly this didn't make me want to. But hopefully the author gets better beta reading and editing on the next one...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
OVERALL RATING:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 perfect stars!
Spoiler-free review: OMG. I cannot believe it ended right there. NOOOOOOOO!
The number of times I said "ooh!" out loud while reading this book cannot be counted on my fingers. To recap: The Solstice Bargain follows Seraphina, a twenty-something whose dreams of becoming a journalist have stalled alongside her love life. Still grieving the death of her older half-sister, Angelica, she's suddenly told that Angelica was actually the prophesied princess of another world. With the prophecy left unfulfilled, Sera agrees to impersonate her sister and is thrust into the realm of Avreter where court politics and dangerous secrets make pretending to be the chosen heir much more complicated than she ever imagined.
Right from the first chapter, I knew Seraphina was going to be my kind of protagonist. She's blunt, self-aware, a little jaded, and honestly hilarious. Her narration gives the prose a wonderfully straightforward style that immediately establishes who she is: someone who's exhausted by life but still stubborn enough to keep moving. As someone in my twenties, I also felt painfully called out by her opening thoughts about wanting a decent career, a decent partner, and a house she could actually afford.
Yes. As you can see, I am absolutely the target audience.
The fantasy world also surprised me in the best way. Avreter, described as a pocket universe where Earth's collective unconscious takes physical form, is such an intriguing premise. The worldbuilding unfolds naturally instead of dumping pages of lore on the reader, and I appreciated that the story trusted me to learn alongside Seraphina.
Better yet, the political intrigue was fantastic. It's been a while since I've read a fantasy novel where the court politics actually felt like... well, politics. Scheming allies, shifting loyalties, and competing factions kept me just as invested as the magic itself.
I also loved how quietly the novel handled grief. Beneath all the fantasy, Seraphina is still mourning her sister while being forced to step into her place. I thought it added a lot of heart to it.
The middle section slows down a little, however. I understand why, since this is the first book in a series and it has a world to establish, but I did feel the momentum dip before the final act. The romance also developed a little faster than I personally prefer. I liked Leo, and I actually enjoyed that he keeps Seraphina at arm's length for much of the story, but I would've happily taken an even slower burn.
That said... none of those mattered once *that* reveal happened.
My jaw genuinely dropped. I actually whispered, "Oh my God," because suddenly all the dots connected. From that point onward I could not put the book down. What had comfortably been sitting at 4⭐ instantly became a 5⭐ read for me. And then it ended! AHHH. Now I desperately need the sequel because there are so many directions this story could go, and I already know I'm going to be thinking about that ending for a while.
This is a masterfully plotted portal fantasy that blends cynicism with political intrigue. If you enjoyed books like Red Queen with the "pretending to be someone else" trope, secret identities, and dangerous court secrets happening right under the protagonist's nose, I think there's a very good chance you'll enjoy this too!
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
5 perfect stars!
Spoiler-free review: OMG. I cannot believe it ended right there. NOOOOOOOO!
The number of times I said "ooh!" out loud while reading this book cannot be counted on my fingers. To recap: The Solstice Bargain follows Seraphina, a twenty-something whose dreams of becoming a journalist have stalled alongside her love life. Still grieving the death of her older half-sister, Angelica, she's suddenly told that Angelica was actually the prophesied princess of another world. With the prophecy left unfulfilled, Sera agrees to impersonate her sister and is thrust into the realm of Avreter where court politics and dangerous secrets make pretending to be the chosen heir much more complicated than she ever imagined.
Right from the first chapter, I knew Seraphina was going to be my kind of protagonist. She's blunt, self-aware, a little jaded, and honestly hilarious. Her narration gives the prose a wonderfully straightforward style that immediately establishes who she is: someone who's exhausted by life but still stubborn enough to keep moving. As someone in my twenties, I also felt painfully called out by her opening thoughts about wanting a decent career, a decent partner, and a house she could actually afford.
Yes. As you can see, I am absolutely the target audience.
The fantasy world also surprised me in the best way. Avreter, described as a pocket universe where Earth's collective unconscious takes physical form, is such an intriguing premise. The worldbuilding unfolds naturally instead of dumping pages of lore on the reader, and I appreciated that the story trusted me to learn alongside Seraphina.
Better yet, the political intrigue was fantastic. It's been a while since I've read a fantasy novel where the court politics actually felt like... well, politics. Scheming allies, shifting loyalties, and competing factions kept me just as invested as the magic itself.
I also loved how quietly the novel handled grief. Beneath all the fantasy, Seraphina is still mourning her sister while being forced to step into her place. I thought it added a lot of heart to it.
The middle section slows down a little, however. I understand why, since this is the first book in a series and it has a world to establish, but I did feel the momentum dip before the final act. The romance also developed a little faster than I personally prefer. I liked Leo, and I actually enjoyed that he keeps Seraphina at arm's length for much of the story, but I would've happily taken an even slower burn.
That said... none of those mattered once *that* reveal happened.
My jaw genuinely dropped. I actually whispered, "Oh my God," because suddenly all the dots connected. From that point onward I could not put the book down. What had comfortably been sitting at 4⭐ instantly became a 5⭐ read for me. And then it ended! AHHH. Now I desperately need the sequel because there are so many directions this story could go, and I already know I'm going to be thinking about that ending for a while.
This is a masterfully plotted portal fantasy that blends cynicism with political intrigue. If you enjoyed books like Red Queen with the "pretending to be someone else" trope, secret identities, and dangerous court secrets happening right under the protagonist's nose, I think there's a very good chance you'll enjoy this too!
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The night of the winter solstice, Seraphina strikes a deal with a man. He promises to grant her wishes in exchange for posing as her dead sister Angelica, who is the heir to a magical kingdom and the prophecy filler, someone who will end the fight between light and dark. Sera doesn't want to accept but she can't help it. Soon, thiugh she is an imposter, she realizes that she wants her sister's life.
It was easy to get into this story because the pace is balanced between fast and medium. Most chapters end with a cliffhanger so I was compelled to move forward in the story and read what happened. The chapters are very episodic with fillers in between and so we have a good mix of plot twists and calm moments (which is mostly my favorite kind of pacing in a book).
This was a quick read and I was excited about the magic system and the fact that it was inspired by Celtic lore. Too bad that asides from some elements, I felt like that wasn't expanded much. Aside from Avreter, the magical world, only be accessed during solstices and equinoxes, I didn't find much mythology in this. The worldbuilding was cool and I liked that Avreter is a mix of the collective imagination, thus we see different styles and objects belonging to different periods mingling together.
The story also had solid foundations: a woman who IS NOT the chosen one, who has the chance to live a life as a princess and live as her beloved dead sister whom she also was envious of. There were a lot of predictable plot lines as well as some things that surprised me, though less. Unlike the world, which I liked, I didn't like any of the characters asides from Pete and maybe the queen.
I hated the first person pov. And Seraphina, our mc, was frustrating to follow, especially after she arrives to Avreter. For someone who claims to be witty, she was utterly naive and entitled and whiny. And well, it makes sense she's a bit arrogant to want to pursue her con to fullfill what was her sister's fate, but girl, you are out of your depth. She does acknowledge it, but still, she's come across as whiny and throughout the book her obsession and jealousy with Angelica was forefront. Which was one of the points of Sera's story, but to me, it was annoying. And made Sera look younger than her age. The writing was okay but I felt like some of Sera's remarks about tropes and other stuff made me cringe. I felt like it was attempting to make her sound witty (she was not) and smart, but it made her sound pretentious to me. On the top of that, something else I did not like was how everything seemed to be about appearance and lust. Her relationship with the "love" interest was built on lust and I didn't buy it, because time to develop it was skipped.
