Hi, Erin! What was it like to start the process of retelling such a prolific story like The Phantom of the Opera?

Oh gosh, from start to finish, this project has been a complete joy! I was so excited to learn that LW Entertainment was commissioning a series of books to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical. It was the show that first sparked my love of live theatre and ultimately made me become a stage manager. After being selected to write the young adult novel, I went straight to work, easily slipping into the world of the Opéra Populaire. Honestly, it felt a lot like a homecoming. The show had been so formative for me that returning to it just felt good!

When merging your own author voice with a story that is already out there, what are some things that you take into consideration before or while you’re writing?

During retellings, I’m always mindful of the source material. There are certain key moments that make each story uniquely its own. For Our Strange Duet, I went through the musical, scene by scene, and flagged any parts that would be difficult to achieve with the constraints that were in place. Because the book is told exclusively through Christine Daaé’s perspective, any moment that she’s not onstage, she’d have no first-hand knowledge of. Those were the parts I knew I could infuse my own voice into the story and offer readers something that they hadn’t seen before. I really loved writing the six month gap that happens between Act I and Act II. What was happening after the chandelier crashes and before the Populaire’s masked New Year’s Eve party? It was thrilling to find out!

Reading your stories, I always feel that I come out changed. In what way has writing Our Strange Duet changed you?

After I had my daughter, I put my career as a production stage manager on hiatus and became a stay at home mom. I got into writing and when House of Salt and Sorrows took off the way it did, I became a full time author. It felt as if my life had split into two acts—theatre, then writing. Being selected to bring Christine Daaé’s story into the world brought those two pieces back together in a way that feels so wonderfully full circle.

I’ve been following all of the promoting for Our Strange Duet and I am both so happy and so ENVIOUS of all of the awesome things that you’ve been doing! What has been your most memorable experience so far?

On the night of launch day, Underlined threw a massive celebration at Masquerade—the immersive Phantom of the Opera experience taking place nightly at the building which was formerly Lee’s Art Studio. We took over an entire audience group and were able to see the show, then continue the festivities down in the Phantom’s domain Readers were able to explore the rooms, have their books signed, and enjoy snacks and themed mocktails. During the show, our Christine was played by Kaley Ann Voorhees, who had been my conversation partner the night before. There was a really lovely moment when we made eye contact and it felt like the merging of the Christines. I’ll never forget it!

I’m such a big fan of your books, I can’t get away from this interview without asking: What are you working on next?!

I’ve got a couple secrets up my sleeve, but readers of psychological thriller/chillers will be very happy next fall and I’m also hard at work on the third book in the Sisters of the Salt series—we’ll be getting Lenore’s story next!

Will you be picking up Our Strange Duet? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Erin A. Craig, Author of ‘Our Strange Duet’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If I’ve piqued your interest at all, take a seat. Our Strange Duet is a thoughtful reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. It’s centered around Christine Daaé, a young naive starlet who becomes torn between love and ambition, and the masked figure and secrets that lurk beneath the Opera House. If you’re feeling like setting a mood, I would recommend playing the soundtrack as you read (if you’re someone who can), it will be a bit more of an immersive experience.

My initial thoughts was how similar the musical and the book are, and yet, it felt as though we were getting more than that. Craig took us inside Christine’s head, her heart, and her feelings. I think it gave us further insight into the young ingénue in a way that I wasn’t truly expecting. We see her innocence yes, but also that spark of ambition that is driving her to make the choices that could lead to disastrous consequences. Tangled within it is her desire to be loved, and it creates a dangerous combination that leaves readers wanting to see the story through to the end, even if they know how it ends.

One of my favourite aspects of the book is that each character is given proper care and respect, going beyond superficial descriptions and giving reasons for their behaviours. The Phantom’s vulnerability, despite his fearsome reputation, just cemented that inner dark romantic that wanted Christine to stay in the darkness with him. However, Carlotta also comes to mind, a lead soprano that is past her prime, but clinging to that fame. Although we see it from Christine’s perspective specifically, I love that we see human nature behind some of her “villainy”. We get to see beyond the signora’s great vanity and some into her insecurities. Some might argue that it detracts from the drama, but I think that it adds the right light to the story. The character who fell flat for me at times was Raoul, but perhaps it was because he felt very much like a mirror of Christine in some ways.

If you’re looking for a grand departure from the original work, you will not find that here, as it stays very close to the original story. This wasn’t a problem for me, but I do think some might approach the book looking for that, so let this be your caution.

