Tag: romantasy

Book Review | Letters of Enchantment Series by Rebecca Ross

Posted August 3, 2026 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Letters of Enchantment Series by Rebecca Ross

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again…

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
N/A


The Reason

This series has been on my TBR for a couple of years. Someone recommended it to me a while ago after I mentioned I love epistolary books and while this series is not fully epistolary, it does have letters as a form of communication and that’s close enough!

The Quotes

“It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are. Sometimes I feel the same as you: I can’t risk having people behold me as I truly am. But there’s also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, “You will miss so much by being so guarded.”

“I don’t think you realize how strong you are, because sometimes strength isn’t swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it’s found in quiet, gentle places.”

“My favorite season is autumn, because my mum and I both believed that’s the only time when magic can be tasted in the air.”

“He found me on my darkest day. He followed me to war, to the front lines. He came between me and Death, taking wounds that were supposed to be mine.”

The Narrator(s)

Alex Wingfield. Rebecca Norfolk. They were both great and I enjoyed the narration very much.

My Thoughts

Book 1 – Divine Rivals
I enjoyed the book very much but I do want to state that while there was some initial rivalry between Iris and Roman, I would hardly call it enemies-to-lovers. It was quite a short-lived rivalry, and they didn’t actually hate each other and were even friendly and helpful to each other at times. I do love the slow-burn though, and one of the reasons I love epistolary novels is because you get to know a person through actual communication, which they did here through their letters. I liked the world-building and the God-lore too, but I feel like there’s still a lot of information missing about who the Gods are and why they are important at all. I was very upset at the end of this book because I feel that what happened did not have to happen and was just drama for a dramatic ending’s sake.

Book 2 – Ruthless Vows
I did not like the second book as much. It felt like there were a lot of back-and-forth with things happening that are time-fillers rather than any actual important thing that moves the story along. I also didn’t really like Roman’s role and character in this book; I understand why his role was important to the story but the feeling is like, the story was driving his role, rather than his role driving the story, if that makes sense. I still enjoyed the overall story throughout the series, and I like that we find out more about the Gods here. Still an enjoyable story and worth reading!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this series? Would you read them? Did you like the series or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Posted December 15, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.

When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.

And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #15: Includes Latin American history)


The Reason

I needed a book for the Latin American history prompt, and I love vampire stories. I saw this book listed as a possible fit for the prompt and was immediately intrigued!

The Quotes

“He was a man of dust who served men of silver: it was impossible not to know his place in the world.”

“She became more and more tightly bound by the ropes of womanhood; he roamed free, unburdened by responsibilities.”

“This creature, whether it was made by God’s hand or the Devil’s, whether it was born of its own foul will in the shadows of the chaparral, would feed as it had been born to feed. That alone did not make it evil.”

The Narrator(s)

Jose Nateras, and Krysta Gonzales. The narrators did a really good job!

My Thoughts

This might be one of my least favorite books of the year. I had high hopes for the book; I mean, vampires in such a rich cultural setting! There was so much potential and I really wanted something good! But it was just so disappointing.

Some people have mentioned being disappointed because it seemed like it was more of a romance story than a horror one, and I agree because it really seemed like the vampires were barely there except as a weak plot point because in the end, the vampire storyline really fizzled out and the way it was resolved seemed like such a cop-out. But let me tell you, I have been craving romances and I wouldn’t have minded that if it was a good romance story, but it wasn’t that either!

This book is about two very immature adults (I couldn’t believe they were freaking adults and not children!) having a really long, drawn-out argument about something that happened when they were children, that honestly shouldn’t have been as big a deal as they made it. It was the same argument, over and over and over again throughout the book, and I was so sick and tired of them! The only reason I finished this book is because I’m really close to finishing the 2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge and wanted to cross this prompt off my list. I’m not sure if it was worth it or if I should’ve just tried to find another book for the prompt.

My Rating

⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

Posted April 16, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent

A former slave fighting for justice. A reclusive warrior who no longer believes it exists. And a dark magic that will entangle their fates.

Ripped from a forgotten homeland as a child, Tisaanah learned how to survive with nothing but a sharp wit and a touch of magic. But the night she tries to buy her freedom, she barely escapes with her life.

Desperate to save the best friend she left behind, Tisaanah journeys to the Orders, the most powerful organizations of magic Wielders in the world. But to join their ranks, she must complete an apprenticeship with Maxantarius Farlione, a handsome and reclusive fire wielder who despises the Orders.

The Orders’ intentions are cryptic, and Tisaanah must prove herself under the threat of looming war. But even more dangerous are her growing feelings for Maxantarius. The bloody past he wants to forget may be the key to her future… or the downfall of them both.

But Tisaanah will stop at nothing to save those she abandoned. Even if it means gambling in the Orders’ deadly games. Even if it means sacrificing her heart.

Even if it means wielding death itself.

Fans of epic romantic fantasy like Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy will devour this tale of dark magic, passionate romance, vengeance, and redemption.


For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #25: An author “everyone” has read except me)
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge


The Reason

Everyone has been talking about The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, so of course I was intrigued, but there’s a long waitlist for that book and this one by the same author happened to be available on audio, so I thought I’d try it.

The Quotes

“Men want power because it makes them feel good. Women want power because it lets us do things.”

“Did you know that when caterpillars make a cocoon, their bodies totally dissolve? They become nothing, before they become something else.”

“We had carved out these small, intimate spaces for each other in our lives, and by some miracle of human denial, neither of us had thought about what that would inevitably mean. Now, for the first time, I realized the breadth of the gaping absence we would leave in each other.”

“It’s easy to die for someone,” I said, “but it is so much more valuable to live. I do not give you permission to fail if I fail.”

The Narrator(s)

Dan Calley and Esther Wane. They were fine. I like Esther’s narration but there were parts where I couldn’t hear her properly and missed certain details. Dan’s narration had a bit of an annoying inflection, for me. I feel like I maybe would’ve liked the book more if I’d read it rather than listen to it.

My Thoughts

I liked the story, and I loved Max and Tisaanah, the whole power up montage for Tisaanah, the way they got to know each other. I’m a sucker for slow burns, vulnerable conversations, and I love how they try to protect each other. However, I feel like my enjoyment was marred a little by the narration. Maybe. I feel a little disconnected to the story and the characters, and I feel like it’s probably because of the narration. I feel like I might have missed some important details in some parts, and also the narrators’ inflections and interpretations of the voices and events influenced my thoughts about them. Objectively, I thought it was a great story, but there was just something missing somehow, and that makes me kind of ambivalent about continuing with the series.

My Feels

I think I could’ve loved the story and the characters. I think I could’ve really loved Max and Tisaanah’s love story, but I just feel disconnected. I could try again in print, but there are so many other books out there so I feel it’s really okay to let go and move on. I am still going to read The Serpent and the Wings of Night, but I’m going to make sure I read it in print!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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