The love interest was also debatable. While I liked him more than Sera, I felt like he wasn't fleshed out, as weren't much of the other characters.
I would have enjoyed this more, if it weren't for the superficial nature of it. But it's mostly because of the unrootable characters. Mostly because of Sera, if I have to be honest. It was exhausting to be in her mind. A third person pov or a pov switch would have helped greatly. Because I enjoyed the story, it had solid foundations and a good worldbuilding and interesting magic and political dynamics that made me read until the end. Too bad the mc is too unlikeable to me, that I am not sure I will read what happens to her next.
I think that people younger than me would like this. It saddens me this wasn't for me.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for the arc. Opinions are mine.
It was easy to get into this story because the pace is balanced between fast and medium. Most chapters end with a cliffhanger so I was compelled to move forward in the story and read what happened. The chapters are very episodic with fillers in between and so we have a good mix of plot twists and calm moments (which is mostly my favorite kind of pacing in a book).
This was a quick read and I was excited about the magic system and the fact that it was inspired by Celtic lore. Too bad that asides from some elements, I felt like that wasn't expanded much. Aside from Avreter, the magical world, only be accessed during solstices and equinoxes, I didn't find much mythology in this. The worldbuilding was cool and I liked that Avreter is a mix of the collective imagination, thus we see different styles and objects belonging to different periods mingling together.
The story also had solid foundations: a woman who IS NOT the chosen one, who has the chance to live a life as a princess and live as her beloved dead sister whom she also was envious of. There were a lot of predictable plot lines as well as some things that surprised me, though less. Unlike the world, which I liked, I didn't like any of the characters asides from Pete and maybe the queen.
I hated the first person pov. And Seraphina, our mc, was frustrating to follow, especially after she arrives to Avreter. For someone who claims to be witty, she was utterly naive and entitled and whiny. And well, it makes sense she's a bit arrogant to want to pursue her con to fullfill what was her sister's fate, but girl, you are out of your depth. She does acknowledge it, but still, she's come across as whiny and throughout the book her obsession and jealousy with Angelica was forefront. Which was one of the points of Sera's story, but to me, it was annoying. And made Sera look younger than her age. The writing was okay but I felt like some of Sera's remarks about tropes and other stuff made me cringe. I felt like it was attempting to make her sound witty (she was not) and smart, but it made her sound pretentious to me. On the top of that, something else I did not like was how everything seemed to be about appearance and lust. Her relationship with the "love" interest was built on lust and I didn't buy it, because time to develop it was skipped.
The love interest was also debatable. While I liked him more than Sera, I felt like he wasn't fleshed out, as weren't much of the other characters.
I would have enjoyed this more, if it weren't for the superficial nature of it. But it's mostly because of the unrootable characters. Mostly because of Sera, if I have to be honest. It was exhausting to be in her mind. A third person pov or a pov switch would have helped greatly. Because I enjoyed the story, it had solid foundations and a good worldbuilding and interesting magic and political dynamics that made me read until the end. Too bad the mc is too unlikeable to me, that I am not sure I will read what happens to her next.
I think that people younger than me would like this. It saddens me this wasn't for me.
Thank you so much to Netgalley for the arc. Opinions are mine.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was such a unique world and magic system! It gave me the nostalgia of the madness of Wonderland and Narnia, but I'm older and wiser now to see the darker side of these realms and still want to go anyway.
I loved the concept of the other realm being a pocket universe born from everyone's imagination, evolving on Earth’s beliefs in folklore, mythology, superstition and archetypes. It created such a fun and original world, with different time periods and eras existing alongside one another. Think modern day fantasy realm. Very imaginative and intriguing. I also really enjoyed the imagery of winter vs summer, rather than relying solely on the usual night/day or moon/sun contrasts.
The plot itself was engaging, although I found the pacing a little inconsistent. I also found the writing style interesting. At times, I had to reread sentences, but not because the prose was particularly poetic; instead, some descriptions felt overcomplicated and unnecessarily lengthy. There was also an awful lot of telling rather than showing. At times, it felt like there was a lack of trust in the reader to draw the right conclusions or use their own imagination.
Sera is not your typical FMC in fantasy. She's just an ordinary, anxiety-ridden girl trying to get by while healing from grief, and I thought her character had more depth than the others. We learnt more about her through the notebook extracts, which were essentially journal entries. I thought this was a great idea in theory, but they didn't really read like a journal. They felt more like flashbacks that were inserted into the story, and ultimately came across as filler rather than adding naturally to the narrative.
They did, however, help us understand Sera's insecurities, living in her sister's shadow, and being made to feel like she wasn't good enough by an old flame who constantly used backhanded compliments to try to change her. After a while, though, hearing the same insecurities repeated became a little draining. Although perhaps that's the point? Maybe Sera's life really was a constant, repetitive reminder that she was second best.
She could also come across as quite naive, and I'm not sure whether this was intentional. The character often felt much younger than her actual age, more 16–18 than 25. I did, however, enjoy watching her gradually develop a sense of self-worth.
Sadly, the other characters lacked any real depth, and the love interest was possibly the most random thing I've ever read. We barely know this guy, yet suddenly he's declaring his love for Sera, and she's essentially just like, “Yeah, okay?” It was very suspicious. The dialogue between the characters also didn't feel particularly authentic, which made it harder to connect or relate to them.
Ultimately, it was the premise and plot that earned this book its third star for me. The world is imaginative, intriguing and genuinely different, and I want to know more about it. But I'm not sure that's enough to keep me reading the series when I'm not invested in the characters or their relationships.
I want to explore this world I'm just not sure I care enough about the people in it yet.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for this advanced reader copy.
I loved the concept of the other realm being a pocket universe born from everyone's imagination, evolving on Earth’s beliefs in folklore, mythology, superstition and archetypes. It created such a fun and original world, with different time periods and eras existing alongside one another. Think modern day fantasy realm. Very imaginative and intriguing. I also really enjoyed the imagery of winter vs summer, rather than relying solely on the usual night/day or moon/sun contrasts.
The plot itself was engaging, although I found the pacing a little inconsistent. I also found the writing style interesting. At times, I had to reread sentences, but not because the prose was particularly poetic; instead, some descriptions felt overcomplicated and unnecessarily lengthy. There was also an awful lot of telling rather than showing. At times, it felt like there was a lack of trust in the reader to draw the right conclusions or use their own imagination.
Sera is not your typical FMC in fantasy. She's just an ordinary, anxiety-ridden girl trying to get by while healing from grief, and I thought her character had more depth than the others. We learnt more about her through the notebook extracts, which were essentially journal entries. I thought this was a great idea in theory, but they didn't really read like a journal. They felt more like flashbacks that were inserted into the story, and ultimately came across as filler rather than adding naturally to the narrative.
They did, however, help us understand Sera's insecurities, living in her sister's shadow, and being made to feel like she wasn't good enough by an old flame who constantly used backhanded compliments to try to change her. After a while, though, hearing the same insecurities repeated became a little draining. Although perhaps that's the point? Maybe Sera's life really was a constant, repetitive reminder that she was second best.
She could also come across as quite naive, and I'm not sure whether this was intentional. The character often felt much younger than her actual age, more 16–18 than 25. I did, however, enjoy watching her gradually develop a sense of self-worth.
Sadly, the other characters lacked any real depth, and the love interest was possibly the most random thing I've ever read. We barely know this guy, yet suddenly he's declaring his love for Sera, and she's essentially just like, “Yeah, okay?” It was very suspicious. The dialogue between the characters also didn't feel particularly authentic, which made it harder to connect or relate to them.