Something that kept coming up for me as I was reading was the way that I could vividly visualise what I was reading, but in the way that you’re watching a puppetmaster tell a story. The storytelling was masterful, and I was trapped within the confines of the book until the very end. The ending left me breathless, and looking up when the next time The Phantom of the Opera musical will be nearby so I could go watch it once again. At the very least, I’m planning to watch the movie as I go into October. This gives off the best moody weather reading vibes, and I honestly think everyone should either read or listen to this book as one of your fall reads. I think you’ll find a reason to fall in love with the Phantom once more. This read was a 8/10 for me (because of Raoul), but I still recommend it for everything else.

Our Strange Duet is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Our Strange Duet? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, spotlighting Christine Daaé as she rises to fame while torn between love, ambition, and the haunting secrets of the opera house from #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin A. Craig.

She was never just the voice he shaped . . .

A rising soprano with a gift she is only just learning to embrace, Christine Daaé has moved through the glittering world of the Opera Populaire longing to find her purpose. Instead, she finds herself caught between two men who refuse to let her slip quietly into the chorus.

One is Raoul, her childhood friend turned devoted admirer, offering her a future filled with warmth, safety, and a love that feels like sunlight. The other is a mysterious masked figure who lurks beneath the Opera House: The Phantom. His brilliance, obsession, and dangerous devotion to nurturing Christine’s talents ignites a dark and complicated passion in her heart.

As Christine’s star ascends, so does the tension between Raoul and the Phantom. She must decide who she is when the curtain falls—and what she’s willing to risk for the life she wants.

Set against the sweeping, romantic world of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, Our Strange Duet allows Christine Daaé to take center stage to tell her own story: fierce, emotional, and unforgettable.

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Innamorata is a decadently dark gothic fantasy for readers who love “haunting atmospheres, morally tangled characters, and stories where love becomes doom” (Booklist, starred review) and the first in a duology.

First off, I wanted to start off with a quick question about the cover, because I. AM. OBSESSED! How involved were you able to be when it came to what the final cover looked like?

It was a very collaborative process with the art director, my editor, my agent, and myself all weighing in and giving feedback. The first thing I did was send over the Pinterest board I made for the cover, which included a mock-up I made myself in Photoshop (link here, if they’re interested?) It’s really cool to see how similar the final cover ended up being! We really all had a shared, cohesive vision right from the beginning.

Each and every one of the characters in Innamorata fascinated me, but I am so curious how Agnes’ character came to be?

I actually started with the relationship between Agnes and Marozia—that was the book’s raison d’être. I read a lot of case studies and academic material about selective mutism, the condition which Agnes has. She is able to speak physically but does not for psychological reasons.

One of the case studies I read was from the ‘80s, about two sisters who had been badly traumatized by the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The younger one was selectively mute, and she had this fascinatingly enmeshed, codependent relationship with her older sister, where the power dynamic between the two was often unclear. A good deal of manipulation underlies cases of selective mutism. Agnes in particular uses her silence to manipulate her environment because she is powerless otherwise. It is her last resort, and her weapon. And Marozia occasionally wields that weapon for herself.

This book left me unsettled in ways I can’t even begin to describe. How do you prepare to get into the headspace of the stories that you write?

I read and re-read the books that I used for inspiration, in particular Boiardo’s fifteenth-century epic romance Orlando innamorato, of which Innamorata is a loose retelling. Another big inspiration for the gothic atmosphere was Mervyn Peake’s series Gormenghast. I accustomed myself to their prose style, their motifs and symbols. Innamorata is very metafictional, so it directly references those and other works. You kind of have to settle yourself into it, testing the margins and limits of your own comfort and desires. Eventually it just becomes second-nature, like, why wouldn’t I write this way?

If you could give yourself an epithet, what would it be and why?

Ha! I went down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and made a long, long list of historical epithets before choosing the ones I wanted for Drepane’s monarchs. Some of my favorites that didn’t get used: the Crouchback, the Boneless, the God Manifest, and Blood-Stand-Still.

When you are exploring dark themes in books, particularly violent ones, what internal processes do you go through before putting thoughts to words? (Please let me know if this question makes sense at all)

I don’t really separate out “dark content” from any other form of content. The writing, mechanics-wise, is the same. I don’t choose to write “dark themes” because they are dark; I choose to write them because it’s what the narrative calls for. So I don’t really question them by virtue of them just being “dark.” It’s all just part of the larger themes of the story.

