Seek the Traitor’s Son by. Veronica Roth | ALC Review | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶️ (closed door)

Title: Seek the Traitor’s Son

Author: Veronica Roth

Narrator(s): Imani Jade Powers, Max Meyers; Rebecca Soler; Steve West

Format: audiobook (NetGalley)

Pages: 432 Listening Time: Approximately 20 hours

Publication Date: 5/12/26

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Categories: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, Dystopian, LGBT+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A new epic romantic, dystopian fantasy begins in Seek the Traitor’s Son, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.

She is happy with her life as a soldier. She spends her days fighting the Talusar, whose deadly Fever and mysterious gifts threaten her small country’s very existence.

But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy–her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man that, Elegy is told, she will fall in love with.

In just one day, Elegy’s old life–her job, her purpose, and her future–is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.

Content Warning: memories of torture, violence, death

+ I haven’t read a Veronica Roth series since the Divergent series and Carve the Mark series (which I never finished but not because it wasn’t good) and I thought why not try this one since dystopian is making a comeback. There are four narrators for this book and it really is an amazing audiobook because of all the fantastic job did they for all the characters. I loved the pacing of this story, I was invested and wanted to hear more even when I stopped it.

+ The world building is really fascinating. It’s a futuristic dystopian setting with spaceships, but I found it really interesting that Elegy didn’t believe in aliens! As the story goes on though, there is a possibility that maybe there is something out there. The Talusar is a nation that is powerful, that worships a virus – and it wants to take over Sedra (spelling not sure because I listened to this as an audiobook). But when people are infected with the virus, they either die or change and gain powers – I thought that was kind of cool. There is a prophecy that the Augurs have given to Elegy, a daughter of Sedra, and one to Rava, a warrior from Talusar. But there is a man named Theren (sp?) who is crucial to these women’s lives. He is from Talusar, but becomes Elegy’s knight until a big event happens. There is a lot Theren goes through to eventually get back to Elegy.

+ There is political intrigue and a race to find out what Rava is up to and also if this prophecy will come true and who will be the victor. Elegy is interesting because she doesn’t want to responsibility of being the heroine in a prophecy, so she has to grapple with that.

+ I love the secondary characters like Hela, Elegy’s sister/best-friend and a bunch of the other characters we meet. It’s a well rounded cast that gives depth to the story. Even Rava, as the villain, is an interesting character.

+~ There is a romance that builds slowly between Elegy and Theren, and I think it’s an interesting relationship because of what he’s been through – he’s a bit broken. And he feels guilt for leaving Elegy in the past. I love that they find comfort in one another, but I don’t know if it happens fast or maybe it’s because I’m listening to it as an audiobook, that I feel like it happens too fast? I might have to read the ebook to get a better feel for it but I was rooting for them until the end.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook! The narrators were great and the world building and political intrigue is fascinating. I wish I had the ebook so I could follow the story closer and remember all the characters names, but I look forward to reading book two in this series.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Divergent by. Veronica Roth – 5 stars

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by. Veronica Roth

Carve the Mark – 4 stars

The Shadows That Listen by. Louisa Carmody | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:

Title: The Shadows That Listen (Angel Ruin, #1)

Author: Louisa Carmody

Format: ebook

Pages: 399

Format: ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

Publication Date: 9/9/25

Categories: Urban Fantasy, Dystopia, Romance, Series

WHO WILL SURVIVE THE NIGHT?

The Shadows that Listen is an unputdownable dystopian romantasy with a delicious slow burn romance, from debut author Louisa Carmody. Perfect for fans of Crescent City and Silver Elite.

It’s been five years since the world was brought to its knees by an immortal war. Daemons crawled from the depths of hell and the sky bled gold as the angels arrived. Humanity thought it was saved, but the angels did not come to protect us.

Amara is a human warrior working for the Angel Intelligence Agency. She spends her days searching for those who don’t make it home after curfew. But when her boyfriend Jeremy goes missing, she decides to venture into the shadows to bring him back. Even if it means death.

Nathaniel is an archangel tasked with leading the destruction of humanity, for which he cares little. He doesn’t have time to protect little humans running around in the dark, especially those who stab him in the stomach.

But Nathaniel and Amara will soon realise they share a foe, one that lurks in the shadows and stalks them from the skies. She might long to kill him, but Amara knows that having an angel at her side is the only way to find the man she loves.

The shadows lengthen. They listen. Who will survive the night?