Ultimately, it was the premise and plot that earned this book its third star for me. The world is imaginative, intriguing and genuinely different, and I want to know more about it. But I'm not sure that's enough to keep me reading the series when I'm not invested in the characters or their relationships.
I want to explore this world I'm just not sure I care enough about the people in it yet.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for this advanced reader copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The fate of two gods. The chosen one lying in a grave. No one will notice this imposter’s lack of magic, right? Nope - but they might notice an underdeveloped, chaotic, trope-stuffed plot. After going back and forth on my rating, I’m settling on 2.3 ⭐️
Seraphina Jones' aspirations are… for lack of a better term… nonexistent. Trapped in dead-end jobs and failed relationships, the dejected wannabe-journalist trudges through a mundane life in London, somehow still in the shadow of her late older half-sister. But when a mysterious man reveals her sibling’s role in the prophecy of another world, she agrees to impersonate her in exchange for some lifelong dreams coming true. Traveling to the magical realm with her charming guide, Sera becomes terrified the deception will get her killed as she faces a dangerous choice between two immortal rivals fighting for control. But the fake heir soon discovers that scheming allies, seductive enemies, and court politics are making it SO much harder than she thought to save the world.
This book is chaotic, to say the least. The first 15% reads like a contemporary romance novel, and then we're shoved into an alternate world - which I’m still really confused about the whole origin of it - with monarchs, magical powers, and court politics. I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels like I have read/heard the same story (down to specific details) before, which makes the “creativity” hard to appreciate.
Unfortunately, I clocked every single plot twist from the time I started listening to this book, which just added to that weird deja vu sensation. I feel like the plot itself focused entirely too heavily on the romance aspects rather than leaning into more thorough world-building and explanation. But on the topic of the romance… burn it. Lock it in a box, burn the box, and throw the ashes in a river. You think Tamlin from ACOTAR was bad? Well, buckle tf up! I did not like the main love interest for MANY reasons, and I didn’t like the weird “shadow-daddy I would cheat on you with” mindset of the FMC because it is soooo overdone.
Seraphina, from a character growth perspective, is wonderful. She was introduced as having real, tangible flaws – most notably her anxiety and overthinking. The strongest plot point is that Seraphina is NOT the chosen one, but rather grows into that role. The book ends in a place where we see a more confident Sera preparing to run back into the world she left on a mission to save her best friend. I think the narrator, Poppy Royana, did a great job making Sera more relatable and nuanced in spite of the material she was given.
🧚 Celtic Folklore
🧚 Non "Chosen One" Hero
🧚 Romantasy
🧚 Navigating Grief
🧚 Princess & the Pauper vibes
Thank you to NetGalley, Ethelred Publishing, and the author for the ALC. I’m so excited to share my honest opinions!
Seraphina Jones' aspirations are… for lack of a better term… nonexistent. Trapped in dead-end jobs and failed relationships, the dejected wannabe-journalist trudges through a mundane life in London, somehow still in the shadow of her late older half-sister. But when a mysterious man reveals her sibling’s role in the prophecy of another world, she agrees to impersonate her in exchange for some lifelong dreams coming true. Traveling to the magical realm with her charming guide, Sera becomes terrified the deception will get her killed as she faces a dangerous choice between two immortal rivals fighting for control. But the fake heir soon discovers that scheming allies, seductive enemies, and court politics are making it SO much harder than she thought to save the world.
This book is chaotic, to say the least. The first 15% reads like a contemporary romance novel, and then we're shoved into an alternate world - which I’m still really confused about the whole origin of it - with monarchs, magical powers, and court politics. I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels like I have read/heard the same story (down to specific details) before, which makes the “creativity” hard to appreciate.
Unfortunately, I clocked every single plot twist from the time I started listening to this book, which just added to that weird deja vu sensation. I feel like the plot itself focused entirely too heavily on the romance aspects rather than leaning into more thorough world-building and explanation. But on the topic of the romance… burn it. Lock it in a box, burn the box, and throw the ashes in a river. You think Tamlin from ACOTAR was bad? Well, buckle tf up! I did not like the main love interest for MANY reasons, and I didn’t like the weird “shadow-daddy I would cheat on you with” mindset of the FMC because it is soooo overdone.
Seraphina, from a character growth perspective, is wonderful. She was introduced as having real, tangible flaws – most notably her anxiety and overthinking. The strongest plot point is that Seraphina is NOT the chosen one, but rather grows into that role. The book ends in a place where we see a more confident Sera preparing to run back into the world she left on a mission to save her best friend. I think the narrator, Poppy Royana, did a great job making Sera more relatable and nuanced in spite of the material she was given.
🧚 Celtic Folklore
🧚 Non "Chosen One" Hero
🧚 Romantasy
🧚 Navigating Grief
🧚 Princess & the Pauper vibes
Thank you to NetGalley, Ethelred Publishing, and the author for the ALC. I’m so excited to share my honest opinions!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book was an enjoyable read. This book had a lot of good ideas in terms of world building and potential character plots and stories. The author does a great job of providing descriptions of the main character's point of view. I felt as though I really got to know the main female character immediately. The storyline was overall enjoyable; however, I also felt as though the plot (and some of the characters) fell short. The entire narrative seemed to be filled with cliches and the plot twists were predictable, which ultimately diminished the impact of the overall story.
As for the characters, I constantly found myself asking why the main character wasn't more skeptical of everything unfolding around her. I wanted her to ask more questions, demand more answers, and form her own opinions instead of simply allowing everything to happen around her. Although we heard her doubts and her questions in her mind, she needed to be more assertive outside of herself. I also feel as though the romance fell.... well short! I felt forced and rushed-- not fully developed. ADDITIONALLY, she definitely brushed off a certain situation far too quickly-- in my opinion, she wasn't angry enough about it.
The main male lead... I don't have much to say about him. The bones for developing a questionable yet enticing male lead were there. But again, he too fell short. I wanted more of his backstory, his history, his own personality. He was just.... lacking.
While the book had its enjoyable moments, I believe it missed an opportunity to delve deeper into the emotional complexity of its characters. The supporting cast, while colorful, often felt like archetypes rather than fully fleshed-out individuals. This lack of depth made it difficult to form a strong attachment to them, leaving their fates feeling inconsequential. The surface level development into these characters' motivations and backstories ultimately weakened the narrative. If the characters had been given more agency and complexity, the story could have transformed from a fun read into a truly engaging and thought-provoking experience.
As for the characters, I constantly found myself asking why the main character wasn't more skeptical of everything unfolding around her. I wanted her to ask more questions, demand more answers, and form her own opinions instead of simply allowing everything to happen around her. Although we heard her doubts and her questions in her mind, she needed to be more assertive outside of herself. I also feel as though the romance fell.... well short! I felt forced and rushed-- not fully developed. ADDITIONALLY, she definitely brushed off a certain situation far too quickly-- in my opinion, she wasn't angry enough about it.
The main male lead... I don't have much to say about him. The bones for developing a questionable yet enticing male lead were there. But again, he too fell short. I wanted more of his backstory, his history, his own personality. He was just.... lacking.
While the book had its enjoyable moments, I believe it missed an opportunity to delve deeper into the emotional complexity of its characters. The supporting cast, while colorful, often felt like archetypes rather than fully fleshed-out individuals. This lack of depth made it difficult to form a strong attachment to them, leaving their fates feeling inconsequential. The surface level development into these characters' motivations and backstories ultimately weakened the narrative. If the characters had been given more agency and complexity, the story could have transformed from a fun read into a truly engaging and thought-provoking experience.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this book excited by the premise, and it definitely had enough interesting ideas to keep me reading. The world is imaginative, with an intriguing balance of light and dark, layered politics, and mysteries that are revealed gradually instead of all at once. I enjoyed uncovering the world alongside Seraphina, and I appreciated that she wasn't written as a flawless heroine. Her insecurities and struggle to step out from her sister's shadow made her feel relatable, and it was satisfying to see hints of her growing into her own person by the end.