For Innamorata in particular, all of the most gruesome and objectionable content comes directly from the source material, Boiardo’s innamorato. So it was really intuitive to include it. I’ll always recommend Natalie Cleaver’s article, “Humanism’s Other Inheritance: The Brutal Intertextuality of Boiardo’s Rocca Crudele” to readers who are curious about my process of adapting these dark themes. It’s available for free online.

And if you’re truly galled by the content, take it up with Boiardo’s corpse! Agnes will eventually figure out how to ask him.  

Any word on when we will get the second book in The House of Teeth duology?

I just turned in the first draft to my editors, so hopefully around this time next year! I actually really wanted to publish it as one massive, 350k word/1,000 page tome, but my publisher (understandably) did not go for it. I’m hoping for an omnibus edition someday!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I am so excited to get my hands on a finished copy of your book!

Will you be picking up Innamorata? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Ava Reid, Author of ‘Innamorata’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The story is set on an island where the dead once walked the earth, and seven noble houses ruled through the arcane secret of necromancy. However, a conqueror came through and made these seven noble houses bend the knee, and severed their connection to the ancient magic. The House of Teeth stands defiant with the last two living descendants: Marozia the heiress of the house, and Agnes her cousin. Although Marozia has inherited the House of Teeth, it is Agnes who has inherited the legacy to defy the conquering kingdom and recapture the secrets of death magic. She arranges for Marozia to marry prince Liuprand to gain access to the forbidden library, but Agnes does not expect the passion that burns between herself and Liuprand. Passion may be the thing that cleaves the kingdom in two, for Agnes must not fall in love.

Let me warn you right now, this book is dark and contains very dark and at times very dubious content and would encourage you to seek out the trigger warnings before picking this up. Ava Reid’s writing is incredibly vivid, and so I would only recommend this book to those who are wanting to interact with this type of story. I knew what I was getting into, and somehow still wasn’t ready for what awaited me within those pages.

Throughout my read, I found myself fascinated and horrified by all of the characters, but Agnes most of all. I think readers’ opinion about her will consistently shift as they go through the book. She’s been silent for seven years, spurned on by revenge for her house and a twisted love for her only living family. Her silence is a weapon, and she lurks in the shadows where her cousin shines. Yet Agnes alone carries the burdens of the House of Teeth, the secret mistress pulling the strings of the heiress. She longs for something more than she has, while also despising herself for her desires. I was fascinated by the power dynamics within this book, going far beyond the political. It is most poignant in scenes where Agnes is being observed interacting with Marozia, and the reader is not privy to the words shared or written, only the resulting actions.

The book goes between Agnes and several characters within the periphery of the powerful players within this book. Their perspectives were made all the more valuable as everything develops within the book. It matters even more when readers see how the smallest of actions work their way up to a consequence that will be felt by many.

Make no mistake, there is no happily ever after romance here. What you will find is something that is passionate, sinful, and ultimately inevitable. Agnes painstakingly struggles against her loyalty to her cousin and duty to the House of Teeth. It is not her mind that ultimately betrays her, but her heart. And those consequences are truly ruinous for all involved. The resulting consequences of the love between Agnes and Liuprand are both tragic and horrific, especially when I was reading the end of this book. If you’re wondering why I was left speechless, that is one of the many reasons.

Betrayal, treachery, cruelty, and darkness are the hallmarks of any good Gothic horror. You’ll be horrified, but also captivated. Although it took me longer to finish than my usual reads, it also gave me pause to think on. How much of Agnes’ and Marozia’s actions were caused because of how they were raised? What if Agnes had resisted the pull of her fated love? The most important question after the ending: What the hell happens now?! I am certainly dying to know.

An incredible read to be sure, but it’s not for everyone. Pick this one up with caution, but if you do, please let me know what you think!

Innamorata is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 17th 2026.

Will you be picking up Innamorata? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

A decadently dark gothic fantasy for readers who love “haunting atmospheres, morally tangled characters, and stories where love becomes doom” (Booklist, starred review), the first in a duology from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth

Once there was an island where the dead walked the earth, and seven noble houses ruled by the arcane secrets of necromancy.

A conqueror’s blade brought them low, burning their libraries, killing their lords, and extinguishing their eldritch magic.

But defiant against the new order stands the House of Teeth and its last living members: beautiful Marozia, the heiress to the House, and her cousin, the uncanny Lady Agnes.