Content Warning: violence, death, suicide

World Building: This urban fantasy, dystopian world is one where humans are caught in a war between the angels and demons. I was very fascinated with it! Amara is part of an agency called the AIA, they train to fight demons, and try to study angels as much as they can. But they also look for missing people, which happens a lot when curfew kicks in at sundown, when the demons come out. Most of the story takes place on a quest to find Amara’s missing boyfriend, Jeremy and a fallen angel named Cain. So I don’t feel like there was much chance for world-building. We do get some of the angel headquarters in the beginning but not a lot. Would love to see this world open up in the next book.

Characters: Amara is a bad-ass, she is a fighter and we get to see all her skills in action. I love her relationship with Xavier, her only family/friend, he was fun and I wish we had more time to get to know him. But Amara is willing to die to find her boyfriend, Jeremy, with the help of archangel Nathaniel. Nathaniel is the head of the angel legion and he can kill very easily. She and Nathaniel get to know one another as they are reluctant allies during their quest. I thought it was interesting how he was deadly in a fight but had moments where he seemed playful. But a few things test their relationship at the end. Since most of the book is the two of them on this quest, I feel like we don’t meet many other characters.

Romance: There is only a kiss, and nothing else. Amara and Nathaniel do grow close and I enjoyed the banter between them. And yes I totally wanted more to happen but she still has a boyfriend. But after that ending, it will be interesting to see what happens next between Amara and Nathaniel! I definitely wanted more steam hopefully in book two!

Story: This story starts off intriguing but there is a moment at the start of this quest where there is not a lot dialogue. The second half of this book really picks up and is so action packed – I loved the fight scenes, especially because of Amara. Some twists were predictable but I still enjoyed it! And the ending, the secrets? The betrayal? That ending ripped my heart out, made me even tear up. But would love more world-building.

Vibes: angels, demons, bad-ass FMC

Final Thoughts:

I read this in two sittings and that ending ripped my heart in two. I did have some little issues with it but I was totally invested in Amara and Nathaniel, loved the fight scenes against the demons. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Read if you like:

urban fantasy, with dystopian vibes
enemies to reluctant allies
secrets, betrayal

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Us Dark Few by. Alexis Patton | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Us Dark Few (Us Dark Few, #1)

Author: Alexis Patton

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 321

Publication Date: 5/5/26 (first published: 6/28/23)

Publisher: Bloom Books

Categories: Dystopian, Dark Romance, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Bloom Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Khalani is a Prisoner
Takeshi is a Guard
Both are slaves to the Underground

Khalani Kanes has never stood on the surface of the earth. In the underground city of Apollo, faith and dreams are as absent as the sun. She longed to visit Genesis, the infamous Domed City and the final place where humanity lives aboveground. But when Khalani is given a life sentence and thrown into prison for a theft she didn’t commit, those wishes shatter into oblivion.

In Braderhelm Prison, murderers are neighbors, ruthless and cold-blooded guards live to punish, and every second is a battle to survive. She thought the danger lay in befriending criminals and avoiding Takeshi Steele, the nefarious Captain who runs her cell block. But darker traps and secrets await her within the shadows of imprisonment. Khalani’s blood will coat the walls in flaming silk before her enemies let her escape to the surface, a feat no one has successfully achieved. If the reclusive and callous Takeshi Steele won’t kill Khalani, then the merciless prisoners and her fractured mind will.

Enter Braderhelm Prison, where only the Wicked remain.

Content Warning: violence, death, sexual assault

World Building: Apollo is a world built underground because of what happened to the Earth years ago. It’s where the poor people live and prisoners like Khalani. Whereas Genesis is a domed city on the surface where there is sunshine and the wealthy afford to live. Khalani is in prison so most of the story takes place there, I think we’ll learn more about the surface throughout the series. Another area that is mentioned is Hermes but we don’t get to know much about that place yet.

Characters: Khalani is an interesting character – she’s lost her parents, now she’s in prison but she doesn’t lose her sweetness in a sense, which made me wish she would toughen up faster so she doesn’t get hurt. She does learn to be harder, and a fighter, but she still doesn’t lose her humanity even with everything she experiences and sees in prison. Takeshi is her prison guard and a captain who is ruthless but he trains Khalani when she dares to ask him. There are some other characters, who make up Khalani’s new found family but would love to get to know them better.