That said, I found the pacing uneven. While the beginning pulled me in, the middle slowed considerably with lengthy descriptions and repeated information that made the story feel longer than it needed to be. There were moments where I wanted the plot to move forward more quickly.
The romance was the biggest disappointment for me. I never fully believed the emotional connection between the leads because their relationship developed so quickly. Instead of building tension or earning those feelings over time, it seemed like they simply appeared, which made it difficult to become invested. Ironically, I found Seraphina's friendship with Pete more compelling than the central romance and am more interested to see where that relationship goes in future books.
The ending did a good job of raising the stakes, and while I predicted some of the reveals, there were still a couple of twists that genuinely surprised me. The cliffhanger also leaves plenty of room for the sequel to expand on the characters, their motivations, and the magic system, which I felt could have been explored in greater depth.
Overall, this was an enjoyable fantasy with a strong foundation and some creative ideas, but I think it fell short of reaching its full potential. I'm still curious enough about the world and Seraphina's journey that I'd consider picking up the next book, hoping the character development and romance become stronger.
I went into this book excited by the premise, and it definitely had enough interesting ideas to keep me reading. The world is imaginative, with an intriguing balance of light and dark, layered politics, and mysteries that are revealed gradually instead of all at once. I enjoyed uncovering the world alongside Seraphina, and I appreciated that she wasn't written as a flawless heroine. Her insecurities and struggle to step out from her sister's shadow made her feel relatable, and it was satisfying to see hints of her growing into her own person by the end.
That said, I found the pacing uneven. While the beginning pulled me in, the middle slowed considerably with lengthy descriptions and repeated information that made the story feel longer than it needed to be. There were moments where I wanted the plot to move forward more quickly.
The romance was the biggest disappointment for me. I never fully believed the emotional connection between the leads because their relationship developed so quickly. Instead of building tension or earning those feelings over time, it seemed like they simply appeared, which made it difficult to become invested. Ironically, I found Seraphina's friendship with Pete more compelling than the central romance and am more interested to see where that relationship goes in future books.
The ending did a good job of raising the stakes, and while I predicted some of the reveals, there were still a couple of twists that genuinely surprised me. The cliffhanger also leaves plenty of room for the sequel to expand on the characters, their motivations, and the magic system, which I felt could have been explored in greater depth.
Overall, this was an enjoyable fantasy with a strong foundation and some creative ideas, but I think it fell short of reaching its full potential. I'm still curious enough about the world and Seraphina's journey that I'd consider picking up the next book, hoping the character development and romance become stronger.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I wish I could give this more stars, the premise sounded super interesting and the first few chapters were actually really good and immediately sucked me in. The pace wasn't bad either and generally I would say this felt like a quick and easy read.
And it's not so much that there were elements I didn't like, as I was just left desiring more. This could very well be a me problem (and I am open to this possibility, honestly) as I am an avid romantasy reader and oftentimes find myself drowning in what feels like an algorithmic check box or a bunch of tropes thrown together with semi (or very) predictable storylines and plot twists and main characters (and supporting actually) who end up feeling very cookie cutter. So, to circle back, I didn't dislike the book, I just think a little bit of tweaking and editing and work on the writing at times, will help improve things.
The worldbuilding needs more work. There is this concept of magic systems but we never really see it in practice? Also, it's a bit of an overwhelming at times compilation of all things thrown together, at points this was ok, at point it didn't work and because I found it jarring, it pulled me out of the story.
Sera had a lot of potential (I love the idea of NOT chosen one, so much more refreshing, right?) but the way her thoughts and actions translated on page, she felt much younger at times. That is not to say I didn't warm up to her, she's fine, just not super memorable. Pete, on the other hand, that friendship and the portrayal, was an absolute highlight, I could read 600 more pages of it. The love interest/ romance, was all a bit meh, I could subscribe to it.
The ending raises the stakes, great, and some pf the plot twists genuinely surprised me, but I'm not sure at this point if I would pick up the next book. Thank you to Sophie Williamson, Ethelred Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles and NetGalley for this review copy, all opinions are my own.
And it's not so much that there were elements I didn't like, as I was just left desiring more. This could very well be a me problem (and I am open to this possibility, honestly) as I am an avid romantasy reader and oftentimes find myself drowning in what feels like an algorithmic check box or a bunch of tropes thrown together with semi (or very) predictable storylines and plot twists and main characters (and supporting actually) who end up feeling very cookie cutter. So, to circle back, I didn't dislike the book, I just think a little bit of tweaking and editing and work on the writing at times, will help improve things.
The worldbuilding needs more work. There is this concept of magic systems but we never really see it in practice? Also, it's a bit of an overwhelming at times compilation of all things thrown together, at points this was ok, at point it didn't work and because I found it jarring, it pulled me out of the story.
Sera had a lot of potential (I love the idea of NOT chosen one, so much more refreshing, right?) but the way her thoughts and actions translated on page, she felt much younger at times. That is not to say I didn't warm up to her, she's fine, just not super memorable. Pete, on the other hand, that friendship and the portrayal, was an absolute highlight, I could read 600 more pages of it. The love interest/ romance, was all a bit meh, I could subscribe to it.
The ending raises the stakes, great, and some pf the plot twists genuinely surprised me, but I'm not sure at this point if I would pick up the next book. Thank you to Sophie Williamson, Ethelred Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles and NetGalley for this review copy, all opinions are my own.
September 16, 2026
Thank you Net Galley for this ALC. Seraphina is stuck in rut and grieving her sister Angelica's death. Seraphina always felt and still feels second best to Angelica. One night when she is out, she meets Leo. Seraphina reveals her wishes to Leo and is surprised when these wishes start to come true. When she reunites with Leo, Seraphina has lots of questions. Leo explains that her sister Angelica was a princess, the supposed prophecy holder, and that he needs Seraphina to travel to another realm and pose as Angelica to complete the prophecy. When they arrive in Avreter, Seraphina meets her Grandmother, learns about her family history, gets immersed in court politics, and the battle between Light and Dark as both sides are trying to get her to name them as the ruling side. The stakes are raised as Seraphina's facade of Angelica is constantly questioned and court politics get complicated as secrets about both Light and Dark are revealed. Seraphina constantly battles her anxieties about not being as good as Angelica, but begins to care about the realm, the people, and thinks she can help make a difference by being herself. Twist and turns ensue, loyalties' are questioned, and Seraphina has to decide who she can trust and what she is willing to risk in order to save the day. This was a good audiobook as the story was enjoyable and kept me engaged. I think with a little more editing the pacing would have flowed smoother. Some parts dragged a bit as I think Seraphina's constant anxiety of not being Angelica became redundant. Additionally, I think if some of the twist were less telegraphed, it would have made the reveal much more satisfying and surprising. The narrator did a good job bringing the story to life and kept me engaged. I am rating this 3.5 stars and rounding up to 4 stars. Overall I enjoyed the world building and thought it made for an entertaining read. If you are looking for a popcorn portal fantasy filled with court politics, betrayals, secret identities, and romance, this is a good choice for you.
September 28, 2026
I really wanted to love this one because the concept had so much potential, and there were elements of the story that I genuinely appreciated.
One of my favourite aspects was Seraphina's struggle with her own self-worth. She consistently downplays her abilities and seems almost incapable of recognizing her own potential, while placing her deceased sister on a pedestal. Yet, as the story unfolds, we see that Seraphina is such a genuinely good person, with qualities and strengths that she simply cannot see in herself. I really enjoyed that contrast and the underlying message about learning to recognize your own worth rather than measuring yourself against someone else's legacy.