Though she has not spoken a word in seven years, Agnes is the true carrier of the House’s legacy. And she has her orders. She must recapture the secrets of death magic and avenge her family’s fallen honor. She must arrange the betrothal of her beloved cousin Marozia to Liuprand, heir to the conqueror’s throne, for access to the forbidden library in his grotesquely grand castle.

Revenge burns in Agnes’s heart but so do stranger passions—and it is Liuprand, the golden prince, who speaks to her soul. This passion is as treasonous as it is powerful, poisoning the kingdom’s roots and threatening to tear the already shattered realm in two.

For Agnes’s final order is the gravest: She must not fall in love.

The post Review: Innamorata by Ava Reid appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Sadie Brooks is a young woman on the run from herself. After losing her New York City job, she takes up her best friend’s offer to crash with him for the summer, but also finally joining him on a DnD campaign. She creates a character named Jaylie, blessed by Lady Luck to heal her teammates, and Sadie secretly hopes it may be the distraction she needs to figure out what she wants. What she doesn’t expect is the romance that brews with another newcomer to the game, Noah, and she’s going to have to figure out if the attraction is beyond the characters they are pretending to play.

This book started off on shaky ground for me, partly because it took me a second to make the switch between Sadie vs. Jaylie scenes. It’s a bit disorienting at first, but I do also feel like it does emulate the scenario that a newcomer playing a table-top role playing game might. Of the characters, I loved Noah the most. He’s charismatic and charming, but also sexy and most definitely strikes me as the type of character in DnD that people would fall in love with.  While this book is primarily cosy and about exploring the nature of uncertainty, I think Noah is a great foil to Sadie’s character. She’s artistic, but also unsure of herself. Her conundrum is finding the confidence to pursue her true desires. I think both characters experience growth, although Sadie’s is more on page than Noah’s.

Romantically, I felt a little torn. I loved the story, but wasn’t sure how I felt regarding how the lines between the people and their created personas were a little blurred. I did feel like it was addressed, however, adding complexity to a story we thought might be straightforward. With that said, I loved the banter and the roleplay writing that Noah and Sadie did. It gave the story further layers that I think were done creatively and kept me engaged in the story. I wanted to keep going, find out what was going to happen next. I was a little worried that one of the storylines might be more flushed out than the other, but I think Lenora did an excellent job creating balance between Noah and Sadie and their DnD counterparts.

For those of you who might be reading this review wondering about the spice, I would say that it has mild spice. The attraction is there, and when we finally get to the action it is wonderfully done, but it does build over time, more of a slowburn style. It felt very natural for the story, and while I would have loved a little more, it was exactly what this story needed.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. The beginning pacing aside, I enjoyed the back and forth pacing and the characters quite a lot. It was a quick read once I got started, and it would make an EXCELLENT book club book for those that are wanting to try something a little different in terms of their cosy romance. Who knows? Maybe some romance might brew when you create your own DnD campaign. 

Roll for Romance is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Roll for Romance? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

Two fledgling tabletop gamers find themselves falling for each other—both in and out of their weekly D&D sessions—in this cozy, fantasy-tinged romance.

When Sadie Brooks unexpectedly loses her marketing job, she flees New York City to spend the summer with her best friend in small-town Texas, where joining his Dungeons & Dragons campaign is the perfect distraction while she plans her next steps.

In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out—until she meets Noah Walker, the outgoing bartender roped into joining their party as Loren, an adventurous and charismatic lute-strumming elf. Just as Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard’s charms over the course of their party’s travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah’s spell.

As their relationship progresses in both worlds, Sadie wonders if what they have might last beyond the game. But like his traveling bard character, Noah never stays in one place for long. When a new opportunity arises in New York, Sadie must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place—and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice.

The post Review: Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Prince Sloth was the one I’d been waiting for a story on, having been teased a few times about a prince with a library…and this book delivered everything that I was hoping for. I was obsessed with Lore and her sunny disposition and Sloth’s intense outlook on life. Moreover, A LIBRARIAN?! My own librarian heart was bursting at the seams with delight and watching their story unfold made me want to hop into my own book to seek adventures of my own, and gave me some inspiration to lift my own pen to paper. At its crux, this story is truly a writer’s love letter to readers, and an inspiration to pursue your dreams, because you never know where they will lead next.

This book is all about Prince Sloth and his quest to find the Book of Nightmares before it unleashes a game that could break worlds and unleash the Goddess of Night. Enter Lore Brimstone, the librarian who’s been seeking an adventure of her own. What she didn’t count on was being magically transported within a story itself, where Sloth and Lore must trust each other to navigate as dark magic threatens to break loose. Lore will have to channel the main character residing within her in order to survive, and perhaps lose her heart to a certain prince along the way.

