Not in My Book by. Katie Holt | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Title: Not in My Book

Author: Katie Holt

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 12/10/25

Categories: Romance Contemporary


Rosie Maxwell has a move to New York, get her creative writing degree from NYU, become a bestselling romance writer. But that plan is derailed when she ends up in class with her archnemesis and ex-crush, Aiden Huntington, an obnoxious, surly, unreasonably gorgeous literary fiction writer who has no patience for romance – or for Rosie.

Exhausted by Rosie and Aiden’s constant verbal sparring, their professor gives them an leave her class, or cowrite a novel that blends their respective genres.

As Rosie and Aiden collaborate on their (accidentally steamy) novel, they try to put their differences aside. Could their manuscript-in-progress be just the outlet they need to confess their feelings – and explore their mutual attraction?

But a potentially career-changing opportunity soon reignites the flames of their old rivalry. Rosie and Aiden’s once-in-a-lifetime love story is once again at risk of being shelved – unless they can find a way to end the book on their own terms…

Content Warning: complicated relationship with parent

+ I had borrowed this book last year and didn’t get a chance to read it. So I borrowed it again because I needed to read a contemporary romance and this hit the spot!

+ Rosie and Aiden are writers taking a workshop class at NYU. Rosie writes romance, and Aiden writes literary fiction. They do NOT get along. They fight so much that their professor asked them to drop of out of her class or they can stay but work on a story together. This forces them to hang out together and work out their differences and it mostly works.

+ I loved the secondary characters: Rosie’s friends, her roommate and also her family. I loved the Peruvian representation since Rosie is half.

+ The romance was very rivals to lovers, almost enemies to lovers, but the tension is so strong that their attraction is as strong also, which made the spicy scenes unexpectedly spicy! Who knew Aiden had it in him 😅. Throughout the book I didn’t think he would turn out to be a dirty talker in bed! When they eventually give one another a chance, they have a fun and lovely relationship.

~ Aiden is grumpy and Rosie is sunshine but sometimes they both got on my nerves! The third act break-up actually made me so pissed off at Aiden that I didn’t want her to go back to him. But also, Rosie, really went off accusing of him of lying when really if they could just both control their tempers and talk, things wouldn’t have had to take a dramatic turn. He did do a big gesture at the end so I eventually forgave him but yeah both of them got on my nerves at times!

Final Thoughts:

I’m glad I finally read this book and I enjoyed the rivals to lovers, academia world (writer’s life), the setting of New York and how it also had some holiday scenes. Sometimes their fighting was immature or they could have had better communication but overall, I enjoyed the story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Releases in January-March 2026

2026 is just around the corner and I already have a long list of books I would LOVE to eventually read! I am blessed that I can get arcs from NetGalley – so I have already read a few of these. Here is a snapshot of what is coming out in January – March 2026!

January 2026:

**any book with a star rating is an arc I have already read and reviews will be posted nearer to publication**

February 2026:

March 2026:

Are there any books you are looking forward to in 2026?

Seven Deadly Thorns by. Amber Hamilton | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice: 🌶️

Title: Seven Deadly Thorns

Author: Amber Hamilton

Format: hardcover (own)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 11/4/25

Categories: New Adult, Romantasy, Fantasy, Dark Academia, Paranormal, Snow White Inspired


In the cursed Kingdom of Aragoa, the punishment for magic is death.

Even the students at Vandenberghe Academy aren’t spared. When Viola Sinclair’s deadly shadow magic is discovered, the queen gives her assassin a new assignment and a new cursed tattoo: seven-thorned rose on his arm for the seven days he has to hunt Viola down and kill her. If he doesn’t, he will be the one to die.

The assassin is Roze Roquelart–entitled prince, arrogant fellow student, and the one person Viola hates more than anyone. Roze should revel in the chance to end her life, but he desperately needs something from Viola and her magic. And he’s willing to spare her life–and fake their engagement–to get it.

Forced to work together, Viola and Roze must contend with deadly threats, dangerous secrets, and an impossible attraction. Will they give in to their deepest desires, even if it means destroying Aragoa–and risking both their lives?

HER WORST ENEMY. HIS ONLY CHANCE.