That said, Seraphina's constant self-deprecating nature became increasingly annoying. I understand that her lack of confidence is central to her character development, but there is only so much repeated self-doubt I can listen to before I find myself wishing she would just give herself a little credit. There is a difference between a character who struggles with self-worth and one whose internal dialogue continually reinforces that struggle to the point of frustration.
Unfortunately, my experience listening to the audiobook was a bit of a struggle in other ways as well. I found the narrator's delivery rather stilted, which made it difficult for me to follow the story naturally. The writing itself also didn't flow in a way that kept me immersed, and I frequently found my attention wandering. Despite the interesting premise, I never quite found myself fully invested in the story or eager to get back to it.
It's frustrating when a book has so many ingredients that should work for me, but the overall execution just doesn't quite come together. I appreciated the themes and what the author was trying to explore, but I struggled to connect with the storytelling enough to enjoy the experience.
A case of a promising concept that, unfortunately, didn't quite deliver for me.
NETGALLEY provided a free ARC and I am writing this honest and fair review willingly
One of my favourite aspects was Seraphina's struggle with her own self-worth. She consistently downplays her abilities and seems almost incapable of recognizing her own potential, while placing her deceased sister on a pedestal. Yet, as the story unfolds, we see that Seraphina is such a genuinely good person, with qualities and strengths that she simply cannot see in herself. I really enjoyed that contrast and the underlying message about learning to recognize your own worth rather than measuring yourself against someone else's legacy.
That said, Seraphina's constant self-deprecating nature became increasingly annoying. I understand that her lack of confidence is central to her character development, but there is only so much repeated self-doubt I can listen to before I find myself wishing she would just give herself a little credit. There is a difference between a character who struggles with self-worth and one whose internal dialogue continually reinforces that struggle to the point of frustration.
Unfortunately, my experience listening to the audiobook was a bit of a struggle in other ways as well. I found the narrator's delivery rather stilted, which made it difficult for me to follow the story naturally. The writing itself also didn't flow in a way that kept me immersed, and I frequently found my attention wandering. Despite the interesting premise, I never quite found myself fully invested in the story or eager to get back to it.
It's frustrating when a book has so many ingredients that should work for me, but the overall execution just doesn't quite come together. I appreciated the themes and what the author was trying to explore, but I struggled to connect with the storytelling enough to enjoy the experience.
A case of a promising concept that, unfortunately, didn't quite deliver for me.
NETGALLEY provided a free ARC and I am writing this honest and fair review willingly
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley and Ethelred for the eARC
I'm saddened to give 3 stars. I spend a good amount of time researching books before reading so that I'm reading books that I think will be 4 star and above (life is short, why waste it) and I hate to DNF - I came close on this one.
This book has a lot of good ideas but the execution felt off, kind of choppy. I liked how the author described the FMC ordinary life before magic - it is relatable, the struggles of being in your twenties and finding your footing in the world.
Sera has great supportive friends while she mourns a deceased sister she looked up to and lived in her shadow. She had a boyfriend that she broke up with because he was always "trying to change her". Sera struggles with her self identity apart from her sister that she compares herself to, constantly. Then along comes a bargain to pretend to be her sister in another world.
The other world is where I had some problems following along. Sera is to pose as a Prophecy Filler that will make a choice between two beacons. The main problem I had is there really is no choice, everyone hates the Night Beacon and is filling Sera's ears with their opinions (it's like telling someone to choose a drink between two but one is poison - I guess it's a choice but not of equality).
The romance fell flat, there wasn't much of a lead up to the intimate moment - they jumped in. It's explained at the end of the book and makes sense but at the time I'm thinking, "girl, no - you hardly know him".
There were parts that I felt dragged on and didn't add much value but oddly enough I felt invested enough to finish because I had some suspicions or theories of plot twists that I was kinda right about. I don't know, I might even read the sequel because I liked her friend Pete and want to know what happens to him. The ending Sera does gain some confidence and identity separate from her sister.
I'm saddened to give 3 stars. I spend a good amount of time researching books before reading so that I'm reading books that I think will be 4 star and above (life is short, why waste it) and I hate to DNF - I came close on this one.
This book has a lot of good ideas but the execution felt off, kind of choppy. I liked how the author described the FMC ordinary life before magic - it is relatable, the struggles of being in your twenties and finding your footing in the world.
Sera has great supportive friends while she mourns a deceased sister she looked up to and lived in her shadow. She had a boyfriend that she broke up with because he was always "trying to change her". Sera struggles with her self identity apart from her sister that she compares herself to, constantly. Then along comes a bargain to pretend to be her sister in another world.
The other world is where I had some problems following along. Sera is to pose as a Prophecy Filler that will make a choice between two beacons. The main problem I had is there really is no choice, everyone hates the Night Beacon and is filling Sera's ears with their opinions (it's like telling someone to choose a drink between two but one is poison - I guess it's a choice but not of equality).
The romance fell flat, there wasn't much of a lead up to the intimate moment - they jumped in. It's explained at the end of the book and makes sense but at the time I'm thinking, "girl, no - you hardly know him".
There were parts that I felt dragged on and didn't add much value but oddly enough I felt invested enough to finish because I had some suspicions or theories of plot twists that I was kinda right about. I don't know, I might even read the sequel because I liked her friend Pete and want to know what happens to him. The ending Sera does gain some confidence and identity separate from her sister.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars - An intriguing story with a complex world and plot. Some twists I guessed right away, others definitely left me a bit stunned. It took me a bit to get into the story, but it was definitely an interesting ride through to the end. We get set up for book 2, but thankfully we’re not left with too stressful of a cliffhanger. I’m still a little confused on the creation & purpose of Avreter though, and how with their limited technology they can create genetically shared heirs from same sex couples, but hopefully the next book explains more.
With Seraphina we have someone who grew up close to her sister, yet has always been in her shadow, or at least felt she was. I had a bit of trouble connecting with Sera and her choices, and didn’t see the kind of growth in her I was expecting. She doesn’t have much backbone and is ready to fall into bed with a couple different guys without much thought other than they’re hot & get her bothered. This made the central romance feel a bit off; I still honestly don’t know if she truly loves him, or will leave him for someone else. Also, she wants to make a difference to the people of Avreter but we only see her making a token effort to understand the people & their customs, for all she’s supposed to determine their fate. There’s a lot of time that passes and it’s not clear what she does to fill her days.
One thing I really liked was how through her journaling we get interesting bits of backstory on her relationship with her sister and with Elliot. It helped us to better understand the sisterly dynamic that shaped Sera, and gave us specific insight into how Elliot treated her and eventually why. I also liked how Sera’s anxiety didn’t stop her, and she found ways to recognize & cope with it.
Overall, I have some mixed feelings about the story and heroine, though I pushed through to the end because I really wanted to know what happened. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.
With Seraphina we have someone who grew up close to her sister, yet has always been in her shadow, or at least felt she was. I had a bit of trouble connecting with Sera and her choices, and didn’t see the kind of growth in her I was expecting. She doesn’t have much backbone and is ready to fall into bed with a couple different guys without much thought other than they’re hot & get her bothered. This made the central romance feel a bit off; I still honestly don’t know if she truly loves him, or will leave him for someone else. Also, she wants to make a difference to the people of Avreter but we only see her making a token effort to understand the people & their customs, for all she’s supposed to determine their fate. There’s a lot of time that passes and it’s not clear what she does to fill her days.