            From the moment I started reading this book, I was transported into a tale of betrayal and danger. It was action-packed from the beginning, giving an Indiana Jones or The Librarians sort of vibe. Grumpy/sunshine trope to boot? I was honestly in heaven. Lore Brimstone masks her insecurities with humour, but when adventure is within her grasp, she doesn’t hesitate. When I thought about it after finishing the book, I realised that what I loved most is how authentic she was. From her reaction to being transported into a book, to the realisation she has about her role in everything, it’s almost fun to see what Lore might say next. The banter between her and Sloth had me in ribbons as well.

            Let us talk about Sloth. He was grumpy, stern, and a scholar above everything else. He’s not looking for love, or to lose his heart—exactly the type of kinky nerd I want to be trapped in a book with. Am I a little upset that this book took place within a book and not in Hell? Perhaps. However, the nuggets of information we learn about Sloth and his enchanted library along the way are phenomenal bits of storytelling woven into everything else going on. Compared to the previous two books, Sloth was the change of pace that I think readers needed.

Now, I am someone ridiculously biased when it comes to authors I love, so sometimes I take a few days to think about what I read and how I feel about the characters. Personally, I enjoyed the book, but I want to recognise that this one is different than the rest. Some of the storylines Lore and Sloth end up in are a bit cringey, but albeit fun over time. I mentioned it before, it doesn’t take place in Hell, and the only characters we as readers are engaging with are Sloth and Lore. I wish we’d gotten to know more of Lore’s family, especially Fable and her friends. We don’t get to develop any relationships with side characters like we have in previous books, and that was something I felt I was missing. Lastly, I would have loved a bit more worldbuilding in regards to the Book of Nightmares and the Goddess of Night—this is a book I would have loved a second part to because there is so much to explore.

Overall, I loved this book as it’s fast paced and fun, but I could have used a bit more to the story to truly be swept into this story within a story. I think my favourite is still Gluttony, but I loved Sloth’s story. I cannot wait to see which prince is next, I have my guess, but only Maniscalco will confirm those suspicions when she announces her next book!

Throne of Nightmares is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Throne of Nightmares? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

In this action-packed standalone fantasy romance from New York Times bestselling sensation Kerri Maniscalco, a book of dangerous magic draws two readers into a perilous quest to find it—and their own happy ending.

“Beware of waking the gods, their dreams are often our nightmares …” 

A prince who prefers games of the head to those of the heart.

Prince Sloth hates leaving his enchanted library, but when a forgotten deity threatens the very fabric of the Underworld, he’s thrust into a race against time. He must find the Book of Nightmares—an ancient artifact that has the power to break worlds—before it unleashes a deadly game to free its master, the Goddess of Night.  When a betrayal leaves him marked, and desperate, his path collides with a young woman who possesses the legendary Phoenix Tear—a portal stone unlike any other. 

A librarian who is all sweet sunshine … until she burns.

Lore Brimstone has always loved getting lost in a book—but she never meant literally. Yet, after visiting a traveling caravan, she quickly finds herself transported to a terrifying but oddly familiar world—with the worst, twisted prince at her side. Realizing they are living out her favorite novels one by one, they face off against an increasingly dark magic as they try to survive the story.

A twisted tale that means they can’t trust themselves—or their hearts.

As Lore and Sloth navigate the pages of her beloved novels gone wrong, she must channel her inner main character to defeat the Book of Nightmares before the wall between the gods and mortals comes crashing down, dooming them all.

The post Review: Throne of Nightmares by Kerri Maniscalco appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

            If you haven’t read the first in this duology, you might want to look away now! After nearly losing Tyghan thanks to the monsters her mother unleashed, Bristol is working on reconnecting with the man she loves. However, as they reconcile their differences, the loss of a beloved knight makes them both face what they’re avoiding. Bristol’s mother is more powerful than they anticipated, and Bristol’s loyalties are going to be tested far beyond what she expected. Her choices will either save the people she loves, or forever tear them apart.

            This book was a gut-punch from the moment I opened it. It picks up right where the previous book left off, so there’s not a lot of catching up to do in that sense. However, the characters are certainly going through some emotional turmoil to be sure. Bristol in particular is the most volatile representation of this, with everything going on around her, it makes the most sense that she’s on the verge of shattering. Everything about her was vulnerable, and while I did not agree with some of the choices she made in the book, it made me think of how someone acts when they grieve. Desperation is one of the primary emotions that comes up in this book a lot, for many of the characters. We get to follow through on threads that were opened in the first book, and see the consequences of characters actions. Lots of lessons are being learned all around.