Be swept away by the sizzling, irresistible enemies-to-lovers romantasy with magic more destructive than your darkest nightmares.

Content Warning: violence, death, body horror

+ I didn’t realize this was a Snow White inspired story until I was reading it. Funny that the MMC’s name is Roze of all things (lips as red as a rose – yes his poisonous lips are red and he loves to eat apples). Viola is a student at Vandenberghe Academy and she’s hiding that she is a meiga (witch) to avoid being killed by the Queen but it’s hard for her to control her shadows. When the Prince, Roze, who is the Huntsman is assigned to kill her since the Queen already knows what she is, he gives her a chance – he won’t kill her if she can help him find out who killed the King, his father.

+~ I think there is a lot going on in the story. A little bit of romantasy, horror, paranormal – all thrown in. Also, there is a matter of a secret society that Roze is a part of and Viola demands to know the secrets of. World-building is really interesting because a war with another kingdom basically trapped them in their own kingdom, the Mists, keeps them in. I think most of it worked, but I did think the last few chapters was kind of wild with everything going on. It went off the rails and fast.

+ There is a cute gargoyle pet named Waffles. 😍. Viola as a character, she’s feisty and stubborn, and killing people accidentally a little too much. Someone needed to teach her control, but there was no one really. The Queen is evil and she has a magic mirror, but the twist I enjoyed was Roze’s sister being the “dwarves” but here they are vapid princesses. Everyone is under the Queen’s power, except Roze, who sometimes defies her.

+ The romance is enemies to lovers and the animosity between them is very present in everyone of their interactions. There is a fake engagement between them to help with the plan of Viola helping him find out who killed his dad. Roze’s touch is poison so there is no spice until it comes on all of a sudden near the end. I was not expecting any spice which is why at first I thought this was YA. I bumped it up to NA after that spicy scene.

Final Thoughts:

I liked the enemies to lovers romance and the Snow White inspiration. I think there is a lot going on but I kind of went with it. Overall, even with the wild ending and twist, I think this was an entertaining story!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Let’s Talk Bookish:  Goodreads Choice Awards | 12/12/25

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme originally created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits, where every Friday, bloggers write discussion posts based on a weekly prompt and Dini @ dinipandareads has cohosted since the beginning of 2025.

This week’s topic is:

December 12: Goodreads Choice Awards

Prompts: The 2025 Goodreads Choice Award winners were announced on December 4th! Do you vote for or keep up with the awards? Have you read any of this year’s winners or nominees? The categories have also changed in recent years, creating some controversy: the Romantasy category was added in 2024, and the Children’s and Middle Grade category was removed. What do you think about these changes? What categories would you like to see go away or come back? Are there any other changes to the awards that you’d like to see?

**********

The 2025 Goodreads Choice Award winners were announced on December 4th! Do you vote for or keep up with the awards? Have you read any of this year’s winners or nominees?

I do vote if I see any books I’ve read on the list. And I did see books I’ve read in some categories and voted for the ones I loved.

The categories have also changed in recent years, creating some controversy: the Romantasy category was added in 2024, and the Children’s and Middle Grade category was removed. What do you think about these changes?

I didn’t even know they created a category and removed one, that’s how I’m not so serious about the awards I guess. I vote for fun. I don’t know how I feel about them removing a category, I guess I didn’t notice so it’s fine. 🤷🏻‍♀️

What categories would you like to see go away or come back? Are there any other changes to the awards that you’d like to see?

Again, I’m just a casual voter and do it if I’m on Goodreads and see it’s up, but the results don’t usually make me want to read a book more. So I don’t know that I care about it enough to want changes to it.

December Topics:

December 5: Festive Reads

Prompts: Do you read holiday/winter-themed reads? Do you have any on your TBR this December? What have been favorites from past years? Are there any festive books you like to re-read during the holidays?

December 12: Goodreads Choice Awards

Prompts: The 2025 Goodreads Choice Award winners were announced on December 4th! Do you vote for or keep up with the awards? Have you read any of this year’s winners or nominees? The categories have also changed in recent years, creating some controversy: the Romantasy category was added in 2024, and the Children’s and Middle Grade category was removed. What do you think about these changes? What categories would you like to see go away or come back? Are there any other changes to the awards that you’d like to see?