One thing I really liked was how through her journaling we get interesting bits of backstory on her relationship with her sister and with Elliot. It helped us to better understand the sisterly dynamic that shaped Sera, and gave us specific insight into how Elliot treated her and eventually why. I also liked how Sera’s anxiety didn’t stop her, and she found ways to recognize & cope with it.
Overall, I have some mixed feelings about the story and heroine, though I pushed through to the end because I really wanted to know what happened. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Solstice Bargain ✨🌙
Okieeeee let’s get to it—friends, I really enjoyed this one! 💕 Seraphina Jones was such a relatable FMC. I connected with her feeling stuck in the rat race, trying to figure out what she actually wants from life. Her journey through grief also hit especially close to home, and I appreciated that it was treated as an important part of her growth rather than something happening in the background.
Also… court politics. Give me all of it. 💛 I LOOOOOVE a fantasy filled with secrets, maneuvering, alliances, and people who may or may not be playing nice—and this book definitely delivered.
I loved watching Sera enter the fae world, especially because Sophie’s worldbuilding was so vivid. The descriptions made me feel like I could see it, smell it, hear it, touch it. Naturally, I kept telling myself, “Okay, just one more chapter.”
One more chapter.
One more chapter.
One more chapter.
😂🫣📚😂
Then Sera discovers her sister’s true heritage, and EVERYTHING changes. I loved watching her realize she doesn’t have to live in her sister’s shadow. She gets to forge her own path and discover who she is—capable, strong, smart, and enough.
And then there’s the romance… 👀
Yes please.
The love triangle was SO fun to watch, and the banter and romantic tension had me yelling at the characters, “ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!” 😂
Overall, this had everything I love: dangerous fae, messy court politics, immersive worldbuilding, secrets, character growth, and a romance full of tension. It kept me turning pages long past when I should have stopped reading.
4/5 ⭐️
I’d absolutely recommend this to fellow fantasy readers who like their fae dangerous, their courts messy, and their romance full of tension. 💕✨
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book in return for my personal experience and feedback. Truly appreciate the opportunity. 🙏
Okieeeee let’s get to it—friends, I really enjoyed this one! 💕 Seraphina Jones was such a relatable FMC. I connected with her feeling stuck in the rat race, trying to figure out what she actually wants from life. Her journey through grief also hit especially close to home, and I appreciated that it was treated as an important part of her growth rather than something happening in the background.
Also… court politics. Give me all of it. 💛 I LOOOOOVE a fantasy filled with secrets, maneuvering, alliances, and people who may or may not be playing nice—and this book definitely delivered.
I loved watching Sera enter the fae world, especially because Sophie’s worldbuilding was so vivid. The descriptions made me feel like I could see it, smell it, hear it, touch it. Naturally, I kept telling myself, “Okay, just one more chapter.”
One more chapter.
One more chapter.
One more chapter.
😂🫣📚😂
Then Sera discovers her sister’s true heritage, and EVERYTHING changes. I loved watching her realize she doesn’t have to live in her sister’s shadow. She gets to forge her own path and discover who she is—capable, strong, smart, and enough.
And then there’s the romance… 👀
Yes please.
The love triangle was SO fun to watch, and the banter and romantic tension had me yelling at the characters, “ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!” 😂
Overall, this had everything I love: dangerous fae, messy court politics, immersive worldbuilding, secrets, character growth, and a romance full of tension. It kept me turning pages long past when I should have stopped reading.
4/5 ⭐️
I’d absolutely recommend this to fellow fantasy readers who like their fae dangerous, their courts messy, and their romance full of tension. 💕✨
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book in return for my personal experience and feedback. Truly appreciate the opportunity. 🙏
September 25, 2026
The concept of The Solstice Bargain was intriguing but the execution wasn't well done.
When I first started listening to the audiobook, I was charmed by the atmosphere, the world building and the characters. Unfortunately around the 20% mark, the story switched up.
For starters, the FMC Seraphina was charming and an avid reader who kept telling us she was smart and knew what she would do in certain situations. That was all fine, but as soon as the FMC stepped foot in Avreter, she became this clueless and whiny character. It was exhausting to follow her and be in her mind. I felt like a different POV might have helped in this situation to give us a break from her perspective. I also felt like that an FMC who loved her sister so much, she was clearly more jealous and less enamored with her. I was so over the "Angelica would have done something differently" like please grow a spine.
Secondly, the romance was mid, I'm definitely getting an acotar vibe with the romance. Actually, scratch that, I'm hoping for an acotar vibe. I despised Leo/Eliot. The whole I love you but let me change everything about you. Even after that bad explanation, why would you get back with him!?
Lastly, the ending wasn't too bad. I was not shocked by the reveal, I was expecting it at this point. Parts of it felt rushed and other parts left me questioning why would she do this instead of this?
Overall, I think the story has potential but not enough for me to keep reading this series. I also have to note, that while the audiobook wasn't bad, I felt like there wasn't enough variations in voices for me to distinguish between characters. It made it almost impossible at times to know who was talking and there was no way for me to distinguish between when the FMC was talking to someone and when she was talking to herself. I almost feel like dual narrator might have been a good idea.
Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion
When I first started listening to the audiobook, I was charmed by the atmosphere, the world building and the characters. Unfortunately around the 20% mark, the story switched up.
For starters, the FMC Seraphina was charming and an avid reader who kept telling us she was smart and knew what she would do in certain situations. That was all fine, but as soon as the FMC stepped foot in Avreter, she became this clueless and whiny character. It was exhausting to follow her and be in her mind. I felt like a different POV might have helped in this situation to give us a break from her perspective. I also felt like that an FMC who loved her sister so much, she was clearly more jealous and less enamored with her. I was so over the "Angelica would have done something differently" like please grow a spine.
Secondly, the romance was mid, I'm definitely getting an acotar vibe with the romance. Actually, scratch that, I'm hoping for an acotar vibe. I despised Leo/Eliot. The whole I love you but let me change everything about you. Even after that bad explanation, why would you get back with him!?
Lastly, the ending wasn't too bad. I was not shocked by the reveal, I was expecting it at this point. Parts of it felt rushed and other parts left me questioning why would she do this instead of this?
Overall, I think the story has potential but not enough for me to keep reading this series. I also have to note, that while the audiobook wasn't bad, I felt like there wasn't enough variations in voices for me to distinguish between characters. It made it almost impossible at times to know who was talking and there was no way for me to distinguish between when the FMC was talking to someone and when she was talking to herself. I almost feel like dual narrator might have been a good idea.
Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*The Solstice Bargain* was an enchanting fantasy that immediately drew me in with its magical atmosphere and folklore-inspired world. From the very beginning, there was a quiet, almost whimsical feeling to the story that made it easy to get lost in. I especially enjoyed how the magic felt deeply connected to nature and tradition, giving the world a rich sense of history.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the way the mystery gradually unfolded. Rather than revealing everything at once, the story slowly peeled back its layers, making each discovery feel rewarding. I found myself constantly wondering what secrets would be uncovered next, which kept me invested throughout the novel.
The characters were easy to connect with, and I appreciated that they each had their own motivations and flaws. Their relationships developed naturally over the course of the story, and I enjoyed watching the trust between them grow. The emotional moments felt sincere, adding depth to the adventure without overwhelming the overall tone of the book.
The writing was descriptive without feeling overly heavy, making it easy to picture the setting and the magical elements woven throughout the story. The pacing started off a little gently while the world and its rules were being established, but once the plot gained momentum, I found myself eager to keep reading. The balance between quieter character moments and the larger magical conflict worked well and made the journey feel satisfying.