            What I still loved was Bristol’s relationship with her sisters, although I now have beef with one Mary E. Pearson over certain things that happened in the book. You should read it too, and share this chip I must now shoulder. Above all, Bristol’s relationship with her family, through it all, is one of the strongest bonds that she has. Complexity aside, it is quite heartwarming.

            At one point in the book, I found myself wanting to pull both Tyghan and Bristol into a therapy session. They are SO terrible at communicating with each other, which made the book feel redundant at times. Yet, it made sense logically, because there are relationships out there that mirror this exactly. It wasn’t my favourite relationship in books I’ve read, but things were resolved in a good way in the end. Rebuilding trust, communication, and some steamy scenes certainly moved things along as well.

            There was much to love about this book, and as I mentioned, the raw emotions of it all were certainly one of my favourites. However, there were also things that I didn’t quite love. For me in particular, I had trouble with the flow of the story. At times it felt disjointed, when in others it flowed really well. There were aspects of the book that lacked detail where it was sorely needed, and the opposite was true as well. A minor complaint, but something to be aware of if you decide to pick this book up for yourself.

            If you’re wondering if I regret picking up and reading the ending to this story, the answer is no. I read this book in an afternoon, just as many of the other books I love. The story resolved in a way that was authentic, and I am looking forward to the next book Mary E. Pearson puts out next. 

The Last Wish of Bristol Keats is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up The Last Wish of Bristol Keats? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Mary E. Pearson comes the thrilling conclusion of the Courting of Bristol Keats romantic fantasy duology–limited edition printing with stenciled edges!

Be wary of the legends you hear. Who knows, one day you may be a legend yourself.

After Bristol Keats nearly loses her beloved King Tyghan to the monsters her mother had unleashed, their love deepens to a whole new level. Together, Bristol and Tyghan work to understand and reconcile their differences, moving forward with their common goal of saving Elphame. But when a daring rescue attempt turns into a disaster, and a beloved knight dies, Bristol is forced to confront the fact that her mother is more powerful than she could have ever imagined—and more dangerous. Meanwhile, Tyghan’s heart is laid bare when he encounters his former best friend and betrayer again, Bristol’s own father, and must wrestle with a new secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his past into question.

Bristol is Elphame’s last chance for survival, but where do her loyalties truly lie? If she fully embraces the magic that has always been her birthright, she could become a different kind of monster from her mother. Is she willing to risk losing the people she loves most, if it means keeping them safe?

Brimming with dark secrets, lush world-building, and addictive romance, The Last Wish of Bristol Keats is the unforgettable conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Mary E. Pearson’s first adult series.

The post Review: The Last Wish of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

For starters, I think the summary of this book had me hooked before I had even started. Then I cracked the book open and there’s a pronunciation guide and glossary, which I appreciated since there is a lot going on in the world of Empyrieos. Inspired by Greek mythos, there’s also additional magic that I was very curious about and I think we are being built up to more based on the way the book ended.

This story centers around Princess Aella, who was ousted from the Palace of Sorrows as a child. Stripped of her title and name, she spent her life being raised in The Aviary, a spy network of the kingdom, where she has been honed into a weapon to infiltrate kingdoms within Empyrieos. Her first mission? Reclaim her title and compete in bride trials held by the Prince of Etria. Working alongside her is her former flame and a team of elite assassins and together they must infiltrate the kingdom, but the mission might unravel before their very eyes before they even get started.

Aella is a young woman who has faced hardship because of the circumstances of her birth and how she’s eventually raised at the Aviary. She’s reluctant to trust, yet still has somewhat of a soft heart. The word that came up a few times and I consider apt is tempestuous. Aella loves to throw caution to the wind, if it means it will yield success.

Outside of Aella, this book had quite a few characters to keep track of, which made it difficult to form any attachments, save for characters that Aella interacted with the most. The character that is most fascinating to me is Raven, because there’s significant development between him and Aella that I couldn’t get enough of while I was reading the book. There is something about forbidden lovers that is just…*chef’s kiss*. Toward the end of the book we are introduced to a character that is shrouded in mystery, and that I won’t elaborate on because of spoilers, but I think it’s very safe to say, Braidee Otto has spun a tale that will definitely hook readers.