December 19: 2026 Anticipated Releases (Leyre @ Read You Leyre)

Prompts: What 2026 releases are you most excited for? Are there any sequels you’re looking forward to reading? Are there any debut authors you’re excited to see release their first books? Any favorite authors coming out with something new?

December 26: How do you decide your yearly reading goals? (Jillian @ Jillian the Bookish Butterfly)

Prompts: Do you set annual reading and/or blogging goals? Have you decided on any bookish/blogging resolutions for 2026? How do you decide what goals you want to pursue for the year ahead?


Wings of Ash & Flame by. Jocelyn Bleu | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice:

Title: Wings of Ash & Flame ( Winged Wars, #1)

Author: Jocelyn Bleu

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 594

Publication Date: 9/25/25

Categories: Fantasy, Academia, Romance


Rivals by design. Lovers by choice. Enemies by destiny.

Alaire Aerendyl has survived by her fists, her wits, and sheer defiance. An orphaned human, unjustly imprisoned by the powerful fae houses that rule her world, she’s never truly known freedom—only how to fight for scraps of it.

So when she’s offered a place at a brutal fae academy known for its deadly magical trials and bonded mythical winged creatures, she doesn’t hesitate. Freedom is worth any risk.

Alaire is meant to fail. But when she bonds with a legendary phoenix, reviving the long-lost House of Ashfyre, everything changes. Memories awaken. Magic stirs. And Alaire becomes the target of powers far darker than she ever imagined.

Bound by duty, fae prince Dawson Knox is broody, lethal, and infuriating. Forced to train alongside him, Alaire finds herself pushed to every limit. He’s the last person she should trust…and the only one who makes her burn.

The blistering tension between them is a distraction she can’t afford. Because the academy’s trials are merely preparation for what lies ahead, war is brewing between the fae and vampires, with humans caught in the crossfire. If Alaire can’t uncover the secrets of her past and conquer her traitorous heart, there might not be a future worth fighting for.

Content Warning: violence, death, survivor’s guilt

+~ The world in Wings of Ash & Flame is one with Fae and humans, and vampires are the enemy. There is a lot of world-building and lore. A lot of the beginning of the book is spent in class lessons and training. But I think because there is so much of it, this story does feel like is has a slow start. I felt like the book was a mix of other popular series out there, but instead of say, dragons, this book as different winged creatures like Griffins, Owls, and a Phoenix. I like the different creatures a lot! The story does start of slow and it doesn’t pick up by very much but I did like the medium pace it held. I thought the ending had a nice twist.

+ Alaire is an orphan, surviving on the streets when an act of courage – saving a boy from the whip of a Fae, lands her in prison. She’s given a chance to leave prison and enter a Fae Academy, but without real answers as to why she, a human, is allowed to study and train there. I think the missing information was a little bit frustrating and again, made the beginning slow because there was little information coming from the Fae who wanted her at the academy. At the academy she is threatened and bullied, but Alaire is a voice for the humans – so she lets it be known as much as she can, how awful humans are being treated by the Fae. I like that she’s strong. She does have survivor’s guilt and missing memories though, so she does have moments of self-loathing and low self-esteem. She hides it by appearing very tough.

+ I enjoyed all the action and scary creatures that Alaire had to encounter in this book. There is also some politics. I also liked some of the secondary characters like her new best-friend Kaia. Archer is also part of their crew, but I don’t feel like he stands out a lot.

+ ~ The romance is a very, very slow burn between Alaire and a Fae Prince, Dawson. It starts off as enemies to lovers, but then they are paired up as partners. There are moments of tension between them, some bickering, him exerting his authority over her, and she being stubborn – but then he would be gone from chapters. There is one kiss near the end of the book and that’s it. I just wanted more. There’s is a forbidden love and it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Final Thoughts:

I can’t say there is anything really new in this fantasy that hasn’t already been written by other authors in this genre, it’s filled with lots of tropes but it’s an easy read and I did like being in this world. I did enjoy the different flying creatures. I also enjoyed the action and fights between dangerous creatures, there are deadly trials also. I did guess Alaire’s past but I still liked seeing it play out. The romance might be too slow of a burn for me and I wanted more spice but I think the ending made sure I will want to read book two!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

WWW Wednesday | 12/10/25

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam over on Taking on a World of Words.