Romance: It’s an enemies to lovers, prisoner/guard romance, and is filled with a lot of dramatic angst at the end. It feels a little young adult at times I think because Khalani comes off sweet and naive, but upper YA since there is a steamy scene but no real spice. But it goes from enemies to lovers to not sure until book two.

Story: Most of the story takes place in the prison where Khalani is adjusting to prison life, but she learns a little bit more about Apollo and Genesis, and even gets to go to Genesis and be around the Governor who seems friendly to Khalani but we aren’t sure why because he comes off evil also. But there is a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting and sets up for book two.

Vibes: prison break, prison romance, a little bit of poetry (reminded me a tiny bit of Shatter Me)

Final Thoughts:

I think a lot of this story was predictable but it was a quick read. I liked the world building and learning about Apollo, Genesis and I hope we get to learn more about Hermes. The romance is enemies to lovers and for the most part I enjoyed it though it reminded me of some other dystopian romances. I did like the twist in the end and will probably continue the series.

Read if you like:

prison romance – prisoner/guard
prison break
dystopian

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Storm Breaker by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Storm Breaker (Storm Breaker, #1)

Author: Nisha J. Tuli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 5/5/26

Publisher: Entangled: Mayhem Books

Categories: Upper Young Adult, Dystopian, Academy, Romance, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Entangled: Mayhem Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

For nineteen-year-old Poet Graves, New Manhattan has always promised safety―if she obeys. Raised within the ruling Houses and betrothed to a powerful heir, she enters Amery Academy knowing her future has already been decided.

But Amery is nothing like she imagined. Its trials are brutal, its loyalties conditional, and its rules designed to expose weakness. As Poet struggles to survive, she must hide the truth that could get her executed: the storms don’t fear her―they answer back.

When a dangerous outsider from beyond the city walls enters the academy, Poet is drawn to him despite everything she’s been taught to believe. He threatens the life she’s been promised. And choosing him could cost her not just her future, but her freedom.

A gripping dystopian romance filled with forbidden power, ruthless challenges, and a heroine who refuses to burn quietly―perfect for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games.

Content Warning: violence, death, cheating, domestic abuse, child abuse (physical)

+ I love Nisha J. Tuli’s romantasy books so when I saw she was coming you with a YA Dystopian story I was so grateful I got offered a copy of the arc! If you liked Divergent and Hunger Games, Storm Breaker will bring you back to when YA Dystopia was big. I would say this is more like Divergent than Hunger Games though.

+~ I really enjoyed the world-building in this story. It is set in New Manhattan, after the Warming Age led people to create a Society that brought order in their chaotic community. Society in New Manhattan is ruled by four prominent houses so there is some jockeying for power between these houses, especially between Faima and Aria (at least for now in book one). There is a Storm Keeper who can harness energy from the sky into generators. And a secret that Poet Graves is guarding. Some parts about academy life wasn’t new at all – there is drama, hook-ups, figuring out which house to pledge and doing trials. Poet is already engaged to someone and has a future of a Society wife after the academy but she wants more than that.

+~ Poet Graves, is our FMC, who on the outside has the perfect life being the Scion of Faima’s daughter but behind the walls of their home, there is domestic violence, there is abuse. It’s a scary situation for Poet and she makes decisions throughout this book because of the pressures from her father. So Poet is taking steps to be brave while she is at the academy but the consequences is losing her family and friends. I think Rook, who is a Solitude (someone from the Wastes) was the character I connected to most in the whole story. I do think some of the secondary characters needed a little more depth.

+ My favorite part was the romance between Poet and Rook, it starts off as enemies to lovers (because she only has her prejudices about Solitude and the Wastes) but it grows because they bond over the storms. There is a lot of steam in this one, and the one spicy scene isn’t super detailed. I love Rook because he’s the only one who stands up to Poet’s obnoxious fiancé, Knox. But Rook is a Solitude from the Waste so I think there is just so much more to learn about him, which I’m looking forward to in book two.

~ I don’t know if I went in with very high expectations but I feel like the first half was a bit slower because of the world-building. We get to know Poet, but some things fall apart way too easily in her world, like her relationship with her best friend, Trinity. Why did that break so easy when they seemed as close as sisters? I wanted to see more interactions between them but Trinity pretty much disappears until the end of the story. Or her other friends who was part of the group chat, they just kind of disappeared from her life too. So I would have liked to see more connections to people for Poet. Even her knew friendship with Domino doesn’t feel like much. Things just get way more interesting when she spends more time with Rook and that happens in the second half.