Pacing wise, I felt like the book was fairly fast paced because I didn’t feel like any of the story lagged behind. There were times that I do wish we could have slowed down to develop a bit more tension maybe, but that’s just me wanting to savour some of the scenes a bit longer. If I had to have a qualm with this book, it’s that it was far too short for my liking! I’m always a fan of political intrigue and this book had it in spades, but we didn’t get the chance to explore it as much as we should have. That being said, it might be because there is far more to come, and this book is only setting up some messier, more world shattering things to come. Something that I absolutely loved (despite the fact that it infuriated me) was the fact that as soon as one mystery/problem was solved, there was a bigger quandary in its place. As I stare at this unsolved puzzle, I have more questions than answers, and I need Otto to finish the next book since there are so many things I want to know,and I can’t wait to find out!

Songbird of the Sorrows is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and Penguin Books Australia.

Will you be picking up Songbird of the Sorrows? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

In a magical world of gods and mythical races, an outcast princess turned spy infiltrates a rival kingdom—uncovering secrets that force her to choose between obedience and defiance—in the first book of a propulsive romantic fantasy series for fans of Danielle L. Jensen’s The Bridge Kingdom series.

Ask no questions. Obey your orders. Respect your masters. But most of all, love no one.

Spy. Thief. Princess. Songbird.

Banished from the Palace of Sorrows as a child, Princess Aella was taken in by the Aviary, a secret intelligence network embedded throughout the Empyrieos that trains orphans as professional spies. Now twenty-three years old, she has finally earned her place as a Songbird on the most elite team of assassins, led by none other than her former flame, Raven. Everything about him calls to her—he’s brave, loyal, and lethal—but their relationship is also the greatest threat to her standing as a Songbird.

Before Aella can untangle her feelings, their team is sent on a dangerous mission to the eastern kingdom, a land that ever since the horrific God War has been the enemy of her homeland. Aella’s role is crucial yet troublesome: she must assume her former title of Princess of the Sorrows to compete in a series of bridal trials. But when the trials turn deadly and the mission is threatened, Aella must decide whether to follow orders or defy them.

Songbird of the Sorrows is the first novel in the sweeping, romantic Myths of the Empyrieos series, following Aella through an epic journey of self-discovery, true love, redemption, and ultimately a great war that promises to upend the lives of everyone in the realm.

The post Review: Songbird of the Sorrows by Braidee Otto appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The summary of this story is centered around Helena, a woman who has lost her memories, but also trapped within her own mind. She’s a prisoner of the current ruling class, and all of her friends who were part of the Resistance are now dead. However, she’s being held because her memory loss might be the key to identifying important information the Resistance held, but how is an insignificant healer like Helena involved? To discover the reason for her treachery, she’s sent to the High Reeve, purported to be one of the most powerful necromancers in Paladia. However, her captor and the prison she remains captive within hold devastating secrets, and Helena is determined to find out what they are.

When I tell you that this book had me in a chokehold from the beginning, I am not joking, and I knew what I was getting into. I read the original source material and found it just as dark and triggering. My goal in reading this was to find out how different the stories were from each other, and how the worldbuilding and plot might develop. The magic system was something I was especially curious about, and the metal usage with alchemy gave me a Sanderson adjacent vibe, but layered with necromancy, vivimancy, and others that I won’t mention. The book is a brick in size at 1,000 pages, but I do feel like SenLinYu was trying to pack in all of the worldbuilding that she needed to in order to make this book work. The mythology in particular fascinated me, and it was an aspect I would have loved to get more information about. Helena’s country as well, because despite being set in Paladia, there were a lot of references to other places that characters were from, but not enough background for us to get attached to them.

            I’m sure most of you are wondering about the romantic aspect of the characters. Naturally there’s elements of enemies to lovers, power imbalances, and more, but the thing that might be the most triggering for people would be the abuse situations. This is where the story really leans into The Handmaid’s Tale with forced pregnancy for the female prisoners of war. I really can’t get into more without spoiling certain parts of the story, so I won’t say much more on it, but this was an aspect of the story that I felt might have needed more development.

            Character-wise, this story was complex, particularly with so much going on and Helena not being as a reliable of a narrator as we might want due to her trauma. There is an aspect of abuse that I cannot speak on as a reviewer, but it did feel as though the lines of morality were blurred in this book. While this makes sense for a dark romance, I encourage every reader to approach this book with their own experiences in mind.