The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:

What are you currently reading?

What have you just finished reading?

What are you going to read next?

It was a busy weekend, which I thought led into an okay Monday, I did have stuff to do but I got a lot of reading done. Then yesterday was busy like I didn’t expect 😩 it’s that holiday “spirit” – busyness 😅.

BTW I am having fantasy fatigue I think – I was reading two books at the same time and both books had a side character named Kole, both were set in academia, both had magic – it’s all starting to blend. 🫠 Which means I need more palate cleansers! Please leave me any recs below that isn’t Fantasy or Dark Academia! lol

What are you currently reading?

Graceless Heart by. Isabel Ibañez – 1% no progress but will get to this probably this weekend?

Stolen Midnights by. Katherine Quinn – 8% no progress

Dawn in Ruins by. Magda Mizzi – 1% I was gifted this by the author but I’m kind of not in the mood to read a covid/dystopian book. I’ll try it again after Christmas.

Seven Deadly Thorns by. Amber Hamilton – 185/388 – this one is fun! I hope to finish by this weekend or earlier.

Song of the Stars by. Kaiti Mills – 42% – she’s an indie author and I saw her book on tiktok so I wanted to try it. It is very magical and kind of a cozy fantasy right now, so a bit too slow moving for me even though the characters are on a quest.

Mate by. Ali Hazelwood – 4% – but I think I’m going to return, not because I don’t like it, I just started, but I think I’ll be getting the audiobook in a few weeks and I could finish it faster that way.

The Book of Blood and Roses by. Annie Summerlee – 21%

What have you just finished reading?

Smoke and Scar by. Gretchen Powell Fox – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Oxford Blood by. Rachael Davis Featherstone – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

We’re a Bad Idea, Right? – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The Swan’s Daughter by. Roshani Chokshi – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (ALC)

Wings of Ash & Flame by. Jocelyn Bleu – ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

What are you going to read next?

Fallen Gods by. Rachel Van Dyken

Songbird of the Sorrows by. Braidee Otto

Dawn of the North by. Demi Winter

What are YOU reading right now?

Top 5 Old-To-Me Authors 2025 | Top 5 Tuesday | 12/9/25

Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm, and now being hosted at Meeghan reads.

This Week’s Topic is:

Top 5 Old-To-Me Authors 2025

I’m not sure what is considered “old” but I’ve read a few books from these authors now.

Oathbound by. Tracy Deonn

Severed from the Legendborn. Oathbound to a monster.

Bree Matthews is alone. She exiled herself from the Legendborn Order, cut her ancestral connections, and turned away from the friends who can’t understand the impossible cost of her powers. This is the only way to keep herself—and those she loves—safe.

But Bree’s decision has come with a terrible price: an unbreakable bargain with the Shadow King himself, a shapeshifter who can move between humanity, the demon underworld, and the Legendborn secret society. In exchange for training to wield her unprecedented abilities, Bree has put her future in the Shadow King’s hands—and unwittingly bound herself to do his bidding as his new protégé.

Meanwhile, the other Scions must face war with their Round Table fractured, leaderless, and missing its Kingsmage, as Selwyn has also disappeared. When Nick is detained by the Order’s Merlins, he invokes an ancient law that requires the High Council of Regents to convene at the Northern Keep and grant him an audience. No one knows what he will demand of them…or what secrets he has kept hidden from the Table.

As a string of mysterious kidnappings escalates and Merlins are found dead, it becomes clear that no matter how hard Bree runs from who she is, the past will always find her.

********

Sunrise of the Reaping by. Suzanne Collins

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

*********

Bat Eater and Other Names For Cora Zeng by. Kylie Lee Baker

Cora Zeng is a crime scene cleaner, washing away the remains of brutal murders and suicides in Chinatown. The bloody messes don’t bother her, not when she’s already witnessed the most horrific thing possible: her sister being pushed in front of a train.

Before fleeing the scene, the murderer whispered two words: bat eater.

Months pass, the killer is never caught, and Cora can barely keep herself together. She pushes away all feelings, disregards the bite marks that appear on her coffee table, and won’t take her aunt’s advice to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open.

