The City of Fantome – Past Midnight Book Reviews & More

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Spice Rating: 🌶️

Title: The Rebel and the Rose (The City of Fantome, #2)

Author: Catherine Doyle

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 528

Publication Date: 12/2/25

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Young Adult, 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 Margaret K. McElderry Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The path of destiny burns with love, magic, and betrayal in this second book in the City of Fantome enemies-to-lovers romantasy series perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Caraval.

From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.

Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?

Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever…

Content Warning: violence, drug use

+ This is book two in the series and I honestly wasn’t sure if this was a duology or trilogy but it’s definitely a trilogy.

+ I love that this sequel moves the series forward instead of being filler. Sera and Ransom are back with their enemies to lovers romance. Ransom is now the head of the Daggers and Sera has her own group now that uses Lightfire. I love when these two clash, even when their groups clash, because it’s very entertaining. This time, the king has put them together for a group project. Both Ransom and Sera get something out of this assignment once it is done so they are both committed to it until Sera has other ideas.

+ The storyline of the Saints is the big story in this sequel. I was definitely invested because I wanted to see how this would play out and what side Sera would take. But I love how instead of Ransom and Sera are fighting one another, now they are a team and they need to work together.

+ I was waiting for Ransom and Sera to be together again and though there isn’t much heat between them until the second half of the book, I love their interactions. Ransom is crazy about her and is doing everything to keep her safe even though she thinks he hates her, he’s pretty down bad for her. But she’s always trying to save him too, especially from his Shade use. I liked the private moments they had when they start opening up to one another.

~ I almost thought I wouldn’t love this book because the first 20% of this book was hard to get through! I didn’t even really know why – I think it’s because Ransom and Sera are apart and I had to remember what happened in book one. Eventually I got settled in the story, but that was a rough start.

Final Thoughts:

I’m so glad this story got better after that slow beginning but once I got settled in I was hooked. I loved being back in this world with Ransom and his Daggers and Sera and her little crew. When these two clash, it’s entertaining but this time they have to work together to take down a dangerous man. I loved the world-building and learning more about the Saints. And of course I loved Ransom and Sera’s romance. I’m looking forward to book three!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books I’ve Read From This Author:

The Dagger and the Flame by. Catherine Doyle | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cursed Crowns by. Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Twin Crowns by. Catherine Doyle & Katherine Webber | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Review | The Storm Keeper’s Island ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Vendetta (Blood for Blood, #1) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Inferno (Blood for Blood, #2) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mafiosa (Blood for Blood, #3) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Dagger and the Flame (The City of Fantome, #1)

Author: Catherine Doyle

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 510

Publication Date: 10/1/24

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Categories: New Adult, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Series, Enemies to Lovers

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

Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In the dark underbelly of a beautiful city, two rival assassins are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, where the most dangerous mistake of all is falling in love in this searing young adult fantasy.

In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings, and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy the Cloaks and the Daggers—the thieves and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder, seventeen-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera’s heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city?

Nothing can prepare Sera for the moment she finally comes face-to-face with Ransom, heir to the Order of Daggers. And Ransom is shocked to discover that this unassuming farm girl wields a strange and blazing magic he has never seen before. As the Cloaks and the Daggers grapple for control of Fantome’s underworld, Sera and Ransom are consumed by the push and pull of their magic…and the deadly spark and terrible vengeance that keeps drawing them back together.

Content Warning: violence, death, domestic violence, abuse, profanity

I was looking for an enemies to lovers romance and I got it with this book! Here are my thoughts:

Likes:

I’ve been craving for an enemies to lovers romance and this one has banter, violence, and sizzling chemistry that had me riveted. Now I say this is new adult because there was steamy scene. But I loved the cat and mouse between them – and the sending notes to one another scenes? Loved it.
I enjoyed the world building and how the Cloak (thieves) and Daggers (assassins) are rival organized crime groups. Central to these two sides is Seraphine who’s mother was basically a drug manufacturer (the drug being Shade) and was killed by a Dagger. Now Sera is out for revenge and I like the twists in the story. It doesn’t help Sera’s dreams of revenge that Ransom is tasked to kill her.
I love Pippin, Sera’s dog.
Both Sera and Ransom have found families but Sera’s found family is tighter and more trustworthy whereas Ransom’s is a little more cutthroat. I definitely felt for Ransom, poor guy.

Dislikes:

I wanted more interaction between Sera and Ransom in the first half but it’s a slow burn between them.
The beginning of the story is slow but I’m glad I stuck it out.

My Thoughts:

I found this story pretty entertaining and I loved that it was enemies to lovers with some blood involved. This story has action, found family, a lot of chemistry between two rivals, magic and some interesting twists. I was rooting for Sera and Ransom until the end, so we’ll see what happens in book two!