Final Thoughts:

I think this is a solid first book to a new series, where we get to learn about New Manhattan, the storms, the people that make up the Society and the political intrigue happening between the Houses. We also get to see Poet go through her first year in the academy and fight off the clutches of her father’s expectations. I loved the ending where things get a little crazy, but that ending definitely builds up what will take place in book two where this world opens up more, I’m sure. I enjoyed the world-building and romance a lot and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Read if you like:

dystopian stories like Divergent
upper YA romance
an FMC trying to forge her own path
cliffhanger ending

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

Artefacts of Ouranos Series:

Trial of the Sun Queen by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rule of the Aurora King by. Nisha J. Tuli | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fate of the Sun King by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Nightfire Quartet Series:

Dance of Stars and Ashes by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Heart of Night and Fire by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Storm of Ink and Blood by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Queen of Shadows and Ruin by. Nisha J. Tuli | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Verdant Cage by. Jess Lourey | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating:

Title: The Verdant Cage

Author: Jess Lourey

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 4/7/26

Publisher: Entangled: Mayhem Books

Categories: Young Adult Dystopian, Romance, Thriller, Mystery, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Entangled: Mayhem Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Wall was built to keep them safe. Or so they thought.

For as long as seventeen-year-old apothecary Rose Allgood can remember, the towering stone Wall surrounding Noah’s Valley has protected her people. No one leaves. No one fights. And no one questions why.

But their paradise has been hiding its thorns. When Rose’s mother becomes the Valley’s first murder victim and her twin brother is swiftly condemned, she alone is searching for the real killer. Determined to find the truth, she follows a trail of hidden messages, forbidden knowledge, and whispers of a past no one dares to remember.

The deeper she digs, the more certain Rose becomes that her mother’s death was no accident. That the Wall isn’t just keeping something out.

It’s keeping something in.

Fans of The Hunger Games, The Grace Year, and The Maze Runner will devour The Verdant Cage―a chilling dystopian thriller about what it takes to rebel when you discover your entire world is a lie.

Content Warning: violence, death, physical abuse

World Building: In this story there is a placed called Noah’s Valley surrounded by a wall – there are lots of rules, people have their duties, marriages are arranged, once a month – someone is harvested. The Guardian is their leader and he is not a good person and has some ulterior motive that is a mystery throughout the book until the end which is a very big plot twist.

Characters: Rose is our FMC – she’s about to marry the guardian’s son, Gryphon, who she was in love when she was younger but now they are not friends. Rose is a do-gooder, goody-two shoes, someone who abides by the rules because she was conditioned to by her family – to keep themselves safe. She’s a healer. But when she loses her family one by one she knows she has to start breaking rules to make a difference. I did like her growth because at first she is very naive. She becomes brave and fights for the people of their town. Gryphon had lots of animosity towards Rose, but he’s also being abused by his father. He’s also part of a small rebellion group and he does train Rose but I also didn’t trust him until the very end. There are other characters, new friendships for Rose, and some villainous characters in town that made things interesting.

Romance: Rose is arranged to marry Gryphon and they have a past, but are not friends at all in the present. Though I like an ex-friends to lovers romance, the romance in this story kind of came abruptly and felt kind of forced at times, because of the way Gryphon acts towards Rose. Would have loved for them to communicate a bit more. It wasn’t my favorite part of the story.

Story: There is a lot of mystery in this story – what happens to the people who get harvested? Where do they go beyond the wall? And why are people getting sick and dying from an unknown virus? A lot of things are revealed in the end with a very big plot twist that I didn’t see coming.

Vibes: while reading it – it gave me M. Night Shyamalan vibes – The Village! If you know, you know. It’s sort of creepy because you don’t know what’s behind the wall, and the town is strict.

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was a pretty good dystopian thriller especially with the ending! It was really interesting to see Rose and her friends live in this walled town, filled with mysterious illnesses and rumors of animals out there killing people when maybe the real killers are in the town with them. I feel like the ending sets up for a book two so if there is one, I’ll definitely be reading it.

Read if you like:

dystopian thriller
mystery
arranged marriage

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A Merry Life by. Sarah Branson | Audiobook

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: A Merry Life (Pirates of New Earth, #1)

Author: Sarah Branson

Narrator(s): Helen Laser

Format: audiobook (audible)

Pages: 328 Listening Time: approximately 8 hours 13 min

Publication Date: 4/9/22

Publisher: Sarah Branson

Categories: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian, Series

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Sarah Branson for giving me a chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Kat Wallace is on a mission. After escaping tortuous enslavement, she sets her sights on ending the human trafficking that has flourished in 24th century Earth.