Cora tries to ignore the rising dread in her stomach, even when she and her weird co-workers begin finding bat carcasses at their crime scene clean-ups. But Cora can’t ignore the fact that all their recent clean-ups have been the bodies of East Asian women.

Soon Cora will learn: you can’t just ignore hungry ghosts.

***********

The Knight and the Moth by. Rachel Gillig

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil’s visions. But when Sybil’s fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she’d rather avoid Rodrick’s dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god.

*********

The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk by. Carissa Broadbent

Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves – and plunged the world into an eternal night. Now, imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find her again.

When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption – and back to each other – Asar and Mische embark on an extraordinary mission. Together, they must seize the power of the god of death so Asar may do the ascend to true divinity.

Their journey will take them through mortal and immortal realms, alongside both old friends and ruthless enemies. But as the underworld teeters on the brink of collapse and the gods prepare for a war, Asar and Mische must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for the power to defy death. In a game of vengeful gods and ancient betrayals, there are some debts that even love may not be able to repay.

New Book Releases This Week | 12/9/25

Happy book birthday to these new releases this week!

Trail Rides & Starry Eyes by. Katrina Emmel

A swoony, sweet YA rural romance between a rancher and the Hollywood hotshot she’s tasked with turning into a cowboy—perfect for fans of Kasie West, Erin Hahn, and Kristy Boyce!

Sixteen-year-old Cassidy Sterling can’t imagine life beyond her family’s Wyoming ranch. Her days are filled with colt breaking, cattle rustling, and an online Intro to Astronomy class. Seventeen-year-old Wilder Nash also has his sights set on the stars—the ones on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A teen heartthrob, he’s now he’s ready for the big time. To land a lead role as a cowboy in a prime-time mini-series, he must convince the casting director he’s an experienced horseman. The problem? He’s all hat and no cowboy.

With less than a month to learn to ride, Wilder heads to Silver Stallion Ranch.

Cassidy’s quiet life is disrupted when Wilder arrives. As he mucks out stalls and grooms horses, Wilder begins to see there’s more to life than his looks. And Cassidy starts imagining a future beyond the ranch. The growing spark between them threatens to ignite into something more, but Cassidy must decide if she’s brave enough to take the reins of her own life. Meanwhile, Wilder faces a the glamorous life of a star or a simpler life under the stars.

An Archive of Romance by. Ava Reid

The enchanting world of A Study in Drowning comes to life through letters, poems, art, and more in this beautifully illustrated full-color novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Ava Reid, featuring over forty illustrations, expanded and new text, stunning endpapers, and romantic rose gold foil for a jaw-dropping addition to the beloved dark academia series.

“I will love you to ruination,” the Fairy King said, brushing a strand of golden hair from my cheek.

“Yours or mine?” I asked.

The Fairy King did not answer.

Effy and Preston have been torn apart by the wars of men, the power of words, and the specter of magic—but it was through stories that they found each other. Relive Effy and Preston’s love story through their own pens in this immersive collection of mementos, illustrations, maps, blueprints, diary entries, and more. Read Angharad with Effy’s annotations; sneak excerpts of Preston’s diary; see the architectural sketches that brought Effy to Hiraeth; get your own ticket to Saltney; and experience the never-before-seen epilogue to Effy and Preston’s romance.

My Blade, Your Back by. K.M. Moronova

Broken. Lost. Unforgiven.

One month after surviving the Under Trials, Emery Maves finds herself in a world she doesn’t recognize―with a man whose cold eyes are haunted by secrets she can’t remember. Stripped of her memories, Emery is tormented by dreams of danger, death, and deceit. The only constant is the lure of the experimental drug that shatters her mind but leaves her almost invincible―and the dangerous pull of the man called Mori.

Cameron Mortem is fighting a battle he thought he’d already lost. He knows letting Emery in could destroy them both, but her amnesia is a curse neither of them can outrun. Forced together on a high-stakes level black mission that goes disastrously wrong, they find themselves thrust deeply into the underworld of the black market with an unexpected foe.

But as old scars are torn open and hidden plots unravel, Emery discovers she’s more tangled in this world than she ever imagined. And Cameron will have to face the one person he fears most: himself.

