There are books that are born with teeth that tear at the fleshy and tender bits of our humanity until there is nothing left but baser human instinct. This book highlighted some of the darkest parts of the human experience in ways that were both horrifying and bleak. Innamorata deeply unsettled me for a variety of reasons, which we will get to, but I also couldn’t stop turning the page. Few books have rendered me speechless, and this book is one of them. Each choice made by the characters in this book has irreversible consequences, and really makes you wonder about the monsters hidden within us all. This is very much a departure from my usual reads, and I think this will make an incredibly thoughtful read for someone who is looking for a story like this.
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.