Adopted by the leader of the pirate nation of Bosch, Kat Wallace is determined to prove herself as a member of the Bosch Pirate Force and use her skills to avenge her enslavement and free other thralls.

But unexpected love and a test of loyalty threaten to rob her of what she wants a home.

Content Warning: mention of -grooming, sexual assault, rape, abuse; slavery, violence, death

I was asked to read and review this book and was gifted the audiobook on Audible. The narrator’s voice was great and really drew me into the story! I don’t usually read sci-fi/fantasy, and I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one but I was interested in the FMC, Kat Wallace, right away. Just from the beginning chapters alone you know she’s a survivor and she’s going to have one amazing story – and I was right. The world building about this futuristic Earth is very fascinating.

Kat is a thrall, a slave, and she’s trying to escape when Teddy, the leader of the pirate nation of Bosch, saves her and takes her home. She basically becomes his adopted daughter and what a relationship they have from start to the emotional finish.

I was really invested in Kat’s life from being new in Bosch, getting to know Teddy’s family, becoming strong and knowledgable with the goal of taking down the man who owned her and assaulted her. With Teddy’s guidance, his family (her new family), new friends and even a new love life – Kat becomes an amazing woman. Though she doesn’t quite carry out her revenge, I think that’s why this is a series and hopefully I can get around to reading the other books to see what happens next.

Now there were some time jumps that felt kind of quick in the story. Like one day she’s a trainee and next she’s on a mission and it’s almost a year later and these time jumps were jarring. The romance in her life happens fast too – despite her having trauma in her past. Also…maybe this gets brought up more in the next books but Teddy’s operation of selling glitter (a drug), is concerning and Kat brings it up – it’s not okay and she wants to change that but later on seems to accept it as is – but I hope in the next books, she ends this glitter trade. Another thing I would have loved was more pirating in the story.

Final Thoughts:

If you like sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian stories, I think this would appeal to you. I loved the narrator and though it feels like the book just follows Kat’s very interesting life, it glosses over some things that I wish we had more time with like the romance, and the pirating. The world building is great and I didn’t expect the emotional ending. I’m hoping in the next books in the series, Kat gets her revenge though!

Read if you like:

sci-fi/dystopian
space pirates
strong FMC

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Bloody and the Damned by. Becca Coffindaffer| ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Bloody and the Damned

Author: Becca Coffindaffer

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 4/7/26

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopian, Sci-Fi, LGBT

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Roaring Brook Press for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An assassin with outlawed, magical abilities will do anything to get their kidnapped sisters back in this dystopic-fantasy standalone, perfect for fans of Arcane and Iron Widow.

Mercy has no place here.

On Trinity, a metal world where the privileged live in the skies and the rest fight for water below, you do what you can to survive.

18-year-old Val knows this better than anyone. They’ve sacrificed everything to provide for their younger sisters. Using their outlawed teleportation powers, they’ve become the most infamous assassin-for-hire on Trinity, known as the Butcher.

No one should be able to trace the Butcher to Val. But when things go horribly wrong on a routine mission and Val’s sisters are kidnapped by a gang in retaliation, it means that someone has to know the truth.

Desperate and friendless, Val has no one to turn to but their ex-childhood best friend turned vigilante thief. He broke their heart, but he owes them.

But as Val fights for the return of their sisters, they start to realize there might be something much bigger at play… something that could upend everything they’ve ever known about Trinity.

Val’s journey will take them from a maximum security prison transport to the headquarters of the most powerful gang on Trinity, and all the way to the Gate of Heaven. Each more heavily guarded than the last.

Good thing the Butcher has never blinked at an extra casualty.

Content Warning: violence, death, kidnapping

World Building: The world in this story is very interesting, it’s called Trinity and it’s a metal world, very dry as people fight for water. A lot of the characters rep LGBT+ which was nice. Would have loved more world building to get a better sense of the world.

Characters: Val is the Butcher. They have the power to phase, which is move very fast – it makes their job as a killer, really easy. But when their sister’s are kidnapped, they need help to get them back. Val reunites with their ex-best friend, Orion, who deals in information. Other people round out their crew like Dani, who was their friend that betrayed them. There is also Atlas and Liren and I think this was my favorite part of the story, the found family between these people – who help Val get their sisters back.

Story: I don’t think I was the right audience for a book. For some reason, though I was invested in Val as a character because they are pretty bad-ass, I think maybe I needed more world-building. It goes straight into Val’s job as the Butcher and then their sister’s being kidnapped, so the story is taken up by the mission. There is a lot of action. Val needs to learn how not to do everything by themself and accept the help from the friends around them. But they are a tough character, so it takes them a while to let others in.

Final Thoughts:

Even though I wasn’t the target audience for this book, I think YA dystopian/sci-fi fans will find this one intriguing. I loved Val as a character, even though they were a tough person to crack. The world is very fascinating, but my favorite part was the found family.

Read if you like:

dystopian/sci-fi world
found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Spotlight | Dawn in Ruins by. Magda Mizzi

I was asked to read and review this book but I tried to read it and have been struggling to get into the story. The beginning of the story feels like I missed a whole lot of information, it jumps right into the story and after some research it seems this is a spin-off of another series, called Fractured Reality. I think I will have to read that series first.

Book Details:

Title: Dawn in Ruins
Author: Madga Mizzi
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Pages: 293
Published: 10/5/25
Buy the Book: Amazon
Book Links: Goodreads

About the Book:

The world ended in silence. The fight for what’s left will not.

Ten months after the collapse, teenager Annie’s world has shattered, and with it, everything she once believed about monsters. They don’t always lurk in shadows. Sometimes they wear uniforms. Sometimes they wear the faces of those you love.

In the ruins of Sydney, Annie finds an unlikely ally in Jude—a half-infected boy marked by virus and twisted science. His strange, dangerous abilities make him both a threat and their best hope. But the line between abomination and saviour is thinner than either imagined.

Haunted by what was done to him, Jude carries scars deeper than flesh. Meanwhile, Annie’s younger brother, Lucas, remains a prisoner, infected and altered. If she doesn’t reach him soon, Lucas will face the same fate that nearly destroyed Jude—experiments that don’t just scar flesh but twist what it means to be human.

As secrets unravel and the origin of the virus comes to light, Jude learns a devastating his connection to the outbreak is deeper, darker, and far more personal than he ever imagined.

Together, Annie and Jude race through a city where every shadow hides a threat. When they are torn apart, survival becomes more than a mission—it becomes a to endure, to protect, and to bring each other back from whatever hell awaits.

From the shattered edges of the Fractured Reality universe comes a story of desperate hope and fierce loyalty—because in a world this ruined, some things are lost forever. But some are worth risking everything to save.

The Cure by. Pedro Urvi | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Cure

Author: Pedro Urvi

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 2/24/26

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

Categories: Young Adult, Dystopia, Sci-Fi, Post Apocalyptic

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing, Inc. for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

From internationally bestselling author Pedro Urvi comes a gripping new adventure that follows one young woman’s perilous journey to defy a divine curse and unearth a lost cure that could save humanity.

Ava’s people are cursed.

Long after an ancient and mysterious Apocalypse reduced what remained of humanity to a primitive tribe living in the shadows of sphinx and pyramid, a horrific transformation eventually overtakes each member of the community, turning them into vicious and terrifying monsters.

Every year, the capricious god Siaais selects three champions from the tribe to undertake a perilous quest for the Cure, the key to the salvation of Ava’s people. And every year, those champions fail, never to return.

But this year, something extraordinary happens. Instead of three warriors, Siaais chooses only one—Amos—along with a scholar and a healer: Ava’s cousin Amelia, and Ava herself. So begins an adventure in which past, present, and future collide. As Ava and her companions race against time to reach the Cure, they face dangers and mysteries beyond their imagining in a world where nothing at all is as it seems.

Content Warning: violence, death

I was asked to read and review this arc – though it’s out of my comfort zone, I liked the book cover and the synopsis, so I thought, why not? I usually read dystopian romance, and though this didn’t have a romance as a focal point, it was still an interesting read.

The first half of the story did go slowly for me. Ava, Amelia and Amos are the chosen ones from their tribe to find a cure for the disease that is making people transform into zombielike creatures. On their journey through ruins they meet new people from other tribes with the same goal. So it is a race to find this cure for everyone.

From what we gather as Ava and crew meet other tribes, each tribe has different levels of knowledge. It felt like Ava’s tribe was the most primitive, whereas Emma was someone who knew a lot of tech, and Logan had magic. So it made me curious about what else was in this world.

The story picks up at the halfway point and then ends in a flurry of a tiny bit of romance , unexpected deaths, action, violence, and a big twist I was definitely not expecting!

I’m not sure if this will be a series, since it’s not stated in the synopsis – but hopefully it is a series, because that ending was a cliffhanger.

Final Thoughts:

This story has a slow build in the beginning but it really caught my interest in the second half where so many things happen. It also ends in a really unexpected cliffhanger. I enjoyed the twist in the story! Definitely check this one out if you like Young Adult Dystopia/Sci-Fi books.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Sins of Silas by. Kylie Snow | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Title: Sins of Silas (The Otacian Chronicles, #2)

Author: Kylie Snow

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 784

Publication Date: 9/18/25

Categories: Romantasy, Dark Romance, Series, LGBT+

A SECRET MAGE. A VENEGEFUL PRINCE.
WILL FORBIDDEN LOVE UNITE THE REALM – OR BURN IT DOWN…
*please check trigger warnings before diving in

Five years ago, Silas La’Rune lost his mother, his home and his love, Lena Daelyra. Grief turned into rage, and rage to purpose. Now known as the Slayer of Witches, Silas wages a brutal campaign against Magekind. But during a raid on a Mage village, he finds Lena alive, hiding a secret darker than she is a Mage herself. Torn between fury and forbidden desire, Silas can’t help but show mercy when faced with the eyes of his lost love.

Amid a Kingdom on the brink of war, with no one else to turn to, the pair form a fragile alliance to to topple the tyrant King of Otacia – Silas’ own father, Ulric La-Rune. Yet another shadow looms, a rising necromancer is
beginning to terrorise the land they once called home.

Forced to hide their past, every stolen glance reignites a fire they cannot tame. As rebellion ignites and old loyalties fray, Silas can’t decide what will destroy him her lies or his sins…

Content Warning: death, violence, torture, rape, cheating

I really don’t like the original book covers for this series but so far the story is addicting. It’s filled with tropes and so many ridiculous situations happening all at once, it’s entertaining and comical at times, it’s hard to put down. It’s SO messy.

Silas and Lena are now teamed up as allies, trying to find more allies in neighboring kingdoms so that they can find this mysterious Necromancer and also put an end to the reign of Silas’ father who is an awful king. But in between all the searching for allies, and trying to figure out this mystery about the Gods and prophecies – there is SO much relationship drama.

I was like this most of the time. 🫢 Because I’d be reading something and then something crazy would happen or some random information would drop. I would even start laughing because of all the whiplash in this story! It’s one after the other and it’s entertaining as heck.

Silas and Lena are Soul-Ties (fated mates) and clearly are trying to stay away from another and be with other people but we know and almost every character in the book knows – they want one another. Silas is married so he’s trying to keep up a front and and then there is Lena who is itching to get with Roland, until Torrin comes along too and she wants him as well. This woman….wants them all! And the spice? It’s got all the smut for the smut lovers out there. Threesome anyone? Like love triangle what? Why stop at a triangle huh? 🤣. My eyes were like this 😳.

Honestly, I just wanted Silas and Lena to talk things out. And they eventually do and it’s a loaded talk, more trauma, more secrets we didn’t even know, torture that Silas endured. But why is there now more than one rape scene in this series? Is the darkness really necessary when we have enough relationship drama going on? It just seems so out of place in both books and just feels like it’s thrown in for shock value.

There are other relationships going on like with Merrick and his lady problems.

The one thing I do enjoy about this series is the found family. I love the side characters like Merrick, Torrin, Elowen, Viola, and Dani.

I also like how the world opened up and humans and mages meet the warlocks. But again the story takes on a wild turn near the end, like a cell phone shows up – so now there are going to be portals huh? I don’t know if I can take anymore of it but the ending was crazy and ends in a cliffhanger.

Final Thoughts:

The writing is not really for me but it’s easy to consume and the story is entertaining and messy. The world building is still not the best. Do I like Lena hooking up with everyone in front of Silas, nope because aren’t they Soul-Ties? Or are we going for Why Choose? Because that could work if Silas was down with it. 😅 I’m reading this series for the drama! It’s messy as hell and I need to see what happens in book three with Silas but I hope it ends at three books because I don’t think I can take anymore. 😆