Loyalties will be tested. Secrets will be weaponized. Their bond―once forged in blood―may be the only thing that can save them. If they don’t lose themselves first.

Are you getting any new books this week?

Happy Reading!

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | TikTok (TikTok)

Books With a Winter Vibe | TTT | Top Ten Tuesday | 12/9/25

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Please check out her website for more TTT topics!

This week’s topic is: Books Set in Snowy Places (If snow isn’t your thing, pick another kind of place and share books set there!)

Books With a Winter Vibe

I was trying to pick book covers that I didn’t use to my Holiday Romances TTT last week, but that was hard so I’m going with Books with a Winter Vibe since it’s easier.

What’s on your TTT?

Find me here: Instagram (bookstagram📚) | TikTok | Etsy | youtube

Top Ten Tuesday Topics:

November 4: The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf (Stand in front of your book collection, close your eyes, point to a title, and write it down. If you have shelves, point to your physical books. If you have a digital library, use a random number generator and write down the title of the book that corresponds with the number you generated. You get bonus points if you tell us whether or not you’ve read the book, and what you thought of it if you did!)
November 11: Books I Enjoyed that Were Outside My Comfort Zone (or books you’d like to read that are outside your comfort zone!)
November 18: Modern Books You Think Will Be Classics In The Future (submitted by Veros @ Dark Shelf of Wonders)
November 25: Thanksgiving/Thankful Freebie
December 2: Freebie
December 9: Books Set in Snowy Places (If snow isn’t your thing, pick another kind of place and share books set there!)
December 16: Books On My Winter 2025-2026 to-Read List
December 23: Books I hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes
December 30: Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf

Smoke and Scar by. Gretchen Powell Fox | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice:

Title: Smoke and Scar ( Shattered Crown, #1)

Author: Gretchen Powell Fox

Format: ebook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 466

Publication Date: 3/10/25

Categories: Fantasy, Romance


Birthed in shadow. Forged in fire.

A Splintered Kingdom

An ancient grudge has kept humans and the magical races of Arcanis at odds for centuries. The Arcane Crucible, a legendary series of trials that occurs every 25 years, offers a chance for peace.

A Haunted Warrior

Elyria Lightbreaker, once a celebrated fae war hero, is a shadow of her former self. Drowning in grief after losing the man she loved to the previous Crucible, now she must rise to stop his sister from falling to the same fate.

A Vengeful Knight

Hardened by loss and fueled by hate, Cedric Thorne’s lifelong goal to conquer the Crucible on humanity’s behalf is finally within reach. The only problem? Getting through the trials alive means working with Elyria—the very fae he blames for his parents’ deaths.

An Unwinnable Challenge

With alliances fragile as spun glass and betrayal lurking at every turn, Elyria and Cedric must navigate deadly trials that test their strength, spirit, and magic… as well as their increasingly complex feelings for each other.

This is the Arcane Crucible.

Content Warning: violence, death, grief

+ This story centered fully on a group of warriors taking on a quest to undertake the Arcane Crucible which is a series of deadly trials. No one has every survived but this time Elyria is entering to help save her ex-bestfriend Kit from killing herself. Cedric, a knight, also has his own motivations for entering the trials. Humans and Fae do not get along in this world so it was interesting to see how they would make it through the crucible. There is a lot of action during the trials and even a growing found family.

+ There is a very, very slow burn romance. I’d say the romance isn’t even a focus in this story until the very end. So this story is very fantasy heavy. The romance is enemies to lovers but I’m thinking book two will have a little more of it. Cedric is a knight but he’s the “damsel in distress”! Elyria is always saving him which I thought was a nice reversal.

+ I loved the twist and turns in the second half of the book!

~ Because it’s fantasy heavy and barely had any romance (and I was looking for it), I did feel like some parts of the story for me lagged. I wanted a little more from Cedric but I think that changes in book two after what happens at the end of this one!

Final Thoughts:

I thought this was pretty good except for the parts that lagged for me, but it was really because I was looking for the “romantasy” parts of this book! There isn’t much romance so the story felt slow at some parts but if you are into deadly trials and a quest, with little romance, you will definitely enjoy this one. I enjoy the story twists and turns at the end! I’m going to read book two as an audiobook and see if I enjoy the series better that way.

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