Overall, *The Solstice Bargain* is a charming fantasy with immersive world-building, engaging characters, and a magical atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. It's a great choice for readers who enjoy folklore-inspired fantasy, character-driven adventures, and stories filled with mystery and heart. I'd happily read more from Sophie Williamson in the future.
One of my favorite parts of the book was the way the mystery gradually unfolded. Rather than revealing everything at once, the story slowly peeled back its layers, making each discovery feel rewarding. I found myself constantly wondering what secrets would be uncovered next, which kept me invested throughout the novel.
The characters were easy to connect with, and I appreciated that they each had their own motivations and flaws. Their relationships developed naturally over the course of the story, and I enjoyed watching the trust between them grow. The emotional moments felt sincere, adding depth to the adventure without overwhelming the overall tone of the book.
The writing was descriptive without feeling overly heavy, making it easy to picture the setting and the magical elements woven throughout the story. The pacing started off a little gently while the world and its rules were being established, but once the plot gained momentum, I found myself eager to keep reading. The balance between quieter character moments and the larger magical conflict worked well and made the journey feel satisfying.
Overall, *The Solstice Bargain* is a charming fantasy with immersive world-building, engaging characters, and a magical atmosphere that lingers long after the final page. It's a great choice for readers who enjoy folklore-inspired fantasy, character-driven adventures, and stories filled with mystery and heart. I'd happily read more from Sophie Williamson in the future.
September 20, 2026
🎧 The Solstice Bargain by Sophie Williamson
🎙️ Narrated by Poppy Royana
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, Ethelred Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, and Sophie Williamson for the ALC.
What happens when the Chosen One is dead... and her completely ordinary, magic-less sister has to fake being her?
That premise alone had me hooked.
The Solstice Bargain takes the classic portal fantasy and flips it on its head with court intrigue, dangerous bargains, Celtic-inspired mythology, and a heroine who has absolutely no magical powers to help her survive any of it.
Sera is grieving the loss of her larger-than-life sister when she's given the opportunity to step into a magical realm and impersonate the legendary princess everyone has been waiting for. The problem? She's not the Chosen One. She's not magical. And there are plenty of people waiting for her to fail.
I loved Sera's voice. She's sarcastic, vulnerable, determined, and constantly in over her head. Watching her navigate immortal rivals, political schemes, and dangerous alliances armed with little more than her wits made her incredibly easy to root for.
The world-building was rich without being overwhelming, and the Celtic folklore elements added depth to the story's magic and mythology. Add in plenty of tension, secrets, and characters whose motives are never entirely clear, and I was fully invested.
Poppy Royana delivered a fantastic narration, bringing Sera's humor, insecurities, and determination to life while making the large cast easy to follow.
If you enjoy portal fantasy, court politics, magical bargains, morally gray characters, and heroines who fake it until they make it, The Solstice Bargain is well worth picking up.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where this series goes next.
🎙️ Narrated by Poppy Royana
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley, Ethelred Publishing | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, and Sophie Williamson for the ALC.
What happens when the Chosen One is dead... and her completely ordinary, magic-less sister has to fake being her?
That premise alone had me hooked.
The Solstice Bargain takes the classic portal fantasy and flips it on its head with court intrigue, dangerous bargains, Celtic-inspired mythology, and a heroine who has absolutely no magical powers to help her survive any of it.
Sera is grieving the loss of her larger-than-life sister when she's given the opportunity to step into a magical realm and impersonate the legendary princess everyone has been waiting for. The problem? She's not the Chosen One. She's not magical. And there are plenty of people waiting for her to fail.
I loved Sera's voice. She's sarcastic, vulnerable, determined, and constantly in over her head. Watching her navigate immortal rivals, political schemes, and dangerous alliances armed with little more than her wits made her incredibly easy to root for.
The world-building was rich without being overwhelming, and the Celtic folklore elements added depth to the story's magic and mythology. Add in plenty of tension, secrets, and characters whose motives are never entirely clear, and I was fully invested.
Poppy Royana delivered a fantastic narration, bringing Sera's humor, insecurities, and determination to life while making the large cast easy to follow.
If you enjoy portal fantasy, court politics, magical bargains, morally gray characters, and heroines who fake it until they make it, The Solstice Bargain is well worth picking up.
I'm definitely interested in seeing where this series goes next.
September 22, 2026
Thank you Netgalley and Sophie Williamson for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review! The Solstice Bargain hooked me from the very beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator style, tone, and pacing for this ALC. I often find myself turning up the listening speed, but I remained at a normal listening speed for this audiobook.
The world building in this story was so unique, and I love the direction the author took with the world of Avreter. Seeing the mashup of tropes, modern and historical weapons, fashion styles, etc. all created by the human consciousness was very intriguing. I really hope this phenomenon is shown more in the coming books. While it is explained throughout the story, we never really get to see it in action.
One of my favorite parts of this entire book is that the FMC actively has to convince herself she can become the chosen one to fulfill a centuries-old prophecy. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see a ton of character growth for the FMC, but I am sure we’ll see the character development happen throughout the series. In an era where we have strong FMCs who save the world, The Solstice Bargain gives a fresh perspective of a FMC who is not, in fact, the chosen one, but who so desperately wants to be THAT girl.
With that, the romance within The Solstice Bargain fell a bit flat. I can’t help but think that was intentionally done by the author. From the very jump we’re left feeling suspicious of the love interests, and while that does pay off, I feel like we could have been given a bit more anticipation and build up.
This is the first portal fantasy novel I’ve read, and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you love books with court politics/political scheming, magical bargains, plot twists and a bit of romance this book is for you!
The world building in this story was so unique, and I love the direction the author took with the world of Avreter. Seeing the mashup of tropes, modern and historical weapons, fashion styles, etc. all created by the human consciousness was very intriguing. I really hope this phenomenon is shown more in the coming books. While it is explained throughout the story, we never really get to see it in action.
One of my favorite parts of this entire book is that the FMC actively has to convince herself she can become the chosen one to fulfill a centuries-old prophecy. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see a ton of character growth for the FMC, but I am sure we’ll see the character development happen throughout the series. In an era where we have strong FMCs who save the world, The Solstice Bargain gives a fresh perspective of a FMC who is not, in fact, the chosen one, but who so desperately wants to be THAT girl.
With that, the romance within The Solstice Bargain fell a bit flat. I can’t help but think that was intentionally done by the author. From the very jump we’re left feeling suspicious of the love interests, and while that does pay off, I feel like we could have been given a bit more anticipation and build up.
This is the first portal fantasy novel I’ve read, and I enjoyed every minute of it. If you love books with court politics/political scheming, magical bargains, plot twists and a bit of romance this book is for you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2026
I started this audiobook without any expectations; however, this read/listen met me right where I was. The opening was enchanting, filled with curious thoughts about where our leading lady was headed as well as empathy for her situation. I remember the author describing a kiss amongst the stars, and I was charmed by that little meet-cute happening. My heart hurt a little for our main character during some of her self-doubt moments, which may have connected with my own insecurities. Seraphina continued to compare herself to her sister over and over; at times it did become a bit repetitive, but as the book continued, I understood why the author felt the need to tie her sister in so much.
As the book progressed, I was reeled in and remained intrigued about how this situation was going to work out. The relationships between characters were consistent and easy to follow and keep up with. The twist with Leo caught me off guard; I did not foresee how the author wove Leo into her past. Although the connection with Leo was unexpected, I kind of liked it. However, I then got a little bummed when I was reminded of how Elliot would try to change/improve Seraphina.
I wanted more information about the world where these characters were interacting. I feel like this book was a perfect setup for a continued series. I am 100% looking forward to the next read in this series. I want to see how the author resolves the last scenario we were left with. My thoughts will be on this book until I get to read the next one! This book provided just the feel-good feeling I was looking for.
