Tag: quest

Nobody’s Quest by. Alyssa Day | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: Nobody’s Quest (#1)

Author: Alyssa Day

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 6/2/26

Publisher: Entangled: Red Tower Books

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Quest, 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: Red Tower Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The goddess needs a nobody. The prince needs a miracle.
Soli Graymind might be both.

Soli has spent most of her life being invisible—an indentured servant, a library mold-scrubber, the girl no one sees unless she’s in the way. So, when the king’s guards show up with swords drawn, she assumes it’s a mistake.

It’s not.

Moments later, she’s standing in the throne room while the king tells her she’s been chosen to retrieve a set of ancient keys—only the keys can save the goddess and stop the chaos beyond the palace walls. Because the world isn’t waiting to be saved.

It’s already burning.

And beside him stands Prince Kaelen: devastatingly beautiful, mercilessly cold, and certain Soli won’t survive the hard journey ahead.

He’s probably right.

But Soli’s survived a lifetime of hard everything. She may be a nobody—no training, no real power, and no idea why she was chosen—but she refuses to be expendable. Even if the quest ahead is anything but simple. When assassins, monsters, and impossible choices fracture the fragile alliance slowly building with the Prince, Soli realizes she can’t hide in the shadows anymore.

Because, for the first time in her life, she has something to lose…

A high-stakes romantasy filled with slow-burn romance, found family, and a heroine who never expected to be anyone’s first choice.

Content Warning: violence, mental health, depression

World Building: Set in a fantasy world where a kingdom needs to be saved, a nobody named Soli is chosen to go on this important quest – but she has to pass a test first. Once that happens, she journeys with a group of people to find the keys needed to save the kingdom. The story is full of danger and major found family vibes.

Characters: Soli is a Gray Mind – someone who suffers from chronic depression and is marked for it. She’s strong, she’s brave even when she doesn’t want to be, and I thought she was really inspiring. I also thought she was funny. I love how she explained what Gray Mind meant, or tried to make her companions understand what it is. She suffers from a lot of self doubt and there is scene where she enters a depression – but I love the representation. Prince Kaelan is drawn to Soli from the start and wants to be her hero, but I also love how he allows her to be herself and encourages her when she is down. The rest of the characters are great too, there is a prince, a sorceress, a thief and more – I love the found family trope in this story. I love that they come to support and understand Soli.

Romance: Soli and Kaelan are drawn to one another, and there is desire as their relationship grows. I do think it happens kind of fast but the spice isn’t overly done. There are times Kaelan pulls back because he is a prince so Soli is left with him pushing and pulling and I totally understood her frustration with that. I was rooting for them though because I thought they were cute together.

Story: This story focuses on a quest to save a kingdom but I love how the one saving it is a “nobody”. And that nobody being a Gray Mind who a lot of times don’t feel like she can do anything – but she tries. She has a mantra that she repeats to herself, that gets her through hard things – and I related to her a lot on that. I may not suffer from depression but I’ve had hard times and been down or faced struggles and Soli’s story is an inspiration! Only issue I had was the pacing – it starts off strong but it does slow down at some point in the middle but picks up again in the second half.

Final Thoughts:

I love how in this story, a kingdom is about to be saved by a nobody, or a bunch of them actually. Soli’s story has a Gray Mind and suffering from chronic depression is so inspirational because though she has challenges, she faces them, even when she is scared. But the point is she faces them. This book has a great message! The ending sets it up for book two and I can’t wait to see how much more Soli grows in this series!

Read if you like:

  • a quest
  • romance
  • prophecy
  • found family

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Nobody’s Quest by. Alyssa Day (Deluxe Edition)

With Dagger and Song by. Helen Scheuerer | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: With Dagger and Song (Curse of the Cyren Queen, #2)

Author: Helen Scheuerer

Format: eBook (Kindle Unlimited)

Pages: 378

Publication Date: 11/13/21

Publisher: Alchemy

Categories: Fantasy, Series, Young Adult, Adventure

An empty crown. A perilous journey. Will she answer when darkness calls?

Against all odds, Roh survived the harrowing Queen’s Tournament, but now something far deadlier awaits her: a formidable quest for the three magic birthstones of Saddoriel.

The gems have been scattered across the realms – and only when Roh retrieves them can she take her place as queen. But surrounded by hostile companions and tormented by the dangerous secret she carries, Roh begins to realise that the pursuit of power may prove more destructive than she ever imagined.

Nothing can prepare her for the nightmares that fester in the shadows of Akoris, a fanatical cyren territory, or the twisted games of its cunning leader…

Can Roh win the first birthstone without sacrificing everything she holds dear – and without losing herself?

Packed with heart-pounding action and layers of intrigue, With Dagger and Song is the second epic instalment in Helen Scheuerer’s Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet. 

This is book two of the Curse of the Cyren Queen series and it picks up from book one. Roh survived the Queen’s Tournament and we find out she’s a future queen, not just a bone cleaner. Of course they won’t let her be Queen until she goes on a quest to get the three magic birthstones of Saddoriel. Then and only then will it prove she is worthy.

Roh chooses her companions on this quest – Odi is a given but Harlyn was a curious choice since Har hates Roh with a passion after learning about Roh’s deception. Also Roh picks warriors Yrsa and Finn to come along. Finn is another one that hates Roh. A lot of people hate Roh! haha…but at least being thrown together on this journey, we get to learn more about Yrsa and she’s a good person. Finn, well…we shall see what happens there, it seems he’s warming up to Roh. It’s Harlyn and Roh’s relationship that I was hoping would be repaired somehow in this sequel. It’s rough but they get there.

The group travels across Saddoriel to Akoris, where the fanatical cyrens reside and their ruler, Adriel is pulling the strings. So somehow Roh has to appease Adriel by passing more tests in order to be acknowledged as queen. I am really enjoying the journey they are taking through these different lands though. I also like that the story moves forward with Roh trying to get the birthstone plus doing her best trying to find out more about her mother’s past. We find out a bit more about Roh’s mysterious background as well.

I think Roh has a lot of character growth in this sequel. She still has trouble trusting people with her secrets, even though secrets are what messed up her friendship with Harlyn and Orson, the two people who knew her best. But Roh is starting to learn that she needs allies and good advice. I’m sure Roh will make more mistakes before we get to the end of this series, but seeing progress is a good thing.

Content Warnings: drugged, violence

They did a bunch of traveling but once they were in Akoris they stayed put for the bulk of the story. Akoris was an interesting place but I thought Adriel would have been more sinister – Roh handled him quite well I believe.

I’m looking forward to see what happens with Finn and Roh. An enemies to lovers thing? Or not? Haha…I like seeing them bicker as potential friends or lovers. I’m also eager to see what happens with the water drake egg that Roh has in her possession! That ending made me wish book three was going to be out soon.

Why you should read it?

  • story about betrayal and forgiveness
  • you like an underdog story
  • Roh’s character development – she has a lot of things to fix and I”m glad she’s facing it head on

Why you might not want to read it?

  • not into fantasy
  • wait until the whole series is out

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a good sequel as we follow Roh and her companions to Akoris. We learn about the water warlocks and their beef with cyrens. Also, we get to know more about Roh’s background. I’m looking forward to more adventure in book three and I hope we get more of Finn and Roh and the water drake egg!

📚 ~ Yolanda