Now, back to Helena. As part of the resistance she is strong, even if she’s a bit secretive in shouldering the weight of what others are putting onto her. Despite the trauma, I hoped that she could rekindle a bit of even a shadow of herself, but even in the end, I don’t feel like we got there. Same thing for the High Reeve. Very complex and battling with himself about a great deal of things I cannot talk about, but I’m not sure if there was enough resolution to work through a lot of the trauma that happens within this book.

            With all that said, I would recommend this to readers who are devoted lovers of dark romance. I would also encourage any readers to look up the content warnings. There are a lot of them, and if you’re not in the headspace for this book, it may not be for you. There were some grammatical errors that I noticed in the book that really bugged me, but overall, it was a fast paced read for me that I finished over the course of two days. I am looking forward to seeing what SenLinYu will write next.

Alchemised is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Alchemised? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”

Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.

In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.

According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?

To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.

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Arcana Academy starts with Clara Graysword, a young woman who has survived through sheer force of will, luck, and thievery. After one of her jobs goes awry, she gets sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards, a now outlawed practice in Eclipse City. As she’s bemoaning her luck running out, Prince Kaelis offers her an escape from her circumstances, but the price is her freedom. In order to escape the prison, she enters Arcana Academy as a first year student and bride-to-be for the prince. Meanwhile, she’s also secretly working to ink a card for him that has been lost to time, and also has the power to re-shape the world. Clara will have to survive a world that is out for her power, and she may not survive long enough to save herself.

To start, this book is THICK. I’ve read a lot of romantasy recently that needed some extra world-building, so I was hoping that Arcana Academy would deliver based on the length. In all honesty, I was hoping for a bit more, but I think that it was partially because of everything going on in the story that I might have felt like it was a bit disjointed. The magic system was definitely fascinating, and I wanted to know all about how it worked, however there needs to be a bit more development  in the following books. I definitely wanted to know more about Eclipse City and Arcana Academy, because I do feel like we are building up to a bigger thing, but am not sure if others will want to invest the time into the story to find out. With that said, I really enjoyed a lot of the mystery aspect surrounding Clara’s powers and what is to come in the next book.

Character-wise, Clara was not my cup of tea. She seemed more of a teenage protagonist than an adult, but I could see where her heart lay. She cared a lot about her family, but unfortunately it also blinded her ability to reason. Prince Kaelis was more broody than villainous, and the romance felt like it was non-existent one minute, and the next second punched us right in the face. I didn’t hate that, but I would have loved a little more build up to the romance as it made me a bit paranoid, like another shoe would drop and something else would happen to the characters I would be shipping. By the end of the book, I was definitely rooting for their relationship, but more development on the front end would have been ideal to make it a bit more believable.

Although the pace of this book was a bit disjointed, this did not deter me from finishing the book and there were several moments where it felt like it was taking me quite a bit to get through the story. There were also times where I felt like there was an onslaught of action happening and I needed to go back and reread to make sure I hadn’t missed anything happening between characters. I’m curious if this might change in the next book as we lean more into the development of characters and motivations than as much of the world-building.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and while it left a lot of questions unanswered, it did open up a mystery that I am dying to find out the answers to. This was a book that left me second guessing where the story would go next, and there were several plot twists that I was not expecting. I do encourage you to pick this book up if you’re wanting to start a new series from an author with a large backlist to explore.

Arcana Academy is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up Arcana Academy? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

A woman who wields magical tarot cards lands herself in a false engagement with the headmaster of a mysterious academy in this first installment of an enthralling fantasy romance series from the bestselling author of A Deal with the Elf King.

Clara Graysword has survived the underworld of Eclipse City through thievery, luck, and a whole lot of illegal magic. After a job gone awry, Clara is sentenced to a lifetime in prison for inking tarot cards—a rare power reserved for practitioners at the elite Arcana Academy.

Just when it seems her luck has run dry, the academy’s enigmatic headmaster, Prince Kaelis, offers her an escape—for a price. Kaelis believes that Clara is the perfect tool to help him steal a tarot card from the king and use it to re-create an all-powerful card long lost to time.

In order to conceal her identity and keep her close, Kaelis brings Clara to Arcana Academy, introducing her as the newest first-year student and his bride-to-be.

Thrust into a world of arcane magic and royal intrigue, where one misstep will send her back to prison or worse, Clara finds that the prince she swore to hate may not be what he seems. But can she risk giving him power over the world—and her heart? Or will she take it for herself?

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