Thank you to Sophie Williamson and NetGalley for the gift of this advanced listener audiobook. I enjoyed it; it was a perfect listen while gardening!
As the book progressed, I was reeled in and remained intrigued about how this situation was going to work out. The relationships between characters were consistent and easy to follow and keep up with. The twist with Leo caught me off guard; I did not foresee how the author wove Leo into her past. Although the connection with Leo was unexpected, I kind of liked it. However, I then got a little bummed when I was reminded of how Elliot would try to change/improve Seraphina.
I wanted more information about the world where these characters were interacting. I feel like this book was a perfect setup for a continued series. I am 100% looking forward to the next read in this series. I want to see how the author resolves the last scenario we were left with. My thoughts will be on this book until I get to read the next one! This book provided just the feel-good feeling I was looking for.
Thank you to Sophie Williamson and NetGalley for the gift of this advanced listener audiobook. I enjoyed it; it was a perfect listen while gardening!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
2.5 rounded up to 3!
Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Williamson, and Ethelred Publishing for the ALC!
Seraphina is living a boring and stagnant life, grieving her older half sister, Angelica. She meets a stranger on a night out who promises to make her dreams come true IF she pretends to be her dead sister, who just happens to be a lost princess from the land called Avreter.
Things I liked: The main character is an ordinary human girl who gets thrust into a fantasy realm. I am pretty sure me and every other fantasy lover wish for this to happen to us hahaha. I enjoyed the world building and the layered politics of the Light and Night Beacon fighting for power while Sera faces challenges without her own power and the help of allies.
What I didn't love: While I understand the FMC is pretending to be her sister, she spends the entire book/life belittling herself because Angelica is a supreme, glorious being and Sera could never live up to her. She lives in her shadow, doomed to be incapable of anything as good as her sister. While the concept and book had promise, instead of being shown what was happening, we're repeatedly told through internal and character dialogue. You could skip any part of the book and likely wouldn't be missing anything.
The narrator did an okay job. At the beginning, it almost sounded as if she was smirking after every line, and it was difficult to differentiate which characters were speaking at times. When the mood or emotion shifted, the narrator almost captured it well but ultimately fell flat.
I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did because the summary sounded so cool.
Thank you NetGalley, Sophie Williamson, and Ethelred Publishing for the ALC!
Seraphina is living a boring and stagnant life, grieving her older half sister, Angelica. She meets a stranger on a night out who promises to make her dreams come true IF she pretends to be her dead sister, who just happens to be a lost princess from the land called Avreter.
Things I liked: The main character is an ordinary human girl who gets thrust into a fantasy realm. I am pretty sure me and every other fantasy lover wish for this to happen to us hahaha. I enjoyed the world building and the layered politics of the Light and Night Beacon fighting for power while Sera faces challenges without her own power and the help of allies.
What I didn't love: While I understand the FMC is pretending to be her sister, she spends the entire book/life belittling herself because Angelica is a supreme, glorious being and Sera could never live up to her. She lives in her shadow, doomed to be incapable of anything as good as her sister. While the concept and book had promise, instead of being shown what was happening, we're repeatedly told through internal and character dialogue. You could skip any part of the book and likely wouldn't be missing anything.
The narrator did an okay job. At the beginning, it almost sounded as if she was smirking after every line, and it was difficult to differentiate which characters were speaking at times. When the mood or emotion shifted, the narrator almost captured it well but ultimately fell flat.
I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did because the summary sounded so cool.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a bit of a mixed read for me. I went in especially interested in the Celtic folklore and the idea of stepping from an ordinary life in London into a magical realm. The world-building had some really interesting ideas, particularly the contrast between the Light and Dark Courts and the secrets surrounding Serafina’s family.
Unfortunately, I struggled with the characters and relationships. Serafina was probably my biggest issue. I wanted to see her grow into the strong heroine the story seemed to be setting her up to become, but she felt very insecure and passive for much of the book. She questioned things internally but often didn’t actually act on them, which made it difficult for me to connect with her.
The romance also felt very rushed. I wanted more chemistry and emotional development before the relationships became physical or official. A lot of the progression felt like it happened almost immediately, so I never really felt invested in the romances.
I also struggled with the dialogue. The characters spoke very modernly, which sometimes pulled me out of the fantasy setting. There was a lot of world-building and history, but I felt there wasn’t enough character or relationship development to balance it out.
That said, there were some genuinely intriguing ideas and twists, and I enjoyed the Celtic-inspired elements and the political tension between the Courts. I can definitely see the potential for the series, but ultimately this one didn’t quite work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ethelred Publishing for providing me with an ARC.
Unfortunately, I struggled with the characters and relationships. Serafina was probably my biggest issue. I wanted to see her grow into the strong heroine the story seemed to be setting her up to become, but she felt very insecure and passive for much of the book. She questioned things internally but often didn’t actually act on them, which made it difficult for me to connect with her.
The romance also felt very rushed. I wanted more chemistry and emotional development before the relationships became physical or official. A lot of the progression felt like it happened almost immediately, so I never really felt invested in the romances.
I also struggled with the dialogue. The characters spoke very modernly, which sometimes pulled me out of the fantasy setting. There was a lot of world-building and history, but I felt there wasn’t enough character or relationship development to balance it out.
That said, there were some genuinely intriguing ideas and twists, and I enjoyed the Celtic-inspired elements and the political tension between the Courts. I can definitely see the potential for the series, but ultimately this one didn’t quite work for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ethelred Publishing for providing me with an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Solstice Bargain was a fun read with some genuinely interesting world-building and plenty of potential for the series to grow.
One of my favorite elements was Sera’s recognition that neither Light nor Night is inherently good or evil—that too much of either can be dangerous and balance may be more important than one side triumphing. I especially enjoyed seeing that perspective contrasted with some of the more rigid thinking around her. I also appreciated the thoughtful explanation for why modern technology couldn’t simply be introduced into this world.
Sera’s inferiority complex added an interesting layer to her character and relationships, particularly in the way it shaped both her response to others trying to help her and her growing understanding of her own place in this world.
The romance was less convincing for me. While I could understand the motivations behind the rapid attachment from one side, Sera’s progression into a serious relationship felt abrupt and underdeveloped. Some of the later romantic developments felt similarly rushed, and I’m hopeful they are setting up threads that will be explored more fully in the sequel. One of the larger reveals was also fairly easy to anticipate due to the amount of foreshadowing.
I occasionally struggled to keep some of the court relationships and previous generations straight, but I’m intrigued enough by both the political and romantic threads to continue the series. I’d definitely read the sequel and am curious to see where Sera’s story goes next.
One of my favorite elements was Sera’s recognition that neither Light nor Night is inherently good or evil—that too much of either can be dangerous and balance may be more important than one side triumphing. I especially enjoyed seeing that perspective contrasted with some of the more rigid thinking around her. I also appreciated the thoughtful explanation for why modern technology couldn’t simply be introduced into this world.
Sera’s inferiority complex added an interesting layer to her character and relationships, particularly in the way it shaped both her response to others trying to help her and her growing understanding of her own place in this world.
The romance was less convincing for me. While I could understand the motivations behind the rapid attachment from one side, Sera’s progression into a serious relationship felt abrupt and underdeveloped. Some of the later romantic developments felt similarly rushed, and I’m hopeful they are setting up threads that will be explored more fully in the sequel. One of the larger reveals was also fairly easy to anticipate due to the amount of foreshadowing.
I occasionally struggled to keep some of the court relationships and previous generations straight, but I’m intrigued enough by both the political and romantic threads to continue the series. I’d definitely read the sequel and am curious to see where Sera’s story goes next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews